As the number of automotive control applications has increased, a need has arisen for a development system. This development system must allow the automotive engineer who is unfamiliar with electronic and computer technologies to conceive and evaluate control algorithm concepts with a minimum of design effort. Some basic interactive functions, which are common to most development efforts, should be incorporated into this unit. These interactive elements include a keyboard, display, and printer.
The development system described in this paper provides a simplified means of program debugging, the capability to modify data and program functions during operation and evaluation, and the capability to accumulate and store evaluation data. The equipment associated with this development system is divided into two portions. One portion controls the vehicle operation and interfaces with the automotive sensors and actuators. The other portion controls the operator interface devices which include the keyboard, display, printer, and other peripheral units. The vehicle equipment has been designed to operate on vehicle battery power.
After the control algorithm has been determined using the development system, the contents of the system memory can be transferred to a ROM device for the production automotive controller. Therefore the system is useful in all phases of product development from the initial concept stage to production.