Hybrid and Real Time Simulation

Hybrid Simulation:

For most studies, the system under study is clearly either of continuous or discrete nature and it is the determining factor in deciding whether to use an analog or digital computer for system simulation.

If the system being simulated is an interconnection of continuous and discrete subsystem, then such system simulation is known as hybrid simulation. Such hybrid system can be digital computer being linked together

Hybrid simulation required high speed converters to transform signals from analog to digital from and vice-versa.

Real time simulation:

In real time simulation, actual device (which are part of a system) are used in conjunction with either digital computer or hybrid computer. It provides the simulation of the points of systems that do not exist or that cannot be easily used in an experiment. i.e. the basic idea of real time simulation is ‘uses the actual part if they are appropriate to use in experiment otherwise use the simulation of the points of the system’.

A well-known examples is “simulation to train pilots”. It uses the devices for training pilots by giving them the impression that is at the control of an aircraft.

It requires real time simulator of the plane its control system, the weather and other environmental conditions. Sometimes, real time simulation also refers to a computer model of a physical system that can execute at the same rate as actual system can. For example: if a machine takes 10 minutes to fill a tank in real world, the simulation also would take 10 minutes.

Real time simulation of an engineering system becomes possible when replace physical device with virtual device are.