Embedded Software Control of a Hybrid Vehicle’s ECU/FCM System

This paper describes a research project that uses embedded systems design principles to construct and simulate an Engine Control Unit (ECU) for a hybrid car. The ECU is designed to select a fuel type based on the stress level of the simulated engine. The primary goal of the project was to use a robotics kit, connected to sensors, to simulate a hybrid car under certain stress conditions such as hill climbing or full throttle. The project uses the LEGO® Mindstorms® NXT robotics kit combined with a Java-based firmware, a pressure sensor to simulate a gas pedal, and a tilt sensor to determine when the car is traveling uphill or downhill. The objective was to develop, through simulation, a framework for adjusting the ratios/proportions of fuel types and mixture under the stress conditions. The expected result was to establish a basis for determining the ideal/optimal fuel-mix-stress ratios on the hybrid car’s performance. Using the NXT robotics kit abstracted the low level details of the embedded system design, which allowed a focus on the high level design details of the research. Also, using the NXJ Java-based firmware allowed the incorporation of object oriented design principles into the project. The paper outlines the evolution and the compromises made in the choice of hardware and software components, and describes the computations and methodologies used in the project.