This step is also demoed with this video :

(ongoing...)

About module, assembly and architecture

This step in video : https://youtu.be/bOc87ggK0F4 (it might be more convenient to copy/paste this link in your usual internet explorer).

As said previously, MecaTroniX is based upon module, assembly, and architecture.

Starting with a Simulink model,

how can be defined a module, an assembly, an architecture?, what is a difference between a module and an architecture?

In fact, if you have to define modules, assemblies and architecture, a good parallel is to simply consider the building of a house.

Assume that this is the area of the house :

First step consists in drawing rooms : they are defined by functionality

Next step consists in defining paths between rooms :

For example, the architect defines that going straight from the garage to the bedroom is not relevant.

Going straight from the living room to the bathroom is not relevant neither, whereas going from the bedroom to the bathroom is a relevant path.

At this step, the architecture is defined : functionalities are rooms, and allowed paths from rooms to rooms are defined.

To make this house work properly, each room has to be filled :

• • a kitchen needs a fridge

  • a bathroom needs a shower or a bath or both

  • etc...

These are modules : this list of chosen modules is called an assembly.

Modules are specifically dedicated to a room and changeable inside a room.

For example, you may decide to have two smaller coaches instead of one big coach, and an extendable table instead of the big table :

this is to say different versions of a module.

Of course, it does not make sense to put a fridge in the bedroom because this is not the expected functionality of the room bedroom.

It is possible to have all these functionalities without any architecture, an empty one in fact :

All functionalities are existing and work, but it is clearly difficult to live in. It's quite the same for :

MecaTroniX aims to manage modules, assemblies and architectures while designing Simulink models based one these 3 standards.

From the architecture point of view, it enables to easily change the architecture of your house according to new functionalities you want to add or modify.

For example, this could be a first architecture :

Then architect can add an extension with an observations room :

Architecture is changeable at will according to needs.

Next steps are dedicated to demo functionalities for modules, assemblies and architectures according to this table :

Published with MATLAB® R2013a