Stateflow

Stateflow

Control logic for an automatic transmission system
Developer(s)	MathWorks
Stable release	R2018b / September 12, 2018;6 years ago (2018-09-12)
Preview release	R2018b / June 14, 2018;6 years ago (2018-06-14)
Operating system	Windows, macOS, Linux [1]
Platform	x64
Type	Application software
License	Proprietary
Website	Stateflow product page

Stateflow (developed by MathWorks) is a control logic tool used to model reactive systems via state machines and flow charts within a Simulink model. Stateflow uses a variant of the finite-state machine notation established by David Harel, enabling the representation of hierarchy, parallelism and history within a state chart. ^{[2] [3]} Stateflow also provides state transition tables and truth tables.

Common uses

Stateflow is generally used to specify the discrete controller in the model of a hybrid system where the continuous dynamics (i.e., the behavior of the plant and environment) are specified using Simulink. ^{[4] [5]}

Specific applications for Stateflow include:

• Mode logic, where each discrete mode of a system is represented by a state ^[6]
• Fault management, where the Stateflow chart is used to control how the system responds to faults and failures within a system ^[7]
• Task scheduling, where the Stateflow chart is used to schedule when specific tasks occur, either within the Stateflow chart or within the overall Simulink model ^[8]

Extensions

A number of MathWorks and third-party tools can be used with Stateflow to validate the design and generate code. For example, Simulink Verification and Validation, a MathWorks tool, can be used to check for requirements traceability and model coverage analysis. Other add-on code generation tools can be used to automatically generate C, C++, HDL, and PLC code for implementation on embedded systems.

References

1. MathWorks - Stateflow - Requirements
2. MATLAB Tech Talks on the basics and usage of state machines
3. Simulation of Hybrid Systems Using Stateflow
4. Gregoire Hamon; John Rushby. "An Operational Semantics for Stateflow" (PDF). Presented at Fundamental Approaches to Software Engineering (FASE) Barcelona, Spain, March 2004. SRI International Computer Science Laboratory.
5. Orion GN&C MATLAB/Simulink/Stateflow Standards
6. A. Tiwari. "Formal Semantics and Analysis Methods for Simulink Stateflow Models" (PDF). SRI International Computer Science Laboratory.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
7. Requirements-Based Testing in Aircraft Control Design
8. Embedded Coder Robot NXT Modeling Tips