Engineers can more quickly optimise control systems with simplified programming tools.
NI LabVIEW 8.6 lowers the barrier to using FPGA-based PACs for superior control.
National Instruments has announced LabVIEW 8.6, the latest version of the graphical system design software platform for control, test and embedded system development. With the latest version of LabVIEW, engineers can design advanced control systems using programmable automation controllers (PACs) based on field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). These PACs can reduce machine wear, increase system throughput and consume less power in applications ranging from machine control to integration of complex measurements for optimised production.
“To push the envelope of innovation in control systems, engineers need an integrated hardware and software platform that has high performance and flexibility,” said Dr James Truchard, president, CEO and cofounder of National Instruments. “With LabVIEW and NI hardware such as CompactRIO, engineers have a solution that provides integrated I/O timing with advanced algorithms to meet the most difficult control challenges.”
FPGA-based control hardware
LabVIEW 8.6 simplifies programming of the NI CompactRIO control and acquisition system. It dramatically condenses the development of complex measurement and control applications with the introduction of a new scan engine in LabVIEW that integrates timing into the programming language with a scanning I/O architecture. The scan architecture offers out-of-the-box I/O determinism better than 500 ns, making it ideal for complex, precise control applications. This new technology also takes advantage of the flexibility of the FPGA on CompactRIO without requiring lengthy compilations. For example, engineers can convert any eight-channel digital input or output module into a counter, quadrature encoder or pulse-width modulation (PWM) module to interface with common digital sensors and actuators.
LabVIEW 8.6 also introduces additional control logic tools by providing function blocks based on IEC 61131-3, a standard for programmable logic controllers (PLCs). These realtime safe function blocks provide familiar functions to programmers who have used other industrial controllers and can publish automatically their parameters to human machine interfaces (HMIs) over the network. Additionally, to help engineers debug their systems, LabVIEW 8.6 introduces an Ethernet-based maintenance tool that allows I/O forcing and displays current CPU and memory status as well as current I/O values and status.
Enhance control system performance
LabVIEW 8.6 introduces a new rapid programming model that accommodates more flexible, direct FPGA customisation. Engineers now have two options for programming I/O modules. They can use the LabVIEW Real-Time Module to access I/O modules quickly with the new scan engine, or they can use the LabVIEW FPGA Module to develop custom code that directly interfaces with the module to perform very high-speed control or signal processing. This capability simplifies the creation of hybrid systems that mix test and control such as machine control and embedded machine condition monitoring applications. For engineers who are programming the FPGA directly, new simulation features reduce the number of time-consuming compilations by validating an FPGA application on the desktop. Additionally, LabVIEW 8.6 offers new intellectual property (IP) development and integration features including the new fast Fourier transform (FFT) IP core to increase application performance. With the new Component-Level IP (CLIP) Node, engineers easily can import existing or third-party IP into LabVIEW FPGA.
Advanced control algorithms
With rising energy costs and pressure to reduce the impact on the environment, engineers are optimising control systems to develop more efficient processes and machines. With the LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module, engineers can use enhanced model predictive control functions to optimise processes with user-defined constraints such as power consumption as well as improved Kalman filters that can compensate for noisy or failing sensors. In addition, the module includes a range of advanced control tools such as analytical proportional integral derivative (PID) design, linear-quadratic regulator (LQR) and state-space feedback, which can run in LabVIEW on PACs such as CompactRIO.
Web-enabled devices
To maximise productivity and efficiency, engineers are seeking to interface with control systems through Web-based user interfaces that can be accessed anywhere. With LabVIEW 8.6, they now can convert LabVIEW applications into Web services on desktop and realtime hardware that can be accessed from any Web-enabled device such as smartphones and PCs. Control engineers now can develop remote user interfaces for systems controlled by PACs using standard Web technologies such as HTML, JavaScript and Flash.
Readers interested in learning more about LabVIEW 8.6 and downloading the evaluation software can visit www.ni.com/labview86.
For more information contact National Instruments, +27 (0)11 805 8197, [email protected], www.ni.com/southafrica
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