How do automotive connectors perform in demanding, extreme environments?

Automotive electronics has always been a hot topic with high traffic in recent years. The current continuous development of smart cars, assisted driving and other fields are further stimulating the demand for related industrial chains. There is a vast market here.

Similarly, the vast market has extremely high entry barriers and technical challenges related to security.

Today, let us focus on the automotive connector segment!

Changing technology requirements

Obviously, as the number of electronic products in cars increases, we will see more electronic connectors.

USCAR and LV214 are standards for automotive connector systems. However, these two standards are mainly applicable to cable-to-cable and cable-to-board connector systems.

As software-defined vehicles (SDVs) emerge and evolve, designers and industry experts predict that cars will adopt more board-to-board (i.e., PCB-level) connectors. As one observer noted, we will be driving a computer, and integrating a central computer into the vehicle will fundamentally change the vehicle’s electronics.

SDV—Software Defined Vehicle

The biggest change is the replacement of the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) with an onboard "central computer". In a traditional car, ECUs are small "boxes" that control a separate function in the car. For example, one ECU controls the headlights, another ECU controls the windows, another ECU controls the seats, another ECU controls the comfort system, etc. A regular car may have 40 or more ECUs, and a high-end luxury car may have 150 or more. All of these ECUs need to be integrated into the vehicle's electronic systems and driver interface.

Alternatively, the SDV has a central computer that takes on the functions of a conventional ECU. Since the software now determines the functions of the individual components, it is no longer necessary to physically replace or swap components in the vehicle when updating.

Embedded computers have different connector requirements than ECUs. The differences include: the addition of a two-piece board-to-board connector (i.e., mating socket and terminal set); an increase in pin count to accommodate the large number of signal, power, and ground traces; and the potential need for more SMT connector devices to save valuable PCB space.

Samtec Severe Environment Testing (SET)

Despite these changes, connectors for automotive computers still need to withstand requirements such as high shock/vibration and extreme environmental conditions.

Samtec Severe Environment Testing (SET) includes Samtec's standard Design Qualification Testing (DQT) and Extended Life Product (ELP) testing, as well as additional testing for interconnect systems that will be used in more extreme/harsh applications or environments.

Severe Environment Testing was developed by Samtec for system designers and engineers seeking additional qualification data for products used in harsh environments. These tests go beyond the scope of standard qualification testing and demonstrate the ability of a connector set to operate in harsh environments such as automotive.

Samtec SET Test Categories

Below is an example of the Samtec Automotive Test Guide, which provides an overview of Samtec Design Qualification Testing, ELP, SET and Ruggedized Automotive Connectors.

Samtec posts full data from severe environment test reports for several popular product lines on its website at www.samtec.com/set.