FLEXIBLE EVALUATOR FOR VEHICLE PROPULSION SYSTEMS

• US 20100082303A1
• Filed: 09/18/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UChicago Argonne LLC
• Original Assignee: UChicago Argonne LLC
• Inventors: Pagerit, Sylvain, Rousseau, Aymeric, Sharer, Phillip B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,510,088 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/20 Configuration CAD, e.g. designing by assembling or positioning modules selected from libraries of predesigned modules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/17 Mechanical parametric or variational design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/00 Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation

Abstract

A method for automatically generating a multi-component multilevel model for simulation of an automotive propulsion system and/or subsystem. The method comprises a capture component and a build component. The capture component operates to automatically parse all relevant information of an existing model and to generate one or more files indicative of the systems and subsystems of the model. The files are created such that they may be efficiently searched, manipulated, and applied for subsequent use in various user defined models created through the build component. The build component obtains the information in the one or more files and additional user defined files based on user selections to automatically create an executable model ready for analysis.

Claims

1. A method of automatically generating a simulation model for evaluating performance characteristics of an automotive propulsion system that includes a plurality of subsystems, the method comprising:

capturing automotive propulsion information from a first simulation environment indicative of an existing simulation model characteristic of an associated automotive propulsion system, the system including a plurality of automotive subsystems and at least one level;

converting the automotive propulsion information from a first format to a second format;

storing the automotive propulsion information in the second format in at least one file;

selecting a plurality of subsystems for inclusion into a second simulation model, the plurality of subsystems being characterized in the at one least file;

converting the automotive propulsion information from the second format to at least a portion of a third format;

building the second simulation model in a second simulation environment from the information; and

analyzing performance characteristics of the constructed simulation model, thereby enabling determination of a desired form of the automotive propulsion system.

2. The method claim 1, wherein the existing simulation model includes a plurality of levels.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one file comprises a first file and a second file.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the automotive propulsion information indicative of the configuration of the system is stored in the first file, and wherein the automotive propulsion information indicative of the layout of the existing simulation model is stored in the second file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second format comprises an XML format, thereby establishing a relational database for creation and analyzation of various selectable systems.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the XML format comprises a standardized format indicative of a plurality of components and a plurality of vehicle subsystems of the automotive propulsion system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the third format and the first format are substantially identical.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one file is readable by a relational database.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second simulation environment comprises a different simulation environment application from an application of the first simulation environment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the capturing step further comprises:

parsing the plurality of subsystems;

parsing one or more peripherals; and

parsing one or more of connections,

wherein the one or more peripherals may comprise a parameter of the system, and wherein each of the one or more connections connects a first subsystem of the plurality of subsystems to a second subsystem of the plurality of subsystems.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the building step further comprises:

expanding the plurality of subsystems;

building the plurality of subsystems; and

interconnecting the plurality of subsystems with the one or more connections.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting step comprises user selection of a plurality of subsystems through a graphical user interface.

13. A computer program system for determining a simulation model to evaluate an automotive propulsion system, embodied on a computer-readable storage medium and for generating a simulation model for evaluating characteristics of the automotive propulsion system that includes a plurality of automotive propulsion subsystems which comprises:

computer code for capturing automotive propulsion information from a first simulation environment indicative of an existing simulation model characteristic of a system, the system including a plurality of components and at least one level;

computer code for converting the automotive propulsion information, from a first format to a second format;

computer code for storing the automotive propulsion information in the second format in at least one file;

selecting a plurality of components for inclusion into a second simulation model, the plurality of components being characterized in the at least one file;

computer code for converting the automotive propulsion information from the second format stored in the at least one file to a third format;

computer code for building the second simulation model in a second simulation environment from at least a portion of the automotive propulsion information; and

data output from the computer code for analysis of a plurality of the simulation model, thereby enabling a user to identify a desired configuration for the automotive propulsion system.

14. The computer program system as defined in claim 13 wherein the second format comprises an XML format, thereby establishing a relational database for creation and analyzation of various selectable systems.

15. The computer program system as defined in claim 14 wherein the XML format comprises a standardized format indicative of a plurality of components and a plurality of vehicle subsystems of the automotive propulsion system.

16. The computer program system as defined in claim 13 wherein the automotive propulsion information indicative of the configuration of the system is stored in the first file, and wherein the automotive propulsion information indicative of the layout of the existing simulation model is stored in the second file.

17. The computer program system as defined in claim 13 wherein the at least one file comprises a first file and a second file.

18. The computer program system as defined in claim 13 wherein the third format and the first format are substantially identical.

19. The computer program system as defined in claim 13 wherein the computer code for capturing the automotive propulsion information includes a plurality of components selected from the group consisting of components for:

parsing the plurality of subsystems;

parsing one or more peripherals; and

parsing one or more of connections,

wherein the one or peripherals may comprise a parameter of the system, and wherein each of the one or more connections connects a first subsystem of the plurality of subsystems to a second subsystem of the plurality of subsystems.

20. The computer program system as defined in claim 13 wherein the computer code for building the second simulation model includes a plurality of components selected from the group consisting of components for:

expanding the plurality of subsystems;

building the, plurality of subsystems; and

interconnecting the plurality of subsystems with, the one or more connections.