Before starting with Simcenter Amesim Real-Time Simulation

Mil, SiL and HiL phases

The reader is assumed to be familiar with the use of Simcenter Amesim. If this is not the case, we strongly suggest that you do the tutorial exercises of the Simcenter Amesim manual before attempting the examples presented in this guide. Since Simcenter Amesim Real-Time Simulation is most of the time an extension of the Simcenter Amesim/Simulink interface (except for FMI-based real-time targets, see Real-time export based on the Functional Mock-up Interface (FMI) for more information), it is useful if the reader is familiar also with this product.

The user is also assumed to be already used to the real-time environment chosen. We recommend that the user at least goes through some of tutorial examples for the real-time environment concerned. Both Simcenter Amesim and the real-time software are complex software that requires a correct configuration to function. Having successfully run through the basic tutorial examples for software is also a good indication that the installation and configuration of the software is correct.

Hereafter, we will briefly describe the successive phases that have to be followed to perform real-time simulation of a controlled system (see the figure below).They are known as Model-in-the-Loop, Software-in-the-Loop and Hardware-in-the-Loop, respectively.

Figure 1: MiL, SiL and HiL phases in the V-diagram

• Model-in-the-Loop: MiL

  Model-in-the-Loop: MiL

  MiL

  MiL testing is a phase during which system simulation is performed by using a model of the system. It allows early verification of the requirements and the algorithms of the intended solution. However, it is difficult during this phase to forecast the required hardware processing resources.

• Software-in-the-Loop: SiL

  Software-in-the-Loop: SiL

  SiL

  SiL testing is performed by executing the software typically on a standard PC hardware. This phase allows detection of most errors in the functional domain. However, the compiler and processor of PC may still have different behavior than the intended target platform.

• Hardware-in-the-Loop: HiL

  Hardware-in-the-Loop: HiL

  HiL

  HiL testing is performed by executing the software on the embedded platform, where the environment between the actuator and the sensor is modeled by the HiL simulator. HiL testing can be performed already before the complete prototype hardware of the system is built. The HiL simulator includes actuators, sensors, and the interaction chain between them.

For more information on these notions and on other terms used in this document, please refer to the Glossary at the end of this manual.