Arduino and Labview Based Control for Efficient Drive of Cooling Fan System

摘要

This study is concerned with the development of PID/PWM control algorithm for use with Arduino Uno and Labviewe for efficient control of a cooling fan drive system. It relies on the development and testing of a regulatory temperature control system, where forced ventilation is required via cooling fans driven by DC motors. A prototype that emulates the case of PC was developed in which a heater element was introduced in the case. An electric fan is placed in the vicinity of the heated element so that cooled air is forced over it. The amount of heat transfer from the element is directly proportional to the rate of air flow over it. In order to achieve higher efficiency and steady-state stability, the fan speed is regulated by a software-based PID/PWM controller using Arduino Uno controller. More over, Matlab/Simulink model for the PWM motor control is also developed to predict the speed of the motor at various duty cycle to emulate the change in the temperature. In addition, PWM is realized with a high switching frequency (33 KHz) in order to minimize the associated acoustic noise using Labview. Experimental tests show acceptable results.