VES/ECAD project groups

Task and objective

Wiring system development is a multi-level, work-intensive process, in which a highly individualized, complex product is created. To provide effective support for this process, the automotive companies and suppliers in the Vehicle Electrical System Workflow Forum (VES WF) are defining the Vehicle Electric Container (VEC) as an entirely digital product model and developing methods for cross-enterprise, model-based development. In addition to the further development and maintenance of the standards Vehicle Electric Container (VEC , PSI 21 / VDA 4968) and Harness Description List (KBL, PSI 19 / VDA 4964), the project group is also developing implementation guidelines and use case-related tutorials to prevent the creation of dialects.
The ECAD Implementor Forum (ECAD IF) is a platform for system providers. It provides vendors and users with support for implementing and testing solutions based on the previously mentioned standards in the form of implementation guidelines and joint rounds of testing. The activities carried out by the VES WF and ECAD IF are closely related. Vendors will be involved early in the review of the implementation guidelines and in the discussion of open issues and planned extensions to the model.

Focus and concrete results

As the above-mentioned standards are being used in industrial applications, the work performed in the VES WF currently has two main areas of focus: on the one hand, requirements-oriented further development of the VEC based on feedback from the projects using it, and on the other hand, topic-oriented further development based on foreseeable future challenges.
In the context of the projects using the VEC, not only the implementation projects in the individual companies but also the following initiatives are worthy of particular mention:

1.    The objective of the ARENA2036 project Innovation Initiative Wire Harness is to achieve a higher level of automation in wire harness manufacturing. VEC release 2.0 (2022/2023) meets the requirements from this initiative that are known to date. This will make it possible in the future to assess the ability to manufacture a wire harness based on its VEC description.

2.    The ARENA2036 project Asset Administration Shell for Wire Harness is involved in implementing the Industry 4.0 asset administration shell as an interoperable digital twin for the value chain of the wire harness (including manufacturing). In this case, the VEC is used as a submodel for specifying the product. The OPC UA companion specification Wire Harness Manufacturing is also being developed as part of this initiative. This also uses elements of the VEC model for specifying the product. VEC release 2.1 (end of 2023/beginning of 2024) will also implement new requirements relevant to manufacturing.

In the context of future-oriented topics, work was performed on the following work packages in particular:

3.    Requirements for the cross-organizational exchange of digital changes were recorded and assessed. Initial solution ideas were examined, evaluated and basic requirements identified in the model. The first extensions for VEC release 2.1 have already been decided to ensure that these prerequisites can be used for future solution concepts.

4.    The industrial cloud with new collaboration concepts, software architectures and current initiatives such as Catena-X offer considerable potential but also place new demands on the provision and presentation of information. Consideration is currently being given to what impact the VEC model and its technical representations might have. This is another reason why the project group chose "Wiring System Development in the Cloud" as the motto for this year's VEC Day at the Wiring Systems Convention in Landshut. Interesting presentations set the tone and were neatly rounded off by an interactive panel discussion.

The ECAD IF has proven successful as an exchange platform for implementers. It is widely used to clarify implementation issues prior to implementing VEC concepts. This has certainly prevented the creation of one dialect or the other. The errors identified during validation of the test data made available were conveyed to all the parties involved. The insights gained also served as a catalyst for eliminating VEC bugs and creating new implementation guidelines.

Organizational and technical challenges

The online collaboration via Teams established during the coronavirus pandemic is well suited to dealing with simple issues. It is not, however, well suited to dealing with tasks that require creative processes for complex topics with a high level of interaction. The return to regular in-person workshops last year was a critical success factor with regard to the content, some of which was very innovative and worthy of discussion. Individual travel restrictions nevertheless meant that "hybrid" face-to-face meetings were usually also offered. Members of the ECAD IF are happy with the regular bi-weekly, hour-long meetings via Teams. Although they do not miss face-to-face meetings when it comes to routine coordination activities, they do prefer them for hands-on workshops. The savings in terms of cost and the time spent traveling are generally welcomed.

Planning for the current year 2024

The hottest topic in the coming year will certainly be the extension of the VEC in the direction of a "distributed model" for the cloud-based, cross-enterprise processing of data relating to the vehicle electrical system. In addition, implementation of the requirements for the cross-organizational exchange of digital changes will also be performed and will certainly also benefit from the extensions for the "distributed model". The processing and implementation of VEC-specific issues and the creation of additional implementation guidelines will also remain a key focus of the work performed in the VES WF in 2024. The ECAD IF plans to conduct rounds of testing involving master data, circuit diagrams and wiring.

What the project coordinator says

"Successful collaboration between all those involved in the projects and their all-out participation meant that we were able to tackle interesting new topics. Active use of the tools provided, such as Jira, Confluence and Wiki, makes coordination much easier."

What ECAD IF project partner Aucotec says

"If vehicle electrical systems are to be developed and manufactured efficiently, all the data relating to these systems must be exchanged reliably between all the partners involved in the process. This requires a sustainable format such as the VEC (Vehicle Electric Container). AUCOTEC has been involved defining this format from the very beginning and has contributed its requirements and experience to the standardization process. That is why we joined the ECAD IF."

Project management
Chair WF, IF

Jorgos Kyriazis, Volkswagen AG

prostep ivip contact (coordination)

Dr. Max Ungerer
+49(0)178-950 9373
max.ungerer@prostep.com

Participants

VES Workflow Forum:
Aptiv Services Deutschland GmbH
BMW AG
Leoni Bordnetz-Systeme GmbH
Lisa Dräxlmaier GmbH
Mercedes-Benz AG
Nexans autoelectric GmbH
Sumitomo Electric Bordnetze SE
Volkswagen AG
Yazaki Systems Technologies GmbH

ECAD Implementor Forum:
Soft GmbH
Aptiv Services Deutschland GmbH
AUCOTEC AG
PROSTEP AG
Siemens Electronic Design Automation GmbH
smartcable GmbH
Vector Informatik GmbH
Volkswagen AG