Prototyping Hardware-in-the-loop Simulation System of Diesel Engine on Linux System with Automatic Code Generation

Faced with the need to reduce development time and cost, the hardware-in-the-loop simulation increasingly proves to be an efficient tool in the development of automotive engine control system. In this article, the rapid prototyping technology is used to develop a hardware-in-the-loop simulation system for the diesel engine electronic control unit development.

The hardware-in-the-loop simulation presented in this paper is based on Linux RTAI system, an open source hard real-time extension of the Linux Operating System, at low costs and within industrial standards. It exploits standard x86-based computing platforms provided with real-time Linux software in combination with generic computer-aided design software (Matlab/Simulink). One of its main characteristics is that it can automatically generate the real-time simulation code for many target processors, which runs under Linux RTAI operating system. The computer-aided design has benefits in reducing development period and optimizing the control parameters. It also enhances the adoption for software and relative hardware in various environments.

The core of the real-time simulation system is the dynamic models, it affect the workability and the reliability of the whole system. In this paper, a combination of mean value model and “filling and emptying” model that can perform real-time simulation of turbocharged diesel engine is adopted. Finally, an application of a turbocharged diesel engine was implemented to validating the effect of the hardware-in-the- loop simulation system.