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374 Virtual Instrumentation Using LabVIEW

You can set the report type in the New Report VI and the Report and MS Office Report
Express VIs.
The Report and MS Office Report Express VIs provide easy ways to create reports in standard,
HTML, Word and Excel formats. This Express VIs appear on the Report Generation palette with
white backgrounds surrounded by a blue border. When you place an Express VI on the block
diagram, a configuration dialog box appears that you can use to configure the settings for that
instance of the Express VI.

14.12 SIMULATION INTERFACE TOOLKIT

The NI LabVIEW Simulation Interface Toolkit gives control system design and test engineers a
link between the NI LabVIEW graphical development environment and The MathWorks, Inc.
Simulink software. With the LabVIEW Simulation Interface Toolkit, you can easily build custom
LabVIEW user interfaces to view and control your simulation model during run time. This toolkit
also provides a plug-in for The MathWorks, Inc. Real-Time Workshop to import your models
created in the Simulink environment into LabVIEW, so you can connect your model to the real
world through a variety of real-time I/O platforms (requires the LabVIEW Real-Time Module).
With these capabilities, you can easily take your models from software verification to real-world
prototyping and hardware-in-the-loop simulation.
Using the LabVIEW Simulation Interface Toolkit, you can build custom user interfaces for
models created in the Simulink environment. The SIT Connection Manager offers a configuration-
based utility to connect a custom LabVIEW user interface to your models, eliminating the need for
any programming knowledge. With the custom user interface, you can easily simulate, analyze,
and verify your control model on a desktop PC. You can create a custom user interface for your
simulation model in four steps:
Step 1: The LabVIEW Simulation Interface Toolkit adds a SignalProbe block to the Simulink
environment. Place the SignalProbe in the top level of your model to enable LabVIEW to
communicate with your model while it is running in the Simulink environment.
Step 2: Create a LabVIEW user interface by placing controls and indicators on a LabVIEW
front panel.
Step 3: Use the SIT Connection Manager to specify the links between the LabVIEW user interface
and your model.
Step 4: Start your simulation in the Simulink environment by selecting run in your LabVIEW
user interface.
The LabVIEW Simulation Interface Toolkit also provides a plug-in for The MathWorks, Inc.
Real-Time Workshop software that helps facilitate the importation of your models into LabVIEW.
When you use this capability with LabVIEW Real-Time, you can connect your model to the real
world through a variety of real-time I/O platforms and still take advantage of the user interface
capabilities used in the verification of the model. With the LabVIEW environment, you can select
the appropriate real-time platform based on the performance, portability and durability requirements
of your application.
LabVIEW Tool and GSD Applications 375

The LabVIEW Simulation Interface Toolkit makes it easy to connect your models to a
combination of analog, digital, and protocol-based I/O devices using the SIT Connection Manager.
In addition to the user interface and I/O configuration, this utility helps you easily add stimulus to
your application using multichannel data profiles. You also can specify multirate data logging on a
per-channel basis to optimize file size and application performance. You can configure all of these
capabilities without programming; however, you can further customize your configurations and
add more features using LabVIEW graphical programming.

14.13 CONTROL DESIGN AND SIMULATION MODULE

LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module can analyze open-loop model behavior, design
closed-loop controllers, simulate online and offline systems and conduct physical implementations.
The features are as follows:
Construct plant and control models using transfer function, state-space, or zero-pole-gain.
Analyze system performance with tools such as step response, pole-zero maps and Bode
plots.
Simulate linear, nonlinear and discrete systems with a wide option of solvers.
Deploy dynamic systems to real-time hardware using built-in functions and LabVIEW
Real-Time Module.
Create models from first principles using transfer function, state-space or zero-pole-gain
representation. With time and frequency analysis tools, such as time step response or bode plot, you
can interactively analyze open- and closed-loop behavior. Use built-in tools for both multiple input,
multiple output (MIMO) and single input, single output (SISO) systems and take advantage of
simulation capabilities to verify linear and nonlinear system dynamics. You can also use built-in tools
to convert your models developed in The MathWorks, Inc. Simulink software to work with LabVIEW.
You also can expand LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation usability with other NI software
tools. For example, you can use the LabVIEW System Identification Toolkit to find empirical
models from real plant stimulus-response information and the LabVIEW Statechart Module for
event-based control design or event-driven simulation. You can deploy dynamic systems to real-
time hardware targets with the LabVIEW Real-Time Module for rapid control prototyping and
hardware-in-the-loop applications.

14.14 CONTROL DESIGN TOOLKIT

LabVIEW has a PID control toolkit that can be used to solve these applications. However, while
PID control is sometimes sufficient for a given control application, there are still several cases
where this doesnt make sense. In some cases, a more complex higher-order controller is required
or the controller must compensate for non-linear behavior in the plant system. Sometimes the PID
control algorithm is incapable of achieving the required performance. Finally, because the PID
control algorithm is a single-input single-output controller, it cannot be used to handle complex
multi-input multi-output systems. For instance, to balance and control the position of a helicopter,
you need to read in several inputs and control several outputs.
376 Virtual Instrumentation Using LabVIEW

Control systems are commonly found in industrial environments as shown in Figure 14.5.
For example, consider an oil refinery with process control systems that continually manufacture
and produce oil. The control system used for processing may consist of a Programmable Logic
Controller (PLC) executing a PID algorithm, or a Distribute Control System (DCS) for a larger
process control. In this case, the control system is used to manufacture a product. A control system
can also be part of an end-product being manufactured. This has been seen primarily in the
automotive and aerospace industries with electronic control units and flight control systems.
However, control systems are now finding their way into other end products such as precision
motor controllers for computer hard drives and white goods like washing machines.

Figure 14.5 Applications of control systems.

While control systems used to manufacture a product often stem from established control
strategies such as PID control, control systems embedded in end-products often use new and innovative
control strategies. The tools and techniques used to develop and embed control systems in end-
products has evolved to include model-based design tools. However, manufacturing control engineers
are also beginning to adopt these tools and techniques to develop more advanced control systems.
In each of these cases, there is a need for a custom control algorithm. When designing these
control systems, control engineers use a model-based design approach. This consists of using
mathematical models to represent plants and controllers. Model-based control design can be broken
down into four steps as shown in Figure 14.6. PID is commonly used because many people
understand it and it is good enough. The control design tools can help tune the gains.
Figure 14.7 shows the LabVIEW Control Design Tools. Using the LabVIEW System
Identification Toolkit, a design engineer will begin the control design process by creating a model
of a plant. This begins with acquiring stimulus response data from the plant using standard data
acquisition hardware and then selecting an plant structure that fits this data. From there, the engineer
will find the right coefficients for the plant model that accurately represent the plant.
Next, the engineer will use the LabVIEW Control Design Toolkit to develop a controller for
the plant. First, the engineer will analyze the open loop characteristics of the plant and then select
a basic control structure to control this plant. From there, he/she will determine the right coefficients
LabVIEW Tool and GSD Applications 377

for this controller. Finally, the engineer will connect the controller with the plant and analyze the
close-loop characteristics of the controlled plant.

Figure 14.6 Model-based control design process.

Figure 14.7 LabVIEW control design tools.

Finally, the LabVIEW Simulation Toolkit enables the engineer to simulate the controller
with a linear plant model. Next, the engineer can extend the simulation to a non-linear plant model
to accommodate for non-linear operating conditions in the real-world. Finally, the engineer can
take the model and run it directly on real-time hardware to prototype the control system and test it
against real-world dynamics. Figure 14.9 LabVIEW Control Design Tools.

14.15 PID CONTROL TOOLKIT

Currently, the Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) algorithm is the most common control


algorithm used in industry. Often, people use PID to control processes that include heating and
378 Virtual Instrumentation Using LabVIEW

cooling systems, fluid level monitoring, flow control and pressure control. In PID control, you
must specify a process variable and a setpoint. The process variable is the system parameter you
want to control, such as temperature, pressure, or flow rate, and the setpoint is the desired value for
the parameter you are controlling. A PID controller determines a controller output value such as
the heater power or valve position. The controller applies the controller output value to the system
which in turn drives the process variable toward the setpoint value. You can use the PID VIs with
National Instruments hardware to develop LabVIEW control applications. Use I/O hardware, like
a DAQ device, FieldPoint I/O modules, or a GPIB board, to connect your PC to the system you
want to control. You can use the I/O VIs provided in LabVIEW with the LabVIEW PID Control
Toolkit to develop a control application or modify the examples provided with the toolkit.
Use the PID VIs to develop the following control applications based on PID controllers:
Proportional (P), proportional-integral (PI), proportional-derivative (PD) and proportional-
integral-derivative (PID) algorithms
Gain-scheduled PID
PID autotuning
Error-squared PID
Lead-lag compensation
Setpoint profile generation
Multi-loop cascade control
Feedforward control
Override (minimum/maximum selector) control
Ratio/bias control
You can combine these PID VIs with LabVIEW math and logic functions to create block
diagrams for real control strategies. The PID VIs use LabVIEW functions and library subVIs,
without any Code Interface Nodes (CINs), to implement the algorithms. You can modify the VIs
for your applications in LabVIEW, without writing any text-based code.

14.16 SIMULATION MODULE

Simulation is a process that involves using software to recreate and analyze the behavior of dynamic
systems. You use the simulation process to lower product development costs by accelerating product
development. You also use the simulation process to provide insight into the behavior of dynamic
systems you cannot replicate conveniently in the laboratory. For example, simulating a jet engine
saves time, labor, and money compared to building, testing, and rebuilding an actual jet engine.
Figure 14.8 shows a sample dynamic system.
The dynamic system in Figure 14.8 represents a closed-loop system also known as a feedback
system. In closed-loop systems, the controller monitors the output of the plant and adjusts the
actuators to achieve a specified response. You can use the LabVIEW Simulation Module to simulate
a dynamic system or a component of a dynamic system. For example, you can simulate only the
plant while using hardware for the controller, actuators and sensors. This chapter provides an
overview of the simulation process and describes how to use the Simulation Module to simulate a
dynamic system.
LabVIEW Tool and GSD Applications 379

Figure 14.8 Sample dynamic system.

14.17 SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION TOOLKIT

The NI LabVIEW System Identification Toolkit combines data acquisition tools with system
identification algorithms for accurate plant modeling. You can take advantage of LabVIEW intuitive
data acquisition tools such as the DAQ Assistant to stimulate and acquire data from the plant and
then automatically identify a dynamic system model. You can convert system identification models
to state-space, transfer function, or pole-zero-gain form for control system analysis and design.
The toolkit includes built-in functions for common tasks such as data preprocessing, model creation
and system analysis. Using other built-in utilities, you can plot the model with intuitive graphical
representation as well as store the model.
You can purchase the toolkit separately or as part of NI Developer Suite, a modular product
offering with which you can select software components based on your application needs. With an
NI Developer Suite subscription, you receive a new set of CDs featuring the most recent software
version for each product in the suite four times a year as well as direct access to technical support
from NI applications engineers via phone and e-mail.

14.18 DIADem

It is easy working with DIAdem for data mining, analysis and report generation. DIAdem is the
interactive National Instruments software for finding and managing technical data, mathematically
and graphically analyzing the data and presenting the data in reports. You search for data on your
computer drives or on the network, and navigate in data files and databases to load the data you
find, into DIAdem. You view the loaded data to decide which data to run mathematical analyses
on. You present calculation which results in a report. If you frequently use the same method to
evaluate data, you create a script that automates evaluations.
DIAdem consists of several panels. You use the panel bar, which is always available on the
left edge of the DIAdem screen, to switch panels. Each panel deals with a particular type of task.
You use DIAdem NAVIGATOR to mine and load data in different file formats. You use DIAdem
VIEW to view data, to graphically analyze curve sections and to edit data, for example, to correct
errors. You use DIAdem ANALYSIS to evaluate data mathematically with standard functions or
your own formulas. You use DIAdem REPORT to create multi-page reports that document data
and present results. DIAdem SCRIPT combines all the panel functions in scripts. You can use
scripts to create your own applications that process tasks automatically.

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