SysML as a tool for requirements traceability in mechatronic design

Modern mechatronic systems have to deal with the ever increasing requirements due to a higher number of demands and their complexity. Those demands are summarized in the requirements list. Classic design methodologies do not directly relate a system or part of it to the requirements list. As a result, by failing to ensure that the qualification of requirements is traceable, when a problem arises, design engineers lose the ability to track back and quickly locate one or more not fulfilled requirements. Our work shows how requirements traceability for mechatronic design can be achieved by employing a Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methodology and associated tool, Systems Modeling Language (SysML). SysML is a general purpose multiview language for systems modeling capable of linking requirements to the system elements by capturing textual requirements and placing them in the design models. Furthermore, SysML can be coupled to other tools including spreadsheets and design and simulation software, such as Matlab or Modelica, enabling requirements verification. An electro-mechanical actuator (EMA) -an airplane surface actuator-is chosen as a mechatronic system example. By joining SysML and Matlab/Simulink, it was possible to trace requirements for the EMA mechatronic design and hence verify compliance with requirements throughout the design.