Requirement Analysis & System Definition

• Understand customer needs and specifications — performance, safety, environment, and compliance requirements.

• Define system-level requirements (functional & non-functional).

• Identify constraints — voltage ranges, power limits, cost, packaging, and environmental conditions.

• Develop requirement traceability matrix (RTM) to link high-level needs to design features.

• Define interfaces with mechanical, software, and thermal systems.

Electrical System Design

System Architecture Design

• Create the overall E&E architecture, identifying:

  • Sensors and actuators.

  • Electronic Control Units (ECUs) or controllers.

  • Power supply and distribution.

  • Communication networks (CAN, LIN, Ethernet, SPI, I2C, etc.).

• Partition the system into hardware and software responsibilities.

• Define signal flow — how information travels between sensors, controllers, and actuators.

• Select topology: centralized, distributed, or modular architecture.

• Design power supply and distribution (12V/24V/48V systems, grounding, fusing, relays).

• Define wiring harness architecture (connector selection, routing, shielding).

• Perform load calculations to size wires, fuses, and protection circuits.

• Ensure EMC/EMI compliance through filtering, grounding, and shielding strategies.

• Simulate electrical circuits to validate performance and safety margins.

• Generate electrical schematics and PCB design using tools like Altium.

Electronic Hardware Design

• Design electronic control circuits:

  • Analog front-end for sensor interfaces.

  • Digital processing unit (MCU, DSP, FPGA).

  • Power management circuits (DC-DC converters, LDOs).

• Select components based on ratings, tolerance, and reliability.

• Create PCB layout considering signal integrity, thermal management, and EMI/EMC rules.

• Prototype and test PCBs to verify electrical characteristics.

• Conduct Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Test (DFT) reviews.

Functional Safety & Reliability Design

• Perform safety analysis:

  • FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis)

  • FTA (Fault Tree Analysis)

  • FMEDA (Failure Modes, Effects & Diagnostic Analysis)

• Define safety requirements per ISO 26262 (automotive) or IEC 61508 (industrial).

• Implement diagnostic mechanisms (voltage checks, watchdogs, redundant sensors).

• Ensure compliance with ASIL / SIL levels as required.

• Design for reliability: redundancy, derating, thermal protection, and fault tolerance.

Systems Engineering

Control System Design and Model Based Development

• Develop control algorithms (signal conditioning, decision logic, diagnostics, feedback control).

• Model and simulate using MATLAB/Simulink or similar tools.

• Perform Model-in-the-Loop (MIL) and Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) testing.

System Integration

• Integrate hardware and software subsystems into a complete E&E system.

• Verify interfaces — communication, power, and signal compatibility.

• Calibrate sensors and actuators for real-world performance.

• Perform end-to-end functional validation in bench setups and test rigs.

• Document integration procedures and configurations.

Process and Documentation

• Prepare design documentation: schematics, BOMs, layouts, test reports, and manuals.

• Maintain configuration control using PLM or version control systems.

• Track changes and updates through Engineering Change Requests (ECR) and Engineering Change Orders (ECO).

• Conduct design reviews at each milestone (concept, prototype, validation, release).