Page 33 - Power & Data Connectivity Expand Electronic Capabilities eBook

4 Connectivity Solutions to Optimize Cost and Design Flexibility for Automotive On-board Power and Data Electronics
Wally Wang, Associate Vice President Marketing, Greenconn Corporation
Vehicle electrification is an unstoppable trend – one that revolutionizes not only the source of energy that propels our automobiles, but also the transmission of information integrated inside them. According to market research, the global vehicle electrification market is expected to reach $140.24 billion by 2027 [1]. Meanwhile, the global automotive cockpit electronics market is expected to reach $39.5 billion by 2026 [2]. With an influx of competitors ready to seize this lucrative market, companies must stay competitive to gain a larger market share.
Along with this, increased requirements for data and power connections demand that on-board electronics become even more intricate. The challenge of complex design can be confounding even to experienced designers. Being cost competitive while maintaining design flexibility has become a topic worth exploring.
Design with embedded components
Although it seems easier to pick connectors available off the shelf, having predetermined form, fit, and function is not necessarily more convenient or efficient for the PCB design. For starters, that might restrict the space and layout of the PCB to what off-the-shelf connectors offer, which jeopardizes design flexibility. Secondly, connector specifications exceeding design requirements will result in redundancies of materials or over-designing of components. Polarization — removing selective pins — is not an effective way to resolve this issue either, since it often creates additional processes during connector manufacturing.
For seasoned engineers, design with embedded components could be a better way to solve this issue. There are three ways to approach this:
1. Consolidation
Component costs come from two main sources: materials and manufacturing. By combining multiple connectors, the material required is reduced, and processes are merged, which greatly decreases the cost. Some NRE (non- recurring engineering) costs might occur, so accounting should be done diligently. Caution should also be taken since cumulative tolerances could result in mating compatibility issues in the future.
» 7-in-1 Consolidated connector solution
33