Developed Data Acquisition System Research Articles

Development of an ultra-low-cost wireless data acquisition system for monitoring strain and deflection

Strain gauges are gaining popularity for monitoring stress and strain within structural elements and for detecting and identifying structural damage. Although they are relatively inexpensive, they are not as widely used as accelerometers in structural health monitoring. This is due to several factors, such as the high cost of data acquisition systems required to collect strain data and the need for a large number of gauges to monitor a structure. Therefore, this research aims to develop a low-cost wireless strain gauge data acquisition system with acceptable accuracy and a high sampling rate. This system is composed of commonly available electronic components and open-source software, with a cost of $20. The system’s precision in measuring displacement was assessed in a laboratory experiment, and further experiments were conducted on an aluminum beam to investigate its response under both static and dynamic conditions. Additionally, the accuracy of the system for measuring deflection and strain in reinforced concrete elements was assessed through a bending test on a reinforced concrete beam. The findings indicated that the developed data acquisition system can accurately measure displacement, with a root mean square error of 0.1 mm, as well as strain values within the range of a few micro-strains.

A measurement system for enteric CH4 emissions monitoring from ruminants in livestock farming

In this paper, a proposal for an Internet-of-Things (IoT) based measurement system dealing with the enteric methane (CH4) emission monitoring from ruminants is presented. Herein, a brief overview of the recent advances in sensors technologies and their IoT integration for realizing measurement systems able to monitor the CH4 emissions in ruminants is also presented. Nowadays, it is confirmed that CH4 emissions, which are mainly produced during normal fermentation of feeds by the rumen microorganisms, are part of the Green-House Gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, a classification of the existing measurement methods, sensing technologies and their impact on the animal’s welfare is presented. The proposed measurement system, together with its sensing elements and the developed data acquisition system are also reported in this paper. A preliminary disposal and field trials of the developed system in a farm facility is given.

Modernized Resonant Column and Torsional Shearing Apparatus With Multipoint Contactless Displacement Detection System

Abstract In this study, a modification of resonant column/torsional shearing (RC/TS) apparatus was proposed to perform a qualitative analysis of a noncohesive soil specimen vibration during RC tests. An additional multipoint displacement detection system was installed in the RC/TS WF8500 device. In the new measuring system, 48 mini-magnets are attached to the side surface of a cylindrical soil specimen, creating a regular grid of measuring points. Around 48 Hall sensors (Honeywell SS495A1) are used to measure changes in the magnetic field strength due to the movement of the corresponding magnets on the surface of the specimen subjected to dynamic torque. The Hall sensor generates an analog signal that is proportional to the change in the magnetic field. The measurements are collected with a newly developed data acquisition system that consists of a set of analog-to-digital converters and a set of ARM (Advanced RISC (Reduced Instruction Sets Computing) Machine) microcontrollers. The measurement system is controlled with a dedicated software, ControlRec, developed by the authors. The measurements are taken synchronically with and independently from the standard RC test procedure. The new measuring technique allows to observe displacements of the 48 points on the specimens’ surface with over 4 times higher sampling rate than in the original measuring system. As a result, additional effects related to the mechanical wave propagation through soil specimen were observed (local disturbances in distribution of vibration amplitudes or significant displacements near the bottom end of the specimen, which is assumed to be fixed in the standard RC/TS results analysis), that could not be identified using the standard equipment of the device.

Development of a list-mode data acquisition system for prompt X-ray imaging during irradiation with carbon-ions

Prompt X-ray imaging using a low-energy X-ray camera is a promising method for observing the beam shape from outside the subject. However, such imaging has so far been conducted only on static images with relatively long acquisition times without any energy information. Consequently, we performed list-mode prompt X-ray imaging using a newly developed data acquisition system combined with a pinhole YAP(Ce) camera during irradiation of a water phantom with carbon ions. Prompt X-ray imaging was conducted in list mode with a 1-ms time stamp and 128-channel energy bins during irradiation of a water phantom with 241.5 MeV/n carbon ions. After the imaging, list-mode data were sorted to obtain the time-sequential prompt X-ray images and those with different energies. From the images with different energies, we found the energy spectra were different depending on the areas in the images, and the reduction of the background fraction was possible. From the short time-sequential prompt X-ray images, we could even observe the differences in the images depending on the acquisition times, as well as the spill and ripple shapes of the carbon ion beam.

Development of a Test Bench for Biogas-fueled Internal Combustion Engines Working in Cogeneration Mode for Residential Applications

The aim of this paper is the presentation of a test bench developed and installed at the Laboratory of the University of Bologna: the test bench has been developed for internal combustion engines, working as cogeneration units and fueled with biogas. In this perspective, the test bench purpose is to experimentally test and optimize the operation of cogenerative internal combustion engines on varying the boundary conditions, in terms of both biogas composition and electric and thermal load. Other main components are the anaerobic digester, a multi-fuel internal combustion engine, the electric load and a heat exchanger for the heat recovery from the exhaust gases and connected to a water circuit representing the thermal user. The test bench has been equipped with the opportune measurement devices, as well as with a specifically developed data acquisition system. First experimental tests, carried out on varying the methane content within the CH4-CO2 blend and the electric load allowed to optimize the test bench in terms of heat recovery section and air supply to the engine.

Design, inverted vat photopolymerization 3D printing, and initial characterization of a miniature force sensor for localized in vivo tissue measurements

BackgroundTissue healthiness could be assessed by evaluating its viscoelastic properties through localized contact reaction force measurements to obtain quantitative time history information. To evaluate these properties for hard to reach and confined areas of the human body, miniature force sensors with size constraints and appropriate load capabilities are needed. This research article reports on the design, fabrication, integration, characterization, and in vivo experimentation of a uniaxial miniature force sensor on a human forearm.MethodsThe strain gauge based sensor components were designed to meet dimensional constraints (diameter ≤3.5mm), safety factor (≥3) and performance specifications (maximum applied load, resolution, sensitivity, and accuracy). The sensing element was fabricated using traditional machining. Inverted vat photopolymerization technology was used to prototype complex components on a Form3 printer; micro-component orientation for fabrication challenges were overcome through experimentation. The sensor performance was characterized using dead weights and a LabVIEW based custom developed data acquisition system. The operational performance was evaluated by in vivo measurements on a human forearm; the relaxation data were used to calculate the Voigt model viscoelastic coefficient.ResultsThe three dimensional (3D) printed components exhibited good dimensional accuracy (maximum deviation of 183μm). The assembled sensor exhibited linear behavior (regression coefficient of R2=0.999) and met desired performance specifications of 3.4 safety factor, 1.2N load capacity, 18mN resolution, and 3.13% accuracy. The in vivo experimentally obtained relaxation data were analyzed using the Voigt model yielding a viscoelastic coefficient τ=12.38sec and a curve-fit regression coefficient of R2=0.992.ConclusionsThis research presented the successful design, use of 3D printing for component fabrication, integration, characterization, and analysis of initial in vivo collected measurements with excellent performance for a miniature force sensor for the assessment of tissue viscoelastic properties. Through this research certain limitations were identified, however the initial sensor performance was promising and encouraging to continue the work to improve the sensor. This micro-force sensor could be used to obtain tissue quantitative data to assess tissue healthiness for medical care over extended time periods.

Sustenance of Indian Moored Buoy Network During COVID-19 Pandemic – A Saga of Perseverance

The moored buoy network in the Indian Ocean revolutionized the observational programs with systematic time-series measurement of in situ data sets from remote marine locations. The real-time meteorological and oceanographic data sets significantly improved the weather forecast and warning services particularly during extreme events since its inception in 1997. The sustenance of the network requires persistent efforts to overcome the multitude of challenges such as vandalism, biofouling, rough weather, corrosion, ship time availability, and telemetry issues, among others. Besides these, the COVID-19 pandemic constrained the normal functioning of activities, mainly by delaying the maintenance of the network that resulted in losing a few expensive buoy system components and precious data sets. However, the improvements in the buoy system, in-house developed data acquisition system, and efforts in ensuring the quality of measurements together with “best practice methods” enabled 73% of the buoy network to be functional even when the cruises were reduced to 33% during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. The moored buoys equipped with an Indian buoy data acquisition system triggered high-frequency transmission during the Super cyclone Amphan in May 2020, which greatly helped the cyclone early warning services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 lockdown points toward the reliability and enhanced utility of moored buoy observations particularly when other modes of measurements are limited and necessitates more such platforms to better predict the weather systems. The present study analyzed the enhancement of the buoy program and improvisation of the buoy system that extended the life beyond the stipulated duration and enabled the high-frequency data transmission during cyclones amid the COVID-19 lockdown. The recommendations to better manage the remote platforms specifically in the event of a pandemic based on the operational experience of more than two decades were also presented.

Design and development of the PLC based sensor and instrumentation system for self-propelled pruning residue mulcher prototype

The main idea of this paper is to present a programmable logic controller (PLC) based data acquisition, telemetry, and control system for self-propelled pruning residue mulcher prototype. The main power source of the mulcher prototype is the diesel engine. Hydraulic systems were used to transmit the motion received from the motor to the wheels, pick up and mulching unit, and steering systems. The operation and control of all systems were carried out using a PLC-based electromechanical system. The objective of this paper is to develop a PLC-based measuring and controlling system in order to control, collect, and monitor the sensor-based data such as: number of cycles of the fingers in the pick-up unit, the speed of the mulcher blades, machine forward speed, fuel consumption, and pump pressures. In the system, an embedded industrial computer and differential global positioning system (DGPS) were used to assist in real-time measuring, recording, controlling, and displaying all the sensor data during the field operation. The control of the machine is built using industry-standard off-the-shelf PLCs. The data acquisition software was written using VB.NET programming language. The PLC-based sensor and instrumentation system was tested and validated on different orchards. Test results show that the developed control and data acquisition system is well qualified with high control precision and high reaction speed. The developed machine is the first self-propelled agricultural mulcher machine developed in Turkey. And there is no other example in the world in terms of using PLC-based control and data acquisition system in self-propelled pruning residue mulchers.

A proposed data acquisition system and algorithm for signal processing of moving-coil geophone\u2019s output

The study of different types of vibrational and seismic movements is important for exploration in strata monitoring, machine health monitoring, earthquake detection, etc. In order to study these vibrational movements, it needs to be acquired first for analysis. Data acquisition using the seismic sensors is a challenging task. This paper presents a data acquisition system developed to acquire seismic signals from a moving-coil geophone. The paper also discusses a signal interpretation algorithm that is devised to perform automatic detection of a seismic event occurrence by separating through the waveform and non-waveform components in the sensor’s output using Gaussian naive Bayes classifier and Kernel density estimation technique. The proposed method is effective in the identification of a useful signal and identification of its nature of origin. Accuracy of the algorithm was 99% for the waveform classification. Sensitivity of the data acquisition system for the seismic sensors was 1.589 µm s–1. Further, the developed data acquisition system and the algorithm can be used in mines for seismological studies aimed at separating the vibration signal generated due to explosion and the one caused due to Earth’s tectonic and seismic activities.

A smart sensor-based monitoring system for vibration measurement and bearing fault detection

Rolling element bearings are commonly used in rotary mechanical and electrical equipment. According to investigation, more than half of rotating machinery defects are related to bearing faults. However, reliable bearing fault detection still remains a challenging task, especially in industrial applications. The objective of this work is to develop a smart sensor-based monitoring system for vibration measurement and bearing fault detection. In this work, a smart sensor data acquisition (DAQ) system is developed for vibration signal measurement. A selective Teager–Huang transform (THT) technique is proposed for bearing fault detection; it is comprised of three processes: Firstly, a denoising filter is used to improve the signal-to-noise ratio; secondly, a correlation function is suggested to choose the most representative intrinsic mode functions (IMFs); and thirdly, a generalized Teager–Huang spectrum method is proposed to process the extracted IMFs for bearing fault detection. The effectiveness of the developed DAQ system and selective THT technique is verified by experimental tests.

Thermal comfort monitoring in aviaries by a real-time data acquisition system

ABSTRACT Thermal comfort inside broiler husbandry facilities is essential in obtaining good results in the production activity. Assessment of adequate thermodynamic conditions requires measurement and control, usually implying costs and specialized maintenance. The objective of this research was to monitor the temperature, relative humidity and air speed distributions by a developed low-cost, open-source and easy-to-use measurement system, using Arduino (hardware) and Scilab (software) for real-time data acquisition. Sensors were installed in a real facility (Cianorte, PR), with measurements for internal ambient (20 sensors for temperature/relative humidity, and two sensors for differential pressure, respectively 0.5 and 1.5 m high) and external ambient (pressure and wind speed, 1.5 m high). Data acquisition system has enabled communication with sensors which are easily read by the computer and stored in a data file. The developed data acquisition system proved to be efficient when applied in a commercial broiler husbandry facility, enabling real-time monitoring for thermal comfort parameters.

Data Acquisition System of Multi-Port Charge-Coupled Device for PAL-XFEL

After first lasing on 14 June 2016 of X-ray Free Electron Laser facility at Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL-XFEL), various experiments using hard X-ray have been done using Multi-Port Charge-Coupled Device detector (MPCCD). To achieve time-resolved analysis, either the timestamp or pulse-ID tagging to the data generated from detectors is a key ingredient. For this we established the hardware interfaces including MPCCD software to synchronize PAL-XFEL event timing system. In this paper, the developed data acquisition system (DAQ) of the MPCCD is introduced including the event timing system and timestamp or pulse-ID, and the data frameworks of the PAL-XFEL.

Development of low cost EIT equipment for educational purposes

A simple and low-cost instrumentation system in this research for Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) experiments has been developed and committed to educational purposes. The developed EIT system mainly consist of two parts, e.g. chamber or phantom for placing measured sample and electronics device as measuring and controlling system. In the surface of phantom are placed as much as 16-electrodes circularly, the function is to inject current and measure spatial voltage across the object. AC current of 50 kHz is injected to the phantom boundary, then the surface potentials are measured using neighboring method. The developed data acquisition system has ability to record 16 channels simultaneously, thus does not require multiplexing technique which is can lead the delays that impact to the case of errors on the measurement results. For image reconstruction, an open source software, EIDORS, was used. Finite element modelling is a method used to simulate the reconstruction of the image process by imaging spheroidal phantoms in the circular of 16-electrodes array. As a comparison on the image reconstruction results, measurement data is presented in graphical using a Boundary Data Simulation (BDS). The experiment result shows the reconstructed images of a conductor and isolator, presenting the first step towards impedance imaging of other material sample.

Characterization of a Type-N Coaxial Microcalorimeter for Use as Microwave Power Standard at CENAM

This paper describes the metrological characterization of a new type-N coaxial microcalorimeter and its associated thermistor-type transfer standard, which together are used as the primary standard for microwave power from 0.05 to 18 GHz at the Centro Nacional de Metrologia, Queretaro, Mexico. The design characteristics, evaluation method, and measurement uncertainties of the primary standard are given and compared to recent realizations found in the open literature. The metrological characterization of the microcalorimeter is based on a comparison method to indirectly obtain its correction factor. The effective efficiency of the transfer standard, directly calibrated in the microcalorimeter by means of calorimetric measurements, is shown and compared against measurements performed by National Institute of Standards and Technology, showing good agreement within the estimated expanded uncertainties (0.21%–0.47%). The developed data acquisition system to automate the effective efficiency measurements and the proposed software leveling loop to keep the microwave power level constant are also discussed. This approach allows to keep an RF power stability of better than 100 ppm over several hours and is a straightforward solution to replace analog leveling systems which require obsolete hardware. Finally, the analysis followed to evaluate the uncertainty for the effective efficiency measurements is thoroughly described.

Experimental study of temperature inversions above urban area using unmanned aerial vehicle

Vertical temperature profiles represent a very important factor for various analytical and numerical studies, such as weather forecasts, air pollution models and CFD simulations. These temperature profiles are especially important during the winter periods, when temperature inversions occur. The cities in the natural valleys, such as the city of Sarajevo, B&H, are strongly affected by this phenomenon. In this paper, a method for quantitative characterization of vertical temperature profiles, which is based on the in-house developed data acquisition system and the unmanned aerial vehicle, is presented. Comprehensive calibration and verification procedure was performed and explained in details. Field measurements were focused on the winter period and extreme temperature inversion scenarios. The correlation with the air pollution in the city, for the same period, was discussed as well.

Hardware/Software Data Acquisition System for Real Time Cell Temperature Monitoring in Air-Cooled Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells

This work presents a hardware/software data acquisition system developed for monitoring the temperature in real time of the cells in Air-Cooled Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells (AC-PEFC). These fuel cells are of great interest because they can carry out, in a single operation, the processes of oxidation and refrigeration. This allows reduction of weight, volume, cost and complexity of the control system in the AC-PEFC. In this type of PEFC (and in general in any PEFC), the reliable monitoring of temperature along the entire surface of the stack is fundamental, since a suitable temperature and a regular distribution thereof, are key for a better performance of the stack and a longer lifetime under the best operating conditions. The developed data acquisition (DAQ) system can perform non-intrusive temperature measurements of each individual cell of an AC-PEFC stack of any power (from watts to kilowatts). The stack power is related to the temperature gradient; i.e., a higher power corresponds to a higher stack surface, and consequently higher temperature difference between the coldest and the hottest point. The developed DAQ system has been implemented with the low-cost open-source platform Arduino, and it is completed with a modular virtual instrument that has been developed using NI LabVIEW. Temperature vs time evolution of all the cells of an AC-PEFC both together and individually can be registered and supervised. The paper explains comprehensively the developed DAQ system together with experimental results that demonstrate the suitability of the system.

A Data Acquisition System for Solar PV Module with Variable Load

This paper describes the design, development and performance of a locally developed data acquisition system for solar PV module with variable load. The system can automatically change the operating point of a PV module and acquire the output voltage and load current into computer and then analyze. To change the operating point, a variable load has been developed by IRF250 MOSFETs. The current drawn by the load from the PV module is controlled by a staircase voltage, which is developed by a counter and a DAC. The count value of the counter and hence the voltage level of the staircase is changed by an Arduino-based controlling unit. To get the short-circuit current, the PV module is connected in series with a high ampere power supply and the voltage across the PV module is conditioned by a difference amplifier and fed to an ADC channel of the controlling unit. The output current of the PV module has been sensed by a Hall sensor, ACS712, and read by another ADC channel. To make the whole system automatic, a program has been developed using Arduino IDE and loaded in the Arduino board. With the help of this program, the system can measure the current and voltage of the PV module and send to a PC. This acquired data is processed by software and the performance of the PV module is obtained. The system has been developed in laboratory and its performance has been studied. Although, there are some fluctuations in the acquired data but with filtration satisfactory performance is obtained. This instrument can be used for PV module testing purpose.
 Dhaka Univ. J. Sci. 65(1): 67-72, 2017 (January)

Апаратно-програмна реалізація системи зборуданих для імпульсного спектрометра ЯКР

A hardware and software implementation of compact data acquisition system for pulsed nuclear quadrupole resonance spectrometer is proposed. The developed system is based on multi-protocol converter USB-245FIFO FT2232H, which provides data transfer speeds up to 480 Mb/s. For nuclear spin induction visualization and data signal processing using graphical tools of the object oriented programming a LabVIEW virtual instrument is synthesized. To synchronize data acquisition system with start of the exciting pulse the FPGA configuration structure is developed. The experimental results are showed possibility of the broadband nuclear quadrupole resonance spectrums imaging with frequency resolution 1.6 kHz, which confirms the high accuracy of the developed data acquisition system. Two-channel transmitter provides simultaneous operation of the two independent data channels in a single hardware USB interface. The use of the proposed data acquisition system for portable nuclear quadrupole resonance spectrometers will significantly reduce the cost of laboratory equipment for radio physical experimentation.

Cerebral Critical Closing Pressure: Is the Multiparameter Model Better Suited to Estimate Physiology of Cerebral Hemodynamics?

Cerebral critical closing pressure (CrCP) is the level of arterial blood pressure (ABP) at which small brain vessels close and blood flow stops. This value is always greater than intracranial pressure (ICP). The difference between CrCP and ICP is explained by the tone of the small cerebral vessels (wall tension). CrCP value is used in several dynamic cerebral autoregulation models. However, the different methods for calculation of CrCP show frequent negative values. These findings are viewed as a methodological limitation. We intended to evaluate CrCP in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) with a new multiparameter impedance-based model and compare it with results found earlier using a transcranial Doppler (TCD)-ABP pulse waveform-based method. Twelve severe TBI patients hospitalized during September 2005-May 2007. Ten men, mean age 32 years (16-61). Four had decompressive craniectomies (DC); three presented anisocoria. Patients were monitored with TCD cerebral blood flow velocity (FV), invasive ABP, and ICP. Data were acquired at 50Hz with an in-house developed data acquisition system. We compared the earlier studied "first harmonic" method (M1) results with results from a new recently developed (M2) "multiparameter method." M1: In seven patients CrCP values were negative, reaching -150mmHg. M2: All positive values; only one lower than ICP (ICP 60mmHg/ CrCP 57mmHg). There was a significant difference between M1 and M2 values (M1<M2) and between ICP and M2 (M2>ICP). M2 results in positive values of CrCP, higher than ICP, and are physiologically interpretable.

Preliminary Research of CZT Based PET System Development in KAERI

Background: For positron emission tomography (PET) application, cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) has been investigated by several institutes to replace detectors from a conventional system using photomultipliers or Silicon-photomultipliers (SiPMs). The spatial and energy resolution in using CZT can be superior to current scintillator-based state-of-the-art PET detectors. CZT has been under development for several years at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) to provide a high performance gamma ray detection, which needs a single crystallinity, a good uniformity, a high stopping power, and a wide band gap. Materials and Methods: Before applying our own grown CZT detectors in the prototype PET system, we investigated preliminary research with a developed discrete type data acquisition (DAQ) system for coincident events at 128 anode pixels and two common cathodes of two CZT detectors from Redlen. Each detector has a 19.4×19.4×6 mm3 volume size with a 2.2 mm anode pixel pitch. Discrete amplifiers consist of a preamplifier with a gain of 8 mV·fC-1 and noise of 55 equivalent noise charge (ENC), a CR-RC4 shaping amplifier with a 5 μs peak time, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) driver. The DAQ system has 65 mega-sample per second flash ADC, a self and external trigger, and a USB 3.0 interface. Results and Discussion: Characteristics such as the current-to-voltage curve, energy resolution, and electron mobility life-time products for CZT detectors are investigated. In addition, preliminary results of gamma ray imaging using 511 keV of a 22Na gamma ray source were obtained. Conclusion: In this study, the DAQ system with a CZT radiation sensor was successfully developed and a PET image was acquired by two sets of the developed DAQ system.