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Rapid Control Prototyping

Engineers in the Automotive sector extensively utilize real-time prototyping and testing solutions to expedite the design process and evaluate new control functions for various Electronic Control Units (ECUs) found on board vehicles.

Alma Automotive's extensive expertise in employing standard Automotive and industrial methods enables us to provide our clients with Rapid Control Prototyping (RCP), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulation, calibration, measurement, functional bypass, and test automation.

Rapid Control Prototyping (RCP) systems can be implemented on our comprehensive prototyping system, MIRACLE, or on SPARK, our programmable engine control unit. Compact and robust, our platforms feature full I/O capabilities, high-speed processors with real-time operating systems (RTOS), and FPGA. Both are based on National Instruments' sbRIO system and programmable in LabVIEW.

What sets these solutions apart is their seamless integration with National Instruments systems, Simulink®, and third-party systems. This integration significantly streamlines the work of engineers, allowing them to use our real-time devices across a wide range of automotive and industrial applications and products. These encompass not only passenger cars and motorcycles but also racing vehicles, trucks, and off-road applications such as tractors, excavators, and construction machinery.

This flexible and scalable hardware approach is particularly advantageous as it empowers engineers to readily tailor test and prototyping solutions to the specific needs of different projects within the relevant sector.

case studies

Driver AID

  • Easy-to-use and easy-to-configure host interface
  • Data acquisition
  • Configurable logger functions (MEMO, post-mortem, etc.)
  • Actuators management and feedback control (clutch, gearbox, brakes, etc)
  • Limit values monitoring and alarms management
  • User defined variables, based on algebraic operations on input/costants
  • Automatic test management
  • Graphical representation of acquired variables 
  • Signals plausibility assessmen
  • Interface support with external measurement devices
  • Possibility of developing ad hoc functionalities, even if not defined in the initial specification requirements 

ECU by-pass

  • The ECU is set to receive SA corrections from an external unit
  • A cRIO (or PXI) running HeatIT is used to analyze the combustion process
  • An optimization tool running in RT or in host changes SA according to IMEP, Knock indexes, exhaust tempertaure, …
  • The approach can be used for on-line evaluation/calibration of control/diagnostic algorithms (misfire detection, knock detection, torque estimation …)

ECU full-pass

  • FormulaSAE & tractor pulling ECUs developed on National Instrument platforms
  • The control system is designed starting from a white sheet
  • Base control algorithms (AFR control) and advanced  functions (traction control, water injection) developed in LabVIEW RT/FPGA
  • Control the entire vehicle (engine and vehicle strategies + vehicle sensor data) with a single ECU thanks to FPGA's high frequency loop execution, NI's modularity and flexibility
  • High level signal elaboration with Real-Time module
  • Calibration/telemetry interfaces accessible from host-pc

Ask us more info

Alma Automotive s.r.l.

Via Terracini 2/c - 40131 Bologna - Italy
Tel. +39.051.9923806 / +39.051.0548470
Fax +39.051.0544839

info@alma-automotive.it
PEC amministrazione@pec.alma-automotive.it

Our locations

HEADQUARTER
Via Terracini 2 , 40131 Bologna

TESTING FACILITIES
Via Provinciale Bologna 28/30
40066, Pieve di Cento (BO)

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