Wiring harness design in CATIA V5 - 3D modeling Week 2 Challenge
INTRODUCTION
Wiring harness is the combination of electrical and mechanical CAD to connect all the electrical parts in the automotive at the optimum level.
BASICS OF ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (EDS) AND WIRING HARNESS
1) Electrical Distribution System:
It runs from front end to rear end of the vehicle. It involves physical and logical architecture schematic development, power distribution, wiring harness design, wiring harness component design of given electrical system. It ensures the physical location of all electrical components placed in the vehicle. It provides the logical connectivity between electrical components. It has electrical controller unit for different sections like Airbag ECU, ABS ECU, Engine (ECU).
2) E&E Architecture:
It is the high-level logical connectivity diagram. It represents all the systems, sub-systems and logical connections between them. It shows the Control Area Network (CAN) between different electronic components.
3) Logical schematics:
Detailed design of E&E architecture. It shows the logical connectivity between different components and controls of given systema and subsystem. It does not define any other parameter except electrical connectivity.
4) Electrical schematics:
Detailed design of logical schematics, pin to pin connectivity, properties, fusing distribution, grounding distribution, interconnects, wire properties (wire gauge, color, type), circuit properties (circuit number, connector designation number, control device number), specification of components, end results of electrical core design of system and primary input for harness design.
5) Wiring harness topology:
Strategy to split the harness between different pieces to achieve the best manufacturability, serviceability and cost-effective design.
6) Wiring harness routing:
It provides the desired path of wiring harness into given vehicle environment by applying set of design rules and industry best practices.
7) Wiring harness packaging:
Fixing/mounting strategy of wiring harness routing to ensure the safe, reliable and durability of wiring harness by applying set of design rules and industry best practices.
WIRING HARNESS ASSEMBLY
The term Wiring Harness refers to the assembly of
1) Wires:
Various bundled wires together. Each individual wire is responsible for carrying the electrical signals and energy. Wires are made up of Cu conductors insulated with PVC insulation.
2) Connectors:
These are electro-mechanical device used to join electrical termination. Connectors create an electrical circuit. These are plastic molded housing with locking and retention feature.
3) Terminals:
A device used to terminate a conductor that is to be affixed to post, stud, chassis, another tongue etc., to establish electrical connection. These are metal conductors with plating constructed in specific shape.;
4) Protection devices:
Corrugated flexible tube.
5) Insulation:
Adhesive and non-adhesive tapes and sleeves. Polymer or cotton/polymer (very effective in high-temperature zone).
6) Clips & Clamps:
Plastic molded parts with mounting /snapping features.
7) Fuse and relay box:
Plastic molded parts used to package fuses and relays in systematic manner.
8) Retention device:
Plastic molded parts to mount connector and other harness components. Connector backshells.
9) Guiding channels:
Plastic molded parts or metal parts designed to guide harness bundle in given geometric area to secure and protect the harness.
10) Electronic components:
Diodes, terminating resistors, flasher, Timer circuits are some parts of harness supply.
DESIGN OF WIRING HARNESS IN CATIA V5
To design the wiring harness in CATIA V5, the interface and some settings have to be changed in the design modeler.
The electrical part design, electrical harness assembly, electrical harness installation, electrical harness flattening, and electrical assembly design have to be customized to the workbench for easy access.
1) Electrical part design:
The mechanical part is converted into an electrical part by manipulating the electrical properties into it.
2) Electrical Harness Installation:
Route the harness.
3) Electrical Harness Flattening:
Finalizing the routing
CUSTOMIZED SETTINGS FOR ELECTRICAL ENVIRONMENT
An electrical catalog has to be made to save the electrical parts into it and use it whenever required.
1)Infrastructure settings:
In the product structure option enable cache management.
2) Equipment and system:
In Electrical mapping select the connector catalog which is created as an electrical catalog.
3) Electrical Harness installation
CONNECTOR DEFINATIONS IN CATIA V5
1. Deutsch DT06 – 08SA
Download the specified connector from te.com. In the part design workbench provide the center point and axis system to the wire inserting end and connection end.
The axis must be given in a specified way:
X-axis: Towards the clamp
Y-axis: Towards the connection
Z-axis: left or right of the connector.
CREATE POINT AND AXIS
DEFINE CONNECTOR
DEFINE CONNECTOR CONNECTION POINT AND BUNDLE CONNECTION POINT
TREE STRUCTURE
2.Tyco 174357-2 :
- Create midpoint
- create Connector connection point
- create Connector connection axis system
- create cavity connection point
- create cavity connection axis system
- Switch to Electric part design and define part as connector
- Define Connector connection point and cavity connection point
TREE STRUCTURE
3. Tyco 85229-1 :
- Create midpoint
- create cavity connection point
- create cavity connection axis system and orientation should be same as in connector
- Switch to Electric part design and define part as Mounting Equipment
- Define cavity connection point
TREE STRUCTURE
Electric Assembly Design
- Import Connector and cavity / mounting clip.
- Select Defing Eelectric connection
- select cavity and then connector.
TREE STRUCTURE
CATALOGUE DOCUMENT:
CONCLUSION:
- From the above assignment I learnt how to define a connector and a cavity and how to define different electrical properties
- I also learnt how to create a catalogue document and how to save the components in the catalogue document so that it can be used later.