| Version 4.0 (R12) Simulink® Software Release Notes | |
This table summarizes what's new in V4.0 (R12):
| New Features and Changes | Version Compatibility Considerations | Fixed Bugs and Known Problems | Related Documentation at Web Site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes Details below | Yes—Details labeled as Compatibility Considerations, below. See also Summary. | No | No |
New features and changes introduced in this version are organized by these topics:
This section describes enhancements to the Simulink® Editor.
The Simulink Preferences dialog box allows you to specify default settings for many options (see Simulink® Preferences Window in the Simulink documentation).
Simulink 4.0 allows you to choose various alignments for annotation text. To choose an alignment for an annotation, select the annotation and then select Text Alignment from the editor menu bar or context (right-click) menu (see Annotating Diagrams ).
The UNIX® version of Simulink 4.0 now has context menus for block diagrams. Click the right button on your mouse to display the menu.
Simulink 4.0 optionally displays an arrow in each block that represents a library link in a model. Simulink 4.0 also allows you to modify a link in a model and propagate the changes back to the library (see Modifying Reference Blocks in the Simulink documentation).
Note Simulink software displays "Parameterized Link" on the parameter dialog box of a masked subsystem whose parameters differ from the library reference block to which the masked subsystem is linked. This feature, which is not documented in the Simulink documentation, allows you to determine quickly whether a library link differs from its reference. |
The Find dialog box enables you to search Simulink models and Stateflow® charts for objects that satisfy specified search criteria. You can use the dialog box to find annotations, blocks, signals, states, state transitions, etc. To invoke the Find dialog, select Find from the Simulink Edit menu (see The Finder).
The Model Browser's toolbar includes the following new buttons:
Show Library Links
Shows library links as nodes in the browser tree.
Look Under Masks
Shows the contents of masked blocks as nodes in the browser tree.
Simulink software now provides two modes for opening subsystems. In multiwindow mode, Simulink software opens each subsystem in a new window. In single-window mode, Simulink software closes the parent and opens the subsystem (see "Window Reuse" in Using Simulink).
Simulink 4.0 provides the following new keyboard shortcuts.
Key | Action |
|---|---|
Tab | Selects the next block in the block diagram. |
Shift+Tab | Selects the previous block in the block diagram. |
Ctrl+Tab | Cycles between the browser tree pane and the diagram pane when the model browser is enabled. |
Enter | Opens the currently selected subsystem. |
Esc | Opens the parent of the current subsystem. |
The Library Browser incorporates the following new features:
Blocks no longer appear as browser tree nodes. Instead, they appear as icons in the preview pane.
The preview pane has moved from beneath the library tree pane to beside the tree pane. You can create instances of blocks displayed in the preview pane by dragging them from the preview pane and dropping them in a model.
Splitter bars now divide the browser's panes, allowing the panes to be independently resized.
Double-clicking a block's icon opens the block's parameter dialog box with all fields disabled. This allows you to inspect, but not modify, a library block's parameters.
Double-clicking a library block opens the library in the preview pane.
You can now insert a block in the topmost model on your screen by right-clicking the block in the preview pane and selecting Insert in... from the context menu that appears. If no model is open or the topmost model is a locked library, the Library Browser offers to create a model in which to insert the block.
The browser now contains a menu with File, Edit, and Help options.
The block help text pane has moved from the bottom of the Library Browser to the top.
Selecting Find from the Library Browser's Edit menu displays a modeless Find dialog box.
The browser's search feature is much faster and supports regular expressions.
Simulink 4.0 adds a Help menu to the menu bar on model and library windows. The help item on a block context menu displays a help page for the block. The help item on the model context menu displays the first page of the Simulinkdocumentation.
This release extends the ability of Simulink software to resolve references to variables in masked subsystems. Previously Simulink software could resolve references only to variables in a block's local workspace. With this release, Simulink software will resolve references to variables located anywhere within the workspace hierarchy containing the block (see "The Mask Workspace" in Using Simulink).
Note In some cases, hierarchical scoping will cause some models to behave differently in the current release than in previous releases of Simulink software. |
Many Simulink blocks can now accept or output matrix signals. A matrix signal is a two-dimensional array of signal elements represented by a matrix. Each matrix element represents the value of the corresponding signal element at the current time step. In addition to matrix signals, Simulink software also supports scalar (dimensionless) signals and vector signals (one-dimensional arrays of signals). Simulink software can optionally thicken (select Wide Lines from the Format menu) and display the dimensions of lines (select Line Dimensions from the Format menu) that carry vector or matrix signals. When you select the Line Dimensions option, Simulink software displays a label of the form [r x c] above a matrix signal line, where r is the number of rows and c is the number of columns. For example, the label [2 x 3] indicates that the line carries a two-row by three-column matrix signal.
You can use Simulink source blocks, such as a Sine Wave or a Constant block, to generate matrix signals. For example, to create a time-invariant matrix signal, insert a Constant block in your model and set its Constant Value parameter to any MATLAB® expression that evaluates to a matrix, e.g., [1 2; 3 4], that represents the desired signal. See "Working with Signals" in the Simulink documentation for more information.
Simulink data objects allow a model to capture user-defined information about parameters and signals, such as minimum and maximum values, units, and so on (see "Working with Data Objects" in the Simulink documentation).
Simulink software now optionally displays the execution order of each block on the model's block diagram (see "Displaying Block Execution Order" in the Simulink documentation).
This section describes enhancements to the Simulink debugger.
Simulink 4.0 introduces a graphical user interface (GUI) for the Simulink Debugger. For more information, see "Simulink Debugger" in the Simulink documentation.
This section describes enhancements to the Simulink block libraries.
The Product block now supports both element-by-element and matrix multiplication and inversion of inputs. The block's parameter dialog includes a new Multiplication parameter that allows you to specify whether the block should multiply or invert inputs element-by-element or matrix-by-matrix.
The Gain block now supports matrix as well as element-wise multiplication of the input signal by a gain factor. Both input signals and gain factors can be matrices. The block's parameter dialog includes a new Multiplication parameter that allows you to choose the following options:
K.*u (element-wise product)
K*u (matrix product with the gain as the left operand)
u*K (matrix product with the gain as the right operand)
The Math Function block adds two new matrix-specific functions: transpose and Hermitian. The first function outputs the transpose of the input matrix. The second function outputs the complex conjugate transpose (Hermitian) of the input matrix.
Simulink 4.0 introduces the Reshape block, which changes the dimensionality of its input signals, based on an Output dimensionality parameter that you specify. For example, the block can change an n-element vector to a 1-by-N or N-by-1 matrix signal and vice versa. You can find the Reshape block in the Simulink Signals & Systems library.
The Simulink Mux, Demux, and Bus Selector blocks have been enhanced to support multiplexing of matrix signals.
Simulink 4.0 adds a Number of iterations parameter to the Function Call Generator block. This parameter allows you to specify the number of times the target block is called per time step.
The Probe block now optionally outputs the dimensionality of the signal connected to its input.
The Configurable Subsystem block has been reimplemented to make it easier to use. The configurable subsystem block now has a Blocks menu that allows you to choose which block the subsystem represents. To display the menu, select the configurable subsystem and then Blocks from the Simulink editor's Edit or context (right click) menu.
This release provides four new Look-Up Table (LUT) blocks.
PreLookup Index Search (Obsolete)
Interpolation (n-D) Using PreLookup (Obsolete)
The blocks reside in the Simulink Functions and Tables block library.
The Polynomial block outputs a polynomial function of its input. The block resides in the Simulink Functions and Tables block library.
The Signal Specification block allows you to specify the attributes that the input signal must satisfy. If the input signal does not meet the specification, the block generates an error.
Simulink software now supports S-functions coded in ADA. See "Creating Ada S-Functions" in Writing S-Functions for more information.
The Bitwise Operator block is a new block that logically masks, inverts, or shifts the bits of an unsigned integer signal. See the online Simulink documentation for details.
Simulink 4.0 allows you to designate subsystems as atomic as opposed to virtual. An atomic subsystem is a true subsystem. When simulating a model, Simulink software executes all blocks contained by an atomic subsystem block before executing the next block of the containing model (or atomic subsystem).
By declaring a subsystem atomic, you guarantee that Simulink software completes execution of the subsystem before executing any other blocks at the same level in the model hierarchy. See "Atomic Subsystems" in Using Simulink for more information.
Note Conditionally executed subsystems are inherently atomic. Simulink software does not allow you to specify them as atomic or virtual. |
SB2SL, which is included as part of the Simulink product, allows you to translate SystemBuild SuperBlocks to Simulink models.
For Release 12, SB2SL 2.1 has been enhanced to provide more complete support for use with Real-Time Workshop®software. If you use Real-Time Workshop software version 4.0 to generate code for models you have converted from SystemBuild to Simulink software (using SB2SL), then code is generated for most translated blocks in the model.
The blocks that do not support code generation through Real-Time Workshopsoftware version 4.0 are:
ConditionBlock
Decoder
Encoder
GainScheduler
Interp Table (Archive library)
ShiftRegister
In the current release, a port's name property refers to the port's (and line's) name, which, in the current release, can differ from the line's label.
In previous releases, the name property of ports and lines referred to the label of the line connected to the port. If you need to get the line's label, invoke
get_param(p, 'label')
where p is the handle of the port.
| Version 4.1 (R12+) Simulink® Software | Compatibility and Limitations Summary for Simulink® Software | |
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