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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
SimDriveline
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n this issue of IEEE Control Systems Magazine, we focus on SimDriveline for Simulink. This product, marketed by The MathWorks, Inc., enables modeling and simulation of drivetrain mechanics. Please contact me with your suggestions for future “Product Spotlight” columns. I am also seeking authors willing to provide overviews of control-related technology such as microcontroller technology, vision-sensing components, mobile robotics, automotive technology, wireless technology, design and analysis software, and educational products. All products listed in this column are provided as a reader service and do not constitute an endorsement by the IEEE or IEEE Control Systems Society. Vikram Kapila
[email protected]
he MathWorks, Inc. is the developer and supplier of Matlab and Simulink as well as numerous specialized toolboxes for scientific and technical computing. This spotlight features SimDriveline for Simulink, which enables modeling and simulation of drivetrain mechanics. IEEE Control Systems Magazine thanks Paul Barnard of MathWorks, marketing director of control design automation, for speaking with us.
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Q. What is SimDriveline and what does it do? Paul: SimDriveline is essentially a library of Simulink functions for modeling and simulating the mechanics of driveline (drivetrain) systems. The SimDriveline library includes components such as gears, rotating shafts, clutches, standard transmission templates, and engine and tire models. SimDriveline is optimized for ease of 110 IEEE CONTROL SYSTEMS MAGAZINE
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JUNE 2007
Network description for representing the driveline system. SimDriveline users can define driveshaft properties and connect the model to standard Simulink blocks.
use and speed of calculation for driveline mechanics. It is integrated with control design and code generation products of MathWorks, allowing the user to design controllers and test them in real time with models of drivetrain systems.
Q. What motivated the idea for the SimDriveline? Paul: Control engineers working on powertrains often face the need for models that can support them through the entire development process, including hardware tests of the engine control units (ECUs). Typically, the powertrain control designs are tested and evaluated with expen-
sive and time-shared hardware prototypes. The developers of SimDriveline wanted to meet the needs of powertrain control engineers by developing a mechanical simulation package that enables engineers to test their ECU with a software model instead of an expensive drivetrain prototype. An additional motivation for developing SimDriveline is to reduce the complexity involved in modeling drivetrain systems. Specifically, even though many commercial products exist for modeling threedimensional (3D) mechanical systems, an engineer modeling a drivetrain needs to model only the dynamics of one rotational degree of
SIMDRIVELINE FEATURES » Modeling environment for defining the
Engine Torque Converter Transmission Drive Shaft Differential
Network block diagram interface. SimDriveline enables users to build powertrain models with detailed driveline components.
freedom within the system. A standard multibody simulation package requires more information than is needed. SimDriveline allows engineers to quickly and efficiently model the drivetrain system at the desired level of detail.
Q. How does SimDriveline advance technology? Paul: SimDriveline is a step forward for modeling and control design. Specifically, new solver technology for multidomain physical modeling is integrated within the Simulink environment to allow accurate and efficient simulation of mechanical systems. The result is that the models produced with SimDriveline allow engineers to perform control design on the entire system in a single environment, and to perform hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) tests using those same models. The intuitive structure of SimDriveline makes it easy to reuse portions of an existing model in developing new models.
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mechanics of a driveline system in Simulink » Library of common gear configurations » Library of dynamic elements, including clutches and rotational stops, torque converters, and torsional spring-dampers » Templates for common transmission systems » Basic models of vehicle components, including engines, longitudinal vehicle dynamics, and tires Contact: Paul Barnard Marketing Director, Control Design Automation The Mathworks, Inc. Voice: 508-647-7000 E-mail: paul.barnard@mathworks. com URL: http://www.mathworks.com/ products/simdrive/
controllers and plants with an interface that is simple to use and developed specifically for driveline systems. The product enables engineers to perform driveline simulations faster and more accurately than before. Most engineers designing powertrain controllers use Simulink to develop the control algorithm. SimDriveline allows them to create a model of the drivetrain that is fully integrated into the Simulink environment.
What are some of the innovative features of SimDriveline? Paul: SimDriveline provides a modeling environment that assists in controller development for transmissions and other powertrain components, such as all-wheel-drive center differentials and hybrid electric vehicles. The new software provides an alternative to 3D mechanical simulators because it focuses exclusively on rotating machinery mechanics, thus providing a simpler user interface and enabling faster simulation. The main advantage of SimDriveline is that it can easily be used for HIL simulations. C-Code generated from a SimDriveline model can be directly downloaded onto an HIL system with little or no customization. The fast execution capability of SimDriveline renders it a powerful solution for testing ECUs without relying on hardware prototypes.
Can you tell us who the end users of SimDriveline are? Paul: The end users of SimDriveline include MathWorks customers such as automakers and automotive suppliers, aerospace and manufacturing companies, and military contractors.
Q. What are the implications of SimDriveline for control engineers? Paul: With SimDriveline, control engineers can model and simulate
Q. What is the price of SimDriveline? Paul: U.S. list prices for SimDriveline start at US$2,000.
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JUNE 2007
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IEEE CONTROL SYSTEMS MAGAZINE 111
