Composite Signals

Use composite signals, such as buses, to group signals and reduce model complexity

To simplify model appearance, combine individual signals into composite signals using these techniques:

Virtual buses
Nonvirtual buses
Mux signals
Concatenated signals

For a detailed comparison of composite signals, see Types of Composite Signals.

Virtual buses meet most modeling requirements for combining signals into a composite signal and give you flexibility for combining different types of signals.

Blocks

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Name-Based Composite Signals (Buses)

Bus Assignment	Replace specified bus elements
Bus Creator	Create bus from input elements
Bus Selector	Select elements from incoming bus
In Bus Element	Select signal that connects to input port
Out Bus Element	Specify signal that connects to output port

Index-Based Composite Signals

Demux	Extract and output elements of virtual vector signal
Mux	Combine input signals of same data type and complexity into virtual vector
Selector	Select input elements from vector, matrix, or multidimensional signal
Vector Concatenate, Matrix Concatenate	Concatenate input signals of same data type to create contiguous output signal

Signal Conversion

Bus to Vector	Convert virtual bus to vector
Signal Conversion	Convert signal to new type without altering signal values

Functions

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Bus Objects

`Simulink.Bus`	Specify properties of buses
`Simulink.BusElement`	Specify properties of elements of buses
`Simulink.Bus.cellToObject`	Convert cell array containing bus information to Simulink.Bus objects
`Simulink.Bus.createMATLABStruct`	Create MATLAB structures that use the same hierarchy and attributes as buses
`Simulink.Bus.createObject`	Create Simulink.Bus objects from blocks or MATLAB structures
`Simulink.Bus.objectToCell`	Use Simulink.Bus objects to create cell array containing bus information
`Simulink.Bus.save`	Save Simulink.Bus objects in function

Signal Conversion

Simulink.BlockDiagram.addBusToVector Convert virtual bus signals into vector signals by adding Bus to Vector blocks

Tools

Bus Editor	Create, modify, and manage Simulink.Bus objects
Model Explorer	View, modify, and add elements of Simulink models, Stateflow charts, and workspace variables

Topics

Composite Signal Basics

Types of Composite Signals

To reduce visual complexity in a model, combine signals into a composite signal.

Bus Basics

Group Signal Lines into Virtual Buses

Combine signals into virtual buses, which only affect visual appearance.

Display Bus Information

Display information about buses, such as signal hierarchy and whether the bus is virtual or nonvirtual.

Bus-Capable Blocks

Identify the blocks that support buses as inputs.

Simplify Subsystem and Model Interfaces with Buses

Use In Bus Element and Out Bus Element blocks for bus inputs and outputs.

Modify Bus Hierarchy

Change the order and hierarchy of nested buses and their elements.

Replace Values of Bus Elements

Use a Bus Assignment block to assign values to elements of a bus.

Specify Initial Conditions for Bus Signals

Specify bus element values as initial conditions for buses.

Identify Automatic Bus Conversions

Recognize modeling patterns that cause hidden Bus To Vector and Signal Conversion blocks.

Share and Reuse Bus-Routing Blocks

Share blocks that create or interact with buses using subsystem references or custom libraries.

Trace Connections Using Interface Display

Display interfaces to trace signals through the nested levels, annotate signal characteristics, and view units associated with signals.

Bus Objects

Specify Bus Properties with Simulink.Bus Objects

Understand Simulink.Bus object uses and implementation.

Create Bus Objects Programmatically

Use functions and classes to define Bus objects and bus elements, create bus objects from blocks, or create Bus objects from MATLAB^® data.

Customize Bus Object Import and Export

Customize the Bus Editor import and export commands by writing MATLAB functions that provide the desired capabilities. Register these functions using the Simulink^® Customization Manager.

Nonvirtual Buses

Create Nonvirtual Buses

Convert virtual buses to nonvirtual buses, which affect simulation and code generation.

Modify Sample Times for Nonvirtual Buses

Make the sample time of signals the same so that you can group them in a nonvirtual bus.

Generate Code for Nonvirtual Buses

Code generation uses a structure to represent a nonvirtual bus. You can control data types of initial condition structure fields.

Inspect Generated Code for Nonvirtual Buses

Find nonvirtual buses in generated code for a simple model.

Nonvirtual Buses at Model Interfaces

Connect nonvirtual buses to inputs and outputs of referenced models.

Arrays of Buses

Combine Buses into an Array of Buses

Streamline a model by combining nonvirtual buses that have the same bus type (use the same Bus object) into an array of buses.

Use Arrays of Buses in Models

Use array of buses in a model, load array of bus data, and log array of buses.

Work with Arrays of Buses

Set up your model to use an array of buses to select signals, assign values to a signal, perform iterative processing, log and load signals, and initialize signals.

Convert Models to Use Arrays of Buses

Convert an existing model that does not use arrays of buses to use arrays of buses.

Related Information

Signals

Featured Examples

Simulink Bus Signals

Introduces you to the following Simulink® bus signal capabilities: Bus Creator, Bus Selector, and Bus Assignment blocks

Open Model

Modeling Arrays of Buses

Use arrays of buses to represent structured data compactly.

Open Model

Interface Specification Using Bus Objects

Propagate bus signals into referenced models. It also shows how you can simulate the referenced models independently using logged signal data from the parent model. (For a quick introduction to Model Reference, see Component-Based Modeling with Model Reference. See Simulink® documentation for more information about configuring signals for data logging.)

Open Model