Contacting methods for electronic devices to novel wiring harnesses

车辆的安全性、效率和设备是购买新车的关键决策标准。在所有领域中，技术进步主要是基于通过电子元件实现的功能。这一发展还反映在车载网络系统的复杂性、重量和空间不断增加的情况下，尽管先进的总线系统的使用越来越广泛。因此，线束及其机电组件已成为汽车中最困难、最昂贵的模块之一。除了越来越多地使用电子模块，特别是电子组件，传统线束的手工组装和安装成本很高，因为有大量的变种，单个部件多种多样，线束的处理也很复杂，基于传统技术的自动化几乎是不可能的。在此背景下，推动了新的导体系统的发展，例如柔性扁导体或附加应用的导体结构，它们一方面能够降低成本和重量，另一方面能够增加灵活性。为了利用技术优势，必须找到电子元件自动接触的补充解决方案。在此背景下，探索了一种新的接触方法，该方法允许自动接触具有新型线束的电子元件，并将安装、绝缘接触的子工艺步骤结合在一起。这包括基于汽车行业适用的测试标准的通用接触方法的整体概念、关于机械和电气参数的接触效率的基本分析、包括长期可靠性的评估以及示范性减振器的开发。随着客户对车辆个性化的需求，新的电子支持功能正在不断增加。为了满足日益增长的对信号线可传输数据速率的要求，计划在项目的第三年对接触方法进行高频特性的表征。此外，由于其成本和重量效益，替代导体材料铝越来越受到人们的关注，因此也将研究所开发的接触方法的适用性。最后，演示了电接触法对信号线和铝导体自动接触的适用性。

Vehicle safety, efficiency and equipment are the key decision criteria for the purchase of a new automobile. In all areas the technological progress is mostly based on functions which are realized by electronic components. This development is also reflected in the continually increasing of complexity, weight and space of on-board network systems despite the enlarged use of advanced bus systems. As a consequence, the harness and its mechatronic components have become one of the most difficult and most expensive modules in cars. In addition to the increasing use of electronic modules, in particularthe manual assembly and installation of conventional cable harnesses is responsible for high costs, since the large number of variants, the variety of individual parts and the elaborate handling of harnesses, an automatization based on conventional technologies is practically impossible. Against this background, developments were driven to new conductor systems, such as flexible flat conductors or additively applied conductor structures which enable a cost and weight reduction on the one hand and an increase in flexibility on the other. To use the technological advantage, complementary solutions forautomated contacting of the electronic components must be found. In this context, a new contacting method was explored, which allows to contact electronic components with novel harnesses automatically and combines the sub-process steps mounting, insulation contacting in one single step. This includes a holistic conception of a universal contacting method based on the applicable testing standards in the automotive industry, the basic analysis of the contacting efficiency with respect to mechanical and electrical parameters, the comprising assessment of the long-term reliability and the development of an exemplary de-monstrator. Through customers´ desire for an individualization of vehicles, new electronics-supported functions are continuously being added. In order to meet the increasing requirements on transmittable data rates of signal lines, the contacting method is intended to be characterized with respect to high frequency characteristics in a third year of the project. Moreover, by virtue of its cost and weight benefits the alternative conductor material aluminum is getting more and more interesting and therefor the suitability for the developed contacting method will be investigated as well. Finally, a demonstrator will constitute the applicability of the electrical contacting method for an automated contacting of signal lines and aluminum conductors.