Function development & application
Development, validation and application of thermal management and
climate control functions
In modern thermal management architectures, the function control software becomes an independent component in the overall system, which must be developed and safeguarded in combination with the specific hardware system.The ‘function’ describes the interaction of the physical components of the refrigerant and cooling water circuit as well as the air conditioning unit (HVAC).These control functions are developed using model-based development tools such as MATLAB Simulink.The functions are implemented with the help of rapid prototyping systems on the real test setup on the test bench or on the actual target system in the vehicle.The application of these function and control algorithms is an elementary component of system integration into the vehicle and the harmonisation of functional characteristics in interaction with partner systems and customer expectations.As part of worldwide test drives, we ensure that the thermal management system works optimally under all environmental conditions.
Function development & application
As part of functional development, we breathe the necessary intelligence into the thermal management and air conditioning systems. This is because the electrification of drive trains has also led to the electrification of refrigerant and cooling water circuit components. Today, electric refrigerant compressors, electric expansion, shut-off and changeover valves and electric water pumps are used in such systems. The actual functionality is therefore no longer inherent in the components themselves, but must be imposed ‘from the outside’ via the electrical control. This task is performed by the function control software. Thanks to our extensive system expertise in refrigerant and cooling water circuits on the one hand, and modern HVAC systems on the other, we are able to define the respective system functions that can be experienced by the customer ourselves and map them in function and control algorithms, even without a customer specification sheet. The testing and validation of the resulting function control software, as well as an initial basic operation, is carried out on the real overall system setup on our thermal management test benches.
Development of control algorithms in the actual active system
When developing control functions for thermal and air conditioning systems, it is very important to have a thorough understanding of the physical and thermodynamic relationships of these complex systems in order to be able to implement the desired functions reliably.
Physical system understanding
It must be ensured that the system response generated by the control does not lead to any direct or indirect damage to the components of the thermal management or HVAC system.
Modular functional approaches
Our function control models are modular and scalable, and can therefore be adapted to the complexity of the hardware systems to be operated. The control parameters are all freely configurable.
Documentation of the function implementation
The functional implementation is documented in the functional specification. The associated Matlab model supplements this textual description to create an ‘executable requirements specification’ or ‘runable specification’.
Application and operation of the function control software in the vehicle
The application of the function control software for the thermal and air conditioning system is an elementary component of the overall system integration into the vehicle. The desired functional characteristics in the respective target system are coordinated on the basis of the relevant project objectives.
Control parameter data
Such complex control functions have a large number of parameters and characteristic curves that must be individually adapted to the respective system variant and the desired system behaviour.
Extension of control functions
Particularly in the case of cross-series platform solutions, brand-specific functional enhancements or additions are often necessary, which have to be implemented and tested as part of the field tests.
Incorporate change requirements into the project
After functional confirmation in the target system, the respective change requirements must now be documented and fed back into the project. This is followed by implementation in the series software.