Vehicle-Level Control Systems Framework for Use in Create-GV Vehicle Dynamics Simulations

This paper presents a software framework developed for the simulation of vehicle-level control systems for modern (existing or conceptual) ground vehicles, targeted for high-performance platforms (Linux clusters). The framework augmented existing ground vehicle simulation environments (such as CREATE-GV MERCURY or other object-oriented software packages) making it possible to perform a comprehensive evaluation of a ground vehicle’s performance when equipped with vehicle level controllers to determine the effectiveness of the control systems on the vehicle. The framework, implemented as part of the PACE (Powertrain Analysis Computational Environment), was comprised of software components (a C++ objects library) simulating various vehicle-level controllers, an Application Programming Interface for the development of new components to be used within the framework, and C++ code for integrating these components into simulations of control systems within a ground vehicle simulation environment.