NI LabVIEW 2009 Introduces Distributed Intelligence and Digital Prototyping for Advanced Control

Software Delivers Virtualisation, FPGA-Programmable Distributed Control and Support for New NI Wireless Sensor Networks

Aug. 3, 2009
– National Instruments (Nasdaq: NATI) today announced LabVIEW 2009, the latest version of the graphical system design software platform for control, test and embedded system development. With the latest version of LabVIEW, engineers and scientists can use virtualisation technology to reduce system cost and size, deploy distributed custom measurements across vast physical hardware systems with the new NI wireless sensor network (WSN) platform and streamline algorithm design and deployment to embedded systems with real-time math. LabVIEW 2009 also makes it possible to create digital prototypes with integrated SolidWorks mechatronics tools.

“In today’s challenging economic climate, engineers and scientists are being asked to complete their projects with fewer resources and in less time,” said Dr. James Truchard, President, CEO and Cofounder of National Instruments. “With new opportunities emerging from investments in infrastructure, renewable energy and clean technologies, medical research and device design, we focused our LabVIEW 2009 development to harness key technologies such as multicore, FPGA design, wireless platforms and real-time math to empower innovation in these areas.”

Enhance Control System Performance With Multicore Technology
Virtualisation technology makes it possible to run multiple OSs side by side on the same multicore processing hardware to build more efficient systems. New NI Real-Time Hypervisor software combines the power of the LabVIEW Real-Time Module with general-purpose OS capabilities to reduce system cost and size while maintaining the determinism of the real-time application. Using this software, engineers and scientists can run Windows XP and LabVIEW Real-Time side by side on a single controller, partitioning the processor cores and I/O devices among the two OSs to achieve control and human machine interface (HMI) from a single system. The Real-Time Hypervisor works with dual- and quad-core NI PXI controllers as well as the NI 3110 industrial controller.                                                                
Take Advantage of New FPGA Features and Wireless Capabilities
LabVIEW 2009 brings the benefits of field-programmable gate array (FPGA) software use to deterministic distributed I/O. With LabVIEW 2009, the NI 9144 expansion chassis for C Series modules becomes a LabVIEW FPGA target that can run custom timing, inline processing and time-critical control as distributed I/O. With FPGA computations running in the megahertz ranges, engineers and scientists can achieve ultra-fast control, perform signal processing and interface with digital protocols.

Additionally, technology advances have made it possible to deploy WSNs to perform distributed measurements across vast physical systems. Enhancing the wireless sensors with custom software logic traditionally has required knowledge of complex, low-level embedded programming. The new LabVIEW Wireless Sensor Network Module Pioneer gives engineers and scientists the ability to program individual NI WSN measurement nodes with the ease of use of graphical programming. Engineers and scientists can use LabVIEW to extend node battery life, increase acquisition performance and create custom sensor interfaces.

Save Time and Resources With Digital Prototyping
National Instruments collaborated with SolidWorks, a leader in mechanical design, on a mechatronics tool that helps mechanical and control engineers work together to lower the cost and risk of machine design. The seamless integration of the LabVIEW 2009 NI SoftMotion Module and SolidWorks 3D CAD software delivers a design environment that is ideal for digital prototyping, helping engineers and scientists to design, optimise, validate and visualise the real-world performance of machines and motion systems before building physical prototypes. The digital prototype demonstrates not only the look but also the movements and operation of a future machine.

Enhance Control and Analysis With Real-Time Math
LabVIEW features built-in math libraries that contain more than 1,000 functions ranging from low-level, point-by-point signal processing to high-level, configuration-based implementations, all of which can easily be deployed to real-time embedded devices. With the LabVIEW MathScript RT Module, LabVIEW 2009 further expands access to real-time math, which is the implementation and deployment of mathematical algorithms to deterministic operating systems, for engineers and scientists using text-based math tools. The module also provides engineers and scientists the ability to incorporate their own existing .m files using interactive user interfaces and real-world I/O and easily deploy them to real-time hardware for faster system prototyping. By simplifying the process of deploying math algorithms to real-time hardware, LabVIEW 2009 helps engineers and scientists use advanced control and analysis to improve the performance of control and monitoring systems.

NI is adopting an annual release cycle for LabVIEW, with version names based on the year of release. The annual release cycle solidifies the schedule, stability and feature scope of each new release to provide an easy upgrade process for customers.

Readers interested in learning more about LabVIEW 2009 and downloading the evaluation software can visit http://www.ni.com/labview/whatsnew. Members of the National Instruments LabVIEW service maintenance and support program will receive LabVIEW 2009 automatically in the mail or can download the new version from the NI Services Resource Center at www.ni.com/src. Readers whose software is part of a ompany-wide Volume License Agreement (VLA) should contact their VLA administrators for special installation instructions.

About National Instruments
National Instruments (www.ni.com) is transforming the way engineers and scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation and embedded applications. NI empowers customers with off-the-shelf software such as NI LabVIEW and modular cost-effective hardware, and sells to a broad base of more than 30,000 different companies worldwide, with no one customer representing more than 3 percent of revenue and no one industry representing more than 15 percent of revenue. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 5,000 employees and direct operations in more than 40 countries. For the past 10 years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America. Readers can obtain investment information from the company’s investor relations department by calling (512) 683-5090, e-mailing nati@ni.com or visiting www.ni.com/nati.

Pricing and Contact Information

NI LabVIEW 2009

Measurement House, Newbury Business Park, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2PS

Priced* from £1,049;  €1,249

Tel: (01635) 523 545, Fax: (01635) 523154  

Web: http://www.ni.com/labview/whatsnew

E-mail: info.uk@ni.com; info.ie@ni.com


*All prices are subject to change without notice.        
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