Model-Based Design
The increasing complexity of product features requires engineers to find efficient ways to address the design requirements in concurrent projects. In order to be able to simultaneously decrease development time, enhance quality and reduce costs, it is necessary to explore innovative methods and technologies.
EUtech offers software libraries, hardware equipment, starter kits and engineering service to meet these goals.
Modeling
- RCP and HiL environment
The design process of products can be substantially facilitated and improved by using Model-Based Design methods, especially if these offer Rapid Control Prototyping (RCP) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) simulation capabilities. For most engineers and scientists, working with a model of a physical system instead of an actual prototype provides a convenient way to experiment with various design and control ideas.
The philosophy is simple and straightforward: The engineer first develops the simulation models of the process ("plant") and designs the control system in a non-real-time environment. The communication device drivers (e.g. CAN bus) are part of the model. If the model's performance is satisfactory - which can be tested via Model-in-the-Loop simulation - either the process model, the control system model or both of them are transferred to the target system that allows to test these applications in real-time.
Rapid Control Prototyping
In Rapid Control Prototyping (RCP), the code for the controller is compiled, linked and run on a real-time target system, which can then be connected to a physical plant by using I/O devices. The real-time target system can then be installed to run with the real plant, be it an automobile, a fuel cell system, a chemical plant etc.
Hardware-in-the-Loop simulation
In many projects, hardware and software are developed in parallel. System integration and testing take place after the prototype hardware and most of the embedded codes have been completed. If problems are discovered at this stage, hardware rework, software redesign or workaround development must be done. These problems can be substantially reduced by using Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) simulation which enables embedded software testing at a much earlier stage of the development process, when the correction of errors is easier and less expensive. The design engineer tests the embedded software against a real-time dynamic environment without the expense, risk or impracticality associated with a test of the real plant. The software can even be designed and tested without the hardware being available.
Enabling technologies
By using enabling technologies that offer a fully integrated end-to-end design environment such as The MathWorks® Simulink® and xPC suite of products, the development effort can be substantially reduced. xPC Target provides a high-performance, host-target prototyping environment that connects Simulink® and Stateflow models to physical systems and executes them in real time on PC compatible hardware. I/O interface blocks are added to the models, the code is automatically generated with Real-Time Workshop and Stateflow Coder and downloaded to a second PC running the xPC Target real-time kernel.
By using enabling technologies that offer a fully integrated end-to-end design environment such as The MathWorks®Simulink® and xPC suite of products, the development effort can be substantially reduced. xPC Target provides a high-performance, host-target prototyping environment that connects Simulink® and Stateflow models to physical systems and executes them in real-time on PC compatible hardware. I/O interface blocks are added to the models, the code is automatically generated with Real-Time Workshop and Stateflow Coder and downloaded to a second PC running the xPC Target real-time kernel.
Procedure
- First build a dynamic model of the plant with Simulink® and Stateflow. Simulate, analyze and optimize the plant.
- Design and model the system control and test it against the plant model.
- Automatically generate C-code from the models.
- Download the generated code from the host PC to the target PC with xPC Target real-time kernel.
- Validate your system by using rapid prototyping or hardware-in-the-loop simulation.
