Issued by the

Administrator of Vehicle Standards

in consultation with the
Australian Motor Vehicle Certification Board
comprising Commonwealth, State and Territory representatives

CIRCULAR 0-l2-7

MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVER’S EYE RANGE

(95TH PERCENTILE EYE ELLIPSES)

“A Guide for Inspectors”

This Circular is relevant to the Third Edition of the

Australian Design Rules gazetted as
National Standards under the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989

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CONTENTS

Page

1 SCOPE 5

2 BACKGROUND 5

3 SELECTION OF DOCUMENT ISSUE 5

4 APPLICATION OF DEVICES FOR ADR PURPOSES 5

5 EYE ELLIPSE LOCATION PROCEDURE 5

5.1 Procedure 5
5.2 Eye Ellipse Template - Side View 5
5.3 Eye Ellipse Template - Plan view 6

6 DIMENSIONAL LIMITATIONS 6

7 REFERENCES 6

ANNEXES
A Definition of ‘Tangent Cut Off Plane’ 8
B Dimensional Data, 95th Percentile Eye Ellipse 9
C Eye Ellipse Location Procedure 10
D Eye Ellipse Location Lines 12

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1 SCOPE
This Circular describes a set of two dimensional drafting
templates (side and plan views) which have been
developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.
(USA) to allow a uniform method of describing and
measuring the driver’s direct and indirect fields of view.
This is part of a standard system of vehicle dimensioning.
These templates are located with respect to the ‘Seating
Reference Point’ ‘SRP’ refer Circular 0-12-6 Devices used
for Defining and Measuring Motor Vehicle Seating
Accommodation, and are used as references in several
Australian Design Rules (ADRs). This Circular describes
a typical procedure for locating the templates and also for
determining the ‘Seating Reference Plane’ .
Nothing in this Circular, however, absolves the
manufacturer from complying with the requirements of
the ADR, which remains the primary reference.
2 BACKGROUND
SAE Recommended Practice J941 - Passenger Car
Driver’s Eye Range - was originally issued in November
1965 and was based on a statistical analysis of
photogrammetric data of driver eye locations, using a
fixed seat back, for horizontal seat travels ranging from
101 mm to 165 mm.
The elliptical contours described in the original document
are the perimeters of envelopes formed by an infinite
number of planes so that P% of eyes are on one side of the
plane and ( 100-P)% are on the other. Contours for 90th,
95th and 99th percentile tangent cut-off planes are defined
and in the first issue of the document, are valid for seat
back angles between 22 degrees and 28 degrees. Other
seating dimension limitations also apply. ADRs refer to
the 95th percentile contours only and these are referred to
as the ‘95th percentile Eye Ellipses’. Six sets of contours
are provided, one set for each 13 mm increment of seat
travel between 101 and 165 mm.
Later issues of the SAE Recommended Practice
progressively introduced refinements which were
con sistent w ith develop ments in the standard
dimensioning system.
The refinements included:-
- Name change to ‘Motor Vehicle Drivers Eye Range’
- Introduction of the term ‘Eye Ellipse’ to denote the
contours referred to in ADR definitions as ‘Eye Ellipse’
- Introduction of a method of accounting for driver
viewing of targets involving head and eye movements.
This is not referred to in ADRs.
- Introduction of additional discrete locations to
accommodate the more upright seat backs on vehicles
other than passenger vehicles.
- Introduction of the ‘SRP’ concept as defined in ADR
definitions
- Introduction of the contour ‘Locator Line’ to cater for
seat back angles ranging from 5 degrees to 40 degrees. At
the same time other limitations on seating dimensions
were relaxed so that all types of motor vehicles were
encompassed.
Annex A illustrates the concept of the tangent cut-off
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CIRCULAR 0-12-7
plane while Annex B gives dimensional data for the 95th
percentile contours which are common for all issues of the
document. The International Standards Organisation’s
(ISO) International Standard 4513 was issued during this
time and the SAE and ISO standards have been
harmonised.
3 SELECTION OF DOCUMENT ISSUE
The ‘manufacturer’ may elect to use any issue of the SAE
Recommended Practice J941 , all of which produce
common results for a seat back angle of 25 degrees and a
given seat travel. However, issues earlier than J941 (c) -
June 1972 - apply to a limited range of seating dimensions
and this limitation must be checked in these cases - see
data in Section 6.
4 APPLICATION OF DEVICES FOR ADR
PURPOSES.
The contours established using the procedure outlined in
this Circular may be used as a datum for demonstrating
ADR compliance wherever the ‘95th Percentile Eye
Ellipses’ are quoted in an ADR or wherever another
standard quoted in an ADR refers to ‘95th Percentile Eye
Ellipses’ or ‘95th Percentile Tangent Cut-Off Contours’.
It should be noted that Right Hand Drive is used in
Australia and therefore all references in SAE
Recommended Practices to ‘left’ and ‘right’ when
referring to Left Hand Drive vehicles should be inverted
to the opposite hand for Right Hand Drive.
5 EYE ELLIPSE LOCATION PROCEDURE.
The following procedure is presented as typical of
procedures which might be adopted to demonstrate that
the Eye Ellipses have been correctly located.
5.1 Procedure
The Eye Ellipse is located in the vehicle interior by
longitudinal X-X , lateral Y-Y and vertical Z-Z datum
lines which are shown on the Eye Ellipse (see Annex D).
The datum lines relative to the Eye Ellipse centroid vary
between the different seat track travel templates. These
datum lines are not the tool’s geometric axes: they are
worklines to establish the tool’s position in the vehicle
with respect to seated drivers. See Annex C.
5.2 Eye Ellipse Template - Side View
5.2.1 Determine the length of the normal driving
and riding seat track travel (L23).
5.2.2 Select the side view Eye Ellipse template for
the seat track travel with the closest match to the
vehicle’s normal driving and riding seat track
travel (L23) .
5.2.3 Construct a vertical workline through the
‘Seating Reference Point.’
5.2.4 Construct a horizontal workline 635 mm
above the seating reference point.
5.2.5 Construct the Locator Line through the
intersection of the lines constructed in 5.2.3 and
5.2.4 - See Annex C.
5.2.6 Position the side view Eye Ellipse Template
on the Locator Line at the intersection of the Eye
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Ellipse datum lines X-X and Z-Z at the design Dimension Range
‘Seat Back Angle’ - front (L40) such that the Eye L40 Back Angle 5 - 40 degrees
Ellipse datum lines and the work lines in 5.2.3 and H30 Vertical - S.R.P. 127 mm - 457 mm
5.2.4 are parallel. Trace the Eye Ellipse outline on to Heel Point
the layout. H59 Vertical Design 0 mm - 38 mm
5.3 Eye Ellipse Template - Plan View H-Point Rise
5.3.1 Construct a lateral datum line Y-Y L23 Normal Driving 101 mm - 165 mm
perpendicular to the vehicle centreline through the and Riding Seat Track
line Z-Z from the side view. Travel
5.3.2 Construct a longitudinal datum line X-X L53-L23 Foremost design 508 mm minimum
5.3.2.1 Vehicles with the driver seated on a H-Point to Heel Point
Bench Seat. Construct a longitudinal datum line
X-X parallel to the vehicle centreline and a 6.2 Where a manufacturer elects to use an earlier issue
distance from vehicle centreline equal to 0.85(W7) t han J 941(c) - June 1 97 2 the range of driver
+ 0.075(W3) where W7 is the lateral (Y) accommodation dimension is reduced to those shown
co-ordinate relative to the vehicle centreline of the below and the Eye Ellipse is located without use of the
point of intersection of the steering column Locator Line. In these cases the actual issue of the SAE
centreline and upper surface of the steering wheel document should be referred to.
rim and (W3) the Front Shoulder Room. W3 is Dimension Range
the minimum dimension measured laterally L40 Back Angle 22 - 28 degrees
between the trimed surfaces on the “X” plane H30 Vertical - S.R.P. 191 mm - 254 mm
through the SRP front and 254 mm above the SRP. to Heel Point
5.3.2.2 Vehicles with the driver seated on an H59 Vertical Design 13 mm - 38 mm
Individual Seat. The manufacturer may elect to H-Point Rise
adopt the procedure in 5.3.2.1 or to construct the L23 Normal Driving and 101 mm - 165 mm
longitudinal datum line X-X parallel to the vehicle Riding Seat Track Travel
centreline and located such that the longitudinal L53 - L23 Foremost Design 686 mm minimum
planes through the geometric centre of the seat and H-Point to Heel Point
through the geometric centre of the Eye Ellipses
will be co-incident. Refer Y co-ordinates of eyes 6.3 The Locator Line Template is shown
in Annex D. diagrammatically in Annex C.
5.3.3 Position the plan view Eye Ellipse template Note that where seat travel greater than the normal driving
datum lines (X-X) and (Y-Y) on the constructed and riding seat track travel is provided, for example
workline (X-X) and (Y-Y) and trace the outline on additional seat movement for occupant ingress/egress or
the layout. seating position rearward of those provided for the 95
5.3.4 Drivers ‘Seating Reference Plane’. The percentile male, they shall not be used to determine the
longitudinal plane through the geometric centre of driver’s eye range. In the case where additional seat
the Eye Ellipses positioned as per 5.3.2.1 or movement is provided for occupant ingress/egress the
5.3.2.2 is the drivers ‘Seating Reference Plane’ manufacturer would normally ensure that only the normal
unless the manufacturer chooses to nominate the driving and riding seat track travel was usable. This may
plane through the geometric centre of the seat as be achieved by non-provision of adjustment catches in the
the ‘Seating Reference Plane’. other seat track travel positions.

6 DIMENSIONAL LIMITATIONS 7 REFERENCES.

6.1 Issu es o f th e SA E R eco mmended Practice References - SAE Recommended Practice

commencing at J941 (c) - June 1972 and later issues and
ISO International Standard 4513 1978 (E) are valid for the
range of driver accommodation dimensions shown below.
This Circular and Circular 0-l2-6 - ‘Devices for Use in
Defining and Measuring Motor Vehicle Seating
accommodation’ - describe procedures which are
consistent with this range of dimensions.
SAE J 941 Nov 65- Passenger Car Driver’ s Eye Range
SAE J 941 (a) Aug 67- Passenger Car Driver’s Eye
Range
SAE J 941 (b) Feb 69- Motor Vehicle Driver’s Eye Range
SAE J 941 (c) Jun 72- Motor Vehicle Driver’s Eye Range
SAE J 941 (d) Feb 75- Motor Vehicle Driver’s Eye
Range
SAE J 941 (e) Mar 77- Motor Vehicle Driver’s Eye Range

SAE J 941 Mar 81- Motor Vehicle Driver’s Eye Range

SAE Recommended Practice

SAE J 826 Apr 80- Devices for Use in Defining and

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Measuring Vehicle Seat Accommodation Other References

SAE J 1100 Jun 84- Motor Vehicle Dimensions
ISO 4513 - 1978 (E)- Road Vehicles - Visibility -
Method for establishment of Eye Ellipses for driver’s eye
location.
Australian Design Rule Definitions - Part 2
Circular 0-12-6 - ‘Devices for Use in Defining and
Measuring Motor Vehicle Seating accommodation’

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ANNEX A

95th EYE ELLIPSE

Definition of ‘Tangent Cut Off Plane’

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ANNEX B

TABLE B-1 - LEFT AND RIGHT EYE ELLIPSES CENTROIDS

TABLE B-2 - EYE ELLIPSE MAJOR AXIS LENGTHS - PLAN AND SIDE VIEW

TABLE B-3 - EYE ELLIPSE MINOR AXIS LENGTHS

Dimensional Data, 95th Percentile Eye Ellipse

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ANNEX C

MANIKIN SR POINT WITH

SEAT IN FORWARD MOST
POSITION

MANIKIN SR POINT WITH SEAT IN REARMOST

NORMAL DRIVING AND RIDING POSITION

Eye Ellipse Location Procedure

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ANNEX C

EYE ELLIPSE AND HEAD POSITION LOCATOR LINE TEMPLATE

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ANNEX D

Eye Ellipse Location Lines

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