SAN DIEGO, Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Opal-RT Technologies Inc. (http://www.opal-rt.com/ ), the world leader in distributed real-time simulation on PC-based platforms, will present its latest development in real-time hybrid powertrain simulation at the SAE Hybrid Vehicle Technologies Symposium in San Diego, California February 1-2, 2006.

Hybrid powertrain design presents unique engineering challenges. Since 1999, Opal-RT Technologies has been providing simulation technologies to help engineers reduce the development cycle of the power electronics, electric drive control, and energy management systems. Using hardware in-the-loop simulators (HIL) enabled by these technologies, design engineers are now able to use a virtual vehicle based on real-time simulation to prototype new system concepts, validate control systems, and perform initial calibration in the laboratory, before a prototype vehicle becomes available. Opal-RT's HIL simulators are currently serving OEMs and suppliers developing hybrid electric vehicles and components throughout North America and Asia.

Technical specialists from Opal-RT will bring two examples to the Symposium.

* The first demonstration is a real-time simulation of a fuel-cell hybrid vehicle. The core of the virtual hybrid powertrain is a high precision Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) inverter model running on an HIL simulator at a time step of 10 microseconds, with an IGBT pulse capture resolution of 10 nanoseconds. The simulation provides sufficient accuracy to reproduce typical distortions caused by dead times in switching circuits.

* The second demonstration takes power electronics simulation a step further in speed and accuracy. The three-phase PMSM model is implemented in Simulink, which is then automatically compiled and downloaded into a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chip for execution using the XILINX System Generator. With a 250-nanosecond time step, this chip-based simulation allows upcoming hybrid powertrain components such as inverters and DC-DC converters with switching frequency upwards of 100 kHz to be accurately modeled in real- time.

"The SAE Hybrid Vehicle Technologies Symposium is an outstanding forum for presenting our most current HIL technology to the hybrid vehicle engineering community," said Jean Belanger, President of Opal-RT Technologies. "Opal-RT has long been at the forefront of development and deployment of HIL simulation technologies for hybrid vehicle programs. As hybrid vehicles gain greater acceptance in the marketplace, Opal-RT will continue to develop technologies and practical solutions that allow design engineers to simulate more, accurately, and in real-time."

About Opal-RT Technologies Inc.

Opal-RT provides software, hardware, and related solutions for real-time simulation applications, with the aim of enabling real-time parallel processing through flexible, scalable and affordable technologies. Opal-RT's customers include AISIN, DaimlerChrysler, DENSO, Ford, GM, Toyota, and other companies and universities leading the development of hybrid powertrain and vehicles.

The company offers a full range of engineering simulation products -- from enabling technologies to turnkey engineering simulators -- and professional consulting services that include systems integration, software and model development and training. Opal-RT's core expertise is in distributed hard- real-time simulation, with experienced engineers designing real-time simulators for automotive, electrical power, aerospace, defense, robotics, and industrial applications where fidelity and fault tolerance requirements push rapid prototyping and hardware-in-the-loop testing to their limits. Opal-RT's unique approach integrates parallel, distributed computing with commercial- off-the-shelf technologies. The resulting RT-LAB product range enables customers to develop products using simulation quickly, easily, affordably, and competitively. For more information about Opal-RT's range of Engineering Simulators and Distributed Processing Tools, see http://www.opal-rt.com/ .

About RT-LAB

RT-LAB is the real-time technology that revolutionizes the way model-based design is performed within the engineering organization. Through its openness, RT-LAB has the flexibility to be applied to any simulation and control problem, with scalability providing a low-risk entry point for any application, allowing the developer to add computational power where and when needed -- whether to dramatically speed up simulations or for real-time hardware-in-the-loop applications.

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CONTACT: Kirsty Whitefield of Opal-RT Technologies Inc.,
+1-877-935-2323, x235, Email: kirsty.whitefield@opal-rt.com

Web site: http://www.opal-rt.com/