Development of a programmable engine control unit to multi-fuel capabilities, progression to diesel

Electronic engine control is now an integral part of any research work on internal combustion engines. Electronic engine control provides versatility in engine manipulation for both performance and emissions objectives. The development of a versatile Engine Control Unit (ECU) for use on a variety of engines and engine configurations is discussed in this paper. The ECU handles gasoline (petrol), Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG, also referred to as AutoGas for vehicles) and recently also diesel. The architecture of the ECU using an embedded microcontroller and FPGA gives the ECU the capability to handle engines at 17000 revolution per minute. ECU embedded software and GUI provide ease of use for calibration and engine research. Communication via CAN bus, Bluetooth® and WiFi give high speed and wireless connectivity respectively. This paper gives an overview of the overall development of the ECU and details the most recent specifics to handle common rail diesel engines.