Access/Call Simulink from Python

Question

I want to model a system in Simulink, and then access that simulation from a python program to feed it new conditions or inputs.

I know there is a module out there that allows you to access the Matlab engine from Python, but this is a little different.

I'd like to have a system modeled in Simulink, and monitor some hardware using Python. Then, every say quarter second or so, call Simulink, run the simulation using current conditions of the hardware, get some output and repeat the process. Basically I'm trying to play around with a real time simulator for hardware.

I am running Ubuntu 11.04

I know Python isnt ideally suited for this, but that's not the point. Any idea if this is possible? Or where I may start?

Answer 1

There's an open-source HTTP and XML-RPC server for Matlab Simulink called SimServer:

http://simulinksimserv.sourceforge.net/

An example Python script has been provided(in the package) which shows how the XML-RPC interface can be used to Get and Set data in a running Simulink model.