At the start of this millennium, world famous futurologist and author John Naisbitt said, “We are drowning in information, but starved for knowledge.” In light of the explosion of information in testing facilities and the associated challenges faced by knowledge management, John Naisbitt’s statement is more relevant today than ever.

Today, efficient use of data is the key to being ready for the future. This is especially true in the efficient operation of testing facilities. In practice, it is important to do more than analyze and compare individual test series measurements from one test bench; you also need the ability to combine them with information from other test benches, simulations and vehicle measurements. In particular, the different origins of the data and the variety of data formats in which they come are major obstacles to having an efficient management system. It can be demanding and time-consuming to compare measurements from two test rigs, especially when you use different automation systems. In addition to the differing data formats, there are often discrepancies in how the test benches record information such as channel names, units and test objects.

Simple Integration

FEVFLEX now combines information from a wide range of sources. A key advantage is its freedom from file formats and descriptive information. FEVFLEX is integrated into the test center’s administration system as a central component, requiring minimal changes to existing systems. That makes integration into established testing facilities extremely cost-effective and simple.
FEVFLEX allows measurements to be processed in a highly user-friendly and efficient manner. Its primary benefit is its easy-to-use design with functions so intuitive that operators can work productively after only a 30-minute introduction. A full-text search capability provides users with the information they are looking for quickly and with no prior knowledge required.

Automated Import and Export

FEVFLEX allows the export of information and data to other databases or data systems to be completely automated. The system also automates time-consuming import tasks, such as converting data formats and units, standardizing channel names, and conducting plausibility checks and transport processes.
“Our durability testing center (DLP) in Brehna has more than 40 test rigs, currently producing around 75 gigabytes of data on a daily basis. Now, thanks to FEVFLEX, that information is stored in our own and external customer databases, fully and automatically”, says Kurt Zimmer, who is responsible for the test center management at FEV’s DLP. “We have succeeded in meeting the goal of storing measurement data in the customer’s database half an hour after it was produced.”

Open System with Multiple Interfaces

Thanks to the open system used by FEVFLEX, customers can specify and automate their own tasks. FEVFLEX works independently of any hardware and runs on virtual machines in central, existing IT resources. FEVFLEX makes extremely efficient use of those IT resources through its auto-balancing methods. In combination with the FEVALYS data evaluation tool, the system can also perform fully-automated calculations and generate visual reports from a centralized location. Summarizing the benefits, Zimmer says, “Forcing an engineer to wait at his computer until all the data has been evaluated locally and a report is written is now a thing of the past.” What’s more: FEVFLEX can link up with external business intelligence solutions like ERP or MES software. There, it serves as an interpreter of measurement data in order to supply billing-related information to ERP systems, for example.

Powertrain systems are becoming increasingly complex and, at the same time, efficiency and the demands for testing accuracy are also increasing. This can be seen in the new regulations, such as Euro 7, and in the new standard cycles, such as WLTP and RDE. A number of different tools from various suppliers are typically used during powertrain development – each of them covering a very specific part of the powertrain development cycle. To increase the efficiency of a development cycle and to make evaluation of concepts possible even before they physically exist, an integration, co-simulation and co-validation platform has been realized in which different models from various sources can interoperate.

Powerful Co-simulation Platform

This platform can be applied throughout the entire development process. In the initial development phases, it enables collaboration between various professional disciplines; in the subsequent physical powertrain and ECU validation phases, it facilitates the use of models on the test bed, which were developed without any loss in quality, during the design phase.
The models from third-party tools can also be incorporated in the form of a file, which means that there is no longer a need for the presence of real third-party tools to simulate the system as a whole. However, it is also possible to keep the third-party models in the original software during integration.
What is the benefit?: It is now possible to validate a new hybrid powertrain concept or scale the air circuit of a new engine, its turbo, and its EGR system by evaluating pollution emissions and fuel consumption long before the physical existence of the parts or the system.

Powerful Co-validation Platform

Models are becoming more complex and contain highly detailed information. The idea of executing such complex models in real-time with real-components is attractive. However, due to the complexity of the models, a process of simplification is normally applied, allowing the potential to execute those simplified models in real-time. As a result of this simplification, the tests become less representative.
More specifically, this means that an engine tested on the test bed may, for example, display satisfactory results, yet generate quite opposite results during driving cycles on the road. During the validation phases, such as Hardware-in-the-Loop and Engine-in-the-Loop, the different physical components begin to appear. These elements must be connected to the components which are still in the modelling phase.
“Without executing complex models in real time, it is impossible to obtain a high level of precision on the HiL or engine test beds; quick prototyping on the HiL test bed or calibrating the ECU on the engine test bed is no longer possible”, explains Dr. Hassen Hadj Amor, Product Group Leader at FEV Software and Testing Solutions.
FEV has realized a platform that enables real-time connection of hardware and models without compromising the quality and representativeness of tests since the precision of the model is retained and can be reproduced directly in real-time and in a deterministic way on the test bed. To assure this, unique features have been incorporated, that allow multi-solver and multi-core execution with advanced algorithms for data prediction.

Product Availability

This platform has been developed by the well-known public-sector research, innovation and training center “IFP Energies Nouvelles”. Until today, numerous licenses have been installed at customer systems in Europe and Asia under the name xMOD and are delivering a great performance there. During the next year, FEV will offer the co-simulation and co-validation capabilities as standalone software solution and will also integrate it into the MORPHEE suite. Numerous model libraries will complete the offering and enable customers to benefit from FEV’s long-lasting expertise in the field of powertrain development, thus making it a powerful tool for powertrain and ECU development and validation processes.

The automotive industry is facing stricter carbon regulations and emission standards. Modern combustion processes place increasing demands on charge motion in the cylinder. For example, requirements differ significantly for a turbo-charged, direct-injection gasoline engine as compared to a naturally-aspirated engine with port-fuel injection. Novel combustion processes with early or late intake valve closing extend the parameter space even further.

A needs-based assessment of the charge motion is made possible with flow test rigs that are developed at FEV, both for the development process as well as for end-of-line testing. “Our flow test benches are the product of over 30 years of research and experience in both engine development and sales of the corresponding testing tools”, explains Bruno Funken, Technical Specialist Custom Test Benches at FEV. “Each test bench is precisely adapted to meet the customer’s requirements and is delivered as a final, turnkey product.”

FEV flow test benches enable the analysis and assessment of cylinder-head flow, tumble, and swirl performance under steady-flow conditions. This represents an indispensable tool for port development and quality assurance. The fundamental concept and detailed solutions are based on many years of experience in FEV’s flow laboratory. When linked to the FEV database, the measured ports can be evaluated in scatter bands and, from this, basic correlations of the combustion behavior can be derived.

The Testing Setup

The test bench consists of four major components:

• Frame with cylinder head pick-up and automatic valve adjustment
• Blower unit with flow measurement system
• Measurement system for determining charge motion (swirl and tumble paddle wheel; swirl and tumble honeycomb)
• Control box with integrated measurement instrumentation and special measuring software

Various types of paddle wheel and honeycomb measurement devices can be combined for testing, depending upon customer requirements. The measuring tubes feed into a generously-sized expansion tank that ensures defined flow conditions and compensates for flow pulsations. The blower unit is designed to be a stand-alone system and consists of one or two side channel blowers, frequency converters for the automatic regulation of flow rate, and a rotary gas meter to measure the volume flow. The data acquisition card is housed in a separate control cabinet that also contains the controls for the valve actuators and connectors for the frequency inverter and sensors. Combined with the software (LabVIEW), automatic adjustment of the valve lift allows for fully automatic flow measurement.

Precise Measurements

For measurement, the cylinder head is connected to a replaceable cylindrical tube with the same diameter as the bore in the engine. The charge motion (tumble or swirl) is recorded using the rotational velocity of the paddle wheel or the torque of the honeycomb.

The steady-flow test bench facilitates testing of engine-like flow conditions at the inlet and outlet ports under steady-flow conditions and thus allows for the targeted assessment of the flow, tumble, and swirl performance of the cylinder head, which are typically presented as dimensionless numbers. The FEV database is used to design and assess intake and exhaust ports based on scatter bands.

The new generation of the automation system MORPHEE is on the way and will be available in the second half of 2016! The new, full 64-bit version is compliant with all new operating systems and boasts outstanding performance with up to 5,000 channels at 1 kHz. The new generation will not be limited to merely following technological developments; the contributions of the FEV development teams will enable us to go much further and much faster with improvements to the system. Now, more than ever, MORPHEE is a technological benchmark in the field of automated test benches. 

The new version of MORPHEE offers the opportunity to develop new automation concepts for future test beds while taking current and upcoming emission and testing standards such as Euro 7, RDE, etc. into consideration. It is also a powerful tool for new powertrain calibration methodologies, such as Road to Rig. “Relying on its established qualities of openness and performance, MORPHEE will extend its functionalities to allow the use of the same interfaces, the same models, and the same tools throughout the entire development process,” explains Stéphane Pelletier, Product Group Leader at FEV. “As a result, the new MORPHEE generation will become a unique platform for validation, combining the three functionalities of test automation, online calibration operations at the test bed, and real-time simulation.”

All-in-one System With Modular Configurations

Based on this “all-in-one” system, numerous configurations are possible, depending on the customer’s individual testing environment. As a result, it is possible to combine these three functionalities into a single platform, which is installed for an engine, transmission or powertrain test bench. In addition, the three can be operated separately, using third-party tools as is common in a calibration configuration where the MORPHEE calibration platform usually operates with third-party automation tools.

Real-time Connection of Data and Simulations

In a co-simulation configuration, the platform is able to accommodate several third-party simulation tools to create a complex simulated system, early in the development process — i.e., model in the loop, software in the loop applications. Afterwards, this simulation platform can be reused for the subsequent development steps on a hardware in the loop test bed and an engine test bed. Considering these examples, one can already imagine the unique potential offered by the MORPHEE suite.

“Our new MORPHEE generation focuses on segmentation which more appropriately resembles the current workflow of the latest generation of test centers,” explains Pelletier.

Smooth Upgrade with full Compatibility

Maintaining consistency with the original principles of MORPHEE means that applications such as tests, graphic interfaces, templates, and components that have been developed for the 32-bit version, can also be used with the 64-bit version. While the development of the new MORPHEE generation is an important technological step, it is at the same time a continuation of the strategy followed by MORPHEE from the very beginning. The upgrade to the new MORPHEE version will be available to all customers with a maintenance contract, while operators of third-party automation systems will be offered individual, customized migration.