Vehicle grade electronic components
Automotive grade electronic components are different from consumer grade products. They operate in harsh environments such as outdoor, high temperature, high cold, and humid environments, and their design lifespan is generally 15 years or 200000 kilometers. The iteration cycle is much higher than that of consumer electronics by 2-3 years, and they also have high requirements for environment, vibration, impact, reliability, and consistency. Therefore, the corresponding cost is also higher than that of consumer and industrial grades.
Vehicle grade refers to the components that need to meet the requirements of on-board grade. The AEC-Q series standard is an industry recognized certification standard for vehicle grade components.
AEC is the Automotive Electronics Council of the United States, established by General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler to establish a common set of parts qualification and quality system standards. Q is the first letter of Qualification, and AEC-Q is the universal testing standard for automotive components organized by AEC.
AEC members include OEMs, component manufacturers Tire1, and component manufacturers, among others. AEC-Q is a voluntary certification and there is no official recognition. The test report is equivalent to a comprehensive “medical examination report” of the component.
NXP, TI, MPS and other component suppliers perform AEC-Q verification tests on the components, and then self claim to meet AEC requirements to improve product competitiveness and premium capability. Tire1 selects and uses certified devices, and OEM and Tire1 are responsible for reviewing the AEC-Q report.
So, what are the characteristics of automotive grade electronic components?
1. Reliability requirements: The design lifespan of automobiles is around 15 years, far exceeding the lifespan requirements of consumer electronics products. Currently, the electrification level of vehicles is already very high, especially the various control systems of electric vehicles, which are equipped with many ECU devices, which are composed of many electronic components. To ensure that the entire vehicle reaches a relatively high level of reliability, high requirements are placed on every component of the control system.
2. Unification requirement: Nowadays, cars are produced on a large scale, and manufacturers can produce hundreds of thousands of standardized vehicles per year. Therefore, there is a high requirement for uniformity in product quality. For automotive products with complex component compositions, a unified and consistent electronic component will avoid safety hazards for the entire vehicle.
3. Standard requirements: In order to meet the complex requirements of electronic components for automotive products and various electronic control systems, the emergence of vehicle level certification means that the production, manufacturing, and performance of components can meet specific automotive industry standards. The most internationally recognized standard is the International Association of Automotive Electronics (AEC) standard.
