Control Design

Control Design Description Topics

• Model-Based Design
• Modeling and Simulation
• Control System Software Design
• Embedded Software Testing and Implementation

Model-Based Design

Designers of embedded control system software face difficult challenges. In addition to the need to complete projects at low cost and within tight schedules, embedded control system software designers must provide predictable performance and competitive features for the products they deliver. Traditional methods of designing, testing, and implementing embedded control systems cause designers to wait until late in the design effort, when actual or prototype products and real-time embedded targets become available, to find out if software really works as it was intended to. Only then, as system integration occurs, can the designer uncover the errors that may have found their way into the product during the early design stages.

Model-Based Design with MathWorks tools provides a proven technique for creating embedded control systems. It is used today for satellites, aircraft, and many other aerospace applications, in the automotive industry, and for process control, computer peripherals and industrial machinery. Through Model-Based Design, embedded control system design teams can begin evaluating software designs without using prototype products and real-time targets. The MathWorks environment for Model-Based Design allows engineers to mathematically model the behavior of the physical system, design the software and model its behavior, and then simulate the entire system model to accurately predict and optimize performance. The system model becomes a specification from which you can automatically generate real-time software for testing, prototyping, and embedded implementation, thus avoiding manual effort and reducing the potential for errors.

Model-Based Design for embedded control system software. Simulation verifies that the design produces the correct results before hardware and software are created. Click on image to see enlarged view.

The MathWorks products for Model-Based Design provide a visual, interactive environment in which to build, manage, and simulate the model. The graphical, hierarchical nature of this environment lets embedded control system software design teams functionally model, accurately document, and effectively communicate their designs, reducing the risk of misinterpretation or misunderstanding. Changes or corrections to the system requirements and specifications are easily incorporated into the model, fully evaluated by simulation, and automatically reflected in the final real-time embedded software.

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