An experimental electronic interface design for a two-link elastic robotic arm

The objective of the present work is to study the dynamic load-carrying capacity for a mechanical manipulator constructed of elastic arms. The optimal control is used in open-loop form to obtain the mathematical formulation. The Pontryagin Minimum Principle is proposed as a good way to fulfill this purpose that results a two-point boundary value problem. The Gibbs-Appell formulation is adopted to extract the dynamic equations and also assumed modes method is utilized to model the elastic characteristic of each links. The main target of present article is to find an optimal trajectory when elastic arms are carrying their maximum permissible level of payload. Finally, to show the accuracy of the results gained from computer simulation, the results of an experimental set up belongs to a two-link elastic robotic manipulator are compared with it and show a good agreement.

This paper presents experiences learned from an ongoing research in employing telepresence technologies to facilitate an Internet-based remote IC (integrated circuits) testing laboratory at R.I.T. An instrumentation server has been developed using National Instrument's Labview 5.0 to interface and control a number of GPIB-enabled lab instruments. By utilizing LabView's Open Reference VI (virtual instruments) client/server model, an authorized user can remotely execute the VI graphical interface to manipulate various lab equipment via the Internet. The system is designed mainly for remote inspection and testing of packaged integrated circuits. Multi-platform accessibility is a key objective when designing the client module, which consists of the graphical VI interface. Any user with a computer (Windows, UNIX, or Macintosh) that is capable of Internet access, installed with a Java-enabled web browser, and has the ability to run Labview 5.0 will be able to access the networked lab equipment.

Understanding the complex properties of electronic and spintronic devices at the micro- and nano-scale is a topic of intense current interest as it becomes increasingly important for scientific progress and technological applications. In operando characterization of such devices by scanning probe techniques is particularly well-suited for the microscopic study of these properties. We have developed a scanning probe microscope (SPM) which is capable of both standard force imaging (atomic, magnetic, electrostatic) and simultaneous electrical transport measurements. We utilize flexible and inexpensive FPGA (field-programmable gate array) hardware and a custom software framework developed in National Instrument's LabVIEW environment to perform the various aspects of microscope operation and device measurement. The FPGA-based approach enables sensitive, real-time cantilever frequency-shift detection. Using this system, we demonstrate electrostatic force microscopy of an electrically biased graphene field-effect transistor device. The combination of SPM and electrical transport also enables imaging of the transport response to a localized perturbation provided by the scanned cantilever tip. Facilitated by the broad presence of LabVIEW in the experimental sciences and the openness of our software solution, our system permits a wide variety of combined scanning and transport measurements by providing standardized interfaces and flexible access to all aspects of a measurement (input and output signals, and processed data). Our system also enables precise control of timing (synchronization of scanning and transport operations) and implementation of sophisticated feedback protocols, and thus should be broadly interesting and useful to practitioners in the field.

This paper is regarding planning a PC-based observance parking system supported IoT that may be applied at the park-like at the searching advanced and offices. This paper focuses on the event of front panel victimization National Instrument's LABVIEW package and Node MCU, Personal Computer (PC), and NODE MCU. The traditional parking lot system doesn't have a board and it cannot show the vacancy of automobile parking space. The user must gamble to hunt any vacancy and need to watch for the opposite automobile to exit from the automobile parking space. Up to the traditional parking system, it'll create the automobile parking space become well organized and user friendly. This paper can produce an automobile detection system by developing a PC-based front panel of parking lot operation knowledge. The system can convert the output from the sensing element to the programmable language to the computer-based mostly board. The board aims to indicate the standing and automobile parking space vacancy. The NODE MCU is employed to supply interfacing between hardware and package. By victimization Lab, VIEW, and Node MCU, the simulation of the physical system will be developed to watch the quantities to be measured and the standing of the instrumentation within the plant from remote purposes while not accessing the inaccessible areas of the plant. Through the traditional parking system victimization Lab VIEW and Node MCU, the front panel is with success developed and explained by planning a physical model of automobile parking space with automobile detector operation. These PC-based observance systems will be applied in varied industrial applications like building security systems and mill automation.

Modern Smartphones have become amazing devices which house processors that match processing speeds of a standard entry level computer. In this paper a model for using an Android™ based Smartphone as the main computational device for a semi-autonomous robot is presented. A stripped down National Instrument (NI) LabVIEW Robotics Starter Kit chassis together with a combination of an IOIO Board and a Android Smartphone serve as the hardware structure of the robot. The processes for designing a custom Android™ Application, issues with hardware and the shortcomings of technologies used are also presented. Finally a robot which is controlled remotely with integrated obstacle detection and avoidance is achieved.

This work proposes a practical implementation of sensor-less technique for the speed control of a PMDC motor. Closed loop control of PMDC motor requires speed feedback signal which is conventionally obtained using speed sensor. Besides cost and maintenance, speed sensors are slow in response and have high measurement errors. To reduce additional sensor cost and number of problems associated with it, we propose a robust method for speed estimation based on the Higher Gain Observer (HGO). HGO estimates rotor speed and provide output feedback for closed loop system. Furthermore, proposed HGO based control algorithm is practically implemented on the Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA). The control architecture is robust to parametric variations and uncertainties. Moreover, this scheme is practically tested using Xilinx FPGA board and National Instruments (NI) LabVIEW for practical validation of results. Closed loop analysis has also provided which is evident for the stability of proposed architecture.

Measurement of expiratory parameters provide useful information about overall respiratory system that can be fundamental in categorizing and staging pulmonary diseases. In contrast to the conventional stand-alone instrument, a PC based virtual instrument for the measurement of expiratory parameters has been proposed in this paper. A flow sensor based on the principle of constant temperature hot-wire anemometry has been developed to measure the airflow through the mouth of the subject during expiration. Output signal of the anemometer is connected to a PC through an analog to digital interface card, PCI 6025E from National Instruments. A virtual instrument with all controls, indicators and display required for the measurement and interpretation of expiratory parameters has been developed using the software package LabVIEW.

We propose, design, and prototype (using software defined radios) a layered hybrid decode-estimate- and-forward relaying strategy. The scheme relies on splitting the source message into two layers with unequal error protection (UEP). Considering half-duplex relay operation, cooperation takes place over two time-slots. The relay attempts to decode both layers during the first time-slot; with the probability of successfully decoding one of the layers being higher than the other due to UEP between the two layers. During the second time-slot, the relay transmits the jointly encoded message containing the successfully decoded layer(s) with the (imperfect) decoding estimates of the unrecoverable layer(s). In order to recover the source information, we design a decoding strategy at the destination that jointly operates on the signals received from the source and the relay. The proposed scheme is implemented using off-the-shelf systematic low-density parity-check codes, with joint decoding achieved through iterative message-passing. Simulations over narrowband Gaussian links indicate a performance gain of up to 3 dB compared to the unlayered operation at the source. We also present prototype results with over-the-air transmissions using National Instruments (NI) USRPs 2921s with all baseband processing implemented in NI LabView. These experimental results indicate significant performance gains over a conventional unlayered relaying approach.

The Low-Energy Demonstration Accelerator (LEDA), designed and built at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, is part of the Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) program and provides a platform for measuring high-power proton beam-halo formation. The technique used for measuring the beam halo employs nine combination Wire Scanner and Halo Scraper (WS/HS) devices. This paper focuses on the experience gained in the use of National Instrument (NI) LabVIEW VIs and motion controllers, and Compumotor electronic drive units and motors. The base configuration couples a Compumotor motor driven by a Parker-Hannifin Gemini GT Drive unit. The drive unit is controlled by a NI PXI-7344 controller card, which in turn is controlled by a PC running custom built NI LabVIEW VIs. The function of the control VI's is to interpret instructions from the main control system, the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS), and carry out the corresponding motion commands. The main control VI has to run all nineteen WS/HS motor axes used in the accelerator. A basic discussion of the main accelerator control system, EPICs which is hosted on a VXI platform, and its interface with the PC based LabVIEW motion control software is included.

In this paper, a parallel frequency space search acquisition algorithm for a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver is implemented using software defined radio (SDR) technology. The proposed algorithm is implemented and tested using National Instruments MyRio real time software processor platform. The results of the proposed algorithm are confirmed and compared with the parallel code phase search algorithm using different implementation platforms. The parallel frequency search implementation is highly recommended for real time and high speed seamless applications in product development and industry platforms where low cost, low complexity with reliable performance is of dire need. The novelty of this approach stands as no published literature has demonstrated parallel frequency search algorithm as an SDR platform using National Instruments Labview on MyRio real time processor environment. In this research, parallel frequency space acquisition of GPS signals on an NI myRio device is implemented. The parallel frequency acquisition is selected because of its moderate code acquisition complexity and its better resource management compared to parallel code phase algorithm, which is considered a large resource consumer.

This program is designed to illustrate each acoustic emission control system channel's input signal values. It was written in environment of National Instruments hardware-software complex. User interface and the program itself are developed in National Instruments LabView. Data processing thread consists of four main operations: Signal input from A/D converter; Sensor gain-frequency characteristic correction; Normalization; Identification of acoustic emission signal. The program part which ties together user interface and data processing procedures is represented by block diagram written in NI LabView language. The results of program development for “Emiss-2” system communication and acoustic emission signals analyzing which is based on the earlier experimental data are also presented in the paper.

The HRV analysis plays an important role in health monitoring. HRV is considered as a vital parameter for cardiac assessment. This paper deals with HRV analysis using ballistocardiogram (BCG) signal. The BCG signals from some subjects are acquired using piezoelectric sensors and National Instruments data acquisition card (DAQ) and processed using National Instruments LabVIEW. HRV indices are calculated using HRV analyzer in NI Biomedical workbench. In this paper it observed that the HRV indices in subjects having tachycardia and bradycardia were showing variations.

Many engineering projects require automated control of analog voltages over a specified range. We have developed a computer interface comprising custom hardware and MATLAB code to provide real-time control of a Thorlabs adaptive optics (AO) kit. The hardware interface includes an op amp cascade to linearly shift and scale a voltage range. With easy modifications, any linear transformation can be accommodated. In AO applications, the design is suitable to drive a range of different types of deformable and fast steering mirrors (FSM’s). Our original motivation and application was to control an Optics in Motion (OIM) FSM which requires the customer to devise a unique interface to supply voltages to the mirror controller to set the mirror’s angular deflection. The FSM is in an optical servo loop with a wave front sensor (WFS), which controls the dynamic behavior of the mirror’s deflection. The code acquires wavefront data from the WFS and fits a plane, which is subsequently converted into its corresponding angular deflection. The FSM provides ±3° optical angular deflection for a ±10 V voltage swing. Voltages are applied to the mirror via a National Instruments digital-to-analog converter (DAC) followed by an op amp cascade circuit. This system has been integrated into our Thorlabs AO testbed which currently runs at 11 Hz, but with planned software upgrades, the system update rate is expected to improve to 500 Hz. To show that the FSM subsystem is ready for this speed, we conducted two different PID tuning runs at different step commands. Once 500 Hz is achieved, we plan to make the code and method for our interface solution freely available to the community.

When creating remote laboratories the designer can choose between many different solutions for the data acquisition system. The solutions range from using high-quality components from well established companies, such as National Instruments, to using discreet components in order to reduce the cost by gaining full control over the specifications for the solution chosen. Recently, open source, low-cost microcontroller board layouts based on microcontrollers from Microchip and Atmel have become available. The topic of this paper is the assessment of the quality of the data acquisition solution made available by the use of the internal analogue to digital converters (ADCs) of such low-cost solutions. The quality is analyzed in terms of measurement errors such as offset, gain and linearity errors as well as comparison of quantitative data from the datasheets. This analysis is an important tool for assessing whether the low-cost solutions are sufficient for running some or most of the remote laboratories, or if the increased cost of the budget solutions from professional acquisition modules can be defended. In this paper we try to give an answer to this question.

This paper presents algorithms for diagnosing the severity and location of damage in a laboratory bridge model. We use signal processing and machine learning approaches to analyze the vibration responses collected both directly from the bridge model and indirectly from a vehicle passing over the model. Features are selected using principal component analysis (PCA), and a regression is performed using the kernel regression method. Various “damage” severities and positions are simulated on a laboratory bridge model by placing additional mass on the bridge. We perform two experiments; one to measure our ability to detect damage severity (i.e. size of the mass), and a second to measure our ability to detect damage location (i.e. position of the mass). In the first experiment, we vary the magnitude of the mass while keeping its location constant. In the second experiment, we vary the location of the mass while keeping its magnitude constant. In both cases, we use a portion of our data to train the algorithm, and another portion to test its validity. We report the accuracy of correctly quantifying the nature of the mass from the test data as a mean square error (MSE). state of the structure for an infinite number of mass locations and sizes within our training set. To build the regression, we apply principal component analysis to the acceleration signals, and train the kernel regression model by the collected data. This model determines the size and the location of the damage proxy using the MSE as the evaluation score. 2 EXPERIMENTAL SETUP AND PROTOCOL 2.1 Experimental setup (Cerda et al. 2013; Wang et al. 2013) A general view of the laboratory model used in this project is shown in Figure 1, and schematic of the setup is shown in Figure 2. The model consists of a vehicle that is pulled across the rails by a cable system. The vehicle starts on ‘Ramp 1’, accelerates up to a constant speed, crosses the middle section, the “bridge,” then decelerates on ‘Ramp 2.’ The vehicle has wired accelerometers so there is a cable rail above to ensure these wires do not interfere with its motion. The “bridge” is an aluminum plate, 2438 mm (8 feet) long, with two angle beams acting as girders and two rails to guide the vehicle. The vehicle model, as shown in Figure 3, has an independent suspension system. Both the vehicle and the bridge were instrumented with commercial accelerometers. On the vehicle, two sensors are on the sprung portion of the vehicle (‘front chassis sensor’ and ‘rear chassis sensor’), and two sensors are on the unsprung portion of the vehicle, rigidly attached to the wheels (‘front wheel sensor’ and ‘rear wheel sensor’), as shown in Figure 3. One sensor was placed underneath the bridge deck at midspan (‘bridge sensor’). Figure 1. The general view of the laboratory setup. The motors governing the movement of the vehicle and the data-acquisition systems are both controlled by National Instrument’s PXI system running LabView . By using a single system, we can spatially align the time series data from different runs using the vehicle’s position. More details about the experimental setup can be found in (Cerda et al. 2013). Figure 2. The illustration of the laboratory model. Figure 3. Details of the vehicle.