Publication: Implementación de un asistente para la mejora de interfaz gráfica de usuario. Validación de un código basado en el método de elementos finitos
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2017
Defense date
2017-09-22
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Abstract
Una de las líneas de trabajo del grupo de investigación con el que colaboro en la realización de este Proyecto Final de Carrera (PFC), es el diseño e implementación de un
código de simulación electromagnética basado en el Método de los Elementos Finitos
(FEM), ya sea para el análisis de radiación de antenas, cálculo de la sección Radar de
diversos objetos o el análisis de estructuras de guiaondas. Además, para que este código
de simulación sea utilizable, dentro del propio grupo de investigación, también se realiza
el desarrollo de una interfaz gráfica de usuario (GUI) que facilita la generación de los
ficheros de entrada del mismo.
Existen dos aspectos críticos para lograr que una herramienta software de este tipo pueda
ser utilizada por investigadores. El primero de ellos es realizar un exhaustivo proceso
de validación/verificación de sus resultados. Además, para que la curva de aprendizaje
inherente en estas herramientas sea lo mas rápida posible, es necesario que tenga una
interfaz gráfica de usuario sencilla y, sobre todo, muy fácil de usar. Es, por tanto, en
estos dos puntos donde se centra la realización del presente PFC.
Por un lado, este PFC presenta el desarrollo de un "wizard" o asistente que facilita
el modelado geométrico de estructuras complejas, de tal forma que la creación de los
puertos de excitación de las antenas o guías de onda pueda realizarse de forma sencilla
y rápida. De este modo, se implementa una mejora en la mencionada GUI, ayudando a
la usabilidad de la misma. La implementación del asistente se ha realizado utilizando el
lenguaje de programación TCL-TK, que es el lenguaje usado previamente en el desarrollo
de la GUI existente. En concreto, este "wizard"permite generar guías de onda y cables
coaxiales en tres simples pasos, en los que el asistente pregunta al usuario por el tipo
de excitación, la localización y los parámetros característicos de la estructura. Una vez
completados los tres pasos, el asistente genera las entidades que forman el modelo y lo
muestra en pantalla para que el usuario contin ue con el proceso de simulación.
Además, completando de este modo el trabajo relacionado con la mejora de la GUI,
se ha elaborado un manual de usuario, que sirve de tutorial e incluye una explicación
detallada de como usar el asistente paso por paso mediante dos ejemplos: la creación de
una antena de tipo bocina y la creación de una antena tipo parche.
Por otra parte, y tal y como se ha mencionado anteriormente, para que todo código sea
confiable, debe pasar por un proceso de validación de resultados. De este modo, durante
la realización de este PFC, se han validado los resultados dados por el código de Elementos
Finitos, tanto en el análisis de problemas de radiación como en el análisis de
estructuras de guiaondas. Dichos resultados han sido comparados con resultados analíticos
y con los resultados dados por códigos comerciales de simulación electromágnetica
para una correcta comprobación. Además, y para que puedan ser utilizadas en el futuro
como batería de pruebas de los códigos que se implementen en el grupo de investigación
con el que colaboro, todas las pruebas y simulaciones han sido documentadas, para en
base a estos datos, obtener conclusiones sobre el tamaño de los elementos y los tiempos
de simulación más eficientes en cada problema analizado.
This project is carried out as part of a research line that consists on the design and the implementation of an electromagnetic simulation code based on the Finite Element Method (FEM). The code is able to analyze different kind of problem such as antenna radiation, radar cross section analysis and the simulation of waveguide structure. In order to ensure the usability of this code, the research group where I work doing this project, has another research line based on the implementation of a graphical user interface (GUI) that helps in the generation of the code input files. There are two critical aspects when creating software tools to be used by researchers: the first one is to perform an accurate and comprehensive process of validation and verification of their results and the second one is to have an intuitive and easy-to-use GUI that makes the learning curve as fast as possible. This project is focusing on those two key aspects. On one hand, this project presents the development of a "wizard"that facilitates the geometric modeling of complex structures, as for instance, the easy creation of antenna excitation ports or the generation of waveguide ports as well. In this way, the mentioned GUI has been improved making it more usable. The implementation of the wizard has been done using the programming language TCL-TK. This "wizard.allows the generation of waveguide ports and coaxial cables in three simple steps. During these steps, the wizard will ask the user which type of excitation, localization and characteristic parameters to set. Once these three steps are complete, the wizard generates the entities that form the model showing the result on the screen. Additionally to the improvement of the GUI, a user manual has been created in order to provide detailed information to the user about how to use the wizard. It contains two examples illustrating the creation of a horn antenna as well as patch antenna. On the other hand, in order to make this code reliable, it needs to fulfill a process for the validation of the results. In this regard, the results provided by the finite element method code have been validated for the analysis of radiation problems and waveguide problems as well. These results have been compared to the analytical results and the results provided by commercial codes in order to proof their veracity. Furthermore, all the benchmarks have been documented in order to have a report for future uses (the report can be used by future researcher of the group to verify their codes) reaching conclusions about the size of the elements and the most e cient simulation times for each benchmark.
This project is carried out as part of a research line that consists on the design and the implementation of an electromagnetic simulation code based on the Finite Element Method (FEM). The code is able to analyze different kind of problem such as antenna radiation, radar cross section analysis and the simulation of waveguide structure. In order to ensure the usability of this code, the research group where I work doing this project, has another research line based on the implementation of a graphical user interface (GUI) that helps in the generation of the code input files. There are two critical aspects when creating software tools to be used by researchers: the first one is to perform an accurate and comprehensive process of validation and verification of their results and the second one is to have an intuitive and easy-to-use GUI that makes the learning curve as fast as possible. This project is focusing on those two key aspects. On one hand, this project presents the development of a "wizard"that facilitates the geometric modeling of complex structures, as for instance, the easy creation of antenna excitation ports or the generation of waveguide ports as well. In this way, the mentioned GUI has been improved making it more usable. The implementation of the wizard has been done using the programming language TCL-TK. This "wizard.allows the generation of waveguide ports and coaxial cables in three simple steps. During these steps, the wizard will ask the user which type of excitation, localization and characteristic parameters to set. Once these three steps are complete, the wizard generates the entities that form the model showing the result on the screen. Additionally to the improvement of the GUI, a user manual has been created in order to provide detailed information to the user about how to use the wizard. It contains two examples illustrating the creation of a horn antenna as well as patch antenna. On the other hand, in order to make this code reliable, it needs to fulfill a process for the validation of the results. In this regard, the results provided by the finite element method code have been validated for the analysis of radiation problems and waveguide problems as well. These results have been compared to the analytical results and the results provided by commercial codes in order to proof their veracity. Furthermore, all the benchmarks have been documented in order to have a report for future uses (the report can be used by future researcher of the group to verify their codes) reaching conclusions about the size of the elements and the most e cient simulation times for each benchmark.
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Keywords
Método de los Elementos Finitos (FEM), Simulación, Asistentes