A smart display component model for embedded systems modeling and simulation

Abstract

Embedded systems are in continuous interaction with their environment and mix several technical domains. So, they are heterogeneous and very complex. The tools and the platforms of the embedded systems modeling must make tasks of the designer easy by proposing new component models and new modeling approaches. The process of embedded systems modeling ends with a validation step. The validation by simulation must use display components to show the output data produced by the model of system. However, since the output data are heterogeneous and they have different semantics (e. g. continuous semantic, discrete semantic, data flow semantic, etc.), we must use for each output data type a display specific component. Consequently, this increases the number of display specific components and annoys the designer and reduces the reusability. In this paper, we propose a smart display component that has the capability to display any output data type. It is able to adapt its behavior and structure to the semantic of output data type. It is not a competitor to display specific components but it resolves their weakness and it simplifies the complexity of their use. Also, it allows the reusability of the display components in embedded systems modeling and simulation. Its design is based on the application of the separation of concerns principle to the display specific components. Indeed, the designer uses a single display component to display any output data type of its systems instead of use several display specific components. We also present an implementation and a validation of the smart display component in the Ptolemy II platform.