"AUTOTOOL", a PC-based object-oriented automotive powertrain simulation tool

An automotive powertrain is composed of engine, transmission, and drivetrain subsystems which can be considered "modules". The associated controllers, including engine fuel-injection controller, transmission controller and cruise controller subsystems, may also be considered "modules". This modular structure lends itself well to the object-oriented programming concept. The advantages of this approach are the improved software reusability and productivity. In this paper, an efficient automotive powertrain simulation tool is developed in the PC environment, using MATLAB/Simulink, which supports the object-oriented programming concept in a visual programming environment. In developing this simulation tool, much attention is given to preserving generic modular properties, so that it can be used for many types of powertrain configurations. In fact, a commercially-available engine simulation toolbox can be registered as a module in this simulation tool. In addition, much attention is given to speed up the required computation time.