1. Design of Ride Comfort Characteristics on Subsystem Level in the Product Development Process

In the automotive development process the significance of full vehicle ride comfort is becoming more important. Due to rising complexity and new boundary conditions upcoming in the development process, like a higher variety of models, higher functional demands, and decreasing development times, the design of respective ride comfort characteristics in early phases of the development is desirable. The necessity for a precisely defined and structured process is therefore increasing. In driving dynamics already a high progress is achieved in defining a respective process, which can be essentially attributed to the application of a subsystem level in the derivation of vehicle properties. In ride comfort however, the progress is less advanced, as no comparable subsystem methods or models exist. Therefore in the following the focus lies specifically on the integration of a subsystem level in the derivation process of vehicle properties from full vehicle to components. For that purpose, initially the automotive development process will be illustrated in its general structure and its specific realization in driving dynamics and ride comfort. The advantages and disadvantages of the respective disciplines will be emphasized. Furthermore the structure of subsystem models in ride comfort as well as associated concept parameters are introduced. In consideration of the new methodology, the integration within the automotive development process is illustrated and examples are given. Finally the findings of the investigation are summarized and the advantages of the methodology are emphasized.