Development of Educational Platforms for Industrial Logistics Students Using Industrial Data Acquisition Principles

This paper presents the design and development of four educational platforms intended to support industrial logistics students in understanding industrial data acquisition concepts and technologies, using data acquisition and control principles from real industrial applications. To differentiate from other platforms, several features were combined: use of industrial grade automation devices and engineering software environment, while focusing on the monitoring part of an automation system by using data acquisition (DAQ) modules rather than PLCs. A common hardware infrastructure was implemented for all platforms, consisting of a multifunctional printed circuit board (PCB) and a unified communication solution for interfacing with a computer. For each platform, different industrial data acquisition and control modules were used, depending on the types of sensors and actuators. A modular software framework was developed using LabVIEW, enabling the creation of dedicated applications tailored to the educational objectives of each system. The resulting platforms have been implemented in a laboratory in POLITEHNICA Bucharest University, obtaining small-scale industrial monitoring and control systems, for third-year students from Industrial Logistics.