Connecting LabVIEW to EPICS network

Xiang Yan

Reven.Yan@ni.com

National Instruments

• EPICS: Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System

•Graphical dataflow programming•Interactive front panel / GUI•Efficient compiled execution

•Targets Windows, Real-Time, FPGA,

Linux, Macintosh, DSP, Other Processors

• I/O and analysis libraries•Distributed networking capabilities

Current LabVIEW-EPICS interfaces• Shared memory interface

• By SNS ORNL• DIM (Distributed Information Management

System)• By GSI CERN

• LabVIEW EPICS Client I/O server

EPICS Database

Hardware

Sequencer(Finite State Machine)

IOC Software with Shared Memory Interface

DatabaseEngine

Write I/O values to database. Default update rate is 10 Hz. Can be as

fast as 25 Hz.

Reads values from the database to drive state

changes in the IOC control application.

Channel AccessProtocol ServerPublishes values from the database onto the network

using Channel Access protocol.

Network Traffic(Channel Access Protocol)

EPICS Node – Windows

Shared Memory

LabVIEW Application

IOC Software with DIM Interface

•The basic idea is to make LabVIEW application as a DIM service.•More like a DIM gateway.

• Project• Library• I/O server• Shared variable• VI

LabVIEW Programming Environment

LabVIEW EPICS Client I/O Server

• Bases on EPICS base 3.14.8• Runs on LabVIEW for Windows• Requires LabVIEW Datalogging &

Supervisory Control (DSC) Module• Integrates with LabVIEW features

Logging Alarming Scaling ...

EPICS and LabVIEW

Channel Access Protocol

IOC EPICS

Database

I/O HW

IOC EPICS

Database

I/O HW

OPI

IOC EPICS

Database

I/O HW

IOC EPICS

Database

I/O HW

OPIEPICS ClientI/O Server

LabVIEW Application

EPICS Database

Hardware

Sequencer(Finite State Machine)

EPICS and LabVIEW

DatabaseEngine

Write I/O values to database. Default update rate is 10 Hz. Can be as

fast as 25 Hz.

Reads values from the database to drive state

changes in the IOC control application.

Channel AccessProtocol ServerPublishes values from the database onto the network

using Channel Access protocol.

Network Traffic(Channel Access Protocol)

LabVIEW Shared Variable Engine

LabVIEW Application

EPICS ClientI/O Server

EPICS Node LabVIEW Node – Windows

LabVIEW CA Server (in research)

• Allows you to publish LabVIEW data with CA protocol

• Supports multiple platforms, hosts and controllers Windows VxWorks …

NI Controller

LabVIEW CAS

EPICS and LabVIEW

Channel Access Protocol

IOC EPICS

Database

I/O HW

IOC EPICS

Database

I/O HW

OPI

IOC EPICS

Database

I/O HW

LV DSCEPICS Client

MonitoringArchivingAnalysis

etc….

I/O HW

IOC EPICS

Database

Thanks for your attentions!If you are interested in Demo, please

contact me!