Simulation Environment of DEVS Models using MATLAB/Simulink

Abstract

The DEVS (Discrete Event Systems Specification) formalism supports specification of discrete event models in a hierarchical modular manner. MATLAB/Simulink is widely used for modeling, simulating and analyzing continuous and discrete time systems. This paper proposes a realization of the DEVS formalism in MATLAB/ Simulink. The proposed design enables to use a great amount of mathematical packages and functions included in MATLAB/Simulink. The design is also employed as real time simulation and hybrid system simulation which is a mixture of continuous systems and discrete event systems. The paper introduces Simulink-DEVS model, in which a simulation algorithm is embedded. The model consists of a Simulink-atomic model and a Simulink-coupled model. In addition, the time advance algorithm to simulate the model is suggested. The algorithm handles the time synchronization and the accommodation of different concepts specific to continuous and discrete event models. Two experimental results are presented for a pure discrete event model and a hybrid model.