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LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation (LXI) is a standard which defines the communication protocols for instrumentation and data acquisition systems using Ethernet. [1]
| This article contains content that is written like an advertisement .(March 2024) |
LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation (LXI) is a standard which defines the communication protocols for instrumentation and data acquisition systems using Ethernet. [1]
Proposed in 2005 by Keysight [2] and VTI Instruments, [3] the LXI standard adapts the Ethernet and World Wide Web standards to test and measurement applications. [4] The standard defines how existing standards should be used in instrumentation applications to provide a consistent feel and ensure compatibility between equipment.
The LXI standard does not define a mechanical format. LXI products can be modular, rack mounted, bench mounted or take any other physical form. LXI products may have no front panel or display, or they may include embedded displays and keyboards.
Use of Ethernet allows instrument systems to be spread over large distances. An optional Extended Function based on IEEE 1588 Precision Timing Protocol allows instruments to communicate on a time basis, initiating events at specified times or intervals and time stamping events to indicate when these events occurred. [5]
LXI devices can coexist with Ethernet devices that are not themselves LXI compliant. They can also be present in test systems which include products based on the GPIB, VXI, and PXI standards.
The standard mandates that every LXI instrument must have an Interchangeable Virtual Instrument (IVI) driver. The IVI Foundation defines a standard driver application programming interface (API) for programmable instruments. IVI driver formats can be IVI-COM for working with COM-based development environments and IVI-C for working in traditional programming languages for use in a .NET Framework.
Most LXI instruments can be programmed with methods other than IVI, so it is not mandatory to work with an IVI driver. Developers can use other driver technologies or work directly with SCPI commands.
The LXI Standard has three major elements:
The specification is organized into a set of documents which describe:
In 2005, the LXI Consortium released Version 1.0 of the LXI Standard. [6] Version 1.1 followed with minor corrections and clarifications. In 2007, the Consortium adopted Version 1.2; its major focus was discovery mechanisms. Specifically, LXI 1.2 included enhancements to support mDNS discovery of LXI devices. Version 1.3 incorporates the 2008 version of IEEE 1588 for synchronizing time among instruments. As of November 2016, the standard is at Revision 1.5.
The LXI Consortium requires LXI Devices to go through standard testing.
To support this compliance regime an LXI Test Suite is available. After a vendor joins the LXI Consortium they can gain access to the Consortium's Conformance Test Suite software, which they can use as a pre-test before submitting the product to the Consortium for compliance testing. Once a product is ready to submit, a vendor can choose to have their product tested at a PlugFest or an approved test house. A Technical Justification route allows vendors to certify compliance of derivative products by submitting test results to the Consortium to show that the device has been tested on the LXI Test Suite. The consortium provides guidance on when the Technical Justification route can be used and when a new formal test is required.
IEEE 488, also known as HP-IB and generically as GPIB, is a short-range digital communications 8-bit parallel multi-master interface bus specification developed by Hewlett-Packard. It subsequently became the subject of several standards.
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The Precision Time Protocol (PTP) is a protocol used to synchronize clocks throughout a computer network. On a local area network, it achieves clock accuracy in the sub-microsecond range, making it suitable for measurement and control systems. PTP is employed to synchronize financial transactions, mobile phone tower transmissions, sub-sea acoustic arrays, and networks that require precise timing but lack access to satellite navigation signals.
Keysight VEE is a graphical dataflow programming software development environment from Keysight Technologies for automated test, measurement, data analysis and reporting. VEE originally stood for Visual Engineering Environment and developed by HP designated as HP VEE; it has since been officially renamed to Keysight VEE. Keysight VEE has been widely used in various industries, serving the entire stage of a product lifecycle, from design, validation to manufacturing. It is optimized in instrument control and automation with test and measurement devices such as data acquisition instruments like digital voltmeters and oscilloscopes, and source devices like signal generators and programmable power supplies.
Virtual instrument software architecture (VISA) is a widely used application programming interface (API) in the test and measurement (T&M) industry for communicating with instruments from a computer. VISA is an industry standard implemented by several T&M companies, such as, Anritsu, Bustec, Keysight Technologies, Kikusui, National Instruments, Rohde & Schwarz, and Tektronix.
PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation (PXI) is one of several modular electronic instrumentation platforms in current use. These platforms are used as a basis for building electronic test equipment, automation systems, and modular laboratory instruments.
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Bustec is a company that designs and manufactures instrumentation for high-performance data acquisition and instrument control. The company's products serve applications that include engine testing, automotive and missile testing, wind tunnel data acquisition and control, acoustics, vibration applications, aircraft component testing and more. Headquarters is located in Shannon, Co. Clare, Ireland.
HiSLIP is a TCP/IP-based protocol for remote instrument control of LAN-based test and measurement instruments. It was specified by the IVI Foundation and is intended to replace the older VXI-11 protocol. Like VXI-11, HiSLIP is normally used via a library that implements the VISA API. Version 1.4 of the LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation (LXI) standard recommends HiSLIP as “LXI HiSLIP Extended Function for LXI based instrumentation”.
In the electronics industry, embedded instrumentation refers to the integration of test and measurement instrumentation into semiconductor chips. Embedded instrumentation differs from embedded system, which are electronic systems or subsystems that usually comprise the control portion of a larger electronic system. Instrumentation embedded into chips is employed in a variety of electronic test applications, including validating and testing chips themselves, validating, testing and debugging the circuit boards where these chips are deployed, and troubleshooting systems once they have been installed in the field.
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