NI LabVIEW 2009 targets emerging apps with new technologies

USA: National Instruments announced LabVIEW 2009, the latest version of the graphical system design software platform for control, test and embedded system development.

LabVIEW 2009 simplifies the development challenges of parallel hardware architectures with new virtualization technology that takes advantage of multicore systems as well as by offering new compiler improvements and IP that enhance FPGA design.

The latest version of LabVIEW makes it possible to deploy code to wireless sensor networks to help engineers and scientists build smarter industrial measurement and monitoring systems and features new solutions for testing multiple wireless standards such as WLAN, WiMAX, GPS and MIMO systems on a single hardware platform. In addition, LabVIEW 2009 simplifies real-time math by streamlining mathematical algorithm design and deployment to real-time hardware.

“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, environmental monitoring, medical research and device design and test, 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.”

Improve Parallel System Design
Virtualization technology makes it possible to run multiple operating systems 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 overall system cost and size.

Using this software, engineers and scientists can run Windows XP and LabVIEW Real-Time side by side on the same controller, partitioning the processor cores among the two operating systems for more efficient use of system resources. The Real-Time Hypervisor works with dual- and quad-core NI PXI controllers as well as the NI Industrial Controller.

While virtualization provides a new way to design parallel systems, LabVIEW 2009 also delivers enhancements for existing parallel design technology including multicore programming and FPGA development. LabVIEW 2009 features a new parallel for-loop structure, which automatically divides iterations of loops across multiple processors to increase the execution speed of the process.

LabVIEW also further simplifies FPGA programming by offering early compile feedback and critical path highlighting to make early estimates on FPGA resource usage and better debug timing violations. Additionally, new streamlined FPGA IP delivers higher-throughput math and signal processing performance.

Create Smart Wireless Sensor Networks
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) make it possible to deploy distributed measurements across vast physical hardware systems. With WSNs, engineers and scientists can analyze more effectively everything from rain forests and river deltas to the health and safety of buildings and bridges.

LabVIEW provides the ability to configure the new NI WSN platform with a drag-and-drop programming environment for performing analysis as well as extracting and presenting measurement data.

Using the new LabVIEW Wireless Sensor Network Module Pioneer, engineers and scientists can program the individual NI WSN measurement nodes to extend node battery life, increase acquisition performance and create custom sensor interfaces.

Test More Wireless Devices and Standards
With software-defined instrumentation using LabVIEW, engineers and scientists can implement the same measurement platform to acquire and analyze any modulation scheme or protocol standard rather than using dedicated box instruments for specific protocols.

The new NI WLAN Measurement Suite for LabVIEW guarantees compliance with IEEE 802.11 a/b/g standards and performs measurements more than five times faster than traditional box instruments. In addition to the WLAN Measurement Suite, the WiMAX, GPS and MIMO solutions for LabVIEW provide the ability to test more wireless standards with NI modular instruments.

Deploy 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 easily can 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 mathematical algorithms to real-time embedded hardware, LabVIEW 2009 can help medical device designers, machine builders and autonomous system designers shorten product time to market.

Additionally, 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 www.ni.com/labview/whatsnew. Members of the 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 company-wide Volume License Agreement (VLA) should contact their VLA administrators for special installation instructions.

Qualcomm enables whole-house media streaming with 4x4 MIMO wireless network solution

TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Qualcomm Inc. has introduced the N-Stream WLAN WCN1320 chip, the industry's first dual-band 802.11n standards-based WLAN solution with 4x4 multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology.

Offering industry-leading performance of 600 Mbps, the new chip is designed to enable users to distribute multiple simultaneous streams of high-definition video, voice and data throughout the home, without the hassle and cost of installing cables or the interference and range problems of previous wireless technologies.

“Qualcomm's advanced 4x4 MIMO technology sets a new performance milestone for home media streaming devices,” said Mike Concannon, senior vice president of Connectivity and Wireless Modules for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. “Our N-Stream solution delivers a new level of performance and range, enabling next-generation whole-house wireless LAN coverage.”

Qualcomm has created WLAN reference module designs to enable manufacturers to quickly integrate WCN1320 into a wide range of media streaming consumer electronic devices such as access points, set-top boxes, and media-centric devices.

The WCN1320 chip includes an internal high-speed application processor to run the WLAN software within the chip which provides OEMs the flexibility to use lower cost host processors in their design, easing integration, and reducing development costs for adding WLAN to their products.

“Qualcomm's WCN1320 chip opens up new possibilities for the digital home, and we have been collaborating closely to bring this technology to market, paired with our set-top box solutions,” said Mark Samuel, general manager Cable and IP STB business, NXP Semiconductors. “We are very excited about the progress we have made in jointly enabling a new level of whole-house wireless media streaming coverage with exceptionally high bandwidth for multiple media streams.”

“AppliedMicro, a global leader in energy conscious computing and communications solutions for enterprise applications, is pleased to work with Qualcomm to complement our multimedia networking expertise with this new WLAN technology,” said Gopi Sirineni, AppliedMicro's vice president of consumer and SMB business. “The combination of Qualcomm's WCN1320 WLAN and AppliedMicro's Power Architecture embedded processor technology in access points, NAS, and gateways enables end-to-end solutions that accelerate the deployment of wireless media streaming for both consumer and enterprise applications.”

WCN1320's advanced 4x4 MIMO technology uses four spatial streams to distribute multiple streams of concurrent voice, video and data in either the 5GHz or 2.4 GHz radio bands. Qualcomm has developed sophisticated algorithms which take advantage of the multiple transmitters and receivers to increase data throughput, extend range and overcome interference with a spectrally efficient solution. Qualcomm's WCN1320 solution is backward compatible with existing 802.11a, b, and g devices.

The highly integrated N-Stream WCN1320 solution utilizes a 65nm CMOS process technology to combine an embedded applications processor, media-access controller, digital baseband, radio-frequency transceiver and system power-management in a single compact 12x12 mm package.

Qualcomm's N-Stream WLAN WCN1320 solution is expected to begin sampling in the second quarter of 2009. The WCN1320 is part of a complete end-to-end solution for 802.11n from Qualcomm, which also includes the WCN1312 solution for handsets and other mobile devices.