Define Port Interfaces Between Components - MATLAB & Simulink (original) (raw)

A systems engineering solution in System Composer™ includes a formal definition of the interfaces between components. A connection shows that two components have an output-to-input relationship, and an interface defines the type, dimensions, units, and structure of the data.

These concepts are relevant for port interface workflows:

• A data dictionary is a repository of data relevant to your model. The Architectural Data section of a data dictionary stores shared definitions used in Simulink and architecture model interfaces, such as port interfaces, data types, and system wide constants. For more information, see What Is a Data Dictionary? You can save local interfaces on a System Composer model to the Architectural Data section of a Simulink data dictionary using the Interface Editor. In addition to the Interface Editor, you can also use the Architectural Data Editor to manage and modify interfaces and value types.
• A data interface defines the kind of information that flows through a port. The same interface can be assigned to multiple ports. A data interface can be composite, meaning that it can include data elements that describe the properties of an interface signal. Data interfaces represent the information that is shared through a connector and enters or exits a component through a port. Use the Interface Editor to create and manage data interfaces and data elements and store them in a data dictionary for reuse between models.
• A data element describes a portion of an interface, such as a communication message, a calculated or measured parameter, or other decomposition of that interface. Data interfaces are decomposed into data elements that can represent pins or wires in a connector or harness, messages transmitted across a bus, and data structures shared between components.
• A value type can be used as a port interface to define the atomic piece of data that flows through that port and has a top-level type, dimension, unit, complexity, minimum, maximum, and description. You can also assign the type of data elements in data interfaces to value types. Add value types to data dictionaries using the Interface Editor so that you can reuse the value types as interfaces or data elements.
• An owned interface is an interface that is local to a specific port and not shared in a data dictionary or the model dictionary. Create an owned interface to represent a value type or data interface that is local to a port.
• An adapter connects two components with incompatible port interfaces by mapping between the two interfaces. An adapter can act as a unit delay, rate transition, or merge. You can also use an adapter for bus creation. Use the Adapter block to implement an adapter. With an adapter, on the Interface Adapter dialog box, you can: create and edit mappings between input and output interfaces, apply an interface conversionUnitDelay to break an algebraic loop, apply an interface conversionRateTransition to reconcile different sample time rates for reference models, apply an interface conversion Merge to merge two or more message or signal lines, and when output interfaces are undefined, you can use input interfaces in bus creation mode to author owned output interfaces.

Use interfaces to describe information transmitted across connections through ports between components. The table lists topics about using interfaces.

Note

Connected ports in System Composer are compatible if they share a compatible interface type and structure. Ports without assigned interfaces automatically inherit from other ports on the connection. To activate compile-time checks for interface compatibility, on the toolstrip, clickUpdate Diagram. You can reconcile incompatible interfaces on either end of a connection with an Adapter block using the Interface Adapter.

The architecture model below represents an adapter, a data dictionary, a data interface, a data element, and a value type.

See Also

Topics

• Specify Physical Interfaces on Ports
• Service Interfaces Overview
• Modeling System Architecture of Small UAV
• Modeling System Architecture of Keyless Entry System
• Use Interface Editor in Views