The first autos with microprocessor-controlled actions were rolled off the General Motors line in the late 1970s. Vehicular innovation given that then has come mostly from the use of these electronic control units. Because electronic control units have a hand in controlling almost everything in modern automobiles, understanding how they work is important.
Article Source: The basics of electronic controls in your car By Car Deal Expert
What an electronic control unit does
Simply put, an electronic control unit is a microprocessor with a specific purpose. An individual ECU is typically coded for just one purpose. An airbag is controlled by an ECU, while another regulates radio volume. An ECU is typically connected to a range of sensors that provide them with the data they have to crunch. You will find up to 50,000 lines of code that each processor uses to know how to proceed with the data.
The good things about an ECU
The three things that an ECU is used for most often are to make a automobile perform a lot more consistently, a lot more efficiently, or a lot more very easily. Spark plugs and fuel systems are usually electronically controlled, ensuring that fuel is wasted as little as possible. Electronic control sensors also help airbags deploy at the right time and with the right force. ECU sensors are put into hybrid autos at about twice the density of usual, because hybrids rely so heavily on computer calculations for efficiency.
Why ECUs are not always great
Over half of the time and energy put into developing a new car is typically put to the electronics. It isn’t surprising, then, the that electronics in a car also represent 15 to 40 percent of the cost of a automobile. Just the software development costs for a premium car can run over one billion dollars. Electronic control units also present a danger of hacking . A car without electronic controls could be difficult to discover and keep running, nevertheless – you would have to discover a car built before the 1970s.
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