Modeling, simulation and control for optimized operating strategies of combustion engine-based power trains

In this paper, two different control-oriented modeling strategies are presented for the dynamics of a combustion engine-based power train. The first modeling approach corresponds to a so-called inverse model relating a given drive cycle to the mass flow of fuel and to the total fuel consumption. The alternative modeling approach represents a direct system description in which the fuel mass flow serves as the system input, while the resulting vehicle acceleration and velocity are the corresponding output variables. These models are employed for the optimization of operating strategies with respect to the fuel consumption and for the design of observer-based feedback controllers which are validated by numerical simulations. These controllers are designed in such a way as to allow for a real-time implementation of a velocity control approach. The presented system models as well as the corresponding optimization and control strategies are the basis for an experimental implementation on a test rig that is currently being built up at the Chair of Mechatronics at the University of Rostock.