System interconnection

Abstract

Viewing a system as an architecture of subsystems is of central importance, both in modeling and in design. The aim of this article is to put forward a language for discussing the interconnection of dynamical systems. Under the influence of feedback control and signal processing, it has become customary to regard interconnections as output-to-input assignment. It is argued that this picture is not appropriate for physical systems, where it more logical to view interconnection as variable sharing. The modeling philosophy that emerges from this vantage point is tearing, zooming, and linking. This is formalized in the context of the notions from the behavioral approach, and illustrated by means of a number of examples. © 2008 Springer-Verlag.