Today and in the future, feature rich and highly automated cars require a large number of inputs and outputs - each sensor, actuator, peripheral device, and display requires its own cable and connector. Original equipment manufacturers are constantly adding features, resulting in more inputs and outputs such as radar, cameras, infotainment screens, and temperature sensors. However, the space for cables inside the car and terminals on the circuit board is limited.

Using a partition architecture helps reduce the total wiring in the car, as the connections on the partition controller are integrated into the power and data backbone. However, this method can lead to dense connections on the regional controller.

Although wireless connectivity is very common in consumer devices, it is limited to niche applications in cars. Despite limited space, dedicated cables and connectors are still the most cost-effective way to provide the required functionality for an increasing number of devices.

One way to solve this problem is to miniaturize the connector and reduce the wire gauge to achieve higher density. The size of connectors is trending towards 0.50 millimeters, which is less than 1.5 millimeters when automotive electronics began to rise in the 1980s. This size of connector can accommodate various cables ranging from 0.35mm2 to 0.13mm2 and maintain high-performance electrical signals. From cameras that require high bandwidth to turn signals that require very little bandwidth, almost all devices that require signals can use miniature connectors. Even with low-power connections, as long as the instrument can withstand the required current, it can achieve a certain degree of miniaturization.
Enter automation

Micro connectors have brought some challenges to the automotive industry, with the biggest challenge being that they are too small for humans to assemble. To achieve such high precision, capital investment is required in automation equipment, which is necessary for cutting, stripping, and terminating bulk cables. During the car assembly process, automatic connector insertion may also be required.

To ensure that automation equipment can effectively handle micro connectors, it is necessary to carefully design the connectors and cables so that they can fit well with the automation equipment. For example, twisted pair cables are elliptical rather than circular, so they must be positioned correctly in order to properly strip and trim the shielding layer. The automation system needs to have optical functions in order to view the direction of the elliptical cable, or to set some mechanical stopper on the shielding layer to send signals to the system in the correct direction.

To successfully achieve miniaturization, it is necessary to ensure good coordination between wiring and connectors and automation systems. Cable engineering design must collaborate with connector engineering design, and the design team must work closely with the manufacturing team to integrate product development with process development in order to consider automation technology during design.