Congress

09:15 a.m.
Dr. Detlef Zerfowski, Vice President EngineeringExcellence, ETAS GmbH

Over the past two decades, the automotive industry has increasingly changed from a mechanically oriented to a software-oriented sector. In the course of this development, approaches from various engineering disciplines have been adopted. The previously established hierarchical design - from the vehicle level via the E/E architecture to domain-specific subsystems with integrated software - made it possible to structure and control complexity in the vehicle. With the introduction of powerful vehicle computers, this paradigm is changing: software functionalities are no longer firmly tied to specific control units within individual domains. At the same time, software architectures are increasingly developing independently of the underlying hardware.

The presentation will shed light on these developments in the field of vehicle software and address the key aspects of this change.

09:45 a.m.
Dr. Jonas Neckenich, Team Leader Wire Harness DMU & Tools, Mercedes-Benz AG & Patrick Becker, Quality Engineer for Digital Validation Testing and commissioning processes, Mercedes-Benz AG

In times of shortened development cycles and short-term changes, consistent digital data utilization in companies is indispensable. The presentation will shed light on data-driven wiring harness development at Mercedes-Benz and show how HCV/KBL data is processed through to reworking on the assembly line. The possibilities of troubleshooting through intelligent linking with other data will be demonstrated. The consistent use of digital KBL data ensures consistent and error-free data documentation between systems and departments, which improves product quality and reduces rework costs.

10:15 a.m.
Uwe Prüfer, Supervisor Advanced Development, smartCable Ltd.

Increasing efficiency and productivity in the wiring system process requires AI-supported procedures in all phases of product development. Although the classic phase-oriented V-model offers planning security, it cannot meet today's demand for an agile response to new findings. The integration of expandable knowledge is the key to AI-supported processes. Production costs must already be taken into account in the design. An intelligent end-to-end process requires a cross-disciplinary data model that maps properties and their dependencies. Variant derivations, validation and simulation must be integrated directly into the design process. Changes - even after SOP - are part of the optimization process; drawings are unsuitable as change documentation as they require manual searches and prevent automatic validation.

The DIN72036 design guidelines already address these requirements in the concept and design phase. The model-based, AI-supported smartCable tool chain follows these guidelines and enables seamless integration of simulation, validation and automated processes. Drawings can be derived from the data model at any time, with references to 3D models. This makes it possible to check whether the space requirements and bendability of the topology elements are given in the virtual installation space. Every design action is validated and the digital transformation of the data increases efficiency without manual intermediate steps. AI methods allow the algorithms to learn and thus react quickly to new specifications. Even in the early design phases, generative work planning makes it possible to estimate automation capability and production costs.

11:15 a.m.
Dr.-Ing. Stephan Rudolph, private lecturer, IFBUniversity of Stuttgart & Julian Borowski, Development Engineer, Julian Borowski, Development Engineer, IILS mbH

The increasing complexity of modern vehicle systems makes new approaches in wiring harness development necessary. The automated generation of wiring harnesses is presented using the example of a Formula Student racing car. A graph-based design allows comprehensive modeling and automation of the development process. An initial wiring harness design is automatically generated from the vehicle architecture, electrical functions and component positions. Optimization algorithms evaluate variants in terms of cable length, weight and installation space. The result is a CAD model for virtual validation and implementation. This automated approach is flexible and allows rapid adaptation to changes. Graph-based languages support consistency checks, and the connection to the design tool Design Cockpit 43 ensures consistent data integration. Data is exchanged via international standards such as VEC, STEP and UML, which strengthens the digital process chain. The process saves time, improves quality and increases flexibility - with high potential for series production.

11:45 a.m.
Lukas Zeh, Research Associate, ISW, University of Stuttgart

The manipulation of deformable linear objects (DLOs), such as cables, is a challenge in automation due to their non-linear dynamics and many degrees of freedom. In this paper, an AI-based approach for the manipulation of DLOs in wire harness assembly is presented.

The approach comprises two components: Modeling of the cable dynamics using machine learning and model predictive control (MPC). A bidirectional long-short-term memory (biLSTM) network is trained with synthetic data from the MuJoCo simulation environment. The cable is modeled as a sequence of capsules whose velocities are used for the prediction. A Model-Predictive-Path-Integral (MPPI) controller is used for shape manipulation, which generates optimal trajectories. The method was implemented in simulation and on a real Franka Emika Panda robot. The cable geometry is captured by an Intel Realsense depth camera. Shape control tests with different cables in both environments show good results.

1:45 pm
Christian Kosel, Research Coordinator, ARENA2036 & Florian Müller, Senior Business Consultant, msg for automotive GmbH

In the "Asset Administration Shell for Wire Harness" project, the combined use of Asset Administration Shell (VWS) and Eclipse Dataspace Connector (EDC) was investigated. The aim was to achieve secure cross-company data exchange with a focus on the security specifications of both technologies - in particular policies in the EDC and Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) in the VWS.

First, the use case with requirements and challenges of data exchange is presented, in particular granular access control at attribute level in networked industrial environments. The individual components of EDC and VWS are explained to illustrate how they work. EDC acts as a central link for the data space with finely controlled access rights, VWS represents physical assets digitally with role- and attribute-specific access control.
The integration of the technologies is shown in order to enable consistent and secure data processing. The technical implementation includes keycloak servers for identity management, deployment of EDC components, configuration of clients and token management. Authentication and authorization of users and systems are presented. The implementation follows IDTA security specifications, in particular for ABAC rules, which are explained in detail.
The final implementation includes the deployment of EDCs with federated services from the Catena-X ecosystem for the secure processing of attribute information. Architecture documentation and interface considerations clarify the solution.

The project shows how a secure, controlled data exchange can be realized by combining VWS and EDC - relevant for Industry 4.0 and data-driven value chains.

2:15 p.m.
Edgar Theil, Product Owner Wiring Harness, Daimler Truck AG & Nicola Wolter, Portfolio Manager, S-IT Consulting

The increasing electrification and variety of modern vehicles are leading to a sharp rise in the complexity of wiring harness development. Every additional consumer, every assistance system and every customer-specific feature creates new variants and requirements. Millions of possible combinations represent a major challenge for development, production and quality assurance.

The buildability service addresses this challenge: it checks at an early stage whether planned cable harnesses can be manufactured efficiently and without errors under real conditions. This reduces the solution space to valid, buildable variants of the vehicle project. The aim is to filter out buildable variants from the many theoretically possible configurations and create a stable basis for cost-effective production. The buildability service follows a structured process with installation space-related testing of lengths, cable routing, plug connections and variants. It combines design, production and quality assurance into an integrated process, reduces sources of error, lowers modification costs and accelerates market launch. It also creates the basis for reliable variant validation and digital approval.

3:15 p.m.
Johannes Becker, Managing Consultant, 4Soft GmbH

Digitalization, automation and AI are changing the industry forever. A key success factor for this transformation is the availability of reliable and meaningful product information. A comprehensive digital product model is therefore no longer an option, but a necessary prerequisite for efficiently and consistently mapping future use cases digitally.

At the interface between OEM and wiring harness supplier, KBL is still widespread industrial practice today. The presentation shows why KBL is increasingly reaching its limits here and why the VEC (Vehicle Electric Container) should be an integral part of modern development processes and system landscapes.

Specific scenarios are used to explain how the VEC enables new use cases thanks to its higher information density, coverage of multiple domains and technological innovations - such as better semantic interoperability and support for different technical representations. Examples show the potential of an integrated, cross-domain model, for example for automated testing processes, extended simulations or AI-supported analyses along the entire vehicle electrical system development process.

3:45 pm
Pavel NosekTechnical Product Manager, Siemens Digital Industries Software

The ever-evolving automotive industry is facing numerous challenges due to the demand for advanced features, the rise of ADAS and autonomous driving technologies and the increasing trend towards electrification.

These trends require sophisticated automotive E/E systems, with a particular focus on the wire harness. In addition, the growing demand for customization options is driving up the number of unique vehicle configurations, which increases the complexity of the wire harness.

Wire harness production faces several challenges resulting from the diversity of production. The wire harness comprises a large number of parameters that influence the production process and can have a significant impact on project success, including size, complexity, variability, components, production volumes and logistical conditions. Currently, more than 80% of manufacturing processes are carried out manually, despite high quality requirements.

Digitalization in wire harness production can provide project teams with important data to accurately prepare the production concept according to project specifications. With its Xcelerator products, Siemens offers an advanced IT landscape to support the digitalization of the wire harness industry.

4:15 pm
Markus Rentschler, Research Coordinator, ARENA2036

The continuous availability of digital models is essential for the successful digitalization of the value chain of digital vehicle electrical systems. However, this is often not the case, especially at the time of component selection. For this reason, the article proposes a solution based on administration shell technology (AAS) and the vehicle electric container (VEC) under the term "digital product catalogs", which promises a remedy and was developed as part of the AAS4WH project.