A flexible and reliable embedded system for detector control in a high energy physics experiment

The ALICE experiment will utilize the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European laboratory for particle physics, CERN. Various detectors are combined to detect and characterize the quark gluon plasma. The Detector Control System is an essential part for detector operation and covers aspects from gas supply and cooling to power supply and configuration of the detector front end electronics. The DCS Board is an Embedded System that is part of the Detector Control System and employed as interface layer between detector hardware and control environment. One hardware design is used in multiple applications and adapted based on a combination of a dedicated processor and configurable hardware to special detector needs. Apart from versatility, the system should be operated with improved reliability in the radiation environment of the LHC. Architectural redundancy improves the reliability and a selftest system is used to estimate the expected failure rate. 1040 pieces of the DCS Board are produced for 9 detectors and used in 18 variants.