Engine Simulator for ECMs Diagnosis

Currently, the number of companies that provide diagnosis, repair and maintenance services to the electronic control modules – ECMs of the vehicles is very limited. Even though the demand of the service is still unsatisfied, the possibility of expansion of the existing companies is limited by the need of an engine simulator to semi-automate the ECMs diagnosis process. To fulfill this requirement, the present paper describes the design, implementation and testing of an electronic device that simulates the electrical signals generated by the sensors and transducers commonly installed on engines. The device was programmed to simulate different models of commercial engines and to perform automatically the standard procedures followed to identify the most common failures of the ECMs.This device incorporates systems to guarantee the safety of the information gathered during the diagnosis process and the physical integrity of the ECMs being diagnosed.