What is automotive grade? What are automotive grade components? Just read this article

1. What is automotive grade?

What exactly is the automotive grade that car dealers often talk about? First of all, it is an automotive standard that complies with the regulations on automotive standards in various countries. The standards of different countries are different. For example, car navigation, in the United States, must have AECQ certification.

Due to the special nature of automotive electronics, which involves personal safety, higher requirements are placed on the quality of components. The components used in automobiles, including capacitors, are different from general consumer electronics such as mobile phones and home appliances. This is why automotive-grade capacitors were born. As the name suggests, they are capacitors that meet automotive production specifications.

Taking in-car navigation as an example, the first requirement is a high-performance processor, and the automotive-grade microcontroller unit is specifically designed to process CAN bus information and control logic to ensure reliable operation of the system.

Then there is the decoding of high-definition audio and video hardware, the decoding of audio and video files, and support for adjustment of the front and rear seat sound field and left and right balance position.

At the same time, it must also be compatible with the original vehicle CAN bus protocol and original vehicle wiring harness, match the original vehicle protocol, support the original vehicle steering wheel control, and normally display the vehicle's driving computer information.

Of course, fast positioning and navigation are also necessary, and the gyroscope function must be installed.

EMC electromagnetic compatibility performance must meet the standards. EMC refers to the ability of a device or system to operate in accordance with the requirements in its electromagnetic environment and not to produce intolerable electromagnetic interference to any device in its environment. The EMC requirements for automotive electronic equipment include two aspects: On the one hand, the electromagnetic interference generated by the device to the environment during normal operation cannot exceed a certain limit. After installation, the equipment must not affect the normal operation of other parts of the vehicle. On the other hand, it means that the equipment has a certain degree of immunity to electromagnetic interference in the environment, that is, electromagnetic sensitivity. After installation, the system can work normally in a complex electromagnetic environment without being affected by the outside world.

2. What are automotive-grade components?

The operating temperature range of industrial-grade chips is -40 degrees Celsius to 85 degrees Celsius, while the operating temperature range of automotive-grade chips is -40 degrees Celsius to 125 degrees Celsius. According to temperature adaptability and reliability, they are divided into four categories: commercial grade (0~70 degrees Celsius), industrial grade (-40~85 degrees Celsius), automotive grade (-40~120 degrees Celsius), and military grade (-55~150 degrees Celsius). Generally, the distinction is made based on the suffix letters of the chip model, but the suffix letters vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

The main problem with chips is temperature. The original commercial grade is coded as C, the industrial grade is coded as I, and the military grade is coded as M. The automotive grade is an extension of the industrial grade, some are coded as E, and some are coded as S. The general temperature range is: -40~125 degrees Celsius, emphasizing performance and reliability in low or high temperatures and a wide range of temperature ranges.

Therefore, automotive grade is actually a set of hardware specifications. If it meets the above standards, it can be called automotive grade.

Cars are different from consumer products. They operate outdoors in harsh environments such as high temperature, extreme cold, and humidity. Their design life is generally 15 years or 200,000 kilometers. The iteration cycle is much higher than the 2-3 years of consumer electronics. They also have higher requirements for the environment, vibration, impact, reliability, and consistency. Therefore, the corresponding cost is also higher than consumer and industrial grades.

Automakers usually require suppliers to use automotive-grade components to ensure the quality and reliability of on-board ECU products. So what are automotive-grade components?

Automotive grade, or Automotive Grade, refers to components that meet automotive grade requirements. The AEC-Q series standards are industry-recognized certification standards for automotive components.

AEC stands for the Automotive Electronics Council, which was established by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler to establish a set of universal parts qualification and quality system standards. Q is the first letter of Qualification. AEC-Q is the universal testing standard for automotive components organized by the AEC.

AEC members include OEMs, Tier 1 parts manufacturers and component manufacturers. AEC-Q is a voluntary certification and there is no official recognition. The test report is equivalent to a comprehensive "physical examination report" of the components.

Component suppliers such as NXP, TI, and MPS perform AEC-Q verification tests on their components and then self-declare that they meet AEC requirements to improve product competitiveness and premium capabilities. Tire1 selects and uses certified devices, and OEMs and Tire1 are responsible for reviewing AEC-Q reports.

AEC-Q is applicable to the certification of automotive chips, passive devices, discrete semiconductor devices, etc. There are different test standards for different devices, and different standards correspond to different test items.

AEC-Q100 applies to chips, AEC-Q101 applies to discrete semiconductor devices, AEC-Q102 applies to discrete optoelectronic devices, AEC-Q103 applies to MEMS devices, AEC-Q104 applies to multi-chip modules, and AEC-Q200 applies to passive components.

Among them, the automotive chip certification standard is AEC-Q100, which includes 4 temperature levels. The smaller the number, the higher the level.

Passing AEC-Q certification for automotive components is a prerequisite for ensuring the quality and reliability of automotive ECUs. In principle, automotive components must meet AEC-Q testing requirements.

Passing AEC-Q certification is the first step for components to enter the Tire 1 supply chain. For application scenarios involving safety, such as autonomous driving, functional safety standards ISO26262 must also be met.

After the ECU has gone through key component selection, schematic design, PCB design, and production, the entire machine will undergo environmental reliability testing for design verification. It needs to meet the ISO/TS 16949 standard or the corporate standards of different car companies, such as General Motors' GMW3172 standard and Volkswagen's VW80000 standard. It can only be installed on the vehicle after passing the certification.

It usually takes about 2 years for an automotive-grade chip or component to enter the supply chain of the vehicle manufacturer, from the early stage selection to hardware design, to the subsequent A/B/C samples of the ECU, and then to the DV/PV/EMC test and ET/PT after installation. After that, it usually has a supply cycle of 1-2 years, which changes with the model.