Automotive

Engineering Tasks

• System Specification and Modeling
• Embedded System Design
• System Integration, Calibration, and Dynamometer Testing
• Vehicle Analysis and Validation

Vehicle Analysis and Validation

Verification and validation of automotive systems design is a critical task in the development process. Problems not found during this stage can lead to costly recalls once vehicle manufacturing begins. To mitigate this risk, automotive engineers collect large amounts of vehicle testing data to identify and correct issues prior to production.

MATLAB® provides a full range of data analysis and visualization capabilities. Automotive engineers use the MATLAB product and its toolboxes for:

• Data analysis
• Signal processing
• Calibration method development
• NVH analysis
• Powertrain warranty and CAFE analysis
• Engine mapping
• Brake test analysis
• Gearshift analysis

Engineers must often choose between specialty tools with limited team access, and general-purpose, widely available tools with limited functionality. MATLAB eliminates these tradeoffs by enabling deep exploration and analysis of data, as well as the ability to generate reports and develop applications to facilitate sharing and reuse of work.

Data Acquisition, Analysis, and Visualization
MATLAB provides a flexible and easy-to-use environment for acquiring and analyzing data anywhere — in the lab and out to test cars on the track or road. The Data Acquisition Toolbox™ and the Instrument Control Toolbox™ provide access to plug-in acquisition boards and GPIB/VXI/RS-232 compatible instrumentation. You then have the full power of MATLAB to analyze, model, and interpret the data. With the 2-D, 3-D, and animated visualization techniques in MATLAB, you gain insight into experimental data and test cell results.

Algorithm Development and High-Level Programming
To develop applications for use in the automotive design process, engineers typically have two choices:

• Learn how to program in C or Fortran, or
• Rely on a software engineer to accurately translate informal requirements into a working application

MATLAB provides a full-featured, interactive development environment and a fourth-generation programming language. You can apply an extensive set of numerical algorithms and engineering functions to create applications in a fraction of the time it would take to program in C or Fortran.

Toolboxes written by leading researchers and engineers from around the world supplement MATLAB with application-specific functionality for signal processing, model generation from data, control systems design, and optimization.

Rapid Deployment of Results
You can share your MATLAB data analysis and algorithms in several formats:

• Reports in HTML and Microsoft Word
• Human-readable M-files for MATLAB users on any computer platform
• Stand-alone applications
• MATLAB application integrated with C/C++, COM, Excel, Java, or Web based applications

NVH
Engineers solve many NVH engineering problems with MATLAB and companion toolboxes.

• Data Acquisition Toolbox software for gathering vibration data for analysis in MATLAB
• Instrument Control Toolbox software for live access to test and measurement systems
• The Signal Processing Toolbox™ and Filter Design Toolbox™ products for analyzing signals from sensors and designing signal filters for refining and reducing the data
• System Identification Toolbox™ software for developing a mathematical representation of the data for use in other analyses
• Control System Toolbox™ software for designing and analyzing feedback control systems to control noise and vibration