Presentation + Paper
9 July 2018 Evaluation of controllers for tuning digitizers in the ALMA interferometer
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
In radio astronomy interferometers where the number of stations is large (in the ALMA case 66 antennas, where 8 digitizers are deployed in each antenna) tuning the digitizers parameters: thresholds and bias, is a process which needs to be repeated several times, therefore finding an algorithm that allows to speed up this process is a critical task. It is quite important to keep the digitizers properly adjusted in order to reach the maximal efficiency of the correlator, specially in a regime of coarse quantization (88% for 2 bits, 96% for 3 bits), and also is critical for avoiding signal artifacts which can degrade the collected data (DC bias or harmonics). This work presents a set of different approaches for automatically tuning the digitizers primary selected as: PID by using a proportional/integrative/derivative controller and defining a system to process a coupled MIMO system as an uncoupled SISO; Fuzzy Logic by making extensive advantage of the expert operator knowledge; and finally an hybrid scheme combining PID and Fuzzy Logic for a rapid and accurate tuning process. The aim of the present work is to evaluate the performance of each tuning method based on metrics like: required tuning time, stability and robustness under different extreme boundary conditions. In addition, we suggest the means for collecting the needed information considering an usual interferometer architecture. Furthermore, we provide an automated approach to find the best sampler's clock timing profile. The aim of this work is to provide a guideline for implementing an algorithm which allows to tune a large set of digitizers under different conditions in a fast and precise automated process. The produced report will come in handy for integration into interferometer projects comprising a large number of individual stations (ALMA, SKA, VLA, CHIME, MeerKAT).
Conference Presentation
© (2018) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Daniel Herrera and Alejandro Saez "Evaluation of controllers for tuning digitizers in the ALMA interferometer", Proc. SPIE 10708, Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy IX, 107080Y (9 July 2018); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2312958
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KEYWORDS
Control systems

Error analysis

Fuzzy logic

Clocks

Antennas

Interferometers

Logic

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