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Work-in-progress on a thin IEEE1451.0-architecture to implement
reconfigurable weblab infrastructures
Ricardo Costa - [email protected] Gustavo R. Alves - [email protected]
Mário Zenha-Rela - [email protected]
REV’11 ConferenceTransylvania University,
Brasov, Romania
June 28 - July 1, 2011
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Ricardo Costa - [email protected] - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc
Presentation outline
Introduction Traditional weblab infrastructures
– Architecture– Status and problems
Proposed solution – Architecture– Previous work– IEEE1451.0 Std. overview– Operational sequence– Development status
Conclusions
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Ricardo Costa - [email protected] - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc
Introduction
Virtual labs
Traditional labs
RemotelabsA
cces
s ty
pe
Resource type
Hybridlabs
realvirtual
rem
ote
loca
l
… also named as WEBLABSThey are a very important resource for conducting experimental / laboratory work (REMOTE EXPERIMENTATION).
Group activities
Documents
Practical work
Images
Animations
Theoretical work
Etc.Experimental/ Laboratory work
ResearchEtc.
Exercises
Fundamental in S&E courses
1. Availability;2. Reliability;3. Flexibility;4. Reusability/Interoperability;5. Motivation;6. Security;7. Group activities;8. Costs (devices + human actors)...
IntroductionTraditional Weblab infrastructures - Architecture - Status and problems
Conclusions
Proposed solution - Architecture - Previous work - IEEE1451.0 Std. overview - Operational sequence - Development status
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Ricardo Costa - [email protected] - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc
Traditional weblab infrastructures
Internet
Lab server
Instrumentation bus
Instruments & Modules
(I&M)
Instruments & Modules
(I&M)
Instruments & Modules
(I&M)Robots
Unit(s) Under Test (experiment)Instrumentation
server
Students
Instrumentation Server(connection with I&M, webcams, UUTs).
Administrators/Technicians/
TeachersWork groups
Laboratory Server(pedagogical contents and administrative services (e.g. booking and security access
systems, etc.)).
webcam
Access devices(PC, smart phone, mobile phone, etc.)
Database
- Architecture -
IntroductionTraditional Weblab infrastructures - Architecture - Status and problems
Conclusions
Proposed solution - Architecture - Previous work - IEEE1451.0 Std. overview - Operational sequence - Development status
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Ricardo Costa - [email protected] - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc
Traditional Weblab infrastructures
Status:•specific and distinct technical implementations
(several hardware and software tools);
•no standard solution for creating weblab infrastructures
Problems:•collaboration among institutions is weak
it is difficult the reuse and interface different instruments/modules (I&M) used by a specific experiment;
•some institutions do not apply weblabs in their courses some institutions do not have the required technical skills;
•costs may be highcreating a weblab infrastructure requires a PC and associated software,
together with several I&M (eventually comprehending several features not required in a specific experiment), and;
•constraints for running several experiments an architecture based on a single PC poses constraints for running several
experiments, requiring scheduling techniques (batch or real-time modes).
- status and problems -
IntroductionTraditional Weblab infrastructures - Architecture - Status and problems
Conclusions
Proposed solution - Architecture - Previous work - IEEE1451.0 Std. overview - Operational sequence - Development status
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Ricardo Costa - [email protected] - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc
- replaced by FPGA-based board(s);- the I&Ms will be developed using HDLs (Hardware Description Languages) following the IEEE 1451.0 Std..
Proposed Solution
Lab server
Instrumentation bus
Instruments & Modules
(I&M)
Instruments & Modules
(I&M)
Instruments & Modules
(I&M)Robots
Unit(s) Under Test (experiment)
Instrumentation server
( … )
- Architecture -
IntroductionTraditional Weblab infrastructures - Architecture - Status and problems
Conclusions
Proposed solution - Architecture - Previous work - IEEE1451.0 Std. overview - Operational sequence - Development status
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Ricardo Costa - [email protected] - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc
Proposed Solution- Architecture -
IntroductionTraditional Weblab infrastructures - Architecture - Status and problems
Conclusions
Proposed solution - Architecture - Previous work - IEEE1451.0 Std. overview - Operational sequence - Development status
A/D and D/A converters
Ethernet interface
buttons
LCD display
buttons
JTAG interface
Digital I/0 pins
PHY interfacesFPGA
LEDs indicators
DRAMmemory
E2PROMmemory
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Ricardo Costa - [email protected] - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc
Proposed Solution- Previous work -
IntroductionTraditional Weblab infrastructures - Architecture - Status and problems
Conclusions
Proposed solution - Architecture - Previous work - IEEE1451.0 Std. overview - Operational sequence - Development status
Function generator
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Proposed Solution- Previous work -
IntroductionTraditional Weblab infrastructures - Architecture - Status and problems
Conclusions
Proposed solution - Architecture - Previous work - IEEE1451.0 Std. overview - Operational sequence - Development status
Physical interfaces used to control the function generator
Control / monitor web interfaces for
controlling / monitoring the function generator
Developed through a collaboration agreement between CIETI/Laboris and an M.Sc. Student from Heriot-
Watt University (Scotland)
Ricardo Costa, Gustavo Alves, Mário Zenha-Rela, Rob Poley and
Campbell Wishart "
FPGA-based Weblab Infrastructures Guidelines and a prototype implement
ation example
" 3rd IEEE International Conference on e-Learning in Industrial Electronics
(ICELIE'2009), Porto - Portugal, November 3th to 7th 2009.
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Ricardo Costa - [email protected] - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc
Proposed Solution- Previous work -
IntroductionTraditional Weblab infrastructures - Architecture - Status and problems
Conclusions
Proposed solution - Architecture - Previous work - IEEE1451.0 Std. overview - Operational sequence - Development status
Some difficulties appeared during the collaboration because…
Difficulties to understand/explainall details…
It would be difficult to use the FG on another Weblab infrastructure,
based on the presented architecture…
It was necessary to specify a logical interface !
It defines a set of open, common, network-independent communication interfaces for connecting transducers, will facilitate the implementation and sharing of different instruments/modules, in a compatible weblab infrastructure.
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Ricardo Costa - [email protected] - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc
Proposed Solution
Defined by another standard (e.g. IEEE1451.2 – connection point-to-point)
Internet TIMTIMTIM
NCAP (…)
Transducer channels
TEDS
Transducer Interface Module (TIM): controls a set of Transducer Channels (TC), implementing commands and protocols, supported on information within Transducer Electronic Data Sheets (TEDS).
Network Capable Application Processor (NCAP):performs network and TIM communications, data conversion and processing functions supported on Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).
- IEEE1451.0 Std. overview -
IntroductionTraditional Weblab infrastructures - Architecture - Status and problems
Conclusions
Proposed solution - Architecture - Previous work - IEEE1451.0 Std. overview - Operational sequence - Development status
IEEE Standard for a Smart Transducer Interface for Sensors and Actuators
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Proposed Solution
TIM(Transducer Interface Module)
TIMTransducer Interface Module
HTTP API (chapter 12)
Transducer services API (chapter 10)
Module Communication API (chapter 11)
Module Communication API (chapter 11)
Low level commands (chapter 7)
TEDSs - can be placed inside the transducer or
located remotly (chapter 8)
Control, access to the TEDs, control the
Transducer Channels, etc.
(…) Transducer (sensors
and actuators) channels
Defined by another standard (e.g. IEEE 1451.2 – connection point-to-point)
TEDS(Transducer Electronic Data
Sheet)
NCAPNetwork Capable
Application Processor
TEDSTransducer Electronic
Data Sheet
(…)
TIM active
TIM initialization
TIM sleep
Reset or Power On
Sleep command
Timeout
Custom
Wake-Upcommand
a) TIM operating states
Initialization complete
- IEEE1451.0 Std. overview -
IntroductionTraditional Weblab infrastructures - Architecture - Status and problems
Conclusions
Proposed solution - Architecture - Previous work - IEEE1451.0 Std. overview - Operational sequence - Development status
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Proposed Solution- IEEE1451.0 Std. overview -
IntroductionTraditional Weblab infrastructures - Architecture - Status and problems
Conclusions
Proposed solution - Architecture - Previous work - IEEE1451.0 Std. overview - Operational sequence - Development status
Example of low-level
commands and
HTTP API functions
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Ricardo Costa - [email protected] - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc
Proposed Solution- IEEE1451.0 Std. overview -
IntroductionTraditional Weblab infrastructures - Architecture - Status and problems
Conclusions
Proposed solution - Architecture - Previous work - IEEE1451.0 Std. overview - Operational sequence - Development status
TEDS: Meta-TEDs; Tranducer Channel TEDs; Calibration TEDs; etc.
Meta-TEDs example
Can be placed inside the TIM or distributed using a text format(there is a XML schema specified by the Std. to define the TEDs )
Example (chapter 8)
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Ricardo Costa - [email protected] - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc
Internet
TIM(FPGA-based board)
Lab Server
web interfaces
Unit Under Test
users
NCAP
TEDS
TEDS
HDL I&M
Proposed Solution
2. Query available weblabs (IEEE1451 Discovery API / HTTP)
Commands can be monitored (assessment purposes) 3. Control or Upload new I&M (reconfigure)
- Operational sequence -
1. Registration
IntroductionTraditional Weblab infrastructures - Architecture - Status and problems
Conclusions
Proposed solution - Architecture - Previous work - IEEE1451.0 Std. overview - Operational sequence - Development status
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Ricardo Costa - [email protected] - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc
Proposed Solution
FPGA-based board interfaces
TIM - FPGA
DATA + CTRLR
S23
2
Rx
Tx
TEDScontroller
Status/stateUART
(...) transducer
Decoder /
controller
instrument
IEEE1451.0 infrastructure
Transducer channel
NCAP
IEEE1451.0infrastructure
RS2
32
Transducer Channels
Web
users
TC1
TC2
TC3
TCn transducer
instrument
TIM
Exp
erim
ent
FP
GA
-bas
ed b
oar
d
Mic
ro-w
ebse
rver
- Development status -
IntroductionTraditional Weblab infrastructures - Architecture - Status and problems
Conclusions
Proposed solution - Architecture - Previous work - IEEE1451.0 Std. overview - Operational sequence - Development status
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Ricardo Costa - [email protected] - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc
FPGA-based board interfaces
TIM - FPGA
DATA + CTRL
RS
232
Rx
Tx
TEDScontroller
Status/stateUART
(...) transducer
Decoder /
controller
instrument
IEEE1451.0 infrastructure
Transducer channel
- Development status -
IntroductionTraditional Weblab infrastructures - Architecture - Status and problems
Conclusions
Proposed solution - Architecture - Previous work - IEEE1451.0 Std. overview - Operational sequence - Development status
TC number
Command (class+function) - Read TEDS segment length
TEDS access code
offset
Reply error message
Reply message success
lengthTEDS contents
Example of low-level commands used to control the TIM module
Proposed Solution
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Ricardo Costa - [email protected] - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc
Conclusions
Currently, weblabs are well accepted in S&E courses;But… there are specific and distinct technical implementations (no standard !);
The IEEE1451.0 Std. + FPGA technology are possible solutions for creating reconfigurable weblab infrastructures.
Supporting facts:1. The IEEE1451.0 Std. describes hardware and software layers to control and
network-interface transducers (which can also be the I&M used in weblabs);2. FPGAs can be reconfigured with different embedded IEEE1451.0-
compatible instruments described in standard HDL (e.g. Verilog or VHDL).
Main advantages: i) sharing of resources and ii) joint developments.
(increases collaboration, flexibility, reusability/interoperability, reduces costs, simplifies developments, may facilitates access managements, etc.)
IntroductionTraditional Weblab infrastructures - Architecture - Status and problems
Conclusions
Proposed solution - Architecture - Previous work - IEEE1451.0 Std. overview - Operational sequence - Development status
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Ricardo Costa - [email protected] - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc
Thanks for your attention !
Ricardo Jorge Guedes da Silva Nunes da CostaEmail: [email protected] : http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc
Acknowledgments: