Data Acquisition

Data acquisition is the process of gathering or generating information in an automated fashion from analog and digital measurement sources such as sensors and devices under test. Data
acquisition systems commonly use a combination of PC-based measurement hardware and software to provide a flexible, user-defined measurement system (Figure 7). Oftentimes, a
researcher must condition sensors and signals before a data acquisition device acquires them. Researchers can analyze and visualize data in real time (online) while they are acquiring it. In the
context of scientific computing, this concept is expanded to include previously acquired data, available in files, databases, and other forms of storage, from which data can be accessed for
offline analysis and visualization.

Figure 7. Data acquisition systems commonly use a combination of PC-based measurement hardware and software to provide a flexible, user-defined measurement system.

Researchers can choose from several data acquisition options featuring different form factors, characteristics, and specifications. National Instruments offers a complete family of data
acquisition hardware devices for desktop, portable, industrial, and embedded applications on several buses, including PCI/PCI Express, CompactPCI, PXI/PXI Express, PCMCIA, USB,
Ethernet, and IEEE 1394, and for many operating systems, including Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Pocket PC/Windows CE, and real-time OSs (Figure 8).

Figure 8. National Instruments offers a variety of alternatives for data acquisition and signal generation. Alternatives are available for a variety of PC-based interfaces, including USB, Ethernet,
PCI, PCI Express, CompactPCI, PXI, and others.

Some data acquisition devices are designed to be plugged into a PCI, PCI Express, or PCMCIA slot of a PC, while others are external devices that can be connected to a PC via a USB, serial,
or Ethernet port. Some of the external options are stand-alone because they have their own CPU/memory and can execute code (EXEs) in real time (NI CompactRIO, PXI, and Compact
FieldPoint modules).

Signal conditioning is another key element of data acquisition systems such as those depicted in Figure 7. Signal conditioning involves amplification, linearization, isolation, attenuation, level
shifting, filtering and other operations that are applied to a signal prior to acquisition. Signal conditioning can also prepare output signals created by signal generation hardware.

In most cases, some form of signal conditioning is required between the data acquisition hardware and the sensors/actuators. Some data acquisition devices already include built-in signal
conditioning; however, in those cases where the built-in functionality already incorporated in the data acquisition device may not be sufficient or when it is simply absent, some type of external
signal conditioning is required. For this purpose, researchers can choose from several options, including external signal conditioning devices that they can add to the data acquisition device
(SCC, SCXI) and build in where the data acquisition device and the SC circuitry are integrated in the same device (NI C Series, SC Series, and Compact FieldPoint devices).

Figure 9. Researchers can choose from a variety of alternatives for external and built-in signal conditioning.

Some specialized hardware such as dynamic signal acquisition (DSA) sound and vibration measurement hardware also includes built-in signal conditioning capabilities such as simultaneous
sampling, precision current supply for sensors, and antialiasing filters.

Signal Processing and Analysis

LabVIEW features an extensive library of tools for signal processing, analysis and visualization, so scientists and engineers can use one common set of software tools that supports a wide
variety of COTS-based hardware to develop scientific computing applications in less time and with less effort. These tools are included with the LabVIEW Full, Professional, and Student Edition
development systems. Highlights of the included functionality include:

Curve fitting
Interpolation and extrapolation
Optimization
Linear algebra
Probability and statistics
Differential equation solvers
Signal processing
Integration and differentiation

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 Figure 10. LabVIEW includes extensive built-in capability for signal processing, analysis, and mathematics. Examples of included mathematics capabilities include numerical operations,
elementary (special) functions, linear algebra, curve fitting/optimization, interpolation/extrapolation, differential equations, and geometry.

To see how you can apply LabVIEW for mathematics, consider the following example. Working with LabVIEW, you can easily solve a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) using one
of the VIs or functions in the mathematics library. For instance, with the following system of ODEs, you can use the “right sides” of the differential equations and initial conditions to find the
solutions for x using the Runge Kutta method of 4th Order with a step size h = .1.

Time start: 0.00

Time end: 50.00
X: [x, y, z]
X0: [1, 1, 1]
F(X,t): [10*(y - x), x*(28 - z) - y, x*y - (8/3)*z]

The LabVIEW Analysis Library includes a Runge Kutta method of 4th Order solver (Figure 11), which can be applied (Figure 12) to solve this system (Figure 13).

Figure 11. The Runge Kutta 4th Order VI from the LabVIEW Analysis Library is among the ODE solvers available in LabVIEW.

Figure 12. This LabVIEW application shows the graphical (G) program for solving the equation system using the Runge Kutta method of 4th Order.

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 Figure 13. You can graph the solution for x using the Runge Kutta method of 4th Order on the front panel of your applications based on LabVIEW.

One interesting feature is that the values of x, y, and z in the code above can come directly from measurements captured online through the use of a data acquisition device, which brings live,
real-world signals to mathematics.

Figure 14. Real-time mathematics bring “live” data and signals to mathematics.

Researchers can use a similar approach with partial differential equations (PDEs); for example, they can implement numerical solutions to the heat, wave, or Poisson equations using real-time
data for controlling complex, multiphysics systems such as fusion nuclear reactors (tokamaks). Figure 15 shows a 3D surface plot of the solution for a 128-by-128-point Poisson equation using
data captured directly from sensors.

Figure 15. LabVIEW includes 3D graphing capability, which you can apply to visualize the online solution (and visualization) to the Poisson equation.

Data Visualization

For data visualization, LabVIEW offers a wide variety of options including the following:

3D numeral, text, and Boolean indicators/controls

3D surface graphs
Charts, graphs, XY graphs, and intensity graphs
Bode, Nichols, Nyquist, Smith, radar, and polar plots
Image, video, and picture controls/indicators
Tables and matrix indicators/controls
Digital waveform and mixed-signal indicators
Line, column, and bar graphs
Time-frequency (spectrograms) and waterfall graphs

Figure 16. LabVIEW includes an extensive set of tools for user-interface development and visualization in LabVIEW.

LabVIEW provides a wide selection of options to present data. Another example of the visualization capabilities of LabVIEW is shown in Figure 17. In this case, researchers can use the
OpenGL-based code to create, import, and control 3D graphics for the realistic presentation of real-world objects.

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 Figure 17. 3D Image Rendering with LabVIEW; Color Gradients Reflect Variations in Surface Temperature

In this example (available at NI Labs, ni.com/labs), researchers can connect real-world signals to the image via a data acquisition device. The color gradients in the image change with the
sensor readings.

Connecting External Tools to LabVIEW

Researchers can easily expand both analysis and visualization functions by creating their own functions in the G language, adding new toolkits to LabVIEW, using MathScript commands, or
interfacing with third-party tools such as The MathWorks, Inc. MATLAB® software, Maple, Mathcad, Mathematica, Scilab, GNU Octave, Microsoft Excel, Avizo, and many others.

Connectivity with these third-party tools is usually achieved through a LabVIEW Script Node; special API; or standard interface mechanism such as ActiveX, .NET, OPC, TCP/IP, or specific VIs
created for this purpose. Researchers can use links and interfaces to dynamically exchange data between LabVIEW and these or other commercial packages, tools, and scientific computing
libraries.

More experienced programmers can call external scientific libraries from LabVIEW in the form of C code (*.h, *.c), DLLs, and code interface nodes (CINs), which are C code compiled into
LabVIEW nodes. Researchers can access popular scientific libraries such as LAPACK, FFTW, NAG, and others via external links or function library calls from/to LabVIEW.

Benefits of Using LabVIEW in Scientific Research

The many benefits of using an integrated development environment and programming language such as LabVIEW in academic research and scientific computing applications include the
following:

Compiled code speed and ability to create distributable EXEs and DLLs
Powerful, flexible, and scalable design (open, connects to external libraries and third-party tools)
Easy to learn, use, maintain, and upgrade (intuitive graphical programming, using graphical constructs)
One tool for design, prototyping and deployment
Multidisciplinary use (same easy graphical programming language for different applications and domain experts in different disciplines in science and engineering)
Tight software-hardware integration (supports wide variety of data acquisition and embedded control devices)
Multicore-ready design (intrinsic parallelism) and support for different hardware acceleration technologies (DSPs, FPGAs, and GPUs as coprocessors)
Multiplatform (Windows, Mac OS, Linux, RTOSs)
Easy integration with legacy and traditional instruments (serial, GPIB, CAMAC, VME, and so on)
Longevity (COTS-based, more than 20 years of evolution)
Ability to solve and execute complex algorithms in real time (ODEs, PDEs, BLAS-based linear algebra, signal processing and analysis, optimization, and so on) using real-world signals (A/D)
Bridge to industry – same tools used in academia and industry (academic-to-industry transition easier, technology transfer more transparent)
Shorter time to prototype, time to discovery, time to deployment, and potentially time to market
Help to develop better, faster algorithms (algorithm engineering)

Additional Resources

Learn about LabVIEW Purchasing Options Including Software Licensing for Your Classroom and Lab
Download Courseware and Curriculum Resources
Try the LabVIEW Evaluation for Academic Applications Now
Find Resources for Learning LabVIEW

MATLAB® is a registered trademark of The MathWorks, Inc.

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