Motion Control and Motor Drives
Virtual Inverted Pendulum
Hi ladysman217f,
Welcome to the National Instruments forums! Don't worry, your question is in the right place. You're in luck; due to the modularity of LabVIEW, you can certainly implement this functionality.
There are three kinds of interface implementation that I believe you could follow:
- Through Numeric Indicators, which would be the last fancy approach; this is where you could simply show the current characteristics of the VIP. These would include it's current angle, the current forces it is undergoing, the magnitudes of the driving signals to balance the device and more on numeric displays that the application user can see. However, I'm getting the feeling that you want to do something a little more exciting on the Front Panel, which is why I've listed the second two options:
- Through a 2D Picture and display a 2D representation of the pendulum. This would require you to perform all of the relevant calculations and also convert use these calculations to produce a relevant image to display the current state of the VIP. I think the advantage of this implementation is that you could show all of the relevant force and angle information as if the pendulum were on a diagram. This would allow the end user to see a direct relation between the motion of the pendulum and the forces that effect it.
- Through a 3D Picture and instead produce a pendulum in 3D space. This has the obvious benefit of creating an extremely in depth simulation of the device and show it's exact movement in 3D space; but with this comes increased complexity. However, with the help of the NI Example Finder found in <LabVIEW> » Help » Find Examples... there are plenty of 3D examples for you to learn from.
It's important for me to note that each of these different implementations all rely on the underlying control algorithms functioning appropriately. As soon as you develop the correct algorithms for controlling the VIP, then you can focus on just how you're going to display the output. So, your biggest priority should be first get the pendulum calculation Virtual Instruments created. I'd suggest researching all of the relevant information for inverted pendulum control and implement these through the Control and Simulation Toolkit since this is where you say you're most experienced.
You'll find this forum thread very useful for developing your application.
You've already made the right start by coming to the forums. Armed with the Example Finder and the forum thread I posted, you'll definitely be on the right path to developing this application; which is also something I'd really like to see when you're done! 
Hi again,
I need to correct for some errors in my last post. I mentioned the Control Design and Simulation Toolkit, and I meant the PID and Fuzzy Logic toolkit. Luckily you'll be able to implement the functionality with both!
Hey again, sorry that I misread your post.
I believe that to properly implement this project, the use of the Control Design Toolkit is a necessity; you are right in saying that you would be able to develop a similar system in LabVIEW without the toolkit, however it will be a hugely in depth and arduous project to implement before you could start with the VIP. Development of your own algorithms would require very rigourous testing and validation of the code to ensure the integrity of your project. The Control Design Toolkit provides you with all of the tools you require out of the box, without the lengthy development and testing time. This would reduce the overall amount workload of your project massively; which will be much more effective solution in the long run.
I'd really recommend that you call the your local branch, the number is 01635 523 545 if you're in the UK; and talking to one of our Sales Representatives. They'll be able to speak to you in more detail about the project and guide you to an appropriate solution.
I hope this helps.
