Condition Monitoring of Automotive Smart Systems utilizing Piezoresistive Stress Sensor

Abstract

It is expected that advanced electronic components and smart systems would dictate the level of innovations in nearly all industrial sectors, including but not limited to automotive and other transport/logistics solutions,production equipment, energy and other infrastructure, etc. One such component is automotive electronic control unit (ECU), which controls the electrical system or subsystems in motor vehicles. In a conventional ECU, a protective metal case is used to ensure reliability under harsh environmental conditions. Recently, an epoxy molding compound (EMC) was adopted to replace the metal case. The EMC technology reduced the manufacturing cost significantly, yet the presence of a large amount of outer EMC increased the stresses of ECUs during transfer molding process and operations (Gromala, Fischer, Zoller, Andreescu, Duerr, Rapp & Wilde, 2013, Kim, Han, Yadur & Gromala, 2014). The long-term reliability assessment of this newly adopted manufacturing technology should be conducted to make the technology a more viable alternative to various ECUs.