OEM&Lieferant Ausgabe 1/2019

110 Engineering Partner Automotive Electronics: Accelerating the early phases of product development Straight off the Mark: Modular control device platform for concept and small batch development saves time and money By Annika Mahl, Marketing Officer/Public Relations, ARRK Engineering During the concept development and testing phase, prototypes and test systems typically require electronic components which have to be developed and manufactured especially for this single use. This generates high costs and the extensive amount of time required delays product launch. The costly initial phase rules out a rapid response to changes at short notice. This is a serious disadvantage, particularly for the fast-paced automotive industry. In order to accelerate this step in the process while simultaneously creating space for the flexibility required, the development service provider ARRK Engineering has chosen a different path: Numerous use cases were used to identify frequently requested functions and develop the relevant components for a modular control device concept, the Build Rapid Systems (BuildRS). Thanks to this, it is now possible to create measuring and control systems for a wide variety of applications much faster and more affordably than ever before: The components with the functionality required must only be taken from and combined with a pool of existing hardware and software components. Throughout the course of predevelopment projects, component tests and test series, certain applications emerge time and again. “Generally, special control devices are devel- oped specifically for these cases – leading to high time and cost requirements due to the low quantity required,” explains Zarko Tomic, team leader for software development at ARRK Engineering. “Alternatively, teams may resort to universal control devices which are usually oversized for the specific application”. Instead of repeatedly develop- ing new control units for test devices and prototypes which can only be used for single projects, ARRK specified components – like Lego bricks – which can be assembled in a few, easy steps to create a unique and freely adaptable control device for the relevant ap- plication. Compact modules with adaptable software The system, which ARRK Engineering has named BuildRS, comprises two circuit boards: The controller board connects to other devices via CAN and forms the starting point for the unit; the peripheral unit specifies the actual function of the control device. “If, for exam- ple, it is necessary to switch from digital to analog inputs or from one sensor to another due to a change in customer requirements, we only have to change the peripheral board,” Image: © determined/stock.adobe.com