LIGHTWEIGHTING
THE SEARCH FOR
t is a never-ending quest for automotive manufacturers to reduce the weight of the vehicle. Delivering better fuel economy,
higher payload capacity, longer battery life and better performance is the nirvana. So, how does the development and progression of electronics impact this mission? The electronic functionality
of modern commercial vehicles is increasing exponentially. The automotive electronics market is growing at a compound annual rate of over 7%. Today’s commercial vehicles
have on average over 100 electronic control units (ECUs). Depending on the complexity of the vehicle and the functionality delivered, this figure can rise significantly. The drive towards electric vehicle technology or hydrogen power will inevitably push these numbers up. Common to most vehicles, electronics control the powertrain, gearbox, differentials, ABS, airbags, instrument controls, body functions, ADAS systems… the list goes on. The growth in the integration of additional electronic aids such as roll and stability control, side wind
OMSE close-up of Flexi- hibrid circuit assembly showing components and receptive moulded cavities
EN-LIGHT-ENMENT I
Neil Armstrong discusses how progression in electronics design is helping to reduce the weight of vehicles
assist and load control is becoming commonplace. Irrespective of the electrical architecture, electronics need to be integrated to control these functions. Where they are located has some bearing on the electronic system weight. The balance for the designer is off-setting the number of electronic boxes to be distributed with the weight of additional, or reduced wire harnesses and interconnects. The overall weight of vehicles is
Left: Circuit built into car showing components and receptive moulded cavities (close-up) Right: Flexi-hibrid circuit board assembly
on the rise as additional functions are integrated. Of course, there is also continual drive from suppliers and sensor manufacturers to develop smaller and lighter components, along with a focused approach into lightweighting the electrical harness systems. One route being taken to deliver less
mass in the electronics is to integrate the component level designs into the mechanical plastic parts used in other areas of the vehicle, i.e. re-purposing plastic mouldings. Often referred to as In-Mould-Electronics (IME) this allows, to some level, low-complexity
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