Simulation based design for large complex computer based systems

The cost and schedule time expended to design and develop modern computer-based systems has grown dramatically over the past decade. Advanced system engineering development methods and automation techniques are required to manage the complexity inherent in the design of large, complex computer-based systems and to provide an efficient mechanism for evaluating various design options. Simulation-based design (SBD) is a system design approach centered upon the creation of virtual system prototypes and virtual environments within an integrated system design capture and simulation framework. A methodology is presented in this paper which supports SBD for complex real-time computer-based systems including: (1) a multi-domain approach to capturing system design information and (2) a mechanism for simulation of the conceptual, functional and implementation aspects of the design as captured. Finally, selected opportunities for automation support of the SBD approach are discussed