Due to the development towards automated or even autonomous driving, an increasing number of assistance systems and inherent networks of data and power will be required in vehicles. The main challenge for this development is the coordination of these functions and the securing of functionalities in terms of failure.
Living organisms are capable of efficiently coordinating a large number of paths to transmit information and energy. They dispose of tested mechanisms as well as structures which offer certain robustness and fault tolerance. Prudent redundancy in energy supply, communication and safeguarding of function ensures that the system as a whole remains capable of operating even when there are disruptions. Vehicles, which are being fitted with ever more assistance systems, must perform comparably. The transformation of these structures and functional principles from nature into technical solutions is combined within the keyword ‘bionic’.
Within this paper, we present a corresponding approach which provides stimulus to apply such mechanisms in future E/E-Architectures of electrical distribution systems (EDS). Therefore, we first give a structured introduction that presents current trends in vehicle development from a supplier perspective and that introduce a bionic approach. Based on the deduction of current automotive trends, main requirements for EDS in the future are derived. The fulfillment of these requirements in living organisms is analyzed and then transformed to possible technical solutions. The paper concludes with a discussion of the developed concept and an outlook for next steps within the harness respectively the wiring system development.