OCC LabVIEW, Instrumentation, & System Integration Experience

The OCC Team have a combined 33 years of experience developing LabVIEW applications for laboratories and industry. Below are listed some of the projects they have worked on:

Research Projects

Differential Optical Absorption Spectrometer (MAX-DOAS): University of Colorado - A modular, configurable LabVIEW program was created that accommodates a wide range of experiments, including short- and long-term ground-based operations, airborne spectrometers, and mobile, vehicle-borne spectrometers. cRIO hardware performs closed-loop real-time control for attitude tracking on aircraft, while PC-based software acquires data from several different optical spectrometers, a GPS, and other instruments. One configuration uses a National Instruments smart camera to continuously track the sun while the spectrometers acquire data on a moving vehicle. LabVIEW, LabVIEW RT, LabVIEW FPGA, NI Vision, CompactRIO, NI-DAQmx.

Environmental Chambers Control System: University of Colorado - The highly-configurable and extensible MICAS-X framework, written in LabVIEW, is used as the basis for this constantly-evolving system. Two chambers are simultaneously controlled for temperature, air handling, humidity, and UV and visible lighting, while an extensive set of sensors and instruments measure the physical and chemical properties of both systems. LabVIEW, LabVIEW RT, LabVIEW FPGA, MICAS-X, CompactRIO, MODBUS.

Particle Analysis by Laser Mass Spectroscopy: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - A multi-process LabVIEW program directs the operator-driven or autonomous operation of a complex, state-of-the-art aerosol particle mass spectrometer. A new version of this instrument is currently being developed which will run the MICAS-X software package. LabVIEW, NI-DAQ, NI-VISA.

Ultra-Filtration Reverse-Osmosis Pilot Plant: University of Wyoming - The MICAS-X program provided a fast development platform with a highly-customized interface for controlling two lines of a reverse-osmosis pilot plant. LabVIEW, LabVIEW RT, LabVIEW FPGA, MICAS-X, CompactRIO, MODBUS.

MICAS-X: MICAS-X is a long-term development project for OCC available on the LabVIEW Tools Network. It provides a substantial code base on which data acquisition and control systems can be implemented, resulting in fast development and robust operation, while still allowing for complete customization. LabVIEW, NI-DAQmx, CompactDaq, CompactRIO, NI-VISA, MODBUS.

OSDS: The OCC Streaming Data System (OSDS) is a flexible suite of components that make it easy to read a wide variety of data streams into any LabVIEW program. This tool has been integrated into numerous LabVIEW programs for atmospheric instrumentation, including those for the Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2), the Spectrometer for Ice Nuclei (SPIN), the Particle Analysis and Display System (PADS), the Multi-Instrument Control and Acquisition System - eXtended (MICAS-X), MAX-DOAS, and others.

Kinetics in Human Cardiac Myofibrils: University of Colorado, School of Medicine – Measurements of force in 20-200 um heart tissue organelles are analyzed for the response to activation by Ca++ signaling. LabVIEW, NI-DAQmx.

Particle Acquisition and Display System (PADS), Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2), Spectrometer for Ice Nuclei (SPIN), Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (UHSAS): Droplet Measurement Technology, Particle Metrics Inc - OCC has created commercial software packages for an extensive range of scientific instruments, primarily in the aerosol and atmospheric sciences markets. LabVIEW, CompactDaq, NI-DAQmx.

Continuous Flow Diffusion Chamber (CFDC): Colorado State University - Support for this cutting-edge scientific instrument used to study ice nucleation on aerosol particles has been provided by OCC for over 14 years, as the instrument evolved through several iterations involving numerous hardware upgrades. LabVIEW, Compact FieldPoint, CompactDaq, NI-DAQmx.

Controlled Towed Vehicle: US Navy - Refactored and tested real-time LabVIEW code for the Controlled Towed Vehicle (CTV) project for the Naval Postgraduate School’s (NPS) Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS), Marina, CA. Instruments on board the CTV measure the means and turbulent fluctuations of 3-D wind vector, temperature, humidity, pressure, CO2 and IR sea surface temperature. Data are recorded internally at 40 Hz and simultaneously transmitted to the Twin Otter tow aircraft via a dedicated wireless Ethernet link. LabVIEW, LabVIEW RT, LabVIEW FPGA, CompactRIO.

Particle Probe Test System: Droplet Measurement Technology - The MICAS program was applied to a calibration system for optical particle instruments. MICAS coordinated the 2-axis motion of a jet of particles through the instrument's active area, and recorded results. Real-time images of the particles provided feedback to the operator and were also integrated into the analysis of the instrument operation. LabVIEW, MICAS, NI Motion, Vision, NI-DAQmx.

Industry Projects

Pilot Plant Process Control: Sundrop Fuels - This project involved a high-channel-count embedded system for controlling an industrial fuel conversion pilot plant. A CompactRIO controller with three EtherCat deterministic expansion chassis was used for robust, high reliability control, while a PC provided data logging and an HMI. LabVIEW, LabVIEW RT, LabVIEW FPGA, CompactRIO, EtherCat, MODBUS.

Solar System Controller: CANMET - For this project, a myRIO FPGA device was used as a low-cost controller for a solar power demonstration project. The myRIO interfaced to the solar power inverter, the charge controller, and various sensors, and provided the control logic that determined if the system should be drawing from the grid, batteries, or PV panels, and/or charging the batteries. LabVIEW RT, LabVIEW FPGA, myRIO, MODBUS.

Clean Room Monitor: Gambro BCT - Using FieldPoint hardware a monitoring and reporting system to ensure proper operation of an industrial production clean room was implemented that ran 24/7 for over a decade. LabVIEW, FieldPoint.

Directional IR Sensor: Lucid Dimensions - The LabVIEW program for this company’s innovative sensor technology was dramatically refactored and improved, for increased reliability, maintainability, and extensibility. A modular design allowed the overall architecture to be re-used in numerous situations as the sensor hardware evolved and was deployed in new systems. LabVIEW, NI-DAQmx, Measurement Computing Daq.

Runway Light Test System: Flight Light - OCC created the LabVIEW program and the hardware fixture for photometric testing of airport runway lighting fixtures. The hardware included a custom, two axis rotation stage on which the light fixture was mounted. The LabVIEW program moved the stage through a 2D raster pattern while measuring the output of the light. LabVIEW, NI-VISA.

Product Testing: Orton Ceramic Foundation - Several LabVIEW programs were written by OCC to automate the testing and validation of ceramic products by measuring and logging their physical properties over a test cycle. LabVIEW, GPIB.

Wire Loom Automation: Harvard Custom Manufacturing - OCC refactored an existing LabVIEW program, implementing a much more robust program on a new computer with a new OS and upgraded NI-DAQmx hardware. Compatibility with existing procedures and configuration files ensured a smooth transition for the customer. LabVIEW, NI-DAQmx.

First BattleBot Powered by LabVIEW: BotLabs - OCC lead the BotLabs team in creating the first combat robot powered by LabVIEW. Saurobot incorporated a PXI chassis to allow the battlebot a level of autonomy and performance unprecedented in the sport. Mark II improves the design with a CompactRIO controller. LabVIEW, LabVIEW RT, LabVIEW FPGA, PXI, CompactRIO.

Turbine Engine Component Flow Test Benches: Flow Systems, Inc. – System integration, calibration, commissioning, training, development and maintenance of LabVIEW code to control and acquire data from test systems comprised of NI and COTS components. These systems are used on a daily basis by GE, Rolls Royce, Siemens, and others as part of their parts manufacturing and preventive maintenance operations. LabVIEW, SQL, Microsoft Access, NI-DAQmx, NI-VISA, Measurement Computing Daq, RS-485 addressable IO, MODBUS, pneumatic valves and pressure controllers, current-to-pressure transducers, Micromotion Coriolis Meters.

Vehicle Body Leak Test Systems: Flow Systems, Inc. – System integration, calibration, commissioning, training, development and maintenance of LabVIEW code to control and acquire data from test systems comprised of NI and COTS components. These systems are used on a daily basis by Ford, Mazda, and other vehicle manufacturers as part of their QA/QC operations. LabVIEW, NI-DAQmx, CompactDAQ, NI-VISA, RS-485 addressable IO.

Mass Air Flow Sensor Testing: Flow Systems, Inc. – Development and maintenance of LabVIEW code to control and acquire data from test systems comprised of NI and COTS components. These systems are used by General Motors and other manufacturers in MAFS prototype design testing. LabVIEW, SQL, Microsoft Access, NI-DAQmx, CompactDAQ, NI-VISA, RS-485 addressable IO.

Wind Tunnel Instrumentation/Automation: CPP Wind Engineering. – Design of a 2048-channel micro-pressure data acquisition system for recirculating boundary-layer wind tunnels. Development of LabVIEW code to acquire, process, and present data in real-time. LabVIEW, NI-DAQmx, PXI, MXI.

Security System Power Supply Testing: Vanguard Global Protex – Development of LabVIEW code to monitor voltage and current measurements during burn-in testing of newly-manufactured power supplies. LabVIEW, NI-DAQmx,CompactDAQ.

Tracer Gas Validation System: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment – Hardware specification & system integration including LabVIEW code to sample, analyze, and report tracer gas standards used to calibrate all motor vehicle emissions testing systems throughout the State. LabVIEW, NI-DAQmx,USB DAQ.

Catalytic Conversion Rate Process Control: Chemical & Metals, Inc.– Refactoring of LabVIEW code to control experimental processes and trigger gas chromatography for an industrial laboratory seeking to optimize catalyst efficiencies. LabVIEW, NI-DAQmx.