Softcover

ISBN 10: 0130170852 ISBN 13: 9780130170859

Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2001

Mastering Simulink® presents readers with in-depth coverage of programming using Simulink. This book is intended to serve as a detailed tutorial for all new users of Simulink and as a reference for experienced users. The book presents an overview of Simulink and describes in detail the procedures for building, editing, and running a Simulink model. Provides explanations for debugging techniques, including the interactive debugger. Introduces Stateflow™, a Simulink extension which adds the capability to model finite state machines subsystems using a variant of the popular Statecharts formalism. Covers subsystems, masking, callbacks, graphical animations, and S-functions. For anyone interested in Control Theory and Operational Amplifiers.

About the Author:

Sharon Lund O'Neil, author of Motivation: An ATM Card for Success, is a widely published author. Her human relations cases, based on the corporate work environment, are popular with both trainers and educators. With a common-sense approach to problem solving, she has led national professional and educational organizations and has been the recipient of many teaching awards. She holds a doctorate from the University of Illinois and is currently a professor at the University of Houston.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

We intend for this book to serve both as a tutorial for new users of Simulink and as a reference for experienced users. The book covers all of the important capabilities of Simulink, including subsystems, masking, callbacks, S-Functions, and debugging. The book is meant to be used with Simulink 4 and subsequent revisions. The examples were produced with Simulink Version 4.0.

Simulink is a programming language specifically designed for simulating dynamical systems. Therefore, in order for you to use Simulink effectively, you should have the appropriate mathematical preparation. We assume you have a good understanding of the concepts usually covered in the introductory courses in calculus and differential equations. However, as many new users of Simulink may be unfamiliar with block diagram notation, we have included a chapter that introduces the notation.

USING THE BOOK

Here, we offer suggested reading sequences for new users of Simulink, for users experienced with a previous version of Simulink, and for advanced users ready to take advantage of all of the power of Simulink.

New Users

It is possible to model fairly complex systems with basic proficiency with Simulink. The fastest way to gain this basic proficiency is to adhere to the following sequence:

1. If you are new to block diagrams, read Sections 2.1 and 2.2. These sections introduce block diagram notation and illustrate using block diagrams to model scalar continuous systems.
2. Carefully work through all of the examples in Chapters 3 and 4 to master the mechanics of building and running models.
3. Read Sections 5.1, 5.2, and 5.4 and experiment with the examples. After completing this material, you should be comfortable building and running models of scalar continuous systems.
4. As you gain proficiency with Simulink, complete Chapter 2, then work through the rest of Chapter 5 and Chapter 6.
5. If you have access to Stateflow, work through Chapter 14.

Experienced Users

If you are experienced with a previous version of Simulink, or if you are a new user, after you have acquired basic proficiency, we suggest you proceed as follows:

1. Read Section 3.4. The new help system provides detailed on-line documentation for all Simulink blocks. We believe that you will find the help system to be easy to use and to be a real time saver.
2. Review Chapter 4. The Simulink user interface has many improvements over the previous version of Simulink. Pay particular attention to Section 4.10 concerning selecting and configuring a solver.
3. Scan Chapters 5 and 6. Pay particular attention to Section 5.2.1.
4. Read Sections 7.1 and 7.2, then work through Sections 7.3 and 7.4 in detail. Learning to use conditionally executed subsystems will allow you to build very efficient models.
5. Read Chapter 8, even if you don't plan to use the analysis capabilities right away. You may well discover that the analysis tools will make your use of Simulink much more productive.
6. Read Chapter 12 carefully. The new debugging features can save lots of time.
7. Review Chapter 13. An understanding of the numerical issues can allow you to build models that are both faster and more accurate.

Advanced Users

If you are already experienced with Simulink 4, we suggest you proceed as follows:

1. Scan Chapter 4 to review the basics of model building and Chapter 13 to review the numerical issues.
2. Read Chapters 7 and 8 to review subsystems, masking, and Simulink analysis tools.
3. If you intend to build graphical user interfaces or interactive animations, read Chapter 9 and study the examples.
4. Review Chapter 10, particularly Sections 10.1-10.4. Even if you don't need to use S-Functions right away, understanding the capability will allow you to recognize situations in which S-Functions are appropriate.
5. Review Chapter 11 and experiment a little with the Animation Toolbox.