The Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team (HEVT) of Virginia Tech is participating in the EcoCAR 3 Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition series organized by Argonne National Labs (ANL), and sponsored by General Motors (GM) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). EcoCAR 3 is a 4-year collegiate competition that challenges student with redesigning a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro into a hybrid. The five main goals of EcoCAR 3 are to reduce petroleum energy use (PEU) and green house gas (GHG) emissions while maintaining safety, consumer acceptability, and performance, with an increased focus on cost and innovation. HEVT selected a P3 Plug-in Parallel hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) to meet design goals and competition requirements. This study presents different stages of the vehicle development process (VDP) followed to integrate the HEVT Camaro. This work documents the control system development process up to Year 2 of EcoCAR 3. The modeling process to select a powertrain is the first stage in this research. Several viable powertrains and the respective vehicle technical specifications (VTS) are evaluated. The P3 parallel configuration with a V8 engine is chosen because it generated the set of VTS that best meet design goals and EcoCAR 3 requirements. The V8 engine also preserves the heritage of the Camaro, which is attractive to the established target market. In addition, E85 is chosen as the fuel for the powertrain because of the increased impact it has on GHG emissions compared to E10 and gasoline. The use of advanced methods and techniques like model based design (MBD), and rapid control prototyping (RCP) allow for faster development of engineering products in industry. Using advanced engineering techniques has a tremendous educational value, and these techniques can assist the development of a functional and safe hybrid control system. HEVT has developed models of the selected hybrid powertrain to test the control code developed in software. The strategy developed is a Fuzzy controller for torque management in charge depleting (CD) and charge sustaining (CS) modes. The developed strategy proves to be functional without having a negative impact of the energy consumption characteristics of the hybrid powertrain. Bench testing activities with the V8 engine, a low voltage (LV) motor, and high voltage (HV) battery facilitated learning about communication, safety, and functionality requirements for the three components. Finally, the process for parallel development of models and control code is presented as a way to implement more effective team dynamics. / Master of Science

With the rapid migration of physical layer design of radio towards software, it becomes necessary to select or develop the platform and tools that help in achieving rapid design and development along with flexibility and reconfigurability. The availability of field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) has promoted the concept of reconfigurable hardware for software defined radio (SDR). It enables the designer to create high speed radios with flexibility, low latency and high throughput. Generally, the traditional method of designing FPGA based radios limits productivity. Productivity can be improved using Model based design (MBD) tools. These tools encourage a modular way of developing waveforms for radios. The tools based on MBD have been the focus of recent research exploring the concept of the platform independent model (PIM) and portability across platforms by the platform specific model (PSM). The thesis presented here explores the tools based on MBD to achieve prototyping for wireless standards like IEEE 802.11a and IEEE 802.16e on reconfigurable hardware. It also describes the interfacing of the universal software radio peripheral (USRP2), acting as a radio frequency (RF) front end, with an additional FPGA board for baseband processing. / Master of Science

<p>Development of software for embedded real-time systems poses severalchallenges. Hard and soft constraints on timing, and usually considerableresource limitations, put important constraints on the development. Thetraditional way of coping with these issues is to produce a fully static design,i.e. one that is fully fixed already during design time.Current trends in the area of embedded systems, including the emergingopenness in these types of systems, are providing new challenges for theirdesigners – e.g. integration of new software during runtime, software upgradeor run-time adaptation of application behavior to facilitate better performancecombined with more ecient resource usage. One way to reach these goals is tobuild self-configurable systems, i.e. systems that can resolve such issues withouthuman intervention. Such mechanisms may be used to promote increasedsystem openness.This thesis covers some of the challenges involved in that development.An overview of the current situation is given, with a extensive review ofdi erent concepts that are applicable to the problem, including adaptivitymechanisms (incluing QoS and load balancing), middleware and relevantdesign approaches (component-based, model-based and architectural design).A middleware is a software layer that can be used in distributed systems,with the purpose of abstracting away distribution, and possibly other aspects,for the application developers. The DySCAS project had as a major goaldevelopment of middleware for self-configurable systems in the automotivesector. Such development is complicated by the special requirements thatapply to these platforms.Work on the implementation of an adaptive middleware, DyLite, providingself-configurability to small-scale microcontrollers, is described andcovered in detail. DyLite is a partial implementation of the concepts developedin DySCAS.Another area given significant focus is formal modeling of QoS andresource management. Currently, applications in these types of systems arenot given a fully formal definition, at least not one also covering real-timeaspects. Using formal modeling would extend the possibilities for verificationof not only system functionality, but also of resource usage, timing and otherextra-functional requirements. This thesis includes a proposal of a formalismto be used for these purposes.Several challenges in providing methodology and tools that are usablein a production development still remain. Several key issues in this areaare described, e.g. version/configuration management, access control, andintegration between di erent tools, together with proposals for future workin the other areas covered by the thesis.</p> / <p>Utveckling av mjukvara för inbyggda realtidssystem innebär flera utmaningar.Hårda och mjuka tidskrav, och vanligtvis betydande resursbegränsningar,innebär viktiga inskränkningar på utvecklingen. Det traditionellasättet att hantera dessa utmaningar är att skapa en helt statisk design, d.v.s.en som är helt fix efter utvecklingsskedet.Dagens trender i området inbyggda system, inräknat trenden mot systemöppenhet,skapar nya utmaningar för systemens konstruktörer – exempelvisintegration av ny mjukvara under körskedet, uppgradering av mjukvaraeller anpassning av applikationsbeteende under körskedet för att nå bättreprestanda kombinerat med e ektivare resursutnyttjande. Ett sätt att nå dessamål är att bygga självkonfigurerande system, d.v.s. system som kan lösa sådanautmaningar utan mänsklig inblandning. Sådana mekanismer kan användas föratt öka systemens öppenhet.Denna avhandling täcker några av utmaningarna i denna utveckling. Enöversikt av den nuvarande situationen ges, med en omfattande genomgångav olika koncept som är relevanta för problemet, inklusive anpassningsmekanismer(inklusive QoS och lastbalansering), mellanprogramvara och relevantadesignansatser (komponentbaserad, modellbaserad och arkitekturell design).En mellanprogramvara är ett mjukvarulager som kan användas i distribueradesystem, med syfte att abstrahera bort fördelning av en applikation överett nätverk, och möjligtvis även andra aspekter, för applikationsutvecklarna.DySCAS-projektet hade utveckling av mellanprogramvara för självkonfigurerbarasystem i bilbranschen som ett huvudmål. Sådan utveckling försvåras avde särskilda krav som ställs på dessa plattformarArbete på implementeringen av en adaptiv mellanprogramvara, DyLite,som tillhandahåller självkonfigurerbarhet till småskaliga mikrokontroller,beskrivs och täcks i detalj. DyLite är en delvis implementering av konceptensom utvecklats i DySCAS.Ett annat område som får särskild fokus är formell modellering av QoSoch resurshantering. Idag beskrivs applikationer i dessa områden inte heltformellt, i varje fall inte i den mån att realtidsaspekter täcks in. Att användaformell modellering skulle utöka möjligheterna för verifiering av inte barasystemfunktionalitet, men även resursutnyttjande, tidsaspekter och andraicke-funktionella krav. Denna avhandling innehåller ett förslag på en formalismsom kan användas för dessa syften.Det återstår många utmaningar innan metodik och verktyg som är användbarai en produktionsmiljö kan erbjudas. Många nyckelproblem i områdetbeskrivs, t.ex. versions- och konfigurationshantering, åtkomststyrning ochintegration av olika verktyg, tillsammans med förslag på framtida arbete iövriga områden som täcks av avhandlingen.</p> / DySCAS

The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate Rapid Control Prototyping which is apart of the Model-Based Design concept that makes it possible to convenientlytest prototype control algorithms directly on the real system. The evaluation ishere done by designing two different controllers, a gain-scheduled P controllerand a linear Model Predictive Controller (mpc), for the lowering of the forks of aforklift.The two controllers are first tested in a simulation environment. The thesis con-tains two different simulation models: one physical where only minor parameteradjustments are done and one estimated black-box model. After evaluating thecontrollers in a simulation environment they are tested on a real forklift with areal-time target machine.The designed controllers have different strengths and weaknesses as one is non-linear and single variable, the P controller, and the other linear and multivariable,thempc. The P controller has a smooth movement in all situations without be-ing slow, unlike thempc. The disadvantage of the P controller compared to thempcis that there is no guarantee that the P controller will keep the speed limit,whereas thempcapproach gives such a guarantee.The better performance of the P controller outweighs the speed limit guaranteeand thus a conclusion is drawn that the nonlinearities of the system has a largereffect than the multivariable aspect. Also, another conclusion drawn is that work-ing with Model-Based Design and Rapid Control Prototyping makes it possibleto test many different ideas on a real forklift without spending a lot of time onimplementation. / Syftet med detta examensarbete är att utvärdera Rapid Control Prototyping vil-ket är en del av modellbaserad utveckling som gör det möjligt att enkelt testamodeller av styralgoritmer direkt på det riktiga systemet. Utvärderingen är gjordgenom att testa två olika regulatorer, en P-regulator med parameterstyrning ochen linjär modelbaserad prediktionsregulator (mpc), för sänkningen av gafflarnapå en truck.De två regulatorerna testas först i en simuleringsmiljö. I arbetet används två olikasimuleringsmodeller: en fysikalisk där endast mindre parameterjusteringar görsoch en estimerad black-box modell. Efter att regulatorerna utvärderas i simule-ringsmiljön testas de även på en riktig truck med hjälp av automatisk kodgenere-ring och exekvering på en dedikerad hårdvaruplattform.De konstruerade regulatorerna har olika för- och nackdelar eftersom en är olinjäroch envariabel, P-regulatorn, och en är linjär men flervariabel,mpc:n. P-regulatornhar en mjuk rörelse i alla lägen utan att bli för långsam, till skillnad frånmpc:n.Nackdelen med P-regulatorn, jämfört medmpc:n är att det inte finns någon ga-ranti för att P-regulatorn håller hastighetsbegränsningen sommpc:n gör.P-regulatorns bättre prestanda överväger garantin om att hålla hastighetsbegräns-ningen och därför dras slutsatsen att olinjäriteterna i systemet överväger effekter-na av det faktum att det också är flervariabelt. En annan slutsats är att modell-baserad utveckling och Rapid Control Prototyping gör det möjligt att testa fleraolika idéer på en riktig gaffeltruck utan att spendera för mycket tid på implemen-tationen.

Submitted by Angela Maria de Oliveira (amolivei@uepg.br) on 2017-11-30T10:37:02Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Felipe Costa.pdf: 2622002 bytes, checksum: ae1227fbb019301002367ceabaa6dd1e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-11-30T10:37:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Felipe Costa.pdf: 2622002 bytes, checksum: ae1227fbb019301002367ceabaa6dd1e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-06-30 / O presente trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar a aplicação da metodologia baseado em modelos (MBD – model-based design) para o desenvolvimento de dispositivos eletrônicos de controle e automação para máquinas agrícolas. Baseado nos conceitos de MBD, foi proposto o desenvolvimento de uma central eletrônica embarcada para controle de funções específicas de uma plantadeira. Baseado na definição de requisitos, utilizou-se um conjunto dos principais sensores e atuadores para o desenvolvimento do modelo. Utilizou-se ferramentas como Matlab/Simulink® para o modelamento em fluxo de estados e geração de código automático o qual foi validado em software através da etapa MIL (Model-in-the-Loop). Posteriormente, realizou-se a geração automática de código através da etapa SIL (Softwarein- the Loop), validando-se o firmware gerado em software; e, através da etapa PIL (Processor-in-the Loop), validou-se experimentalmente o código gerado gravando-o no microcontrolador e utilizando materiais de apoio para simulação experimentalmente dos sensores e atuadores. Posteriormente, uma vez validadas as partes do projeto e, como forma de avaliação do sistema em uma situação próxima da realidade de um plantio, desenvolveu-se uma aplicação para avaliar com dispensa controlada de sementes, inclusive avaliando uma possível obstrução de um dos orifícios do disco de dispensa. Como resultado, esta aplicação teve por objetivo propor uma ferramenta para avaliar a distância média do plantio entre sementes, velocidade média do plantio e gerar informações estatísticas a respeito da precisão da dispensa de sementes. Por fim, os resultados de validação e experimentais são apresentados, os quais permitiram concluir que a metodologia baseada em modelos pode ser aplicada também em sistemas agrícolas resultando no rápido desenvolvimento de dispositivos de eletrônica embarcada e permitindo os processos de teste e validação durante o seu desenvolvimento. / The present work presents the application of the model-based methodology (MBD) for the development of electronic control and automation devices for agricultural machines. Based on the concepts of MBD, it was proposed the development of an embedded electronic central to control the specific functions of a planter. Once the requirements were defined, we used a set of the main sensors and actuators for the development of the model. We used tools such as Matlab/Simulink® for stateflow modeling and automatic code generation which was tested and validated in software through MIL (Model-in-the-Loop) step. Later, the automatic generation of code was performed through the Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) step, validating the firmware generated in software; and, through the Processor-in-the-Loop (PIL) step, the generated code was validated by recording it in the microcontroller and using support materials for experimental simulation of sensors and actuators. Later, once the parts of the project were validated and, as a way of evaluating the system in a situation close to the reality of a planting, an application was developed to evaluate with a controlled dispense of seeds, including evaluating a possible obstruction of one of the holes in the dispensing disc. As a result, the objective of this application was to propose a tool to evaluate the average planting distance between seeds, average planting velocity and to generate statistical information about the accuracy of the seed dispensation. Finally, the validation and experimental results are presented, which allowed to conclude that the model-based methodology can be applied also in agricultural systems resulting in the rapid development of embedded electronics devices and allowing the processes of testing and validation during its development.

Future space missions, such as Mars Science Laboratory, suggest the engineering of some of the most complex man-rated autonomous software systems. The present process-oriented certification methodologies are becoming prohibitively expensive and do not reach the level of detail of providing guidelines for the development and validation of concurrent software. Time and concurrency are the most critical notions in an autonomous space system. In this work we present the design and implementation of the first concurrency and time centered framework for product-oriented software certification of autonomous space systems. To achieve fast and reliable concurrent interactions, we define and apply the notion of Semantically Enhanced Containers (SEC). SECs are data structures that are designed to provide the flexibility and usability of the popular ISO C++ STL containers, while at the same time they are hand-crafted to guarantee domain-specific policies, such as conformance to a given concurrency model. The application of nonblocking programming techniques is critical to the implementation of our SEC containers. Lock-free algorithms help avoid the hazards of deadlock, livelock, and priority inversion, and at the same time deliver fast and scalable performance. Practical lock-free algorithms are notoriously difficult to design and implement and pose a number of hard problems such as ABA avoidance, high complexity, portability, and meeting the linearizability correctness requirements. This dissertation presents the design of the first lock-free dynamically resizable array. Our approach o ers a set of practical, portable, lock-free, and linearizable STL vector operations and a fast and space effcient implementation when compared to the alternative lock- and STM-based techniques. Currently, the literature does not offer an explicit analysis of the ABA problem, its relation to the most commonly applied nonblocking programming techniques, and the possibilities for its detection and avoidance. Eliminating the hazards of ABA is left to the ingenuity of the software designer. We present a generic and practical solution to the fundamental ABA problem for lock-free descriptor-based designs. To enable our SEC container with the property of validating domain-specific invariants, we present Basic Query, our expression template-based library for statically extracting semantic information from C++ source code. The use of static analysis allows for a far more efficient implementation of our nonblocking containers than would have been otherwise possible when relying on the traditional run-time based techniques. Shared data in a real-time cyber-physical system can often be polymorphic (as is the case with a number of components part of the Mission Data System's Data Management Services). The use of dynamic cast is important in the design of autonomous real-time systems since the operation allows for a direct representation of the management and behavior of polymorphic data. To allow for the application of dynamic cast in mission critical code, we validate and improve a methodology for constant-time dynamic cast that shifts the complexity of the operation to the compiler's static checker. In a case study that demonstrates the applicability of the programming and validation techniques of our certification framework, we show the process of verification and semantic parallelization of the Mission Data System's (MDS) Goal Networks. MDS provides an experimental platform for testing and development of autonomous real-time flight applications.

Future space missions, such as Mars Science Laboratory, suggest the engineering of some of the most complex man-rated autonomous software systems. The present process-oriented certification methodologies are becoming prohibitively expensive and do not reach the level of detail of providing guidelines for the development and validation of concurrent software. Time and concurrency are the most critical notions in an autonomous space system. In this work we present the design and implementation of the first concurrency and time centered framework for product-oriented software certification of autonomous space systems. To achieve fast and reliable concurrent interactions, we define and apply the notion of Semantically Enhanced Containers (SEC). SECs are data structures that are designed to provide the flexibility and usability of the popular ISO C++ STL containers, while at the same time they are hand-crafted to guarantee domain-specific policies, such as conformance to a given concurrency model. The application of nonblocking programming techniques is critical to the implementation of our SEC containers. Lock-free algorithms help avoid the hazards of deadlock, livelock, and priority inversion, and at the same time deliver fast and scalable performance. Practical lock-free algorithms are notoriously difficult to design and implement and pose a number of hard problems such as ABA avoidance, high complexity, portability, and meeting the linearizability correctness requirements. This dissertation presents the design of the first lock-free dynamically resizable array. Our approach o ers a set of practical, portable, lock-free, and linearizable STL vector operations and a fast and space effcient implementation when compared to the alternative lock- and STM-based techniques. Currently, the literature does not offer an explicit analysis of the ABA problem, its relation to the most commonly applied nonblocking programming techniques, and the possibilities for its detection and avoidance. Eliminating the hazards of ABA is left to the ingenuity of the software designer. We present a generic and practical solution to the fundamental ABA problem for lock-free descriptor-based designs. To enable our SEC container with the property of validating domain-specific invariants, we present Basic Query, our expression template-based library for statically extracting semantic information from C++ source code. The use of static analysis allows for a far more efficient implementation of our nonblocking containers than would have been otherwise possible when relying on the traditional run-time based techniques. Shared data in a real-time cyber-physical system can often be polymorphic (as is the case with a number of components part of the Mission Data System's Data Management Services). The use of dynamic cast is important in the design of autonomous real-time systems since the operation allows for a direct representation of the management and behavior of polymorphic data. To allow for the application of dynamic cast in mission critical code, we validate and improve a methodology for constant-time dynamic cast that shifts the complexity of the operation to the compiler's static checker. In a case study that demonstrates the applicability of the programming and validation techniques of our certification framework, we show the process of verification and semantic parallelization of the Mission Data System's (MDS) Goal Networks. MDS provides an experimental platform for testing and development of autonomous real-time flight applications.

Das computergrafische Abbildungsverfahren zur Verwirklichung von dreidimensionalen Darstellungen ist ein wichtiges Instrument für die Gestaltung interaktiver 3D-Benutzerschnittstellen. Die Betrachtung von Projektionsverfahren abseits des bisher angestrebten Fotorealismus dokumentiert, dass durch nichtlineare und multiperspektivische Darstellungen spezifische Eigenschaften und Charakteristiken eines Datenbestandes vermittelt werden können. Dabei wird deutlich, dass konzeptionelle und methodische Unzulänglichkeiten den erfolgreichen Einsatz von unkonventionellen linearen sowie nichtlinearen Darstellungsformen in 3D-Anwendungen bisher einschränken. In dieser Arbeit werden daher Darstellungstechniken analysiert und systematisiert, die durch den computergrafischen Projektionsvorgang erzeugt und für die Verwirklichung von Visualisierungszielen eingesetzt werden können. Ferner werden für den spezifischen Einsatz von komponierten Visualisierungsverfahren in 3D-Benutzerschnittstellen Gestaltungshinweise formuliert. Darauf aufbauend erfolgt die Einführung einer modellbasierten Vorgehensweise, durch welche die systematisierten Visualisierungsformen in einem methodischen und ferner entwurfsmustergestützten Entwurfsprozess zur Entwicklung interaktiver 3D-Interfaces eingebunden und weiterhin in einer interaktiven 3D-Anwendung eingesetzt werden können.

This diploma thesis demonstrates the differences between approaches in software development. A code generation search is performed. The work describes possible tools and methods of code validation and verification. The next part provides information on the use of a design-based model in critical-demanding applications. Further, the work describes the proposal of platforms for controling the BLDC motor. Low leve software is programed for these chosen platforms. The logic of controling and user interface is created. The logic of controling is created and tested in Simulink. Further more whole programmed code is connected with the low level layer. The whole solution of my diploma thesis is tested.

Das computergrafische Abbildungsverfahren zur Verwirklichung von dreidimensionalen Darstellungen ist ein wichtiges Instrument für die Gestaltung interaktiver 3D-Benutzerschnittstellen. Die Betrachtung von Projektionsverfahren abseits des bisher angestrebten Fotorealismus dokumentiert, dass durch nichtlineare und multiperspektivische Darstellungen spezifische Eigenschaften und Charakteristiken eines Datenbestandes vermittelt werden können. Dabei wird deutlich, dass konzeptionelle und methodische Unzulänglichkeiten den erfolgreichen Einsatz von unkonventionellen linearen sowie nichtlinearen Darstellungsformen in 3D-Anwendungen bisher einschränken. In dieser Arbeit werden daher Darstellungstechniken analysiert und systematisiert, die durch den computergrafischen Projektionsvorgang erzeugt und für die Verwirklichung von Visualisierungszielen eingesetzt werden können. Ferner werden für den spezifischen Einsatz von komponierten Visualisierungsverfahren in 3D-Benutzerschnittstellen Gestaltungshinweise formuliert. Darauf aufbauend erfolgt die Einführung einer modellbasierten Vorgehensweise, durch welche die systematisierten Visualisierungsformen in einem methodischen und ferner entwurfsmustergestützten Entwurfsprozess zur Entwicklung interaktiver 3D-Interfaces eingebunden und weiterhin in einer interaktiven 3D-Anwendung eingesetzt werden können.