Leoni, a global provider of energy and data management solutions in the automotive sector and other industries, has been showcasing innovative technologies for autonomous driving at the IZB in 2018. Models on the fair stand illustrated solutions for reducing weight and installation space, automotive Ethernet and driver assistance systems.
Cars that drive autonomously require safety and assistance systems to negotiate traffic without any problems. Sensors and signal transmission play a key role in this respect. Such systems each require a redundant one as backup; there must be multiples of some functions. Innovative conductor materials as well as cables with thinner walls, smaller diameter and miniaturised design – as in the case of Leoni’s multifunctional Adascar cables – are used to reduce the space required for this and simultaneously the weight.
These multi-core, shielded or unshielded cables are suited for control, comfort, power, safety, sensor and truck applications. They consequently meet the demanding chemical, electrical, mechanical and thermal requirements of their areas of application.
Connectivity in the car, between vehicles themselves as well as to their surroundings requires high rates of data transmission. Leoni Dacar Ethernet cables achieve an excellent and fast, bidirectional transfer of 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps (Ethernet standard). Leoni is already working on higher Gbps.
Leoni has developed an Ethernet cable design with optimised materials to achieve high conductor symmetry even when exposed to vibration, humidity or dirt. Interference from the outside or mutual impairment of cables running next to each other can thereby be reduced.
As interference suppression by means of the symmetry is not enough in EMC-sensitive installation spaces, Ethernet cables with braided or foiled shields are suitable for such applications. The outer diameter of such cables can be reduced by foaming the cores – an advantage in terms of savings space when making cars that drive autonomously.
