Change Union type naming to Abstract

src/interface_implementations/ballandbeam.jl

 # Interface implementation Ball And Beam ====================================================
 
-export Beam, BeamSimulator, BeamType, BallAndBeam, BallAndBeamSimulator, BeamOrBallAndBeam
+# The ball and beam can be used in two modes, either just the Beam, in which case there is a
+# single output (measurement signal) or the BallAndBeam, in which case there are two.
+# There are a few union types defined for convenience, these are
+# AbstractBeam = Union{Beam, BeamSimulator}
+# AbstractBallAndBeam   = Union{BallAndBeam, BallAndBeamSimulator}
+# AbstractBeamOrBallAndBeam = All types
+# Although not Abstract per se, the names AbstractBeam etc. were chosen since this reflects
+# their usage in dispatch.
+
+export Beam, BeamSimulator, AbstractBeam, BallAndBeam, BallAndBeamSimulator, AbstractBeamOrBallAndBeam
 
 struct Beam <: PhysicalProcess
     h::Float64
@@ -27,26 +36,26 @@ end
 BallAndBeamSimulator() = BallAndBeamSimulator(0.01, zeros(4))
 
 
-const BeamType = Union{Beam, BeamSimulator}
-const BallAndBeamType   = Union{BallAndBeam, BallAndBeamSimulator}
-const BeamOrBallAndBeam = Union{BeamType, BallAndBeamType}
+const AbstractBeam              = Union{Beam, BeamSimulator}
+const AbstractBallAndBeam       = Union{BallAndBeam, BallAndBeamSimulator}
+const AbstractBeamOrBallAndBeam = Union{AbstractBeam, AbstractBallAndBeam}
 
 
-num_outputs(p::BeamType)        = 1
-num_outputs(p::BallAndBeamType) = 2
-num_inputs(p::BeamOrBallAndBeam)= 1
-outputrange(p::Beam)            = [(-10,10)]
-outputrange(p::BallAndBeamType) = [(-10,10),(-1,1)] # Beam angle, Ball position
-inputrange(p::BeamOrBallAndBeam)= [(-10,10)]
-isstable(p::Beam)               = true
-isstable(p::BallAndBeamType)    = false
-isasstable(p::BeamOrBallAndBeam)  = false
-sampletime(p::BeamOrBallAndBeam)  = p.h
-bias(p::BeamOrBallAndBeam)            = p.bias
-bias(p::BallAndBeamSimulator)   = 0
+num_outputs(p::AbstractBeam)             = 1
+num_outputs(p::AbstractBallAndBeam)      = 2
+num_inputs(p::AbstractBeamOrBallAndBeam) = 1
+outputrange(p::Beam)                     = [(-10,10)]
+outputrange(p::AbstractBallAndBeam)      = [(-10,10),(-1,1)] # Beam angle, Ball position
+inputrange(p::AbstractBeamOrBallAndBeam) = [(-10,10)]
+isstable(p::Beam)                        = true
+isstable(p::AbstractBallAndBeam)         = false
+isasstable(p::AbstractBeamOrBallAndBeam) = false
+sampletime(p::AbstractBeamOrBallAndBeam) = p.h
+bias(p::AbstractBeamOrBallAndBeam)       = p.bias
+bias(p::BallAndBeamSimulator)            = 0
 
 
-control(p::BeamOrBallAndBeam, u) = ccall((:comedi_write, comedipath),Int32,
+control(p::AbstractBeamOrBallAndBeam, u) = ccall((:comedi_write, comedipath),Int32,
                                         (Int32,Int32,Int32,Int32),0,1,1,num2io(u[1]+p.bias))
 measure(p::Beam) = io2num(ccall((:comedi_read,comedipath), Int32,
                                         (Int32,Int32,Int32), 0,0,0))
@@ -61,7 +70,7 @@ const conversion = 65535/20
 io2num(x) = x/conversion -10            # Converts from io to float
 num2io(x) = round(Int32,x*100 + 2048)   # Converts from regular number to io
 
-initialize(p::BeamOrBallAndBeam)  = ccall((:comedi_start, comedipath),Int32,(Int32,), 0)
-finalize(p::BeamOrBallAndBeam)    = (control(p,0);ccall((:comedi_stop, comedipath),Int32,(Int32,), 0))
-initialize(p::BallAndBeamSimulator)  = nothing
-finalize(p::BallAndBeamSimulator)    = nothing
+initialize(p::AbstractBeamOrBallAndBeam) = ccall((:comedi_start, comedipath),Int32,(Int32,), 0)
+finalize(p::AbstractBeamOrBallAndBeam)   = (control(p,0);ccall((:comedi_stop, comedipath),Int32,(Int32,), 0))
+initialize(p::BallAndBeamSimulator)      = nothing
+finalize(p::BallAndBeamSimulator)        = nothing

src/interface_implementations/eth_helicopter.jl

 # Interface implementation Ball And Beam ====================================================
 
-export ETHHelicopter, ETHHelicopterSimulator, ETHHelicopterType
+# There is a union type defined for convenience:
+# AbstractETHHelicopter = Union{ETHHelicopter, ETHHelicopterSimulator}
+# Although not Abstract per se, the names AbstractETHHelicopter etc. were chosen since this
+# reflects the usage in dispatch.
+
+export ETHHelicopter, ETHHelicopterSimulator, AbstractETHHelicopter
 
 struct ETHHelicopter <: PhysicalProcess
     h::Float64
     bias::Float64
 end
-ETHHelicopter() = ETHHelicopter(0.050)
+ETHHelicopter() = ETHHelicopter(0.050, 0.)
 
 struct ETHHelicopterSimulator <: SimulatedProcess
     h::Float64
@@ -15,15 +20,15 @@ struct ETHHelicopterSimulator <: SimulatedProcess
 end
 ETHHelicopterSimulator() = ETHHelicopterSimulator(0.01, zeros(4))
 
-const ETHHelicopterType = Union{ETHHelicopter, ETHHelicopterSimulator}
-num_outputs(p::ETHHelicopterType) = 2
-num_inputs(p::ETHHelicopterType)  = 2
-outputrange(p::ETHHelicopterType) = [(-10,10),(-10,10)] # Beam angle, Ball position
-inputrange(p::ETHHelicopterType)  = [(-10,10)]
-isstable(p::ETHHelicopterType)    = false
-isasstable(p::ETHHelicopterType)  = false
-sampletime(p::ETHHelicopterType)  = p.h
-bias(p::ETHHelicopterType)        = p.bias
+const AbstractETHHelicopter = Union{ETHHelicopter, ETHHelicopterSimulator}
+num_outputs(p::AbstractETHHelicopter) = 2
+num_inputs(p::AbstractETHHelicopter)  = 2
+outputrange(p::AbstractETHHelicopter) = [(-10,10),(-10,10)]
+inputrange(p::AbstractETHHelicopter)  = [(-10,10),(-10,10)]
+isstable(p::AbstractETHHelicopter)    = false
+isasstable(p::AbstractETHHelicopter)  = false
+sampletime(p::AbstractETHHelicopter)  = p.h
+bias(p::AbstractETHHelicopter)        = p.bias
 
 
 function control(p::ETHHelicopter, u)
@@ -42,7 +47,7 @@ const conversion = 65535/20
 io2num(x) = x/conversion -10            # Converts from io to float
 num2io(x) = round(Int32,(x + 10)*conversion)   # Converts from regular number to io
 
-initialize(p::ETHHelicopter)  = ccall((:comedi_start, comedipath),Int32,(Int32,), 0)
-finalize(p::ETHHelicopter)    = (control(p,0);ccall((:comedi_stop, comedipath),Int32,(Int32,), 0))
-initialize(p::ETHHelicopterSimulator)  = nothing
-finalize(p::ETHHelicopterSimulator)    = nothing
+initialize(p::ETHHelicopter) = ccall((:comedi_start, comedipath),Int32,(Int32,), 0)
+finalize(p::ETHHelicopter)   = (control(p,0);ccall((:comedi_stop, comedipath),Int32,(Int32,), 0))
+initialize(p::ETHHelicopterSimulator) = nothing
+finalize(p::ETHHelicopterSimulator)   = nothing