Mathis software for controlling BCAM-based monitoring and alignment systems

The MATHIS Software (Monitoring and Alignment Tracking for HIE-Isolde Software) aims at providing 3D positions of physical components of the HIE-Isolde superconducting modules, accurately and permanently measured by well-designed networks of BCAM devices (Brandeis Camera Angle Monitoring). Although it is originally intended for the HIE-Isolde project, its architecture and its use cases have been extended and optimized for more general setups. Most of the configuration data are stored either within XML-formatted files or within databases. The adaptation of MATHIS for different BCAM monitoring systems therefore does not require any further code rewriting. Moreover, the software is fully cross-platform and can either be run on the specific Linux machines driving the accelerator electronic devices, or be used on independent Windows workstations as a stand-alone software. In the first case, the software mainly relies on FESA (Front End Software Architecture) which is an object-oriented real-time framework that ensures equipment software portability across CERN accelerators. Through this standardized module, MATHIS communicates with dedicated servers networks and publishes in real-time the computed positions to any workstation, and more specifically to the concerned control room operators. This paper describes the main features and explains the modular architecture of the software. MAIN GOAL AND REQUIREMENTS MATHIS (Monitoring and Alignment Tracking for HIEIsolde [1] Software) aims at providing 3D positions of physical objects accurately and permanently measured with well-designed networks of BCAM or HBCAM devices (Brandeis CCD Angle Monitor) [2]. These smallsized instruments can be described as low-cost and very efficient cameras that accurately measure angles on suitable light-sources. They are successfully implemented in several existing alignment systems seeking to monitor the geometry of larges structures. Nowadays, a lot of these optical devices have, for instance, been installed on the muon spectrometers of ALICE [3] and ATLAS [4] experiments at CERN. Cameras are delivered with an open-source software called LWDAQ (Long-Wire Data Acquisition) [2], developed by Brandeis University, and performing data acquisition, display and image analysis. Nevertheless, such software is not recommended for nonexpert users who ideally need final positioning results of the monitored structures. Furthermore, complex and robust monitoring systems mostly rely on the combination of multiple devices, and the estimation of 3D positions requires statistical approaches like least square adjustments. In addition, in-situ conditions often involve some pre-processing of the optical sensors measurements. Finally, from the computing side, the acquisition and treatment software has to be optimally integrated in the existing IT-infrastructure, especially when interactions are needed with control-room operators or other experts. In the framework of the HIE-Isolde (High Intensity EnergyISOLDE) new alignment and monitoring project MATHILDE [5] (Monitoring and Alignment Tracking for Hie IsoLDE), special attention is paid to this last concern. One of the main initial requirements was to allow the control software to remotely drive the monitoring system both from any PC-workstation for expert users (“StandAlone Mode”) and from the control room usual computing interface (“Control-Room Mode”). In the first case, the software runs on any Windows, Mac or Linux workstation, presents its own graphical interface and saves acquired data locally on the machine. In the second working mode of the software, no interface is provided but operators have an access to the monitored positions, as soon as they are delivered by the system, and are able to create their own display in the control room. Persistent data storage is ensured by appropriate links with various CERN databases. Besides these technical specifications, an important concern was also to make MATHIS software as generic as possible in order to make it re-usable for other BCAM-based monitoring systems without additional code development. MEASUREMENT AND CALCULATION