This feature allows you to access some of a component's internal variables that are not provided at ports even though these variables can be interesting for control applications or for signal processing. Sensed variables are converted to signals and each of them is associated with a unique port. These signal ports can then be connected with standard Simcenter Amesim components such as:
- Control related components: Interface blocks, typically for sending sensed internal variables to a Simulink controller model that uses them for its control strategy.
- Control components, for instance a PID controller, for designing the control loop within the Simcenter Amesim environment. These components can be found in the Signal, Control Library.
- Signal processing components: typically for writing an ASCII file containing the values of a sensed variable. These components can also be found in the Signal,Control Library.
- Components from the Simulation Library: for example to be able to stop a simulation based on the values of a sensed internal variable, typically if an undesired threshold is reached.
- Components converting signals to physical quantities: all the actuators or "signal to physics" sources from the various physical libraries of Simcenter Amesim.
To use this feature, in the sketch or submodel modes, you can access Sense internal variables through right-click on a component or line:
After that sense internal variable window will open:
On the left, the Internal variables list displays all internal variables sensed in the component. On the right, the External variables are displayed, and when their checkboxes are activated in the Internal variables list, the corresponding internal variables are also displayed.
In this example total bearing friction torque is required for losses estimation. So this variable can be checked on as sensed and then it will appear as extra port to the engine component:
Picture below shows this additional port which can be later used in the sketch: