System Modeling and Analysis

SystemVision for Embedded

Mechatronic Systems:
An Overview

Tom Egel
Mentor Graphics

w w w. m e n t o r. c o m / s y s t e m v i s i o n
ABSTRACT
The low cost of microcontrollers makes them increas-
ingly popular for electronic control of a wide range of
embedded systems. An embedded mixed-signal or
mechatronic system is one that uses a microcontroller
to control some physical aspect of the system such as
motion, speed, temperature, and so forth. The added
dimension of software presents a significant challenge
to the design, integration and verification of this class
of systems.
This paper provides an overview of how SystemVision
by Mentor Graphics can be used for the design and
verification of embedded mechatronic systems.
SystemVision utilizes the IEEE standard VHDL-AMS
language as the key technology for describing the
behavior of the physical hardware along with the con-
trolling software algorithm. The resulting unified sys-
tem model provides invaluable insight to the system
engineer throughout the design process
Using SystemVision with VHDL-AMS, the engineer-
ing team can graphically create a virtual system proto-
type by interconnecting the various subsystem compo-
nent models. The resulting system model can then be
exercised at successive stages in the design process to
determine if the system specifications are being met.
EMBEDDED MECHATRONIC SYSTEM
DESIGN CHALLENGE
The challenge of embedded mechatronic system design is
the need to control the behavior of components contain-
ing heterogeneous technologies. A typical embedded
mechatronic system is depicted in Figure 1.

INTRODUCTION
As mechatronic system requirements become more Figure 1: Embedded mechatronic system
complex and demanding, the use of microcontrollers
These systems exist in many forms ranging from auto-
for more precise control continues to increase.
motive subsystems to industrial controls to consumer
Current system integration methods rely on the avail-
appliances. Common to each are sensors that convert
ability of the physical hardware and occur very late in
physical quantities to electronic signals, a microcon-
the design cycle. Any problems that arise at this time
troller for digital processing and actuators that produce
often result in expensive design or schedule changes.
a physical output from the processed information. The
Having a system model that incorporates both the
microcontroller adds the dimension of software into
hardware and software allows virtual system integra-
the overall system design process. Coordinating the
tion to occur well before the physical hardware is
development of hardware and software is a major chal-
available.
lenge to embedded mechatronic system design.

SystemVision by Mentor Graphics provides a hard-

SystemVision with VHDL-AMS is capable of model-
ware/software (HW/SW) co-verification environment
ing all aspects of embedded mechatronic systems rang-
for embedded mechatronic systems. The IEEE stan-
ing from physical hardware to the digital control algo-
dard VHDL-AMS language provides the mechanism
rithm and processor.
to combine the various technologies within embedded
mechatronic systems into a complete system model.

System Modeling and Analysis 1

HARDWARE MODELING WITH VHDL-AMS
To be useful for the design, integration and verification
of embedded mechatronic systems, a modeling lan-
guage must provide constructs to accommodate the
wide array of technologies present. In addition, it
must support both top-down design and bottom-up
verification methods. For system simulation to be
effective, detailed device models must co-exist with
high-level abstract models.
The ability to combine modeling abstractions within a
single system model is one of the strengths of the
VHDL-AMS language. In addition, the multi-technol-
ogy constructs in VHDL-AMS provide the ability to
model analog and digital electronics interacting with
non-electrical components in a complete system
model. The following sections briefly describe how
the VHDL-AMS language addresses the various
aspects of hardware modeling with the power and flex-
ibility needed to solve complex system design and
analysis tasks.
HIGH-LEVEL MODELING
In the early stages of a top-down design process, high-
level modeling techniques can provide useful insight
into the overall system performance. Signal flow or
transfer function modeling techniques are used to
describe the system at a purely mathematical level.
This method is useful for examining system perform-
ance issues like stability and for exploring compensa-
tion alternatives. VHDL-AMS provides constructs to
create transfer function models in both the s-domain
and z-domain.
ANALOG, DIGITAL AND MIXED-SIGNAL MODELING
In a typical embedded mechatronic system, the elec-
tronic hardware is often a combination of analog and
digital circuitry, each of which requires significantly
different modeling techniques. Analog quantities are
continuous in time and can take on any value while
digital signals are discrete in time and are typically
2 System Modeling and Analysis
limited to an enumerated set of values (i.e. 0, 1, X, Z).
VHDL is a well-established digital hardware descrip-
tion language fully capable of modeling all aspects of
digital electronics. The AMS extensions incorporate
the necessary analog constructs making VHDL-AMS
the unifying glue that links these distinctly different
domains. This is a crucial requirement when modeling
embedded mechatronic systems.
MIXED-TECHNOLOGY MODELING
To fully understand an embedded mechatronic system,
the non-electrical effects of the sensors, actuators and
plant must be considered. The successful conversion
of physical quantities into electrical signals (and vice
versa) involves having a full understanding of the
interaction between these technologies. Only with
accurate models of these non-electrical devices com-
bined with the electronics entirely in a closed loop sys-
tem can proper analysis be achieved. Using VHDL-
AMS, system integration can begin before physical
hardware is available by creating a system model that
incorporates a combination of the technologies pres-
ent. This may include the mechanical, magnetic,
hydraulic, thermal effects or any other domain that can
be described using algebraic or differential equations.
MODEL ABSTRACTIONS
A key requirement for effective system modeling is
the ability to describe the components at multiple lev-
els of abstraction. This is particularly useful for top-
down design methods where the detail is added as the
system design progresses. VHDL-AMS provides a
flexible modeling environment allowing the engineer
to focus on the details of a specific part of the system,
include it in the context of the overall system design,
and optimize the overall system simulation speed and
accuracy.
As mentioned earlier, block diagram or signal flow
methods are often used early in the design definition
process to describe major aspects of the system. These digitally based on the software algorithm stored in
models typically have inputs and outputs and data flow memory.
that is unidirectional. Conservative modeling tech-
Desired Setting
niques apply the laws of conservation at the connec-
tion points between models resulting in a more hard- Digital Control Algorithm

ware-oriented approach to modeling.

Analog / Digital DSP Algorithm
Converter (processor, MHz)
Analog feedback Digital output
The ability to combine both modeling techniques with- From To
Sensor Actuator
in a single system model is a key strength of the
VHDL-AMS language. It is uniquely positioned to Sampling
Control
Memory
(History)
address the hardware modeling needs of engineers (timer, KHz)

designing today's complex mechatronic systems. Implemented via software on

VHDL-AMS provides the ability to use block diagram
methods for high-level modeling while selectively sub-
stituting physical hardware models as desired.
Additionally, higher-level models can be incorporated
when using VHDL-AMS for bottom-up verification to
optimize the simulation speed and accuracy. Also
known as "checkerboard verification", this is only pos-
sible with a modeling language capable of both signal
flow and conservative modeling.
MODELING THE MICROCONTROLLER
AND ALGORITHM
In an embedded mechatronic system, the digital con-
trol algorithm is typically implemented in software and
targeted for a specific processor or microcontroller.
The ability to model this algorithm at different levels
of abstraction is a critical element of a systematic
design methodology. The virtual integration of hard-
ware and software in a complete system model is the
key to HW/SW co-verification of an embedded
mechatronic system.
MODELING ABSTRACTIONS
The basic structure of a digital control algorithm is
shown in Figure 2. In an embedded mechatronic sys-
tem, the analog feedback from the sensor is sampled
and converted to a digital word by the A/D converter.
The processor receives this information, compares it to
some internal or external reference and manipulates it
a microcontroller
C-code
Figure 2: Digital control algorithm
The digital VHDL language provides numerous ways
to model the control algorithm. This includes an algo-
rithmic model in C or VHDL, an instruction set model,
and even a gate-level RTL model. An even further
level of verification could be devised by running the C
code on the physical processor communicating with
simulation models of the rest of the system. The abili-
ty to perform a logical progression of successive veri-
fication steps allows the appropriate amount of detail
to be included in the microprocessor model as the sys-
tem design progresses. More importantly, with
SystemVision, these software models enable hardware
and software to be developed in parallel throughout
the design process.
HW/SW DESIGN METHODOLOGY
A significant challenge in designing embedded mecha-
tronic systems is the integration of the hardware and
software. In the absence of HW/SW co-verification
tools, the software and various hardware design teams
must work in isolation with minimal communication.
Software design involves developing a control algo-

System Modeling and Analysis 3

rithm based on the system performance specification,
coding this in a high-level language, converting to
assembly code, and compiling on a target processor.
The hardware design as described above involves a
mix of technologies and is also evolving until it is
merged with the software during system integration.
As a result, the true system operation is not known
until the first physical prototype is built. System inte-
gration at this late stage in the design cycle often
results in problems due to unanticipated interactions
between the hardware and software. Software delays
can affect system stability, and hardware tolerance
stackups can affect the signal delivery and system per-
formance. The microcontroller and algorithm models
mentioned in the previous section enable a methodolo-
gy for debugging and verifying the software within the
context of the hardware at each phase of the system
design. These techniques enable an engineer to suc-
cessively verify the design, allowing the engineering
team to confirm system performance at critical stages
of the design process. The simplified "V" diagram in
Figure 3 can be used to illustrate how to apply these
techniques throughout the design cycle.
Specify Validate
Design Verify
Implement
Figure 3: “V” diagram
As the design definition progresses toward imple-
mentation, more detailed models can be utilized to
ensure proper functionality. After implementation,
the system model is used to verify the design per-
formance and validate it against the original specifi-
4 System Modeling and Analysis
cation. The typical design cycle is much more
detailed, usually involving several design iterations
and even ranges beyond final certification into
release of design updates.
SystemVision can be used throughout the design
process as a virtual system integration solution for
embedded mechatronic systems. The solution can
be used to successively verify the software control
algorithm as the system design progresses and as
hardware changes occur. This approach provides a
structured method of ensuring successful system
integration well before the prototype stage.
SUMMARY
This paper has presented an overview of the capabili-
ties of SystemVision with VHDL-AMS for embedded
mechatronic system design and verification. The com-
bination of software used to control heterogeneous
hardware in this class of systems presents a unique set
of challenges for the engineering team. A successful
design depends on an understanding of how these
technologies interact within the context-complete sys-
tem. These interactions are often not fully realized
until the system prototype stage. Unfortunately, prob-
lems uncovered this late can be difficult and costly to
correct. The VHDL-AMS modeling language pro-
vides a unifying technology for the design and integra-
tion of all aspects of embedded mechatronic systems.
The power and flexibility of VHDL-AMS make it suit-
able for designing mechatronic systems using block
diagram methods or circuit simulation techniques and
for both top-down design and bottom-up verification.
REFERENCES
[1] T.R. Egel, N.J. Elias, "Using VHDL-AMS as a
Unifying Technology for HW/SW Co-Verification of
Embedded Mechatronic Systems", SAE 2004 World
Congress.
[2] N.J. Elias, "Instruction Set Modeling of Micro-
Controllers for Power Converter Simulation", APEC
2003.
[3] P.J. Ashenden, G.D. Peterson, D.A. Teegarden,
"The System Designer's Guide to VHDL-AMS",
Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2002.
[4] Cooper, R. S., "The Designer's Guide to Analog
and Mixed-Signal Modeling", Avant! Corp, 2001
Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2002.

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