Analysis of a Complex System for Electrical Mobility Using a Model-Based Engineering Approach Focusing on Simulation

AbstractElectrical mobility is a highly innovative field with fast development cycles and rapid evolution of its core architectures. Also, the system complexity is quickly increasing. Especially challenging in industrial settings is the tight integration of mechanical, electrical and software domains within so called mechatronic systems. In modern engineering processes, simulation models are used for the analysis of different aspects of such systems.In this paper, we report our experience with a model-based and simulation-focused methodology for system engineering which allows quick validation of different architectural decisions at early development phases. We present an approach for integration between engineering tools using the automated generation of simulation models from the system description. The feasibility of the proposed methods is demonstrated with a sample application from electrical mobility, which also exemplifies the challenges of the integrated analysis of mechatronic systems. Specialized modeling languages based on the UML standard are used for the overall description of the system, for the analysis of its functionality, and for the specification of combined configurations. Another standard, Modelica language, is used for the simulation of different physical aspects of the system