Electrical connection arrangement for connecting freely configurable electrical components in a vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an electrical connection arrangement for connecting freely configurable electrical components in a vehicle. The electrical connection arrangement includes a plurality of electrical plug connectors which are connected to each other by a plurality of electrical connection lines of an electrical wiring harness according to a first adjacency criterion, wherein a configuration code according to a second adjacency criterion is assigned to each of the plurality of connectors, where the configuration codes of the connectors indicate a specific configuration of the freely configurable electrical components of the vehicle; and where the plurality of electrical connectors is divided into a plurality of production modules based on a combination of the first adjacency criterion and the second adjacency criterion.

Claims

1. An electrical connection arrangement for connecting freely configurable electrical components in a vehicle, the arrangement comprising: a plurality of electrical plug connectors connected via a plurality of electrical connection lines of an electrical wiring harness according to a first adjacency criterion; wherein the plurality of connectors is each assigned a configuration code according to a second adjacency criterion, the configuration codes of the connectors configured to indicate a specific configuration of the freely configurable electrical components of the vehicle; wherein the plurality of electrical connectors is divided into a plurality of production modules based on a combination of the first adjacent criterion and the second adjacent criterion; wherein respective pairs of connectors are based on a multiplication of a plug connector adjacency matrix with a configuration adjacency matrix, wherein the plug adjacency matrix comprises connection relationships between the plug connectors, and wherein a configuration adjacency matrix for combinations of plug connector pairs from the scalar product of two corresponding columns of the configuration matrix are configured for each plug connector whose configurations require connections for connection relationships.

2. The electrical connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the production modules each comprise pairs of connectors, the combined adjacency with respect to the first adjacency criterion and the second adjacency criterion of which lies within the same ranges.

3. The electrical connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the first adjacency criterion comprises a plug adjacency matrix which specifies connection relationships between the plug connectors.

4. The electrical connection arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the second adjacency criterion comprises a configuration matrix which specifies connections for each connector by means of a bit for which configurations connections are required for connection relationships.

5. The electrical connection arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the configuration matrix comprises a weighting of the configuration codes according to an occurrence frequency of the respective configuration codes.

6. The electrical connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrical connectors is partitioned into the plurality of production modules based on a sorting of the pairs of connectors whose combined adjacency in a combined adjacent matrix is at a maximum.

7. The electrical connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of production modules have no or at least less electrical connecting lines among each other than the electrical connectors of the respective production modules among each other.

8. A method for generating a modular electrical connection arrangement for connecting freely configurable electrical components in a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: connecting a plurality of electrical plug connectors to an electrical connection arrangement via a plurality of electrical connection lines of an electrical wiring harness according to a first adjacency criterion; assigning a configuration code according to a second adjacency criterion to the plurality of plug connectors, wherein the configuration codes of the connectors comprise a specific configuration of the freely configurable electrical components of the vehicle; dividing the plurality of electrical connectors into a plurality of production modules on the basis of a combination of the first adjacent criterion and the second adjacent criterion; determining respective pairs of connectors based on a multiplication of a plug connector adjacency matrix with a configuration adjacency matrix, wherein the plug adjacency matrix comprises connection relationships between the plug connectors, and determining a configuration adjacency matrix for combinations of plug connector pairs from the scalar product of two corresponding columns of the configuration matrix which is intended for each plug connector whose configurations require connections for connection relationships.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the step of dividing further comprises the steps of determining respective pairs of connectors whose combined adjacency is within equal ranges with respect to the first adjacency criterion and the second adjacency criterion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages features and details of the various embodiments of this disclosure will become apparent from the ensuing description of a preferred exemplary embodiment and with the aid of the drawings. The features and combinations of features recited below in the description, as well as the features and feature combination shown after that in the drawing description or in the drawings alone, may be used not only in the particular combination recited, but also in other combinations on their own, with departing from the scope of the disclosure. In the following, the present disclosure is described in more detail on the basis of embodiments and the figures, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 depicts a schematic representation of an arrangement 100 of freely configurable electrical components in a vehicle which can be connected via a wiring harness;

(3) FIG. 2 depicts a schematic representation of an exemplary electrical connection arrangement 200 to be modularized according to an example embodiment;

(4) FIG. 3 depicts a schematic representation of an example plug adjacency matrix AST 301 corresponding to a first adjacency criterion 300 according to an example embodiment;

(5) FIG. 4 depicts a schematic representation of an exemplary configuration matrix or optional equipment matrix SA 401 as well as the associated configuration adjacency matrix ASA 402 corresponding to a second adjacency criterion 400 according to an example embodiment;

(6) FIG. 5 depicts a schematic representation 500 of an exemplary combined or resulting adjacency matrix ARE 503, which is formed from a combination of the plug adjacency matrix AST 301 with the configuration adjacency matrix ASA 402, according to an example embodiment;

(7) FIG. 6 depicts a schematic representation of the combined adjacency matrix ARE 503 with an indication of the maximum combined adjacency values according to an example embodiment;

(8) FIG. 7a depicts a schematic representation of the pairs of plug connectors 710, whose combined adjacency is maximum in the combined adjacency matrix ARE 503, according to an embodiment example;

(9) FIG. 7b depicts a schematic representation splitting the pairs of plug connectors 710 into different clusters with a maximum combined adjacency according to an embodiment example;

(10) FIG. 7c depicts a schematic representation of the plug adjacency matrix AST 301 identifying the two clusters 731, 732 and the remaining connections 733 between the two clusters, according to an embodiment example;

(11) FIG. 8 depicts a schematic representation of a modularized electrical connection arrangement 800 according to an embodiment example;

(12) FIG. 9 depicts a schematic representation of a modularized electrical connection arrangement 900 with a division of a plug according to an embodiment example;

(13) FIG. 10 depicts a schematic representation of a modularized electrical connection arrangement 1000 with a division of a plug according to an embodiment example;

(14) FIG. 11 depicts a schematic representation of a modularized electrical connection arrangement 1100 according to an embodiment example;

(15) FIG. 12 depicts a schematic representation of a modularized electrical connection arrangement 1200 according to an embodiment example; and

(16) FIG. 13 depicts a schematic representation of a method 1300 for producing a modular electrical connection arrangement according to an embodiment example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(17) As used throughout the present disclosure, unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “or” encompasses all possible combinations, except where infeasible. For example, the expression “A or B” shall mean A alone, B alone, or A and B together. If it is stated that a component includes “A, B, or C”, then, unless specifically stated otherwise or infeasible, the component may include A, or B, or C, or A and B, or A and C, or B and C, or A and B and C. Expressions such as “at least one of” do not necessarily modify an entirety of the following list and do not necessarily modify each member of the list, such that “at least one of” “A, B, and C” should be understood as including only one of A, only one of B, only one of C, or any combination of A, B, and C.

(18) In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof and which show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the present disclosure can be carried out. It is understood that other embodiments may also be used, and structural or logical changes may be made without deviating from the concept of the present disclosure. The following detailed description is therefore not to be understood in a restrictive sense. It is further understood that the characteristics of the various embodiments described herein may be combined, unless specifically stated otherwise.

(19) The aspects and embodiments are described with reference to the drawings, with the same reference signs generally referring to the same elements. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set out to provide a thorough understanding of one or more aspects of the present disclosure. However, it may be obvious to a skilled person that one or more aspects or embodiments may be carried out with a lower degree of specific details. In other cases, known structures and elements are represented in a schematic form in order to facilitate the description of one or more aspects or embodiments. It is understood that other embodiments may be used, and structural or logical changes can be made without deviating from the concept of the present disclosure.

(20) FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an arrangement 100 of freely configurable electrical components in a vehicle, which can be connected via a wiring harness.

(21) The arrangement represents a part of an on-board electrical system of a vehicle, for example of a motor vehicle. A plurality of freely configurable electrical components is interconnected via a cable harness 120 via a gateway 101. In this example, the following electrical components are shown: display instruments 102, distance control 103, ABS/ESP 104, motor electronics 105, roof electronics 106, sunroof 107, heating 108, air conditioning 109, card reader 110, navigation 111, amplifier 112, TV tuner 113. The on-board network may include other components not shown here, which are connected to the gateway 101 via cable harness 120.

(22) The electrical components are freely configurable by the customer, meaning that they can be selected or omitted during the ordering process with software support. Depending on the customer-specific equipment, here referred to as optional equipment (SA), a corresponding cable harness 120 is specified, which selects the electrical components 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, according to the customer's individual requirements, 113 and provides cabling for the selected components. In industrial production, it is advantageous if the cable harness 120 consists of self-contained modules in order to reduce the effort required for (manual) re-pinning. The methods, arrangements and algorithms presented in this disclosure show how such modularization can be advantageously achieved.

(23) FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary electrical connection arrangement 200 which is to be modularized according to an example embodiment.

(24) The electrical connection arrangement 200 comprises an exemplary number of six plug connectors or plugs 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 which are interconnected via a plurality of electrical connecting lines 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228.

(25) 221 denotes the electrical connection line from plug 1 to plug 5, 222 denotes the electrical connection line from plug 1 to plug 2, 223 denotes the electrical connection line from plug 2 to plug 5, 224 designates the electrical connection line from plug 6 to plug 5, 225 designates the electrical connection line from plug 2 to plug 6, 226 designates the electrical connection line from plug 3 to plug 6, 227 denotes the electrical connection line from plug 3 to plug 4 and 228 denotes the electrical connection line from plug 4 to plug 6.

(26) In this example, the connection cable 221 comprises an exemplary number of 15 single wires, the connection cable 222 comprises an exemplary number of 5 single wires, the connection 223 comprises an exemplary number of 10 single wires, the connection cable 224 comprises an exemplary number of 4 single wires, the connection cable 225 comprises an exemplary number of 2 single wires, the connection cable 226 comprises an exemplary number of 16 single wires, the connection cable 227 comprises an exemplary number of 6 single wires and the connection cable 228 comprises an exemplary number of 12 single wires.

(27) The plug adjacency matrix AST to this connector arrangement 200, which indicates which connector has how many connection relationships with which other connector, is shown in FIG. 3.

(28) FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary plug adjacency matrix AST 301 corresponding to a first adjacency criterion 300 according to an embodiment example.

(29) The plug adjacency matrix AST is a symmetrical matrix whose number of columns and rows corresponds to the number of plugs of the electrical connection arrangement 200 from FIG. 2. The elements of the plug adjacency matrix AST indicate how many wires (that is, single wires) run from one plug Si to another plug Sj. If there is no connection, the value is zero.

(30) FIG. 2 shows that 5 lines lead from plug 1 to plug 2, and 15 lines from plug 1 to plug 5, giving the first column of the plug adjacency matrix AST to: (0, 5, 0, 0, 15, 0) that 10 lines lead from plug 2 to plug 5, 5 lines from plug 2 to plug 1 and 2 lines from plug 2 to plug 6. This results in the second column of the plug adjacency matrix AST to: (5, 0, 0, 0, 10, 2) that 16 lines lead from plug 3 to plug 6 and 6 lines from plug 3 to plug 4. Thus, the third column of the plug adjacency matrix AST results in: (0, 0, 0, 6, 0, 16) T. In addition, it can be seen that 6 lines lead from plug 4 to plug 3 and 12 lines from plug 4 to plug 6. This gives the fourth column of the plug adjacency matrix AST to: (0, 0, 6, 0, 0, 12) that 15 lines lead from plug 5 to plug 1, 10 lines from plug 5 to plug 2 and 4 lines from plug 5 to plug 6. This results in the fifth column of the plug adjacency matrix AST to: (15, 10, 0, 0, 0, 4) that 12 lines lead from plug 6 to plug 4, 16 lines from plug 6 to plug 3, 4 lines from plug 6 to plug 5 and 2 lines from plug 6 to plug 2. Thus, the sixth column of the plug adjacency matrix AST results in: (0, 2, 16, 12, 4, 0) T.

(31) FIG. 4 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary configuration matrix or optional equipment matrix SA 401 and the corresponding configuration adjacency matrix ASA 402 according to a second adjacency criterion 400 according to an embodiment.

(32) In addition to the connection relationships, the relationship via the assignment to configurations or optional equipment (SAs) is important, which is represented by configuration codes or SA codes. To ensure that the SA affiliation is reflected in the module formation, a SA adjacency matrix 402 or configuration adjacency matrix 402 is illustrated from the SA list 401. The SA List 401 or configuration list 401 can be represented as a SA 401 configuration matrix.

(33) The SA matrix or configuration matrix SA 401 lists for each plug connector 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 for which SAs or SAs or configurations 401a, 401b connection relationships are required. In this example, the connector 1 contains lines for the SAs 2, 3, 4, 11, 12 and 13 according to the configuration 401a and the connector 3 contains lines for the SAs 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 according to the configuration 401b.

(34) In this example, all SAs are equally weighted (with 1). In principle, a smaller weighting, smaller than 1, can also be carried out, for example according to the take rate (TR). The take rate represents the occurrence frequency of the individual configurations or SAs. If a certain configuration is often chosen by many customers, this configuration receives a high take rate corresponding to a high frequency of occurrence. If a certain configuration is only selected by a few customers, this configuration receives a low take rate corresponding to a low frequency of occurrence. The take rate can be taken into account by adjusting a weight of VTR in the configurations or SAs.

(35) The SA adjacency 402 or configuration adjacency matrix 402 can be determined from the scalar product 411 of two columns S1/S2 of the SA matrix or configuration matrix 401, respectively, for all columns S1 and S2, as shown in FIG. 4.

(36) FIG. 5 shows a schematic representation 500 of an exemplary combined or resulting adjacency matrix ARE 503, which is formed from a combination of the plug adjacency matrix AST 301 with the configuration adjacency matrix ASA 402, according to an embodiment example.

(37) For a suitable modularization of the connection arrangement 200 from FIG. 2, both the plug adjacency matrix AST 301 and the configuration adjacency matrix ASA 402 should be considered.

(38) The resulting adjacency matrix ARE, also referred to here as the combined adjacency matrix ARE 503, is the product of the adjacency matrices for plug connector connection relationships AST 301 with the one for SA relationship ASA 402: ARE=AST ASA.

(39) This matrix 503 is suitable to determine for each plug Si a plug Sj to which this plug has the greatest affinity (i.e., the highest adjacency value).

(40) FIG. 6 shows a schematic representation of the combined adjacency matrix ARE 503 with identification of the maximum combined adjacency values according to an embodiment example.

(41) This combined adjacency matrix ARE 503 is suitable to determine for each plug Si a plug Sj to which this plug has the greatest affinity (that is, the highest adjacency value). For example, the combined adjacency matrix ARE 503 shows that the plug 5 to plug 1 has the highest adjacency value, namely 60, to plug 2, plug 5 has the highest adjacency value, namely 50, to plug 3, plug 6 has the highest adjacency value, namely 80, to plug 4, plug 6 has the highest adjacency value, namely 36, to plug 5, plug 1 has the highest adjacency value, namely 60, and to plug 6, plug 3 has the highest adjacency value, namely 80.

(42) The resulting “affinity pairs” can be represented as tuples of two, as shown in FIG. 7a.

(43) FIG. 7a shows a schematic representation of the pairs of plug connectors 710, whose combined adjacency is to a maximum in the combined adjacency matrix ARE 503, according to an embodiment example.

(44) These pairs of plug connectors 710 correspond to the affinity pairs described in FIG. 6. This means that a first pair consists of plug 1 and plug 5, which have the highest adjacency to each other. A second pair consists of plug 2 and plug 5, which have the highest adjacency to each other. A third pair consists of plug 3 and plug 6, which have the highest adjacency to each other. A fourth pair consists of plug 4 and plug 6, which have the highest adjacency to each other. A fifth pair consists of plug 5 and plug 1, which have the highest adjacency to each other. A sixth pair consists of plug 6 and plug 3, which have the highest adjacency to each other.

(45) The “affinity pairs” are like dominoes, that are combined by a sorting algorithm according to matching “scores”, as detailed in FIG. 7b.

(46) FIG. 7b shows a schematic diagram division of pairs of plug connectors 710 with maximum combined adjacency into different clusters 720, 721 according to an embodiment example.

(47) The “merging of the dominoes” or the tuples of two are combined by means of a simple sorting algorithm, which recognizes matching elements of the tuples and combines such tuples in a set. FIG. 7b shows that plug 5 occurs in three tuples where plug 6 does not occur, while plug 6 occurs in three tuples where plug 5 does not occur. In this example, two clusters “720, 721 or “clumps” have formed. The first cluster 720 comprises the tuples with plug 5, while the second cluster 721 comprises the tuples with plug 6. These clusters are the basis for module formation.

(48) FIG. 7c shows a schematic representation of the plug adjacency matrix AST 301 with identification of the two clusters 731, 732 as well as the remaining connections 733 between the two clusters according to an embodiment example.

(49) The two clusters are identified by their respective reference characters 731 and 732 in the plug adjacency matrix AST 301. It can be seen that there are still connections between the two clusters. Thus, plug 2 has two connections 733 with plug 6 and plug 5 has four connections 733 with plug 6. Thus, it is not yet possible to display completed modules, as shown in FIG. 8, because there are still connections between the two modules 801, 802.

(50) FIG. 8 shows a schematic representation of a modularized electrical connection arrangement 800 according to an embodiment example.

(51) The electrical connection arrangement 800 is used to connect freely configurable electrical components in a vehicle, for example components 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113 as shown in FIG. 1.

(52) The electrical connection arrangement 800 comprises a plurality of electrical plug connectors 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, which are connected via a plurality of electrical connecting lines 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228 of an electrical wiring harness according to a first adjacency criterion 300, AST (see FIG. 3).

(53) The plurality of plug connectors 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 is each assigned a configuration code 401a, 401b (see FIG. 4) according to a second adjacency criterion 400, ASA. The configuration codes 401a, 401b of the plug connectors 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 indicate a specific configuration of the freely configurable electrical components 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113 of the vehicle.

(54) The plurality of electrical plug connectors 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 is divided into a plurality of production modules 801, 802 based on a combination of the first adjacent criterion 300, AST and the second adjacent criterion 400, ASA.

(55) The production modules 801, 802 can each comprise pairs of plug connectors 710 whose combined adjacency 503, ARE (see FIG. 5) with respect to the first adjacency criterion 300, AST and the second adjacency criterion 400, ASA within equal ranges 720, 721 (see FIG. 7a, b, c).

(56) The first adjacency criterion 300, AST may comprise a plug adjacency matrix 301, AST, as described in FIG. 3, which specifies a number of connection relationships of the plug connectors 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 among each other.

(57) The second adjacency criterion 400, ASA may be based on a configuration matrix 401, SA, which specifies connections for each plug connector 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, in particular by means of a bit, for which configurations connections for connection relationships are required.

(58) The configuration matrix 401, SA may comprise a weighting of configuration codes 401a, 401b according to a frequency of occurrence of the respective configuration codes 401a, 401b as described in FIG. 4.

(59) The second adjacency criterion 400, ASA (see FIG. 4) may be based on a configuration adjacency matrix 402, ASA, determined for combinations of plug connector pairs Si, Sj from the scalar product 411 of two corresponding columns 401a, 401b of the configuration matrix 401, SA as described in more detail in FIG. 4.

(60) The combination of the first adjacent criterion 300, AST and the second adjacent criterion 400, ASA may be based on a combined adjacent matrix 503, ARE, which consists of a multiplication of the plug adjacent matrix 301, AST with the configuration adjacency matrix 402, ASA, as for example described in more detail in FIG. 5.

(61) The pairs of plug connectors 710, Si, Sj, that make up the production modules 801, 802, may in particular be those whose combined adjacency 503, ARE in the combined adjacency matrix 503, ARE is maximum, as described for example in more detail in FIG. 5.

(62) The division of the plurality of electrical plug connectors 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 into the plurality of producing modules 801, 802 may be based on a sorting of the pairs of plug connectors 710, Si, Sj, whose combined adjacency 503, ARE in the combined adjacent matrix 503, ARE maximum, such as described in more detail with respect to FIG. 5.

(63) The plurality of manufacturing modules 801, 802 have no or at least fewer electrical connection lines 224, 225 between them than the electrical plug connectors 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 of the respective production modules 801, 802 between them.

(64) FIG. 9 shows a schematic representation of a modularized electrical connection arrangement 900 with a division of a plug according to an embodiment example.

(65) The configuration of the electrical connection arrangement 900 corresponds to the configuration of the connection arrangement 800 shown in FIG. 8.

(66) The connection arrangement 800 shows that connecting lines still exist across the modules 801, 802. These would need to be reconnected. This means that the cables of plug 2 and plug 5 have to be inserted into plug 6 in the assembly.

(67) A sufficient action is immediately clear from the adjacency matrix: plug 6 would have to be divided. FIG. 9 shows the modularized electrical connection arrangement 900, in which plug 6 is divided into a first partial plug 6_1, 206a and a second partial plug 6_2, 206b.

(68) With the division of the plug 6, the line 228 of plug 4 and the line 226 of plug 3 are also led into the first partial plug 6_1. On the other hand, the line 224 of plug 5 and the line 225 of plug 2 are led into the second partial plug 6_2.

(69) A division of connectors is not always possible, especially if existing function control units are taken over due to legacy. In order to nevertheless achieve a closed module, an unbundling can be carried out in a DPI, as described in FIG. 10.

(70) FIG. 10 shows a schematic representation of a modularized electrical connection arrangement 1000 with a division of a plug according to an embodiment example.

(71) The configuration of the electrical connection arrangement 1000 corresponds to the configuration of the 800 connection arrangement shown in FIG. 8.

(72) The connection arrangement 800 shows that connecting lines still exist across the modules 801, 802. These would need to be plugged in. This means that the cables of plug 2 and plug 5 have to be inserted into plug 6 in the assembly.

(73) In order to avoid such re-pinning, FIG. 10 shows a different solution based on the use of a data power interface (DPI).

(74) The Data Power Interface is a hardware component that provides the supply voltage and provides an interface for unbundling the data lines or data connections between the plug connectors.

(75) The Data Power Interface, DPI, 1010 is designed to disentangle the at least few electrical connecting cables 224, 225 of the production modules 801, 802 from each other, so that the production modules 801, 802 are self-contained and do not have any electrical connection lines to other 801, 802 production modules.

(76) FIG. 10 shows the modularized electrical connection arrangement 1000, in which the connection line 225 is divided from plug 2 to plug 6 into a first partial connection line 225a, which connects plug 2 to the DPI 1010 and a second partial connection line 225b, which connects the DPI 1010 with plug 6.

(77) The connecting line 224 from plug 5 to plug 6 is divided into a first partial connecting line 224a, which connects plug 5 to the DPI 1010 and a second partial connecting line 224b, which connects the DPI 1010 to plug 6.

(78) The connecting line 226 from plug 3 to plug 6 is divided into a first partial connecting line 226a, which connects plug 3 to the DPI 1010 and a second partial connecting line 226b, which connects the DPI 1010 to plug 6.

(79) The connecting line 228 from plug 4 to plug 6 is divided into a first partial connecting line 228a, which connects plug 4 to the DPI 1010 and a second partial connecting line 228b, which connects the DPI 1010 to plug 6.

(80) For example, the plurality of electrical plug connectors 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 may form a CAN topology. Thus, the DPI 1010 may be formed as a power distributer of the CAN topology in addition to its function as a power distributor.

(81) FIG. 11 shows a schematic representation of a modularized electrical connection arrangement 1100 according to an example embodiment.

(82) In particular, FIG. 11 shows the visualization of a completed module identified by the algorithm using the example of a tailgate 1101 connected to the electrical components 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107 and 1108 via the wiring harness 1110.

(83) FIG. 12 shows a schematic representation of a modularized electrical connection arrangement 1200 according to an example embodiment.

(84) In particular, FIG. 12 shows the visualization of another module using the example of a charging socket electronics. Here, the DPI with its plug_2_21, 1202 already provides an unbundling for all (long) lines that go to the control units in the front car. However, the three lines 1211, 1212, 1213 from another module are still having to be pinned, so that the unbundling has not yet been achieved. It can be reached if these three connections 1211, 1212, 1213 are also routed via the DPI 1202.

(85) FIG. 13 shows a schematic representation of a method 1300 for generating a modular electrical connection arrangement according to an example embodiment.

(86) The method 1300 is for generating a modular electrical connection arrangement for connecting freely configurable electrical components 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113 in a vehicle, such as a modular electrical connection arrangement 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 12.

(87) The method 1300 comprises the following steps:

(88) Connecting 1301 of a plurality of electrical plug connectors 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 (see FIG. 2) via a plurality of electrical connecting lines 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228 (see FIG. 2) of an electrical wiring harness to an electrical connection 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200 (see FIGS. 8 to 12) according to a first adjacency criterion 300, AST, as described in more detail, for example in FIG. 8;

(89) Assigning 1302 of a configuration code 401a, 401b according to a second adjacency criterion 400, ASA (see FIG. 4) to the plurality of plug connectors 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, wherein the configuration codes 401a, 401b of the plug connector 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 indicate a specific configuration of the freely configurable electrical components 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113 of the vehicle, as further described for example in FIG. 8; and

(90) Dividing 1303 of the plurality of electrical plug connectors 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 based on a combination of the first adjacency criterion 300, AST and the second adjacency criterion 400, ASA into a plurality of production modules 801, 802, as described in detail for example in FIG. 8.

(91) Splitting 1303 may include: determining respective pairs of plug connectors 710, Si, Sj (see FIG. 7), their combined adjacency 503, ARE (see FIG. 5) with respect to first adjacency criterion 300, AST and second adjacency criterion 400; ASA is located within equal ranges 720, 721.

(92) The dividing 1303 may include: determining the respective pairs of plug connectors 710, Si, Sj based on a multiplication of a connector adjacency matrix 301, AST with a configuration adjacency matrix 402, ASA, wherein the connector adjacency matrix 301, AST specifies a number of connection relationships of the plug connectors 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 among each other, wherein the configuration adjacency matrix 402, ASA is suitable for combinations of plug connector pairs 710, Si, Sj from the scalar product 411 of two corresponding columns 401a, 401b of a configuration matrix 401, SA (see FIG. 4), which specifies for each plug connector 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 for which configurations connections for connection relationships are required.

(93) The method 1300 may be implemented as an algorithm that performs the steps described above with respect to FIGS. 2 through 8. In summary, the following computational operations are performed: 1) Determine the adjacency matrix AST of the plug connectors; 2) Calculating the SA (optional equipment) adjacency matrix:
ASA(Si/Sj)=SA(Si)*SA(Sj); 3) Calculating the resulting adjacency matrix:
ARE=AST ASA; 4) Calculation of two tuples with the highest resulting adjacency:
[Si,Sj]=ARE(Si(Sj_max),Sj); 5) Sorting according to the criterion that same tuple elements are present:
i. Sort: Si_n=Sj_m U Si_m=Sj_n.

(94) In so doing indicate:

(95) * the scalar product,

(96) .circle-solid. the element-by-element product; and

(97) U the union quantity.