Contacting methods for electronic devices to novel wiring harnesses

车辆安全性、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由电子元件实现的功能。这种发展也反映在车载网络系统的复杂性、重量和空间的不断增加上，尽管先进总线系统的使用不断扩大。因此，线束及其机电组件已成为汽车中最困难和最昂贵的模块之一。除了越来越多地使用电子模块之外，特别是传统电缆线束的手动组装和安装是高成本的原因，因为大量的变型、各个部件的多样性和线束的复杂处理，基于传统技术的自动化实际上是不可能的。在此背景下，开发了新的导体系统，例如柔性扁平导体或增材应用的导体结构，其一方面能够降低成本和重量，另一方面能够增加柔性。为了利用这一技术优势，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，该方法允许电子元件与新型线束自动接触，并将安装，绝缘接触的子工艺步骤结合在一个单一步骤中。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和示例性演示器的开发。由于客户对车辆个性化的需求，新的电子支持功能不断增加。为了满足对信号线可传输数据速率的日益增长的要求，计划在项目的第三年对接触方法的高频特性进行表征。此外，由于其成本和重量的好处，替代导体材料铝越来越感兴趣，因此，开发的接触方法的适用性也将被研究。最后，演示者将构成信号线和铝导体的自动接触的电接触方法的适用性。

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.