Traditional, PC based and virtual instruments

BY SHACHI P (114517) SUCHARITHA P (114518) SATHYANARAYANA (114519)

1. Introduction
An instrumentation system in industrial applications measures quantities such as temperature, pressure, force, flow, humidity, light intensity, etc., and controls certain elements in the system to maintain the measured quantity at some desired value. A generalised instrumentation system consists of mainly a measurement system and a control system. The measurement system performs necessary conversion of small amount of physical quantity of the medium to equivalent electrical quantity and applies electronic, mechanical principles to display a value for the quantity. The control system monitors the variation of physical parameter being measured, applies control techniques to regulate the deviation of quantity from a desired value.

2. Traditional Instruments
The first created instruments are the traditional instruments, are of standalone or box format. Users connect sensors directly to the box instrument front panel, which contains the measurement circuitry and displays the results. Initially it was on analog meters and later with digital displays (Figure 1).

Figure 1 - Traditional instruments

Traditional instruments have a fixed hardware and software architecture with most if not all of the functionality defined inside the box by the vendor. They are often limited to performing custom analysis offline on the full data sets. Also, there is little or no flexibility in changing any of the instrument components with off-the-shelf parts. Stand-alone traditional instruments such as oscilloscopes and waveform generators are very powerful, expensive, and designed to perform one or more specific tasks defined by the vendor. However, the user generally cannot extend or customize them. The knobs and buttons on the instrument, the built-in circuitry, and the functions available to the user, are all specific to the nature of the instrument. In addition, special technology and costly

components must be developed to build these instruments, making them very expensive and slow to adapt.

3. PC-Based Instruments
In many cases, test engineers wanted to have instruments which communicate with each other. This was initially done with serial links, but in the 1970s the Hewlett Packard Interface Bus, which evolved into today's IEEE-488 interface, became extremely popular for connecting instruments and hence those instruments are known to be PC-based instruments. PC-based instruments are up-compatible with the stand-alone instruments and thus they can be controlled either by hand or by control units such as a computer. In contrast to conventional equipment and products, PC-based instruments introduce almost no overhead because important hardware components are already available in the host PC. The production of PC-based instruments is extremely cost effective because casing, power supply, memory, operating elements, displays, and a large part of the firmware are not required. Also, due to low storage cost and flexibility in developing new customer-specific features, a PC-based instrument can be adapted to changing market situations much more easily. Key components of PC-based instruments are the interface cards, through which can the stand-alone instruments communicate with the computer. Three types of interface cards are of use in PC-based instruments: 1. Data acquisition card (DAQ) 2. General-purpose interface bus card (GPIB) 3. Digital signal processing card (DSP) A typical PC-based instrumentation system is shown in figure 2 which makes use of DAQ. Figure 3 shows controlling an instrument using GPIB.

Figure 2 - PC-Based Instrumentation Systems

Figure 3 - Box Instrument connected to PC via an IEEE 488.2 interface (GPIB: General Purpose Interface Bus)

In general, PC-based instrumentation and control systems offer the following advantages: Flexible and adaptable: The system can be easily extended or reconfigured for a different application. The technology of the PC is well known and understood and most companies already have such equipment installed in a variety of locations. Low-cost PC-based systems can be put together at a faction of the cost associated with dedicated controllers. Rugged embedded PC controllers are available for use in more demanding applications. Such systems can be configured for a wide range of instrumentation and control applications with the added advantage that they use the same familiar operating system environment and programming software that runs on a conventional PC. Availability of an extensive range of PC-compatible expansion cards from an increasingly wide range of suppliers. Ability to interface with standard bus systems (including the immensely popular IEEE-488 General Purpose Instrument Bus). Support for a variety of popular network and asynchronous data communications standards (allowing PC-based systems to become fully integrated within larger manufacturing and process control systems). Internationally accepted standards, including ISA, PCI, PC/104, and USB bus systems. Typical applications for PC-based instrumentation and control systems include: Data acquisition and data logging. Automatic component and QA acceptance testing. Signal monitoring. Production monitoring and control.

 Environmental control. Access control. Security and alarm systems. Control of test and calibration clusters. Process control systems. Factory automation systems. Automated monitoring and performance measurement. Simple machine-vision systems. Small-scale production management systems. A virtual replacement for conventional laboratory test equipment.

4. Virtual Instrumentation
Virtual instrument is the programming technique to use a general purpose computer to mimic real instruments with their dedicated controls and displays but with the added versatility that comes with software. The VI can be implemented in normal programming languages like C, C++, Pascal, VB, VC etc., but the advent of graphic languages (G languages) like LabVIEW, HP-Vee, Test point, Agilent VIEW etc., has made the VI implementation easier. Vls are cost effective, flexible and customizable. Graphical programming involves the creation of a panel diagram and the corresponding function diagram. The panel diagram contains the controls while the function diagram contains functions/ icons corresponding to the controls and displays on the panel diagram. Each function is a VI or sub VI with terminals. These functions are wired through terminals so that the data flows from one function to another. The concept of virtual instrumentation is, an engineer can use software running on a computer combined with instrumentation hardware to define a custom, built-to-order test and measurement solution. The vision of virtual instrumentation revolutionized the way engineers and scientists work, delivering solutions with faster development time, lower costs, and greater flexibility. Components of Virtual Instrumentation The heart of any virtual instrument is flexible software. Every virtual instrument is built on this flexible and powerful software. Innovative engineer or scientist will apply his domain expertise to customize the measurement and control application as per the requirement. The result is a user-defined instrument specific to the application needs. With such software, engineers and scientists can interface with real-world signals; analyze data for meaningful information, and share results and applications. NI LabVIEW, the productive

software component of the virtual Instrumentation architecture, is the graphical development platform for test, design and control applications.

Figure 4 - Virtual instrumentation combines productive software, modular I/O, and scalable platforms. The second virtual instrumentation component is the modular I/O for measurements that require higher performance, resolution, or speeds. Advanced Modular Instrument hardware use the latest I/O and data processing technologies, including Analog to Digital Converters (ADC), Digital to Analog Converters, Filed Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), and PC busses to provide high resolution and throughput for measurements from 7 1/2 digit DC to 2.7 GHz. In combination with powerful software, engineers can create custom-defined measurements and sophisticated analysis routines. The third virtual instrumentation element is - popular and commercially available computing platform (PC or Server) to run the software and connect to I/O module, often enhanced with accurate synchronization - ensures that virtual instrumentation takes advantage of the very latest computer capabilities and data transfer technologies. This element delivers virtual instrumentation on a long-term technology base that scales with the high investments made in processors, buses, and more. Virtual instrumentation has gradually increased addressable applications through continuous software innovation and hundreds of measurement hardware devices. Having influenced millions of test and automation professionals, today it is winning over experts in the control and design domains. Virtual Instrumentation is rapidly revolutionizing the functions of control design, distributed control, data logging, design verification, prototyping, simulation and more. Virtual Instrumentation for Test Test has been a long-proven field for virtual instrumentation. More than 25,000 companies (the majority being test and measurement companies) use virtual instrumentation. National Instruments, the pioneer in Virtual Instrumentation has come a long way in the Test

and Measurement domain. Yet, the need for test has never been greater. As the pace of innovation has increased, so too has the pressure to get new, differentiated products to market quickly. These conditions drive new validation, verification, and manufacturing test needs. A test platform that can keep pace with this innovation is not optional, it is essential. The platform must include rapid test development tools adaptable enough to be used throughout the product development flow, high-throughput test capabilities and precise, synchronized measurement abilities. Virtual instrumentation is an innovative solution to these challenges. It combines rapid development software and modular, flexible hardware to create user-defined test systems. Virtual Instrumentation for Design The same design engineers that use a wide variety of software design tools must use hardware to test prototypes. Commonly, there is no good interface between the design phase and testing/validation phase, which means that, often the issues discovered in the testing phase require a design-phase reiteration.

Figure 5 - Test plays a critical role in the design and manufacture of today's electronic devices. In reality, the development process has two very distinct and separate stages design and test are two individual entities. On the design side, EDA tool vendors undergo tremendous pressure to interoperate from the increasing semiconductor design and manufacturing group complexity requirements. Engineers and scientists are demanding the capability to reuse designs from one tool in other tools as products go from schematic design to simulation to physical layout. Similarly, test system development is evolving toward a modular approach. The gap between these two worlds has traditionally been neglected, first noticeable in the new product prototype stage. Systems with intrinsic-integration properties are easily extensible and adapt to increasing product functionality. When new tests are required, engineers simply add new modules to the platform to make the measurements. Virtual instrumentation software

flexibility and virtual instrumentation hardware modularity make virtual instruments a necessity to accelerate the development cycle. Example Figure 6 shows the application of LabVIEW for virtual instrumentation.

Figure 6 Vibration analysis using LabVIEW A Future with Virtual Instrumentation Today, to meet the ever-increasing demand to innovate and deliver ideas and products faster, scientists and engineers are turning to advanced electronics, processors, and software. Consider a modern cell phone. Most contain the latest features of the last generation, including audio, a phone book, and text messaging capabilities. New versions include a camera, MP3 player, and Bluetooth networking and Internet browsing. The increased functionality of advanced electronics is possible because devices have become more software centric. However, this increase in functionality comes with a price. Upgraded functionality introduces the possibility of unforeseen interaction or error. So, just as device-level software helps rapidly develop and extend functionality, design and test instrumentation also must adapt to verify the improvements. The only way to meet these demands is to use test and control architectures that are also software centric. Because virtual instrumentation uses highly productive software like NI LabVIEW, modular I/O, and commercial platforms, it is uniquely positioned to keep pace with the required new idea and product development rate.

Visual: Virtual instrumentation has been widely adopted in test and measurement areas and is rapidly making headway in control and design areas. Virtual instrumentation has thus been widely adopted in test and measurement areas and is rapidly making headway in control and design areas. The benefits that have accelerated test development are beginning to accelerate control and design. Engineers and scientists who are increasing demands for virtual instrumentation in hopes of efficiently addressing worldwide demand are the driving force behind this acceleration.

5. Virtual Instruments versus Traditional Instruments

Stand-alone traditional instruments such as oscilloscopes and waveform generators are very powerful, expensive, and designed to perform one or more specific tasks defined by the vendor. However, the user generally cannot extend or customize them. The knobs and buttons on the instrument, the built-in circuitry, and the functions available to the user, are all specific to the nature of the instrument. In addition, special technology and costly components must be developed to build these instruments, making them very expensive and slow to adapt. Virtual instruments, by virtue of being PC-based, inherently take advantage of the benefits from the latest technology incorporated into off-the-shelf PCs. These advances in technology and performance, which are quickly closing the gap between stand-alone instruments and PCs, include powerful processors such as the Pentium 4 and operating systems and technologies such as Microsoft Windows XP, .NET, and Apple Mac OS X. In addition to incorporating powerful features, these platforms also offer easy access to powerful tools such as the Internet. Traditional instruments also frequently lack portability, whereas virtual instruments running on notebooks automatically incorporate their portable nature. Engineers and scientists whose needs, applications, and requirements change very quickly, need flexibility to create their own solutions. You can adapt a virtual instrument to your particular needs without having to replace the entire device because of the application software installed on the PC and the wide range of available plug-in hardware.

Flexibility Except for the specialized components and circuitry found in traditional instruments, the general architecture of stand-alone instruments is very similar to that of a PC-based virtual instrument. Both require one or more microprocessors, communication ports (for example, serial and GPIB), and display capabilities, as well as data acquisition modules. What makes one different from the other is their flexibility and the fact that you can modify and adapt the instrument to your particular needs. A traditional instrument might contain an integrated circuit to perform a particular set of data processing functions; in a virtual instrument, these functions would be performed by software running on the PC processor. You can extend the set of functions easily, limited only by the power of the software used. Lower Cost By employing virtual instrumentation solutions, you can lower capital costs, system development costs, and system maintenance costs, while improving time to market and the quality of your own products. Plug-In and Networked Hardware There is a wide variety of available hardware that you can either plug into the computer or access through a network. These devices offer a wide range of data acquisition capabilities at a significantly lower cost than that of dedicated devices. As integrated circuit technology advances, and off-the-shelf components become cheaper and more powerful, so do the boards that use them. With these advances in technology there is increase in data acquisition rates, measurement accuracy, precision and better signal isolation. Depending on the particular application, the hardware you choose might include analog input or output, digital input or output, counters, timers, filters, simultaneous sampling, and waveform generation capabilities. The wide gamut of boards and hardware could include any one of these features or a combination of them.

References
1. Electronics engineering herald - Design Article - Virtual Instrumentation Changing the Face of Design, Measurement and Automation By Jayaram Pillai, Managing Director, National Instruments, India 2. LabVIEW based advanced instrumentation systems By S. Sumathi, P. Surekha