Waveform Compression for Particle Detector Data Transmission

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Particle detectors face challenges in transmitting and processing large volumes of sensor data in near-realtime due to bandwidth limitations, leading to difficulties in evaluating events such as particle detection and energy emissions, with existing filtering techniques being inadequate for complex data sets and potentially removing relevant information.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a waveform compression technique to reduce the sensor data set, allowing for efficient transmission and processing by compressing the data using methods like discrete cosine transform, which enables lossless or near-lossless representation and supports continuous, incremental compression suitable for real-time processing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the entire uncompressed sensor data set is transmitted to the particle event processor, then complete event information is preserved, but transmission bandwidth requirements exceed available capacity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveevent information completenessVSAvoiddata transmission volume
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and transmits only the most significant waveform characteristics (peak amplitude, peak time, integrated charge) rather than the complete raw waveform data. This extraction approach preserves essential event information while dramatically reducing data volume for transmission across the limited bandwidth interface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a simplified copy of the waveform data containing only critical parameters (peak amplitude, peak time, integrated charge) instead of transmitting the full high-resolution waveform. This copy contains sufficient information for particle event discrimination while fitting within bandwidth constraints.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Quantity of substance

If filtering is applied to reduce data volume, then transmission bandwidth is sufficient, but relevant particle event information may be removed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata transmission volumeVSAvoidparticle event information
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transforms the waveform data from time-domain raw samples into a different parameter space characterized by peak amplitude, peak time, and integrated charge. This parameter transformation maintains the essential physics information needed for particle identification while reducing data volume, effectively changing how the information is represented rather than filtering it away.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Loss of time

If near-realtime processing is implemented, then event evaluation timeliness is improved, but complex data sets cannot be processed within available time

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveevent evaluation delayVSAvoiddata processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary processing of the waveform data at the sensor level, calculating peak amplitude, peak time, and integrated charge before transmission. This preliminary action reduces the computational burden on the remote particle event processor, enabling near-realtime processing of complex particle events despite limited bandwidth and processing power at the remote site.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2924473B1Particle event recordation
Publication Date: 2022.03.16 GENERAL ELECTRIC CO
  • EP2924473B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2924473B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2924473B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Presented herein are systems (200,500,600), methods (300), and nonvolatile computer-readable storage devices (442) for informing a particle event processor (224) of a particle detector (202) of events arising within a sensor period. The systems, methods, and nonvolatile computer-readable storage devices involve the generation of a sensor data set (214) detected by a particle event sensor (212) and representing the events arising within the particle detector during the sensor period. The systems, methods, and nonvolatile computer-readable storage devices also involve the compression of the sensor data set with a waveform compression technique (228) to generate a compressed sensor data set (230), and the transmission of the compressed sensor data set to the particle event processor.