Why is Model Advisor giving a range violation error when I'm using the saturation block?

In my R2020b Simulink model, I'm using a Saturation block to limit the value range of a signal. However, when I run the Model Advisor “Detect Specified Minimum and Maximum Value Violations” check, it returns an error about the block being out of range. Why do I get this error and how can I resolve it?

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

This error is returned because the “Detect Specified Minimum and Maximum Value Violations” check performs analysis on the signals between blocks in addition to the block outputs themselves, as described in the check’s documentation:https://www.mathworks.com/help/sldv/ug/check-for-specified-intermediate-minimum-and-maximum-signal-values.html

This means that the signal line leading to the saturation block, which does exceed the minimum and maximum values, is being evaluated in addition to the saturation block itself and the other signals in the model.

To resolve this issue, you can either A) "justify" the design error with a coverage filter, or B) disable this check within the model's Configuration Parameters.

1. To justify the design error, first follow the workflow described on the following documentation page to create a coverage filter file from the error report: https://www.mathworks.com/help/sldv/ug/exclude-and-justify-objectives-for-design-error-detection.html

Then, to apply this filter file each time you run Model Advisor checks, check the Design Verifier Configuration Parameter "Ignore objectives based on filter", and then supply the filter file to the parameter “Filter file”. Refer to the following documentation page for guidance on how to perform these last two steps either programmatically or graphically: https://www.mathworks.com/help/sldv/ug/design-verifier-pane-1.html#bs_s_gx-1   

2. To disable the check via the configuration parameters, you can use the graphical interface to uncheck the option for “Specified minimum and maximum value violations”, or you can use the command-line parameter as described on the following documentation page:  https://www.mathworks.com/help/sldv/ug/simulink-design-verifier-configuration-parameters.html

Note that disabling this check will stop the Model Advisor from checking that intermediate and output signals are within the range across the entirety of your model. If disabling this check will cause negative ramifications on your model analysis, this workaround may not be the best approach for you.