Processing Power (was Re: Northstar Coolant Loss)

[Lawrence E. Piekarski]

>>To bring this back to a DYI EFI discussion, it's possible to correct or 
>>protect for a wide variety of deficiencies with computers.  Those of you
>>building your own controllers realize you could keep building and adding
>>features forever.  Is it the most efficient way to solve a problem though?
>>With software and computer hardware?  If the manufacturer knows that 
>>customers don't follow maintenance schedules, the design requirements for
>>their products should change.  Perhaps that should include engine 
>>hardware in addition to computer hardware and software.
>>
>>The auto industry lags far behind other industries in applying a systems
>>design approach.  That needs to change, quickly, if externally imposed
>>goals for emissions, fuel efficiency, and time-to-market are to be met.
>>
>
> Can you imagine the processing power needed if every safeguard they could
>design into the vehicle management system was implemented? (this would
>include monitoring tire pressure, suspension, steering etc...) there
>wouldn't be any trunk space left!

Funny thing you should mention it. Just last week I answered a Product Change
Evaluation for the 1998 Eldo/Seville. Just a simple request to add a tire 
pressure monitor! They (Cadillac) are evaluating whether to add it, but 
from my experience, if the technology is available, reliable, and sorta
cheap, they will add every bell and whistle they can get their hands on.

But, there will be only a minimal change to add the sensors. Since there
are already in 25 or so different embedded systems in the vehicle, the 
processing will simply be divided over the existing systems, with minor
impact to each. 

Look at it this way. It is a major job to design, from scratch, a Fuel
Injection system. But, once that is done and working, adding electronic
spark control would be fairly easy because you already have a library of core
algorithms (A/D reads, drivers, 32-bit multiplies) and some of the required
data (RPM, Engine Load, Throttle Position) so all you need to do is write
the calculation routines and add a few sensor inputs and output drivers.

In the case of the tire pressure monitor, my device, the cluster, is the
display device for the entire car. Any system any where that wants to display
something, sends us a message and we display it. We have a 20 character
display and show things like Range, RPM, Average Speed, a Stop Watch, etc.
The display drivers are written and work. All we have to do is add the actual
text of the messages and write a routine to convert the absolute tire 
pressure to gage pressure, which is pretty simple since the PCM already
calculates Barometric pressure. There is another module that reads the 
pressure sensors and ships us the data, but again, it does that now, it is
just four more inputs to add. The only "cost" is the four pressure sensors.
(Software is free, right ;-)
-- 
(* Larry Piekarski, Software Engineer  1997 Cadillac Instrument Panel *)
(* c1ilep at kocrsv01.delcoelect.com       Delco Electronics, Kokomo, IN *)
(*       The main thing about acting is honesty. If you can fake      *)
(*       that, you've got it made - George Burns to Jack Lemmon.      *)