Interface & Cartridge Architecture

A Capability Declaration is the formal statement of what an interface side can provide, receive, tolerate, control, measure, or support.

Each component shall declare capabilities applicable to its interface domain. Examples include:

load capacity and stiffness;

allowable movement;

electrical voltage and current supply;

fluid type, pressure, and flow;

heat-transfer capacity;

communication protocols;

sensor measurements;

control commands;

robotic handling support;

emergency isolation functions;

environmental resistance.

Each declared capability shall include:

capability identifier;

capability version;

direction: provided, required, or bidirectional;

unit of measurement;

nominal value or operating range;

maximum and minimum limits;

accuracy or uncertainty where applicable;

operating conditions;

dependencies;

exclusions;

safety classification;

evidence reference.

Capabilities shall be divided into:

Mandatory Core Capabilities: required for all implementations within the interface class;

Optional Standard Capabilities: standardized but not universally required;

Conditional Capabilities: required only under identified profiles or configurations;

Manufacturer Extensions: additional functions outside the standard minimum;

Prohibited Capabilities: behaviors incompatible with the interface class.

A declared capability shall not exceed the capability supported by available engineering evidence. Marketing descriptions shall not form part of the authoritative declaration.

Passive interfaces shall also have Capability Declarations. The absence of software does not remove the need to declare load, movement, sealing, environmental, or lifecycle capacity.

If the capability changes because of damage, aging, configuration, firmware, maintenance, or environmental conditions, the current declaration shall be updated or supplemented by a degraded-capability state.

The machine-readable Capability Declaration schema remains TBD.