A systems engineering approach for a dynamic co-simulation of a SysML tool and Matlab

Abstract

Industry is in a debate about the potential of the Systems Modeling Language (SysML). One part sees the advantage in development and project planning. The other part argues that the employment of SysML results in unnecessary additional work. The description of systems is still largely managed by the widely-used Microsoft Office software like Excel or PowerPoint. Indeed, this software has its limitations, especially when it comes to complex systems. Regarding SysML, the aim of this publication is to show the practical benefit and to open a further field of application. The cyclic coupling of SysML with a calculation software enables periodic data exchange in a flexible toolchain. This is a fundamental step, which leads to a new approach of systems development and domain collaboration. The SysML tool is intended to be the highest instance in the toolchain. A calculation software translates all the instructions coming from the highest instance into physical behavior, which can be simultaneously displayed with the aid of a visualization tool. As a significant result, an early validation of the behavior of a system under development can be performed with the aid of the overall model. In order to demonstrate this concept, a high-level simulation of a Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) serves as an example. Tests show that the SysML controlled TCAS simulation is a proper application to demonstrate the execution of important decisions. By means of the visualization, the TCAS behavior becomes transparent. The advantages of the dynamic co-simulation are particularly in the application of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) to heterogeneous complex systems.