Wiring harness, manufacturing process and vehicle with wiring harness

Abstract

Wiring harness (11) for vehicles for transmitting electrical signals and / or operating currents between vehicle control units and peripheral devices installed in the vehicle, wherein the wiring harness (11) comprises a plurality of bundled conductors for transmitting the electrical signals and / or operating currents, wherein at least a part of the conductors of the wiring harness (11) are formed by discrete conductor tracks (L1 to L4) which are an integral part of a load-bearing vehicle structure (10) formed from a composite material with electrically conductive material forming the discrete conductor tracks (L1 to L4) and which are designed to be mutually insulating, wherein the composite material comprises a glass fiber reinforced aluminum composite comprising a non-conductive fiber material, a matrix material and an electrically conductive metal material, which has several material layers with alternating aluminum layers and glass fiber layers.where the aluminum layers are aluminum foils that form the discrete conductive tracks (L1 to L4).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a wiring harness for vehicles for transmitting electrical signals and / or operating currents between vehicle control units and peripheral devices installed in the vehicle. The invention also relates to a vehicle with such a wiring harness. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing such a wiring harness for vehicles.

[0002] The vehicle's electrical system, for example in a road vehicle, aircraft, or rail vehicle, serves to connect individual control units with the peripheral devices or field devices distributed throughout the vehicle. Such peripheral devices can include actuators and / or sensors, as well as devices for displaying information. With the increasing number of driver assistance systems, engine control units, and complex infotainment systems in the automotive industry, the complexity of the vehicle's electrical system is also increasing dramatically, leading to significantly more wiring effort. The vehicle's electrical system provides both the power supply and the data connection for the individual components.

[0003] The installation and implementation of such an on-board electrical system is generally achieved using wiring harnesses, which bundle electrical conductors for transmitting electrical signals and power (for the electrical supply). Such a wiring harness can be manufactured separately by pre-assembling the individual electrical conductors and then bundling them into a single bundle, allowing the entire harness, including the associated wiring and networking of the on-board electrical system, to be integrated into the vehicle in one step. Otherwise, each electrical conductor would have to be installed individually, which is not economically viable.

[0004] Due to the complexity of vehicle electrical systems and the associated complexity of wiring harnesses, wiring harnesses in the automotive and aerospace industries are still mostly manufactured and installed manually. The manufacturing and installation processes can only be automated to a very limited extent, meaning these steps represent a significant portion of the overall cost of the vehicle electrical system.

[0005] Another disadvantage of a traditional wiring harness is that the wiring adds a considerable amount of weight to the vehicle, which can be estimated at 40 to 60 kg in modern vehicles. Especially when lightweight materials, such as fiber-reinforced composites, are consistently used, the use of a traditional wiring harness directly contradicts the principles of lightweight construction.

[0006] From DE 10 2014 005 001 A1, DE 10 2014 213 881 A1 and DE 10 2013 101 801 A1, body parts made of a fiber-reinforced plastic are known in which conductive tracks or flat conductors are embedded between the individual fiber layers of the fiber material to give the body parts electrically conductive properties. A disadvantage of this, however, is that additional materials must be integrated into the components during the manufacturing process, which complicates the manufacturing process and also makes the component heavier.

[0007] From DE 10 2011 109 724 A1, a fiber composite component is known in which different matrix materials with different properties are used. One matrix material is such that it contains electrically conductive particles in order to make the matrix material electrically conductive in its cured state, so that areas with different matrix materials and consequently different properties are created in the component.

[0008] US patent 2014 / 0097011A1 discloses a fiber composite component formed from a conventional fiber material. A metal layer, containing an electrical conductor, is sandwiched between the conventional fiber materials. This electrical conductor is used in addition to the other fiber materials, so that the actual composite component with the internal electrically conductive conductors is only formed when the component has been assembled accordingly.

[0009] WO 2010 / 004 262 A2 also describes a structure made of a fiber composite material in which an additional electrical conductor is woven into the fiber material.

[0010] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved wiring harness for vehicle electrical systems, which on the one hand saves weight and on the other hand increases the degree of automation in the manufacture of the wiring harness.

[0011] The problem is solved according to the invention with the wiring harness according to claim 1, the vehicle according to claim 2, and the method for manufacturing a wiring harness according to claim 4.

[0012] According to claim 1, a cable harness for vehicles is proposed for transmitting electrical signals and / or operating currents (supply voltages) between the vehicle control units and components or peripheral devices installed in the vehicle, wherein the cable harness has a plurality of bundled lines for transmitting the electrical signals and / or operating currents.

[0013] Vehicle control units within the meaning of the present invention are understood to be data processing units used for controlling and regulating systems relating to the vehicle. A vehicle control unit is any signal processing device that serves a specific purpose or function in relation to the vehicle. Such vehicle control units can, for example, be used to control driver assistance systems, engine control, and navigation and infotainment systems.

[0014] For the purposes of the present invention, peripheral devices installed in a vehicle are understood to be, in particular, those components designed for the input or output of data and information. These can be, for example, sensors and / or actuators. Such peripheral devices or vehicle components are generally connected to the vehicle control units, so that the peripheral devices, as input devices, provide data to the vehicle control unit, or, as output devices, output corresponding information or, by means of actuators, control corresponding actuators. Peripheral devices can therefore be mechanical elements, such as valves, but also lighting systems, monitors, or any type of sensor.

[0015] According to the invention, it is now proposed that at least part of the wiring of the cable harness be formed by discrete conductor tracks which are an integral part of a load-bearing vehicle structure, which are made of a composite material with electrically conductive material forming the discrete conductor tracks, and which are provided to be mutually insulating.

[0016] Accordingly, it is proposed that the individual wires of a cable harness be at least partially replaced by discrete conductor tracks that are an integral part of a load-bearing vehicle structure, whereby the integral construction of the vehicle structure is achieved by using a composite material which, in addition to insulating, non-conductive materials, also includes an electrically conductive material that is an integral part of the composite material and which ultimately forms the discrete conductor tracks integrally during the manufacture of the load-bearing vehicle structure from this same composite material.

[0017] It is therefore proposed that the load-bearing vehicle structure, e.g., body-supporting structures such as spars or wing structures in aircraft, not only have the inherent task of creating and maintaining the vehicle structure (shape and geometry), but also simultaneously form parts of the wiring harness, thus rendering the introduction of additional wiring, in particular the installation of additional wiring harnesses, obsolete. In other words, the load-bearing vehicle structure is simultaneously part of the wiring harness, thereby replacing a separate wiring harness for the wiring and formation of the vehicle's electrical system. Vehicle structure and wiring harness are realized by one and the same component.

[0018] This offers the advantage of weight savings, as the load-bearing vehicle structure now also forms the wiring harness, thus enabling dual use. This allows for both weight reduction and increased automation in wiring harness production, since the load-bearing vehicle structures are made from fiber-reinforced composite materials, allowing both the load-bearing structure and parts of the wiring harness to be manufactured in a single process step. Depending on the specific application, the production of load-bearing vehicle structures using composite materials can be automated to a greater extent than the manual assembly and routing of a wiring harness.

[0019] In this process, the discrete conductor tracks are formed by electrically conductive layers of a multi-layered composite material, with the electrically conductive layers being electrically insulated from each other by electrically insulating layers. Thus, the composite material is structured in layers and consists, possibly also of other materials, but in particular of alternating layers of electrically conductive and electrically insulating materials. The individual electrically conductive layers form one or more conductor tracks, with one or more conductor tracks being provided per electrically conductive layer. If multiple conductor tracks are provided per electrically conductive layer, they must be individually electrically insulated from each other within that layer.An electrical insulating layer is provided between the electrically conductive material layers, which electrically isolates the individual electrically conductive material layers from each other, so that with several layered electrically conductive material layers, several superimposed conductor tracks can be formed, which then define the cable harness as a conductor bundle.

[0020] It has been shown that these electrically conductive material layers are suitable as planar conductors, replacing the wires of a cable harness as conductor tracks. This allows electrical signals and / or operating currents (power supply) to be transmitted via the electrically conductive material layers of the composite material, provided a suitable load-bearing vehicle structure has been manufactured from this composite material. In the form of planar conductors, the electrically conductive material layers can compensate for the increased electrical resistance associated with otherwise relatively small conductor cross-sections, thus ensuring continued operation with the specified voltages of the vehicle control units and vehicle components.

[0021] In this design, each discrete conductor track is formed by an electrically conductive layer of the composite material, so that each electrically conductive layer forms exactly one conductor track. By stacking multiple electrically conductive layers on top of each other (electrically insulated from one another), several conductor tracks of the cable harness can be realized, with the distribution of the conductor tracks occurring in the thickness direction of the component.

[0022] According to the invention, the composite material, as a hybrid material, comprises a non-conductive fiber material, a matrix material, and an electrically conductive metal material, wherein the electrically conductive metal material forms the discrete conductor tracks. Here, too, the electrically conductive metal material can be arranged in layers within the composite material, with the non-conductive fiber material acting as an electrical insulator between the electrically conductive metal layers. One such hybrid composite material is a glass fiber-reinforced aluminum composite, also known as GLARE (Glass Laminate Aluminum Reinforced Epoxy).

[0023] When GLARE is used as a composite material, it comprises multiple layers of alternating aluminum and glass fibers, with the aluminum layers forming the discrete conductor tracks. An advantage of this hybrid composite lies in the fact that impact tolerance, bearing strength, and crash absorption can be improved through the integration of aluminum layers, which is particularly beneficial in both automotive and aerospace applications. Simultaneously, these aluminum layers of a GLARE composite can be used as conductor tracks for a wiring harness, thus combining the advantageous properties of this hybrid composite in a beneficial manner.

[0024] The problem is also solved with a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle has one or more vehicle control units, one or more body control units or vehicle components installed in the vehicle, and a wiring harness for transmitting electrical signals and / or operating currents between the vehicle control units and the peripheral devices. According to the invention, the vehicle has a wiring harness as described above, wherein at least a portion of the wires of the wiring harness are formed by discrete conductor tracks that are an integral part of a load-bearing vehicle structure of the vehicle, which are formed from a composite material with an electrically conductive material forming the discrete conductor tracks, and which are mutually insulating.

[0025] According to the invention, the vehicle has a load-bearing vehicle structure made of a composite material that includes an electrically conductive component, for example, in the form of several superimposed layers of electrically conductive material with an electrical insulating layer between them. The electrically conductive layers of the composite material are then electrically contacted with the vehicle control units on the one hand and the peripheral devices on the other, thus enabling the transmission of signals or operating currents.

[0026] For example, it is conceivable that the transmission of signals and / or operating currents will now be possible.

[0027] For example, it is conceivable that the discrete conductor tracks of the vehicle structure, i.e., the electrically conductive material layers of the composite material, are contacted with connecting elements so that the control units and peripheral devices can be connected to the vehicle structure accordingly.

[0028] Furthermore, the problem is also solved according to the invention by the method according to claim 4. According to claim 4, a method for manufacturing a wiring harness for vehicles is proposed, wherein a composite material is provided comprising a fiber material, an electrically conductive material, and a matrix material. If a GLARE composite material is provided, the fiber material is a glass fiber material, while the electrically conductive material is an aluminum layer.

[0029] After the composite material has been provided, the load-bearing vehicle structure is manufactured by, for example, shaping the composite material as a semi-finished product into the desired form, infusing the matrix material into the fiber material if necessary, and then curing the matrix material, so that an integral component exists in which the electrically conductive material is an integral part of the component and thus of the load-bearing vehicle structure.

[0030] Subsequently, connecting elements are introduced which contact the electrically conductive material of the composite material or the manufactured load-bearing vehicle structure in order to connect the vehicle control units and the vehicle's peripheral devices via the discrete conductor tracks.

[0031] Fiber-reinforced composites combined with metal foils are generally used as composite materials. Particularly in the automotive sector, the use of hybrid materials, such as GLARE, is advantageous for body components. Furthermore, it is conceivable to use thin steel foils instead of aluminum layers in a classic GLARE composite, thereby increasing its impact resistance. Fiber-reinforced composites include, for example, woven glass fibers used as insulators. Carbon fibers and aramid fibers are suitable for conductive fiber composites. Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber, which also provides electrical insulation, is a possible matrix system or matrix material.

[0032] The invention is explained by way of example with reference to the attached figure.

[0033] It shows: Fig. 1 - Schematic representation of a load-bearing vehicle structure with multiple layers

[0034] Fig. Figure 1 shows a load-bearing vehicle structure 10 in which a cable harness 11 is integrally provided. The load-bearing vehicle structure 10 consists of a composite material with a multi-layered structure, in which electrically insulating material layers 12 and electrically conductive material layers 13 alternate.

[0035] In the exemplary embodiment of the Fig. Figure 1 shows a cross-section through the load-bearing vehicle structure 10 to illustrate the basic structure of the wiring harness and the vehicle structure. The number of insulating material layers 12 and electrically conductive material layers 13 are only exemplary, as are the shapes of the vehicle structure 10.

[0036] If the composite material is, for example, a GLARE composite, the insulating material layers 12 are made of a glass fiber reinforced plastic, while the electrically conductive material layers 13 are an aluminum layer or an aluminum foil, wherein the insulating material layers 12 and electrically conductive material layers 13 are bonded and pressed together.

[0037] Each individual electrically conductive material layer 13 forms exactly one conductor track L1 to L4 in order to be able to conduct electrical signals and / or operating currents (power supply).

[0038] In the exemplary embodiment of the Fig. In this circuit, conductor L1 is connected as a ground (GND), while conductors L2 to L4 can each be subjected to a voltage U1 to U3. Conductors L1 and L2 are connected to a lamp as an electrical load, while conductors L1 and L3, as well as L1 and L4, are also connected to each other via an electrical load.

[0039] When a voltage is applied to conductor L2 (U1), a current flows through conductors L2 and L1, as well as through the lamp as an electrical load, causing the lamp to light up. The same process occurs with the other conductors L3 and L4.

[0040] This makes it possible to integrate the elements of a cable harness into a load-bearing vehicle structure, thus eliminating the need for an additional cable harness and corresponding wiring in the vehicle.

[0041] The exemplary embodiment of the Fig.Figure 1 is merely an example. It is conceivable that the vehicle structure 10 has a large number of conductor tracks, for example twenty or thirty, so that electrical signals and the supply voltage can be provided via these. The vehicle structure can then be connected to vehicle control units and body control units to build the vehicle electrical system via the vehicle structures. Reference symbol list 10 load-bearing vehicle structure 11 Wiring harness 12 electrical insulating layer 13 electrically conductive material layer L1 to L4 conductor tracks

Claims

[1] Wiring harness (11) for vehicles for transmitting electrical signals and / or operating currents between vehicle control units and peripheral devices installed in the vehicle, wherein the wiring harness (11) comprises a plurality of bundled conductors for transmitting the electrical signals and / or operating currents, wherein at least a part of the conductors of the wiring harness (11) are formed by discrete conductor tracks (L1 to L4) which are an integral part of a load-bearing vehicle structure (10) formed from a composite material with electrically conductive material forming the discrete conductor tracks (L1 to L4) and which are designed to be mutually insulating, wherein the composite material comprises a glass fiber reinforced aluminium composite comprising a non-conductive fiber material, a matrix material and an electrically conductive metal material, which has several material layers with alternating aluminium layers and glass fiber layers,where the aluminum layers are aluminum foils that form the discrete conductor tracks (L1 to L4). [2] Vehicle with one or more vehicle control units, one or more peripheral devices installed in the vehicle and a wiring harness (11) for transmitting electrical signals and / or operating currents between the vehicle control units and the peripheral devices, wherein the wiring harness (11) has a plurality of bundled conductors for transmitting the electrical signals and / or operating currents, characterized by, that at least part of the wiring of the cable harness (11) is formed by discrete conductor tracks (L1 to L4) which are an integral part of a load-bearing vehicle structure (10) of the vehicle, which are made of a composite material with electrically conductive material forming the discrete conductor tracks (L1 to L4) and which are provided to be mutually insulating, wherein the cable harness (11) has the features of the cable harness (11) according to claim 1. [3] Vehicle according to claim 2, characterized by , that the vehicle control units and the peripheral devices installed in the vehicle contact the discrete conductor tracks (L1 to L4) of the vehicle structure formed from the electrically conductive material of the composite material by means of connecting elements. [4] Method for manufacturing a wiring harness (11) for vehicles for transmitting electrical signals and / or operating currents between vehicle control units and vehicle peripherals, comprising the steps: a) Providing a composite material comprising a fiber material, an electrically conductive material and a matrix material, b) Manufacturing a load-bearing vehicle structure (10) of the vehicle from the provided composite material by curing the matrix material infused into the fiber material, wherein the electrically conductive material of the composite material becomes an integral part of the load-bearing vehicle structure (10) and forms discrete conductor tracks (L1 to L4), and c) Inserting connecting elements that contact the electrically conductive material of the composite material or the manufactured load-bearing vehicle structure (10) in order to connect the vehicle control units and the vehicle's peripheral devices via the discrete conductor tracks (L1 to L4), wherein the composite material comprises a glass fiber reinforced aluminium composite, a non-conductive fiber material, a matrix material and an electrically conductive metal material, which has several material layers with alternating aluminium layers and glass fiber layers, where the aluminum layers are aluminum foils that form the discrete conductor tracks (L1 to L4).

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