Sensor Form

The Sensor form is used to configure signals to monitor in ScopeView and to record with the data logger, as well as associating signals to  I/Os. For more information on how to configure the sensors, look here.

Terminology

Before looking at the detailed configuration, let's clarify some terms.

Analog/digital I/O and non Ethernet-based communication protocols

As can be seen in the figure above, all signals that are exchanged with external devices go through a driver layer. The driver can be seen as another entity with its own inputs and outputs and one must be aware of the terminology used, which often differs depending on the context and on the point of view. For example, drivers have outputs that can go either to the electrical model simulation or outside of the simulator. In both cases, they can be called "driver outputs", but in one case they are equivalent to an electrical model input and in the other case to a simulator output, so it's important to note the direction of the connection. In the HYPERSIM Sensor form, signals are always mapped from the electrical model perspective, so one can extrapolate that an electrical model output corresponds to a simulator output and vice versa.

Ethernet-based communication protocols

As can be seen in the figure above, all signals that are exchanged with external devices go through a driver layer. For Ethernet-based protocols only, it is also possible to simulate the communication network. The driver and communication network simulation can be seen as other entities with their own inputs and outputs and one must be aware of the terminology used, which often differs depending on the context and on the point of view. For example, drivers have outputs that can go either to the electrical model simulation or outside of the simulator (optionally through the communication network simulation) . In both cases, they can be called "driver outputs", but in one case they are equivalent to an electrical model input and in the other case to a simulator output (or communication network input), so it's important to note the direction of the connection. In the HYPERSIM Sensor form, signals are always mapped from the electrical model perspective, so one can extrapolate that an electrical model output most of the time corresponds to a simulator output and vice versa. The optional communication network simulation adds some use cases where messages could either loop back internally or externally, as for example between two physical devices or two virtual devices. In the latter case, an electrical model output would correspond to the communication network input and messages would be looped through a communication network output back to an electrical model input.