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Opal-RT Simulation eNews

Vol. 34– Fall 2007

The way for control engineers and simulation specialists to stay up-to-date with new simulation and control technologies

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News

Recent Events

Upcoming Events

Articles

News

Opal-RT Introduces eDRIVEsim Real-time HIL Simulator & Control Prototyping Platform

Combining Opal-RT's RT-LAB real-time technology with affordable, high performance multi-core X86 processors and FPGA I/O products, eDRIVEsim is the ideal real-time platform for designing advanced control systems and performing HIL testing of controllers used in high-speed electric motors, power converters, and hybrid drives.

eDRIVEsim software is based upon Opal RT's RT-LAB - the real-time technology that has revolutionized the way model-based design is performed. RT-LAB's flexibility and scalability allow it to be used in virtually any simulation or control system application, and to add computing-power where and when it is needed.

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Opal-RT Integrates JRI Solutions JMAG-RT with RT-LAB-based eDRIVEsim

Anticipating the complex engineering demands of designing hybrid vehicles today and in the future, in particular very high frequency electronic systems, Opal-RT Technologies today announced RTLAB.JMAG - integrated software optimized for high-precision motor and drive real-time simulation. Opal-RT is the leading provider of distributed real-time simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing systems.

Developed in cooperation with Tokyo-based JRI Solutions, RTLAB.JMAG combines Opal-RTs RT-LAB real-time simulation technology with JMAG-RT®, part of JRI Solutions Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tool suite. JMAG-RT supports high-fidelity simulation of non-linear phenomena due to motor construction yielding to non-linear induced flux, and is used by engineering organizations worldwide to design electrical motors.

The combination of these two leading simulation tools enable RTLAB.JMAG to simulate the complete drive including IGBT converters, in the small time steps required for circuit simulation and control testing.

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Opal-RT Introduces TestDrive OP6000 Engine ECU Testing System

Based upon Opal-RTs flagship technology, RT-LAB, TestDrive OP6000 is a powerful system for improving Electronic Control Unit (ECU) quality throughout the entire production process with real-time open- or closed-loop simulation. It enables test and control engineers to exercise ECU design in a complete virtual environment, including extreme conditions, by replicating all the loading and sensory feedback of an actual vehicle under realistic conditions. 

TestDrive OP6000 is specifically designed to meet all ECU vendors stringent specifications in terms of performance, flexibility, scalability, test automation capability and unit cost, and has already been deployed in multiple ECU test plants worldwide. In addition, a number of major OEMs and tier-one suppliers are currently evaluating the TestDrive OP6000 system.

Opal-RT welcomes Stephen Whalen, Senior Account Manager

Mr. Stephen Whalen has joined Opal-RT as the company's senior account manager for the Western United States. A graduate of the University of California - Davis' Mechanical Engineering program, Stephen brings a wealth of experience in Real-Time HIL Vehicle Test-Bed development from his time at BAE Systems and previously, WindRiver Systems and FMC Corporation. As a seasoned engineering veteran who also holds an MBA in Finance from Santa Clara University, Stephen has a strong understanding of how HIL, RCP, and Real-time Simulation can not only improve engineering processes but also make good business sense for the customer.

Welcome aboard, Stephen!

Contact Sales >>

 

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Recent Events

Over the summer and into the fall, Opal-RT has participated in a variety of industry events where members of Opal-RT’s management team presented technical papers focused on Opal-RT's creative use of FPGA technology and FEA-based design models to enhance the performance of the company's simulator products. Papers were also published focused on the company's advancement of HIL simulation of fuel cell-based HEVs. Opal-RT technical and sales staff were on hand at each event to demonstrate Opal-RT's newest simulation and rapid prototyping platforms including eMEGAsim, eDRIVEsim, and TestDrive OP6000.

Were you there? Check out Opal-RT's recent and upcoming events listed below, and be sure to visit our booth at our upcoming shows.

EPE 2007 - 12th European Conference on Power Electronics and Applications

September 2-5, 2007 / Aalsborg, Denmark

http://www.epe2007.com/

EPE is the conference for specialists in power electronic components, converters and systems, to present papers and attend sessions on state-of-the-art technology in this challenging and evolutionary sector. The conference aims to be a forum for researchers, developers and specialists from the industry.

 

2007 IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference

September 9-12, 2007 / Arlington, Texas

http://www.uta.edu/pecm/vppc07/

The IEEE Vehicular Power and Propulsion Conference (VPPC) is a comprehensive technical conference addressing state-of-the-art and recent achievements in vehicular electromechanics and automotive electronics.

The VPPC technical program includes an interesting variety of topics ranged from energy storage system to various aspects of simulation and development of modern hybrid vehicles lasting three days, from Monday, September 10th through Wednesday, September 12th.

 

`Automotive Testing Expo 2007, China

September 12-14, 2007 / Shanghai, China

http://www.testing-expo.com/china/

Automotive Testing Expo China is China's only trade show that is totally focused on the technologies and services involved within automotive testing and quality engineering. Hosted at the Shanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibition Centre, Automotive Testing Expo China brings together the world’s leading automotive test equipment manufacturers and test service providers, who are all targeting the ever growing and developing Chinese automotive industry.

 

SIA Automotive Power Electronics

September 26-27, 2007 / Paris, France

http://www.sia.fr/evenement_detail_automotive_power_electronics_welcome_876.htm

SIA Automotive Power Electronics brings together experts from the field of power electronics, as well as automotive engineers conducting a wide range of applications. The objective of the conference is to be a forum for car makers, equipment makers, component producers, and public research teams, and to raise awareness of the latest developments in terms of mission profile definition, power devices, power electronic packaging and topology design. The first generation of power electronics in automotive vehicles is now on the market, using technologies first developed for rail and industrial applications. It is now time for innovations dedicated to fit the technical and high volume production constraints of the automotive industry. SIA Automotive Power Electronics seeks to help participants understand the physics behind these issues, in order to be able to make the most educated choice in terms of quality-reliability-cost-performance.

 

Seminar: Motors, Systems, and Electrical Networks – Opal-RT, B2i, and The Mathworks

Hosted by B2i Engineering & Technology – an Opal-RT Distribution Partner

October 18, 2007 / Paris, France

http://www.b2i.fr/content/view/199/lang,en/

During this seminar, Opal-RT and European distribution partner B2i Ingénierie & Technologies, along with The Mathworks, demonstrated how the integration of Simulink and SimPowerSystems with RT-LAB simulators from Opal-RT can truly accelerate the overall product development cycle.

Highlights of the seminar included a discussion on the use of SimPowerSystems for modeling of electronic systems and power systems and developing training applications within a MATLAB / Simulink environment. In addition, the companies demonstrated how Opal-RT simulators offer the ideal platform for Hardware-in-the-loop testing, Rapid Control Prototyping, and testing, as well as the role of FPGA technology within the RT-LAB environment.

The seminar was part of an ongoing series of events presented by B2i, promoting the adoption of Opal-RT simulators for use in a variety of applications by customers across Europe.

 

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Upcoming Events

ICPE 07 - The 7th International Conference on Power Electronics

October 22-26, 2007 / Daegu, Korea

http://www.icpe.or.kr/

The 7th International Conference on Power Electronics (ICPE'2007) will be held form 22 to 26 October, 2007, in Daegu, Korea, the capital city of Kyoungbuk Province in the southeastern part of Korea. The conference is sponsored by the Korean Institute of Power Electronics (KIPE), co-sponsored by the IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS), and technically co-sponsored by the European Power Electronics Association (EPE).

PHEV 2007 Conference – Where the Grid Meets the Road

November 1-2, 2007 / Winnipeg, Canada

http://www.pluginhighway.ca/index.php

Hosted by the Plug-in highway Network, PHEV2007 will focus on the range of opportunities and challenges that Plug-in Hybrid Electrical Vehicle (PHEV) present for sustainable transportation. It will provide a forum for collaboration amongst industry, academia, utilities, governments and institutions to understand how PHEV technologies integrate into current and future transportation systems and the electrical power grid.

The conference will focus in part on:

  • Establishing a Canadian network of researchers focused on PHEV related issues
  • Focus on the simulation of advanced vehicles to optimize the effective use of renewable resources,
  • Reviewing on-going demonstrations PHEV project across North America, and
  • Discussion of the possible role of Canadian government in supporting PHEV development.

 

 

IEEE IECON 2007 - The 33rd Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society 

November 5-8, 2007 / Taipei, Taiwan

http://iecon07.ccu.edu.tw/

IECON'07 is an international conference on industrial applications of electronics, control, robotics, signal processing, computational and artificial intelligence, sensors and actuators, instrumentation electronics, computer networks, internet and multimedia technologies. The objectives of the conference are to provide high quality research and professional interactions for the advancement of science, technology, and fellowship. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

• Control Systems & Applications

• Electrical Machines & Drives

• Power Electronics

• Sensors, Actuators and Systems Integration

• Signal & Image Processing

• Industrial Informatics

• Intelligent Robotics

• Hands-on Intelligent Mechatronics and Automation

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Articles

Real-Time Simulation of Finite-Element Analysis Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine Drives on a FPGA card
By: Christian Dufour, Jean Bélanger, Simon Abourida, Vincent Lapointe

Presented September 3, 2007 at EPE 2007 - 12th European Conference on Power Electronics and Applications - Aalsborg, Denmark

Download now >>

 

Modern Hardware-In-the-Loop Simulation Technology for Fuel Cell Hybrid Electric Vehicles
By: Tetsuhiro Ishikawa (Toyota), Christian Dufour,  Simon, Abourida, Jean Bélanger (Opal-RT)

Presented September 10, 2007 at 2007 IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference - Arlington, Texas

Download now >>

 

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