Towards a Powerful Hardware-in-the-Loop System for Virtual Calibration of an Off-Road Diesel Engine

Abstract

A common challenge among internal combustion engine (ICE) manufacturers is shortening the development time while facing requirements and specifications that are becoming more complex and border in scope. Virtual simulation and calibration are effective instruments in the face of these demands. This article presents the development of zero-dimensional (0D)—real-time engine and exhaust after-treatment system (EAS) models and their deployment on a Virtual test bench (VTB). The models are created using a series of measurements acquired in a real test bench, carefully performed in view of ensuring the highest reliability of the models themselves. A zero-dimensional approach was chosen to guarantee that models could be run in real-time and interfaced to the real engine Electronic Control Unit (ECU). Being physically based models, they react to changes in the ECU calibration parameters. Once the models are validated, they are then integrated into a Simulink® based architecture with all the Inputs/Outputs connections to the ECU. This Simulink® model is then deployed on a Hardware in the Loop (HiL) machine for ECU testing and calibration. The results for engine and EAS performance and emissions align with both steady-state and transient measurements. Finally, two different applications of the HiL system are presented to explain the opportunities and advantages of this tool integrated within the standard engine development. Examples cited refer to altitude calibration activities and soot loading investigation on vehicle duty cycles. The cases described in this work are part of the actual development of one of the latest engines developed by Kohler Engines: the KDI 1903 TCR Stage V. The application of this methodology reveals a great potential for engine development and may become an essential tool for calibration engineers.

Applying Density-Based Clustering for the Analysis of Emission Events in Real Driving Emissions Calibration

“…Examples of calibration on HiL test bench environments are discussed and presented for various use cases. Although the topic of emission calibration is discussed for early RDE calibration [11,19,20] in conventional vehicles, the increased complexity of the powertrain motivates its application in hybrid powertrains [21][22][23]. In [24], the focus on virtual drivability calibration on an EiL test bench is discussed.…”

Evaluation of SiL Testing Potential—Shifting from HiL by Identifying Compatible Requirements with vECUs

“…These studies spanned sub-domains such as ADAS, AD, and control systems for steering and braking, focusing primarily on functional and behavioral analysis, simulation modeling, control model optimization, and concurrent testing during development. Another significant aspect of the automotive industry, not mentioned in the paper, is the calibration of controller parameters, as detailed in the sources by [13,16].…”

Transferability Assessment of OBD-Related Calibration and Validation Activities from the Vehicle to HiL Applications

“…A considerable number of HiL-based virtual calibration applications for light-duty vehicles in the field of diesel emission calibration have already been presented by Lee et al [29][30][31][32] and Picerno et al [33]. HiL-based applications for heavy-duty diesel engines are discussed by Riccio et al [34]. For petrol engines, initial studies on HiL and driving cycle-based emission calibration have already been carried out by Dorscheidt et al [35], Dorfer [36] and Xia et al [37].…”