Automotive Engine Controller with PC User Interface

Jason Dougherty

Overview: Full scope of project

• Embedded controller runs engine: fuel injection and ignition based on engine sensor data.

• PC allows user to tune the control algorithms + collect and display data from the engine sensors and actuators.

Overview: This quarter

• Measure engine speed and position on a test bench

• Stream RPM data to PC

• Simulate fuel injector firing

• Receive and display single-channel data in real-time on PC

• Save data to file

• Simple graphical calibration interface

Components: Embedded control

• Motorola MPC555 development board

• Toothed-wheel crank position encoder

• Hall-effect sensor

• CodeWarrior IDE

Components: PC interface

• PC with USB support

• USB to CAN adapter module

• Visual Basic

Unique Features

• Graphical display of calibration parameters with drag-and-drop or textual editing

• High-speed data acquisition with real-time graphical display

• Accurate control algorithms based on engine behavior model

Challenges

• Programming for USB Visual Basic

• Real-time display with VB

• Programming for CAN

• Signal conditioning for Hall-effect sensor?

• Programming TPU on MPC555