Technical Article

MS-2577
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decade, complete MBD allows a common control design for

Model-Based Design of both simulation and hardware implementation platforms
Advanced Motor Control enabling complex control algorithms to be rapidly deployed
on hardware platforms.
Systems MBD is a process that uses a system model as an executable
by Anders Frederiksen, Analog Devices, Inc. specification throughout development. This simulation-
based approach offers a better understanding of design
IDEA IN BRIEF alternatives and trade-offs than traditional hardware
prototype-based design methodologies, enabling you to
Leveraging advanced processor functionality to facilitate
optimize your design to meet predefined performance
ease of design has been discussed throughout recent
criteria. Rather than using complex structures and extensive
decades. Nowadays even greater design flexibility allows software code, designers can define models with advanced
engineers to use standard model-based design with functional characteristics using continuous time and discrete
MATLAB® and Simulink® to optimize motor control systems time building blocks. Existing C code can be integrated with
functionality and to minimize overall design time. It also standard control library blocks to maximize design
enables design engineers to reuse simulation models to efficiency. These models, used with simulation tools, can
ensure the correct functionality and desired performance of lead to rapid prototyping, software testing, and hardware-in-
a system in its end market application. the-loop (HIL) simulation. Simulation enables specification
discrepancies and modeling errors to be found immediately,
rather than later in the design cycle. Automatic code
generation eliminates the manual steps in implementing the
same algorithm to run on the hardware platform. This
simplifies the design process, minimizes errors in hardware
design implementation, and reduces the overall time to
market.

Figure 1. History and Capability

Model-based design (MBD) has been a discussion topic for
decades but has only in recent years evolved into a complete
design flow—from model creation to complete
Figure 2. Design Flow of Model-Based Design (MBD)
implementation. In the 1970s, analog computing platforms
were available for simulation but control hardware There are multiple steps within MBD that allow
implementation was done at the transistor level. Simulation optimization of individual tasks in the overall design. These
tools advances through to the 2000s saw the introduction of tasks can be completed by different design engineers or
graphical control schematic entry tools and control design design teams, and then combined to form the overall design
tools that vastly simplified the task of complex control and complete system. With this approach, a higher level of
design and evaluation. However, the control system designer abstraction of the individual tasks can be applied, resulting
still developed the hardware control algorithm by writing C in an overall design flow optimized for the given end
code to mirror the simulated design. Now, at the start of this application. All-in-all, MBD allows a designer to expand

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MS-2577 Technical Article
from more classical design schemes and move directly from architecture can be setup for deployment of both specific
model creation to simulation, code generation, and HIL test algorithm and functionality of the overall system
in a controlled fashion that allows incremental changes in (see Figure 4).
system behavior without a complete redesign of the system.

Figure 4. MBD Setup

Simulation of controller and plant models can be evaluated.
Off-line development of algorithms without access to
Figure 3. Concept of MBD Implementation hardware can be architected and fine-tuned to meet overall
In Figure 3, the different design phases and the scale of system performance requirements. Initial code generation,
individual steps in the flow are visualized. These steps either with existing code “reuse” or code generated by a code
together describe the “standard” flow of MBD. From a motor generation tool, can be deployed to the embedded controller
control design perspective they are: to compare the system simulation on a PC with the actual
implementation data on a hardware target. A designer must
• Concept of operations
consider the complexity of the model when defining a
o Overall functionality of the motor system correctly balanced structure for MBD. However, once a
• Plant modeling/Architecture balanced concept is realized, it is possible to quickly change
independent models within the design and achieve more
o Development of models of motor, load,
accurate results from the entire drive system.
power electronics, signal conditioning, etc.
The experimental setup used as background for this paper is
• Controller modeling and requirements
based on an ARM® Cortex™-M4 mixed-signal control
o Encoder-based field oriented control of processor from Analog Devices used with combined tools
three phase PM motor from IAR and MathWorks to achieve complete
• Analysis and synthesis—detailed design implementation of the MBD platform. Each of the steps
discussed above has a direct link to the available tools and to
o Models created above are used to identify
the overall implementation. As seen in Figure 5, each tool
dynamic characteristics of the plant model
chain offers a range of value. In MBD, the designer must
o Tuning and configuration of the system choose how to balance the use of these tool chains with the
• Validation and test overall value creation of the independent MBD platform.
o Off-line simulation and/or real-time
simulation
o Investigation of time response of the
dynamic system
• Deployment to embedded target—full operation
o Automatic code generation
o Test and verification
o Updating controller model
Figure 5. MathWorks and IAR System Strength
Together this forms a multistep approach for aligning the For the target platform, a real-time development
overall design and allows individual control steps to be environment is now in place to model, simulate, evaluate,
analyzed independently. Once the hardware and software deploy, and optimize overall system performance and
specification has been completed, the complete system capability. This is all based on MBD and the balanced

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Technical Article MS-2577
selection of system parameters, resulting in best-in-class
flexibility where specific optimization is needed. In this way,
a scalable model of a system has been realized that facilitates
use and reuse of code, either based on existing legacy code
or functions, or complete new building blocks based on
standard C or graphical functionality (Simulink/MATLAB
models aligned with the complete simulation and
deployment phase). Not only from the software perspective
is it possible to change the overall setup, but also once the
right device drivers for a system are developed, a designer Figure 7. Sketch of a “Drive System”
can change system resources, hardware elements, and overall Through the MBD design flow, and via MathWorks and
applications software for the end application or system. In IAR, the implementation of an overall model and the
addition, given the ability to control the real-time aspects of compilation of code are now possible. Each of the stages or
the overall system timing, optimization of system scheduling elements in the model of the “Drive System” is now
is possible directly through this environment. represented by a MATLAB and Simulink model that is
scaled at the right level for optimal design criteria. Each of
the elements in the model is based on standard toolboxes
and blocksets from MathWorks and can be reused across any
element in a particular design. These elements also represent
the different domains of the drive system and can be fine-
tuned to fully minimize the model vs. deployment error.
Through real-time deployment methods and compilation in
this mixed environment, it is also possible to combine
existing C code written by hand with ARM Cortex-M4
optimized C code generated by Embedded Coder®, the
production code generation tool for MATLAB and Simulink.
This entire process allows users to reuse existing knowledge
of motor control design at the right level. At this point, the
IAR Embedded Work Bench can take the generated code
and compile the complete project for ARM Cortex-M4,
which closes the MBD implementation phase for this
Figure 6. Deployment Environment system.
Taking a deeper look at the classic sketch of a drive system,
one can now visualize the capability of this architecture. It is
possible to optimize each of the elements in the “Drive” and
focus effort on what element is most critical to the end
system. This means that, for example, if protection
functionality and scale is of key importance, then the focus
can be placed on the mechanical system in combination with
the electrical control and power system. A mix of simulated
results and real-time data can be used for monitoring system
behavior, and together forms a “Live” optimization. On the
other hand, if noise disturbances decrease the overall
Figure 8. Implementation and Compilation
efficiency level of the system, measurements of these can be
used in scalable filters and observers, which minimize the Since its inception, MBD has been questioned on its
hardware’s noise issues to give an optimal state. Once all capability and functionality relative to traditional system
factors have been modeled and gathered, the final step in the development and on its efficient use of overall system
deployment phase can begin and a complete implementation resources. This is where strong efforts from component
phase on the target system becomes a reality. suppliers, simulation and deployment vendors, and tools
complier providers have “merged,” and results today are
comparable to traditional deployment methods. Of course,

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MS-2577 Technical Article
any code development written for a real-time system can be simulation results and real-time data can now be evaluated
created in an inefficient way, depending on the and compared with ideal system functionality in relation to
implementation method used. With MBD, profiling, the target specification. This ultimately enables a designer to
crossoptimization options and strong advantages in safety constantly improve system efficiency, functionality, and
critical system development can be combined, so that code performance, and to evaluate how a given element or
development overheads are minimized and highest component in the signal chain is performing against
performance results are achieved. MathWorks offers tool specification.
qualification for use of Embedded Coder with IEC 61508, This paper has described a “new” way of architecting a
ISO 26262, and related functional safety standards. motor control system with the use of MBD. Today’s
This mix of capability is much more difficult to achieve in a embedded processors must have the balance of performance,
standard design flow. In Figure 9, a standard FOC model is cost, and size to allow development and higher level
implemented on Analog Devices’ ADSP-CM40x series. In abstractions of graphical tools, so forming the basis for
this model, position and current loop feedback are executing highly optimized systems embracing time to market, safety,
in 15 µs, supporting real-time profiling of both the current performance, and scalability. For more information on these
scheme and debug facility. It also allows tracking topics and Analog Devices’ capability, please go to
functionality of the overall FOC scheme. Both MBD motorcontrol.analog.com.

Figure 9. Simulation and Run-Time Data from Model-Based Design Build System (Processor Data vs. Simulation)

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