A WWW-based virtual instrument software for electric power measurement with Java enhancement

A web-based virtual instrument software for electric power measurement with Java enhancement is proposed in this paper. Because of the operating platform independence exhibited by Java, such a programming technique is embedded in virtual instrument software LabVIEW™ for the improvement of data communication capability. In this method, web-based measurement software is developed that utilizes Java Servlet to achieve the data exchange of power measurement between server and clients. By the proposed software system, utility engineers can perform the measurement at any time even in the remote side. Once the required measurement are made completely, the acquired data can be immediately transferred back to the server in order to activate LabVIEW such that that data can be analyzed in more detail. To facilitate the measurement process, the graphic user interface is also designed. A user authentication is also added in the software to maintain the software security. It is found that, through the proposed approach, the cost required for the data measurement in a utility can be saved significantly, while the electric power quality can be better monitored. This method has been tested through the utility data of Taiwan Power Company. Test results help support the feasibility and effectiveness of the method for Internet applications.