An AS Software Complex for the Automation of Spectrometry, Part III: A Technique for Controlling the Sample Environment and Its Application in the Spectrometer Interactive Control Program

Abstract

This paper reflects the evolution of the principles published in the No. 5, 2004, issue of Instruments and Experimental Techniques for creating new software for spectrometers. The development of the technique and software complex that allow a distributed experiment automation system (EAS) to be assembled from ready-made modules is described. Attention is devoted primarily to ensuring the invariance of programs with respect to variations of the experimental technique, the possibility of the user controlling the configuration of the spectrometer without involving the programmers, and to minimizing the driver development costs. The complex uses universal base programs and drivers for controlling particular devices. The drivers can be written in any programming language, and their functional code is minimized. The control computer, frontend computers, and observer computers are distinguished logically in the EAS structure on the basis of their functionality. The main function of the frontend computer is to control the equipment incorporated into the spectrometer. The complex allows one to easily scale the EAS, increase the number of frontend computers and drivers, and use frontend computers that run under any operating system. During operational testing on the DN2 spectrometer, the predicted characteristics of the described technique were confirmed. The interactive control program can be used on various setups without making any modifications. INSTRUMENTS AND EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES Vol. 48 No. 5 2005 ASTAKHOVA et al .