Real-Time Workshop

Key Aspects of Rapid Prototyping

The figure below contrasts the rapid prototyping development process with the traditional development process.

Figure 1-2: Traditional vs. Rapid Prototyping Development Processes

The traditional approach to real-time design and implementation typically involves multiple teams of engineers, including an algorithm design team, software design team, hardware design team, and an implementation team. When the algorithm design team has completed its specifications, the software design team implements the algorithm in a simulation environment and then specifies the hardware requirements. The hardware design team then creates the production hardware. Finally, the implementation team integrates the hardware into the larger overall system.

This traditional development process takes so much time because algorithm designers often do not have access to the hardware that is actually deployed. The rapid prototyping process combines the algorithm, software, and hardware design phases, eliminating potential bottlenecks by allowing engineers to see results and rapidly iterate solutions before building expensive hardware.

Automating Programming

Automatic program building allows you to make design changes directly to the block diagram, puttting algorithm development (including coding, compiling, linking, and downloading to target hardware) under control of a single process:

• Design a Model in Simulink

• You begin the rapid prototyping process with the development of a model in Simulink. In control engineering, you model plant dynamics and other dynamic components that constitute a controller and/or an observer.

• Simulate your Model in Simulink

• You use MATLAB, Simulink, and toolboxes to aid in the development of algorithms and analysis of the results. If the results are not satisfactory, you can iterate the modeling and analysis process until results are acceptable.

• Generate Source Code with Real-Time Workshop

• Once simluation results are acceptable, you generate downloadable C code that implements the appropriate portions of the model. You can use Simulink in external mode to tune parameters and further refine your model, quickly iterating through solutions.

• Implement a Production Prototype

• At this stage, the rapid prototyping process is complete. You can begin the final implementation for production with confidence that the underlying algorithms work properly in your real-time production system.

The next diagram illustrates the flow of this process.

Figure 1-3: The Rapid Prototyping Development Process

Highly productive development cycles are possible due to the integration of Real-Time Workshop, MATLAB, and Simulink. Each component adds value to your application design process:

• MATLAB: Provides design, analysis, and data visualization tools.
• Simulink: Provides system modeling, simulation, and validation.
• Real-Time Workshop: Generates C code from Simulink model; provides framework for running generated code in real-time, tuning parameters, and viewing real-time data.

The Rapid Prototyping Process

Rapid Prototyping for Digital Signal Processing