"Semulation" an Introduction
Semulation is a computer science-related neologism that combines simulation and emulation. It is the process of controlling an emulation through a simulator.
Semulation in computer science
Digital hardware is described using hardware description languages (HDL) like VHDL, Verilog or System Verilog. These descriptions are simulated together with a problem-specific testbench. The initial functional verification of most IP designs is done via simulation at register transfer level (RTL) or gate level. In an event driven simulation method the code must be processed sequential by a CPU, because a normal computer is not able to process the implemented hardware parallel. This sequential approach leads to long simulation times especially in complex systems on chip (SoC) designs.
After simulation the RTL description must be synthesized to fit in the final hardware (eg.: FPGA, ASIC). This step brings a lot of uncertainties because the real hardware is normally not as ideal as the simulation model. The differences between real world and simulation are a major reason why emulation is used in hardware design.
Generally the simulation and emulation environment are two independent systems. Semulation is a symbiosis of both methods. In semulation one part of a hardware design is processed sequential in software (eg.: the testbench) while the other part is emulated.
An example design flow for semulation is depicted in the following block chart:
The database holds the design and testbench files and the information about the block whether it will be simulated or emulated. The left part shows the normal simulation path where the design files must be compiled for an HDL simulator. The right part of the state chart handles the flow for the emulation system. Design files for the FPGA must be synthesized to the appropriate target technology. A major point in semulation is the connection between the emulation system and the HDL simulator. The interface is necessary for the simulator to handle the connected hardware.
Advantages of Semulation
- Simulation acceleration: Simulating huge designs with an HDL simulator is a tedious task. When the designer transfers parts of the design to an emulation system and co-simulates them with the HDL simulation, the simulation run times can be decreased.
- Using real hardware early in the design flow.
Virtual Instrumentation
Virtual Instrumentation is the use of customizable software and modular measurement hardware to create user-defined measurement systems, called virtual instruments.
Traditional hardware instrumentation systems are made up of pre-defined hardware components, such as digital multimeters and oscilloscopes that are completely specific to their stimulus, analysis, or measurement function. Because of their hard-coded function, these systems are more limited in their versatility than virtual instrumentation systems. The primary difference between hardware instrumentation and virtual instrumentation is that software is used to replace a large amount of hardware. The software enables complex and expensive hardware to be replaced by already purchased computer hardware; e. g. analog to digital converter can act as a hardware complement of a virtual oscilloscope, a potentiostat enables frequency response acquisition and analysis in electrochemical impedance spectroscopy with virtual instrumentation.
The concept of a synthetic instrument is a subset of the virtual instrument concept. A synthetic instrument is a kind of virtual instrument that is purely software defined. A synthetic instrument performs a specific synthesis, analysis, or measurement function on completely generic, measurement agnostic hardware. Virtual instruments can still have measurement specific hardware, and tend to emphasize modular hardware approaches that facilitate this specificity. Hardware supporting synthetic instruments is by definition not specific to the measurement, nor is it necessarily (or usually) modular.
Leveraging commercially available technologies, such as the PC and the analog to digital converter, virtual instrumentation has grown significantly since its inception in the late 1970s. Additionally, software packages like National Instruments’ LabVIEW and other graphical programming languages helped grow adoption by making it easier for non-programmers to develop systems.
Chandrayaan-II to be in orbit by 2011-12
Chandrayan-I is the best thing to happen to Indian space research and is designed to study the water availability and fertile standards of moon, he said.
The moon mission has proved that India is on par with any other nation which ventured to the earth’s satellite, he said.
Stating that the pictures being received from moon were giving very valuable inputs, he said steps are being made to get continuous pictures by making some technical corrections.
Earlier, the Scientist was felicitated by the public at different places in Coimbatore district for the successful launch of the country’s moon mission.
Accepting the felicitations, Annadurai exhorted the students to shelve their foreign dreams as opportunities were available within India.
The days of foreign students coming to India in pursuit of research works and higher studies were not far away, he said.
Latest Front Pages from around the World
Get the Latest Front Pages from around the World widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox!
LabVIEW the new emerging tool
LabVIEW is a powerfull tool developed by NATIONAL INSTRUMENS having many new features….
Boeing Uses LabVIEW to Develop a Low-Cost Test System LabVIEW software and NI hardware helped a single Boeing developer create a high-channel-count, synchronized test system in only six months to measure the effectiveness of new commercial jetliner designs in reducing noise during flight.
Acquire Measurements from Any Sensor, Any Bus LabVIEW may be used to create a fully functional measurement application with analysis and a custom user interface using a variety of PCI- and USB-based data acquisition hardware. Measure in Minutes with LabVIEW and the DAQ Assistant LabVIEW uses the interactive DAQ Assistant and high-level functions to combine the flexibility and scalability of traditional programming languages and the ease of use of configuration-based data acquisition tools.
Acquire, Analyze, and Present Data Quickly with Express VIs to develop a powerful DAQ application that includes advanced analysis and a custom user interface. See how tasks that would take several lines of code in traditional programming languages are interactively configured with Express VIs in LabVIEW.
Use LabVIEW to Program the Next-Generation PLC Industrial engineers pushing the boundaries of controller technology can use LabVIEW graphical programming and programmable automation controllers (PACs) to combine PC functionality with programmable logic controller (PLC) reliability. Add Advanced Analysis to Your PLC Add advanced analysis, signal processing, decision making, and debugging diagnostics to an existing PLC-based industrial application with LabVIEW and OPC connectivity.
Simplify Embedded Development with Graphical System Design Discover how LabVIEW graphical system design software provides domain experts with high-level tools, such as statecharts, to design and implement their systems on off-the-shelf hardware. Get to Market Faster with LabVIEW and COTS Hardware LabVIEW graphical programming and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware help design teams get products to market faster by accelerating every stage of development – from the earliest stages of design and simulation to prototyping the system with real-world signals and deploying to a chosen processor target.
Prototype and Deploy a Custom Controller with LabVIEWDrivven used LabVIEW and COTS prototyping hardware to quickly develop custom IP for an FPGA-based engine control unit (ECU) in a high-performance motorcycle engine.
Control Industrial Machinery Remotely with LabVIEW Nexans uses LabVIEW and NI reconfigurable embedded hardware to control the hydraulic systems on a remotely operated underwater excavator that prepares the ocean floor for a pipeline to extract natural gas.
Combine Graphical and Textual Programming to Reduce Design Time Reduce embedded design time by using a LabVIEW graphical system design approach to combine the traditionally separate tasks of theoretical design and prototyping. Choose between graphical and textual programming throughout the process. Choose the Software Preferred by Students for Signal Processing Professor Mark Yoder, Ph.D., recently transitioned the signal processing course at Rose-Hulman from The MathWorks, Inc. MATLAB® software to LabVIEW software. Dr. Yoder’s research later showed that students prefer LabVIEW as a learning tool by a 3 to 1 margin. MATLAB® is a registered trademark of The MathWorks, Inc.
Students Use LabVIEW to Create Segway-Inspired Machine A senior design team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute used LabVIEW to develop a two-wheeled robotic locomotion platform inspired by the Segway Human Transporter. With LabVIEW software and NI hardware, the students could use one platform throughout the project.
Chandrayaan-I Impact Probe lands on moon
BANGALORE: India marked its presence on Moon on Friday night to be only the fourth nation to scale this historic milestone after a Moon Impact
Probe with the national tri-colour painted successfully landed on the lunar surface after being detached from unmanned spacecraft Chandrayaan-1. ( Watch )
Joining the US, the erstwhile Soviet Union and the European Union, the 35-kg Moon Impact Probe (MIP) hit the moon exactly at 8.31 PM, about 25 minutes after the probe instrument descended from the satellite in what ISRO described as a “perfect operation”.
Miniature Indian flags painted on four sides of the MIP signalled the country’s symbolic entry into moon to coincide with the birth anniversary of the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, observed as Children’s Day.
“It will signify the entry of India on Moon,” an ISRO official said.
The MIP is one of the 11 scientific instruments (payloads) onboard Chandrayaan-1, India’s first unmanned spacecraft mission to Moon launched on October 22 from Sriharikota spaceport.
Developed by ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre of Thiruvananthapuram, the primary objective of MIP is to demonstrate the technologies required for landing a probe at the desired location on the moon.
The probe will help qualify some of the technologies related to future soft landing missions. This apart, scientific exploration of the moon at close distance is also intended using MIP.
During its 20-minute descent to the moon’s surface, MIP took pictures and transmitted them back to the ground. The first pictures are expected to be made public on Saturday.
ISRO officials said Chandrayaan-1 detached the Moon Impact Probe as planned.
US was the first country whose flag adorned the moon and the success of the MIP landing on the earth’s natural satellite is the first hardlanding on the moon in 32 years.
The spacecraft on Friday reached its final orbital home, about 100 kms over the moon surface after ISRO scientists successfully carried out the last critical orbit lowering operation.
The MIP consists of a C-band Radar Altimeter for continuous measurement of altitude of the probe, a video imaging system for acquiring images of the surface of moon from the descending probe and a mass spectrometer for measuring the constituents of extremely thin lunar atmosphere during its 20-minute descent to the lunar surface.
The MIP withstood the impact of a hardlanding after it hit the lunar surface.
From the operational circular orbit of about 100 km height passing over the polar regions of the moon, it is intended to conduct chemical, mineralogical and photo geological mapping of the moon with Chandrayaan-1’s 11 scientific instruments (payloads).
After the successful release of MIP,the other scientific instruments would be turned on sequentially leading to the normal phase of the two-year mission.
source:www.indiatimes.com
ABOUT LIFE
Life is short, and everyone should live life to the fullest! You only get one chance to live. Make it the best. Each person lives differently….so make the spotlights shine on your life .
Live life in the moment. The only thing that is assured in life is this moment and death. So cherish every moment of life and make it worthwhile.
Try making life better for the less fortunate people in the world. They could be anyone, from an orphan in Orisa to a pauper in Mumbai . Some dollars less in your account will not make a significant difference to you but will make an impact on someone’s life. These are the deeds that make you happy in reality, knowing that you have made a difference.
Be comfortable with yourself. Love and accept yourself, even if others don’t. Know who you are. You will naturally become an outgoing person if you can do this. Also, have an internal locus of control (an internal locus of control implies the belief that one is largely in control of the things that happen to her/him), meaning be who you are and stay true no matter the situation. Be strong and continue to grow your entire life.
Accept other people, even if they’re different. Really different. You don’t have to like everyone, just show acceptence and tolerance and you’ll be cool with everyone (extremely important in connections later on). Also understand not everyone has your world view, thinks like you, or has the same values. But one thing everyone does want is to be treated kindly. You can’t judge anyone else because you don’t know what that person has been through and how it’s affected them. Not everyone reacts to the same situations the same way. Some have more tolerance than others. Judging anyone is purely to organize your own little world into making a little more sense.
Find a purpose or meaning to your life. Whether that be a cause to help the world, religion, or just any kind of worthwhile goal (world domination only if you’ll treat the world right).
Accept death. Yes, it can be scary. But it’s going to happen, one day you will die. Let it echo through you, and you can begin to appreciate life. Trust you will be okay. Trust it or you’ll go crazy.Live your life with the motto ” If I die now I die happy .
Live each day as if it’s your last! There’s no day but today to do what you want.
In this idealistic approach, it is also necessary to balance it with reality. Life is a balancing act, it requires constant effort.
Once you make a plan, follow it! There’s no point in making a to-do list or a schedule if you aren’t going to go through with it.
Do not whine about what you don’t have. Enjoy what you have and desire, work towards what you want to have.
Don’t feel jealous of people who are either better looking or have more money, or for that matter have anything that you don’t but desire. Try to achieve it by working hard and making things work for you. Beauty and materialistic things in life don’t last very long. What lasts is your soul. So it is important to have a clean and beautiful soul. trust me friends you will get
“NEW WAY OF LIVING ”
HISTORY of ” Programmable Logic Controler “
Origin
The PLC was invented in response to the needs of the American automotive manufacturing industry. Programmable controllers were initially adopted by the automotive industry where software revision replaced the re-wiring of hard-wired control panels when production models changed. Before the PLC, control, sequencing, and safety interlock logic for manufacturing automobiles was accomplished using hundreds or thousands of relays, cam timers, and drum sequencers and dedicated closed-loop controllers. The process for updating such facilities for the yearly model change-over was very time consuming and expensive, as the relay systems needed to be rewired by skilled electricians. In 1968 GM Hydramatic (the automatic transmission division of General Motors) issued a request for proposal for an electronic replacement for hard-wired relay systems. The winning proposal came from Bedford Associates of Bedford, Massachusetts. The first PLC, designated the 084 because it was Bedford Associates’ eighty-fourth project, was the result. Bedford Associates started a new company dedicated to developing, manufacturing, selling, and servicing this new product: Modicon, which stood for MOdular DIgital CONtroller. One of the people who worked on that project was Dick Morley, who is considered to be the “father” of the PLC. The Modicon brand was sold in 1977 to Gould Electronics, and later acquired by German Company AEG and then by French Schneider Electric, the current owner. One of the very first 084 models built is now on display at Modicon’s headquarters in North Andover, Massachusetts. It was presented to Modicon by GM, when the unit was retired after nearly twenty years of uninterrupted service. The automotive industry is still one of the largest users of PLCs, and Modicon still numbers some of its controller models such that they end with eighty-four.
Development
Early PLCs were designed to replace relay logic systems. These PLCs were programmed in “ladder logic”, which strongly resembles a schematic diagram of relay logic. Modern PLCs can be programmed in a variety of ways, from ladder logic to more traditional programming languages such as BASIC and C. Another method is State Logic, a Very High Level Programming Language designed to program PLCs based on State Transition Diagrams. Many of the earliest PLCs expressed all decision making logic in simple ladder logic which appeared similar to electrical schematic diagrams. The electricians were quite able to trace out circuit problems with schematic diagrams using ladder logic. This program notation was chosen to reduce training demands for the existing technicians. Other early PLCs used a form of instruction list programming, based on a stack-based logic solver.
Programming
Early PLCs, up to the mid-1980s, were programmed using proprietary programming panels or special-purpose programming terminals, which often had dedicated function keys representing the various logical elements of PLC programs. Programs were stored on cassette tape cartridges. Facilities for printing and documentation were very minimal due to lack of memory capacity. The very oldest PLCs used non-volatile magnetic core memory.
Functionality
The functionality of the PLC has evolved over the years to include sequential relay control, motion control, process control, distributed control systems and networking. The data handling, storage, processing power and communication capabilities of some modern PLCs are approximately equivalent to desktop computers. PLC-like programming combined with remote I/O hardware, allow a general-purpose desktop computer to overlap some PLCs in certain applications.
Suppliers
Well known PLC brands include Siemens, Allen-Bradley, IDEC, ABB, Mitsubishi, Omron, Honeywell, Schneider Electric, Saia-Burgess Controls, and General Electric.
source:wikipedia.org
“TOUCH-SCREEN” general introduction
You must have seen touch screens at ATMs, cellphones, information kiosks .Touch screen based system allows an easy navigation around a GUI based environment.
Tap on the screen twice for double clicks, and drag a figure on the screen to move the cursor .We can do almost everything the mouse does, and do away with the additional device(mouse) leaving only the screen.
So “They’re all the rage, they are the buzzword, they are probably the hottest thing in technological cosmos right now!”Falling price and improved technology has fueled the use of these devices in smaller consumer devices like mobile, Tablet PCs and handheld gaming consoles.
The components
There are four popular touch screen technologies but all of them have three main components.
· Touch sensitive surface
· The controller
· The software driver
>> The touch sensitive surface is an extremely durable and flexible glass or polymer touch response surface, and this panel is placed over the viewable area of the screen. In most sensors there is an electric signal going across the screen, and a touch on the surface causes change in the signal depending on the touch sensor technology used .This change allows the controller to identify the location of the touch.
>> The controller is a device that acts as the intermediate between the screen and the computer .It interprets the electrical signal of the touch event to digital signal that computer can understand. The controller can be placed with the screen or housed externally.
>> The software driver is an interpreter that converts what signal comes from the controller to information that the operating system can understand.
Touch screen sensor technologies
Resistive touch screens
Resistive touch screens have two glasses or acrylic layers, one of them is coated wit is conducting and other is coated with resistive material. When these layers brought in contact the resistance changes and change is registered and location of touch is calculated.
These are durable and resistant to humidity and liquid spills. But they offer limited clarity, and the surface can be easily damaged by sharp objects.
· Capacitive touch screens
In these devices a glass panel with a coat of charge storing material on its surface .When the panel is touched, a small amount of charge is drawn at the point of contact. Circuit located at each corner of the screen measure the difference in charge and send information to the controller for calculating the position of touch.These are used where the clarity precision is of concern as in laptops and medical imaging
· Acoustic wave touch screens
This newer technology uses ultrasonic waves that pass over the screen . When the panel is touched , there is a change in the frequency of ultrasonic wave and the receiver at end of the panel register this change.
Since only glass is used with no coating, there is nothing that wears out.
Infrared touch screens
Infrared touch screens are primarily used for large displays, banking machines, and in military applications.
Infrared touch screens are based on light-beam interruption technology. Instead of an overlay on the surface, a frame surrounds the display. The frame has light sources, or light emitting diodes (LEDs) on one side and light detectors on the opposite side, creating an optical grid across the screen.
When an object touches the screen, the invisible light beam is interrupted, causing a drop in the signal received by the photo sensors.
Optical touch screen
Optical touch screen technology is ideal for large LCD and plasma displays up to 100″ diagonal.
Optical touch screen technology uses two line scanning cameras located at the corners of the screen. The cameras track the movement of any object close to the surface by detecting the interruption of an infra-red light source. The light is emitted in a plane across the surface of the screen and can be either active (infra-red LED) or passive (special reflective surfaces).
Dispersive Signal Technology
Dispersive Signal Technology (DST) consists of a chemically-strengthened glass substrate with piezos mounted on each corner, mated to a sophisticated, dedicated controller. The DST Touch System determines the touch position by pinpointing the source of “bending waves” created by finger or stylus contact within the glass substrate. This process of interpreting bending waves within the glass substrate helps eliminate traditional performance issues related to on-screen contaminants and surface damage, and provides fast, accurate touch attributes.
· Other technologies
The above are the main technologies, there are others as well like strain gauge and Microsoft’s surface technology etc .Through surface computing you can seamlessly synchronize electronic devices that touch its surface.
Advantage and disadvantage
With improvement of technology of touch screens, precise pointing is also possible. Touch screens with glass surface can resist dirt, grease, moisture and also household cleaning agents.
Touch screens have some disadvantages like people with fat fingers may mishit keys , needs to be handle carefully .Touch screens are complex items and unlike keypad there are many things which may go wrong .
Future prospect
Many large companies like Microsoft and Apple have gotten on the touch screen bandwagon, multi touch screens in particular. Apple has patented an “Integrated Sensing Display” wherein display elements are integrated with image sensing elements. If this will put to use, you could have a single device that looked like a monitor for video conferencing, wherein the monitor would be a camera!
TECH SPACE 