Teaching Controls with a Remote Laboratory using Simulink and xPC Target

Implementing a Remote Laboratory Experience into a Joint Engineering Degree Program: Aerodynamic Levitation of a Beach Ball
by Shaphan R. Jernigan, Yusef Fahmy,  and Gregory D. Buckner
IEEE Transactions on Education, Volume 52, Issue 2, May 2009, pp. 205-213
Abstract

The article describes how xPC Target and Simulink were used to implement a remote Laboratory for a Control Systems course. These tools enabled the distance students to:

• Develop the plant and controller for a beach-ball-and-blower system
• Test the controller with hardware in the remote laboratory
• View and adjust controller performance in real time

Student evaluations demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach.

 

Additional Resources for Teaching Controls Using xPC Target

• ASEE Article: Application of xPC Target as a Prototyping Environment in Control System Laboratories
• IEEE MED'03 Article: Virtual laboratory for Real-Time Control of Inverted Pendulum/Gantry Crane  
• Course material: Mechatronics Course at Northwestern University
• Webinar: Introduction to xPC Target
• User Story: Automotive Research Lab at Penn State Gives Students Practical Hardware-in-the-Loop Experience
• Textbooks using xPC Target

Related Products

• Simulink
• xPC Target
• xPC Target Embedded Option
• Real-Time Workshop