CompactRIO
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CompactRIO (or cRIO) is a
real-time Real-time or real time describes various operations in computing or other processes that must guarantee response times within a specified time (deadline), usually a relatively short time. A real-time process is generally one that happens in defined ...
embedded
industrial controller An industrial control system (ICS) is an electronic control system and associated instrumentation used for industrial process control. Control systems can range in size from a few modular panel-mounted controllers to large interconnected and in ...
made by
National Instruments National Instruments Corporation, doing business as NI, is an American multinational company with international operation. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it is a producer of automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software. Comm ...
for
industrial control system An industrial control system (ICS) is an electronic control system and associated instrumentation used for industrial process control. Control systems can range in size from a few modular panel-mounted controllers to large interconnected and in ...
s. The CompactRIO is a combination of a real-time controller, reconfigurable IO Modules (RIO),
FPGA A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is an integrated circuit designed to be configured by a customer or a designer after manufacturinghence the term '' field-programmable''. The FPGA configuration is generally specified using a hardware de ...
module and an
Ethernet Ethernet () is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 198 ...
expansion chassis.


Hardware

The CompactRIO system is a combination of a real-time controller chassis, reconfigurable IO Modules (RIO), an
FPGA A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is an integrated circuit designed to be configured by a customer or a designer after manufacturinghence the term '' field-programmable''. The FPGA configuration is generally specified using a hardware de ...
module and an
Ethernet Ethernet () is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 198 ...
expansion chassis. Third-party modules are also available, and are generally compatible with NI-produced chassis controllers. CompactRIO real-time controllers include a
microprocessor A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circu ...
for implementing control algorithms, and support a wide range of clock frequencies. Controllers are only compatible with
National Instruments National Instruments Corporation, doing business as NI, is an American multinational company with international operation. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it is a producer of automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software. Comm ...
C Series I/O Modules. I/O modules are
hot swappable Hot swapping is the replacement or addition of components to a computer system without stopping, shutting down, or rebooting the system; hot plugging describes the addition of components only. Components which have such functionality are said ...
(can be connected/disconnected while the unit is powered up). The FPGA Module may be used to implement high-performance data processing on reconfigurable fabric. Such data processing may be performed on data streaming in from connected I/O Modules. The module is powered by a
Xilinx Xilinx, Inc. ( ) was an American technology and semiconductor company that primarily supplied programmable logic devices. The company was known for inventing the first commercially viable field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and creating the fi ...
Virtex high-performance FPGA. The FPGA can be programmed separately and is connected to the real-time controller using an internal
PCI PCI may refer to: Business and economics * Payment card industry, businesses associated with debit, credit, and other payment cards ** Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, a set of security requirements for credit card processors * Pro ...
bus. The Ethernet chassis includes an Ethernet port (
8P8C A modular connector is a type of electrical connector for cords and cables of electronic devices and appliances, such as in computer networking, telecommunication equipment, and audio headsets. Modular connectors were originally developed for ...
), which can connect the CompactRIO controller to a PC. The chassis is available in 4 slot and 8 slot varieties. Third-party modules are manufactured for additional features, such as LCD or VGA displays. Newer, high-performance CompactRIO controllers also have built-in VGA graphics which can be connected to a monitor for observing operation.


Software

CompactRIO controllers can be programmed with
LabVIEW Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW) is a system-design platform and development environment for a visual programming language from National Instruments. The graphical language is named "G"; not to be confused with G-co ...
, National Instruments'
graphical programming language In computing, a visual programming language (visual programming system, VPL, or, VPS) is any programming language that lets users create programs by manipulating program elements ''graphically'' rather than by specifying them ''textually''. A VP ...
; C; C++; or Java. LabVIEW must be used to program the embedded FPGA. The controller comes with a
Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
based
RTOS A real-time operating system (RTOS) is an operating system (OS) for real-time applications that processes data and events that have critically defined time constraints. An RTOS is distinct from a time-sharing operating system, such as Unix, which m ...
, NI Linux Real-Time, created as part of the
Linux Foundation The Linux Foundation (LF) is a non-profit technology consortium founded in 2000 as a merger between Open Source Development Labs and the Free Standards Group to standardize Linux, support its growth, and promote its commercial adoption. Additi ...
's Real-Time Linux Collaborative Project. Programs created in LabVIEW are compiled into machine code for NI Linux Real-Time and
hardware description language In computer engineering, a hardware description language (HDL) is a specialized computer language used to describe the structure and behavior of electronic circuits, and most commonly, digital logic circuits. A hardware description language e ...
(HDL) for the Xilinx FPGA
toolchain In software, a toolchain is a set of programming tools that is used to perform a complex software development task or to create a software product, which is typically another computer program or a set of related programs. In general, the tools form ...
automatically during deployment of the code to the target. The Linux Real-Time OS running in the real-time controller supports a filesystem and hence data logging is also available at the controller level. The Full Development System version of LabVIEW does not come with the modules needed to program the cRIO. The Real-Time Module and FPGA Modules have to be purchased separately and installed with LabVIEW for programming the hardware. The programming is done on a Host PC running the
Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also in ...
and is deployed on the cRIO via Ethernet.


Applications

CompactRIO systems are often used as an industrial control unit, where a small form factor are important. CompactRIO is commonly used as
headless system A headless computer is a computer system or device that has been configured to operate without a monitor (the missing "head"), keyboard, and mouse. A headless system is typically controlled over a network connection, although some headless system ...
s (without a user interface) which are designed to run in a confined space, under harsh conditions. CompactRIO systems can also be connected to a host PC which can be used for supervisory purposes and for displaying logged data. Other examples of applications areas are: Intelligent Systems for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Power Electronics and Inverter Control, Condition Monitoring of Rotating Equipment, Power Quality Monitoring, Transportation and Heavy Equipment, and Laser or Hydraulic Control. The CompactRIO was used from 2009 until 2015 as the primary control unit in the
FIRST Robotics Competition FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work during a six-week period to build robots capable of competing in that year's game that weig ...
. It has been replaced now by the National Instruments roboRIO.


See also

*
CompactDAQ CompactDAQ is a data acquisition platform built by National Instruments that includes a broad set of compatible hardware and software.
* roboRIO


References


External links


CompactRIO
{{DEFAULTSORT:Compactrio Programmable logic controllers Real-time computing