This document discusses a reconfigurable sensor data acquisition system based on FPGA for industrial computerization and control. It addresses problems with traditional data acquisition systems like lack of universality, continuity of working, and real-time performance. The proposed system uses an FPGA for dynamic and static reconfiguration to allow changing sensor protocols and functions without powering off. It implements static reconfiguration using a switch matrix and dynamic reconfiguration using SystemACE CF technology to reconfigure parts of the FPGA logic in real-time. This provides benefits like reduced cost, power consumption, and increased system flexibility.

1. http://aicra.ac.in
Reconfigurable Sensor Data Acquisition
Based on FPGA for Industrial
Computerization Control
Guided By, Presented By,
Prof.Alex V Nishmi Suresh
Dept. of ECE S3,06
M.Tech Embedded System

2. OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS DATAACQUISITION SYSTEM
PROBLEMS IN DATAACQUISITION
OBJECTIVE
FPGA RECONFIGURATION TECHNOLOGY
ARCHITECTURE
IMPLEMENTATION
ADVANTAGES OF FPGA RECONFIGURATION TECHNOLOGY
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES

3. Introduction
Sensor data acquisition system is an essential part
Variety of sensor producer causes the difficulty of protocol’s unity
Requires the acquisition boards to be powered off when the number or types or
manufacturer of sensors is changed is unreasonable
Proposed to design a reconfigurable data acquisition system for industrial sensors
using FPGA
Both dynamic system reconfiguration and static system reconfiguration

4. What is Data Acquisition
 Process of measuring an electrical or physical phenomenon such as voltage,
current, temperature, pressure, or sound with a computer.
 Consists of sensors, DAQ measurement hardware, and a computer with
programmable software

5. Problems In Data Acquisition
Real time
performance
Universality
of
configuration
Universality
of
function
Continuity
of
working
2
1
3
4

6. Universality of function
 Data acquisition system tends to connect to a wide variety of sensors.
 Challenge for the universality of the system.
 Difficult to implement all the sensor protocols in a single system at the same time
Universality of configuration
 Different functional units may use different sensor combinations.
 The download process will be very complex and easy to make mistakes
 When different configuration files are given for different units.

7. Continuity of working
Replacing sensors is a basic requirement for industrial applications
For instance, adding or reducing the number of sensors
 It is unreasonable to interrupt current work
Power off the whole system in order to change a sensor.
Real-time performance
 Industrial applications often require high real-time performance
 Traditional sensor reading cycle depends more on the embedded
program skills.

8. Objective
i. System is applied to a real time performance
ii.FPGA is used as the core controller
iii.Architecture is proposed which make the system to achieve
a) Sensor protocol can switched at any time
b) Acquisition board with different function can download with same
configuration file
c) Achieve switching sensor data function, without powering off the
system

9. FPGA Reconfiguration Technology
FPGA
reconfiguration
technology
Static reconfiguration Dynamic reconfiguration
Global
Dynamic
reconfiguration
Partial
Dynamic
reconfiguration

10. Static
Reconfiguration
Global Dynamic
Reconfiguration
Partial Dynamic
Reconfiguration
Refers to powering off and reconfiguration FPGA with new
configuration file to exchange the channels connecting relationship
of switch matrix
Allow reconfiguring the entire logic of FPGA without shutting down
Allow reconfiguring specified logic blocks of FPGA while other
parts in keep working without interruption
Cont……

12. • Xilinx Virtex-4 FPGA is used as core controller
• External sensors are connected to the system through peripheral circuits
• Debugging software is running on the computer
• System communicates through UART serial port
• Sensor drivers, chip drivers and interface drivers are modules
• Communication circuit, switch matrix circuit, ADC, SystemACE CF
reconfigurable circuit, JTAG standard are peripheral circuits
• Switch matrix is used for static reconfiguration
Architecture Explanation

13. • SystemACE CF and JTAG are used for dynamic reconfiguration.
• Analog and digital sensor driver are used to analyze and acquired analog and
digital sensor data respectively
• Both sensor data can be collected through MT8816 switch matrix
• MT8816 driver is used to control channels’ connecting relationship in switch
matrix.
• Analog sensor data is sent to analog sensor driver after analog-to-digital
conversion by ADS7870
• ADC driver is used to drive ADS7870 chip to achieve analog-to-digital
conversion
• Data of digital sensor can also be acquired by digital sensor driver through
PMOD interface and RS485 communication port.

14. Static Reconfiguration Architecture
• Sensor drivers and chip drivers in FPGA
• ADC circuit and switch matrix circuit in
peripheral circuit
• Sensors are connected to FPGA through
channels in MT8816 switch matrix
• Analog sensor driver to generate valid
sensor data from analog sensors
• Static reconfiguration is achieved by
controlling switch matrix

15. Global Dynamic Reconfiguration Architecture
• SystemACE CF can be used for online
reconfiguration of FPGA
• Configuring FPGA via JTAG is also
reserved
• DIP switch is used to select configuration
file stored in CF card
• Button is designed for configuration reset
• Configuration files corresponding to
different sensor application can be stored
or update into the CF card
• Acquisition function can be changed
without shutting off power

16. Partial Dynamic Reconfiguration Architecture
• Full partial dynamic reconfigurable design consists of static logic and dynamic logic
• Static logic is a necessary to ensure system running
• UART module, MT8816 driver and ADC driver are designed as static logic module
• Analog sensor driver and digital sensor driver are designed as dynamic logic module
• All logic in static logic modules is not reconfigurable
• Dynamic logic is able to be replaced
• Achieve the dynamic change of sensor driver logic without affecting other parts’ working

17. Hardware Implementation
• Xilinx Virtex-4 FPGA is used as core controller
• External sensors are connected to the system through conditioning circuits.
• FPGA changes switch matrix’s connection to make sensors’ signals after conditioned
bridge to corresponding module in terms of signal type
• For digital signals, they are connected to FPGA directly.
• For analog signals, they are connected to ADC first, then to the FPGA
• 8Mb SRAM is equipped in the system, parallel acquisition of multiple sensors data
can used
• The system can also send data to PC via serial port for further monitoring and analysis

18. Static Reconfiguration Implementation
• Static reconfiguration in system is achieved by using MT8816 switch matrix
• MT8816 is composed of three parts: address decoder, control data latch and an
8*16 analog switch array
• Analog switch array is controlled by row address (AX) and column address (AY)
• On-off state of the selected channel is determined by DATA input
• Sensors can be changed without disassembling hardware equipment or changing
hardware connection.

19. Global Dynamic Reconfiguration Implementation
• Different situations of sensors’ usage correspond to different sensor drivers’ combinations
respectively
• Then correspond to different configuration files (.bit) respectively
• Configuration files need to be converted to .ace files by iMPACT tool before stored in CF card
• File Xilinx.sys and folder sensors_d (custom named) are generated by .bit files using iMPACT
tool
• Xilinx.sys is used to specify the configuration file path
• And the 8 .ace files are stored in sensors_d folder
• Select .ace files by changing DIP switch, reset FPGA by pushing button and check
reconfiguration status from LEDs

20. Partial Dynamic Reconfiguration Implementation
• Analog and digital sensor driver are designed as dynamic logic module
• Bus macro is the communication channel
• Connect between static logic module and reconfigurable module and vice versa
• Bus macro located between modules is not only used to connect signals but also
align signals before and after reconfiguration
• Bus macro of Virtex series FPGA is based on slice structure
• Achieve 8-bit data transmission in parallel

21. Advantages of FPGA Reconfiguration Technology
Allow the FPGA hardware resources in a time multiplexed way
Reduction of cost and power consumption
System flexibility to cope with frequency change in the function of application
Achieve system updating and maintaining online

22. Conclusion
• FPGA-based reconfigurable data acquisition system for industrial sensors
• System can achieve static reconfiguration through MT8816 switch matrix
• Achieve the effect of multiple sensor data acquisition on a hardware board
without disassembling hardware equipment or changing hardware connection
• The system can also achieve global dynamic reconfiguration and partial dynamic
reconfiguration through SystemACE CF technology
• Dynamic reconfiguration method, the system can use FPGA chip’s logic
resources in the way of time sharing
• The system can change the sensor connecting in the system online.

23. References
• [1] Shuang Bao, Hairong Yan, Qingping Chi, Zhibo Pang, and Yuying Sun, “FPGA-
Based Reconfigurable Data Acquisition System for Industrial Sensors”, IEEE
Transactions On Industrial Informatics, Vol. 13, No. 4, August 2017
• [2] A. Tisan and J. Chin, “An End-user Platform For FPGA-based Design And Rapid
Prototyping Of Feedforward Artificial Neural Networks With On-chip
Backpropagation Learning,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Informat., vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 1124–
1133, Jun. 2016.
• [3] Q. Chi, H. Yan, C. Zhang, Z. Pang, and L. D. Xu, “A Reconfigurable Smart
Sensor Interface For Industrial WSN In IoT Environment,” IEEE Trans. Ind.
Informat., vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 1417–1425, May 2014

24. Cont…
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Modulation System,” in Proc. 2015 Int. Conf. Adv. Comput., Commun. Informat.,
Aug. 2015, pp. 493–500.
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Conference on Information and Computer Technology (GOCICT), Louisville, KY,
2015, pp. 80-84.
• [6] Z. Wang, Y. Yao, L. Chen, F. Li and G. Jin, "A reconfigurable ethernet-based
data acquisition and processing system for particle physics experiments," 2016
IEEE-NPSS Real Time Conference (RT), Padua, 2016, pp. 1-4.