CAMeL: an open CACSD environment

This article introduces the design environment CAMeL (Computer-Aided Mechatronic Laboratory), which supports the whole design cycle of mechatronic systems. Modern CACSD tools have to be open and easily combinable with other existing tools designated to perform special design tasks. CAMeL is a process-based development framework for control systems. Beside an internal toolset for linear analysis, nonlinear simulation, and optimization based on the system description language DSL, CAMeL has the possibility to use other, i.e., commercial, design environments to enhance its performance. In addition, CAMeL software processes are able to communicate online with technical processes. Thus design and optimization of controllers can be performed directly in the real plant