Senior Systems Engineer Chris Hibner presented Dana’s work to eliminate implementation inefficiencies in large complex Simulink models at SAE 2015 COMVEC.
ABOUT Dana
Dana LLC has been in the United States since 1990. The OpenECU product family (Model-Based development Software Platform) is Dana’s signature product family and by 2019 there were more than 40,000 OpenECU based ECUs on the road in production vehicle applications.
Information about Dana and its products in the USA is available to journalists online at https://openecu.com.
October 20, 2015
Dana’s recent announcement – in collaboration with AGA Systems Inc. of Kaysville, UT. – of the launch of a new bi-fuel system diagnostic interface module, is just one of the products and technologies that the company will display at Engine Expo 2015, Novi, Michigan, Oct20-22.
AGA Systems’ new bi-fuel system diagnostic module is based on Dana’s flexible OpenECU® M220 control module, which gives AGA Systems the freedom to develop its own software and unique control methodologies with an electronic module ideal for low to medium volume commercial and automotive applications. AGA Systems has achieved EPA certification for its bi-fuel system for General Motors light duty truck and SUV platforms, which operates seamlessly with the original manufacturer’s engine control system.
The new bi-fuel system diagnostic module monitors driver inputs and vehicle conditions, and allows seamless switching between gasoline and compressed natural gas (CNG). The module has custom diagnostic monitors for the secondary fuel, and supports standard CAN automotive diagnostic scanners connected directly to the factory diagnostic port.
Aaron Stuart, VP of Engineering and Technology at AGA Systems said, “We found the OpenECU tool chain to be very easy to use. We were able to quickly implement changes to our application and test those on a vehicle right away. On previous platforms we would have to wait up to three months for software changes. Now we are able to write our own software updates and implement them within hours. The engineers from the Dana team were very responsive and got us up and running quickly, which meant we could get this product into our customers’ hands. Being able to use the same proven OpenECU module for development and then implement it into production with no additional capital or tooling costs, was a huge benefit for our program. We’re very happy with the performance and reliability of the OpenECU system module.”
“AGA Systems is a great company to work with, and this collaboration is a perfect example of how OpenECU can offer our customers a way to launch their product offerings quickly and effectively, and at the same time keep control of the intellectual property that gives them an edge in their market,” said Dr. Walter Lucking, CEO of Dana.
Dana will be exhibiting its OpenECU technology – including the M220 controller – at Engine Expo 2015, at the Suburban Collection Showplace, Novi, Michigan, October 20-22, 2015, booth #E148.
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Picture available for download with this release: AGA Systems Bi-Fuel CNG system is available for the 2015 Chevy Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicle (PPV)
ABOUT Dana
Dana LLC has been in the United States since 1990. The OpenECU product family (Model-Based development Software Platform) is Dana’s signature product family and by 2019 there were more than 40,000 OpenECU based ECUs on the road in production vehicle applications.
Information about Dana and its products in the USA is available to journalists online at https://openecu.com.
September 14, 2015
Dana is proud to announce that Proterra Inc. of Greenville, South Carolina, is using the OpenECU toolchain and M220 embedded controller hardware to develop new control capabilities for its growing portfolio of electric buses.
The Proterra engineering team was looking for a highly capable and flexible hardware and software development platform that could be used to develop its next generation of vehicle technologies. The OpenECU embedded control toolchain offered the capabilities it was seeking for the development phase of new technology introduction, while also providing a robust solution for full production.
Dana’s OpenECU technology is based around a family of electronic controllers that are designed and tested to automotive production standards. Significantly however, they also offer flexibility to be modified to suit the control needs of different vehicle components, making it an ideal platform for rapid prototyping that can quickly be deployed in production.
“What was attractive to us about OpenECU was the fact that we could develop on a hardware and low-level driver and operating system software platform that was robust and already proven in production,” said Matt Simonini, Controls Engineer at Proterra. “This left us free to develop our own control applications in Simulink® using OpenECU on the bench and on test vehicles. In doing so we had knew that once we were satisfied with the performance of our control strategies we could use the same proven hardware to put the system on production vehicles. We needed some I/O changes so that the controller hardware would interface well with our technology, and the team at Dana was able to deliver this. We’re very happy with the performance of the system and the support we get from the Pi team.”
The OpenECU M220 controller has shown itself to be the workhorse of the OpenECU family, supporting a wide range of production applications including hybrid-electric and pure electric vehicles, alternative fuel controls for combustion engines, and conventional engine control for engines from 1 to 4 cylinders.
“Proterra is the type of organization that we love working with,” said Dr. Walter Lucking, CEO of Dana. “It is at the leading edge of its industry and is developing innovative technology for current and next generation electric buses. We’re very proud to be working with such a forward thinking organization.”
Dana will be exhibiting its OpenECU technology – including the M220 controller – at the Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo, Novi, Michigan, USA, September 15-17, 2015, booth #1238, while Matt Horton, Proterra VP – Sales and Marketing, will participate in the keynote plenary session ‘The Evolving EV and Hybrid Roadmap’ on the morning of September 15.
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Picture available for download with this release: Proterra Catalyst™ Electric Bus
ABOUT Dana
Dana LLC has been in the United States since 1990. The OpenECU product family (Model-Based development Software Platform) is Dana’s signature product family and by 2019 there were more than 40,000 OpenECU based ECUs on the road in production vehicle applications.
Information about Dana and its products in the USA is available to journalists online at https://openecu.com.
Dana OpenECU® Developer Software 2.4.0 Now Available
Click here to download – account verification required
We are pleased to announce a new release of the OpenECU Developer Software. This release is a direct replacement for existing versions of all standard OpenECU targets, bringing them up to date with the most recent changes.
We encourage you to upgrade to this version as soon as possible to take advantage of the new features and fixes therein.
Release 2.4.0 includes many new features, fixes and improvements, some of which are briefly described below.
- MATLAB 2014a, MATLAB 2014b, and MATLAB 2015a
- Simulink data dictionaries
- Fixed point models now supported (OpenECU blocks still require floating point data types)
- Lookup tables can share breakpoint axes
- And more – download release note here
- Larger, faster, more capable microcontroller
- High capacity boost power supply
- Up to 8 spark outputs
- Up to 8 saturating, peak and hold, or boosted peak and hold injectors
- Dual ETC, quad VVT, dual knock, dual UEGO, dual HEGO
- And more – download release note here
- M220 and M250 engine control extended to 4 cylinder engines
- OBD feature upgraded to latest regulations
- New and improved DM1 and DM2 interfaces
- And many more – download release note here
- Our OpenECU Calibrator tool remains an ideal low-cost partner to OpenECU, providing CCP calibration, debug, CAN generation/monitoring, and diagnostics communication
- More flexible I/O for the M220
- Improved handling of input blocks in triggered subsystems
- Improved CAN database parsing
- For more details, click here to download the release note
Copyright © 2015 Dana, All rights reserved.
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Dana
47023 W. Five Mile Road
Plymouth, MI 48170-3765
ABOUT Dana
Dana LLC has been in the United States since 1990. The OpenECU product family (Model-Based development Software Platform) is Dana’s signature product family and by 2019 there were more than 40,000 OpenECU based ECUs on the road in production vehicle applications.
Information about Dana and its products in the USA is available to journalists online at https://openecu.com.
New Dana M670 ECU cuts development costs and provides ideal niche production platform
Dana is today launching its innovative new M670 rapid prototyping engine control unit (ECU) at Engine Expo 2015, Messe Stuttgart. The unit is a significant step forward, allowing customization of production level hardware accelerating speed to market for mainstream automotive development – while also providing a robust platform for niche volume production projects from specialty vehicles to large engines and off-highway equipment.
The latest in Dana’s OpenECU® family of rapid prototyping ECUs, the M670 breaks new ground in functionality, robustness, customization and performance, providing an ideal architecture for OEMs to develop the next generation of advanced engines and vehicles.
“We have designed the new M670 with the customer firmly in mind,” explains Dana CEO Walter Lucking. “This product builds upon and extends our well-proven OpenECU architecture of modular, reusable ECU rapid prototyping technology; it is implemented to production standards and ‘open’ to custom configuration, adaptation and application-specific development. We believe that it represents perhaps one of the most cost-effective and versatile single box platforms available for the development of the next generation of ultra-fuel efficient and low emissions diesel, gasoline, and alternative fuel engines.”
The new Dana M670 provides extreme power as well as versatility. In its standard configuration with its advanced Freescale microprocessor, it supports engines of up to eight cylinders and provides 120w of internal boost power for fuel injectors, accommodating multiple overlapping injections per stroke. A total of 96 of 154 I/O circuits can be modified to meet specific vehicle application requirements and the unit’s smart software is fully adjustable to control a wide range of injectors for maximum flexibility.
An integrated tool-chain
The new M670 forms part of an integrated tool-chain from concept to production. As with all Dana OpenECU products, it provides a mature and truly open application-independent Simulink® development environment to streamline the development process for production ECU code. Customers are therefore able to progress more quickly to a production solution, saving product development time and cost.
It can be used with a wide range of industry-standard calibration tools including ATI Vision, ETAS INCA and Vector CANape via CCP – as well as Dana’s own calibration tool, Pi Snoop.
Robustness and flexibility
Like all members of the OpenECU product family, the M670 has been engineered for flexibility and robustness, suitable for use in the under-hood environment. This robustness together with its large amount of customizable I/O enables the M670 to be reused across successive vehicle product development projects, saving considerable cost in prototype hardware. Similarly, for niche or low volume (<10,000) vehicle applications, it can be customized for production use as an alternative to more costly bespoke ECU development.
“The M670 fits seamlessly into the toolchain for ECU development from concept to production,” continues Lucking. “Customers wishing to use this in their own development projects will find it integrates well with a wide range of industry leading development and calibration tools, as well as those available from Dana. For those requiring a truly off-the-shelf solution or requiring additional calibration support, we can offer a comprehensive development service alongside hardware supply. For low volume applications, the new M670 product offers a unique capability to be customized and adapted for production use. Given its extensive customizable I/O, we believe there will be many applications where the functions of multiple electronics boxes will be combined into one M670.”
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Picture available for download with this release: “The New Dana M670 ECU cuts development costs and provides an ideal niche production platform”
Notes to editors
Dana is a world leader in the development and manufacture of electronics for the automotive, transportation, military and industrial markets. Using its OpenECU® platform, the same proven, robust, reliable and reusable ECU hardware can be applied in successive rapid prototyping development projects and fleet trials, or in niche production vehicles. Because all OpenECU modules are designed and manufactured by Dana, the company can meet individual customer’s needs by creating custom variants from prototyping to production applications. For more information visit: openecu.com/.
Media contact:
Anthony Smith
Tel: +44 (0)1273 382 710
E-mail: avsmith@mediatechnical.com
Twitter: @MediaTechnical
Dana business contacts:
EngineExpo 2015, Messe Stuttgart, June 16-18, visit us at booth No.3020
Alternatively contact one of the regional business development contacts:
China
Nicky Zhao – Sales Manager
Dana China Office/ Michigan China Center
Suite A409, Tomorrow Square,
No. 399 West Nanjing Road
Shanghai, China 200003
Telephone: +86 (138)1866 9070
Email: Nicky.Zhao@openecu.com
United Kingdom
Tom Robinson – Business Development Director
Dana Ltd
Suite 1, The Old Granary
Westwick, Oakington, Cambridge
CB24 3AR
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)1223 441 434
Email: Tom.Robinson@openecu.com
United States
Dwight Hansell – VP Business Development
Dana LLC
47023 W. Five Mile Road
Plymouth, MI 48170-3765
United States of America
Telephone: +1 734 656 0140
Email: Dwight.Hansell@openecu.com
ABOUT Dana
Dana LLC has been in the United States since 1990. The OpenECU product family (Model-Based development Software Platform) is Dana’s signature product family and by 2019 there were more than 40,000 OpenECU based ECUs on the road in production vehicle applications.
Information about Dana and its products in the USA is available to journalists online at https://openecu.com.
Dana would like to congratulate the University of Michigan student team MRacing on their 4th place finish in the Formula SAE acceleration event on May 15 at Michigan International Speedway. The team also completed the event’s endurance race, resulting in an overall 5th place finish among 110 entrants from around the world. This years’ MRacing vehicle featured a Dana M220-based automated gearshift system, which provided a significant reduction in acceleration times and greatly improved repeatability, even in damp conditions on rain tires. Good luck to the team as they prepare for their upcoming competitions in Nebraska and Germany this summer!
ABOUT Dana
Dana LLC has been in the United States since 1990. The OpenECU product family (Model-Based development Software Platform) is Dana’s signature product family and by 2019 there were more than 40,000 OpenECU based ECUs on the road in production vehicle applications.
Information about Dana and its products in the USA is available to journalists online at https://openecu.com.
Challenge
The modern military ground vehicle has an array of electronics including sensors, displays, control systems, and communications. Surveying currently fielded electronic packages results in multiple approaches to the same problem.
Solution
The full technical paper describes an open-architecture ruggedized electronics solution that covers the entire development cycle including; hardware, development toolchain, software, and field support. The motivation is to provide electronic standardisation, reduced form factors, and promote re-use of electronics.
This approach has been used on two separate electronics development programs that resulted in a single common development toolchain for the developers and two hardware solutions. These two ECUs were able to provide wide ranging applications from, diesel engine control, semi-active suspension control, ABS/TCS/ESC control, and even active aerodynamics for a European supercar. The method used to provide this degree of flexibility while providing a lean development environment is discussed in this paper.
ABOUT Dana
Dana LLC has been in the United States since 1990. The OpenECU product family (Model-Based development Software Platform) is Dana’s signature product family and by 2019 there were more than 40,000 OpenECU based ECUs on the road in production vehicle applications.
Information about Dana and its products in the USA is available to journalists online at https://openecu.com.
Dana has researched multiple current and near-term offerings for the military with regard to active suspension systems for wheeled vehicles. The latest electronic control units (ECUs) implement highly complex and adaptable control strategies that can remove historical performance trade-offs. Traditional trade-offs regarding Payload, Mobility, and Protection can simultaneously be addressed with various active suspension technologies. This paper examines and compares specific military suspension technologies with special emphasis on the enhancements being achieved through electronic control.
ABOUT Dana
Dana LLC has been in the United States since 1990. The OpenECU product family (Model-Based development Software Platform) is Dana’s signature product family and by 2019 there were more than 40,000 OpenECU based ECUs on the road in production vehicle applications.
Information about Dana and its products in the USA is available to journalists online at https://openecu.com.
This whitepaper describes the commonly expressed desires of the US military and suppliers regarding ground vehicle diagnostics, prognostics and logistics. These desires are contrasted against a concept of Commercial off-the-Shelf (COTS) Intellectual Property (IP), now termed COTS-IP. The paper is based on the experience of Dana, given our knowledge in both the military electrical systems domain, and in the commercial vehicle and automotive industries.
It has been observed that some military suppliers do not leverage existing technologies to provide a robust low-cost solution. These bespoke designs run into issues of infrastructure, standardization and high development costs. Through observation, Dana noted simularities between the military’s need for diagnostics and prognostics and the existing solutions being used and developed in the commercial vehicle industry.
COTS-IP seeks to harvest the most suitable technologies from the commercial vehicle and automotive domains and apply them with suitable systems engineering for military applications, spefically in tactical wheeled vehicles. The rationality for this approach is intended to improve the time to field of new technologies and reduce costs.
The COTS-IP approach was applied to a specific ground vehicle diagnostics, prognostics and logistics application by applying and adapting a variety of already comercially developed technologies. In some cases, robust improvements and repackaging are required to suitably field these technologies.
Dana specifically addressed the issues for implementing a comprehensive diagnostic and prognostic system onto a military vehicle by comnbining the wealth of experience gained in the commercial environment with its expertise in tactical wheeled vehicles. The scope of the paper is limited to the transmission of the data from the vehicle. No explicit direction is provided as to what post processing should be done with the data once transmitted from the vehicle.
Military Diagnostics Prognostics and Logistics
ABOUT Dana
Dana LLC has been in the United States since 1990. The OpenECU product family (Model-Based development Software Platform) is Dana’s signature product family and by 2019 there were more than 40,000 OpenECU based ECUs on the road in production vehicle applications.
Information about Dana and its products in the USA is available to journalists online at https://openecu.com.
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