Implementation of a VI-based multi-axis motion control system for automated test and measurement applications

This paper presents the implementation aspects of a VI-based multi-axis motion control system for automated test and measurement applications. The system has been implemented using virtual instrumentation technique and PXI architecture which enhances the productivity and reduce the cost through easy-to-integrate application software and PXI modular hardware. The application software of the system has been developed using LabVIEW-based graphical development environment which enables the user to configure the system for single axis or multi-axis operation. Using the front panel of the application software, multi-axis operation can be configured as free-axis or master-slave axes pairs with safety limits. The PXI architecture used for the system is versatile and meets the specific needs of test and measurement applications by adding an integrated trigger bus and reference clock for multi-board synchronization The system presented in this work is being used at National Wind Tunnel Facility (NWTF), IIT Kanpur to develop various motion control model support systems and test rigs. Few of them include model attitude control beta mechanism, single axis/dual axes turntable motion control systems, multi-axis robotic arm and ram-air parachute attitude control test rigs. The motion control function of these systems is integrated and synchronized with the data acquisition and measurement functions for automated wind tunnel testing. However, motion control system presented in this paper has been configured for automated wind tunnel test applications, but can also be easily configured to perform various motion and position control functions for bio-medical, process control, robotics, and CNC machine applications.