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Authorized for databus testing
MBtech continues with the successful certification of the LIN testing facility from Micron AG.
The Local Interconnect Network (LIN) has prevailed in the automotive industry as a means of cost-effectively networking intelligent sensors and actuators. However, before these databus systems can be utilized in vehicles they first have to be tested to confirm that they function perfectly. With the accreditation as a LIN testing facility received on the 1st of October, MBtech continues the work of Micron AG and is officially authorized to confirm the conformity of semi-conductor components to the LIN Physical Layer and LIN Data Link Layer/Node Configuration Network Management standards.
The strict quality standards of the LIN consortium, an association of internationally leading OEMs, suppliers, semi-conductor manufacturers and software providers, are also responsible for the LIN bus system's success in the automotive industry. Specific test parameters have been defined for all of the semi-conductor components in the LIN system and the test report must verify the fulfillment of these parameters. For example, the Physical Layer test examines the behavior of the test object under extreme conditions such as maximum bus load, over/under voltage or a short circuit. The Data Link Layer verifies that the data transfer (sending and receiving) of a LIN component functions correctly. The Node Configuration Network Management tests the sleep and wakeup behavior, among other features.
MBtech is now one of the few companies authorized to perform precisely these conformity tests and award the corresponding certificates worldwide: The LIN Steering Group has accredited the Databus Validation Center in the MBtech electronics solutions segment as a LIN testing facility. "MBtech offers global responsibility and is excellently positioned with its highly comprehensive portfolio of devices for current and future databuses such as LIN, FlexRay, MOST and Ethernet," explained Roland Ziegler, Head of Validation & Compliance, in the electronics solutions segment.
Essentially, the authorization from the LIN consortium represents a re-certification. Because the renowned company, Micron Electronic Devices AG, in Neutraubling near Regensburg received the first LIN certificate in 2006 and in June 2008 MBtech took over their entire range of business activities. However exactly the same demanding requirements also apply to a re-certification: "Guarantying both the quality of the measurements and also their reproducibility demands compliance with strict requirements," emphasizes Klaus Fuchs, the former Head of Micron's Test Competence Center and now the Product Manager for the Databus Validation Center in the electronics solutions segment. "We are very proud that the LIN consortium has confirmed the successful work of the last two years with the re-certification. Micron has largely automated the measurements in order to exclude any possible manual errors and pass on the cost advantages to the customers." The former Micron AG employees possess a comprehensive range of experience drawn from numerous, successful projects in the LIN databus field - as well as the associated direct customer relationships to OEMs (such as interoperability tests and topology investigations), First Tiers (for example releases for OEMs) and semi-conductor manufacturers (such as component lists from the OEMs, for example). The re-certification as a LIN testing facility represents both the successful integration of Micron AG into the MBtech Group as well as the unrestricted continuity which customers can expect from MBtech.
