Course description
Within the context of modern automotive control systems, the aim of this five-day course is for delegates to recognise the different technologies in a modern vehicle in order to design and implement state-of-the-art mechatronic systems, where mechatronics is the combination of mechanical, electrical, control and software engineering.
As modern vehicles are more than ever becoming complex mechatronics systems (where the distinction between the traditional disciplines is fading out), knowing how such systems are integrated will be essential to the modern automotive engineer.
Upcoming start dates
Suitability - Who should attend?
This course is aimed at control, system and component engineers working in the automotive and related industries that are responsible for physical system model development for component design, system integration, and/or control system design.
Outcome / Qualification etc.
What you will learn
In completing this course, you should be able to:
- critically evaluate different hardware implementation strategies and be able to assess their implications on both the functional and non-functional performance of the automotive control system
- critically evaluate the different productionisation methods for design and verification of the automotive control system
- critically evaluate an automotive control system and be able to propose a functional safety strategy, appropriate for its integration within a productionised vehicle system
- understand and apply principles of discrete control system's analysis and design.
Training Course Content
Core content
This course will take delegates from the fundamentals of basic hardware components to the sophistication of digital control systems algorithms. It will start with a review of automotive sensors and actuators technologies and progress with the fundamental notions of digital signal processing and digital control system design which are necessary to the engineer who works with computer-controlled systems. It will then uncover the subtle differences between automotive communication networks, from the traditional CAN to the modern FlexRay and Ethernet, including other standards such as MOST and LIN.
Both the hardware and the software inside a vehicle Electronic Control Unit (ECU) will be explained, including advanced topics such as automatic code generation and software testing. Finally, the ideas behind software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop will be explained and demonstrated in laboratory sessions.
- A review of modern automotive control hardware requirements and architectures
- The evaluation of current and future vehicle networking technologies including, CAN, LIN, MOST and Flex-ray
- The evaluation of control rapid prototyping techniques to design and calibrate the control algorithm
- The use of modern validation and verification methods such as software-in-the-loop, and hardware-in-the-loop techniques
- The role of Functional Safety and ISO26262 within the overall control system life-cycle
- The evaluation of the interdependency between software engineering and control system design within the automotive industry including the use of software auto-coding techniques for production and the use of advanced test methods for the validation of safety-critical systems.
Course delivery details
Course structure
A mix of lectures from both academic and industrial specialists, plus laboratory sessions which will serve to develop proficiency with software such as Matlab/Simulink (MathWorks) and Control Desk (dSpace). All delegates will received a Certificate of Attendance at the end of the course.
Request info
Cranfield University
Cranfield is a specialist postgraduate university that is a global leader for education and transformational research in technology and management. We have many world-class, large-scale facilities, including our own global research airport, which offers a unique environment for transformational education...