Project Explorer
window to configure third-party hardware similarly to how you configure an NI RT
or FPGA target.
Real-Time Target
The real-time processor and operating system, or RT target, serves as the “brain” of the robotics system,
running VIs you create using LabVIEW. Robotics applications require many tasks to complete
deterministically, or within a guaranteed time period. The RT Engine, a version of LabVIEW that runs
on RT targets, deterministically executes VIs in which you prioritize tasks so that the most critical task
can take control of the processor when necessary.
FPGA Target
An FPGA is an embedded chip that you can configure to match the requirements of a specific system.
Some controllers, such as CompactRIO and Single-Board RIO products, contain integrated FPGA targets,
which are directly connected to the I/O modules that access sensor and actuator data. FPGAs automatically
communicate with I/O modules and provides deterministic I/O to the real-time processor. Thus, you
typically program the FPGA to perform the lowest-level I/O and control tasks with the most critical
level of timing in a robotics application.
On the Starter Kit robot, you might want to program the FPGA to read obstacle data from the distance
sensor and adjust the drive motors accordingly to run deterministically so the robot avoids obstacles.
You can use LabVIEW programming techniques to develop an FPGA VI on the host computer and
download the VI on the target.
I/O Modules
National Instruments offers a variety of I/O modules that directly connect to sensors and actuators. On
the Starter Kit robot, built-in I/O connects the FPGA to the sensor and actuators. You typically write an
FPGA VI to access I/O, and then use an RT VI to read from and write to the I/O in the FPGA VI.
Sensors and Actuators
Robotics systems acquire data about the environment around them with sensors, such as laser range
finders, and move through the use of actuators. On the Starter Kit robot, the distance sensor detects
obstacles in the path of the robot, a servo pans the sensor back and forth, and drive motors propel the
robot.
Use sensor and actuator drivers from the Robotics palette in an RT or FPGA VI to communicate with
sensors and actuators like the ones on the Starter Kit robot. Drivers reduce program development time
by eliminating the need to learn the programming protocol for each device. Refer to the
Where to Go
from Here
section of this manual for information about finding sensor drivers.
Configuring Software and Hardware for a Robotics System
The remainder of this manual contains exercises to teach you how to build and deploy a robotics
application for the Starter Kit robot, a typical RIO-based LabVIEW robotics system. You can extend
the information in this exercise to other, similar robotics systems.
Before you create a LabVIEW project and application to deploy to a hardware target, you must install
software on the host computer and configure the target on which you want the application to run.
Installing Software and Device Drivers on the Host Computer
Refer to the readme file on the Robotics installation media for information about the National Instrument
products to which you have access, system requirements, and instructions for installing LabVIEW,
modules, and toolkits on the host computer.
©
National Instruments
5
Getting Started with the LabVIEW Robotics Module