Nikkei Electronics Asia -- October 2008
Solutions
Developing FPGA-Based Engine Control System Using NI's CompactRIO

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Sept 25, 2008 16:50 Nikkei Electronics Asia

National Instruments' CompactRIO and LabVIEW environment can be used to focus directly on engine control software and I/O board development. As an automotive control and data acquisition solutions provider, we needed reliable, high-performance hardware to prototype an engine control system. Engine control requires deterministic loop times on the order of milliseconds and precise fuel and spark timing on the order of microseconds. In addition, the target engine revs to 15,500rpm. At this speed, there is less than 4ms per crankshaft rotation, and the system must precisely control fuel and spark events in the angle domain to less than 1 degree.

We specialize in automotive IP for FPGAs. We aim to provide a seamless path from prototype to production for FPGA-based power train controllers. Because this path includes early stages of prototyping, where flexibility and computing power are paramount, we often choose PC-based hardware. For this project, a four-slot NI CompactRIO embedded system is chosen because of its flexibility, small size, and rugged form factor. With this system, we could easily add sensors and actuators while quickly and easily visualizing the data. In addition, we could mount the controller in the extremely limited space available in a super-sport motorcycle. The project consisted of three major phases.

The CompactRIO and LabVIEW Real-Time from NI delivered the reliability and precise timing resources required, and the system was rugged enough to withstand the high temperatures and high vibration of the operating environment.

by Carroll G. Dase,
Drivven Inc

Full article:
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/NEA/solutions/0810001.pdf