Datetime arithmetic in simulink

Hello, is it possible to do datetime arithmetic in simulink? Eventually, the code may be autogenerated to C++.

for example, in matlab i would do:

dt0 = datetime([year month day hour min sec])

increment = 0.5 % seconds

dt1 = dt + seconds(increment);

Answer 1

[Michael]

You can do some arithmetics with datetime data type. For your example it is possible to add a duration to a datetime.

dt0 = datetime([2023 8 25 11 47 3]) % a point in time

dt0 = datetime
   25-Aug-2023 11:47:03

increment = duration(0,0,5)         % a duration of 5 seconds

increment = duration
   00:00:05

dt1 = dt0 + increment               % a 5 seconds later point in time

dt1 = datetime
   25-Aug-2023 11:47:08

[MP]

Is there a built in block that does this for simulink or using the matlab user defined function block? I believe your answer using duration may be the same as what i had in the original post if the seconds function is a duration type.

[Michael]

In general a Simulink block is generating a signal (in case of of a source block) or manipulating a signal using block parameters or other signals. datetime or duration are no valid data types for signals. Or what is your intention to deal with those data types in Simulink?

[MP]

I need to compute UTC time to feed into a simulink aerospace toolbox block over the course of a simulation.

I suppose i can use the julian date conversion block and first convert to julian date which would give a double-type and increment that value.

[Michael]

I am not familar with the Aerospace Blockset but according to documentation the Julian date conversion block supports only data type double on its inputs and its outputs. I don't see the nessity or possibility to deal with data type datetime or duration. But maybe it is possible to write a function within a MATLAB Function block with double inputs and double outputs where you convert those doubles into datetime and/or duration and convert the results back to doubles. But I am not sure if that is what you want