Signal Generator Function
Owning Palette: Signal Generation Functions
Installed With: Control Design and Simulation Module
Generates the point-by-point value of a periodic signal.
| Dialog Box Options |
| Block Diagram Inputs |
| Block Diagram Outputs |
 Place on the block diagram |
Find on the Functions palette |
Dialog Box Options
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Polymorphic instance | Specifies whether this function is Scalar or Vector. The default value is Scalar. |
| Parameters | Lists all the parameters associated with this function. Select a parameter from this list to configure the parameter. When you select a parameter, the parameter and its associated Parameter source control appear in the Parameter Information section of the configuration dialog box. |
| Preview | Displays a graphical preview, if available, of the function output or configuration. |
| Parameter Information | Contains the parameters you can configure for this function. You must select a parameter from the Parameters list to make that parameter and its associated Parameter source control visible in the Parameter Information section of the configuration dialog box. |
| Parameter source | Specifies whether you configure this parameter using the Configuration Dialog Box or a Terminal on the simulation diagram. The default value is Configuration Dialog Box. If you select Terminal, LabVIEW displays an input for that parameter on the simulation diagram, and you can wire values to that input to configure this function programmatically. If you select Configuration Dialog Box, LabVIEW removes that input from the simulation diagram. You then must set the value for this parameter inside the configuration dialog box. |
| signal type | Specifies the type of signal to generate. You can generate the following types of signals: Sine (Default), Square, Sawtooth, or Random. The Random signal is uniformly distributed. |
| amplitude | Specifies the maximum amplitude of the signal. The default value is 1. |
| offset | Specifies the amount by which to offset the y-values of the signal. |
| frequency | Specifies the frequency, in hertz, of the signal. If you are generating a Random signal, this function ignores the value of the frequency parameter. The default value is 0.5. |
| phase | Specifies the phase, in degrees, of the signal. If you are generating a Random signal, this function ignores the value of the phase parameter. The default value is 0. |
Block Diagram Inputs
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| signal type | Specifies the type of signal to generate. You can generate the following types of signals: Sine (Default), Square, Sawtooth, or Random. The Random signal is uniformly distributed. |
| amplitude | Specifies the maximum amplitude of the signal. The default value is 1. |
| offset | Specifies the amount by which to offset the y-values of the signal. |
| frequency | Specifies the frequency, in hertz, of the signal. If you are generating a Random signal, this function ignores the value of the frequency parameter. The default value is 0.5. |
| phase | Specifies the phase, in degrees, of the signal. If you are generating a Random signal, this function ignores the value of the phase parameter. The default value is 0. |
Block Diagram Outputs
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| output | Returns the value of the signal evaluated at the current simulation time. The default value is 1. |
Signal Generator Details
The following equations define the signals you can generate with this function.
Sine:
| where | A is the amplitude |
| f is the frequency | |
| t is the current simulation time | |
| p is the phase | |
| y is the output |
Square:
y = A * square
| where |  |
| A is the amplitude | |
| f is the frequency | |
| t is the current simulation time | |
| p is the phase | |
| y is the output |
Sawtooth:
y = A * sawtooth (q)
| where |  |
 | |
| A is the amplitude | |
| f is the frequency | |
| t is the current simulation time | |
| p is the phase | |
| y is the output |
Random:
The function returns a uniformly distributed random value between –amplitude and amplitude.
The current value of any signal depends on the current simulation time.
Feedthrough Behavior
All input/output pairs of this function have direct feedthrough behavior.
Example
Refer to the SimEx Signal Generator VI in the labview\examples\Control and Simulation\Simulation\Signal Generation directory for an example of using the Signal Generator VI.
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