From UML/SysML to Matlab/Simulink: Current State and Future Perspectives

Several EDA surveys confirm that the Mathworks Matlab/Simulink and the unified modelling language (UML) are both gaining increased attention as electronic system level (ESL) languages. While Matlab is commonly used to model signal processing intensive systems, UML has the potential to support innovative ESL methodologies which tie the architecture, design and verification aspects in a unified perspective. Integrated design flows which exploit the benefits of the complementarity between UML and Matlab provide an interesting answer to the issues of mono-disciplinary modeling and the necessity of moving beyond point-tool solutions. This paper summarizes how UML and Matlab/Simulink can be associated and what is the impact of SysML, a new modeling language based on UML to describe complex heterogeneous systems