Industry perspective on multi domain simulations and virtual prototyping

In this paper, the application of multi-domain simulations and virtual prototyping is investigated in the context of industrial power electronic product development. A literature review provides the necessary comprehension and definition of the term virtual prototyping, best described by characteristic keywords such as communication, distributed collaboration, databases, process integration, or design culture. Concerning multi-domain simulation, a selection of examples is illustrating different variants, such as multi-solver, multi-physics, multi-disciplines and multi-dimension. Based on the above definitions, it is shown how the expectations and research needs in virtual prototyping and multi-domain simulations change with regard to new opportunities, benefits and enabling factors. In the last part of the paper, virtual prototyping and multi-domain simulations are brought into a typical power electronics product development context, addressing risks, challenges, requirements, and R&D implications. The conclusion drawn is the fact that multi domain simulation activities are currently growing at a rapid pace, thus reflecting the growing importance of packaging and hardware integration in power electronics. The challenges today are therefore to handle this growth with special regard to knowhow availability, tools availability and the ability to integrate multi-domain simulation and virtual prototyping into existing product development processes.