sales@ipcb.com
Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are one of the fundamental elements of modern electronics. They form the basis for the mechanical mounting and electrical connection of electronic components to achieve many different functions in different industrial sectors. For example, automotive printed circuit boards are widely used in vehicles and play an important role in the automotive industry.
What is an automotive printed circuit board?
Let's start by explaining what PCB means. A printed circuit board is a non-conductive board with all the electronic and electrical components. The electrical components are connected to the circuit board with physical support aids. This means that by using automotive PCBs you ensure that you will have a smooth ride in your car in any situation. You may use your car in places where it will expose the automotive PCB to extreme dirt, temperature, moisture, and chemicals. An automotive printed circuit board is a complex system of circuits that controls most of the electronic operations in your car.
Automotive circuit boards are custom designed circuit boards for a range of applications in cars, from ignition systems, navigation systems to headlights. These boards provide the necessary grounding for the electrical connection and support of the electronic components that manage various vehicle functions. Automotive PCBs must withstand high vibrations, extreme temperatures, and a variety of chemicals in the automotive environment. Therefore, automotive PCBs need to be produced to the highest standards, such as the most commonly accepted IPC Class 3 standard.
In the automotive sector, automotive PCBs are very important as they enhance the functionality, safety and performance of vehicles. From controlling heat under the hood to road shock and vibration, automotive printed circuit boards are strong enough to survive and remain functional even in the harshest conditions.
Common Materials for Automotive PCBs
The materials used in the production of automotive printed circuit boards include FR-4, aluminum and polyimide.
FR-4: FR-4 was chosen because of its excellent electrical properties, mechanical stability and low cost, making it the best choice for the low-cost, high-quality requirements of the automotive industry.
Aluminum: Automotive headlights use aluminum substrates to meet high heat dissipation requirements.
Polyimide: In cases where higher flexibility and heat resistance are necessary, polyimide is best used to ensure the reliability and functionality of the PCB under different automotive conditions.
Applications of Automotive PCB Services
Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are the backbone of modern vehicle systems, used to control a variety of systems from basic engine functions to cutting-edge safety technologies. From basic vehicle operations such as engine management and lighting systems to more complex applications including infotainment systems, GPS navigation and driver assistance technologies, printed circuit boards are at the heart of everything.
Hence, applications in the automotive industry go a long way in improving vehicle performance and driver experience.
Engine Control Unit:
PCBs are the backbone of modern engine control units (ECUs) and are responsible for managing and optimizing engine performance. They should provide precise control in terms of fuel injection, ignition timing, and emission control to achieve optimal efficiency of the engine and reduce harmful effects on the environment.
Hence, this makes the reliability of such systems a vital issue as they are directly related to the power output and overall health of the vehicle.
Infotainment and Navigation Systems:
Moving towards infotainment and information systems, automotive printed circuit board services provide sophisticated infotainment systems that integrate audio, video, connectivity, and navigation features.
It allows users to access GPS live navigation, real-time multimedia streaming, and Bluetooth media via touchscreen or voice commands for a better in-vehicle experience.
Safety Equipment:
Safety-critical applications such as airbags and anti-lock braking systems (ABS) are highly dependent on PCBs. These boards help ensure that airbags deploy quickly in the event of a collision and manage electronic sensors that do not lock the wheels during braking.
Intelligent and High-tech Applications
A major shift is due to the increased consumer demand for more efficient, smarter, and more tech-savvy cars, such as those combined with IoT and autonomous driving technologies. This has brought about an increasingly important shift in the integration of electronics within cars, which requires more types of reliable PCBs that can function properly even under the harshest conditions, which are often defined by automotive applications.
The precision and reliability of PCBs in these systems are essential to protect passengers in emergency situations. Therefore, the various applications of PCBs in modern vehicles clearly show that PCBs are indispensable in advancing automotive technology, improving vehicle safety, and enhancing user experience. Therefore, with continuous improvements, the automotive industry can expect further development.
Key Points in Automotive PCB Design, Manufacturing, and Testing
Therefore, the automotive electronics field places strict requirements on the design and production of printed circuit boards (PCBs) to meet the prescribed conditions that automotive applications must comply with.
Automotive Circuit Board Design
Two other important aspects of automotive printed circuit board design, namely thermal management and resistance to shock or vibration, are some of the main features that ensure that these PCBs can operate in the harsh environment of the vehicle.
• Thermal Management: Automotive printed circuit boards need to be designed in a way that they can withstand the temperatures generated by the engine and other components of the vehicle. Under this trend, in addition to modifying the PCB to have a heat sink or thermal vias to help ICs dissipate heat, designers will still tend to use materials with high thermal conductivity.
• Vibration resistance: Since cars are constantly moving and subject to shock, automotive printed circuit boards must have a solid physical structure. It is best to choose components that focus on vibration resistance and reduce mechanical stress on the layout
Automotive printed circuit board design and layout
i.Inductor direction
Whenever two inductors are close to each other, inductance is generated.
Therefore, it is important to have a design where all designs are in a compact circuit layout. It will ensure that the coupling balance is reduced.
Better inductor alignment will ensure mutual distribution related to inductor alignment.
Therefore, whenever you design an automotive printed circuit board, you must follow the following rules:
First, the space between inductors must be as large as possible.
Secondly, the inductor alignment should be at right angles. This will reduce or minimize any form of inductor crosstalk.
ii. Lead coupling
If the leads are placed close to each other, it may affect the coupling and generate mutual inductance.
In this case, you must place the return current path in the minimum radiation field close to the main current path. This will help reduce the current loop area.
You should consider integrated grounding under the leads whenever possible. This is because the integrated large area grounding will improve the performance of the automotive PCB.
iii. Grounding vias
The main problem you must solve in this case lies in the bad impedance of different circuits. This may come from different electronic components and interconnections.
The capacitance of a via is usually between the bottom copper and the copper at the edge of the via. The cylinder of the metal via also has a great influence on the capacitance of the via.
Therefore, you should install inductor modules in the vias in sensitive areas. Matching or filtering networks should rely on independent vias. Finally, thin PCB copper will reduce the influence of parasitic inductance.
iv. Grounding and filling
As an important aspect of automotive PCB design, you should design it correctly. This will help you avoid impedance problems in the circuit.
When designing grounding and filling, you must consider the following points.
First, you must provide a continuous ground area with very low impedance. Second, connect the filling line terminal with the via array to the ground. Finally, ground the copper clad wire
With the above design considerations, you will definitely have a well-functioning automotive PCB.
Why choose iPCB's automotive printed circuit board service?
iPCB is a PCB manufacturer whose products and services cover many fields, including automotive PCBs of course. The automotive PCB services provided by our company have the following advantages:
1.Quality Assurance
Automotive PCBs need to survive in extremely harsh environments, so they have high requirements for physical properties. After the product is produced, Viasion will conduct various tests and inspections on them to ensure their high quality.
2.Strong technical capabilities
Our factory has UL (E358677), ISO9001:2015, ISO13485 and TS16949 certifications for the automotive industry. We have complete equipment facilities and professional technicians to produce various difficult PCBs, including automotive PCBs.
3.Perfect customer service
Whether it is pre-sales or after-sales, we have professional customer service staff and technicians to provide you with consultation. Our company attaches great importance to customer experience. If you have any comments, you can always give us feedback.