Placeable Elements
Note: There is a newer version of this specification see VEC 2.1.0
In a wiring harness many components can be placed directly onto the topology (e.g. connectors, fixings). To specify the aspect of placeability the VEC defines a PlaceableElementSpecification. Every component that could be placed directly onto the topology must have a PlaceableElementSpecification in addition to its regular type specific PartOrUsageRelatedSpecification (e.g. ConnectorHousingSpecification).
A PlaceableElementSpecification defines at minimum the validPlacementTypes for the component (e.g. a connector can be placed on a point, a tape can be placed on a path way in the topology).
In addition the PlaceableElementSpecification can define a number of remarkable points of the component, MeasurementPoints and PlacementPoints. MeasurementPoints are locations on the component that can be used to define a dimensioning. To make a MeasurementPoint locatable by a person more information is needed. This information is normally provided with a drawing of the component. The identification can be used to find the MeasurementPoint on the drawing (if it is labeled). To make a MeasurementPoint locatable by a system, the external mapping mechanism can be used.
PlacementPoints are locations on the component, where it can be attached to the wiring harness. Therefore it can define a segmentDiameter for which it is usable. To locate a PlacementPoint on the component, the same approach as for MeasurementPoints can be used.
Often these PlacementPoints have additional properties depending on the component type. In these cases the corresponding PartOrUsageRelatedSpecification redefines these elements, with a reference to the PlacementPoint which represents them (e.g. the SegmentConnectionPoint). However a PlacementPoint can be defined with such a corresponding element, if no additional information is necessary.