Model verification for system design of complex mechatronic products

Increasing complexity of mechatronic products leads to more challenging designs. As the most important stage, system design determines the overall product architecture. Defects in this stage are difficult to rectify in future stages, thus requiring greater model accuracy. With the development of model‐based systems engineering (MBSE), model verification can detect design defects, reduce development costs, improve development efficiency, and ensure system reliability. Currently, conventional verifications are performed only after design processes, which makes it difficult to make systematic modifications. To solve this problem, a model verification method implemented in the design stage is proposed in this study. Using this method, designers are able to detect defects earlier, thereby reducing modification costs. The proposed method is as follows: first, a language named Relation‐based Modeling for Static Properties (RMSP) is proposed to formalize the static properties of requirements; second, the representation of “Conceptual Graphs” is extended to meet the needs of model verification of mechatronic products; finally, requirements in RMSP and system design in Systems Modeling Language (SysML) are transformed into the Extension of Conceptual Graphs. In this manner, the incorrectness and inconsistencies between requirements and system design can be found through projection in the system design stage. The omitted or improperly designed requirement items would be found and redesigned to fulfill the product requirements.