BMW Group Research and Innovation network
The Driving Force: A Passion for Innovation
In the automotive industry, the days of the lone inventor are long
gone. Today, new products are created by entire teams of individuals
who all contribute directly via efficient processes and close
connections between the various departments. It’s this collaborative
approach that makes the BMW Group and its BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and
BMW Motorrad brands so successful.
To recognize trends early and deliver customized solutions to address
them, the BMW Group needs to be in constant direct contact with all of
its key markets. To do this, it runs a global research network with
fifteen locations around the world, keeping its finger on the pulse at
all times. These innovation centres work closely with the Research and
Innovation Centre (FIZ) in Munich, acting as service providers and
driving activities.
The BMW Group Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ)
The FIZ is one of the most cutting-edge development centres in the
global automotive industry and a key interface between technical and
creative RD activities. The team there works on a broad spectrum
of topics, ranging from product development logistics and
manufacturing processes to engines, alternative drives, future
materials, future mobility concepts, electro-mobility and autonomous
driving. Their findings support the BMW, MINI Rolls-Royce and BMW
Motorrad brands as well as BMW M and BMW i sub-brands.
Built in 1986, the FIZ was initially designed for about 4,000
employees. Its unique honeycomb-like layout supports effective
communications by keeping distances between employees short. It
therefore reflects the importance of interpersonal exchanges as
contributors to innovation. In 2004, the Projekthaus was added to the
complex, with a layout designed to support the entire BMW Group
Product Evolution Process. The Projekthaus brings together all of the
BMW Group’s functional areas, such as Development, Production and
Purchasing, in a single project area.
FIZ Future: Long-term Optimization and Expansion of the FIZ
In spite of numerous extensions, the Munich FIZ constantly operates
at the limit of its capacity. Though originally built for 4,000
employees, it currently houses more than 26,000!
Over the medium to longer term, as the BMW Group continues to grow,
as technologies change (e.g. electric mobility, new materials and
increasing connectivity) and new working time and workplace models are
introduced, working space will need to be restructured and
reorganised. Plans are currently under way to extend the BMW Group
Research Innovation Centre, FIZ, in Munich. Based on an
assessment of the company’s emerging needs, the FIZ Future project is
devising a master plan that will set the framework for the coordinated
enhancement of the facility.
The Worldwide Research and Innovation network of the BMW Group
The FIZ is the BMW Group’s largest development facility by far – but
when it comes to innovation, the worldwide RD network is essential.
The BMW Group operates relevant facilities across the globe. In the
US, the BMW Group Technology Office in Mountain View, the Engineering
and Emission Test Centre in Oxnard and BMW Designworks USA in Newbury
Park form what’s known as the California Innovation Triangle. The BMW
Group Development Office USA is located in Montvale, a few steps from
the sales department of North-, Middle- and South America in Woodcliff
Lake, New Jersey.
A few steps from the sales department of North-, Middle-, and South
America in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, is the BMW Group Development
Office USA in Montvale located .China has development offices in
Shenyang, Beijing and Shanghai, and a BMW Group Technology Office is
based in Tokyo, Japan.
In the BMW Group’s centre of excellence for diesel technologies in
Steyr, Austria, all BMW Diesel engines have been developed. The
cooperation between production specialists and suppliers begins in the
earliest stages of development. The same happens at the Landshut
Innovation and Technology Centre, Germany, where specialists in
lightweight construction technologies work on innovative materials and
their associated production processes. Strategically located between
vehicle development and production, this centre allows the team’s
expertise to be integrated directly into the design and production of
new components and vehicles.
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Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)
The BMW Group runs two EMC absorber halls to test the electromagnetic
compatibility of all the systems found in complete vehicle. Located at
the Munich Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ), the facilities offer
not only reproducible lab conditions but also dynamic driving
simulations. With that, the potential interaction of various
electronic systems and assistance functions can be simulated and
practically tested on the basis of realistic driving situations.
Trials shed light on how the various electronic systems and assistance
functions interact in realistically driving simulations, and on the
practical implications.
The larger of the two halls is 29 metres long, 17 metres wide and 11
metres high. Equipment includes a roller dynamometer and
computer-controlled, moving mock-ups, which the engineers use to test
how driving stability systems are activated and driver assistance
systems intervene at precisely defined speeds. Movable antenna systems
on the ceilings of the test chambers generate the electromagnetic
fields required; outside, the hall is shielded to prevent external
influences from affecting measurements.
From the absolute reliability of chassis control and assistance
systems to interference-free phone, radio, TV and navigation
reception, the EMC halls allow the full spectrum of systems to
validated within the context of the complete vehicle. The two
facilities perform about 450 vehicle tests a year, ensuring the
quality and overall reliability of BMW Group products in the face of
the ever greater challenges of electromagnetic compatibility.
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The Aerodynamic Test Center (AVZ)
One of the most important additions to the Research- and Innovation
Center (FIZ) was the Aerodynamic Test Center (AVZ).
Built in 2006 and inaugurated in 2009, the AVZ was an investment of
170 million euros. It is used to test the aerodynamics of full-size
vehicle models, prototypes and series vehicles. To reflect actual
driving conditions as fully as possible, vehicles are fixed to a
measuring point and exposed to an airstream 8 meters in diameter.
Rollers beneath the wheels simulate their rotation, allowing the
flow-split – the amount of air passing over, under and around the
sides of the vehicle – to be measured. This method is much more
efficient than that employed in conventional wind tunnels and allows
the effects to be gauged on overall air resistance of detail
optimizations, aerodynamic balance, and the supply and removal of
cooling air. Maximum inflow velocity is 300 kilometers per hour.
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BMW opts to incorporate HTC Vive VR headsets and mixed reality
into the development of new vehicle models. Computer images instead
of laboriously constructed draft models: greater flexibility, faster
results and lower costs.
BMW has become the first car manufacturer to introduce in 2016 a
mixed reality system into vehicle development that has been devised
entirely using components from the computer games industry. This
offers some significant advantages over the VR systems that have
existed to date, and is the first step towards making virtual reality
a very real part of many developer workstations in the not-too-distant future.
The adoption of this computer system makes it possible to save a
great deal of time and effort, especially during the early stages of
development. VR investigations could previously only be conducted at
costly specialised facilities. By incorporating consumer electronics,
the developers gain an unprecedented degree of flexibility, because
any modifications can be implemented and tested very quickly. In
addition to this, developers around the globe will be able to take
part in the decision-making process from their own office without
having to travel too far. Only once the draft designs have been
approved with the help of the 3D headsets will they actually be built
for further testing.
BMW has been employing VR systems in the development process since
the 1990s. It is now reaffirming its pioneering status by
systematically implementing technology from a sector which has not
previously been the focal point of industrial applications. Since this
spring, components from the computer games industry have been allowing
engineers and designers to immerse themselves more and more often in
virtual worlds that are increasingly realistic. The shorter innovation
cycles of consumer electronics result in a far wider scope of
functions together with lower costs. This thereby enables more vehicle
functions to be translated to a VR model in ever more realistic
fashion. It is furthermore possible to scale the system to many
different developer workstations with little effort.
This lends itself ideally to the BMW strategy with its focus on
innovative technologies and digitisation. Vehicle functions and new
interior designs can quickly be modelled with the aid of the visual
experiences. This makes it possible to simulate drives through a city
while testing what the all-round view of the surrounding area is like
or whether a display is poorly legible or awkward to reach depending
on the viewing angle or seat position. All the time, the development
engineer has the impression of sitting in a real car in a real driving situation.
Following thorough evaluation over the course of 2015, BMW has opted
to implement the most powerful solutions currently available. Thanks
to the timely support provided by mobile computing manufacturer HTC,
several HTC Vive developer kits have already been in use in pilot
projects since autumn 2015.
This headset’s core components consist of two high-resolution screens
and a laser-based tracking system that covers an area of 5 x 5 metres
in the BMW application. The graphics are computed by software that
normally serves to produce the very best computer gaming graphics. BMW
uses Unreal Engine 4 from Epic Games for this task. This enables
stable rendering of 90 frames per second while achieving
photo-realistic quality, too. The computation is performed using
high-end gaming computers with water-cooled, overclocked components
(including Intel Core i7 and two Nvidia Titan X graphic cards).
Further advances are expected in terms of both the headset hardware
and software, and these will be evaluated at regular intervals.
Visual sensations alone are not enough though. For this reason, BMW
employs a reusable interior assembly which, thanks to the use of rapid
prototyping, further enhances perception by producing a mixed reality
experience. Precise, stereoscopic acoustic playback, e.g. for the
characteristic BMW engine sound, further intensifies the immersive
experience. This, combined with the VR model enables to experience the
vehicle in different environments. The completely realistic vehicle
impression produced by this method is so far unique in the automotive industry.
The HTC Vive Lighthouse tracking system that is used floods the room
with an invisible light field that is tracked by sensors on the VR
headset and the controllers. The system’s lasers refresh the tracking
field at intervals of just a few milliseconds, thereby enabling
ultra-precise tracking of every body movement and even the slightest
alteration in the viewing direction. It is thanks to this supremely
accurate and stable tracking that the wearer is able to move around in
the virtual environment with zero interference – this is essential not
just for creating a spatial impression that is as true to life as
possible and maximising the level of immersion, but also for making
the VR headset easy to get accustomed to. The overall mixed reality
system that was developed in-house by BMW ensures optimum interaction
between the individual devices and components, such as the VR model,
rapid prototyping, the VR headset and tracking.