INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES

ECU FUNCTION DEVELOPMENT

OFFLINE CALIBRATION AND VALIDATION
As a manufacturer of high-tech engines, Audi relies on the in-house development of central engine ECU functions.
Depending on the application and project specifications in individual cases, the respective ­functions are developed
either in Ascet or in Matlab / Simulink. Prototyping in the vehicle or on the test bench is handled by systems supplied
by dSpace and Etas. For calibrating production engine ECUs, Audi deploys the Inca measuring and calibration sys-
tem. The authors from Audi, Etas and Matis show how this tool enabled the calibration and validation of function
models for the engine management on the PC in the Simulink environment.

As regards the calibration and validation
of new controls, Audi’s objective is to
deploy Inca as early as during function
development with Matlab/Simulink. This
approach has several inherent benefits.
On the one hand, users are able to work
in their familiar calibration environment.
On the other hand, the exchange of mea-
surement and calibration data between
individual development steps and the
final production calibration is seamless
and entirely transition-free. This not only
simplifies the precalibra­tion of ECU func-
tions but also facilitates – in one and the
same Inca environment – a direct compar-
ison of the behavior of functions in the
ECU, the prototype, and the function
model.
INTERFACING INCA AND
MATLAB / SIMULINK
With the intent to enable the calibration
and validation of functions directly during
offline simulations on the PC with Inca,
Etas was asked to integrate Inca directly
into Audi’s Matlab/Simulink environ-
ment, 1. The resulting integration pro-
vides function developers with the numer-
ous special tools incorporated in Inca –
such as virtual measuring instruments,
calibration editors, analytical tools for
measurement and calibration data, plus
its various triggering options – all of
which are absent from the generic
­Matlab/Simulink environment.

36
 AUTHORS

DIPL.-ING. (FH) JOHANN GABLER
works in the Development Area for
­Rapid Prototyping Tools in the
­S oftware and Function Development
Section for Powertrain at Audi AG
in Ingolstadt (Germany).
DIPL.-ING. DANIEL KÖHLER
is Project Manager and Function
­D eveloper in the Software and
­F unction Development Section for
Powertrain at Audi AG in Ingolstadt
(Germany).
DIPL.-ING. THOMAS HEINZLER
is Development Engineer at ­M atis
Deutschland GmbH in ­M unich
(Germany). He is a dedicated
­D evelopment Partner of Audi AG.
DR. ULRICH LAUFF
is Technical Editor-in-Chief for
the Measuring, Calibration and
ECU Diagnostics Application Areas
in the Marketing Department of
Etas GmbH in Stuttgart (Germany).

MODELING GUIDELINES
In order to implement the most seamless
connection possible between calibration
tool and simulation environment, adher-
ence to Audi’s specific modeling guide-
lines was required. Audi uses standard-
ized MBFS modules (Model Based Func-
tion Specification, an ASAM standard) to
assemble ECU function models inde-
pendently of development tools. While
this ASAM-conformant modeling tech-
nique fosters a common understanding
among developers, it also promotes the
exchange of complex functions among
project participants. At Audi, the desig-
nations of ECU parameters and signals
are centrally managed by means of an
Automotive Data Dictionary (ADD). In
conjunction with the MBFS standard, the
ADD name register unambiguously
defines measurement signals, character-
istic values, program maps, and axes.
Thanks to these prerequisites, parameter
and signal values can be automatically
extracted from the Simulink model and
transferred to Inca.
INCA-SIP
The integration of Inca was implemented
in the form of a Simulink toolbox.
Installing the Inca-SIP toolbox equips
Matlab/Simu­link with additional menu
functions that are then used to establish
the connection between Inca and the

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INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES
Simulink model, 2. As part of the ini-
tialization of a simulation, Inca-SIP gen-
erates – based on the analysis of the
Simulink model – a descrip­tion of the
calibration data in the ASAM A2L for-
mat, a hex file, and an experiment con-
figuration in Inca. In the event of a new
initialization of a simulation subsequent
to a functional modification of the
model, the Inca objects are automati-
cally updated. With the model running
38
Simu­link, Inca permits the starting and
stopping of measurements, and their
recording in the form of MDF files.
Inca-SIP supports two simulation
modes: The Fast Emulation Mode runs the
simulation at maximum speed. In the
Real-Time Emulation Mode, the in-vehicle
timing behavior of a given function is all
but identical with that of the simulation.
Using this mode, the model can be
calibrat­­ed with the same dynamics as in-
2 Inca-SIP throughout
the function development
process
1 Integration of Inca
and Matlab/Simulink
vehicle. The data exchange with Inca is
handled by an XCP interface provided by
Inca-SIP. This interface makes it possible
to run the simulation, independently of
Inca, on a sufficiently powerful computer –
a capability that also supports the simula-
tion of ex­­tremely complex models on cen-
tral servers.
Inca-SIP enables Inca to automatically
record measurement data generated in
Simulink. This measurement data can be
used as a reference for both the subse-
quent development steps and in-vehicle
road testing. Conversely, the simulation
can be stimulated with captured in-vehi-
cle Inca measurement data and the be­­
havior of a specific function analyzed in
the Simulink model. This practice facili-
tates the diagnosis of functional failures of
prototype or production functions in the
Simulink model.
APPLICATION EXAMPLE:
CYLINDER CHARGE DETERMINATION
As a first project at Audi, Inca-SIP is de­­
ployed for the offline calibration of the
cylinder charge determination based on
intake-manifold pressure 3. As the accu-
rate calculation of the fresh air mass
within the combustion chamber forms
the basis for precise fuel metering, it
3 Cylinder charge determination based on intake-manifold pressure
directly influences fuel consumption and
emissions. Compared with alternative
systems, the advantages of systems
based on intake-manifold pressure con-
sist of the acquisition of the load value
proximate to the combustion chamber,
the lower pressure loss in the intake
tract, and a higher degree of sensor
robustness.
On the downside, the process based on
intake-manifold pressure places high
demands on both control functions and
calibration. When used for complex
engines, e.g., equipped with variable
valve control, charge-motion valve, and
intake-manifold switching, nonlinear
effects may occur.
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For this reason, a self-optimizing neural through the COM interface. Etas has been
network was chosen for the mathematical offering Inca-SIP as part of its product
description of the system behavior. The range since mid-2010.
complex model encompasses several hun-
dred ECU parameters and signals. The use
of Simulink and Inca serves to validate
function behavior, accommodate function­
THANKS
­al adaptations, as well as precision cali-
bration of the model.
OUTLOOK Special thanks to Oliver Schade, who was
For the next application step, Audi plans deeply involved in writing this article. He
to deploy Inca-SIP for the automated data heads an Etas development team for custom-
logging during function tests. This auto- er-specific software ­solutions and tool exten-
mation may be controlled by either Mat- sions in Ann Arbor, Michigan (USA).
lab/Simulink via M-scripting or by Inca
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