LabVIEW Software Package Research Articles

INTEGRATION OF NI ELVIS TOOLS INTO THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS FOR ANALYSIS OF ELECTRONICS SCHEMATICS

A receiver circuitry is provided that is primarily controlled by the NI ELVIS instrument and the LabVIEW software package. Thus, it is possible not only to control, but also to process the received signals. This article highlights how easy it is to automate receiver control and receive signal processing with NI ELVIS with LabVIEW. The article presents the practice and perspectives of using the new National Instruments LabVIEW software and NI ELVIS II hardware for teaching in the educational laboratory.

A novel technique for identifying unknown workpiece material through machining/turning

ABSTRACT Dry machining is becoming increasingly popular due to concern regarding the safety of the environment. This research-cum-review article presents a novel technique for identifying unknown grades of aluminum alloy and brass workpieces (since the supplier did not provide the alloy details) by dry turning experimentation and logic; this paper also comparatively analyzes the resulting cutting forces and power. Dry turning experiments have been conducted on aluminum alloy and brass workpieces at a feed of 0.04 mm/rev and a cutting speed of 42 m/min. Turning was performed at depths of cut (DOC) of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mm with an HSS cutting tool by use of a center lathe. The determination of the cutting forces involved the use of a dynamometer linked with a computer facilitated with the LABVIEW software package. The resulting DAQ output has been analyzed to calculate cutting forces and power at various DOC. The resulting machining data are compared with literature for a range of aluminum alloys and brasses. Logic philosophy has been applied to identify the workpiece alloys grades based on specific cutting energies.

Oxide Nanostructured Coating for Power Lines with Anti-Icing Effect

This paper presents the results of the development of a technology to obtain a nanostructured coating for the protection of overhead wires and the possibility of their application in the electric power industry. The paper provides an analysis of available data on methods of combating ice in different countries, ways to protect the surface of metals from environmental influences, and new materials used for protection. We studied the possibility of using a protective nanostructured coating to protect overhead wires. A technology for obtaining a protective nanostructured coating based on silicon oxide and methods for applying it to the wire of overhead lines are proposed. The analysis of the elemental composition and surface morphology of overhead line wires with protective coating is carried out by scanning electron microscopy. The influence of the nanostructured coating on the high-frequency signal bandwidth and wire resistance using a PCIe-6351 data acquisition board, equipped with a BNC-2120 terminal module generating a frequency signal were determined using the National Instruments LabVIEW software package. The subject of the study was a 110 kV overhead power line with a protective coating developed in this work. By analyzing the calculation, we obtained the operating requirements of the developed nanostructured coating. As a result, we developed a protective coating satisfying the working conditions and investigated its properties. In the final phase of the experiment, we tested the electrical characteristics of overhead wires with the developed protective coating.

Improved Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Noise Direction Finding System

The work is devoted to the development of the acoustic direction of creation of means of detection of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The work of these tools is based on the principles of noise direction finding with the use of such variable characteristics of the acoustic field as: sound intensity, frequency spectrum and spatial spectrum. The architecture of UAV detection devices on the acoustic field corresponds to the algorithms of reproduction in separate paths of the device of ideology of registration and control of dynamics of change of characteristic of an acoustic field which defines the specified change as the fact of detection. The technical implementation of the above detection devices is to create a path of parallel octave, ½ octave and ⅓ octave filters, a path of narrowband filtering and a path of detection by power (intensity). 
 The ideology of construction of detection devices is based on variability and physical manifestations of changes in such characteristics of acoustic noise as: sound intensity in the space - time interval of observation, broadband filtering, narrowband filtering, correlation characteristics.
 To ensure the detection of acoustic power (or intensity) with subsequent measurement of the level, the counter-inclusion (by switching or using operational amplifiers) of the elements of the cross-shaped group is used. An important and new feature is that one of the linear discrete acoustic antennas with an enlarged base additionally has two more pressure receivers symmetrically relative to the phase center.
 For broadband filtration, a comb of ⅓ octave band and semi-octave filters is used. In turn, the path of the narrowband spectrum is an octave band filter and a unit for calculating the fast Fourier transform.
 The path of the correlation direction-finding method implements the determination of changes in the autocorrelation coefficient and the corresponding electrical parameter (say the current through the display circuit) in the processing path in situations of fixing the direction to the target.
 Therefore, the proposed system for detecting useful noise signals should contain four paths, the physical implementation of detection in which is performed by software implementation of detection algorithms and, threshold processing and indication of results
 In order to improve and increase the reliability of detection, the direction finder is supplemented by the path of detection on the mutual spectrum and the path of the correlation method of direction finding.
 The processing of input acoustic information of the type of specific noise-like signal is carried out by using the instrumental laboratory software package Lab View and Math Lab. We will add that the article contains theoretical and practical results of measurements of noise loading and range of action of a noise direction finder. Experimental studies in terms of detection and measurement of the main characteristics of the device were conducted in laboratory and field conditions.
 At the same time, the present demonstrates the rapid development of the UAV fleet, which determines the urgency of the work and the development of the device as a means of counteracting small aircraft of various recognitions is its goal.

Two-stage segment linearization as part of the thermocouple measurement chain

An implementation of a two-stage piece-wise linearization method for reduction of the thermocouple approximation error is presented in the paper. First, the whole thermocouple measurement chain of a transducer is described, and possible error is analysed to define the required level of accuracy for linearization of the transfer characteristics. Evaluation of linearization functions and analysis of approximation errors are performed by the virtual instrumentation software package LabVIEW. The method is appropriate for thermocouples and other sensors where nonlinearity varies a lot over the range of input values. The basic principle of this method is to first transform the abscissa of the transfer function by a linear segment look-up table in such a way that significantly nonlinear parts of the input range are expanded before a standard piece-wise linearization. In this way, applying equal-segment linearization two times has a similar effect to non-equal-segment linearization. For a given examples of the thermocouple transfer functions, the suggested method provides significantly better reduction of the approximation error, than the standard segment linearization, with equal memory consumption for look-up tables. The simple software implementation of this two-stage linearization method allows it to be applied in low calculation power microcontroller measurement transducers, as a replacement of the standard piece-wise linear approximation method.

Realizacija LabVIEW programa korišćenjem objektno orijentisanog programiranja

Tema ovog master rada je korišćenje savremenih alata iz softverskog inženjeringa u cilju realizacije kvalitetnih programa za merenje i analizu signala u LabVIEW programskom paketu. Ova sinergija je nastala iz tesnog povezivanja metroloških i informacionih tehnologija prvenstveno korišćenjem PC računara u mernim aplikacijama. U radu će biti prikazano menjanje svojstava (properties) elemenata LabVIEW programa, zatim generisanje i korišćenje DLL biblioteka u LabVIEW programu i na kraju korišćenje ActiveX komponenti u LabVIEW programu. Takođe će biti prikazan i jedan program koji na jasan način prikazuju korišćenje ovih funkcija.

A Novel Mechatronic Kit of Variable Stiffness Manipulators – Design and Implementation

In the developing fields of wearable devices, rehabilitation, and humanoid robotics, variable stiffness actuators (VSAs) are attracting increasing attention. VSA can minimize forces that are exerted by shocks, and can be safely interacted with by their users. They can store and release energy as passive elastic elements. The main goal of this work is to design a variable stiffness mechanism with a lightweight articulated robot arm. The proposed variable stiffness mechanism is based on lever kinematics. An RC servo motor is used to manipulate the leverage and to adjust the stiffness of the mechanism to control the position of a robot arm. Two spring elements absorb the output force from the lever. Such a design can reduce the number of sensing elements that are used in the robotic system and the damage force that is caused by unpredictable external forces. The designed articulated robotic arm uses a worm gear with a 1:40 high gear ratio to increase the payload capacity and reduce the weight of the robot arm. The worm gear has a self-locking function, which reduces the sliding step of the stepping motor. The advantages of the design in this study are the retention of the strength and loading capacity of the robot arm. The software package LabVIEW is used to build the control and measurement environment in which several control syntheses are tested. Numerous experimental results confirm that the design is reliable and has a low cost of implementation in a shock test. The novel mechatronic kit is ideally suitable for use in advanced mechatronic courses for university students. The discussion of the broad issues deliberated in this investigation will be applied to various systems that require variable stiffness manipulators.

Relative stability enhancement for brushed DC motor using a PLL interfaced with LabVIEW

This work presents a fast response and stable computer based a brushed DC motor speed controller. The controller configured of gate drive circuits for H-Bridge accompanied with data acquisition unit DAQ-6211. These gate drive circuits include, phase comparator, current booster and wave forms cleaning circuits. An optical encoder is used for motor speed to frequency conversion. The CD4046 PLL chip compares phases of the encoder output frequency (motor speed) with a reference frequency (desired speed). The obtained phase difference (error) is used to allocate the suitable PWM duty cycles. An H-Bridge BJT switches driven by PWM is interfaced with the motor. The system hardware is provided with a simple and accurate data acquisition unit DAQ-6211 to be interfaced with the LabVIEW software Package. This allows monitoring and storing the different measured data of this platform. The system relative stability is determined and examined based on the Bode plot analysis and design. Then the relative stability criterion (Phase Margin) is measured the closed-loop stability of the system. This system considers the fast feedback response with indication of its stability state as well as the stable wide dynamic range. It compensates the changes in system parameters due to the environmental effects and other disturbances.

Using the LABVIEW software package to automate production and research tasks

Currently, improving the quality indicators of mass production and consumer goods is impossible without the use of modern software systems, means and methods of automation. The main systems capable of satisfying the tasks of modern enterprises and scientific organizations include Scada-systems, which provide the necessary control accuracy and versatility in conditions of low costs for additional staff training. Consider the prospects for improving the technical and economic indicators of metallurgical and chemical enterprises through the introduction of automation, on the example of the operation of concentration plants. Obviously, the main tool to increase the economic efficiency of production is to reduce various types of costs. Among the main cost items, fuel, feedstock and chemical reagents are distinguished, however, the undisputed leader is the cost of electricity, the work of the mills needed to grind the feedstock. On the other hand, the problem of timely and quick diagnosis of the internal components of the mills and the ability to choose the optimal mode of operation are also relevant tasks. These reasons significantly affect such process indicators as the quality of the crushed raw materials, the energy efficiency of the grinding process, reducing the cost of the production cycle, etc. To control the processes of grinding, loading of raw materials, monitoring the filling of the drum, the use of vibroacoustic primary transducers installed on the housing of the axle bearing of the drum mill is promising.

Oscillographic modeling of characteristics of magnetic materials

The question of using an oscilloscope to measure the characteristics of magnetic materials using computer simulation techniques is considered. The work is used in the training of specialists in metrology, carried out by the department of information-measuring equipment of the National Technical University ‟Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” in the specialty ‟Metrology and information-measuring equipment”. The bachelor’s program contains the course “Methods and Measuring Instruments”, which includes learning of methods and measuring instruments for electrical, magnetic and non-electrical quantities.Characterization of magnetic materials is made by various methods. One of them is a method with using an oscilloscope. The method of indirect measurement of magnetic induction and coercive force by integrating a secondary electromotive force is used. The method allows to estimate the maximum intensity and induction of the sample, the absolute and relative magnetic permeability, residual induction and coercive force, that is convenient for students, allows remote execution of laboratory practical work.The task of creating a computer workshop was solved by using the LabVIEW software package. A simulation model, a measurement experiment technique, and a procedure are described.The use of computer technology in the training of specialists has allowed to acquire the skills of visual observation of the dynamic magnetic loop of the test sample on the screen of the oscilloscope, to determine the main characteristics of the test material by the loop of the dynamic cycle, as well as, if necessary, to perform laboratory work remotely and to provide the opportunity to use this course while training the specialists in other specialties.

A novel approach to real-time modelling of the district heating substation system using LabVIEW

The mathematical model of heating substation, which is an important part of district heating system, is presented in this paper. The main components of district heating substation system, from the automatic control perspective, that are observed in this paper are heat exchanger and three-way valve. Presented mathematical model is developed so it could operate in real-time, since the crucial aspect of development, deployment and testing of new control techniques and optimization algorithms is their accurate validation on the real system. However, the accessibility to a real system is often not possible. Corresponding to this, an alternative is the existence of the correct mathematical model of a process, with the ability to operate in real-time. First, the presented mathematical model of district heating substation is decomposed to the simpler models of its main elements, in order to provide the analysis of the various parameters on the model performance through numerical simulation. Second, a real-time model is developed in LabVIEW software package and deployed on the embedded controller with a real-time processor as a three-layer application which enables data acquisition and communication with a programmable controller.

Experimental cycle air cooling system for gas microturbine unit

The article considers the Combustion Turbine Inlet Cooling (CTIC) system — an experimental system for cooling the cycle air entering the gas microturbine unit. This enables to save electrical power of the unit generated at the design level in the period of seasonal increase in air temperature. Cooling of the air at the inlet to the turbocharger of the unit occurs up to its design temperature (which is, according to the ISO standard, equal to 15˚С). The basis of the CTIC model is an industrial cooling system based on a vapor compression refrigeration unit with a cold accumulator. Water ice is used as a cold storage medium in the accumulator, while ice water is used as a medium cooling the cycle air (ice water is water at a temperature of 0.5˚С – 1˚С). The eff ect of cooling of cycle air is achieved by pumping ice water coming from the cold accumulator through an air-to-water heat exchanger installed at the inlet to the turbocharger. The purpose of the study was to determine the operating time of a cold accumulator, depending on the speed of the circulating water. The experiments were carried out on a model of a cooling system with a cold accumulator having a 200 kg ice storage and working with the Capstone C-30 microturbine. Maintaining the temperature of the cycle air at its design level is achieved using a frequency-controlled circulation pump and a digital measurement and control system with the LabVIEW software package. The results of the study show that the considered CTIC system, while discharging the cold accumulator, is able to maintain the required design temperature of the cycle air at 15°C for 6 hours, which is quite enough to cover the peak load of the working day. Technical and economic parameters of the plant are evaluated.

ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ И РАЗРАБОТКА ДАТЧИКА ИЗМЕРЕНИЯ ДАВЛЕНИЯ МЕМБРАННОГО ТИПА С ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕМ ПЛАТФОРМЫ ARDUINO И ПРОГРАММНОГО КОМПЛЕКСА LABVIEW

ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ И РАЗРАБОТКА ДАТЧИКА ИЗМЕРЕНИЯ ДАВЛЕНИЯ МЕМБРАННОГО ТИПА С ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕМ ПЛАТФОРМЫ ARDUINO И ПРОГРАММНОГО КОМПЛЕКСА LABVIEW

Коррекция частоты вращения шпинделя при фрезеровании по данным численного моделирования системы: приспособление-инструмент-заготовка

Abstraсt: Machining operations are unavoidably accompanied with oscillations, which, in case of their coincidence with the natural oscillations of one of the elements of the system, can cause a resonance. The latter results in the premature failure of expensive equipment, tools and tool attachment, reduces the quality characteristics of the finished product as well as leads to rejects. Therefore, the question is raised on controlling the natural oscillation frequencies of the elements of the machine-tool system, a tool and a workpiece. Based on the finite element model of the machine-tool-device-tool-workpiece system oscillations the recommendations for choosing non-resonant rotational speeds of the milling machine spindle have been developed. The studies employed experimental, analytical, and finite element modeling methods with the use of Femap automated engineering calculation system. The experiments were carried out using Polytec measuring equipment, National Instruments LabVIEW software package, Sound and Vibration module. We have obtained the finite-element models of the device-tool-workpiece system oscillations, on the basis of which recommendations are given on setting the permissible spindle rotational speeds. The approach can find application in adjusting cutting modes when milling box-type workpieces or panel-type parts, whose workpiece geometric shape and weight differ significantly from the finished part ones.

Simulation of nanocomposite field emitters in COMSOL Multiphysics using field emission projector data

The aim of this work is simulation of the surface of multi-tip field emitters in the COMSOL Multiphysics package using experimental data processing. The data of the spatial arrangement of the emission sites and their sizes were obtained by processing the glow patterns of the field emission projector and macroscopic volt-ampere characteristics in the LabView software package. The experiment was carried out for a nanocomposite field emitter based on a multiwall carbon nanotubes and a polymer. As a result, a surface model was constructed. It allows to carry out a variety of virtual studies that are necessary for deeper understanding of the effects and processes occurring in the multi-tip field emission systems.

Frequency‐response‐controlled multiple‐resonator‐based harmonic analysis

This Letter proposes a modified method for the dynamic harmonic analysis of signals with non-stationary harmonics, which is based on the previously proposed multiple-resonator observer structure. An optimisation technique is applied to reshape frequency responses of the basic transfer functions. This method, by using a parallel structure with common feedback, is very robust and, in addition, allows a reduction of the computational burden. The proposed method has been investigated for up to 64 harmonics, using LabView software package, under different conditions, and confirmed to be valuable and efficient tool for signal components estimation.

Multiphysical mathematical models for design, identification and diagnostics of high-precision positioning systems

A multi-physical model was implemented in the software package LabView. Its choice is due to the need to solve the developed system of equations in an implicit form. LabView is a graphical simulation environment that allows you to build dynamic models, including discrete, continuous and hybrid, non-linear and discontinuous systems, using block diagrams in the form of directed graphs. These capabilities of the program confirm the need for its selection as a modeling environment.

A NEW LOW-COST DETECTION DEVICE FOR EARLY DISCRIMINATION OF EGGS FERTILITY USING ADVANCED STATISTICAL CLASSIFIERS

Detecting fertility methods of hatching eggs is getting an importance with the increase in poultry breeding facilities size to remove the non-hatchable eggs which consume time, space and cost without benefits. Early detection of the infertile eggs is a vital economic issue. Fertility detection methods are expensive to be applied widely, hence this investigation aimed to study the possibility of using a low-cost device as light dependent resistor sensors in detecting the fertility of hatching eggs with high efficient at candling process. Mathematical formulas were developed in this study to discriminate the fertile and infertile eggs by the light dependent resistor sensor and interfaced with a personal computer programmed by LabView software package to execute a certain control decision (is a hatchable egg or not?) via these formulas. Different statistical classifiers have been used to classify eggs into fertile and infertile eggs like linear, quadratic and partial least squares discriminant analyses and support vector machine. According to literature three different times were appointed at earlier times of egg incubation process for fertility identification investigation of 6th, 9th and 12th day. For more identification precision, sensor position for light intensity measuring was investigated at three different measuring orientation lines against the investigated eggs at vertical, inclined 45˚ and horizontal orientation line. Classification mathematical models were developed using the previous classifiers. Principal component and partial least squares regression were used to develop multiple linear regression models for each incubation period. determination It was found by the Principal Component Analysis, that the sensor orientation line position for light intensity measuring gives different measured values of the same investigated egg, but all these measurement values have an entirely correlation relationship with the classification efficiency. The highest identification rate of 97% obtained by the classifier of linear discriminant analysis at the 6th day of the incubation period by the light dependent resistor sensor, which confirms the efficient use of this simple low-cost sensor in discrimination at earlier times of incubation period closing to the other sophisticated devices. The developed mathematical model can easily be implemented with Fuzzy logic controller; further research will be needed to accomplish the fully automated system.

Relationships among Technical Factors and Their Effects on Winning Matches of Professional and Junior Tennis Players

This study aimed to compare the relationships among various technical factors that affect the match results of professional and junior players in three major tennis tournaments, including the Australian Open, the French Open, and the Wimbledon Championships in 2015. The participants in this study were top 32 foreign, professional, junior tennis players from each tournament, as well as 3 Taiwanese tennis players, including Yen-Hsun Lu, Tung- Lin Wu, and Chien-Hsun Lo. The data in this study included 62 games won, 11 sets won, and 10 variables. The software package LabVIEW was employed to perform the grey relational analysis on the data. The findings were as follows: (1) Among the technical factors that affect match results of local and foreign professional players in the three major tournaments, the factor with the highest correlation to the match results was the first serve win percentage, whereas the percentage of double faults had the lowest correlation to the match results. (2) The factor with the highest correlation to the match results of foreign players was the first serve win percentage; whereas the percentage of net points won had the lowest correlation to the match results. In the French Open, the factor with the highest correlation to the match results was the percentage of receiving points won, whereas the percentage of double faults had the lowest correlation to the match results. In the Wimbledon Championships, the factor with the highest correlation to the match results was the first serve win percentage, whereas the factor with the lowest correlation to the match results was the percentage of double faults. Among local players, the factor with the highest correlation to the match results was the first serve win percentage, whereas the factor with the lowest correlation to the match results was percentage of winners. This study concluded that among local and foreign professional players, serve performance had a higher correlation to match results than the return of serve. Moreover, foreign players emphasized that the power of shots were more important than the stability of shots. The results suggest that local players should develop effective ideas to win points on the serve, and enhance their ability to turn defense into attack during a return of serve, and increase power when hitting the ball.

A PC-based three-phase system analyser

As the use of power electronics and inductive loads on electrical supplies increases, the requirement to monitor power system quality becomes an increasingly common practice. The negative effects these loads have on supply balance and frequency can be reflected in the efficiency, and therefore the running costs, of said loads. With demand for analysis techniques in industry increasing, and the PC becoming a more popular tool for such applications, a low-cost PC-based electrical system analyser was proposed to demonstrate a cost-effective, accurate alternative to the expensive market-leading products. This study researches the problem at hand, the technology available, and the development and testing of the analyser in a laboratory environment. The success of this study was determined by the accuracy, cost, functionality and features of the analyser compared with those of an existing product. The final product was to be a virtual instrument (VI) PC application implemented using the industry-leading LabVIEW software package by National Instruments. Two major challenges of the study were the correct measurement of the fundamental voltage and current waveforms, and the appropriate/accurate reconstruction, manipulation and display of these signals within the software. Identification, and minimisation or correction, of measurement errors was an important factor in achieving maximum accuracy prior to software interpretation of the data. Testing and calibration were carried out with the aim of providing the most accurate signal measurement prior to data acquisition and rescaling by the software program. Industry-standard design and manufacture techniques were implemented to produce a high-quality hardware package featuring a printed circuit board, ingress protection (IP) rated enclosure and screened multicore signal cabling. The potential uses and benefits of the analyser include monitoring loads in factory floor or manufacturing environments where production costs are of significant importance; in this instance, multiple analysers could be in place over the floor to aid operators. Smaller companies using smaller amounts of large machinery may implement a PC-based system as a cheaper alternative to an expensive all-in-one unit. The study concluded that a reasonably accurate PC-based analyser could be produced on a small budget; it also highlighted the many advantages of a PC-based system in terms of usability, customisation and flexibility. A critical evaluation of the system’s performance compared to a benchmark model and further suggestions for improvement are included.