The POST is the professional tool specifically conceived for performing the post-processing analysis of the data recorded during the like real-time simulations and the experimental trials execution.

The POST tool is available in the EICASLAB base.


POST OVERVIEW

Typically, during the execution of a simulated or experimental trial, only a limited number of variables of your control system may be monitored or accessible.

In EICASLAB, the SIM and the RCP Manager tools – devoted respectively to manage the like real-time simulations and the experimental trials execution – offer the possibility of plotting on the screen the trends of a pre-selected set of variables (up to 24 variables). Anyway, to understand if your control system works correctly, sometimes it is necessary a smart data processing that allows a deep offline analysis of the dynamic behaviour of the overall control variables.

For such a reason, EICASLAB:





HOW TO CONFIGURE A POST FILE

he data to be included in a POST file may be configured by the user with the SIMBUILDER tool.

A POST file is created for every programmable block of the three main EICASLAB Working Areas (The Plant Area, the Control Area and the Mission Area). The name of the POST file is exactly the name of its corresponding block and it will contain all and only the selected internal variables of that block. It is then easy to identify the POST file containing any specific variable.




CREATION OF THE POST FILES

The POST files are automatically created by the SIM and the RCP Manager tools during the simulation or experimental trial execution and they are recorded on the PC disk.

The recorded data are saved as binary files to reduce the amount of used disk space. Besides, the user can set the frequency of the POST data recording for further reducing the used disk space and also the trial execution time.

Once created the POST files, the POST tool may be used to perform the accurate offline post analysis.




HOW THE POST TOOL WORKS

The POST tool provides a smart file manager devoted to the selection of the POST files containing the variables that the user wants to analyse.

Once selected the POST files to be analysed, the list of the variables included in them is loaded in the POST Processing Window, showing the variable names assigned by the user during the design phase in SIMBUILDER.

In the Processing Window the user can perform a set of mathematical (addition, product, inverse, sine, cosine, exponential and much more) and statistical computations on the selected variables and he can create new variables which are functions of the others. If desired, the new variables may be recorded on a new POST file.

In the Processing Window the user can select the variables to be plotted, choosing between time or phase diagrams.

POST File Manager and POST Processing windows



Finally the variables may be plotted in the POST Plotting Window where a set of plotting areas may be used and configured, each one able to show and manage up to 10 variables.

Each displayed graph can be customized by setting linear or logarithmic scales, different levels of zoom, different types of grids or various types of lines (f.i. dashed, dotted, ...).

Furthermore mathematical and statistical analysis may be performed, such as computation of number of samples, the mean value and the standard deviation of a whole graph or of a part of it.

In order to speed up the post-processing activity, the user may save some plot configurations of his particular interest, in order to quickly reload them when needed.




POST RELEVANT FEATURES

Use of the POST tool during a simulated or experimental trial execution – The revert function
The POST tool may be used not only after but also during a simulated or experimental trial execution. In fact the POST tool may be kept open during all the trials executions and, with the special revert function, the user can command an updating of data and a refreshing of the plotting areas.


Managing data in ASCII format
Besides binary files the POST tool can also download files in ASCII format and process the included variables.
The POST tool allows to save any variable (read from a POST file or created as a function of other variables) or any set of variables in ASCII files for any further use.


Building professional report
The POST tool is useful for preparing professional technical reports. In fact it allows to capture images in the desired format for printing or being included in word processors. Such images are created starting from diagrams of variables plotted on video. The user can insert or modify notes, labels, insert titles in the axes, show significant points (using arrows, boxes, circles,…) in order to highlight any part of any graph.

POST Plotting Window