Advanced research on combustion engines: from strategy to real control

What can combustion engine developers do?

Advanced research on internal combustion engines requires the ability to develop and validate dedicated control strategies, adapting the system to the specific objectives of each project.

To achieve this, calibrating predefined functions is not enough. Developers need to work directly on the control logic, integrate proprietary algorithms and manage engine and vehicle components in real time.

An open Rapid Control Prototyping platform makes it possible to translate these requirements into real, working applications.

An open environment for developing customized strategies

SPARK is the Rapid Control Prototyping platform developed by Alma Automotive for prototyping, research and advanced engine control development.

The Real-Time and FPGA code is fully accessible, allowing users to read, modify or replace the available functions and develop strategies tailored to their application.

This enables activities such as:

• developing customized control algorithms;
• managing injection and ignition;
• controlling fuel pressure and throttle;
• implementing innovative control strategies for engines powered by alternative fuels;
• developing strategies based on combustion parameters;
• integrating Simulink® models.

A configuration ready for engine and vehicle control

Development freedom does not mean building the entire control system from scratch.

SPARK combines a National Instruments® platform with hardware developed by Alma Automotive, already configured to manage sensors, actuators, injection and ignition systems, and the main communication interfaces.

Researchers can therefore start from a proven architecture and focus their resources on developing and validating their own control strategies.

Development autonomy, with no license costs

Code accessibility allows users to maintain full control over the development process and customize the platform independently.

No license costs (*) also reduce the constraints associated with project evolution, especially in research programs that require frequent modifications, new configurations and further experimental activities.

Support from Alma Automotive engineers

An open platform offers maximum flexibility, but engine control requires cross-disciplinary expertise in hardware, software, calibration, combustion and testing.

For this reason, Alma Automotive supports customers in defining the architecture, customizing the functions, and developing and validating the application. Customers can work independently or involve Alma Automotive engineers in the most complex phases of the project.

From research to application

SPARK gives laboratories, universities and development teams access to:

• fully customizable code;
• hardware already configured for engine and vehicle control;
• functions that can be used as a starting point;
• compatibility with the main calibration tools;
• no license costs (*);
• specialized engineering support.

This allows teams working on advanced internal combustion engine research to focus on the real objective: developing, testing and validating new control strategies on a real system.

(*) LabVIEW environment excluded.

Discover SPARK and explore the platform’s capabilities.

Visit the SPARK product page