Large-area flexible printed circuits for automotive applications

To meet the demands for safety and passenger comfort, modem passenger cars offer more and increasingly sophisticated electrical and electronic systems. The wiring harnesses that support such systems become too large, complex and heavy, when designed for a conventional electrical architecture based on 14 volts, posing several challenges to automotive manufacturers. Alternative electrical architectures based on 42 volts and in-vehicle multiplexing promise to reduce the size and weight of the wiring harness, but these architectures are yet to be fully developed and standardized. In the near term, alternative wiring solutions have gained the interest of automotive manufacturers. Small flexible printed circuits (FPCs) have previously been integrated into automotive instrument clusters. The benefits of reduced weight and space requirements of such FPCs compared to a wire harness has fuelled an interest in much larger FPCs as substitutes for the Instrument Panel and door harnesses in high-volume production cars. This research investigates the materials typically used in FPC manufacture, for applicability within a passenger car. [Continues.]