High-performance image acquisition and processing system with MTCA.4

Fast evolution of high-performance cameras in recent years has made them promising tools for observing transient and fast events in large-scale scientific experiments. Complex experiments, such as ITER, take advantage of high-performance imaging system consisting of several fast cameras working in the range of visible and infrared light. The paper presents a first implementation of complete image acquisition system built on the basis of MTCA.4 architecture, which is dedicated for operation with high-resolution fast cameras equipped with Camera Link interface. Image data from the camera are received by the frame grabber card and transmitted to the host via PCIe interface. The modular structure of MTCA.4 architecture allows connecting several cameras to a single MTCA chassis. The system supports precise synchronization with the time reference using Precision Time Protocol (IEEE 1588). The software support for the system includes low-level drivers and API libraries for all components and high-level EPICS-based environment for system control and monitoring.