Smart automatic pilot implementation using microcontroller for fuel consumption reduction

• Grant number: 14/20020-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): December 01, 2014
• Effective date (End): May 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Electrical Engineering - Industrial Electronics, Electronic Systems and Controls
• Principal Investigator: Eduardo Fontoura Costa
• Grantee: Daniel Fernandes da Nobrega
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Matemáticas e de Computação (ICMC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This work addresses the implementation of optimal control for fuel consumption in internal combustion vehicles. The solution has been obtained in a theoretical level using dynamic programming, in preceding works of our group, and it has been implemented in a rather simple system called speed advisor, which informs the ideal speed to the driver, leading to a reduction of about 5% of fuel in real tests. Here, we propose to develop a more accurate implementation involving a GPS, a microcontroller and the standard automatic pilot combined. We already have most of the required routines for the Arduino controller, e.g. communication with GPS, which have been obtained in a previous work. In this project, we aim at compiling these routines, check, adjust and finish the code. We also intend to perform real tests to measure the fuel reduction with this system.