FPGA-Based Multi-Channel Real-Time Data Acquisition System

Abstract

Data acquisition systems that receive analog signals, convert them to digital, and perform signal processing are used in a variety of systems that use acoustics, radar, sonar, indoor localization, and navigation. The previous systems, such as NI USRP-RIO, are expensive to build, and the number of signals a single device can receive is limited to between two and four. In order to receive more channels of signals, multi-channel data acquisition systems using ADCs operating at tens of MSPS have been proposed. However, these systems require additional processing time because data acquisition and signal processing are performed on different devices. In this paper, we propose a multi-channel data acquisition system using a 16-channel ADC that can support up to 100 MSPS. In particular, to reduce unnecessary signal transmission time, we propose a one-chip structure where all processes are performed on a single chip. Also, we propose a data acquisition system that applies pipelining techniques to enable real-time processing. To verify the proposed system, we used TI ADS52J90 and a Kintex UltraScale KCU105 evaluation board, and confirmed that it is possible to receive and process all channels simultaneously. Furthermore, it is possible to configure a real-time system by adjusting the speed of the signal-processing operation and the speed of the communication interface. Therefore, the proposed system is expected to reduce the cost of system construction by performing signal reception and processing with a single chip, and to reduce the time required for overall signal processing.