A PID control approach for time constant adaptation in digital multi-channel pulse amplitude analyzer

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Instrumentation
• Signal Processing
• Control Systems Engineering

Background:

• Improper shaping parameter settings in digital multi-channel analyzers degrade signal resolution and energy accuracy.
• Analog front-end circuitry drift can impact long-term measurement reliability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an automatic tuning method for optimizing shaping parameters in digital multi-channel analyzers.
• To enhance signal resolution, energy accuracy, and measurement stability.

Main Methods:

• Implemented a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control algorithm for automatic parameter tuning.
• Utilized the difference between trapezoidal pulse flat-top endpoints as the error input for PID control.
• Theoretically analyzed the monotonic relationship between endpoint difference and shaping parameter M for convergence.

Main Results:

• The proposed PID method demonstrated stability and effectiveness in multi-channel systems.
• Achieved an 11.01% improvement in Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) compared to fixed parameters.
• Maintained consistent peak heights despite analog front-end circuitry drift.

Conclusions:

• The automatic PID tuning method provides a stable and effective solution for optimizing shaping parameters.
• Significantly improves measurement reliability and mitigates the effects of analog front-end variations.
• Suitable for nuclear radiation signal processing and analysis applications.