MATLAB and SIMULINK. Working with Blocks

by Mendel H.



Blocks are the elements from which the Simulink software builds models. You can model virtually any dynamic system by creating and interconnecting blocks in appropriate ways. This book discusses how to use blocks to build models of dynamic systems. Most blocks contain fields called block parameters that you can use to enter values that customize the behavior of the block.

When creating models, you need to be aware that Simulink blocks fall into two basic categories: nonvirtual blocks and virtual blocks. Nonvirtual blocks play an active role in the simulation of a system. If you add or remove a nonvirtual block, you change the model’s behavior. Virtual blocks, by contrast, play no active role in the simulation; they help organize a model graphically. Some Simulink blocks are virtual in some circumstances and nonvirtual in others. Such blocks are called conditionally virtual blocks. This book discusses all kind of blocks.