Vtt-aut3 C-9501

In mechatronic systems, which consist of smart motion controllers, actuators and mechanisms, different technologies, like analog and digital electronics, mechanics and hydraulics, interact with each other. Through the integration of the various technologies, a more optimal product can be obtained. By the use of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) tools throughout the complete design process, better and more efficient products can be designed. At this moment, advanced commercial CAE-tools are available for each technology, but tools that can aid in the design of a multitechnical product are still rare. The aim of the research project " Design and Simulation of Mechatronic Systems " is to develop a design and simulation environment for mechatronic systems. Two main methods have been developed and tested for simulating mechatronic systems: the integration of different CAE-tools by concurrent simulation, and the extended analog circuit simulation. In the concurrent simulation method, the system is modelled in various CAE-tools, which interchange data during simulation. The advantage of this method is that each designer can use the most appropriate tool to model subsystems of the multitechnical system. Existing component models and libraries can be used, without requiring any model conversions. In the second method, the complete system is converted, by applying analogies between the different technologies, to an electric circuit. This allows to use an affordable SPICE-based analog circuit simulator to model and simulate multitechnical systems. The model of the system can be graphically entered in a schematic editor, which is customised to the multitechnical needs. The analog circuit simulator does however not have all the functions that are desired during the design process. This requires the possibility to exchange system models between the analog circuit simulator and other CAE-tools. During this research project, interfaces have been developed between the analog circuit simulator and the other design tools.