High Resolution Time Interval Measuring Instrument Control Software Design

Time is not only the basic parameter in our daily life and work, but also one of seven elements in the SI. The precise time-interval measuring is widely used in all kinds of scientific experiments, especially in some large-scale physical experiments such as detonation experiment and particle acceleration experiment, in which some important parameters are obtained by time-interval measuring. The High Precision Time-Interval Measuring Instrument(HPTIMI) is manufactured for the rigorous requirement such as high precision, high stability and multi-channels in detonation experiment and particle acceleration experiment.The main contributions of this dissertation include:1. Aiming at the use of the instrument, the application of time-interval measure in detonation experiment is introduced. Furthermore, the importance of HPTIMI in detonation experiment and its foreground are analyzed.2. To implement the conversion of signal, a multi-channel time/data convert module with high precision and programmable time resolution is used. Its characters and usages, including the theory and the software configuration program by using the chip SN74|ACT8990, are introduced in the dissertation.3. PCI bus is used to accomplish the computer interface in HPTIMI. The procedure to design the driver of HPTIMI based on Windriver is illustrated.4. HPTIMI is a typical virtual instrument. The characters, advantages, domestic and foreign status and developing direction of virtual instrument, are inroduced briefly. And the design process of control software of HPTIMI in the environment of Labwindows/CVI is also presented. The primary data exchang mechanism among the contol units of HPTIMI and the corresponding program flow charts and their programmimg approaches are expatiated.5. To reduce the nonlinearity of system for improving the precision of HPTIMI, the calibrated data must be sent to the control software. Code Density Test, which is used to gain calibrated data, is recommended in the dissertation. The test result of the nonlinearity and precision of the HPTIMI is given.