Framework for dynamic verification of multi-domain virtual platforms in industrial automation

A crucial part in the development of embedded systems in the industrial automation domain is their verification using simulation-based techniques. A comprehensive set of domain-specific modeling and simulation tools are available for this purpose, but they can only focus on certain aspects of a design. This paper presents a co-simulation framework for bringing them together in a structured and standardized way. The results are multi-domain virtual platforms where overall dynamic verification is possible. The advantage of multi-domain simulation models becomes clear when one recalls that embedded systems are used to interface with a physical environment. Often, they are coupled and cannot be tested in separation. Having a framework where physical and digital domains can interact in a correct and reproducible manner opens up new possibilities for embedded system developers. We demonstrate the capabilities of our framework by adding a co-simulation scheme between SystemC and the VHDL-AMS simulator SMASH, and present its application in an industrial case study for the verification of a new Rogowski Current Coil Transducer (RCCT) electronic front end architecture and its embedded controller software algorithm.