Development of an Engineering Training System in Hybrid Control System Design Using Unified Modeling Language (UML)

In recent years, automobiles have come to have more and more electronic control components. Further complexity and multi-functionality of such modern in-vehicle components have required a great amount of control software development work in a short period. System engineers have to respond to the demand accordingly, developing high quality software with high efficiency. The Unified Modeling Language (UML), one of the object-oriented technologies, has a great potential for providing a better solution.

This paper presents the effectiveness of the object-oriented method in an embedded system development and examples of analysis and design processes in the system. We have developed the hybrid control system paradigm using UML. Hybrid vehicles include a motor generator that functions as an electric motor as well as a generator, and it can provide auxiliary driving power even when the engine is stopped. This system indicates that object-oriented technology is useful in every phase of system developments: analysis, design and programming. Each object is a reusable software component due to its independence in the system.

This system model shows that UML can be advantageously used in automotive control system developments. The result enables us to develop an engineering training system in “Control system design using object-oriented development technology” to achieve high quality system developments.