Computer Based Instrumentation Projects

Student-initiated projects as part of an instrumentation and data acquisition course for sophomore-level electronics engineering technology students are presented. The three instrumentation projects reported in this paper are: an automated parking garage system, an automated draw-bridge control system, and an intelligent traffic light controller. All three projects focused on instrumentation system development integrating multiple sensors and actuators, data acquisition hardware, interface electronics, control logic implementation in LabVIEW software, and wood/metal work in departmental shop. These projects were carried out during the final four weeks of the semester after eleven weeks of lecture/laboratory sessions. Introduction The ability to conduct and design experiments is rated as one of the most desirable technical skills of engineering and engineering technology graduates 1 . Specifically, the referenced survey indicates that employers want graduates with a working knowledge of data acquisition, analysis and interpretation; and an ability to formulate a range of alternative problem solutions. Additionally, potential employers of our EET graduates are in the automated manufacturing and testing sector of the industry; and that motivated the creation of an instrumentation and data acquisition course 2 . Students have had courses in electrical circuit analysis, electrical machines, and analog and digital electronics before taking this course. The first three weeks of the fifteenweek semester are primarily devoted to LabVIEW programming. During the next eight weeks, the concepts and integration of sensors and actuators, interface electronics, and data acquisition and instrument control hardware/software are covered. The final four weeks are dedicated to student-initiated laboratory design projects 3-6 . This paper focuses on some of the instrumentation projects implemented by students during the spring-2005 semester. Early in the semester students develop project topics with appropriate feedback/guidance from the instructor. A feasibility report is required of each group by the eighth week of the fifteenweek semester. The feasibility study is quite detailed as it requires preliminary ideas supported by circuit schematics, parts list, LabVIEW program flow chart, and project completion schedule. Students are in charge of selecting the necessary sensors and actuators, and are required to use the well-equipped departmental shop for fabrication and metal/wood work in support of their projects. A formal presentation and a final report are also part of the project experience. The basic lab setup available to students includes a PC with LabVIEW 7 software and data-acquisition board 8 , and GPIB/RS-232 interfaced instruments such as triple output power supply and digital oscilloscope. The following sections describe the implementation of automated parking garage, automated draw-bridge control, and intelligent traffic light controller projects. P ge 11341.3 Automated parking garage system The objective of the automated parking garage system is to constantly monitor the availability of parking spaces in an eight-spot garage in order to control the flow of vehicles into the garage including automated operation of entrance and exit gates and parking fee (coin) collection. A block diagram representation of the system is shown in Figure 1. PC with LabVIEW software DAQ card Photoelectric sensor