Design of a Second Generation Firewire Based Data Acquisition System for Small Animal PET Scanners.

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Instrumentation

Background:

• The original Firewire-based data acquisition system was developed for the MiCES small animal PET scanner.
• Newer imaging scanners require increased data channels and MRI compatibility, necessitating system upgrades.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a new data acquisition system leveraging modern field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).
• To enhance functionality for advanced small animal PET scanners, including MRI integration.

Main Methods:

• Re-architecting the data acquisition system with most functions implemented in an FPGA.
• Integrating Firewire elements, embedded processor, pulse timing, and integration into the FPGA.
• Extending the design for position estimation and depth-of-interaction (DOI) algorithms.

Main Results:

• The new design centralizes functionality within an acquisition node board (ANB).
• The ANB features 65 ADC channels, Firewire 1394b support, and an FPGA.
• Adapter boards facilitate signal conversion for detector connectivity.

Conclusions:

• The FPGA-based system offers a scalable and robust solution for next-generation PET scanners.
• This advancement supports enhanced data acquisition and processing for small animal imaging.
• The design facilitates integration with MRI systems for multimodal imaging capabilities.