Maplesoft and Toyota to Produce Tools for Physical Modeling

By DE Editors

Maplesoft (Waterloo, Canada) announced a multi-year contract with Toyota Motor Corporation (Torrance, CA) to produce advanced physical modeling tools to help Toyota move to a new product development process called the Model-Based Development (MBD). Features of the new process include Control System Design and Physical (“Plant”) Modeling based on a symbolic approach.

Toyota has been one of the earliest among industrial companies to embrace Model-Based Design, the concept of creating a computer-based model of a system to analyze, test, improve, and optimize the design before actually building the physical system. In the initial stages, this was used in the design, simulation, and implementation of control systems using tools from companies such as The MathWorks. Toyota is now expanding its scope with the development of the new MBD process.

The goal of MBD is to improve time-to-market, quality, and reliability, while reducing cost. Physical modeling requires a symbolic approach to computations in order to accurately and efficiently represent real-world physical systems. Toyota has recognized Maple as an important part of this framework, providing the ideal mathematical environment for physics-based modeling.

Tools developed by Maplesoft will provide the fundamental mathematical framework for physical modeling within the MBD throughout Toyota. All areas of engineering development such as engines, transmissions, suspensions, braking systems, climate control systems, and in-vehicle electronics stand to gain from the use of the new set of modeling tools.

As part of the partnership, Maplesoft and Toyota are doing pioneering work in other yet-to-be-announced projects. The two companies are leading a Physical Modeling Consortium, which brings together leaders in the automotive industry to share ideas and advance the development of Rapid Plant Modeling Methodology based on symbolic computation.

Maplesoft offers Maple, which solves complex mathematical problems and creates rich technical documents; Maple Toolbox for MATLAB, which seamlessly integrates Maple into an existing MATLAB environment; BlockBuilder for Simulink; BlockImporter for Simulink, which is a Maple add-on tool that allows you to import a Simulink model into Maple and convert it to a set of mathematical equations; MapleNet, which allows users to publish live Maple documents on the Web; and The Professional Toolbox Series, which provides domain-specific tools that focus the core Maplesoft products on discipline-specific applications.

Visit Maplesoft to learn more.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.