Increasing electronic components in vehicles, electric & connected cars, engine downsizing, rise in stringent emission norms, etc are some of the developments that need accurate and rigorous testing of automotive parts. Automotive test equipment suppliers are helping auto makers to set up a new quality benchmark, says Rakesh Rao.

 

From fossil fuel fired vehicles to electrically driven cars, automotive industry has been witnessing constant evolution with technological innovations. Today, auto makers are even experimenting with autonomous (driverless) vehicles and adding new features such as advanced communication devices, Internet of Things (IoT), etc. All these changes require new automotive test equipment to measure performance and quality of not just the individual components but also the entire vehicle.

 

Nowadays various wireless connections are incorporated in connected cars to improve safety, security, performance, reliability, and infotainment. Automotive designers and developers need to verify many types of wireless technologies including 2G, 3G, 4G LTE and LTE-Advanced (and soon 5G), WLAN, Bluetooth, Near Field Communication (NFC), and more to guarantee the reliability and the performance of the communication capabilities. As a result, auto testing equipment companies need to provide solutions that enable transmitter/receiver tests and various measurements, including noise figure, phase noise, modulation analysis, and electromagnetic interference (EMI).

“Wireless technologies have acquired increasing importance during the last decade in the automotive industry, making the experience of driving safer and more comfortable. All these wireless standards - including mobile, short range wireless and navigation - help to keep the driver connected everywhere, while broadcast technologies are now utilised to keep all of the car occupants connected and entertained,” says Madhukar Tripathi, Senior Manager (Sales & Marketing), Anritsu India Pvt Ltd – which offers a comprehensive range of high performance test systems to test and develop all aspects of the modern car mainly wireless connectivity, safety and driver aids, in-vehicle networks, intelligent transport systems and EMI.

 

In addition to FM/AM radio, today's vehicle incorporates digital radio (DAB) as well as video broadcasting, including DVB and ISDB standards. Auto OEMs must test these technologies at all stages of the product development - from R&D to production - to ensure their products comply with the latest industry specifications.

 

“The automotive industry is undergoing a tremendous amount of change, resulting in a new era of mobility. Three critical technology trends in ADAS, EV, and V2X are bringing with them new test challenges and pressures beyond the here and now. The quickly evolving technology landscape increases the pressure on any test schedule as requirements cease to change,” says Jeff Phillips, Head of Automotive Marketing, National Instruments (NI) - which offers tools to accelerate the entire development process by providing a platform that allows for maximum reuse and unifies design, validation, and automated test.

 

Rising challenges due to electronics

The increasing use of infotainment and telematics systems disrupts OEMs and traditional suppliers, changing the ways in which industry players design and develop new products and services. On the consumer side, the demand for high-performance vehicles is growing, while, at the same time, there is a rise in safety concerns among customers. These trends are leading to increase in traction for test and measurement (T&M) equipment in India.

 

According to MarketsandMarkets report, global automotive test equipment market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.95 per cent from $ 2.2 billion in 2018 to $ 2.9 billion by 2025. The automotive test equipment market is influenced by factors such as technological advancements in automotive test equipment, increase in electronic architecture in modern vehicles, growth in vehicle manufacture, the rise in stringent emission norms to prevent environmental impact, etc. 

 

According to Madhukar Tripathi, automotive sector is new emerging market for electronics components. “More electronics is being incorporated in cars and other vehicles. Integration of these electronics components is very important for smooth driving of cars which will lead for safer driving,” he adds.

 

Rise in electronic component is posing new challenges before auto OEMs and auto component suppliers with respect to testing & measuring. The suppliers of electronic components to auto industry need to test the electrical integrity of increasingly shrinking and complex assembled printed circuit boards. However, test access to these boards can be extremely challenging. T&M companies need in-circuit test (ICT) and boundary scan test solutions for automotive electronics manufacturers. 

 

EVs: Need new testing norms

With electrification gaining momentum in India, rise in number of electric vehicles could also lead to jump in demand for automotive testing instruments in the near future. “This is true. More and more features are being added into passenger cars and other transport medium. Automotive electronics R&D is emerging and contributing to intelligent transport system (ITS) or connected cars. Most OEM and 

ODM (original design manufacturer) need test and measurement instrument for R&D and prototype testing. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) encompasses a broad range of products and services aimed at helping drivers drive more safely; while providing technologies that move vehicle development towards autonomous driving,” opines Madhukar Tripathi.

 

With the rise in number of electric vehicles, test engineers are facing drastically increasing system complexity. This is likely to result in rise in demand for automotive testing instruments. “It’s still to be determined if it (rising numbers of EVs) will increase the demand, meaning demand this year compared to demand last year. What I am sure of is that this will change the instrumentation that is demanded. Higher voltage capabilities, power-electronics HIL, charger testing, heat dissipation, etc. These are all evolving challenges that will surely change the landscape for EV. Additionally, there are new validation labs being stood up across the globe, being instrumented from the ground up with new and updated technology,” opines Jeff Phillips.

 

Positioning and localisation technologies are now key in the connected car, and they must be tested to ensure compliance with international standards. Madhukar Tripathi opines, “The automotive industry is constantly increasing the presence of technology in vehicles. In excess of 100 separate control units will be part of average modern car, all generating more and more applications for informing and entertaining the passengers. Adding more electronics into cars is creating interference issue to entire control system. Right selection of test and measurement tool helps to remove this problem. "

 

Quality matters always

New capabilities in embedded testing, IoT testing, machine learning, and connected devices validations are required to holistically address the needs of infotainment and telematics systems. According to experts, the QA and testing spend globally is predicted to increase to 

40 per cent of the overall IT budget by 2019. This upward trajectory, which indicates the industry’s enthusiasm to adopt emerging technologies and automation techniques, will propel demand for auto test equipment in the near future, thus prompting T&M companies to shore up investments.

 

Jeff Phillips observes, “The demand is being driven by the rapid evolution of the device under test, whether that’s an EV inverter, sensor fusion ECU, or the mirror assembly. The once disparate methods to validate the behavior of the SW (ECU), the electronics (sensors), and physical measurements (durability) are all now converging on each other. Nearly every automotive component blends all three together into a single workflow, adding tremendous pressure to the test organisation’s challenge of ensuring the safety and security of the vehicle.”

Growing trend towards high performance, electrification and engine downsizing in passenger cars - the largest segment within automotive industry – is creating the need for accurate and rigorous testing of automotive parts, and this, in turn, will continue to drive the automotive test equipment market in the future as well.

 

(With inputs from Automotive Products Finder)