Abstract

The introduction of Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE) for the development of mechatronic or even more complex cyber-physical products is key for system synthesis and analysis. In this context main challenges are complexity of system integration, increase of safety requirements or enhanced functionality based on connected integrated (sub-)systems. Besides this, many companies need to change their development focus from component oriented to function oriented development in order to meet technology and commercial goals in future. Today, more and more customers demand the realization of a required function with guaranteed availability and adaption during life cycle including services instead of a specific product. This leads to an increasing importance of a systematic verification and validation process, which can handle the high complexity and correlations of the different domains of today?s products also during operation and life cycle. Companies are asking the question, what added value is offered by the implementation of MBSE with respect to their conventional and established development process. Especially, what benefits will arise with respect to a shortening of the development time, cost savings as well as an increase in productivity, quality including safety and innovation. Based on the system model, domain specific models can be derived and coupled for the system analysis and simulation, based on the interfaces that have been defined inside the system model. Besides the exchange and transfer of interface and structure information between system and simulation models, the system model itself can also be used for verification purposes. Many of today?s system modelling tools allow the execution of models and the integration of simulation into the system model. In addition, direct integration of simulation tools (e.g. SysML Editors and Matlab/Simulink) and the FMI standard plays an increasing role for the exchange between system and simulation model. In addition, the execution of system models (e.g. simulation of activity diagrams or state machines inside the model) provides a lot of additional information with regards to system behaviour analysis and impact analysis based on traceability studies. The presentation will give an overview of the current challenges and benefits while using MBSE for early product verification and validation (V&V). It will be shown how a concept for a holistic system model can support the V&V process, starting from the specification, up to a model-based verification using different dynamic simulation tools. Within this approach, the system model plays a central role and builds the bridge between the specified requirements, the system integration and the system verification. An example from industry will outline the use case and benefits of MBSE and Simulation for System Integration, Verification and Validation.