Standardized Integration of Real-Time and Non-Real-Time Systems: The Distributed Co-Simulation Protocol

Co-simulation techniques have evolved significantly over the last 10 years. System simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing are used to develop complex products in many industrial sectors. The Functional Mock-Up Interface (FMI) represents a standardized solution for integration of simulation models, tools and solvers. In practice the integration and coupling of heterogeneous systems still require enormous efforts. Until now no standardized interface or protocol specification is available, which allows the interaction of real-time and non-real-time systems of different vendors. This paper presents selected technical aspects of the novel Distributed Co-simulation Protocol (DCP) and highlights primary application possibilities. The DCP consists of a data model, a finite state machine, and a communication protocol including a set of protocol data units. It supports a master-slave architecture for simulation setup and control. The DCP was developed in context of the ACOSAR project and was subsequently adopted by Modelica Association as a Modelica Association Project (MAP). It may be used in numerous industrial and scientific applications. The standardization of the DCP allows for a modular and interoperable development between system providers and integrators. In the end, this will lead to more efficient product development and testing.