Synthesis Results for Simscape Hardware-in-the-Loop Workflow

This example shows how to access synthesis results for Simscape™ hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulations using Xilinx® Vivado® tool.

Access Synthesis Results from a MAT File

You can generate HDL code for your plant models and then generate and analyze the synthesis results before deploying the generated code to the target hardware. See Simscape Hardware-in-the-Loop Workflow for guidance on each step of generating HDL code from Simscape models and deploying the generated code onto a target hardware.

Note: This page shows the synthesis results for Simscape models that use Simscape switches. It does not include the resources consumed by any additional interfaces or peripherals that are part of a complete HIL setup. You can also model these examples using dynamic switches. For more information, see sschdl.generateOptimizedModel.

This example provides synthesis results for a set of Simscape HIL workflow example models, with various data type precisions stored in the MAT file SimscapeHILExamplesResults.mat.

To access these synthesis results from this file, use:

load('SimscapeHILExamplesResults.mat');
SimscapeHILSynthesisResults

SimscapeHILSynthesisResults = 

  struct with fields:

          HardwareDetails: [1x1 struct]
          SinglePrecision: [16x5 table]
          DoublePrecision: [16x5 table]
    FixedPoint48Precision: [16x5 table]
    FixedPoint36Precision: [16x5 table]
    FixedPoint32Precision: [16x5 table]
             BarGraphInfo: [1x1 struct]

SimscapeHILSynthesisResults is a structure that provides comprehensive details on the synthesis results for Simscape FPGA-based HIL simulations.

Hardware Details

To understand the synthesis tool and target hardware specifics, examine the HardwareDetails field in the SimscapeHILSynthesisResults structure.

HardwareDetails = SimscapeHILSynthesisResults.HardwareDetails

HardwareDetails = 

  struct with fields:

               SynthesisTool: 'Xilinx Vivado'
     SynthesisToolChipFamily: 'Kintex7'
     SynthesisToolDeviceName: 'xc7k325t'
    SynthesisToolPackageName: 'fbg676'
     SynthesisToolSpeedValue: '-1'
             TargetFrequency: 100

This example uses Xilinx® Vivado® synthesis tool with Kintex-7® device family as the default hardware. The Target Frequency is set to 100 MHz.

Synthesis Results for Different Data Type Precision

The synthesis results also show various precision levels — Single, Double, Fixed-Point 48, Fixed-Point 36 and Fixed-Point 32 — alongside model-specific metrics such as model sample time and the utilization percentages of lookup tables (LUTs), registers, and digital signal processors (DSPs).

Single-Precision Results

To retrieve single precision synthesis results in the SimscapeHILSynthesisResults structure, use:

SinglePrecisionTable = SimscapeHILSynthesisResults.SinglePrecision

SinglePrecisionTable =

  16x5 table

                                                    Model Sample Time (us)    LUTs utilization (%)    Registers utilization (%)    DSPs utilization (%)    RAMs utilization (%)
                                                    ______________________    ____________________    _________________________    ____________________    ____________________

    sschdlexBoostConverterModel                             0.534                     7.28                        3.2                         5                     0          
    sschdlexBridgeRectifierModel                            0.416                     9.56                       4.16                      7.02                     0          
    sschdlexBuckBoostConverterModel                         0.475                     6.75                       2.97                      4.76                     0          
    sschdlexBuckConverterModel                              0.283                     6.08                       2.66                      4.76                     0          
    sschdlexCukConverterModel                               0.532                    18.24                       7.87                     13.69                     0          
    sschdlexDCMotorPartitionSolverModel                     0.897                     5.86                       2.24                      2.86                     0          
    sschdlexFlybackConverterModel                            0.71                    13.96                       6.01                     10.12                     0          
    sschdlexHalfWaveRectifierModel                          0.121                     0.88                       0.48                      0.95                     0          
    sschdlexNonlinearTransformerModel                       0.438                     7.14                       3.21                      5.12                     0          
    sschdlexNPCBridgeModel                                  0.918                    16.97                       7.44                     12.74                     0          
    sschdlexPMSMPartitionSolverModel                        1.189                    43.61                      17.17                     21.67                     0          
    sschdlexPushPullConverterModel                           0.78                     21.6                       9.89                     15.83                     0          
    sschdlexResonantLLCConverterModel                       0.532                    18.44                       7.73                     13.33                     0          
    sschdlexSEPICConverterModel                              0.59                    16.11                       6.98                     12.02                     0          
    sschdlexSolarInverterPartitionedNetworkModel            1.984                    23.93                      10.68                     13.21                     0          
    sschdlexThreePhaseRectifierModel                        0.814                    11.68                       5.07                      7.74                     0          

Double-Precision Results

To retrieve double precision synthesis results in the SimscapeHILSynthesisResults structure, use:

DoublePrecisionTable = SimscapeHILSynthesisResults.DoublePrecision

DoublePrecisionTable =

  16x5 table

                                                    Model Sample Time (us)    LUTs utilization (%)    Registers utilization (%)    DSPs utilization (%)    RAMs utilization (%)
                                                    ______________________    ____________________    _________________________    ____________________    ____________________

    sschdlexBoostConverterModel                             0.785                    16.38                       7.03                     24.64                     0          
    sschdlexBridgeRectifierModel                            0.614                    21.64                       9.18                     32.14                     0          
    sschdlexBuckBoostConverterModel                         0.699                    15.17                       6.43                     23.57                     0          
    sschdlexBuckConverterModel                              0.443                    13.74                       5.82                     21.43                     0          
    sschdlexCukConverterModel                               0.728                    27.35                         12                     41.79                     0          
    sschdlexDCMotorPartitionSolverModel                     0.944                    10.39                       4.05                      14.4                     0          
    sschdlexFlybackConverterModel                           1.049                    31.52                      13.17                     46.07                     0          
    sschdlexHalfWaveRectifierModel                          0.186                     2.08                       1.06                      4.29                     0          
    sschdlexNonlinearTransformerModel                       0.742                    16.33                       6.88                     25.71                     0          
    sschdlexNPCBridgeModel                                   1.22                    27.41                      12.25                     41.79                     0          
    sschdlexPMSMPartitionSolverModel                        1.884                    67.37                      26.22                     75.36                     0          
    sschdlexPushPullConverterModel                          0.985                    38.17                      16.43                     54.64                     0          
    sschdlexResonantLLCConverterModel                       0.856                    27.42                      11.25                     33.21                     0          
    sschdlexSEPICConverterModel                             0.814                    27.14                      12.13                     42.86                     0          
    sschdlexSolarInverterPartitionedNetworkModel            2.141                    43.25                      18.53                     41.79                     0          
    sschdlexThreePhaseRectifierModel                        1.049                     25.9                         11                     35.36                     0          

48-Bit Fixed-Point Precision Results

To access the synthesis results for models using fixed-point with a 48-bit word length, you can retrieve the data from the FixedPoint48Precision field in the SimscapeHILSynthesisResults structure:

Fixed48PrecisionTable = SimscapeHILSynthesisResults.FixedPoint48Precision

Fixed48PrecisionTable =

  16x5 table

                                                    Model Sample Time (us)    LUTs utilization (%)    Registers utilization (%)    DSPs utilization (%)    RAMs utilization (%)
                                                    ______________________    ____________________    _________________________    ____________________    ____________________

    sschdlexBoostConverterModel                             0.045                        2                      0.15                      16.43                     0          
    sschdlexBridgeRectifierModel                            0.041                     2.47                      0.19                      22.86                     0          
    sschdlexBuckBoostConverterModel                         0.042                     1.76                      0.13                      13.93                     0          
    sschdlexBuckConverterModel                              0.032                     1.51                      0.14                      18.21                     0          
    sschdlexCukConverterModel                               0.048                     4.69                      0.24                      38.57                     0          
    sschdlexDCMotorPartitionSolverModel                     2.051                     3.26                      0.71                      11.19                     0          
    sschdlexFlybackConverterModel                           0.066                     3.46                      0.21                       37.5                     0          
    sschdlexHalfWaveRectifierModel                          0.024                     0.23                      0.07                       2.14                     0          
    sschdlexNonlinearTransformerModel                       1.666                      3.3                       0.8                      16.43                     0          
    sschdlexNPCBridgeModel                                   0.07                     4.17                      0.26                      47.14                     0          
    sschdlexPMSMPartitionSolverModel                        6.678                    34.99                      9.47                      68.33                     0          
    sschdlexPushPullConverterModel                          0.067                    16.23                      0.34                      57.38                     0          
    sschdlexResonantLLCConverterModel                       0.057                     4.13                      0.22                      57.86                     0          
    sschdlexSEPICConverterModel                             0.047                     3.66                      0.19                      48.93                     0          
    sschdlexSolarInverterPartitionedNetworkModel            0.238                     6.92                      1.15                      54.29                     0          
    sschdlexThreePhaseRectifierModel                        0.072                     2.25                      0.26                      18.93                     0          

36-Bit Fixed-Point Precision Results

To access the synthesis results for models using fixed-point with a 36-bit word length, you can retrieve the data from the FixedPoint36Precision field in the SimscapeHILSynthesisResults structure:

Fixed36PrecisionTable = SimscapeHILSynthesisResults.FixedPoint36Precision

Fixed36PrecisionTable =

  16x5 table

                                                    Model Sample Time (us)    LUTs utilization (%)    Registers utilization (%)    DSPs utilization (%)    RAMs utilization (%)
                                                    ______________________    ____________________    _________________________    ____________________    ____________________

    sschdlexBoostConverterModel                             0.041                     1.58                      0.11                       6.19                       0        
    sschdlexBridgeRectifierModel                            0.037                     2.03                      0.15                       8.81                       0        
    sschdlexBuckBoostConverterModel                         0.039                     1.48                       0.1                       5.71                       0        
    sschdlexBuckConverterModel                              0.028                     0.97                       0.1                       7.62                       0        
    sschdlexCukConverterModel                               0.042                     3.21                      0.17                      17.14                       0        
    sschdlexDCMotorPartitionSolverModel                     1.621                     3.01                      0.67                       5.48                       0        
    sschdlexFlybackConverterModel                           0.058                      2.1                      0.16                      15.48                       0        
    sschdlexHalfWaveRectifierModel                          0.021                     0.15                      0.05                       0.71                       0        
    sschdlexNonlinearTransformerModel                       1.351                      2.8                      0.76                       7.26                       0        
    sschdlexNPCBridgeModel                                  0.064                     2.38                      0.18                       16.9                       0        
    sschdlexPMSMPartitionSolverModel                        5.402                    28.87                      8.91                      37.38                       0        
    sschdlexPushPullConverterModel                           0.06                     3.85                      0.26                      41.43                       0        
    sschdlexResonantLLCConverterModel                       0.051                     2.87                      0.16                      25.71                       0        
    sschdlexSEPICConverterModel                             0.044                     2.36                      0.13                      15.95                       0        
    sschdlexSolarInverterPartitionedNetworkModel            0.219                     5.37                      0.81                      23.93                    0.56        
    sschdlexThreePhaseRectifierModel                        0.066                     1.72                       0.2                        6.9                       0        

32-Bit Fixed-Point Precision Results

To access the synthesis results for models using fixed-point with a 32-bit word length, you can retrieve the data from the FixedPoint32Precision field in the SimscapeHILSynthesisResults structure:

Fixed32PrecisionTable = SimscapeHILSynthesisResults.FixedPoint32Precision

Fixed32PrecisionTable =

  16x5 table

                                                    Model Sample Time (us)    LUTs utilization (%)    Registers utilization (%)    DSPs utilization (%)    RAMs utilization (%)
                                                    ______________________    ____________________    _________________________    ____________________    ____________________

    sschdlexBoostConverterModel                             0.039                     1.01                      0.09                       3.81                       0        
    sschdlexBridgeRectifierModel                            0.037                     1.62                      0.13                       8.81                       0        
    sschdlexBuckBoostConverterModel                         0.039                     1.14                      0.09                          5                       0        
    sschdlexBuckConverterModel                              0.028                     0.77                      0.09                       7.62                       0        
    sschdlexCukConverterModel                               0.042                     2.47                      0.15                      17.14                       0        
    sschdlexDCMotorPartitionSolverModel                     1.568                     2.85                      0.65                          5                       0        
    sschdlexFlybackConverterModel                           0.057                     1.57                      0.13                      15.48                       0        
    sschdlexHalfWaveRectifierModel                          0.021                     0.12                      0.05                       0.71                       0        
    sschdlexNonlinearTransformerModel                       1.288                     2.55                      0.74                       5.95                       0        
    sschdlexNPCBridgeModel                                  0.063                     1.85                      0.16                       16.9                       0        
    sschdlexPMSMPartitionSolverModel                        5.223                     28.3                      8.77                      37.38                       0        
    sschdlexPushPullConverterModel                          0.061                     3.02                      0.23                      40.71                       0        
    sschdlexResonantLLCConverterModel                       0.051                     1.99                      0.15                      20.48                       0        
    sschdlexSEPICConverterModel                             0.043                     1.84                       0.1                      15.24                       0        
    sschdlexSolarInverterPartitionedNetworkModel            0.219                     4.16                      0.71                      22.62                    0.56        
    sschdlexThreePhaseRectifierModel                        0.068                     1.34                      0.17                       6.43                       0        

Bar Graph Info

The SimscapeHILSynthesisResults structure contains a field, BarGraphInfo, that aids in visualizing and comparing the synthesis results of the same example model across different data type precisions. To access the BarGraphInfo, use:

BarGraphInfo = SimscapeHILSynthesisResults.BarGraphInfo

BarGraphInfo = 

  struct with fields:

                     sschdlexBoostConverterModel: [1x1 struct]
                    sschdlexBridgeRectifierModel: [1x1 struct]
                 sschdlexBuckBoostConverterModel: [1x1 struct]
                      sschdlexBuckConverterModel: [1x1 struct]
                       sschdlexCukConverterModel: [1x1 struct]
             sschdlexDCMotorPartitionSolverModel: [1x1 struct]
                   sschdlexFlybackConverterModel: [1x1 struct]
                  sschdlexHalfWaveRectifierModel: [1x1 struct]
               sschdlexNonlinearTransformerModel: [1x1 struct]
                          sschdlexNPCBridgeModel: [1x1 struct]
                sschdlexPMSMPartitionSolverModel: [1x1 struct]
                  sschdlexPushPullConverterModel: [1x1 struct]
               sschdlexResonantLLCConverterModel: [1x1 struct]
                     sschdlexSEPICConverterModel: [1x1 struct]
    sschdlexSolarInverterPartitionedNetworkModel: [1x1 struct]
                sschdlexThreePhaseRectifierModel: [1x1 struct]

The BarGraphInfo is a structure that contains several fields, with each field dedicated to storing the synthesis results for a specific example model and is named accordingly. For example, the fields sschdlexBoostConverterModel and sschdlexBridgeRectifierModel store the synthesis results for the models boost converter model and bridge rectifier model, respectively.

To retrieve and analyze the synthesis results for the boost converter model from the BarGraphInfo field in the SimscapeHILSynthesisResults structure, enter:

BoostConverterResults = SimscapeHILSynthesisResults.BarGraphInfo.sschdlexBoostConverterModel

BoostConverterResults = 

  struct with fields:

          LUTs: [16.3800 7.2800 2 1.5800 1.0100]
     Registers: [7.0300 3.2000 0.1500 0.1100 0.0900]
          DSPs: [24.6400 5 16.4300 6.1900 3.8100]
          RAMs: [0 0 0 0 0]
    SampleTime: [0.7850 0.5340 0.0450 0.0410 0.0390]

The structure corresponding to a specific model, such as BoostConverterResults, contains detailed information about resource usage including LUTs, Registers, DSPs, and RAMs, along with the sample time across several data types such as double, single and fixed-point with 48, 36 and 32-bit word lengths respectively.

Visualizing Results with Various Data Type Precisions

To compare the performance of the Boost Converter Model across different data type precisions, visualizing the sample time data is key. By plotting this data as a bar graph to observe how the sample time of the model varies with precision changes, use:

bar(BoostConverterResults.SampleTime);
set(gca,'XTickLabel',["Double", "Single", "FixPt48", "FixPt36", "FixPt32"]);
title('Sample time(us) for sschdlexBoostConverterModel'); % for better readability