Model-based development workflow in Simulink - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Model-based development workflow

📖 Scenario: You are working on a simple control system for a home heating system. You want to create a model that takes the current temperature and decides whether to turn the heater on or off.

🎯 Goal: Build a basic Simulink model that implements a simple control logic: if the temperature is below a threshold, the heater turns on; otherwise, it stays off.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a Simulink model with input and output blocks

Add a threshold configuration variable

Implement the control logic using Simulink blocks

Display the output signal showing heater status

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Model-based development is used in engineering to design and test control systems before building physical devices.

💼 Career

Understanding model-based workflows is important for roles in control engineering, embedded systems, and simulation-based testing.

1

Create the initial Simulink model with input and output

Create a Simulink model named HeatingControl. Add an input block named TemperatureInput and an output block named HeaterOutput.

Simulink

% Create a new Simulink model named HeatingControl
% Add an input block named TemperatureInput
% Add an output block named HeaterOutput
% Your code here

Hint

Use new_system to create the model and add_block to add input and output blocks.

2

Add a threshold configuration variable

In the MATLAB workspace, create a variable named temperatureThreshold and set it to 20. This will be the temperature below which the heater turns on.

Simulink

% Create a new Simulink model named HeatingControl
new_system('HeatingControl')
open_system('HeatingControl')
add_block('simulink/Sources/In1','HeatingControl/TemperatureInput')
add_block('simulink/Sinks/Out1','HeatingControl/HeaterOutput')

% Create the threshold variable
% Your code here

Hint

Simply assign the value 20 to the variable temperatureThreshold in the workspace.

3

Implement the control logic using Simulink blocks

In the HeatingControl model, add a Constant block with value temperatureThreshold. Add a Relational Operator block set to <. Connect TemperatureInput and the Constant block to the Relational Operator. Connect the output of the Relational Operator to HeaterOutput.

Simulink

% Create a new Simulink model named HeatingControl
new_system('HeatingControl')
open_system('HeatingControl')
add_block('simulink/Sources/In1','HeatingControl/TemperatureInput')
add_block('simulink/Sinks/Out1','HeatingControl/HeaterOutput')

% Create the threshold variable
temperatureThreshold = 20;

% Add Constant and Relational Operator blocks and connect them
% Your code here

Hint

Use add_block to add the Constant and Relational Operator blocks. Use set_param to set their parameters. Use add_line to connect the blocks.

4

Display the output signal showing heater status

Run the simulation for 10 seconds with the input temperature set to 18. Use sim to run the model and logsout or Scope to display the heater output signal.

Simulink

% Create a new Simulink model named HeatingControl
new_system('HeatingControl')
open_system('HeatingControl')
add_block('simulink/Sources/In1','HeatingControl/TemperatureInput')
add_block('simulink/Sinks/Out1','HeatingControl/HeaterOutput')

% Create the threshold variable
temperatureThreshold = 20;

% Add Constant block with value temperatureThreshold
add_block('simulink/Sources/Constant','HeatingControl/ThresholdConstant')
set_param('HeatingControl/ThresholdConstant','Value','temperatureThreshold')

% Add Relational Operator block set to less than
add_block('simulink/Logic and Bit Operations/Relational Operator','HeatingControl/RelOp')
set_param('HeatingControl/RelOp','Operator','<')

% Connect blocks
add_line('HeatingControl','TemperatureInput/1','RelOp/1')
add_line('HeatingControl','ThresholdConstant/1','RelOp/2')
add_line('HeatingControl','RelOp/1','HeaterOutput/1')

% Set input temperature to 18 and run simulation for 10 seconds
% Your code here

Hint

Use set_param to set the input value, sim to run the model, and disp to show the output.