Thermal Cycling and Calibration of Automotive Sensors
As the number of sensors present in
vehicles increases, so does the need for equipment to test these
parts. Using environmental testing and thermal cycling in
particular, wise sensor suppliers ensure that their products are
manufactured to withstand temperature changes. Thermal cycling
exercises the sensors to prove that the sensor quality is robust,
and in some cases, is also required to characterize the sensors’
response to temperature.
Sterner Automation is proud to
announce that it has completed the design and commissioning of a
one million sensor per year thermal calibration cell. The high
volume of parts and drastic temperature range (~200 °C), presented
unique challenges for Sterner Automation’s engineering team.
A single chamber, million parts per
year, thermal calibration cell requires expertise in a variety of
different disciplines including materials science, fixture design,
electronic communications and software development. For this
project, Sterner Automation designed and built specialized socket
trays to communicate and measure electrical signals from 30
sensors simultaneously. Temperatures inside the thermal chamber
ranged from -40°C to +160°C, requiring the electronics to be
designed to withstand significant thermal stress. Fixturing for
the socket trays were designed to electrically couple 12 trays
together, creating a network of over 360 sensors, all tested in
parallel. Sterner Automation, an expert in the thermal
calibration of automotive sensors, and its customer are pleased
with the successful commissioning of such a large engineering
effort.
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