Monitor Object

Defines 3D or 2D field monitors. Each monitor stores the field values either for a specified frequency or for a set of time samples. There are different kinds of monitors: magnetic and electric field or energy monitors as well as farfield, power flow and current monitors.

• Methods

• Queries

• Default Settings

• Examples

Methods

Reset

Resets all internal values to their default settings.

Name ( name monitorName )

Sets the name of the monitor.

Rename ( name oldName, name newName )

Renames the monitor named oldName to newName.

Delete ( name monitorName )

Deletes the monitor named monitorName.

Create

Creates the monitor with the previously applied settings.

FieldType ( enum fType )

Sets what field is to be monitored.

fType can have one of the following values:

Dimension ( enum{"plane", "volume"} monitorType )

This option decides to monitor the fields only on a cutting plane or for the entire calculation volume.

PlaneNormal ( enum{"x", "y", "z"} plane )

Defines the normal direction of the monitor plane. This method only applies if the fields are to be monitored on a two dimensional plane. Otherwise this setting has no effect.

PlanePosition ( double pos )

Defines the position of the two dimensional monitor. This method only applies if the fields are to be monitored on a two dimensional plane. Otherwise this setting has no effect.

Domain ( enum{"frequency", "time"} monitorDomain )

Defines whether the monitor stores time-domain or frequency-domain information. In case of a farfield monitor type, the setting "time" refers to a broadband farfield monitor offering both frequency and transient farfield information.

Frequency ( double freq )

Sets the frequency for frequency domain monitor to freq.

Tstart ( double startTime )

Sets starting time for a time domain monitor to startTime.

Tstep ( double timeStep )

Sets the time increment for a time domain monitor to timeStep.

Tend ( double stopTime )

Sets the end time for a time domain monitor to stopTime.

UseTend ( bool bFlag )

If bFlag is True the time domain monitor stops storing the results when the end time set with Tend is reached. Otherwise the monitor will continue until the simulation stops.

AutomaticOrder ( bool bFlag )

Setting for broadband farfield monitors: The solver automatically determines the necessary degree of polynomials used to represent the farfield in terms of spherical waves. If bFlag is set "False" this automatic determination is disabled and a reduced maximum order can be set by applying the method MaxOrder below.

MaxOrder ( int nOrder )

Setting for broadband farfield monitors: If the automatic order detection is disabled by calling the method AutomaticOrder with "False" the solver will reduce the calculated maximum order to nOrder to save memory and computation time.

FrequencySamples ( int nSamples )

Setting for broadband farfield monitors: Choose a number of equidistant frequency samples between Fmin and Fmax where frequency domain farfields are calculated. Results for any frequencies in between are interpolated to obtain broadband farfield information. For a more accurate interpolation over the frequency band increase this value e.g. to "31". An odd number assures that the result at mid frequency is not interpolated.

TransientFarfield (  bool bFlag  )

Setting for broadband farfield monitors: This method activates the additional calculation of transient farfield information which can be displayed afterwards in the post processing. Note that in order to accurately obtain time domain farfields the computational effort is higher than for broadband farfields only.

Accuracy ( enum{"1e-3", "1e-4", "1e-5"} accuracy )

Setting for broadband farfield monitors: Defines the desired accuracy of the farfield. Together with the Fmax and the size of the structure it determines the number of modes required to represent the farfield. Note that leaving out higher order terms by choosing a lower accuracy is equivalent to low pass filtering the farfield solution. This saves memory and computation time. However, the farfield result has usually less detail.

Origin ( enum originType )

The broadband farfield monitor is based on an expansion of the farfield in terms of spherical waves. By default the origin of the spherical wave expansion is the center of the bounding box.

originType can have one of the following values:

UserOrigin (double x, double y, double z )

Setting for broadband farfield monitors: Sets origin of the spherical wave expansion if the origin type is set to free.

Please note: x, y, and z must be double values here. Any expression is not allowed.

FrequencyRange ( double fmin,  double fmax )

Sets the frequency range for field source monitors.

UseSubvolume ( bool bFlag )

If bFlag is true, then the field monitor uses the subvolume which has to be defined in SetSubvolume. Otherwise the bounding box is used. Please note that this method is only available for field source monitors, single frequency farfield/RCS monitors and electric or magnetic field monitors.

SetSubvolume ( double xmin,  double xmax, double ymin, double ymax,  double zmin, double zmax )

Sets the subvolume of the field monitor. Please note that this method is only available for field source monitors, single frequency farfield/RCS monitors and electric or magnetic field monitors.

InvertOrientation ( bool bFlag )

Inverts orientation for field source monitors.

ExportFarfieldSource ( bool bFlag )

Activates the automatic generation of a farfield source from the corresponding farfield monitor after a solver run. All farfield source exports from the same excitation are collected into a single broadband farfield source file.

Queries

GetNumberOfMonitors long

Returns the total number of defined monitors in the current project.

GetMonitorNameFromIndex ( long index ) name

Returns the name of the monitor with regard to the index in the internal monitor list .

GetMonitorTypeFromIndex ( long index ) enum  monType

Returns the type of the monitor with regard to the index in the internal monitor list.

monType can have one of the following values; depending on 2D or 3D monitors a suffix is added to the string in format of  " 2D" or " 3D", respectively:

GetMonitorDomainFromIndex ( long index ) enum{"frequency", "time", "static"}

Returns the monitor domain with regard to the index in the internal monitor list.

GetMonitorFrequencyFromIndex ( long index ) double

Returns the frequency value of a frequency domain monitor with regard to the index in the internal monitor list.

GetMonitorTstartFromIndex ( long index ) double

Returns the start time of a time domain monitor with regard to the index in the internal monitor list.

GetMonitorTstepFromIndex ( long index ) double

Returns the time increment value of a time domain monitor with regard to the index in the internal monitor list.

GetMonitorTendFromIndex ( long index ) double

Returns the end time of a time domain monitor with regard to the index in the internal monitor list.

Export ( enum{"nfs"} exportType, name excitationName, name filePath,  bool bFlag )

Exports or converts field source monitor files in other formats. More details and examples can be found here.

Default Settings

FieldType ("Efield")

Dimension ("Volume")

PlaneNormal ("x")

PlanePosition (0.0)

Domain ("frequency")

Tstart (0.0)

Tstep (0.0)

Tend (0.0)

UseTend (False)

MaxOrder (1)

FrequencySamples (21)

AutomaticOrder (True)

TransientFarfield (False)

UseSubvolume (False)

ExportFarfieldSource (False)

Examples

' creates a frequency domain electric field monitor for the entire calculation domain

With Monitor

     .Reset

     .Name ("e-field (f=2.5)")

     .Dimension ("Volume")

     .Domain ("Frequency")

     .FieldType ("Efield")

     .Frequency (2.5)

     .Create

End With

' creates a time domain magnetic field monitor for the plane y=37.3

With Monitor

     .Reset

     .Name ("My magnetic field monitor")

     .Dimension ("Plane")

     .Domain ("Time")

     .FieldType ("Hfield")

     .Tstart (1.0)

     .Tstep (0.015)

     .Tend (1.7)

     .UseTend (True)

     .PlaneNormal ("y")

     .PlanePosition ("37.3")

     .Create

End With