Rapid Prototyping Automotive ECUs with
CompactRIO (cRIO) and PXI
Carroll G. Dase
President, Drivven, Inc.
cRIO and PXI ECU Prototyping Platforms
• CompactRIO (cRIO)
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Compact, rugged features
200 – 400 MHz CPUs
Up to 512 Mb Flash / 128 Mb RAM
1M or 3M gate FPGA
• PXI
– Multi GHz CPUs
– Multi Gb memories, large hard drives
– Many I/O card types, including FPGA
Why a cRIO / PXI ECU?
• Full-authority engine, vehicle and test cell control within single system
• Perform R&D or component testing with OEM engines
• Rapidly prototype control and DAQ systems for concept engines
• Using OEM ECUs for R&D or testing requires expensive / lengthy
original design team support and coordination
Why a cRIO / PXI ECU?
• Develop experimental algorithms which OEM ECUs cannot execute
• LabVIEW graphical programming environment is easy to use
• Assemble unique combinations of I/O not possible with OEM ECUs
• Sophisticated data acquisition synchronized with control within single
hardware / software platform
How is a cRIO / PXI ECU Possible?
• National Instruments’ Open hardware/software
architecture for cRIO I/O modules
How is a cRIO / PXI ECU Possible?
• Drivven’s expertise with developing research and production
engine control systems
How is a cRIO / PXI ECU Possible?
• Drivven’s line of cRIO modules designed specifically for
direct automotive sensor and actuator interface – available
commercially-off-the-shelf
Drivven Automotive cRIO Modules
• ADCombo Module Kit:
– 21-Ch. automotive-style analog inputs, 12-bit, 4 kS/s per channel
– 2-Ch. VR sensor inputs, 200mV – 150V
– 2-Ch. Hall-effect sensor inputs
• VR/Hall Module Kit
– 6-Ch. VR or Hall-effect sensor inputs
– Individually software selectable as VR or Hall
Drivven Automotive cRIO Modules
• Port Fuel Injector Driver Module Kit
– 4-Ch. Low/high impedance port fuel injector drivers
– 4-Ch. General purpose solenoid drivers (0-100% duty cycle)
– Short/open circuit diagnostics and protection
• Spark Driver Module Kit
– 8-Ch. Inductive ignition coil drivers
– Short circuit and thermal protection
Drivven Automotive cRIO Modules
• GDI / Common Rail Diesel Injector Driver Module Kit
– Internal boost power supply up to 150 V
– 3-Ch., configurable peak (30 A) / hold (12 A) injector drivers
– Short/open circuit diagnostics and thermal protection
• Electronic Throttle Driver Module Kit
– 2-Ch., Electronic throttle drivers
– Short circuit and thermal protection
Drivven Automotive cRIO Modules
• O2 Sensor Module Kit
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2-Ch. wide-band Bosch LSU-4.2 oxygen sensor controllers
4-Ch. narrow-band Oxygen sensor inputs
Sensor diagnostics and short circuit protection
Add custom calibration for specialized fuels
• Low Side Driver Module Kit
– 8-Ch. General purpose solenoid drivers (0-100% duty cycle)
– Short/open circuit diagnostics and protection
– Software option for 0-2A solenoid current control
Drivven EPT VIs
• Engine Position Tracking (EPT) VIs
– Track angular position of crankshaft to sub-degree resolution
– Supports most common trigger patterns in the industry
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N-M (example: 60-2)
Plus 1 (example: 6+1)
Encoder (example 360 count optical encoder)
Chrysler 36-4
– Use to internally simulate crank/cam patterns for easy bench testing during
application development
– Drivven can quickly develop EPT for custom patterns
Using Drivven Products
• Common interface between EPT VIs and enginesynchronous output module kits
• Module FPGA and RT software handles precise timing
of fuel/spark outputs so that researchers only program
in terms of engineering units (msec, crank-angle
degrees, frequency, duty cycle, etc.)
Using Drivven Products
• Growing engine control application template base
– Open source LabVIEW applications
– Open source engine control algorithms
– Develop custom engine control application in days, not
months
• Turn-key solutions, so powertrain engineers can focus
on their research without getting side-tracked by efforts
to get an engine under control
Drivven Online
Drivven Online
Where to Start?
• Determine control / DAQ requirements and select:
– CompactRIO?
– PXI?
• Gather engine I/O requirements
– Crank/cam sensors, pressure sensors, thermistors,
switches, potentiometers, battery-level voltages, O2, etc.
– Fuel injectors, ignition coils, pressure regulator, EGR valve,
throttle, wastegate, etc.
Where to Start?
• Does baseline calibration data exist for this engine? If not…
– OEM ECU mapping is possible with Drivven / NI products
– Collect and analyze data (Drivven has examples)
– Format data for control use (Drivven has example)
• Wiring harness – OEM or custom?
– Spare OEM ECUs are handy for harness connection points
– Wiring and connector decisions play big role in project success
Examples
• CompactRIO installation
example
Examples
• Yamaha YZFR6 Wiring Example
Examples
• John Deere lean, split-engine control strategy
Examples
• Turbo-charged motorcycle development for Formula SAE
Building the Control Application
• This is where the Powerpoint portion of the
presentation ends and the application exploration
begins
• From here, there will be only place holder slides
describing the topics of discussion
• We will browse the application VIs and discuss the
steps involved with building an application from scratch
Building the Control Application
• Project Explorer
• Create cRIO target and
FPGA target
• Add generic cRIO modules
• Add FPGA I/O
• Add blank top level FPGA
and RT VIs
Building the Control Application
• Drivven product directories
Building the Control Application
• LabVIEW FPGA VI
– Single Cycle Loop
Building the Control Application
• LabVIEW FPGA VI
– Cluster interfaces
Building the Control Application
• LabVIEW RT VI
– Top level layout
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Outer Flat Sequence Structure
Calibration loading/saving
Timed Loop
Inner Flat Sequence Structure
Use of local variables
Hierarchical design
Building the Control Application
• LabVIEW RT VI
– Reading Inputs
– Making engineering units from
FPGA data
Building the Control Application
• LabVIEW RT VI
– Performing engine calculations
– Open source algorithms from
Drivven
Building the Control Application
• LabVIEW RT VI
– Writing Outputs
– Converting engineering units to
FPGA data
Building the Control Application
• Calibration Display
– Drivven’s CalVIEW
Building the Control Application
• Run engine control demo
Q&A
Contact Drivven for Full Authority ECU
Prototyping
Drivven, Inc.
San Antonio, Texas
www.drivven.com
info@drivven.com
+1 970.212.3366