Wiring harness

Wiring harness

3D-real-time mechanical design, optimization and digital validation of cables, wiring harnesses and hoses using IPS Cable Simulation

Challenges of Industry

Low failure rates

Low failure rates

Virtual validation of cables in early process steps by reliable software solution

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Low failure rates

Low failure rates

High safety requirements

High safety requirements

Low failure rates and redundancies are necessary in the wiring harness of the future.

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High safety requirements

High safety requirements

Increasing complexity

Increasing complexity

Safety-relevant systems require many additional cables for a redundant design

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Increasing complexity

Increasing complexity

 
Image Wiring harness - Change the process

Wiring harness - Change the process

The vehicle electrical system is an extremely complex component in modern vehicles. Overall, the optimization of a complex wiring system represents a major challenge, especially under the pressure of fully leveraging weight reduction and cost-cutting potential.

Today, this process is the established procedure in series development and is usually also applied in close cooperation between OEM and Tier 1 partners. Especially the area of wiring harness engineering is usually completely in the hands of the suppliers. The OEMs usually only get back the results of the engineering process as result data in drawings and hardware.

Even if this distribution of tasks works well for the series production process, it remains a major challenge for an optimization approach. When OEM´s want to optimize their vehicle electrical system – whether before SOP or later as part of a facelift – the OEM often has neither the necessary data, the hardware tested in durability testing, nor a suitable tool to implement the changes and evaluate them quickly.

The OEM tests its vehicles in endurance tests until shortly before SOP. In order to reduce the enormous pressure at the end of the development time and to avoid unpleasant surprises, a tool chain is needed that provides high-quality data during the concept and development phase, which is kept synchronized with the electrological side and the mechanical side on a daily basis.

IPS Cable Simulation enables this potential and can be used as a seamless process tool. In addition, it offers the first ever validated cable concept in an early phase of the process.

 

Use Cases

Cable installation in the wheel arch Show video

Cable installation in the wheel arch

– Situation: There are increasing functions which need to be built into small spaces of the wheel arch, e.g. wheel rotation sensors, electronic parting brakes or damper controls. It requires accordingly many cables, which must be installed. ... See more

“This increasing complexity in the wheel arch gave us the idea for a software application that visualises the optimal routing of the cables” (Matthias Mehnert, Head of the Coroplast Service Center in Großmehring)

– Coroplast explains: “IPS simulation software realistically reflects the situation in the assembly space three-dimensionally in the form of animations, making it possible to calculate points of contact, collision and high stress with great precision. The technology also enables bending radii, applied forces, rotations and tensions to be analysed and optimised on the basis of the simulation data”

– Result: “Development progresses faster, as fewer prototypes have to be built and fewer iterations are needed. In short, the software saves both time and costs” (Coroplast, 2019)

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Determination of the required cable over-length for the assembly of an infotainment system Show video

Determination of the required cable over-length for the assembly of an infotainment system

The installation of a car radio is usually one of the last steps of a car’s assembly. This is why difficulties related to the reduced installation space often occur. ... See more

To guarantee a successful installation of the radio, the wires have to be longer than they would need to be for its proper use. Nevertheless, this overlength needed for the assembly increases the risk of collisions for the wires. There is a higher probability for self-contact and contact to other objects. In addition, there is a risk of buckling and damage in the installation phase. To minimize these risks, the ideal lengths for the cables can be determined with the help of IPS Cable Simulation.

 

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Sensor cable and brake hose under dynamic effects in the suspension Show video

Sensor cable and brake hose under dynamic effects in the suspension

The dynamic behaviour on cables and hoses can play a decisive role in the suspension (sensor cable or brake hose). ... See more

Rapid changes in motion or high frequencies based on excitation during compression and rebound in the suspension can result in dynamic effects that can be simulated with the dynamic module after the quasi-static design in IPS.

As a result, the user receives a virtual validation of dynamic influences on flexible components to examine the layout, design space and durability in order to reduce hardware prototypes.

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IPS Cable Simulation – Railway application case Show video

IPS Cable Simulation – Railway application case

Are you interested in the challenges of cables and hoses at a railway front coupling? Find out how to correctly do a 3D mechanical design of these flexible parts. ... See more

At the front coupling of a railway there are various flexible parts that need to be considered and designed realistically, such as cables for power and signal transmission, grounding cables or compressed air hoses for air transmission between trains to ensure the function of the coupler.These increased requirements lead to the need for a virtual validation method without hardware testing and empirical values. With IPS Cable Simulation there is a software solution to meet the following tasks in a fully digital way at the early stages of the product development process.
– 3D mechanical design of hoses and cables in real-time
– Correct length and design right from the start
– Flexible components under the influence of motions
– Fullfillment of assembly requirements
– Consideration of cable stiffness
– First virtual realistic behavior of cables and hoses

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S h o w r o o m