This book will give you a complete understanding of the Simulink software. You will learn by example, going through the three main phases of Simulink development—modeling, simulating, and interfacing with the external world while developing a cruise controller for a real car.
While reading this book, you'll be given a clear, no-frills explanation of the main components of Simulink and how to use them in order to achieve the desired result. After having read this book, you will be able to develop, test, and deploy your models without any difficulty.
Chapter 1, Simulink Facts, deals with the problems that arise while developing the software for the biggest manufacturing industries and how Simulink can cut down the total development time, from specifications to final implementation. You will understand where Simulink really shines and where it isn't worth the hassle.
Chapter 2, Creating a Model, deals with developing a very simple cruise controller model in order to get started quickly with Simulink and the MATLAB environment. Then you will be guided through the Simulink implementation of a real-world car to use with the previously developed cruise controller, thus introducing the usage of more complex blocks. You will understand how a model is developed and where to look for the appropriate blocks.
Chapter 3, Simulating a Model, deals with presenting the theory behind simulation: solvers, simulation times, and how to choose them. You will then simulate the models you already developed, learning what are the available sources and sinks blocks and when to use them in order to discover failures in your models and change some of the parameters you defined.
Chapter 4, Using the Model, guides you through the most powerful feature of Simulink—the ability to create your own blocks, also known as S-function development—after having learned how to develop and simulate a model. You will create a simple S-function that enables your cruise controller to drive an external application and receive feedback from it.