Model-based design in action
Arend-Jan Beltman, manager of the mechatronics department at the Centre for Concepts in Mechatronics, says solving design challenges in its specialty area of mechatronics without a model-based design approach would be unthinkable, given the complexities. This development approach commands more up-front work in terms of understanding the design problem and building the model, but it is a huge time saver in the end, because the model helps the team understand what is going on. "You start modeling the expected problem with the tools, and through the model, you gain insight, and you can experiment to clarify your insights and iterate the design."
Take, for example, a project the CCM completed for Agfa, which acquired the :Dotrix Modular printer brand and needed to make some design adjustments to improve the printer's repeatability. The team had determined that tension on the substrate, or printing material, caused it to stretch, triggering a misalignment in the firing mechanism of the ink jet head, which reduced precision. Operators couldn't tune the force control properties, so the team turned to The MathWorks' Simulink and Simulink Coder to design, develop, and deploy a control system that would address this issue.
The nonlinear dynamics of the substrate path were modeled in Simulink, and CCM engineers then developed controllers using their own design tools. Simulink came back into play for simulating and refining the control strategy, and Simulink Coder was tapped to generate C code automatically for the controller.
Beltman says that Simulink's automatic code generation capabilities were a big factor in accelerating development time for this project. "In the conventional way, the software engineer would need to translate the idea of the control engineer into software code, but in this case, the control engineer also creates the software code using the Simulink Coder. It saves resources, it saves communications, and it lets the software department focus on other things like user interface design."
Dr. Rudiger Neumann, head of research mechatronic systems at Festo AG, says the model-based design approach also goes a long way in streamlining the trial-and-error process that so often derails engineering projects.
Festo, which builds robots out of pneumatic drives, would not be able to optimize its controller designs efficiently for complicated systems by building and testing them on physical hardware, according to Neumann. "You can't do design in a systematic way," he says, because a movement would be developed and tested, and then hardware would have to be constructed to test the controller model. If a problem were encountered, the process would start anew, with the movement modified and the hardware redesigned to continue optimizing the controller design. "Nowadays, by testing on the model and then building the hardware, you can use the model for controller design before you even design the hardware."
Beth, Excellent article. This approach has a ton of potential for transforming the way that automation/machinery is developed, designed and deployed. It will be interesting to see how this area develops with control vendors. There are some solutions in the marketplace now but this will require different planning and thinking in terms of the machinery development process to gain traction. Interesting.
Thanks Al. I could totally see how this design approach could have huge ramifications for easing the development burden around automation and controls machinery given the high content of software and the complex movements. From all accounts, it's a learning process, however, and a very different development approach than traditional engineering workflows. There is definitely a commitment required to get training for engineers, not just on the tools and software, but on the modeling work itself and how to best adapt it into design processes.
Festo makes an excellent point here, and there are many, many other embedded developed who have the same dilemma: It's often difficult to optimize controller designs by building and testing on physical hardware. This article is going to be a keeper for many embedded developers.
Beth, model based designing and prototyping are very important mile stones in any of the defence and avionic projects. Math lab and simulink are two major software's used for simulation purpose in engineering background. In most of the prototyping projects, spiral models are followed where blocks are building over the existing one in an incremental form.
@Mydesign: You are right--the process is a major milestone, particularly in those industries where embedded systems lie at the heart of system designs. Beyond MATLAB and Simulink, any other tools that you are familiar with that are giving developers a jump on model-based design processes?
Nice post!! It gave the knowledge if how the equipments are developed. Model based designed is an aproach to eveolve a platform for communicating through the entire design process in process of development cycle. The development is carried out through development of a plant, developing a device to control a plant, simulate the device for plant and the plant itself, and lastly intergrating all these.
I think that Al is seeing an emerging trend by industrial automation suppliers to support Model-Based Design. Besides FESTO, B&R Automation, Beckhoff Automation, and Bachmann Electronics all have targets that accept ANSI C-code generated from Simulink models. Siemens, too, offers a means to port C-code to a PC-based controller. This connectivity helps machine builders perform control system design using simulation and implement on their controllers.
MapleSim, from Maplesoft, is a model-based design tool built on a foundation of symbolic computation technology. It handles all of the complex mathematics involved in the development of engineering models, including multi-domain systems, plant modeling, and control design. It is the only comprehensive modeling system built within a natively symbolic framework. Therefore, not only does it save model development time from months to days, but also avoids some of the worst sources of error and computational inefficiencies generated by traditional, numeric-based modeling tools. Leading automotive and aerospace manufacturers, electronics system designers and high-end robotic design engineers are using MapleSim in their work. You can read more about it here: www.maplesim.com
Responding to Tony, I don't think there is any question but that modelling and simulation can be tremendous assets in developing better and more efficient automation control solutions. The key is that it will require a different way of thinking from the past, and probably experimenting with software solutions and sample projects for engineers to get comfortable. Getting past the questions of whether it will be worth it is important, especially since many companies already have their systems modelled already. Good stuff.
One of the big advantage of model-based design centers on breaking the "toss it over the wall" mentality that companies have had for years. Various departments, from marketing down to production had "walls" that blocked communications and thus caused problems. Design changes sometimes got misinterpreted due to lack of proper documentation and lack of regulat communications. By clearly defining system requirements at the start and giving everyone access to them, model-based design techniques help companies complete designs faster and with fewer problems. And because engineers can actually execute the models, they see how circuits, mechanics, and software work together before they build anything.
But, model-based design requires a large commitment of time, talent, and loot and a company that wants to make the jump needs an evangelist who can "sell" others on the virtues and benefits of this approach to designs. Not all engineers will want to jump on the bandwagon, though.
Laura Sapiens' Ego! Smartmouse offers users a unique interactive experience by providing 2D and 3D connectivity, hardware identity authentication, data storage, and more.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
1 
