Optimisation of the Variant Combination of Control Units Considering the Order History

In modern cars, an increasing number of functions are integrated in single control units. Some of the functions can be ordered as optional equipment by the customer. To reduce costs, variants of the control units are created differing in hardware and software. Variants are created by not populating sections of a circuit board. Each additional variant of a control unit causes expenses for logistics and development. Today the process for the determination of the variants is not automated. Non-technical dependencies like equipment packages or common ordered equipment combinations can only partially be taken into account. In this article we formulate this problem and show how existing information on the manufacturer’s side can serve as a base for an optimisation of the variants. We also show how the problem can be transformed into a warehouse location problem, so that it can be solved in short time. Finally, the results of an application example are presented.