An instrument data acquisition system
The Arm-based instrument data acquisition system solves the problems of high hardware costs, large space occupation, and complex maintenance in university laboratories, and realizes a low-cost, lightweight data acquisition solution that is suitable for space-constrained teaching environments and has high data acquisition accuracy and deployment efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- GUANGZHOU FENGBIAO EDUCATION TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-12
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-21
AI Technical Summary
Existing technical solutions suffer from rigidity in university laboratories, resulting in high hardware costs, large space requirements, and complex maintenance. They are unable to automate the acquisition and management of instrument data in laboratories without dedicated PCs.
An instrument data acquisition system based on the Arm platform is adopted, including an Arm main control module and an interface adapter board. The Arm-Linux embedded architecture is used to decouple the instrument control from the PC host. A driverless communication protocol is adopted to support plug-and-play of Rigol and Siglent series experimental instruments.
It achieves low-cost, lightweight hardware modification, supports fixed position of experimental platform, has high system deployment efficiency, and data acquisition accuracy is comparable to NI-VISA solution, making it suitable for teaching scenarios with limited space or frequent equipment layout adjustments.
Smart Images
Figure CN224536501U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of electronic experimental teaching, specifically an instrument data acquisition system. Background Technology
[0002] In experimental teaching for majors such as electronic information, automation, and communication engineering, the use of basic instruments and equipment such as oscilloscopes, signal generators, programmable power supplies, and benchtop multimeters is integral to core courses like Analog Electronics, Digital Signal Processing, and Sensor Principles. These experiments typically involve data acquisition, waveform analysis, and circuit debugging. In recent years, university laboratories have gradually promoted digital transformation, hoping to achieve functions such as automatic instrument data acquisition, remote control, and cloud storage. However, existing technical solutions still have significant limitations, resulting in insufficient adoption. More than 60% of experiments still require students to manually record data from the instrument screen, leading to a significantly higher error rate in experimental reports compared to automated acquisition methods. Most automated acquisition solutions use PC + LabVIEW + NI-VISA for instrument control. Although PC-based central control technology is mature, it requires each set of instruments in the laboratory to be equipped with an independent PC. Currently, a large proportion of electronic laboratories in higher education institutions lack sufficient independent PCs, making it impossible to complete the digital management of experimental data. Digital transformation of laboratories would face drawbacks such as high hardware costs, large space requirements, and complex maintenance.
[0003] Current laboratory instrument automation primarily employs a Windows system + NI-VISA / Lebview architecture, with device communication via a USB-TMC interface. While this solution offers good instrument compatibility, it suffers from architectural rigidity: it relies on x86 hosts as relay nodes. This makes it unsuitable for electronic laboratories lacking dedicated PCs or with insufficient PCs. Furthermore, system deployment is constrained by the physical space layout and power supply requirements of the PC hosts and experimental instrument groups, necessitating a complete set of instrument and host cabinets in the laboratory, resulting in prohibitively high costs for digitizing older laboratories. Additionally, driver deployment and instrument setup and debugging are required for each PC, further complicating deployment. Utility Model Content
[0004] To address some existing problems, the purpose of this utility model is to provide an instrument data acquisition system to solve the problems of rigid architectural defects in existing integrated experimental platforms and the limitations of deployment by the physical space layout and power supply requirements of PC hosts and experimental instrument groups.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: An instrument data acquisition system includes an Arm main control module and an interface adapter base plate. The Arm main control module and the interface adapter base plate are fixedly connected and communicatively connected. The Arm main control module has a processor, a power supply port, an expansion interface, an Ethernet port, a first USB interface, and a second USB interface. The interface adapter base plate has a vertical base that is communicatively connected to the expansion interface on the Arm main control module. The interface adapter base plate has a working mode indicator light and a reset button. The working mode indicator light is connected to the expansion interface on the Arm main control module via the vertical base. The reset button is also connected to the expansion interface on the Arm main control module via the vertical base. The interface adapter base plate also has a USB Type-C female connector and a vertical USB Type-C female connector, which are connected via base plate wiring. The vertical USB Type-C female connector is powered on by an extension cable connected to the power supply port on the Arm main control module.
[0006] As a further aspect of this invention, the processor is a quad-core Arm Cortex-A72 processor.
[0007] As a further embodiment of this utility model, the expansion interface is a 40-pin expansion interface.
[0008] As a further embodiment of this invention, the Ethernet port is a Gigabit Ethernet port.
[0009] As a further embodiment of this utility model, the Arm main control module is also equipped with a dual-band Wi-Fi / BT module.
[0010] As a further embodiment of this utility model, the vertical base is a 6-pin vertical base.
[0011] As a further embodiment of this utility model: the vertical base includes a grounding Gnd terminal.
[0012] As a further embodiment of this utility model: the Arm main control module has mounting holes at its four corners, and the interface adapter base plate has screw fixing holes.
[0013] As a further embodiment of this utility model: four mounting holes and four screw fixing holes are provided, and the positions of the mounting holes and screw fixing holes are set accordingly.
[0014] As a further embodiment of this utility model, the mounting holes of the Arm main control module and the screw fixing holes of the interface adapter base plate are fixedly connected by screws.
[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are: This utility model presents an instrument data acquisition solution developed based on the Arm platform, simultaneously meeting the characteristics of lightweight design, universality, and low-cost retrofitting, filling a gap in existing technologies. This solution decouples the strong dependency between instrument control and the PC host through an Arm-Linux embedded architecture. Actual testing shows that, within the range of compatible equipment, the system can achieve data acquisition accuracy equivalent to the NI-VISA solution. The solution uses a miniaturized hardware carrier, which can be directly fixed to any position in the experimental workstation or directly embedded in the instrument cabinet, requiring very low basic hardware configuration from the laboratory. Furthermore, this solution has completed the initialization of compatible instruments, adopts a driverless communication protocol, and achieves plug-and-play support for mainstream experimental instruments such as the Rigol and Sigrent series, resulting in extremely high system deployment efficiency. This embedded architecture is particularly suitable for teaching scenarios where experimental space is limited or frequent adjustments to equipment layout are required. Attached Figure Description
[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of an instrument data acquisition system.
[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the Arm main control module in an instrument data acquisition system.
[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the interface adapter base plate in an instrument data acquisition system.
[0019] In the diagram: 1. Processor; 2. Power supply port; 3. Expansion interface; 4. Ethernet port; 5. First USB interface; 6. Second USB interface; 7. Vertical base; 8. Working mode indicator; 9. Reset button; 10. USB Type-C female connector; 11. Vertical USB Type-C female connector; 12. Screw mounting holes. Detailed Implementation
[0020] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present utility model without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present utility model.
[0021] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installed," "equipped with," "connected," and "linked" should be interpreted broadly; for example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.
[0022] This utility model presents an instrument data acquisition solution developed based on the Arm platform, which simultaneously meets the characteristics of lightweight, universality, and low-cost modification, filling a gap in existing technology.
[0023] Please see Figure 1-3 An instrument data acquisition system includes an Arm main control module and an interface adapter base plate, wherein the Arm main control module and the interface adapter base plate are fixedly connected and the Arm main control module and the interface adapter base plate are communicatively connected. The Arm main control module is equipped with processor 1, which is a quad-core Arm Cortex-A72 processor with a main frequency of ≥1.5GHz; The Arm main control module has a power supply port 2, which is a USB Type-C power supply port that accepts 5V / 3A power to power the main control module.
[0024] The Arm main control module has an expansion interface 3, which is a 40-pin expansion interface. This invention uses 6 pins of this interface, which are 2xgnd and 4xGPIO. A connector is used to connect this 6-pin interface to the vertical base 7 in the adapter base plate for output / input control of the system's status indicator lights and reset button. The Arm main control module has Ethernet port 4, which is a gigabit Ethernet port used to connect network cables to provide network access for the main control module and supports the IEEE 1588 protocol.
[0025] The Arm main control module is also equipped with a first USB interface 5 and a second USB interface 6; the first USB interface 5 is a 2x USB type-A 3.0 group and the second USB interface 6 is a 2x USB type-A 2.0 group. Both the first USB interface 5 and the second USB interface 6 support the USB-TMC protocol and are used to connect to actual experimental instruments and perform uplink and downlink data communication with the instruments.
[0026] The Arm main control module also features a dual-band Wi-Fi / BT module, which uses the 802.11ac standard.
[0027] The interface adapter base plate is equipped with a vertical base 7, which is connected to the expansion interface 3 on the Arm main control module. Vertical base 7 is a 6-pin vertical base; use a 6-pin connecting cable to connect to the position corresponding to label ③ in the upper main control module to form a signal interconnection.
[0028] The vertical base 7 includes a grounding Gnd terminal; The Arm main control module has mounting holes at its four corners, and the interface adapter base plate has screw mounting holes 12. The mounting holes of the Arm main control module and the screw mounting holes 12 of the interface adapter base plate are connected by screws. There are four Φ2.7mm mounting holes for fixing the module.
[0029] The interface adapter base plate is equipped with a working mode indicator light 8 and a reset button 9; the working mode indicator light 8 is connected to the expansion interface 3 on the Arm main control module through the vertical base 7; the working mode indicator light 8 is connected to the relevant GPIO port of the upper-level main control module, and the color of the light is controlled by the main control module.
[0030] The reset button 9 is connected to the expansion interface 3 on the Arm main control module via the vertical base 7; it provides a reset signal to the main control module.
[0031] The interface adapter baseboard is also equipped with a USB Type-C female connector 10 and a vertical USB Type-C female connector 11. The USB Type-C female connector 10 and the vertical USB Type-C female connector 11 are connected by baseboard wiring. The vertical USB Type-C female connector 11 is connected to the power supply port 2 on the Arm main control module through an extension cable, and is connected to the power supply interface marked in the main control module to provide power to the main control module.
[0032] There are 4 screw fixing holes 12, which correspond to the 4 mounting holes of the main control module, so as to fix the main control module to the base plate.
[0033] The lower adapter plate ( Figure 2 The adapter includes four screw bases for securing the main control module. The circuitry integrates one status indicator LED, one reset button, two USB Type-C female connectors, and one 6-pin vertical connector. The adapter base primarily addresses the interface switching of the main control module and the space constraints between the reset control button and the status indicator LED.
[0034] This utility model presents an instrument data acquisition solution developed based on the Arm platform, simultaneously meeting the characteristics of lightweight design, universality, and low-cost retrofitting, filling a gap in existing technologies. This solution decouples the strong dependency between instrument control and the PC host through an Arm-Linux embedded architecture. Actual testing shows that, within the range of compatible equipment, the system can achieve data acquisition accuracy equivalent to the NI-VISA solution. The solution uses a miniaturized hardware carrier, which can be directly fixed to any position in the experimental workstation or directly embedded in the instrument cabinet, requiring very low basic hardware configuration from the laboratory. Furthermore, this solution has completed the initialization of compatible instruments, adopts a driverless communication protocol, and achieves plug-and-play support for mainstream experimental instruments such as the Rigol and Sigrent series, resulting in extremely high system deployment efficiency. This embedded architecture is particularly suitable for teaching scenarios where experimental space is limited or frequent adjustments to equipment layout are required.
[0035] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that it can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of this invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered illustrative and non-limiting in all respects; the scope of this invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description; and thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within this invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.
[0036] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution; this narrative style is merely for clarity; those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole; the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.
Claims
1. An instrument data acquisition system, characterized in that, The system includes an Arm main control module and an interface adapter base plate. The Arm main control module and the interface adapter base plate are fixedly connected and communicatively connected. The Arm main control module is equipped with a processor (1), a power supply port (2), an expansion interface (3), an Ethernet port (4), a first USB interface (5), and a second USB interface (6). The interface adapter base plate is equipped with a vertical base (7), which is communicatively connected to the expansion interface (3) on the Arm main control module. The interface adapter base plate is equipped with a working mode indicator. Indicator light (8) and reset button (9); the working mode indicator light (8) is connected to the expansion interface (3) on the Arm main control module through the vertical base (7); the reset button (9) is connected to the expansion interface (3) on the Arm main control module through the vertical base (7); the interface adapter base plate is also provided with USB type-C female connector (10) and vertical USB type-C female connector (11), and the USB type-C female connector (10) and vertical USB type-C female connector (11) are connected through the base plate wiring; the vertical USB type-C female connector (11) is connected to the power supply port (2) on the Arm main control module through the extension cable.
2. The instrument data acquisition system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The processor (1) mentioned above is a quad-core Arm Cortex-A72 processor.
3. The instrument data acquisition system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The expansion interface (3) is a 40-pin expansion interface.
4. The instrument data acquisition system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The Ethernet port (4) is a gigabit Ethernet port.
5. The instrument data acquisition system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The Arm main control module is also equipped with a dual-band Wi-Fi / BT module.
6. The instrument data acquisition system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The vertical base (7) is a 6-pin vertical base.
7. The instrument data acquisition system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The vertical base (7) includes a grounding Gnd terminal.
8. The instrument data acquisition system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The Arm main control module has mounting holes at its four corners, and the interface adapter base plate has screw fixing holes (12).
9. The instrument data acquisition system according to claim 8, characterized in that, The mounting holes and screw fixing holes (12) are all set to four, and the positions of the mounting holes and screw fixing holes (12) are set accordingly.
10. The instrument data acquisition system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The mounting holes of the Arm main control module and the screw fixing holes (12) of the interface adapter base plate are fixedly connected by screws.