Embedded Systems and Electrical Production

Critical Functions, Higher Performance

Pratt & Miller’s Electrical Production and Embedded Systems groups work hand in hand to ensure that every vehicle incorporates the latest technological advancements. Jonathan Nicols, head of Embedded Systems, believes this is the result of being involved even before standards are created.

“With advanced prototypes we work with many subsystems from different suppliers and many industries,” says Nicols. “We have to be very effective at making unique hardware sets function well together. Our supervisory control systems have to listen, arbitrate, and communicate critical high-level decisions to subsystems that have not worked together before. That’s vital in today’s complex prototype systems. As industry continues to push the limits of efficiency and performance, the ability to integrate highly optimized subsystems, and extract their maximum potential, is becoming more and more important and valuable.”

The Electrical Production group comprises designers and builders with extensive expertise in vehicle wiring systems. The work of these two groups results in Pratt & Miller products that are more efficiently integrated, and achieve higher performance, than the traditional design-then-control approach.

Pratt & Miller’s ability to integrate systems has led to the development of many types of systems. These include one of the largest damper valve test machines in the world, advanced electric vehicle concepts, active chassis and suspension systems, high performance ground vehicle mobility controllers, and a range of EV/ HEV supervisory control systems.

Electrical Systems

Electrical systems serve primary and vital vehicle functions. Pratt & Miller’s proficiency in these systems includes:

• high-voltage HEV/EV systems
• distributed solid state power management
• test instrumentation specification and data
• prototype wiring harnesses
• specialized circuitry and printed circuit boards.