Efficient Drive Cycle Simulation

Drive cycle simulations of longitudinal vehicle models are important aids for the design and analysis of power trains, and tools currently on the market mainly use two different methods for such simulations: the forward dynamic and quasi-static inverse simulations. Here, a known theory for the stable inversion of nonlinear systems is used to combine the fast simulation times of the quasi-static inverse simulation with the ability of the forward dynamic simulation to include transient dynamics. The stable inversion technique and a new implicit driver model together form a new concept: inverse dynamic simulation. This technique is demonstrated to be feasible for vehicle propulsion simulation and specifically for three power train applications that include important dynamics that cannot be handled using quasi-static inverse simulation. The extensions are engine dynamics, driveline dynamics, and gas flow dynamics for diesel engines, which are also selected to represent important properties, such as zero dynamics, resonances, and nonminimum-phase systems. It is shown that inverse dynamic simulation is easy to set up, gives short simulation times, and gives consistent results for design space exploration. This makes inverse dynamic simulation a suitable method to use for drive cycle simulation, particularly in situations requiring many simulations, such as optimization over design space, power train configuration optimization, or the development of power train control strategies.