Powertrain Controls
The Powertrain Controls Section at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) excels in the areas of powertrain and vehicle controls and supports the automotive industry in a broad range of efforts including real-time modeling for diesel, gasoline and natural gas engines and control of combustion and exhaust treatment systems. Capabilities of the staff include full-authority control and limited-authority control; on-board diagnostics; control of automated manual transmission; control of electric, hydraulic and fuel cell hybrid powertrains; and design and production of custom electronic hardware. SwRI’s experienced technical staff have developed solutions for a number of complicated and challenging problems including meeting 2010 heavy-duty emission standard with minimal engine-out NOx; meeting OBD-II regulation for light-duty diesel passenger vehicle; achieving seamless transient operation of engines with multiple combustion modes; and achieving high-speed and safe autonomous vehicle operation. SwRI's powertrain control systems expertise has also been put to work in the area of high volume production powertrain electronic control unit (ECU) design, development, and testing.
Powerful and cost effective rapid prototyping systems (SwRI's RPECS, or commercially available dSPACE, LabVIEW, openECU etc.) are used for applications ranging from single-cylinder engine control through integrated hybrid vehicle control. Rapid prototyping control has been successfully applied, for example, to demonstrate U.S. Tier II, Bin 5 compliant diesel vehicle using alternative combustion and a 4-way catalyst; to control a free-piston engine in four-stroke mode; and to control advanced combustion concept engines (gasoline and diesel) in demonstration vehicles.
Ryan C. Roecker, Manager
Powertrain Controls Technical Strengths
- Real-time modeling and control of combustion and exhaust treatment systems
- On-board diagnostics for heavy and light-duty
- Control of automated manual transmission
- Control of hybrid powertrains
- Custom design of electronic hardware for control
- Accelerated engine mapping and optimization
- HCCI engine control
- HCCI transient control
- Engine and hybrid vehicle control
- SCR system design, control and optimization
- DPF performance and durability R&D testing
- Combustion control and LNT
- HEDGE® and HEDGE II®
- Ion sensing and cold start A/F ratio control
- Spray characterization, modeling, and simulation for the automotive industry (autospraytechnology.swri.org)
