JP2012198799A - Automatic simulator creation device and simulator verification system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic simulator creation device capable of optimizing a simulator used for development of an embedded product and having sufficient accuracy and short computation time.SOLUTION: For a simulator that has predetermined plural computation modules 8-10 and parameters 11-13 for operating the computation modules and that can run a simulation by changing a combination of the computation modules and the parameters in accordance with input information, a combination of the computation modules and the parameters is selected so that an error between a simulation result by the simulator with computation input data 5 obtained by converting given control information 1 as the input information and environment information 4 being a result of operation of hardware 3 on an actual environment 2 in accordance with the control information becomes a predetermined reference or less, to thereby determine a combination dependent on the computation input data.

Description

  The present invention relates to the development of an environmental simulator in embedded system development.

  In the development of embedded systems, in order to improve product quality and improve development efficiency, a simulator that simulates the environment in which the product actually operates is used to check the product control contents and software functions.

  As an example, there is an evaluation environment described in Patent Document 1. In this environment, by defining a data exchange method using a common interface, it is possible to construct an evaluation device that combines the control software, the actual machine execution environment, and the simulation environment. A common problem with such systems is that the usefulness of the simulator depends on the accuracy and calculation speed of the simulator.

  As a solution to this problem, for example, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, a plurality of modules are prepared for each element to be simulated, and an optimal combination of modules is selected as a whole, thereby producing a useful simulation device. is doing.

JP 2010-157103 A JP 2006-92342 A

  However, the higher the accuracy of the simulator used and the faster the calculation speed, the higher the effect that the simulator provides. On the other hand, it is very difficult to produce a high-precision and high-speed simulator. A better simulator can only be obtained through repeated mistakes.

  Furthermore, even a simulator created in this way may have a problem that the highest performance cannot be achieved if input conditions are different.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to obtain an automatic simulator generation apparatus and a simulator verification system that create a simulator capable of high-speed calculation with sufficient accuracy.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention includes a plurality of predetermined calculation modules and parameters for operating the calculation modules, and the calculation modules and the parameters are set according to input information. For a simulator capable of executing a simulation by changing the combination, a simulation result by the simulator when the input information for calculation obtained by converting the given control information is used as the input information, and hardware according to the control information. The combination depending on the input data for calculation is determined by selecting the combination of the calculation module and the parameter so that the error with the environmental information resulting from operating the hardware in the actual environment is below a predetermined standard. It is characterized by doing.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to create a simulator capable of calculating at a higher speed while having an acceptable accuracy with respect to the experimental result.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operating environment of the simulator automatic generation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a simulator generation procedure according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the relationship between the input singularity and the calculation module. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of the simulator verification system according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

  Embodiments of a simulator creation / adjustment apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The invention is not limited to the embodiments.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
This embodiment can be applied to, for example, generation and optimization of a refrigerant system simulator used in the development of air conditioning equipment. The refrigerant system simulator here is to calculate the refrigerant status inside the pipe, the room temperature, etc. by giving the state of various actuators such as compressors, valves, heat exchangers, etc. constituting the air conditioner, The air conditioner to be manufactured is used to obtain the change in room temperature and the efficiency of air conditioning when the actuator is operated according to the assumed control content.

  In the initial stage of air conditioner development, design and study the hardware configuration of actuators and how to control them, and determine the product specifications while confirming the results using prototypes and simulators .

  In many cases, the cost for preparing the environment is high in order to use the prototype, and it is difficult to prepare a sufficient number due to the limitation of the facilities for keeping the environment in an assumed state. Therefore, the shortage is compensated by simulation, but here, simulation errors and performance become problems. In the embodiment of the present invention, an experimental environment such as a prototype and an apparatus for controlling it are prepared, and a simulator is generated by combining the simulator generation apparatus with it.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a system that is an example of an operating environment of the simulator automatic generation device 6 according to the first embodiment. The simulator is typically generated by the following procedure.

  Information related to the control content based on the product control method, that is, control information 1 that the user wants to realize by the product is transferred to the hardware 3 as a product provided in the experimental environment 2 for confirming the operation of the product in the real environment. Give as input. The hardware 3 operates in the experimental environment 2. As a result, the environment information 4 that is information obtained in the experimental environment 2 is changed by the control information 1. The environmental information 4 is, for example, the change in room temperature or the efficiency of air conditioning when the actuator is operated according to the assumed control content.

  On the other hand, the control information 1 is converted into calculation input data 5 for operating the simulator, and given to the simulator automatic generation device 6. The input data 5 for calculation after conversion is information to be input to the simulator. The simulator automatic generation device 6 that has received the calculation input data 5 receives the calculation input data 5 and a plurality of calculation modules A8, B9, C10 prepared in advance and parameters used in the simulator generation unit 7 inside the device. The simulation is calculated using the parameters 11, 12, and 13 which are groups. The calculation modules A8, B9, and C10 are modules that are parts of the simulator. The parameters 11 to 13 are parameters for operating the calculation modules A8, B9, and C10.

  The simulator generation unit 7 configures the simulator according to the procedure described later based on the error between the calculation results of the calculation modules A8 to C10 and the environment information 4 of the experimental environment 2, the time required for the calculation, and the like. Then, the simulator 14 and the simulation result 15 which is a calculation result by the simulator 14 are output as the output of the simulator automatic generation device 6.

  Next, the above-described simulator generation procedure by the simulator generation unit 7 will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a simulator generation procedure according to this embodiment assuming the simulator automatic generation device 6 shown in FIG.

  First, the control information 1 is determined by some means (step S1). The hardware 3 is operated according to the determined control information 1 (step S2). As a result, the environment information 4 of the experimental environment 2 changes. The simulator automatic generation device 6 acquires the changed environment information 4 in the experimental environment 2 (step S3).

  Next, simulation calculation is performed with the same control information 1 that operated the hardware 3 (step S4). The actual calculation is executed by the calculation modules A8 to C10 based on the calculation input data 5 obtained by converting the control information 1. The calculation modules A8 to C10 are modules that realize a plurality of calculation methods incorporated in advance in the simulator automatic generation device 6. Here, any combination of the calculation modules A8 to C10 and the parameters 11 to 13 is tried. As a typical trial method, not all combinations of the calculation modules A8 to C10 and the parameters 11 to 13 are performed, but first, calculation is performed using typical combinations (step S4).

  Then, an error between the calculation result in step S4 and the environment information 4 acquired from the experimental environment 2 is obtained, and it is determined whether or not the error is within an allowable range (step S5). If the error is outside the allowable range (step S5: No), the calculation module and parameters are changed to reduce the error (step S7), and the simulation calculation by the calculation module is again performed (step S4). The determination of whether or not the range is satisfied (step S5) is repeated.

  When the error falls within the allowable range (step S5: Yes), in order to select a combination of a calculation module and a parameter that shortens the calculation time, it is determined whether or not a certain criterion is set for the calculation time and whether or not it is satisfied. (Step S6). It is desirable for this standard to be able to determine whether the calculation time is the shortest. However, the calculation time is shortened by a predetermined amount or more depending on the calculation module and parameter combination newly selected from the previous or previous calculation module and parameter combination. It may be based on such as. If the standard is not satisfied (step S6: No), the calculation module and parameters are changed to shorten the calculation time (step S7), and the simulation calculation by the calculation module is again performed (step S4). The determination of whether or not (step S5) and step S6 are repeated.

  By repeating the operations from step S4 to step S7 and satisfying a predetermined criterion (step S6: Yes), the combination of the calculation module and the parameter having the best result is obtained. If the combination used in the previous calculation and the combination selected this time are different, the calculation input data 5 at that time and the changed combination are stored as singular point information (step S8).

  The operation from step S1 to step S8 is repeated (step 9: No), and the switching condition (singular point information) of the combination of the calculation module and the parameter is determined when the user determines that the operation has been performed for a sufficient time (step 9: Yes). Arrangement is performed (step S10). Then, the simulator generation is completed by storing the arranged singularity information in the simulator.

  An example of the arrangement of the switching conditions of the calculation module and parameter combination in step S10 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 showing singular points as examples. Here, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, the calculation of the simulation is performed based on the input information 21 in which the calculation input data 5 is regarded as one input, and without considering the combination of the calculation module and the parameter, An example in which only switching is performed (parameters do not vary) will be described.

  The singular point described above is a point where the combination of the calculation module and the parameter having the best result changes with respect to the input information 21 that changes depending on the input time of the simulator. That is, the singular point is the best combination in a certain value range in the input information 21, but the combination is switched when another combination is best in another value range. This is the value of the input information 21. FIG. 3 shows an example in which optimization is performed only by switching the calculation module as described above. The “singular point AtoB” 22 when the best calculation module is switched from the calculation module A to the calculation module B, and the calculation The “singular point BtoC” 23 when switching from the module B to the calculation module C is illustrated.

  For example, in the combination of the calculation module and the parameter used so far, a singular point is determined based on the input information 21 when the error exceeds the allowable range, and for each value range of the input information 21 bounded by the singular point. If a combination of a calculation module and a parameter having the best results (with an error within an allowable range and a short calculation time) is selected, the relationship as shown in FIG. 3 can be obtained.

  In most cases, since the singularity information is difficult to use as it is, the feature information is extracted by some processing. For example, a change in inclination (gradient) or a change in direction (sign) when the input information 21 is viewed as a function of time can be considered as characteristic information. The feature information is stored in a table etc. together with the information of the calculation module before and after switching, and the simulator checks the input feature information at any time during calculation, and if it detects feature information that should be switched from the current calculation module Switch the calculation module. This switching may be performed predictively.

  In the simulation, the degree of noise (disturbance) may be important, but it is also possible to avoid intentionally switching the calculation module at a singular point where the error exceeds a specified value. Specifically, the calculation error is recorded as noise, and the noise information is added to the calculation result (simulation result) at the time of calculation by simulation, and the calculation result is corrected based on the noise information. Simulation that takes noise into consideration becomes possible.

  As described above, the simulator automatic generation device according to the present embodiment makes it possible to create a simulator that can perform calculation as fast as possible while having an acceptable accuracy with respect to the experimental result. Furthermore, even if the current calculation module or parameter becomes not optimal when the input conditions change, the optimal calculation module and parameter can be used as appropriate, improving the overall simulator accuracy. be able to.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the present embodiment, the simulator automatic generation device 6 described in the first embodiment is used as a known verification device, for example, the verification device described in Patent Document 1, thereby adjusting experiments and simulations in a real environment. The simulator verification system 30 capable of performing the above simultaneously will be described.

  When the simulator is adjusted using the verification device, one or more hardware inputs and outputs are included in the simulator inputs and outputs. For example, elements such as a compressor and a valve that are controlled by the outdoor device are also present in the simulator, and in an ideal state, the results obtained by giving the same input to them match. Therefore, if the simulator automatic generation device 6 according to the first embodiment is incorporated in the verification device, it is possible to easily perform simulation calculation synchronized with the actual environment.

  Specifically, a simulator verification system 30 is constructed as shown in FIG. Control information 1 as a calculation result of the control module 33 operating on the operation verification device 31 is simultaneously input to the hardware 34 and the simulator automatic generation device 35 via the common interface 32. The simulator verification system 30 also includes an actual environment in which the hardware 34 operates. Feedback to the control module 33 is obtained by transmitting the environment information 4 which is measurement data of the actual environment obtained from the operation result of the hardware 34 via the common interface 32. Do it by getting. The environmental information 4 is simultaneously transmitted to the simulator automatic generation device 35 via the common interface 32.

  Thereby, the simulator automatic generation device 35 generates a simulator by the method described in the first embodiment, for example, based on the error between its own calculation result and the environment information 4 that is actual measurement data. That is, the simulator verification system 30 can perform simulation calculation in synchronization with the actual environment.

  Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Further, the above embodiments include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining a plurality of disclosed constituent requirements.

  For example, even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in each of the first and second embodiments, the problems described in the column of problems to be solved by the invention can be solved, and the column of the effect of the invention When the effects described in (1) are obtained, a configuration in which this configuration requirement is deleted can be extracted as an invention. Furthermore, the structural requirements over the first or second embodiment may be combined as appropriate.

  As described above, the simulator automatic generation apparatus and the simulator verification system according to the present invention are useful for verification related to the development of control software, and in particular, a simulator that performs simulation in a situation where it is difficult to uniquely determine the optimal calculation method as a whole depending on the situation. Suitable for generating and optimizing

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control information 2 Experiment environment 3, 34 Hardware 4 Environment information 5 Calculation input data 6, 35 Simulator automatic generation apparatus 7 Simulator generation part 8, 9, 10 Calculation module 11, 12, 13 Parameter 14 Simulator 15 Simulation result 21 Input Information 22, 23 Singularity 30 Simulator verification system 31 Operation verification device 32 Common interface 33 Control module S1 to S10 Steps

Claims (8)

A plurality of predetermined calculation modules and parameters for operating the calculation modules, and a simulator capable of executing a simulation by changing the combination of the calculation modules and the parameters according to input information,
There is a predetermined error between the simulation result by the simulator when the input data for calculation obtained by converting the given control information is used as the input information and the environment information resulting from operating the hardware in the real environment according to the control information. The simulator automatic generation device, wherein a combination depending on the calculation input data is determined by selecting a combination of the calculation module and the parameter so as to be equal to or less than the standard. The simulator automatic generation device according to claim 1, wherein the one having the shortest calculation time is selected from the combination of the calculation module and the parameter in which the error is equal to or less than a predetermined reference. The simulator automatic generation device according to claim 1, wherein the simulator stores the value of the input data for calculation at which the selected combination of the calculation module and the parameter is switched as a singular point. In the simulator that executes simulation by changing the calculation input data, the combination of the calculation module and the parameter that has been used up to that point causes the calculation input data to have a singular point when the error exceeds an allowable range. The simulator automatic generation device according to claim 1, 2, or 3. A function of changing a combination of the calculation module and the parameter when the input data for calculation becomes the singular point or when it is predicted to become the singular point is added to the simulator. Item 5. The simulator automatic generation device according to any one of Items 1 to 4. 5. The simulator automatic according to claim 4, wherein when the input data for calculation becomes the singular point, a simulation result is corrected based on the error without changing a combination of the calculation module and the parameter. Generator. The simulator automatic generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A common interface;
Said hardware;
The real environment;
With
The control information given through the common interface, and the hardware is operated in the real environment according to the control information given through the common interface and output through the common interface. A simulator verification system, wherein the simulator automatic generation device is operated based on environmental information. Operation of the hardware in the real environment and operation of the simulator automatic generation device;
The simulator verification system according to claim 7, wherein the simulator verification system is executed simultaneously.

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