Application of Co-simulation Technology Based on LabVIEW and Multisim in Electronic Design

Transcription

1 Application of Co-simulation Technology Based on LabVIEW and Multisim in Electronic Design Yuan Wang 1, *, Liangcheng Wang 1,Xiaolan Liu 2,3, *, Mi Zhou 1 1. School of Science and Technology, Sanya College, Sanya, China 2. College of Science, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong, China 3. Sichuan Province University Key Laboratory of Bridge Non-destruction Detecting and Engineering Computing, Zigong, China Abstract: This paper introduce a virtual simulation technology based on the software of LabVIEW and Multisim, and applied it to the field of electronic design. The virtual simulation technology used the advantages of LabVIEW and Multisim, and greatly extended the applicable field and range of theirs. In addition, it made the simulation of the electronic design project that hard to be simulated become a reality, and could real-time transmitted the data that between the LabVIEW and Multisim, in order to achieved the real-time co-simulation. This virtual simulation technology simplifies the process of electronic design, and improve the efficiency of electronic design. These improvements for electronic design technology is very important. Keywords: co-simulation technology; LabVIEW; multisim; electronic design 1. Introduction Virtual simulation technology is the important breakthrough of electronic design automation which is including electronics manufacturing. Virtual simulation technology has changed the process of modern electronic design, also carries the responsibility to industrial production automation.[1-4] The virtual simulation software such as Multisim, Protues and LabVIEW are used for the design of electronic at present, but different virtual simulation software has its own advantages and disadvantages. Multisim is more suitable for analog electronic circuit simulation and testing, and Protues more suitable for simulation of digital electronic circuit, embedded system and so on.[5-8] But they didn't have the ability to control instruments and data processing. LabVIEW is more suitable for instrument control and data acquisition, storage, analysis and display, and other fields, but is no the function of the simulation circuit. Play to the advantages of various virtual simulation software to make up for the shortcoming of other software, can greatly simplify the process of electronic design, and improve the efficiency of electronic design. This paper introduce a virtual simulation technology based on the LabVIEW and Multisim,and the application in the electronic design process. This technology make the simulation of the electronic design project that hard to be simulated become a reality, and can real-time transmit the data that between the LabVIEW and Multisim, improve the efficiency of electronic design. 2. LabVIEW and multisim Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench(LabVIEW) is a graphical programming language developed by the U.S. national instrument company(ni), the biggest characteristic of it is using icon instead of textual lines. Compared with the traditional text programming language, LabVIEW using the data flow programming method, the data flow between the node of program block diagram determines the execution sequence of the program. LabVIEW is mainly used in the instrument control, data acquisition, data storage, data analysis and data display, and other fields. Multisim is a virtual simulation software used in circuit design and circuit functional test. Multisim can demonstrate and test various virtual electronic circuit, and has rich simulation analysis ability. Using Multisim and virtual instrument technology, can be done the complete integrated design process from theory to circuit simulation, and to the prototype design and testing. In electronic product design process, the advantage of the LabVIEW is that it can be designed the virtual instruments according to the actual needs, and used to generate, collection and processing all kinds of signals. And it has powerful data computing and processing functions, and the instrument interface is also very friendly and beautiful, but It can't simulation electronic circuit. Multisim can simulation and testing electronic circuit, but it can't to produce special signal such as non-sinusoidal periodic signal, and can't to special processing output signal such as conversion physical signal and electrical signal and judge the special status of the circuit. After bought by NI company, the performance of Multisim have the larger ascension. The biggest change of Multisim is the perfect combination with LabVIEW, make it has the following characteristics: Can according to demand to create instrument; all virtual signal can be output to the actual hardware circuit through the computer; all the result of hardware circuit can be processing and analysis back to the computer. Users can create the input instrument using to transmit data from Multisim to virtual instrument in LabVIEW, and the output instrument using to transmit data from virtual instrument in LabVIEW to Multisim. After the improvement, the function of data processing and data transmission between LabVIEW and Multisim got better, in order to achieve the real-time co-simulation. 3. Co-simulation technology In electronic design, there are have two virtual simulation methods based on LabVIEW and Multisim. One is call Multisim virtual instrument based on LabVIEW environment,and the other one is call LabVIEW virtual instrument based on Multisim environment.[9,10] The first method haved be detailed description in the literature[11], this paper detail description the LabVIEW virtual input instrument in the second method With the example "virtual oscilloscope". The LabVIEW virtual output instrument in the second method has the same steps. The interactive simulation features of Multisim are designed to help hardware designers gain a better understanding of circuit behavior. Since the quality of simulation results is highly dependent on the applied signals as well as the methods of analyzing and displaying simulation data, Multisim offers the possibility to implement and use custom instruments based on NI LabVIEW together with SPICE-based circuit, turning an ordinary schematic into a virtual prototype to help close the traditional the gap between design and test. User can connect to real-world signals from inside Multisim, output data to drive real-world circuitry, or display simulation data in a way more suitable to your needs. 3.1 System requirements The current version of Multisim is NI Multisim 12. This version of Multisim supports LabVIEW instruments created in LabVIEW 2010 and newer. Install the LabVIEW8.0 or above, and the NI LabVIEW-Multisim Co-simulation. Journal of Residuals Science & Technology, Vol. 13, No. 5,

2 3.2 Creating a new instrument Copy and rename a template project (1)Copy the folder...samples\labview Instruments\Templates\Input to a new directory. (2)Rename the folder..\input to..\oscilloscope. (3)Rename the file..\ oscilloscope \StarterInputInstrument.lvproj to oscilloscope.lvproj. (4)Double-click on..\ oscilloscope\oscilloscope.lvproj to open the project file in LabVIEW. (5)Right-click on the Starter Input Instrument.vit and select Save As. Follow the dialogs and rename the template to oscilloscope Instrument.vit. (6)Repeat the same process to rename Starter Input Instrument_multisimInformation.vi to oscilloscope Instrument_multisimInformation.vi. Note:Independent of the name choose for the sub VI, have to keep the extension "_multisiminformation.vi" to enable Multisim to load the instrument). (7)Save project. Do not delete any of the front panel controls or block diagram code. Everything the template comes with is required for communication between Multisim and an instrument based on LabVIEW Specify Interface Information (1)Double-click on open oscilloscope _multisiminformation.vi to open it. (2)Change to the block diagram of the VI, enter the following information: Instrument ID="oscilloscope", Display name="oscilloscope", Number of pins="5", Input pin names = "Input signal", "Output signal", "Input resistance signal", "Output resistance signal" and "Ground". (3)Save this VI and close the block diagram and front panel. Note: A valid instrument can have either input pins or output pins, but not both. If set number of input pins > 0 and number of output pins > 0, the instrument will not be treated as a valid LabVIEW/Multisim instrument. And if create an output instrument, fill in the appropriate values for number of output pins and output pin names Create Custom Instrument The front panel of the VI oscilloscope.vit will be the instrument interface a Multisim user sees and operates, the block diagram is where add the graphical code for instruments specific functionality. (1)Build the front panel of instrument such as the Figure 1. (2) Finish the block panel of instrument such as the Figure 2. Note: If create an output instrument, the process is very similar except that wire all data want to send to Multisim to control named Multisim output pins located in the case structure named Update Initial Output Data. (3)Build a Custom Instrument. Expand the build specifications and double-click on source distribution to open it. Select the category "Distribution Settings" change the distribution directory to...\ oscilloscope \Build\ oscilloscope.llb. Press the build button. Press done after the build process is completed. Save project and close LabVIEW Install and Use the Custom Instrument Figure. 1 The front panel of instrument. Everything need to use a custom instrument inside Multisim comes with the Multisim installer. If would like to share a new instrument with other Multisim users, just send the *.llb from project's..\build folder. Navigate to project's build folder "...\ oscilloscope \Build\" and copy the new instrument "oscilloscope.llb" to the LabVIEW instrument folder inside the Multisim installation directory... \lvinstruments\. Start Multisim, and access the new "oscilloscope" instrument from the LabVIEW category of the Multisim instrument toolbar or from the Simulate menu. Build a simple circuit to test the instrument's behavior, such as the Figure 3. Journal of Residuals Science & Technology, Vol. 13, No. 5,

3 Figure. 2 The block panel of instrument. 4.Application in electronic design 4.1 Call LabVIEW custom instrument based on multisim environment According to the needs of virtual simulation, using the virtual simulation technology, design the corresponding electronic circuit such as Figure 3 in Multisim. By calling the LabVIEW custom instrument oscilloscope, input signals into LabVIEW program. Analysis of the corresponding input signals on LabVIEW environment, and real-time display the results in the custom instrument on Multisim environment. Figure. 3 Test circuit of custom instrument. This circuit is a common-emitter transistor amplifier circuit, using this custom instrument oscilloscope could measuring signals in this circuit, include the input power signal, output signal, ground signal and the input resistance signal. Using input power signal and output signal could calculate the voltage amplification factor and the phase difference between the input signal and the output signal of this system, and using input power signal and input resistance signal could calculate the input resistance of this system. The result of the test is show in Figure 4. Input instruments continuously receive data from Multisim while the simulation is running. If plan to build or use instruments that connect to real-world I/O (for example, DAQ, GPIB, Serial, File, and so on) take into consideration that deal with simulation time (related to SPICE Tmax, complexity of your schematic, CPU speed, and so on) versus "real time." Output instruments cannot transfer data to Multisim while the simulation is running. So data acquisition, generation, and so on has to take place before start a SPICE simulation (for example, first record data with the microphone and than start the simulation). Journal of Residuals Science & Technology, Vol. 13, No. 5,

4 Figure. 4 Test result of custom instrument. The Multisim environment also have some custom input instruments and custom output instruments with some special functions designed by the engineers of NI company, user could using these custom instruments to extended application area of the Multisim. The Figure 5 and Figure 6 are show the example that call LabVIEW custom instrument "Signal Generator" to generator square wave signal based on Multisim environment. Using to call LabVIEW custom instrument based on Multisim environment, integrate the characteristics of LabVIEW and Multisim, realize the function and result of other virtual simulation software can't be realized. Figure. 5 LabVIEW custom instrument "Signal Generator". Figure. 6 Call LabVIEW custom instrument "Signal Generator" based on Multisim. 4.2 Call multisim custom instrument based on LabVIEW environment The method that call Multisim custom instrument based on LabVIEW environment haved be detailed description in the literature[11], this method is also widely applied to the process of electronic design. The method generates variable signals or variable circuit element parameters by LabVIEW, and to change the signal source or component parameters in the Multisim. Multisim real time simulation of the signal generated by the electronic circuit, and then back the signal to LabVIEW for processing, display and other operations. Journal of Residuals Science & Technology, Vol. 13, No. 5,

5 The Figure 7 is show the LabVIEW front program, LabVIEW block program and Multisim program of the "Anti theft system". Through the four switches action in LabVIEW program, to control the state of the four voltage controlled switches in Multisim, and change the distribution of voltage on the resistances to change the measured signal. The measured signal is transmitted back to LabVIEW, and the corresponding alarm result is displayed by analyzing the measured signal. The Figure 8 is show the LabVIEW front program, LabVIEW block program and Multisim program of the instantaneous power measurement system. Through to transmit the voltage signal and current signal from Multisim to LabVIEW, and calculate the corresponding instantaneous power real time in LabVIEW. (a) LabVIEW front program of the "Anti theft system". (b) LabVIEW block program of the "Anti theft system". (c) Multisim program of the "Anti theft system". Figure. 7 LabVIEW front program, block program and Multisim program of the "Anti theft system". As can be seen from the above examples, LabVIEW has obvious advantages in data analysis, processing and display, and the response of the circuit system to the signal is accomplished by Multisim. The above examples combining these two kinds of virtual simulation software to realize the combined simulation. Journal of Residuals Science & Technology, Vol. 13, No. 5,

6 (a) LabVIEW front program of the "Instantaneous power measurement system". (b) LabVIEW block program of the "Instantaneous power measurement system". 5. Conclusions (c) Multisim program of the "Instantaneous power measurement system". Figure. 8 LabVIEW front program, block program and Multisim program of the "Instantaneous power measurement system". This paper introduce a virtual simulation technology which is based on the LabVIEW and Multisim. The virtual simulation technology use the advantages of LabVIEW and Multisim, and greatly extend the applicable field and range of theirs. In addition,the virtual simulation technology make the simulation of the electronic design project that hard to be simulated become a reality, and can real-time transmit the data that between the LabVIEW and Multisim, in order to achieve the real-time co-simulation. The virtual simulation technology simplifies the process of electronic design, and improve the efficiency of electronic design. Acknowledgements The first author was supported in part by Scientific Research Fund of Hainan Province Education Department (Grant No. Hnjg2016ZD- 20), Natural Science Foundation of Hainan Province (Grant No ). The second author was partially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No ), Opening Project of Sichuan Province University Key Laboratory of Bridge Nondestruction Detecting and Engineering Computing (No. 2015QZJ01), Artificial Intelligence of Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province (No. 2015RZJ01), Scientific Research Fund of Sichuan Provincial Education Department(No. 14ZB0208 No. 16ZA0256), Scienti_c Research Fund of Sichuan University of Science and Engineering(No. 2014RC01 No. 2014RC03). The third author was supported in part by Natural Science Foundation of Hainan Province (Grant No ). Journal of Residuals Science & Technology, Vol. 13, No. 5,

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