Case Study: Toyota achieves front‑loaded engine-control development and early verification with MathWorks' MATLAB, Simulink, and Simscape

Toyota Front-Loads Development of Engine Control Systems Using Comprehensive Engine Models and SIL+M

Toyota faced the challenge of developing increasingly sophisticated engine control unit (ECU) software to meet tighter emissions and performance requirements while avoiding costly late-stage rework. To front-load ECU development, Toyota needed an accurate, full‑engine plant model and a SIL/MIL workflow that supported CAN simulation, ISR/timer execution order, and source‑level debugging. They turned to MathWorks tools including MATLAB, Simulink, Simscape, Stateflow, and Simulink Coder to build a Model‑Based Design approach and use SIL+M testing early in the development cycle.

Using MathWorks’ Simscape and Simulink toolchain, Toyota built an acausal, comprehensive engine model comprising thousands of equations, created custom physical domains and components, and integrated MIL, SIL and SIL+M workflows to verify control algorithms. MathWorks’ solution enabled closed‑loop CAN simulations, source‑level debugging, and verification of designs long before vehicle testing, letting Toyota verify engine and transmission control software earlier, simulate hard‑to‑test conditions, shorten development cycles, and reduce rework.

Toyota

Hisahiro Ito

Assistant Manager