Determining the appropriate level of abstraction for simulating automotive systems

The analysis of electronic systems entails the use of sophisticated mathematical techniques. Computer simulation is an attractive idea, in that it allows engineers to analyze their designs faster. In the field of automotive electronics, a variety of technology is encountered. This covers digital and analogue electronics and extends through to electro-mechanical devices for input and output. The whole system can become sufficiently complex that the simulation of such a system can itself be a time consuming process. An important influencing factor on simulation efficiency is the choice of model. It is popularly thought that a given device has a `good´ or a `bad´ model. In fact, the same device or system can be modelled to varying degrees of accuracy (or in greater or lesser detail). An understanding of how to choose the appropriate level of model is essential to the successful use of simulation