Description

The Main Form is loaded when starting VECTO. Closing this form will close VECTO even if other dialogs are still open. In this form all global settings can be controlled and all other application dialogs can be opened.

In order to start a simulation the Calculation Mode must be set and at least one Job File (.vecto) must added to the Job List. After clicking START all checked files in the Job List will be calculated.

The Main Form includes two tabs as described below:

• Job Files Tab
• Options Tab

Job Files Tab

Options Tab

In this tab the global calculation settings can be changed.

Mode

Select either Declaration Mode or Engineering Mode

Output Directory

This input can be used to write all simulation result files to a certain directory. This can be either an absolute path or a relative path. If an absolute path is provided, all result files are written to this directory. If a relative path is provided the .vmod and XML reports are written into the corresponding subdirectory of the job file and the .vsum file is written to the corresponding subdirectory of the first selected job file.

Output

Write modal results

Toggle output of modal results (.vmod files) in declaration mode. A Summary file (.vsum) is always created.

Modal results in 1Hz

If selected, the modal results (.vmod file) will be converted into 1Hz after the simulation. This may add certain artefacts in the resulting modal results file.

MISC

Validate Data

Enables or disables internal checks if the model parameters are within a reasonable range. When simulating a new vehicle model it is good to have this option enabled. If the model parameters are from certified components or the model data has been modified slightly this check may be disabled. The VECTO simulation will abort anyways if there is an error in the model parameters. Enabling this option increases the simulation time by a few seconds.

Output values in vmod at beginning and end of simulation iterval

By defaul VECTO writes the simulation results at the middle of every simulation interval. If this option is enabled, the .vmod file will contain two entries for every simulation interval, one at the beginning and one at the end of the simulation interval. Enabling this option may be helpful for analysing the trace of certain signals but can not be used for quantitative analyses of the fuel consumption, average power losses, etc. The generated modal result file has the suffix ’_sim’. The picture below shows the difference in the output (top: conventional, bottom: if this option is checked)

Controls

New Job File

Create a new .vecto file using the VECTO Editor

Open existing Job or Input File

Open an existing input file (Job, Engine, etc.)

Tools

• Job, Vehicle, Engine, Gearbox Editor
  • Opens the respective Editor
• Graph
  • Open a new Graph Window
• Open Log
  • Opens the Log File in the system’s default text editor
• Settings
  • Opens the Settings dialog.

Help

• User Manual
  • Opens this User Manual
• Release Notes
  • Open the Release Notes (pdf)
• Report Bug via CITnet / JIRA
  • Open the CITnet/JIRA website for reporting bug
• Create Activation File
  • Create an Activation File used for Licensing
• About VECTO
  • Information about the software, license and support contact

Message List

All messages, warnings and errors are displayed here and written to the log file LOG.txt in the VECTO application folder. Depending on the colour the following message types are displayed:

• Status Messages
• Warnings
• Errors
• Links - click to open file/user manual/etc.

Note that the message log can be opened in the Tools menu with Open Log.

In addition to the log messages shown in the message list, Vecto writes more elaborate messages in the subdirectory logs. If multiple simulations are run in parallel (e.g., in declartion mode a vehicle is simulated on different cycles with different loadings) a separate log-file is created for every simulation run.

Statusbar

Displays current status and progress of active simulations. When no simulation is executed the current mode is displayed (Standard, Batch or Declaration Mode).

Description

In the Settings dialog controls general application settings. The settings are saved in the settings.json file.

Interface Settings

File Open Command

This command will be used to open CSV Input Files like Driving Cycles (.vdri). See: Run command
Name: Name of the command as it will be shown in the menu when clicking the button.
Command: The actual command.

Example : If the command is excel and the file is C:\VECTO\cycle1.vdri then VECTO will run: excel “C:\VECTO\cycle1.vdri”

Calculation Settings

Controls

Reset All Settings

All values in the Settings dialog and Options Tab of the Main Form will be restored to default values.

Save and close dialog

Close without saving

Description

The job file (.vecto) includes all informations to run a VECTO calculation. It defines the vehicle and the driving cycle(s) to be used for calculation. In summary it defines:

• Filepath to the Vehicle File (.vveh) which defines the not-engine/gearbox-related vehicle parameters
• Filepath to the Engine File (.veng) which includes full load curve(s) and the fuel consumption map
• Filepath to the Gearbox File (.vgbx) which defines gear ratios and transmission losses
• Filepath to the Gearshift Parameters File (.vtcu) which allows to override parameters of the Effshift Gearshift Strategy. The gearshift parameters cannot be edited via the graphical user interface. In case the default parameters shall be used either an empty .vtcu file (see .vtcy) or the gearbox file (.vgbx) can be provided. An example .vtcu file is provided here
• Auxiliaries
• Driver Assist parameters
• Driving Cycles (only in Engineering Mode)

Relative File Paths

It is recommended to use relative filepaths. This way the Job File and all input files can be moved without having to update the paths. Example: “Vehicles\Vehicle1.vveh” points to the “Vehicles” subdirectory of the Job File’s directoy.

VECTO automatically uses relative paths if the input file (e.g. Vehicle File) is in the same directory as the Job File. (Note: The Job File must be saved before browsing for input files.)

General Settings

Engine Only Mode

Enables Engine Only Mode (Engineering mode only). The following parameters are needed for this mode:

• Filepath to the Engine File (.veng)
• Driving Cycles including engine torque (or power) and engine speed

Filepath to the Vehicle File (.vveh)

Files can be created and edited using the Vehicle Editor.

Filepath to the Engine File (.veng)

Files can be created and edited using the Engine Editor.

Filepath ot the Gearbox File(.vgbx)

Files can be created and edited using the Gearbox Editor.

See Auxiliaries for details.

Cycles

List of cycles used for calculation. The .vdri format is described here. Double-click an entry to open the file (see File Open Command). Click selected items to edit file paths.

Add cycle (.vdri)

Remove the selected cycle from the list

Driver Assist Tab

In this tab the driver assistance functions are enabled and parameterised.

Overspeed

See Overspeed for details.

Look-Ahead Coasting

See Look-Ahead Coasting for details.

Acceleration Limiting

See Acceleration Limiting for details.

ADAS Parameters

In this tab certain general parameters for the advanced driver assistant system model can be set. Which ADAS feature is available can be selected in the vehicle itself, in Engineering Mode parameters like minimum activation speed, activation delay, or allowed overspeed can be adjusted. In Declaration Mode all parameters are fixed.

Chart Area

If a valid Vehicle File, Engine File and Gearbox File is loaded into the Editor the main vehicle parameters like HDV group and axle configuration are shown here. The plot shows the full load curve(s) and sampling points of the fuel consumption map.

Controls

New Job File

Create a new empty .vecto file

Open existing Job File

Open an existing .vecto file

Save current Job File

Save Job File as…

Send current file to Job List in Main Form

Note: The file will be sent to the Job List automatically when saved.

Open Vehicle Editor

Open Engine Editor

Open Gearbox Editor

Browse for vehicle/engine/gearbox files

Save and close file

File will be added to Job List in the Main Form.

Cancel without saving

Description

A VTP-Job is intended to verify the declared data of a vehicle through an on-road test. VTP-Jobs can be either simulated in engineering mode or declaration mode. For a VTP simulation the measured driving cycle along with the VECTO job-file is required. The driving cycle has to contain the vehicle’s velocity, rotational speed of the driven wheels, torque of the driven wheels, and fuel consumption in a temporal resolution of 2Hz. VECTO computes the best matching gear based on the vehicle parameters, the actual vehicle speed and the engine speed. Next, VECTO re-computes the fuel consumption based for the given driving cycle. For a VTP-test the re-computed fuel consumption has to be within certain limits of the real fuel consumption.

The VTP job file (.vecto) includes all informations to run a VECTO calculation. It defines the vehicle and the driving cycle(s) to be used for calculation. In summary it defines:

• Filepath to the Vehicle File (.xml)](#vehicle-editor which defines all relevant parameters, including all components
• Driving Cycles

In engineering mode multiple driving cycles can be specified

Relative File Paths

It is recommended to use relative filepaths. This way the Job File and all input files can be moved without having to update the paths. Example: “Vehicles\Vehicle1.xml” points to the “Vehicles” subdirectory of the Job File’s directoy.

VECTO automatically uses relative paths if the input file (e.g. Vehicle File) is in the same directory as the Job File. (Note: The Job File must be saved before browsing for input files.)

Cycles

List of cycles used for calculation. The .vdri format is described here. Double-click an entry to open the file (see File Open Command). Click selected items to edit file paths.

Add cycle (.vdri)

Remove the selected cycle from the list

Chart Area

If a valid Vehicle File is loaded into the Editor the main vehicle parameters like HDV group and axle configuration are shown here. The plot shows the full load curve(s) and sampling points of the fuel consumption map.

Controls

New Job File

Create a new empty .vecto file

Open existing Job File

Open an existing .vecto file

Save current Job File

Save Job File as…

Send current file to Job List in Main Form

Note: The file will be sent to the Job List automatically when saved.

Browse for vehicle file

Save and close file

File will be added to Job List in the Main Form.

Cancel without saving

Description

The Auxiliary Dialog is used to configure auxiliaries. In Declaration Mode the set of auxiliaries and their power demand is pre-defined. For every auxiliary the user has to select the technology from a given list. In Engineering Mode the set of auxiliaries can be specified by the user. Auxiliary efficieny is defined using an Auxiliary Input File (.vaux). See Auxiliaries for details on how the power demand for each auxiliary is calculated.

Settings

Controls

Save and close

Close without saving

Description

The “Electrics” tab defines various parameters for electric auxiliaries used on the vehicle:

• Powernet Voltage [locked field/fixed value]

• Alternator Map, including filepath to the new Combined Alternator Map (.AALT) file

  Files can be imported (blank field)/the Combined Alternator Map editor opened (file present) by clicking on the ‘browse’ button adjacent to the “Alternator Map” text box.

• Alternator Pulley Efficiency [locked field/fixed value]
• Door Actuation Time(S) [locked field/fixed value]
• Stored Energy Efficiency [locked field/fixed value]

• Smart Electrics [On/Off]

  Smart electrics are enabled by checking the “Smart Electrics” box

• Electrical Consumables

  The “Electrical Consumables” table contains a list electrical equipment that place demand on the engine. Check boxes enable the user to select whether the energy demanded by each consumable is included in the calculation of the base vehicle. The user can modify only the number of consumables of each type installed on the vehicle*. The Nominal Consumption (amps) for each consumer, and the percentage of time each consumer is active during the cycle are locked default values as agreed with the project steering group.

• Note: for certain fields the allowable values are also controlled/prescribed according to the requirements of the project steering group.

Results Cards

Upon activation of Smart Electrics using the check box, the user may enter Result Card values according to the methodology proposed by the steering group. Until the certification procedure to determine the correct values is agreed, it is recommended to use the following default values:

Example Default Results Card values

Default Values

The following table provides a summary of the default values that are populated whenever a new advanced auxiliaries (.AAUX) file is created from scratch (nominal consumption and % active are always fixed defaults, so are not shown). The table also indicates the editable/default status of the relevant parameters in the VECTO UI in Engineering mode, and the recommended status in Declaration mode (not currently implemented). The default values / parameter status has been agreed with the project steering group.

Default parameter values and editable status for the Electrical module

General Inputs

List of Electrical Consumables

File Format

The file uses the VECTO CSV format.

Several example default alternator maps are provided for use until a finalised certification procedure is in place for OEM-specific data.

Example Default Alternator Configuration for Advanced Alternator Map

Notes: Bold values are locked/fixed values; I_max = the maximum current in Amps.

Description

The “Pneumatics” tab defines various parameters for pneumatic auxiliaries used on the vehicle:

• Pneumatic Auxiliaries Data/Variables

  Data for various pneumatic auxiliaries and the relevant pneumatic variables can be edited in the adjacent text boxes.

• Filepath to the Compressor Map (.ACMP) file

  Files can be imported by clicking the browse button adjacent to the “Compressor Map” text box.

• Filepath to the Actuations Map (.APAC) file

  Files can be imported by clicking the browse button adjacent to the “Actuations Map” text box.

• The “Retarder Brake”, “Smart Pneumatics” and “Smart Regeneration” and enable via check boxes.

Default Values

The following table provides a summary of the default values that are populated whenever a new advanced auxiliaries (.AAUX) file is created from scratch. The table also indicates the editable/default status of the relevant parameters in the VECTO UI in Engineering mode, and the recommended status in Declaration mode (not currently implemented). The default values / parameter status has been agreed with the project steering group.

Default parameter values and editable status for the Pneumatic module

Pneumatic Auxiliaries Data

Pneumatic Variables

Description

The “HVAC” tab defines various parameters for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) auxiliaries used on the vehicle, calculated from the HVAC Steady State Model (HVAC SSM): - Disable HVAC Module [tickbox] - Filepath to the Steady State Model File (.AHSM) : Files can be imported by clicking the browse button adjacent to the HVAC “Steady State Model File (.AHSM)” text box. - Filepath to the Bus Parameter Database (.ABDB) " Files can be imported by clicking the browse button adjacent to the HVAC SSM bus parameters database file (.ABDB) text box. The bus parameter database contains a list of default parameters for a number of pre-existing/defined buses that can be quickly switched between within the HVAC SSM Editor module.

Outputs from the HVAC SSM include: - Electrical Load Power Watts - Mechanical Load Power Watts - Fuelling Litres Per Hour

HVAC Steady-State Model Editor

The HVAC Steady-State Model (HVAC SSM) Editor defines various data and parameters for calculation of HVAC auxiliary demands (electrical, mechanical and fuelling) from the vehicle, replicating the key inputs/functionality from the HVAC CO2SIM model developed for ACEA:

• Bus Parameters
• Boundary Conditions
• Other
• Tech List Input
• Diagnostics

At the top of the window, two sets of outputs are presented for electrical, mechanical and fuelling demand:

• ‘Base’ values: These are the calculated resulting demands from the inputs on the ‘Bus Parameters’, ‘Boundary Conditions’ and ‘Other’ tabs.
• ‘Adjusted’ values: these are the final values output from the model, which additionally factor in the HVAC technologies included in the ‘Tech List Input’ tab.

Bus Parameters

Input bus parameters can be edited directly or imported/calculated from the Bus Parameter Database (.abdb) file via the ‘<Select>’ drop-down box at the top of the page. Parameters in the accompanying database file (.abdb) include:

• Bus Model Name (free text)
• Registered passengers
• Type (i.e. ‘raised floor’ = Class III, ‘semi low floor’ = Class II, or ‘low floor’ = Class I)
• Is Double Decker [tick box]
• Length in m,
• Wide in m,
• Height in m,
• [Engine Type (only ‘diesel’ is currently supported), only when creating a ‘New’ entry]
• Other fields, that are greyed out, are locked and not editable, containing fixed default values or calculations.

Boundary Conditions

On this tab the various boundary conditions for the HVAC SSM calculations can be set. Certain fields (greyed out) are locked and not editable, containing fixed default values or calculations.

Other

On this tab a number of other parameters for the HVAC SSM calculations can be set: - Environmental conditions: when in ‘Batch Mode’ a climatic conditions dataset (.aenv) file must be used containing a series of environmental conditions. Otherwise single values for temperature and solar load may be input (these fields are locked/not used when in batch mode). - AC System specifications/type: the AC-Compressor Type selection determines the COP value used, according to the specification of the project steering group. - Ventilation settings - Auxiliary Heater parameters: the power of the fuel fired heater may be included, other fields are provided for information only and are locked. The ‘Engine Waste Heat’ values are calculated during the actual model runs, which are determined via a pre-run of the model over the selected drive-cycle.

TechList Input

To determine energy consumption of a certain bus-HVAC system combination, a customisable list of technologies may be added/edited on this tab to allow to take special features into account which have a reducing or increasing influence. Because several technologies are only available for certain bus types, the list has to be bus type-specific. The technologies list and the default values has been populated according to the steering group recommendations, however these may be deleted, edited or added to as required on this tab in Engineering mode.

Diagnostics

The final ‘Diagnostics’ tab provides a summary of the resulting outputs from the HVAC Tech List tab.

Default Values

The following table provides a summary of the default values that are populated whenever a new advanced auxiliaries (.AAUX) file is created from scratch. The table also indicates the editable/default status of the relevant parameters in the VECTO UI in Engineering mode, and the recommended status in Declaration mode (not currently implemented). The default values / parameter status has been agreed with the project steering group.

Default parameter values and editable status for the HVAC module

INP - BusParameters tab

Bus Parameterisation

INP - Boundary Conditions tab

Boundary Conditions

INP - Other

Enviromental Conditions

AC-system

Ventilation

Aux. Heater

*TechList Input**

Insulation

Ventilation

Heating

Cooling

Notes:

* Default parameter values for Technology List from ACEA TF5 proposal

** Tinted Window: G-Factor/g-value (= “solar factor” = “total solar energy transmittance”) according ISO 9050. ISO 9050 defines wind speed at the outside surface of 14 km/h.

Definition of bins for transmission rates according to ACEA TF5 recommendation:

*** Air Flow Rate: recommended for future implementation in Declaration mode by ACEA TF5:

File Format

The HVAC SSM (.ahsm) and Bus Parameter Database (.abdb) files use the VECTO CSV format.

Description

The Vehicle File (.vveh) defines the main vehicle/chassis parameters like axles including RRCs, air resistance and masses.

The Vehicle Editor contains 3 tabs to edit all vehicle-related parameters. The ‘General’ tab allows to input mass, loading, air resistance, vehicle axles, etc. The ‘Powertrain’ allows to define the retarder, an optional angle drive, or PTO consumer. In the third tab the engine torque can be limited to a maximum for individual gears.

Relative File Paths

It is recommended to use relative filepaths. This way the Job File and all input files can be moved without having to update the paths. Example: “Demo\RT1.vrlm” points to the “Demo” subdirectory of the Vehicle File’s directoy.

VECTO automatically uses relative paths if the input file (e.g. Retarder Losses File) is in the same directory as the Vehicle File. (Note: The Vehicle File must be saved before browsing for input files.)

General vehicle parameters

Vehicle Category

Needed for Declaration Mode to identify the HDV Group.

Axle Configuration

Needed for Declaration Mode to identify the HDV Group.

Technically Permissible Maximum Laden Mass [t]

Needed for Declaration Mode to identify the HDV Group.

HDV Group

Displays the automatically selected HDV Group depending on the settings above.

Masses/Loading

Corrected Actual Curb Mass Vehicle

Specifies the vehicle’s mass without loading

Max. Loading displays a hint for the maximum possible loading for the selected vehicle depending on curb mass and TPMLM values (without taking into account the loading capacity of an additional trailer).

Note: VECTO uses the sum of Corrected Actual Curb Mass Vehicle, Curb Mass Extra Trailer/Body and Loading for calculation! The total mass is distributed to all defined axles according to the relative axle load share.

Air Resistance and Corss Wind Correction Options

The product of Drag Coefficient [-] and Cross Sectional Area [m²] (c_d x A) and Air Density [kg/m³] (see Settings) together with the vehicle speed defines the Air Resistance. Vecto uses the combined value c~d x A as input. Note that the Air Drag depends on the chosen Cross Wind Correction.

For cross wind correction four different options are available:

• No Correction: The specified CdxA value is used to compute the air drag, no cross-wind correction is applied
• Speed dependent (User-defined): The specified CdxA value is corrected depending on the vehicle’s speed.
• Speed dependent (Declaration Mode): A uniformly distributed cross-wind is assumed and used for correcting the air-drag depending on the vehicle’s speed
• Vair & Beta Input: Correction mode if the actual wind speed and wind angle relative to the vehicle have been measured.

Depending on the chosen mode either a Speed Dependent Cross Wind Correction Input File (.vcdv) or a Vair & Beta Cross Wind Correction Input File (.vcdb) must be defined. For details see Cross Wind Correction.

Dynamic Tyre Radius

In Engineering Mode this defines the effective (dynamic) wheel radius (in [mm]) used to calculate engine speed. In Declaration Mode the radius calculated automatically using tyres of the powered axle.

Axles/Wheels

For each axle the parameters Relative axle load, RRC_ISO and F_zISO have to be given in order to calculate the total Rolling Resistance Coefficient.

Doubleclick entries to edit existing axle configurations.

Retarder Losses

If a separate retarder is used in the vehicle a Retarder Torque Loss Map can be defined here to consider idling losses caused by the retarder.

Four options are available:

• No retarder
• Included in Transmission Loss Maps: Use this if the Transmission Loss Maps already include retarder losses.
• Primary Retarder (before gearbox): The rpm ratio is relative to the engine speed
• Secondary Retarder (after gearbox): The rpm ratio is relative to the cardan shaft speed

Both, primary and secondary retarders, require an Retarder Torque Loss Input File (.vrlm).

The Retarder Ratio defines the ratio between the engine speed/cardan shaft speed and the retarder.

Angledrive

If an angledrive is used in the vehicle, it can be defined here. Three options are available:

• None (default)
• Separate Angledrive: Use this if the angledrive is measured separately. In this case the ratio must be set and the Transmission Loss Map (or an Efficiency value in Engineering mode) must also be given.
• Included in transmission: Use this if the gearbox already includes the transmission losses for the angledrive in the respective transmission loss maps.

PTO Transmission

If the vehicle has an PTO consumer, a pto transmission and consumer can be defined here. (Only in Engineering Mode)

Three settings can be set:

• PTO Transmission: Here a transmission type can be chosen (adds constant load at all times).
• PTO Consumer Loss Map (.vptol): Here the PTO Idle Loss Map of the pto consumer can be defined (adds power demand when the pto cycle is not active).
• PTO Cycle (.vptoc): Defines the PTO Cycle which is used when the pto-cycle is activated (when the PTO-Flag in the driving cycle is set).

Torque Limits

In case that the gearbox’ maximum torque is lower than the engine’s maximum torque or to model certain features like Top-Torque (where in the highest gear more torque is available) it is possible to limit the engine’s maximum torque depending on the engaged gear. This can be entered in the torque limits tab.

ADAS

)

On the ADAS tab, the options for advanced driver assistant systems can be selected. See ADAS: Overspeed and ADAS Technologies

Controls

New file

Create a new empty .vveh file

Open existing file

Open an existing .vveh file

Save current file

Save file as…

Send current file to the VECTO Editor

Note: If the current file was opened via the VECTO Editor the file will be sent automatically when saved.

Save and close file

If necessary the file path in the VECTO Editor will be updated.

Cancel without saving

Description

The Engine File (.veng) defines all engine-related parameters and input files like Fuel Consumption Map and Full Load Curve.

Relative File Paths

It is recommended to use relative filepaths. This way the Job File and all input files can be moved without having to update the paths. Example: “Demo\FLD1.vfld” points to the “Demo” subdirectory of the Engine File’s directory.

VECTO automatically uses relative paths if the input file (e.g. FC Map) is in the same directory as the Engine File. Note: The Engine File must be saved before browsing for input files.)

Main Engine Parameters

Make and Model [text]

Free text defining the engine model, type, etc.

Idling Engine Speed [rpm]

Low idle, applied in simulation for vehicle standstill in neutral gear position.

Displacement [ccm]

Used in Declaration Mode to calculate inertia.

Fuel Type

Used to compute derived results such as fuel consumption in liters and CO2 values. This parameter influences the CO2-to-fuel ratio and fuel density. The actual values can be looked up in FuelTypes.csv.

Inertia including Flywheel [kgm²]

Inertia for rotating parts including engine flywheel. In Declaration Mode the inertia is calculated depending on the engine’s displacement and also accounts for the clutch’s inertia.

Full Load and Drag Curves

The Engine’s Full Load and Drag Curves (.vfld) limits the engine’s maximum torque and drag torque respectively The full-load curve must at least cover the engine-speed range from idling speed up to the speed where the power goes down to 70% of the maximum power. The input file (.vfld) file format is described here.

Fuel Consumption Map

The Fuel Consumption Map is used to calculate the base FC value. See Fuel Consumption Calculation for details.

The input file (.vmap) file format is described here.

WHTC Correction Factors

Dual Fuel Engines

If the engine is operated in dual-fuel mode, enabling the checkbox “Dual Fuel Engine” shows an additional tab for providing the fuel type, fuel consumption map, and fuelconsumption correction factors for the second fuel. For dual-fuel engines the result files (.vmod, .vsum, XML reports) contain the fuel consumption for each fuel separately and the total CO2 emissions.

Waste Heat Recovery

In case the engine is equipped with a waste heat recovery system (WHR) the WHR type can be selected in the lower right part of the window. For WHR systems that generate mechanlical power that is directly delivered to the engine’s crankshaft no further input is required - the WHR shall be considered in the fuel consumption map already. For WHR systems with electrical power output the generated electrical power needs to be provided in the Fuel Consumption Map of the primary fuel. For WHR systems with mechanical power output to the drivetrain the generated mechanical power needs to be provided in the Fuel Consumption Map of the primary fuel. The final fuel consumption is at the end corrected for the electric and mechanical energy generated by the WHR system (see fuel consumption correction) Similar correction factors as applied for the fuel consumption (WHR Correction factors) have to be provided for the WHR system. The weighting of these correction factors is the same as for the WHTC correction factors.

Chart Area

The Chart Area shows the fuel consumption map and the selected full load curve. The fuel consumption map of the primary fuel is plotted in red and if provided the secondary fuel is plotted in green.

Controls

New file

Create a new empty .veng file

Open existing file

Open an existing .veng file

Save current file

Save file as…

Send current file to the VECTO Editor

Note: If the current file was opened via the VECTO Editor the file will be sent automatically when saved.

Open file browser.

Open file (see File Open Command).

Save and close file

If necessary the file path in the VECTO Editor will be updated.

Cancel without saving

Description

The Gearbox File (.vgbx) defines alls gearbox-related input parameters like gear ratios and transmission loss maps. See Gear Shift Model for details.

Relative File Paths

It is recommended to use relative filepaths. This way the Job File and all input files can be moved without having to update the paths.
Example: “Gears\Gear1.vtlm” points to the “Gears” subdirectory of the Gearbox File’s directoy.

VECTO automatically uses relative paths if the input file (e.g. Shift Polygons File) is in the same directory as the Gearbox File. (The Gearbox File must be saved before browsing for input files.)

Main Gearbox Parameters

Make and Model

Free text defining the gearbox model, type, etc.

Transmission Type

Depending on the transmission type some options below are not available. The following types are available:

• MT: Manual Transmission
• AMT: Automated Manual Transmission
• AT-S: Automatic Transmission - Serial
• AT-P : Automatic Transmission - Power Split

Note: The types AT and Custom are not available in Declaration Mode.

For more details on the automatic transmission please see the AT-Model

Inertia [kgm²]

Rotational inertia of the gearbox (constant for all gears). (Engineering mode only)

Traction Interruption [s]

Interruption during gear shift event. (Engineering mode only)

Gears

Use the and buttons to add or remove gears from the vehicle. Doubleclick entries to edit existing gears.

• Gear “Axle” defines the ratio of the axle transmission / differential.
• “Ratio” defines the ratio between the output speed and input speed for the current gear. Must be greater than 0.
• “Loss Map or Efficiency” allows to define either a constant efficiency value or a loss map (.vtlm). Note: efficiency values are only allowed in engineering mode
• “Shift polygons” defines the Shift Polygons InputFile (.vgbs) for each gear. Not allowed in Declaration Mode. See GearShift Model for details.
• “Max Torque” defines the maximum allowed torque (if applicable) for ah gear. It is used for limiting the engine’s torque in certain gear. Note: in Declaration mode the generic shift polygons are computed from the engine’s full-load curve. If the maximum torque is limited by the gearbox, the minimum of the gearbox and engine maximum torque will be used to compute the generic shift polygons!

Gear shift strategy parameters

Since version Vecto 3.0.3 the gearshift polygon calculation according to the ACEA White Book 2016 is implemented and since Vecto 3.0.4 the ACEA White Book 2016 shift strategy for AMT and MT is implemented. The AT-S and AT-P strategies are implemented since Version 3.1.0. For details on this topic please see the ACEA White Book 2016.

Torque Converter

Torque converter characteristics file

Defines the Torque converter characteristics file containing the torque ratio and reference torque over the speed ratio.

Inertia [kgm²]

Rotational inertia of the engine-side part of the torque converter. (Gearbox-side inertia is not considered in VECTO.)

Reference RPM

Defines the reference speed at which the torque converter characteristics file was measured.

Max. Speed

Defines the maximum input speed the torque converter can handle.

Torque converter shift polygon

Defines the Shift Polygons InputFile (.vgbs) separately for the torque converter. For details on shifting from/to the torque converter gear please see AT Gear Shift Strategy.

Torque Converter: Minimal acceleration after upshift

Here the minimal achievable accelerations before upshifts can be defined.

Acc. for C->L [m/s²]

The minimal achievable acceleration for shifts from torque converter gear to locked gear.

Acc. for C->C [m/s²]

The minimal achievable acceleration for shifts from first torque converter gear to second torque converter gear (1C->2C)

Power shift losses

Shift time [s]

The shift time for powershift losses.

Inertia factor [-]

The inertia factor for powershift losses.

Chart Area

The Chart Area displays the Shift Polygons Input File(.vgbs) as well as the declaration mode shift polygons (dashed lines) for the selected gear.

Controls

New file

Create a new empty .vgbx file

Open existing file

Open an existing .vgbx file

Save current file

Save file as…

Send current file to the VECTO Editor

Note: If the current file was opened via the VECTO Editor the file will be sent automatically when saved.

Open file browser

Open file (see File Open Command).

Save and close file

If necessary the file path in the VECTO Editor will be updated.

Cancel without saving

Description

The Graph Window allows to visualise modal results files (.vmod). Multiple windows can be open at the same time to display different files.

Note that the graph does not update automatically if the results file has changed.

Channels

Use the and buttons to add or remove channels. Doubleclick entries to edit existing channels.

Each channel can be plotted either on the left or on the right Y Axis. Use the checkbox to disable channels in the graph.

X Axis Controls

The X Axis can either show distance or time.

Min, Max

Sets the range for the x axis.

Reset button

Reset the x axis range to display the complete cycle.

+, - buttons

Zoom in/out on the x axis.

<, > buttons

Move the x axis range left/right.

Controls

Open a .vmod file

Open a new Graph Window

Reload the currently open file

General Notes

• The order in which the arguments are provided is arbitrary.
• If a file path includes space characters (e.g. “C:\VECTO Test Files\Demo.vecto”) then double quotes have to be used (as in the picture above).
• If not the complete file path is defined (e.g. “file1.vecto” instead of “c:\data\file1.vecto”) then VECTO expects the file in the application directory (where vectocmd.exe is located).

Basic usage

    vectocmd.exe [-h] [-v] FILE1.(vecto|xml) [FILE2.(vecto|xml) ...]

List of command line arguments

• FILE1.vecto [FILE2.vecto …]: A list of vecto-job files (with the extension: .vecto). At least one file must be given. Delimited by whitespace.
• -t: output information about execution times
• -mod: write mod-data in addition to sum-data
• -eng: switch to engineering mode (implies -mod)
• -v: Shows verbose information (errors and warnings will be displayed)
• -vv: Shows more verbose information (infos will be displayed)
• -vvv: Shows debug messages (slow!)
• -vvvv: Shows all verbose information (everything, slow!)
• -V: show version information
• -h: Displays this help.

Requirements

• One or more checked job files in the Job List
• Each job file must include at least one driving cycle

Results

• Modal results (.vmod). One file for each vehicle/cycle combination. Modal results are only written if the modal output is enabled in the ‘Options’ tab on the Main Window
• Sum results (.vsum). One file for each invocation of VECTO.

Options

The Driving Cycle determines the simulation method in engineering mode. The option depends directly on the driving cycle input and cannot be set explicitely. For more information about the formats see Driving Cycles.

• Target speed, distance-based

  This option is the a target vehicle speed distance based cycle (like in Declaration Mode). With this option experiments can be made by the manufacturer.

• Measured speed, time-based

  Driving Mode where the actual speed from measurements is simulated.

• Measured speed with gear, time-based

  Driving Mode where the actual speed from measurements is simulated. Also defines the chosen gear.

• Pwheel (SiCo) Mode, time-based

  In Pwheel mode the measured power at the wheels is given, and the simulation takes that as input.

Note: Time-based driving cycles support arbitrary time steps. However, certain actions are simulated within a single simulation interval (e.g. closing the clutch after a gear switch) and may thus result in artefacts during the simulation due to engine inertia, gearbox inertia, etc. Thus the suggested minimum time interval for time-based cycles is 0.5s!

Requirements

• One or more checked job files in the Job List
• The job files don’t need to include driving cycles. These are automatically assigned.

Results

• Modal results (.vmod). One file for each vehicle/cycle/loading combination. Modal results are only written if the modal output is enabled in the ‘Options’ tab on the Main Window
• Sum results (.vsum). One file for each invocation of VECTO.
• Results (.xml). One file for each job.

Powertrain Values

The powertrain can be configured to represent different situations depending on the used retarder and gearbox configuration. The output values in the Modfile depict different points in the powertrain depending on the current configuration. Here are some schematic overviews which show the values and the position in the powertrain they represent:

• AMT Transmission Input Retarder
• AMT Transmission Output Retarder
• AT Transmission Input Retarder
• AT Transmission Output Retarder
• Axle

AMT Transmission Input Retarder