Version 1.2
1.2.306 (27 June 2023) (1.2 Update 4)
Bug fixes for IntelliGen
IntelliGen was waiting for a hall sensor interrupt before testing the hall sensor pattern for validity. If all hall sensors were bad this would never happen, and the hall sensor error would not be indicated even though the hall sensors were bad. This has been fixed.
Corrected start available indication in the fast telemetry packet to account for user disable of the high voltage switch, and presence of the high voltage or main battery.
Fixed bug in starting with the main battery: the start command would be rejected based on the status of the high voltage switch, even though high voltage was not used in this case.
New features for IntelliGen
Added a new packet that can be used to command an override to the HV charge current command. The override can only reduce the charge current (down to zero) from the configured value. The override has a timeout associated with it such that the user must continuously send the override packet to keep the override in effect.
Added the ability to change the hall sensor order in software. Changing the order may be needed to fix some types of mis-wiring. The order change is done by logically swapping the U and W hall sensors so that “UVW” becomes “WVU”. Hall sensor order, plus the hall sensor shift option, should allow any combination of hall sensor wiring to be accounted for.
1.2.301 (20 April 2023) (1.2 Update 3)
Bug fixes for IntelliGen display
Removed the ability for end users to change the current calibration configuration data.
Changed labels of low voltage regulators for Lv1 and Lv2 to LvA and LvB.
Changed “heater” toolbar to “switched” toolbar.
Bug fixes for IntelliGen
Changed implementation of reverse operation to reduce the chance of errors when changing direction.
Improved selection of commutation source when both sources are in an error state. This improves the handling of the backup process prior to cranking.
Increased the number of reverse step detections required to signal a direction error from 3 to 6. This improves the backup and cranking process which can see reverse indications as the engine bounces off compression.
Added automatic pwm frequency increases: the PWM frequency is stepped up at intervals of 2kHz to maintain at least 5 pwm cycles per commutation interval. The configured pwm frequency is the minimum frequency.
Added testmode feature for automatically determining the hall shift and direction.
Changed watchdog time reporting to be in units of microseconds rather than clock ticks.
Removed the “zero current” command - this feature was not useful.
Removed heater current limit setting - the switched output is now just directly commanded with no current feedback.
Suppressed sensorless commutation error reporting when the “hall only” mode of operation is selected.
Supressed regulator faults (Main, LvA, LvB) for 0.25 second after the regulator is enabled, since the fault condition is often reported before the regulators have had a chance to stabilize.
Changed interpretation of the “batteryless” power configuration flag. If “batteryless” is selected the main regulator is forced into the maximum current limit state, since browning out the regulator cannot be tolerated without battery backup.
If “batteryless” is configured in the power configuration the user is not allowed to disable the regulator via command unless IntelliGen is unlocked.
Applied 50 microsecond time delay compensation to sensorless decoding of phase voltage measurements to account for delay due to low pass filters.
Changed current feedback control law to incorporate feedforward voltage term.
Changed the implementation of the feedforward voltage term, for both the current and voltage control laws, to allow high speed (on every period measurement) adjustment of the pwm duty cycle to compensate for ripple due to intra-cycle engine speed variation.
Changed the application of pwm limits for the cranking case so the minimum pwm limit can be violated during the cranking case.
Limited the user setting for minimum pwm duty cycle, it can not be set less than 5%.
Added generator current correction: to improve generator current measurement the generator current is constructed from the other currents if possible.
1.2.285 (28 February 2023) (1.2 Update 2)
New features for IntelliGen display
Added alarm for regulator, powerboard, and battery temperature measurements
Added preliminary support for TouCAN USB to CAN module from Currawong Engineering.
1.2.283 (22 February 2023) (1.2 Update 1)
Bug fixes for IntelliGen
Changed the system current scaling in the communications ICD from 0.1 Amps per bit to 0.2 Amps per bit. This is needed to accommodate larger currents than were originally anticipated.
Updated the transfer function from regulator current limit duty cycle to current limit. This transfer function is used to bound the limits of the regulator current limit feedback loop.
Increased the gains of the regulator current limit feedback loop to get faster response.
Updated the rules required to close the HV switch. The HV switch cannot be closed unless at least 20 Volts as already present on the HV terminal. This prevents the case where the switch is closed before a battery is connected - which can lead to large current surge in the input capacitors. This change affects the disabled state, which previously had no protection, and the states prior to cranking, which previously required 24V to close the switch, but now only require 20V. States from cranking to later (including generating) are unchanged).
New features for IntelliGen
- Added a new current limit value: the main battery charge current limit. When set to non-zero this current limit is used to limit the main regulator current output to prevent overcharging the main (28V/25V) battery.
Bug fixes for IntelliGen display
- Corrected timestamp handling of chart comments, for cases where time goes backwards (i.e. when IntelliGen is power-cycled).
New features for IntelliGen display
Added the ability the capture any window to pdf, or to capture the entire IntelliGen display, including all docked and floating windows.
Change the name of the display variable “Main Current” to “Regulator Current”, this reflects that the current in question is the output of the main regulator.
1.2.278 (20 January 2023) (1.2 First release)
New features for IntelliGen
Support for new analog signals in revision 3: external HV battery temperature sensor, regulator temperature, and current reference voltage.
Support for new digital signals in revision 3: the ability to programmatically select regulator voltage to match either 8S LiFePO4 battery or 6s LiIon.
Removed power5fault indicator and added regulator and HV batter temperature faults.
Updated the “faults” telemetry packet to include the new analog signals and renamed the packet to be “slow telemetry 2”.
New features for IntelliGen Display
User interface support for revision 3: new telemetry variables in the log and new configuration data for the external HV battery temperature sensor.
Added logic to update the communications settings when opening a project.
Version 1.1
1.1.272 (7 December 2022) (1.1 First release)
New features for IntelliGen
Removed the configuration option for maximum HV voltage deviation. HV voltage is now allowed to vary between 24V and the configurable maximum.
Added a HV battery charge model based on three numbers: the maximum HV output current, the HV charge voltage, and the HV battery resistance. These are used to compute a desired charge current (which can be negative if the battery voltage is too high).
Changed HV control architecture for the “HV is battery” case: if the switch is closed the generator PWM is controlled to manage the current in the generator, or the HV battery, whichever limit is lower. In this way the generator will charge the HV battery unless such charging exceeds the generator current limit.
Changed the current limit telemetry packet to remove the “bridge adjust voltage” (which no longer exists) and add the HV charge current command.
Changed regulator current limit logic for the not spinning case, such that the regulator output limit is set according to the amount of HV input (discharge) current allowed.
Removed the option for “HV follows load”, this logic is superseded by the HV battery charge logic.
Added configurable options to control the state of the LV1 and LV2 regulators, the main regulator, and the HV switch status when the system is disabled. This makes it possible to keep these devices enabled when the IntelliGen is disabled, allowing downstream devices to remain powered while IntelliGen is disabled.
Added feedback control for the main regulator current limit. Previously the current limit was set by a hard-coded transfer function between the desired limit (in Amps) and the duty cycle sent to the regulator. Now the duty cycle is adjusted using current feedback. The duty cycle sent to the regulator current limit circuit is now included in the current control telemetry.
Changed regulator feedback control such that when the HV switch is open the control feedback is based on the regulator current and the generator current. This enforces the generator current limit if it is less than the regulator limit. When the hv switch is closed the regulator current feedback is based on the regulator current and the hv discharge current, to enforce the hv discharge limit.
Changed energy used telemetry from Joules to kilo-Joules.
Changed the sign convention on the battery current. All current measurements now have the following conventions: positive indicates current flowing away from the generator, and negative indicates current flowing towards the generator. Hence when cranking the engine with the generator the generator current is negative, as is the HV or main battery current (whichever is used for cranking).
Added rectifier fault counter. Previous the rectifier fault signal was sampled at 500Hz, but faults can be indicated for very brief times; causing software to miss them. This new feature traps and counts every fault indication during the slow telemetry reporting interval, reporting the fault count in the telemetry.
Added current control loop for the heater switch control. The current control loop is enabled by setting a non-zero maximum heater current in the power configuration. In that case heater commands are interpreted as a percentage of that current, and a feedback loop is used to determine the heater duty cycle that achieves the commanded current. Heater current is not directly measured, it is computed as the sum of the regulator and battery current. The computed current may be more than the actual heater current if other loads are consuming power - which will result in less heater current than desired.
Added heater switch logic: if the main voltage (nominally 28V) browns out below the setpoint the heater command is ramped down, such that at 4.5V below the setpoint the heater command is 0. If the voltage falls below 18V the heater is turned off. If the heater is on, and the engine is commanded to crank, the heater duty cycle is set to 0% while the engine is cranking.
Updated engine starting logic: previously the cranking state exited when positive (generating) current was measured. Now the current command used for engine speed control is limited to 1 Amp in the generating direction, and the system remains in the cranking state until the crank timeout elapses, or the rpm exceeds the generator on threshold. This makes it possible for the IntelliGen to keep cranking an engine which is running intermittently as it starts up. The control configuration packet now specifies crank time in resolution of 0.5 seconds with a maximum of 127.5 seconds.
Added test mode feature for error injection and testing.
Added the option to configure the system to crank from both main battery and high voltage battery. When both options are selected the system will use the power source with the highest voltage.
New features for IntelliGen Display
Added replay option: “Auto Pause”. When enabled this feature will automatically pause the replay when a new sticky error is occurs, when a user comment is occurs, or when a scope capture occurs.
Added heater control toolbar which makes it possible to command different heater values and timeouts. Removed the simple heater on/off button from the main toolbar.
Added option to save configuration comparison results to a text file.
Version 1.0
1.0.244 (4 August 2022) (1.0 Update 1)
New features for IntelliGen firmware
- Removed the previous generation limits as a function of rpm and replaced with a table. The table makes it possible to reduce the generator current limit at higher speeds to unload the engine. The first entry of the table defines the rpm below which the system will leave the generating state. The second entry of the table defines the rpm above which the system will go the generating state. The table must have at least 3 entries.
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