DAQ System Research Articles

Cosmic Muon Veto for the mini-ICAL detector at IICHEP, Madurai

A 51-kiloton magnetised Iron Calorimeter (ICAL) detector, using Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) as active detector elements, aims to study atmospheric neutrinos. A prototype - 1/600 of the weight of ICAL, called mini-ICAL was installed in the INO transit campus at Madurai. A modest proof-of-principle cosmic muon veto detector of about 1 m × 1 m × 0.3 m dimensions was setup a few years ago, using scintillator paddles. The measured cosmic muon veto efficiency of 99.98% and simulation studies of muon-induced background events in the ICAL detector surrounded by an efficient veto detector were promising. This led to the idea of constructing a bigger cosmic muon veto around the mini-ICAL detector. Details of the design and construction of the detector including the electronics, trigger and DAQ systems planned will be briefly presented.

Experimental investigation of pulsation behaviour and performance of pulsating heat pipe

This paper focuses on the experimental study of a closed-loop pulsating heat pipe with water. The unsteady state experiment was conducted to understand the role of different evacuation pressure, variable heat input and filling ratio on the PHP behaviour. The DAQ system did temperature measurements of the pipe at 13 locations for variable heat inputs, evacuation pressure, and filling ratio. PHP thermal behaviour is evaluated in terms of temperature variation with time, thermal resistance, effective thermal conductivity, and pulsation frequency. The strong pulsating effect is observed at 0.0799 bar. The thermal resistance of the heat pipe declines with the decrease in evacuation pressure. The lowest thermal resistance 0.05,786 K/W is observed at 0.0799 bar evacuation pressure with 30% FR, 6 times lower than 90% FR. Effective thermal conductivity rises with the decrease in evacuation pressure. The highest effective thermal conductivity of 10,233.32 W/mK is found at 30% FR and 0.0799 bar evacuation pressure, 7.5 times higher than atmospheric pressure. So, better performance is observed at low evacuation pressure of 0.0799 bar and 30% FR. This study benefits the heat transfer of integrated circuit technology and electronic devices because of its high effective thermal conductivity.

Performance of TPC detector prototype integrated with UV laser tracks for the circular collider

Several new experimental concepts in high-energy particle physics have been proposed in recent years. The physical goals include precisely measuring the properties of particles such as Higgs, Z and W, and even looking for signs of new physics at future colliders. To meet the evolving requirements for particle track detector, Time Projection Chamber (TPC) detector prototype integrated with a UV laser track system was developed for the main track detector at Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC). This prototype consists of 6 horizontal laser tracks around TPC detector chamber, a fast electronics readout of 1280 channels, a GEM detector with 200×200mm2 active area, and the DAQ system. The hit resolution, dE/dx resolution and drift velocity were studied by measuring and analyzing using the TPC prototype and UV laser tracks. The dE/dx resolution of the prototype was measured to be (8.9±0.4)%. Extrapolating this to CEPC TPC with 220 layers and longer track, the resolution was estimated to be (3.36±0.26)%. All results indicated that the TPC detector prototype integrated with UV laser tracks can work well.

Design and characterization of depleted monolithic active pixel sensors within the RD50 collaboration

The CERN RD50 CMOS working group is designing and characterizing depleted monolithic active pixel sensors (DMAPS) for use in high radiation environments fabricated in the LFoundry 150 nm HV-CMOS process. The first iteration of this chip, RD50-MPW1, suffered from high leakage current, low breakdown voltage and crosstalk. In order to mitigate these shortcomings, an improved version with improved pixel geometry was designed. The RD50-MPW2 integrates a matrix of 8 × 8 pixels with analog front-end, but no digital readout. It was delivered in early 2020 and characterized within lab-measurements, an irradiation campaign and test beams. To read out the chips the Caribou DAQ system is used with a custom chipboard as well as specific firmware and software modules. A third iteration of the chip, the RD50-MPW3, has been submitted to LFoundry in December 2021 and is expected to be delivered in May 2022. It will keep the well working analog part of its predecessor, completed by an in-pixel digital logic and an optimized peripheral readout for effective pixel configuration and fast serial data transmission. The chip will comprise a matrix of 64 × 64 pixels arranged in 32 double-columns. We will present an overview of the RD50 HV-CMOS activities focusing on the measurement results of RD50-MPW2 chip, as well as the design and readout of the RD50-MPW3.

SoC-FPGA based data acquisition system for position sensitive silicon detectors

The System-on-a-Chip Field-Programmable Gate Array (SoC-FPGA) based Data Acquisition System (DAQ) is an autonomous measurement system for the Silicon beam profilometer, the Silicon beam tracker and Silicon modules test benches at the Baryonic Matter at Nuclotron (BM@N) experiment. The DAQ system provides detector signals digitization, storage and transfer of packaged data to a computer, processing and visualization of decoded information. The system is composed of the multichannel Front-end Electronics (FEE), the SoC-FPGA based Control Unit Carried Board equipped with two 8 channels analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), the Control and Analysis Software (C&A Software). The paper presents the DAQ system structure, the SoC-FPGA design, and the Silicon beam tracker test results.

QEMU-based hardware/software co-development for DAQ systems

Modern DAQ systems typically use the FPGA-based PCIe cards to concentrate and deliver the data to a computer used as an entry node of the data processing network. This paper presents a QEMU-based methodology for the co-development of the FPGA-based hardware part, the Linux kernel driver, and the data receiving application. This approach enables quick verification of the FPGA firmware architecture, organization of control registers, the functionality of the driver, and the user-space application. The developed design may be tested in different emulated architectures with a changeable CPU, IOMMU, size of memory, and the number of DAQ cards.

Firmware architecture of the back end DAQ system for the CMS high granularity endcap calorimeter detector

During the High-Luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider, the endcap calorimeter detectors of the compact muon solenoid experiment will be replaced by the high-granularity calorimeter. For reading out the new calorimeter, field programmable gate array firmware was developed targeting the off-detector hardware. The firmware is responsible not only for the readout of the detector but also for its slow control and timing. To facilitate system maintenance, the firmware is optimized to handle all the different front-end electronics configurations and data rates using a single — highly configurable — design. This manuscript presents the firmware architecture and the implementation.

FPGA-based real-time data processing for accelerating reconstruction at LHCb

In run-3, beginning in 2022, the LHCb software trigger will start reconstructing events at the LHC average crossing rate of 30 MHz. Within the upgraded DAQ system, LHCb established a testbed for new heterogeneous computing solutions for real-time event reconstruction, in view of future runs at even higher luminosities. One such solution is a highly-parallelized custom tracking processor (“Artificial Retina”), implemented in state of the art FPGA devices connected by fast serial links. We describe the status of a realistic prototype for the reconstruction of pixel tracking detectors that will run on real data during run-3.

Optimization of GFAG crystal surface treatment for SiPM based TOF PET detector

Coincidence timing resolution (CTR) is an important parameter in clinical positron emission tomography (PET) scanners to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of PET images by using time-of-flight (TOF) information. Lutetium (Lu) based scintillators are often used for TOF-PET systems. However, the self-radiation of Lu-based scintillators may influence the image quality for ultra-low activity PET imaging. Recently, a gadolinium fine aluminum gallate (Ce:GFAG) scintillation crystal that features a fast decay time (∼55 ns) and no self-radiation was developed. The present study aimed at optimizing the GFAG crystal surface treatment to enhance both CTR and energy resolution (ER). The TOF-PET detector consisted of a GFAG crystal (3.0 × 3.0 × 20 mm3) and a SiPM with an effective area of 3.0 × 3.0 mm2. The timing and energy signals were extracted using a high-frequency SiPM readout circuit and then were digitized using a CAMAC DAQ system. The CTR and ER were evaluated with nine different crystal surface treatments such as partial saw-cut and chemical polishing and the 1-side saw-cut was the best choice among the treatments. The respective CTR and ER of 202 ± 2 ps and 9.5 ± 0.1% were obtained with the 1-side saw-cut; the other 5-side mechanically polished GFAG crystals had respective values which were 18 ps (9.0%) and 1.3% better than those of the all-side mechanically polished GFAG crystal. The chemically polished GFAG crystals also offered enhanced CTR and ER of about 17 ps (8.2%) and 2.1%, respectively, over the mechanically polished GFAG crystals.

Mu2e DAQ and slow control systems

The Mu2e experiment at the Fermilab Muon Campus will search for the coherent neutrinoless conversion of a muon into an electron in the field of an aluminum nucleus with a sensitivity improvement by a factor of 10,000 over existing limits. The Mu2e Trigger and Data Acquisition System (TDAQ) uses otsdaq as the online Data Acquisition System (DAQ) solution. Developed at Fermilab, otsdaq integrates both the artdaq DAQ and the art analysis frameworks for event transfer, filtering, and processing. otsdaq is an online DAQ software suite with a focus on flexibility and scalability and provides a multiuser, web-based, interface accessible through a web browser. The data stream from the detector subsystems is read by a software filter algorithm that selects events which are combined with the data flux coming from a Cosmic Ray Veto System. The Detector Control System (DCS) has been developed using the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) open source platform for monitoring, controlling, alarming, and archiving. The DCS System has been integrated into otsdaq. A prototype of the TDAQ and the DCS systems has been built at Fermilab’s Feynman Computing Center. In this paper, we report on the progress of the integration of this prototype in the online otsdaq software.

Dynamics of frontal crash in/without the presence of passive safety systems

The paper aims to debate on experimental retrieved accelerations from real crash tests, based on different scenarios, to enable assessment on driver potential injury. Scenarios included the presence of passive safety systems (e.g., airbag, seat belt) and test data are being processed to estimate the head injury criteria (HIC) followed by its correlation with abbreviated injury scale values (AIS). A dummy, average male resemblance, was developed in-situ and used in the experimental configuration. Signals were being acquired by few accelerometers disposed on the dummy’s head and thorax using a Pic DAQ system (DSD, Linz, Austria). Data processing and values of injury criteria underline the importance of passive safety systems proven HIC experienced a consistent decrease in the presence of both air-bag and seatbelt.

A DOI-PET detector inserting glass plates to provide multiple spatial resolutions

A DOI-PET detector with multiple spatial resolutions to provide high versatility for both clinical and research applications using a single camera was proposed and examined. Two layers of pixelated LYSO crystal arrays with different pixel pitches were stacked in the depth direction. The top layer was a 6 × 6 array of 2.1 × 2.1 × 10 mm3 crystals, arranged with a 2.2-mm fine pitch. The bottom layer was a 4 × 4 array of 3.2 × 3.2 × 10 mm3 crystals, arranged with a coarse 3.3-mm pitch. A Monte-Carlo simulation was conducted to estimate the glass plate thickness which allows the discrimination of each crystal position from the 2D flood histogram. In experimental measurement, we inserted 4-mm, 5-mm, and 6-mm thick glass plates between the crystal layers. These generated a unique light response for each discrete scintillator position. Light was shared more relatively when the top layer interacted with the gamma rays, whereas light sharing was reduced when the bottom layer interacted with the gamma rays. These light spreading methods allow us to extract 3D information from a 2D flood histogram. Sixteen output signals from a 4 × 4 GAPD array were multiplexed by resistive charge division networks. These were fed into the preamplifiers. The four amplified signals were digitized and were recorded into the DAQ system. By inserting the glass plates into the detectors, we acquired 2D flood histograms without the overlapping of each crystal position. The average peak-to-valley ratios of selected line profiles of a DOI-PET detector with 4-mm thick glass plate were 12.5 for the top layer and 30.8 for bottom layer. The mean energy resolution of the top layer providing high spatial resolution (the bottom layer providing moderate spatial resolution) were 14.4 ± 1.0% (13.4 ± 1.4%), 13.3 ± 1.7% (13.8 ± 0.8%), and 13.7 ± 1.6% (13.8 ± 0.9%) for the DOI-PET detector using 4-mm-, 5-mm-, and 6-mm-thick glass plates, respectively. Our results demonstrated that it is feasible to provide multiple spatial resolutions and 2-layer depth positions for the proposed DOI-PET detector using fine- and coarse-pitch crystals and inserting a glass plate between the crystal layers.

The FragmentatiOn Of Target (FOOT) Experiment and Its DAQ System

The FragmentatiOn mymargin Of Target (FOOT) experiment aims to provide precise nuclear cross section measurements for two different fields: hadrontherapy and radio-protection in space. The main reason is the important role the nuclear fragmentation process plays in both fields, where the health risks caused by radiation are very similar and mainly attributable to the fragmentation process. The FOOT experiment has been developed in such a way that the experimental setup is easily movable and fits the space limitations of the experimental and treatment rooms available in hadrontherapy treatment centers, where most of the data takings are carried out. The trigger and data acquisition system needs to follow the same criteria and it should work in different laboratories and different conditions. It has been designed to acquire high statistics samples to fulfill the accuracy requirements of the physics analysis. Data-taking is being monitored online to allow the shift crew to verify the correct functioning of the system.

Data Acquisition and Simulation Software as Tools for Medium Voltage Switchgear Assessment and Optimization

Abstract This paper describes the advantages of using data acquisition systems and software modelling tools to support the assessment and therefore redesign of the existing medium voltage switchgear. A 38kV/630A load break linear puffer (LP) will be used as an example for this study. In house testing was conducted to capture important design parameters of the switch such as displacement, velocity of mechanical parts and gas pressure using various sensors and three different measurement setups. The first setup, which is primarily intended for no-load measurements, consists of a DAQ system equipped with different types of sensors - two rotational encoders, three laser-based distance sensors, six pressure sensors, contact separation measurement, and a high-speed camera integrated and synchronized with the measurement system. The second and third setups, which are suitable both for no-load and on-load measurements, are based on state-of-the-art DAQ systems, which use three piezo-electric based pressure sensors, two fibre-optic based pressure sensors, three laser-based distance sensors and a high speed camera synchronized with the measurement system. The data acquired by the measurement systems is used in combination with an in-house developed simulation software HV CB Simulation, which enables simulating and predicting various variables of switching devices. Moreover, high speed camera videos analysed with both commercial and in-house developed image processing software, visualize and reveal many otherwise inaccessible occurrences. In addition to a comprehensive analysis of the proposed data acquisition and simulation setups, three design improvements in the linear puffer design - increase of the opening speed, removal of the flexible conductors and the length increase of the puffer cylinder - are presented and discussed in this paper.

The DAQ and control system for JadePix3

The silicon pixel sensor is the core component of the vertex detector in the Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC). The JadePix3 is one of the chips designed to study the performance and design of pixel sensors. The chip is a design of the full-function large-size chip based on CMOS technology. To test all the functions and the performance of this chip, we designed a test system based on the IPbus framework. The test system controls the parameters and monitors the status of the pixel chip and off-chip components. The IPbus block read/write speed is extended by jumbo frame feature integration to the IPbus suite for meeting the readout specifications of the JadePix3. The robustness, scalability, and portability of this system have been verified by pulse test, cosmic test and laser test in the laboratory. This paper describes the JadePix3 DAQ and control system, the integration tests, results and performance are included.

Kinematic Modelling and Motion Mapping of Robotic Arms

Robotic systems are known for their precision and accuracy. To achieve a desired set of operating parameters the system must have a good control system. Robotic arms can vary in size shape and purpose of use. With increasing DOF (Degree of Freedom) the complexity of the system increases and hence a DAQ system is required to check various parameters of the process. This paper discusses the implementation of kinematic and inverse kinematic modelling of a 6 Degree of Freedom (DOF) hydraulic arm in MATLAB environment. The forward kinematic model is based on Denavit-Hartenberg parameters. To obtain a given set of position and orientation of end effector, inverse kinematics gives the required set of joint angles. Potentiometers mounted on arm joint are used as the prime feedback elements for extracting the joint angles. All six joints of the arm are revolute joints. The values of potentiometer obtained are compared to the desired input values. Proportional direction control valve is the main controlling element of the hydraulic circuit. The forward and inverse kinematics is validated and implemented in MATLAB robotics toolbox (developed by Peter Croke). A GUI is also used to ease the process of retrieving and feeding the information in the system. The results of forward and inverse kinematics from MATLAB are verified by the physical model discussed in this paper.

A feature-extraction and pile-up reconstruction algorithm for the forward-spectrometer EMC of the PANDA experiment

A digital algorithm for real-time feature extraction, i.e. determination of pulse amplitude and timing, has been developed for the forward-spectrometer electromagnetic calorimeter in the PANDA experiment. The algorithm, which is based on the well known optimal-filter algorithm, has been designed to allow reconstruction of pile-up signals in real time and to work in a free-running DAQ system such as PANDA. To benchmark the algorithm, a Geant4-based Monte Carlo model of photon interactions in the calorimeter has been developed to generate realistic detector signals which were used as inputs to a VHDL simulation of the algorithm. The results of this simulation study show that the developed algorithm improves the time resolution by almost 50% compared to a conventional linear constant fraction discriminator algorithm. For the PANDA calorimeter, this results in a time resolution close to 100 ps/GeV per detector element at high energies. The algorithm allows reconstruction of the amplitude and timing of pile-up pulses separated by as little as 30 ns with good efficiency, fulfilling the PANDA requirements.

A Comprehensive Design of Six-Axis Force/Moment Sensor.

Strain gage type six-axis force/moment (F/M) sensors have been largely studied and implemented in industrial applications by using an external data acquisition board (DAQ). The use of external DAQs will ill-affect accuracy and crosstalk due to the possibility of voltage drop through the wire length. The most recent research incorporated DAQ within a relatively small F/M sensor, but only for sensors of the capacitance and optical types. This research establishes the integration of a high-efficiency DAQ on six-axis F/M sensor with a revolutionary arrangement of 32 strain gages. The updated structural design was optimized using the sequential quadratic programming method and validated using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). A new, integrated DAQ system was designed, tested, and compared to commercial DAQ systems. The proposed six-axis F/M sensor was examined with the calibrated jig. The results show that the measurement error and crosstalk have been significantly reduced to 1.15% and 0.68%, respectively, the best published combination at this moment.

Wi-Fi Daq System Helps Rotorcraft Testing

Testing rotorcraft, especially remote acoustic testing, presents several challenges

The DAQ system of the 12,000 channel CMS high granularity calorimeter prototype

The CMS experiment at the CERN LHC will be upgraded to accommodate the 5-fold increase in the instantaneous luminosity expected at the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) [1]. Concomitant with this increase will be an increase in the number of interactions in each bunch crossing and a significant increase in the total ionising dose and fluence. One part of this upgrade is the replacement of the current endcap calorimeters with a high granularity sampling calorimeter equipped with silicon sensors, designed to manage the high collision rates [2]. As part of the development of this calorimeter, a series of beam tests have been conducted with different sampling configurations using prototype segmented silicon detectors. In the most recent of these tests, conducted in late 2018 at the CERN SPS, the performance of a prototype calorimeter equipped with ≈12,000 channels of silicon sensors was studied with beams of high-energy electrons, pions and muons. This paper describes the custom-built scalable data acquisition system that was built with readily available FPGA mezzanines and low-cost Raspberry Pi computers.