Graphical programming for field programmable gate arrays: applications in control and mechatronics

Field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are being used for an increasing number of embedded control and monitoring systems. They are less expensive than ASICs in terms of development and can also be reprogrammed in the field. FPGAs also have advantages over microprocessors in that all of the control logic is implemented in hardware. This leads to a significant advantage in terms of speed. Also, multiple tasks can run in parallel because each task will utilize a different set of gates on the FPGA. FPGAs can be used for control, signal processing, digital communication, health monitoring, and custom timing and triggering. This paper presents LabVIEW graphical programming as a high-level language for FPGAs for use in control and mechatronics applications