Experiment Control System

The control systems of the four LHC experiments have been developed in common within the Joint COntrols Project (JCOP).

LHCb's Experiment Control System is in charge of the configuration, control and monitoring of all the components of the online system. This includes all devices in the areas of: data acquisition, detector control (ex slow controls), trigger, timing and the interaction with the outside world.

Framework

The central ECS team provides a framework to the sub-detectors groups which need to configure and develop the specific control functions for their sub-detector. The control framework is based on a SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system called WinCC-OA (Ex PVSS II) and it will have to be interfaced to all experimental equipment.

Sub-Detector/Sub-System Integration

• LHCb ECS Integration Guidelines

• LHCb ECS FSM Architecture Guidelines

  • FW component (lbFsmDomains) implementing these guidelines available in the LHCb Framework

• LHCb ECS Error Reporting Guidelines

Recommended Components and Interfaces

• Interface to Electronics

  • SPECS

  • CC-PCs

  • Hardware Modeling Tool: FwHw

  • Systec USB-CAN Interface

• Detector Control Devices (HV, LV, temperatures, etc.)

• Interface to the Conditions DB

• LHCb Framework (=JCOP Framework + LHCb specific components)

Program of work & activities

• Develop the electronics interfaces to ECS

• Framework development (sub-system integration, partitioning, etc.)

• Framework deployment in the Test Beam

• Test Beam support

• Provide consultancy and support to sub-detectors

• Continue gathering sub-detector requirements

  • Scale of the System (or what we think we know already)

• Configuration database

• Gaucho (Gaudi Component Helping Online)

People

• Central ECS: Clara Gaspar(Coordinator), Niko Neufeld, Eric Van Herwijnen, Rainer Schwemmer, Luis Granado Cardoso
• Sub-detector/Sub-system contacts:

  Magnet	Marcello Losasso
  Vertex D.	Massimiliano Ferro-Luzzi
  Silicon Tracker	Pablo Vasquez
  Outer Tracker	Antonio Pellegrino
  RICH	Flavio Fontanelli
  Calorimeters	Xavier Vilasis Cardona
  Muon	Valerio Bocci
  Trigger (high Level)	Hans Dijkstra
  L0 Trigger	Pierre-Yves Duval
  Electronics	Ken Wyllie
  Test Beam	Niko Neufeld
  DAQ	Beat Jost
  TFC	Richard Jacobsson
  DSS	Rolf Lindner, Laurent Roy

Presentations at LHCb meetings:

• C. Gaspar: ECS Tutorial, LHCb week, March 2006
• C. Gaspar: Online Databases, Commissioning Working Group meeting 2006
• C. Gaspar: Monitoring Environmental Data - The ELMB, LHCb week, February 2003
• C. Gaspar: LHCb's Experiment Control System, Rio, September 2001
• S.M.Schmeling: Testbeam Controls and DAQ 2001, February 2001
• C. Gaspar: TestBeam Controls Upgrade, November 2000
• C. Gaspar: Scada and Framework demo, November 2000

Other presentations:

• C. Gaspar: An Integrated Experiment Control System, Architecture and Benefits: the LHCb Approach, RT 2003
• R. Beneyton: PVSS based LHCb Run Control, JCOP Team meeting, October 2001
• C. Gaspar: Demonstration of Partitioning, Automation and Error Recovery in the Control System of an LHC Experiment, CHEP 2001, China, September 2001
• C. Gaspar: The LHCb Run Control System, Real Time 2010 ,Lisbon, May 2010
• C. Gaspar: The LHCb Experiment Control System, on the path to full automation, (paper) ICALEPCS 2011, Grenoble, October 2011
• C. Gaspar: LHCb ECS: Automation Concepts and Tools (2012)
• C. Gaspar: LHCb Operations (2014)

Controls Related Information:

• LHCb's Detector Safety System (DSS)
• JCOP Workshop III, 5-6 June 2003, CERN
• JCOP Workshop II, 6-8 Sept 1999, CERN
• JCOP Workshop I, 3-5 June 1998, CERN.

Information on controls for other experiments at LHC

• ALICE DCS page
• ATLAS DCS page
• CMS DCS page
• Controls Group in IT Division

Documentation and Presentations before 2000