What’s New in Xpedition – System Design
In the previous What’s New in Xpedition blog post, we reviewed the new data management functionality that is available in the Xpedition VX.2 series of releases. We looked at the innovative functionality that is available for sharing IP, along with the new functions that provide for management of 3D component models and rapid comparison of designs. In this blog post, we’ll take a look under the hood and check out what’s new in the area of System Design. Xpedition’s multi-board system design functionality improves design team productivity and reduces development cost by replacing inefficient manual system design processes with an automated, fully integrated, collaborative workflow. System Designer enables automated synchronization between all levels of abstraction in a multi-board system, improving design team productivity and reducing product development cost.
With the VX.2 series of releases, System Designer delivers Interface Control Document (ICD) based integration between the multi-board system design and the system of systems project. ICD’s are a key element of systems engineering, as they define and control the interface(s) of a system, and thereby bound its requirements. The core of the ICD is the unit’s electrical interface describing the pins, signals (inputs, outputs), electrical characteristics and connectors. ICD’s include information about:
- Connectors and their pins
- Signal names and their connection to pins
- Design intent
In Xpedition, the ICD definition is driven by the multi-board system design. The ICD-based integration allows teams to enter connectivity once and then implement it throughout the flow.
The VX.2 series also delivers innovative system design functionality that provides for:
- Easy access to library-based reusable circuit blocks to facilitate rapid product development
- Integration with HyperLynx for multi-board simulation
- Import of bus signals from a spreadsheet into the connector pin manager
- Advanced on-the-fly parameterized creation and placement of connector graphics compliant with IEC 60617
If you would like a preview of what’s new please feel free to check out the What’s New in Xpedition video, along with online demos of the highlights for each of the VX.2 releases. You can also take a quick tour of Xpedition Enterprise to get a great overview of all the functionality that Xpedition has to offer.
Be sure to check back for the next entry in this series – What’s New in Xpedition – Schematic Capture.
