A Generic Interface for x-in-the-Loop Simulations Based on Distributed Co-Simulation Protocol
Co-simulation is a key step in the development of today’s complex cyber-physical systems (CPS), specially in the integration and validation activities. However, performing a co-simulation involving models developed in different environments and possibly deployed in different platforms wit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IEEE
2023-01-01
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| Series: | IEEE Access |
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| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10017246/ |
| _version_ | 1797902248104165376 |
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| author | Mikel Segura Tomaso Poggi Rafael Barcena |
| author_facet | Mikel Segura Tomaso Poggi Rafael Barcena |
| author_sort | Mikel Segura |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Co-simulation is a key step in the development of today’s complex cyber-physical systems (CPS), specially in the integration and validation activities. However, performing a co-simulation involving models developed in different environments and possibly deployed in different platforms with mixed real-time and non real-time constraints is a challenging engineering task. A promising technology that could help overcome communication and synchronisation difficulties is the non-proprietary standard Distributed Co-simulation Protocol (DCP). This standard defines an application-level communication protocol, independent of the platform and the communication medium, that regulates the exchange of information between the co-simulation entities. This paper presents a co-simulation interface based on the DCP standard. It offers a novel approach to apply the DCP standard. Instead of using it as a model encapsulation mechanism, having to develop an specific DCP slave for each application, it is proposed to use it as a generic co-simulation interface. To this end, a Simulink library has been developed, allowing to connect models developed in Simulink with the outside world in an standardised way. Moreover, by exploiting the code generation potential of Simulink, a wide variety of devices become accessible, thus enabling x-in-the-loop simulations, which are commonly used tests in the verification and validation process of CPSs. This library has been tested in a soft real-time co-simulation application between a Simulink instance and an application running on a Xilinx Zynq Ultrascale+ System-on-Chip. As an additional contribution, an analysis of DCP synchronisation problems when simulating closed-loop systems composed of two slaves is performed. Finding that the main causes are the occurrence of random delays and that the simulations of the two slaves start at an arbitrary time. A possible solution to this problem is also presented. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T09:14:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c4a6424f2f0e40aeac3b6dd20f9b826b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2169-3536 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T09:14:41Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IEEE Access |
| spelling | doaj.art-c4a6424f2f0e40aeac3b6dd20f9b826b2023-02-21T00:02:15ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362023-01-01115578559510.1109/ACCESS.2023.323707510017246A Generic Interface for x-in-the-Loop Simulations Based on Distributed Co-Simulation ProtocolMikel Segura0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8782-5464Tomaso Poggi1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3649-253XRafael Barcena2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0799-5675Embedded Systems Group, IKERLAN, Arrasate, Basque Country, SpainMondragon Unibertsitatea, Arrasate, Basque Country, SpainDepartment of Electronic Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), Bilbao, Basque Country, SpainCo-simulation is a key step in the development of today’s complex cyber-physical systems (CPS), specially in the integration and validation activities. However, performing a co-simulation involving models developed in different environments and possibly deployed in different platforms with mixed real-time and non real-time constraints is a challenging engineering task. A promising technology that could help overcome communication and synchronisation difficulties is the non-proprietary standard Distributed Co-simulation Protocol (DCP). This standard defines an application-level communication protocol, independent of the platform and the communication medium, that regulates the exchange of information between the co-simulation entities. This paper presents a co-simulation interface based on the DCP standard. It offers a novel approach to apply the DCP standard. Instead of using it as a model encapsulation mechanism, having to develop an specific DCP slave for each application, it is proposed to use it as a generic co-simulation interface. To this end, a Simulink library has been developed, allowing to connect models developed in Simulink with the outside world in an standardised way. Moreover, by exploiting the code generation potential of Simulink, a wide variety of devices become accessible, thus enabling x-in-the-loop simulations, which are commonly used tests in the verification and validation process of CPSs. This library has been tested in a soft real-time co-simulation application between a Simulink instance and an application running on a Xilinx Zynq Ultrascale+ System-on-Chip. As an additional contribution, an analysis of DCP synchronisation problems when simulating closed-loop systems composed of two slaves is performed. Finding that the main causes are the occurrence of random delays and that the simulations of the two slaves start at an arbitrary time. A possible solution to this problem is also presented.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10017246/Control systemsco-simulation interfacedistributed co-simulation protocolmodel-based designmodel testingsimulink |
| spellingShingle | Mikel Segura Tomaso Poggi Rafael Barcena A Generic Interface for x-in-the-Loop Simulations Based on Distributed Co-Simulation Protocol IEEE Access Control systems co-simulation interface distributed co-simulation protocol model-based design model testing simulink |
| title | A Generic Interface for x-in-the-Loop Simulations Based on Distributed Co-Simulation Protocol |
| title_full | A Generic Interface for x-in-the-Loop Simulations Based on Distributed Co-Simulation Protocol |
| title_fullStr | A Generic Interface for x-in-the-Loop Simulations Based on Distributed Co-Simulation Protocol |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Generic Interface for x-in-the-Loop Simulations Based on Distributed Co-Simulation Protocol |
| title_short | A Generic Interface for x-in-the-Loop Simulations Based on Distributed Co-Simulation Protocol |
| title_sort | generic interface for x in the loop simulations based on distributed co simulation protocol |
| topic | Control systems co-simulation interface distributed co-simulation protocol model-based design model testing simulink |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10017246/ |
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