In particular in HEV designs, energy management test requirements are very high in order to exploit the fuel efficiency potential of the vehicle. In order to meet these requirements, users of MicroNova NovaSim systems can complete their systems by adding the NovaSim E motor board. In order to integrate the e motor model into an existing vehicle model.

A Simulink block set for the exchange of relevant data such as torque or RPM between vehicle and e-motor model is available. Parameterization of factors such as number of pole pairs, resistances and inductances also takes place via the e-motor block set; it can be altered at runtime. This, specific test cases required by changing motor parameters through temperature changes can be covered.

The device is already in use at automotive OEM BMW, where MicroNova upgraded an existing NovaSim system to a NovaSim4Hybrid system be adding the E motor board. With such a system, users can simultaneously simulate internal combustion engines and electric motors. This is relevant for simulating and testing the interplay of both engine types in Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).

The E motor board contains a number of sophisticated features. The measurement of the PWM gate driver signals is accomplished in a timing raster of 25 nanoseconds. During the measurement, exact driver data for high- and low-side transistors are acquired. Thus a very exact modeling of the three phase voltages can be achieved.

The simulation model is computed every 500 nanoseconds, enabling users to define precisely the current flow profile without additional synchronizing signals such as they are frequently necessary in simulation models running on real-time PCs. The results of the current profile computations are fed into the control device by means of fast ADCs.

User specific adaptions for additional position sensors are possible, the vendor said.