Plant Inputs and Outputs

To create the connect between the (external) control system and the Adams model, Plant Inputs and Plant Outputs must be created and used to specify the inputs and outputs from the Adams plant. Plant Inputs and Plant Outputs are Adams entities that contain a list of state variables. These are either created automatically by the Plant Export dialog box, or created by using Plant Input/Plant Output option found in Elements Tab → Data Elements container → Create an ADAMS Plant Input/Plant Output.

Note that in Adams Controls you can use two types of variables: design variables and state variables.

A design variable is only a preprocessing entity. It is a placeholder for element parameter values. When writing an .adm file, these entities are evaluated and entered in the Adams Solver dataset as numerical values. The design variable value can be any expression created in the Adams Expression Builder. Design variables are also known as Adams View variables and simply as variables (in the Adams View Database Navigator).

A state variable is a variable whose value is calculated at every simulation step. The value can be any function created in the Adams View Function Builder. State variables are also known as Adams Solver variables, Adams_Variable (in Adams View Database Navigator), and VARIABLE (statement in Adams Solver dataset).

Adams Controls uses state variables to specify the inputs and outputs from the Adams model, because these variables are computed during runtime.

For more information, see the online help for Adams View Function Builder.