Automotive

Due to increasing concerns with petroleum usage and the increasing federal fuel economy regulations, electric powertrains have become more accepted by automotive manufacturers and can be found in production and within numerous development programs.

TÜV SÜD America is pleased to announce the expansion of their automotive EMC laboratory with the opening of an additional 3-meter chamber for immunity and emission testing along with expanded conducted immunity capacity and capabilities.

A case study describing the influence of TFT LCD graphics on automotive radiated emissions testing and its impact to the FM band receiver. The underlying root-cause of the EMI issue is determined using a novel technique that decodes the display’s graphics into the transmitted RGB data and predicts the data’s impact to radiated emissions. The countermeasure implemented to resolve the issue is equally novel and does not involve any hardware optimizations. The use of test images to be used in component level EMC testing is also discussed.

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) filters are often used on automotive 13.8 VDC power networks to reduce high-frequency noise from being conducted off the printed circuit boards (PCB) and resulting into EMI problems. The filter performance is difficult to predict and often compromised at high frequencies due to parasitics associated with the filter itself, or the PCB layout. The power line filters with Surface Mount Technology ferrite and Multi Layer Ceramic Capacitors are attractive solutions for mitigation of RF noise in high-density automotive PCBs. A lumped-element SPICE model is introduced for optimized π-filter design, including frequency-dependent ferrite component model. The PCB implementation of EMI filter is outlined for optimum filter performance.

Injection of audio frequency ripple on equipment input power conductors has a long history, going back to 1953 (MIL‑I‑6181B) in the United States military, and at least as far back as 1961 in commercial aviation (RTCA/DO‑108). Audio frequency injection has been accomplished by inserting the secondary windings of a coupling (isolation) transformer in series with the power conductor to the test sample. While various transformers had been used prior to the 1960s, one has become standard since 1963. That Model is the Solar Electronics Model 6220, designed in 1962 and accepted by the United States Air Force in 1963 as being superior to previously used injection transformers. [1]

An Open Letter to the NAS team working on the project:  Electronic Vehicle Controls and Unintended Acceleration (TRB-SASP-10-03)

The professional opinions of Dr. Antony Anderson BSc(Hons), PhD, CEng, FIEE/IET MIEEE, Dr. Brian Kirk BSc(Hons), PhD, CEng, MBCS, MACM, and EurIng Keith Armstrong BSc(Hons), CEng, FIET, SMIEEE, ACGI

There has been much to do about the sudden unexpected acceleration EMI connection. There is no shortage of opinions on this subject. We’ve heard from manufacturers and their EMI consultants as well as from many recognized industrial and academic EMI experts. Most manufacturers have been very supportive of each other but have been very careful not to utter direct EMI related statements as they would rather not be seen in the spotlight of any investigations aimed in their direction. I guess they think that the EMI gods have decided to target just one automobile manufacturer.