Modelling and simulation for the integrated design of mechatronic systems

The development of mechatronic systems involves the use of multiple disciplines, from mechanical engineering to electronics engineering and computer science. Traditionally, every discipline was developed independently and then integrated to generate the final system. However, high quality designs cannot be achieved without simultaneously considering all the engineering disciplines. This mechatronic approach carries intrinsic complexity into system design process and numerous researches are on-going in order to find out optimal methods. This article refines a SysML-based design process for the high level development of mechatronic systems, focusing on the integration of modelling and simulation as fundamental aspect for an integrated approach. How conceptual SysML diagrams may support the generation of simulation models is shown, along with a chain of simulations for an integrated design. The proposed approach is applied to a prototype case study designed from scratch, in order to be validated and to demonstrate its potentiality.