The presented technology of "Cable harness optimization in zonal E/E architectures" provides an insight into the path planning of cable harnesses in the context of zonal E/E architectures, as researched in the UNICARagil and AUTOtech.agil projects. The current challenges posed by automation, digitalization and electrification are pushing existing architectures to their limits, so that new approaches, such as division into geometric zones, are gaining importance.

A central aspect of zonal architectures is the potential simplification of the cable harness. However, new algorithms and methods are required to fully exploit these advantages. The method presented here makes it possible to determine the optimal number of zones for vehicles and their electronic components in order to simplify the cable harness. Path planning is carried out zone-by-zone and takes into account the requirements of the overall system by coupling a graph and a volume model. This reduces the effort for development and assembly, lowers mass and costs, and contributes significantly to reducing complexity and costs in the development of zonal architectures and their cable harnesses.

This technology was developed by Jonas Maier and Dr.-Ing. Thomas Riemer during the trend outlook on June 11, 2024 presented in the Transformation Hub wiring harness.