Exploring the Executable SysML Capabilities to Integrate and Operate Hardware in the Loop

These days, systems engineers use advanced software tools and standardized modeling methods to break down complex systems into simpler, less complicated parts that are easier to understand. This includes CATIA Magic that allows for systems architecture, as well as more in-depth Systems Modeling Language (SysML) modeling and simulation. The goal of this paper is to explore the capabilities of SysML to model and control hardware in the loop (HIL). The model of a weapon system was created using several different diagrams commonly used in SysML. When these diagrams are used together with the CATIA Magic simulation toolkit (Magic Model Analyzer), they can be made executable and used for simulation purposes. While CATIA Magic was selected to provide a digital model of the weapon system, a LEGO Mindstorms EV3 development kit was selected to create a mockup of a physical system. The CATIA Magic model reacts to the inputs received from the LEGO sensors and sends control signals to motors built into the LEGO model. In general, the integration between the LEGO Mindstorms and CATIA Magic can be done successfully, however, this study revealed certain limitations pertinent to the current capability of CATIA Magic to make connections between the SysML model and LEGO hardware. While these limitations did not allow for a full integration and in-depth testing of the created dynamic model, as intended, the paper presents the current state of the project discussing what is involved in integrating CATIA Magic and LEGO Mindstorms kits and what functionality could be achieved by doing this. The paper pursues both the educational aspect that allows a deeper exploration of the modern system modeling tools, and the practical aspect, showing how a SysML model can be integrated with HIL to provide opportunities to better understand the design space at earlier stages of system development.