Controller Choise and Tuning for Experimentally Identified Plants Using Virtual Instrumentration

Nicoleta Stefania HULEA, Iosif OLAH, Lucian MASTACAN and Octavian Costel VORNICU

In order to increase the precision of the identification of the plants, on the basis of the experimentally obtained step response, a method of identification based on the approximate numerical integration of the experimentally obtained curve (that characterised the respective plants) was implemented by means of Virtual Instrumentation. Using the identification’s results, the controller type is chosen, the controller parameters are setup and, still using Virtual Instrumentation, some experiments are carried out using the control loop. The results of some experimental identification, made on thermal plants presented in this paper, illustrate the usefulness of the attempts made, concerning theoretical and experimental research.

An Automated Sorting System based on Virtual Instrumentation Techniques

Ioan Gavril Tarnovan and Rodica Holonec

The application presented in this paper represents an experimental model and it refers to the implementing of an automated sorting system for pieces of same shape but different sizes and/or colors. The classification is made depending on two features: the color and the weight of these pieces. The system is a complex combination of NI Vision hardware and software tools, strain gauges transducers, signal conditioning connected to data acquisition boards, motion and control elements. The system is very useful for the students to learn and experiment different virtual instrumentation techniques in order to be capable to develop a large field of applications from inspection and process control to sorting and assembly.

Integrating and Reusing of Virtual Labs in Open Source LMS

Elio Sancristobal Ruiz and Manuel Alonso Castro Gil

nowadays there are a great number of universities and organizations working on developing virtual labs. These virtual labs allow students to carry out their experiments and acquire practical knowledge. At the same time these universities are using one or several learning management systems that allow professors to display and organize theoretical content.

Why not use learning management system and virtual labs together? That is what we are going to describe in this paper. We are working on a architecture that allows using the LMS’s services together with the virtual labs