Integration of System-Level Design and Analysis Models of Mechatronic System Behavior Based on SysML and Simscape

Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) provides a new method for the design of mechatronic systems with increasing complexity. However, different from other complex systems, the behavior of mechatronic systems is characterized best in terms of continuous dynamics and therefore it is not easy for the designer to evaluate it based on static design models. In this study, a method for integrating system-level design and analysis models of mechatronic system behavior is presented. A set of stereotypes is defined based on the Simscape modeling language to support explicit modeling of continuous dynamics in SysML. Simulation models are then introduced into SysML to support analyzing the system dynamics behavior with the help of simulation in Simscape. Finally, the system dynamics model and simulation model in SysML are integrated with the analysis model in Simscape through a bidirectional model transformation based on a triple graph grammar (TGG). The model transformation facilitates automatic model consistency and traceability. Also, the system dynamics behavior can be simulated automatically for verification and validation. The proposed method is implemented and illustrated with a simple example.