Proposal: Definition of Geometric Routing of Systems Architecture Connections

[vKriewall]

Following some discussion with the DLR-SL colleagues on how the geometric routing of connections between system components, e.g. cables and pipes, could be incorporated into CPACS, I would like to make a proposal concerning this topic based on the definition of connections that we have for our in-house Overall Systems Design (OSD) framework. The definition of logical connections is possible with CPACS v3.5, however, the geometric routing is not finally elaborated, as far as we are informed.

The way we do it in our OSD framework is to define routing points as virtual components. These components can then just be referenced as a source or target for a connection.
Our experiments with writing Systems Architectures into CPACS v3.5 follow this approach: we define routing points as genericComponents.

Complementarily, as the just described approach refers to direct linear connections, other types of describing the connection routing are imaginable, such as

• circular line with a defined radius
• tangential curve description
• B-spline

The description of systems architecture connections could also be extended to incorporate additional parameters, such as mass of the connection and geometry parameters, e.g. inner diameter, outer diamater.

Moreover, we discussed that it would be helpful do be able to define

• exclusion zones within the aircraft, where no routing of connections of a specific system/ATA-chapter is allowed and/or
• route-only zones within the aircraft, where only the routing of connections of a specific system/ATA-chapter is allowed.

I am putting this out here to get the discussion started :)