LabVIEW is a graphical programming system from National Instruments that is used in particular by scientists and engineers for data acquisition, device control and industrial automation.
We have installed LabVIEW directly on a PC for various customer projects and used it as a control or measuring device without having to use an expensive industrial computer or PLC.
However, as soon as fast-reacting control or regulation is required, our customers use an industrial computer with LabVIEW Real-Time. One example of this is the project: 3D scan using laser triangulation.
LabVIEW's device connectivity enables easy automation of devices and data acquisition.
Common interfaces are:
- GPIB (General Purpose Interface Bus), for example using the TCP/IP protocol
- USB
- Ethernet
- RS-232/RS-485 with RS-to-USB adapters
Example using a digital indicator
A digital indicator can be controlled or the measurement data can be read using a so-called ASCII command set.
Example using a servomotor
Real-time control is handled entirely by the servo drive. Of course, the PC or LabVIEW application cannot control very fast instructions, such as a position setpoint curve, which is transferred directly in real time via the drive. However, the application on the PC sends the command, for example, that the drive should perform three revolutions at a corresponding rotational speed. This command is then executed independently by the servo drive with the speed control. In this process, the LabVIEW application regularly (approx. every 10 ms is feasible) queries the status of the drive and the actuator.
If a LabVIEW application is required in a real-time application, a CompactRIO system from NI, for example, is required to provide the corresponding performance.