A HETEROGENEOUS MODELLING APPROACH FOR DOMAIN ALLOCATION IN MECHATRONICS

Mechatronic products are realized by combinations of different engineering domains, namely mechanics, electronics and software. Therefore, a major step in the design process of mechatronic systems is the partitioning of the system’s functions among these domains. This design step, also referred to as domain allocation, is an essential problem in mechatronic design. Domain allocation is performed in the conceptual design phase. Usually experts for mechanics, electronics and software are working in cooperation in order to achieve an advantageous allocation with respect to the performance of the overall system. During the design process, different levels of abstraction are used in order to describe the system to be developed. Especially in mechatronic design, the complexity of the system leads to the fact, that certain aspects of the solution are only known on an abstract level, while others already can be described on a higher level of concretization. Particularly during domain allocation, functions, solution principles and components have to be considered in parallel within the same product model. This paper presents a heterogeneous modelling approach which allows the combination of different levels of abstraction. Concrete and abstract model elements can be connected and their interaction can be described, which enables engineers from different domains to understand the system and to modify the solution in a flexible manner. The modelling approach has been implemented as a computer tool in order to test its applicability in practice. The methods are verified by the development of a mechatronic system, namely a snake-like robot