Design

Many manufacturers design a product first, then attempt to “fix” the design later to meet the applicable safety standard. Prior knowledge of the applicable safety standard and its requirements for the product will help meet deadlines, keep design costs down, and result in a properly designed product.

Automobiles typically have dozens of electronic systems operating interactively in a relatively compact space. These systems must operate reliably in a wide range of environments over extended periods of time. As a growing number of these systems play an ever expanding role in protecting the safety of a vehicle’s occupants, there is an increasing need to ensure that the integrity of these systems will not be compromised by electromagnetic interference.

Considering EMC techniques during the design phase will minimize EMC problems and avoid disasters uncovered at EMC test time. At this time, the remedial measures are usually very painful.

In the typical case, where the electronic equipment is contained within a single enclosure, enclosure shielding along with cable filtering or shielding are commonly employed to meet EMC requirements.

This article deals with improving EMC measuring methods that are used during the development of automobiles in the field of interference emissions. Development-stage investigations are normally performed with measuring systems that have actually been conceived for vehicle component tests. EMC measuring methods that are tailored to the development stage, however, are much better suited for this task since they help save time and costs. One such measuring method is presented here as a practical example.

The reliable operation of complex electronic communications, control and armament systems in extreme environments demands stringent design criteria and careful validation. Severe shock, vibration, heat, humidity and airborne contaminants are common in land, sea and air platforms.

Up until now there’s been much emphasis on designing to make a product “idiot proof”. This has provided some benefit, but what Usability Engineering is reminding us is that it is the designers who are sometimes viewed as idiots by the users. It is the users who are the experts (in usability).