A Software Architecture for the m-Learning in Instrumentation and Measurement

1. A Software Architecture for the m-Learning in Instrumentation and Measurement P. Daponte, S. Rapuano Dept. of Engineering, University of Sannio, Benevento D. Grimaldi, DEIS University of Calabria, Rende (CS) Italy

2. Solution Outline • LA.DI.RE. and m-learning, • Hardware architecture of the traditional W-DMS, • The idea underlying the Dynamical Measurement Application Repository Server (D-MARS), • Architecture of the D-MARS, • New design approach of the VI, • Access and management policy, • Application example, • Conclusions. Bases of the problem

3. LA.DI.RE. and m-learning Services delivered: • Synchronous virtual laboratory, student follows on-line a laboratory activity hold by the teacher, • Experiment visualization, student observes the automatic execution of the experiment, • Experiment Control, student performs an experiment controlling remotely one or more instruments, • Experiment Creation, student creates remotely the experiment by interacting directly the measurement instruments.

4. Hardware architecture of W-DMS

5. Trend of the research in W-DMS • The software architecture of the W-DMS is subject of the research interest. • The software architecture devoted to the management aspects is topical question in consideration of the large diffusion of W-DMS. • The interesting aspects concern: • services in the wireless networks, • connections with low service times, • interaction occurring between client and service.

6. The idea underlying Dynamical Measurement Application Repository Server (D-MARS)

7. Functionalitiesof D-MARS • D-MARS provides the mobile devices with all the newest measurement applications any place and any time. • D-MARS permits to download the VI concerning: • all the functionality of only one MI, • the specific functionality of more MIs selected by the mobile user and co-operating into the W-DMS.

8. Measurement Application Browser • To access, download and run the measurement instruments stored in the D-MARS, • the Measurement Application Browser (MAB) • has been designed and implemented on the PDA. • MAB can download: • full measurement application, • the modules that the user needs. • MAB can organizethe order list of modules to configure the measurement procedure.

9. Architecture of the D-MARS Server side: Service Oriented Architecture (SOA): Web Service in Microsoft C#, running on .NET Framework, Windows 2003 Server running Internet Information Server 6.0 (IIS 6.0) and Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE 2000) as Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). PDA side: MAB has been designed and implemented by using C# and .NET Compact Framework. The Microsoft .NET Compact Framework is a version of the .NET Framework designed to run on PDA and mobile phones.

10. Measurement Instrument VI Acquisition Horizontal Trigger Command Group Vertical Measurement Waveform Miscellaneus Cluster of command group of the DSO organized in the manual Chose of the command cluster of interest SubVI cluster1 SubVI cluster … VI Graphical User Interface Command cluster #1 Command cluster #1 SubVI cluster … SubVI cluster1 Command cluster #K Command cluster #n VI Traditional Design VI Menu channel VI Trigger Set VI Graphical User Interface SubVI Set SubVI Init SubVI Sca/Res SubVI Global var Cluster of commands group of the DSO organized in the VI.

11. Innovative Approach

12. The criteria and the steps to be followed : • define the different logical functionalities of the MI; • implement the commands of each functionality in autonomous and self containing module; • module receives the command from their own GUI; • module exchanges command and data by virtual bus only; • module executes the procedure without exchange of command and data with others modules; • module communicates by using specific file in a custom XML format; • module can be written in a different language and communicate with the other module by using specific file, • moduleproduces a specific file in a custom XML format in order to save the info and to be easily read by different module written in different language

13. VIdesign: new approach New design approach required by MAB is based on splitting up the VI in several self-contained modules.

14. INTERACTION CLIENT D-MARS MANAGEMENT POLICY

15. Application example measurement applications composed by user on PDA MAB on PDA: login, available applications, modules of each application, list of available modules.

16. Application example PDA connected to the D-MARS MAB on PDA: connection to the D-MARS, selection the VI category, download module or VI.

17. Application example configuration of the measurement procedure on PDA The configuration of the measurement procedure is performed on the PDA by organizing the order list of modules by using the MAB. MAB on PDA, GUI of: trigger module, measurement module, acquisition module.

18. chamber is used and reservation is permitted set parameters, alarm settings, data transfer, graduation of graphical representation chamber is not used chamber used and identification number choose each chamber

19. Conclusions • The use of the Mobile Device in the teaching of the electrical and electronic measurement and instrumentation has been explored. • The functionalities of the MD has been integrated with the services delivered to the student by LA.DI.RE.: • Experiment Visualization, • Experiment Control, • Experiment Creation. • In order to create the experiment by the MD, the VI design approach based on the module is adopted. • The modules are obtained by splitting up the traditional VI in several functional entities implementing specific functionalities of the MI. • The selection among modules allows to customize the measurement procedure on MD.