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Variant Connector

Remove or disconnect physical components from network

Since R2020b

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  • Variant Connector Block Icon

Libraries:
Simscape / Utilities

Description

The Variant Connector block lets you define variant choices in a physical network. Variant choices allow you to exclude some components from simulation without physically removing the components from the physical network. The components to be disconnected must be connected to the port associated with condition data. During simulation, the variant condition is propagated to all the connected components within the physical network. If the variant control associated with the block evaluates to true, all the components that are connected to the block become active. If the variant control evaluates to false, all the components connected to the block become inactive.

Examples

Variant Leaf Region in Mechanical System

Variant Leaf Region in Mechanical System

Simulate the displacement of velocity sources and mass by using the leaf type of the Variant Connector block. The leaf Variant Connector block forms a leaf region that allows you to vary the displacement during simulation.

Variant Bounded Region in Electrical Circuit

Variant Bounded Region in Electrical Circuit

Activate or deactivate the flow of a current to a set of components in an electrical circuit by using the primary and nonprimary type Variant Connector blocks. The primary and nonprimary Variant Connector blocks form a bounded region that allows you to vary the electrical circuit during simulation.

Variant Connector Block with Simscape Bus Block

Variant Connector Block with Simscape Bus Block

Use Variant Connector blocks with the Simscape Bus block.

Mask Workspace Variable in Variant Connector Block

Mask Workspace Variable in Variant Connector Block

Use a mask workspace variable as a variant control variable in a Variant Connector block.

Limitations

  • The Variant Connector block does not propagate the variant condition across the boundary between the Simscape™ physical network and the Simulink® blocks connected to it. In other words, if a block has both conserving ports and Simulink signal ports, such as a Simulink-PS Converter, a PS-Simulink Converter block, or a Subsystem block, the Variant Connector block stops propagating the variant condition at the boundary of that block. The condition is not propagated to any of its connected blocks. For more information, see Variant Condition Propagation From Variant Connector Block to Subsystem Block.

Ports

Conserving

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This port is located on the left side of the block and is labeled with a rectangle. During simulation, if the variant choice associated with the block evaluates to true, all the components that are connected to this port become active. If the variant choice associated with the block evaluates to false, all the components connected to this port become inactive.

By default, this port is untyped. You define the type of this port by connecting it to a conserving port of another block, components in the network, or a Simscape Bus port.

Conserving connection port. By default, this port is untyped.

You define the type of the port by connecting it to a conserving port of another block, components in the network, or a Simscape Bus port.

Parameters

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Select a connector type based on the components to deactivate.

  • Leaf: If you want to deactivate all the components connected to the block, set Connector Type to Leaf.

    For example, in this model, the variant condition associated with the Variant Connector block, ConneBlk1, is A == 1. The variant condition associated with the Variant Connector block, ConneBlk2, is B == 1. During simulation, when A == 1 evaluates to true and B == 1 evaluates to false, all the components connected to ConneBlk1 block become active, and all the components connected to ConneBlk2 block become inactive.

    Deactivate all the components connected to the Leaf type of Variant Connector block

  • Primary and Nonprimary: If you want to restrict the propagation of the variant condition to a set of components, create a Bounded region by using primary and nonprimary connector blocks. To form a bounded region, the primary and nonprimary connector blocks must have the same Connector Tag property.

    When you set Connector Type to Primary or Nonprimary, the connector tag of the block is displayed on the block icon. The connector tag of the primary connector block is displayed with double lines and the connector tag of the nonprimary connector block is displayed with single lines.

    A primary Variant Connector block and all nonprimary Variant Connector blocks with the same Connector Tag as the primary block constitute a set of related blocks.

    You can select a primary or nonprimary Variant Connector block to highlight all related Variant Connector blocks.

    The blocks that are highlighted in the model canvas are also highlighted in the miniature map.

    To show a related block in an open diagram, pause on the ellipsis that appears after selection. Then, select Related Blocks Related Blocks button. from the action bar. When multiple blocks correspond to the selected block, a list of related blocks opens. You can filter the list of related blocks by entering a search term in the text box. After you select a related block from the list, window focus goes to the open diagram or new tab that shows the related block.

Block icon for different types of Variant Connector block

Specify an identifier in the Connector Tag parameter. The primary and nonprimary connector blocks with the same tag form a Bounded region.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Connector Type to Primary or Nonprimary.

Displays the variant controls available in the global workspace. The variant control can be a Boolean condition expression containing a regular MATLAB variable or a Simulink.VariantExpression object representing a Boolean condition expression.

To edit a variant name, double-click a Variant control expression cell and type in the variant control expression. Click Apply after you edit a variant control name.

When the variant control associated with the block evaluates to true, all the components connected to the block become active.

Programmatic Use

Block Parameter: VariantControls
Type: cell array of character vectors
Value: Variant control that is associated with the Variant choice
Default: 'Variant'

This read-only field is based on the condition for the associated Variant control in the global workspace. Create or change a Variant condition in the Simulink.VariantExpression parameter dialog box or in the global workspace.

For more information, Simulink.VariantExpression.

Select Show variant condition on block to display the variant condition associated with the block on the block icon.

Click Open block in Variant Manager to open the Variant Manager.

More About

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Extended Capabilities

Version History

Introduced in R2020b

See Also

Topics