Automotive Connector Selection 1 - Standards and Performance from JuliaCao's blog

A large part of automotive electronic products now is compatibility design for different car companies. No matter how compatible it is internally, when it comes to external requirements, it is necessary to determine the connection interface requirements, including installation location, structure and electrical content. One prominent problem is Connector selection. Automotive connectors and wiring harnesses are carriers for controlling electrical signals in automobiles. They organically connect vehicle central control components with automobile control units, electrical and electronic execution units, and electrical devices to form a complete automobile electrical and electronic control system.

(1) The content and quantity of automotive connectors and wiring harnesses in in-car electronic technology is also an important indicator of car function and performance.

(2) Automotive connectors, a single vehicle requires approximately 200 wire harnesses and more than 350 connectors

Figure 1 The whole vehicle wiring harness design requires a lot of connections.

When we choose a connector, we first need to consider the particularity of the automotive connector. Automotive connectors are also subject to standards set by different vehicle companies. The basic international standard is ISO 8092-2005, which is divided into four parts:

(1) ISO 8092.1 Dimensions and special requirements for single-wire chip connectors

(2) ISO 8092.2 definition, test methods and general performance requirements

(3) ISO 8092.3 Dimensions and special requirements for multi-wire chip connectors

(4) ISO 8092.4 Cylindrical plug connectors for single-wire and multi-wire plug-in connections Dimensions and special requirements

Since international standards are the result of games, many things are determined by manufacturers as a basic direction. However, the test parameters, test items and test methods are no longer in line with the current development status of connectors, so they are basically divided into three regional standards. Represents some of the requirements of the US, European and Japanese automotive industries.

1) The connector performance specification USCAR-2 formulated by the American Society of Automotive Engineers can represent the development status of connectors in terms of test parameters and test items, and is more operable in terms of test methods. Standards such as GM's GMW3191 and Fiat's 7-Z8260 are all written based on USCAR-2.

2) JASO D605-1996 Automotive Electronics Connector: The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association has also developed a basic connector standard based on the comprehensive needs of Japanese car companies.

3) LV 124 Test items, test conditions and test requirements for automotive electrical and electronic components under 3.5 tons. This supply specification is prepared by representatives of the car manufacturers Audi AG, BMW AG, Daimler AG, Porsche AG and Volkswagen AG Compiled, this is also a joint enterprise standard representing the German automotive industry.

In fact, due to the actual situation of automotive connectors, we also choose larger ones rather than smaller ones, because there are actually more potential troubles caused by connector selection issues. Therefore, we not only refer to the standard system, but also select suppliers based on rankings.