Cervoz SSD overcomes challenges facing in-vehicle applications

Industry standards set a benchmark for what is expected in terms of performance and safety for a storage solution. To demonstrate that they comply with these standards, those in the IPC market get third party companies to conduct rigorous testing on products and certify their compliance. 

Cervoz Technology Co., Ltd. is known in the IPC market especially among customers dealing with in-vehicle application devices. Its customers are the ones behind systems for road vehicles like trains, trucks and even tractors. An important international standard for these road vehicles is the ISO 16750-3, which, according to the International Organization for Standardization’s official website, "describes the potential environmental stresses and specifies tests and requirements recommended for the specific mounting location on/in the vehicle".

A crucial capability that falls under this standard is shock and vibration resistance. As one might expect, road vehicles experience a lot of bumps as they operate, so the storage modules that go into their application devices need to be able to withstand these. The T376 Powerguard SSD was designed with Cervoz's anti-vibration fill, an epoxy resin fill used on storage and memory modules that prevents solder joints from coming loose, thereby making them more shock-resistant.

To make sure the fill was effective, Cervoz asked a certified testing laboratory to run three sets of tests: the vibration test, the mechanical shock test, and the drop test. The first two were conducted while the module was in operation, and the third one conducted while it was not.

The point of each test, which is described in more detail in this video, is to guarantee that the SSD performed normally before and after each test. The certification seal that Cervoz received with the report signified that the product had undergone extensive testing and fulfilled what the established industry standards demand of it.

With the T376 SSD, however, Cervoz went beyond fulfilling the ISO 16750-3. In studying the market and listening to customers, the company understood that shock and vibration were only one of the typical challenges in-vehicle applications face. The others include fluctuating environmental temperatures, data integrity maintenance and unstable power supply. 

To address these issues, Cervoz designed the T376 SSD with wide temperature capabilities that make the product operate normally between the extreme temperatures of -40 and +85˚C. Another technology that the SSD is equipped with is the End-to-End Data Protection, which detects and corrects any errors that may occur within the entire pathway of data transmission. This Flash feature, coupled with the Cervoz Powerguard that protects data integrity against power outage, keeps data well-preserved. 

Looking ahead, Cervoz understands the vehicle industry is developing smarter vehicles to better assist drivers in operating them. To be smarter, these vehicles will record and transmit more data, which puts a heavier emphasis on storage solutions.