Custom integer optimization method for wire bundle dimensioning

Abstract

Abstract-Automotive wiring harnesses have gained weight and complexity through the last decades due to the increasing number of electrical components, which has raised the interest on its weight optimization. For this purpose, it is essential to know at least the maximum amount of steady current that either single wires and bundles can carry. However, the large amount of combinations of the customer-specific wire harnesses makes it impossible to exhaustively simulate all of the combinations that would allow for a reliable analysis and optimization of the network. The proposed approach consists of achieving accurate predictions of the wire thermal behaviour using fast on-line polynomial functions, which have been created as regression models using data from off-line worst-case finite element simulations. These regression models provide good accuracy for the critical dimensions of wire bundles in a much faster time than simulations, so that they can be used on-line in optimization algorithms. Two different approaches of optimization are presented here in order to assign discrete values of available wire cross-section to the wire bundles: The first one uses integer linear programming, and the second one consists of a recently created custom algorithm whose objective is to reduce the computation time of the integer linear programming approach. This latter objective is satisfactorily accomplished. Results of both of the optimization approaches are validated by means of final finite element simulations, and they promisingly fulfill the objectives of this study.

Power Flow Simulation in the Product Development Process of Modern Vehicular DC Distribution Systems

“…Similar to the work of [7] and [8], the wire harnesses are not object of study. On the other hand, the need for weight reduction has motivated the modeling and optimization of wire harnesses as described in [10], [11]. In these works, the authors have applied heat transfer equations to represent the thermal behavior of automobile cable harnesses in steady state and transient regime, under application of constant currents through the wires.…”