An optimal environmental test sequence based on severity for electrical units in automobiles

Abstract

Electronics in automobiles must operate safely and have excellent reliability; however, components are often unreliable and cause product recalls. There is an urgent need to solve this problem. Conventionally, components are tested individually so it is not possible to simulate environmental failures. The purpose of this study was to utilize severe field-simulations and to propose determining environmental test sequence a 2-phase process for automotive electronics that satisfy the minimum severity for each leg and minimize the test cost. In this work, we examined international standards to understand testing sequences, and calculated the severity of ISO 16750 test items, based on an analytic hierarchy process. The modeled functions were established, and test sequences were optimized using a genetic algorithm. The proposed test sequence was based on the results of this analysis by assumed real conditions. Additionally, the variance analysis was performed for the affected total cost to find factors about determined test sequences. Finally, significant test sequences of ISO 16750 were partially presented by analyzing the results for applying in the automotive industry.