The interface class implements a link to the ursa hardware. More...

#include <ursa_driver.h>

Public Member Functions
bool	acquiring ()
	A utility function to check if the driver is acquiring.
void	clearSpectra ()
	A utility function to clear the internal Interface::pulses_ array.
void	connect ()
	Opens the serial port and attempts to confirm communication to the Ursa.
bool	connected ()
	A utility function to check the status of the connection to the Ursa.
float	getBatt ()
	An access function which returns the last successful battery voltage reading.
void	getSpectra (boost::array< uint32_t, 4096 > *array)
	Access function which returns by reference a copy of the spectra data.
	Interface (const char *port, int baud)
	Interface constructor.
void	loadPrevSettings ()
	A function to load previously set settings from EEPROM.
void	noRamp ()
	Disables ramping of high voltage.
void	read ()
	A utility function to flush the input buffer and process the data.
void	requestBatt ()
	Sends a request to the Ursa to report the batteries voltage.
uint32_t	requestCounts ()
	In GM mode; Returns the number of counts since the last call to requestCounts().
void	requestMaxHV ()
	This is a utility function to request the maximum HV capable by the Ursa.
int	requestSerialNumber ()
	Requests the serial number of the connected Ursa.
void	setAlarm0 (bool enable)
void	setAlarm1 (bool enable)
void	setBitMode (int bits)
	This function sets the number of bits used for acquisition.
void	setGain (double gain)
	This function will set the gain of the MCA.
void	setInput (inputs input)
	This function sets the input and polarity of the ursa.
void	setNoSave ()
	This function instructs the Ursa to not save the next instructed HV to EEPROM.
void	setRamp (int seconds)
	This function will set the ramping time for the HV.
void	setShapingTime (shaping_time time)
	This function sets the shaping time of the ursa.
void	setThresholdOffset (int mVolts)
	This function sets the threshold and offset of the ursa.
void	setVoltage (int voltage)
	This function instructs the ursa to enable high voltage.
void	startAcquire ()
	Instructs the Ursa to start acquiring.
void	startASCII ()
	Instructs Ursa to run in ASCII mode.
void	startGM ()
	Instructs the Ursa to start acquiring in Gieger Muller mode.
void	stopAcquire ()
	Instructs the Ursa to stop acquiring.
void	stopASCII ()
	Switches Ursa out of ASCII mode.
void	stopGM ()
	Instructs the Ursa to stop acquiring and to switch out of Geiger Muller Mode.
void	stopVoltage ()
	Immediately sets High Voltage to zero. This is not stored to EEPROM.
	~Interface ()
	Interface destructor.
Private Member Functions
bool	checkComms ()
	Private function which checks to see if Ursa will respond to communication.
void	processBatt (uint16_t input)
	Private utility function which processes a battery voltage message if in acquire mode.
void	processData ()
	Private utility function which processes incoming data.
void	transmit ()
	Private utility function for flushing the transmit buffer down the line.
Private Attributes
bool	acquiring_
	A boolean which marks when the ursa is acquiring.
boost::mutex	array_mutex_
	The locking mechanism for the spectrum array.
float	battV_
	The current Battery voltage. This is NOT the 12v input voltage.
int	baud_
	The baud rate that Ursa communicates at. This is always 115200.
bool	connected_
	A boolean signaling if the Interface successfully connected.
bool	gmMode_
	A boolean which reports if the ursa is in GM mode.
const char *	port_
	The Serial port that the Ursa is connected to.
boost::array< uint32_t, 4096 >	pulses_
	An array of the pulses received in each bin. This consists of 4096 32 bit unsigned integers.
int	ramp_
	The ramp time in seconds per 100 volts.
bool	responsive_
	A boolean signaling if the Ursa has responded to the Interface.
std::deque< uint8_t >	rx_buffer_
	A Character buffer for incoming data.
serial::Serial *	serial_
	A serial object which controls comunication to the serial port.
std::stringstream	tx_buffer_
	A String buffer for output commands.
int	voltage_
	The currently set high voltage.

Detailed Description

The interface class implements a link to the ursa hardware.

Definition at line 83 of file ursa_driver.h.

Constructor & Destructor Documentation

ursa::Interface::Interface	(	const char *	port,
		int	baud
	)

Interface constructor.

All private variables are initialized to zero or there initial values. The pulses_ array is filled with zeros.

Parameters:

port	The port that the Ursa hardware is connected to.
baud	Baud rate to communicate to the Ursa with.

Definition at line 34 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

ursa::Interface::~Interface ( )

Interface destructor.

Stops acquire mode and immediately disables voltage if still enabled.

Todo:: In practice this doesn't work. The serial port is probably destroyed first.

Definition at line 44 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

Member Function Documentation

bool ursa::Interface::acquiring ( ) [inline]

A utility function to check if the driver is acquiring.

Definition at line 150 of file ursa_driver.h.

bool ursa::Interface::checkComms ( ) [private]

Private function which checks to see if Ursa will respond to communication.

Returns:: True: communication verified. False: failed to receive correct response.

This function requires that the serial port be already opened. It sends a "U" and the correct response from the Ursa is URSA2. If this is what is received the function responds true otherwise it returns false.

Definition at line 245 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::clearSpectra ( )

A utility function to clear the internal Interface::pulses_ array.

This function sets all elements in the pulses_ array to zero using a boost:lock_gaurd to prevent multiple access errors.

Definition at line 222 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::connect ( )

Opens the serial port and attempts to confirm communication to the Ursa.

This function first creates a new serial object. Then sets the timeout, port and baud rate. The timeout is a global attribute for the serial port. Changing it will change the behavior of waitReadable and therefore the function of many of the Interfaces functions.

The function then tries 5 times to open the port and if successful it sends a stop acquire command down the line then checks to see that the port is still open. If this is successful Interface::connected_ is set to true

It then tries calling checkComms 5 times. If this is successful Interface::responsive_ is set to true.

If either fail an error is writen to cout.

Definition at line 60 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

bool ursa::Interface::connected ( ) [inline]

A utility function to check the status of the connection to the Ursa.

Returns:: Returns true if Interface::connected_ and Interface::responsive_ are true.

The function will attempt to check responsiveness if Interface::responsive_ is false using the Interface::checkComms() function.

Definition at line 138 of file ursa_driver.h.

float ursa::Interface::getBatt ( )

An access function which returns the last successful battery voltage reading.

Returns:: The battery voltage in volts as a float.

Definition at line 374 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::getSpectra ( boost::array< uint32_t, 4096 > * array )

Access function which returns by reference a copy of the spectra data.

Parameters:

array The array to fill with spectra data.

The function uses a boost::lock_gaurd before copying to protect against multiple access errors. This should help in the future if multithreading is implemented.

Definition at line 214 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::loadPrevSettings ( )

A function to load previously set settings from EEPROM.

This will set the high voltage, gain, input and polarity, shaping time, and threshold and offset.

This function will then wait for the ursa to become responsive after its call because the high voltage could be ramping.

See: setVoltage().

Definition at line 498 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::noRamp ( )

Disables ramping of high voltage.

Definition at line 763 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::processBatt ( uint16_t input ) [private]

Private utility function which processes a battery voltage message if in acquire mode.

Called from processData(). The reading is multiplied by 12/1024 to get volts.

Parameters:

input The 10 bit battery voltage data

Definition at line 231 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::processData ( ) [private]

Private utility function which processes incoming data.

This function processes incoming data in acquire mode. The spectra data comes in as 3 bytes starting with 0xFF then a 4 bit count and then 12 bits of energy. The 12 bit energy is used as an index for the Interface::pulses_ array which is incremented by the 4 bit count.

If the top 6 bits of the second byte is 0 the data is 10bit battery data and can be treated as such. This function loops until there is less than 3 bytes in the receive buffer.

If the first byte is not 0xFF then bytes are dropped until there is a 0xFF on the front of the buffer.

If DEBUG_ is enabled then each increment of the pulses_ array is reported to std::cout.

Definition at line 165 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::read ( )

A utility function to flush the input buffer and process the data.

This uses a while loop to read a buffer of length max_line_length from the serial buffer. This is copied into the rx_buffer buffer.

If DEBUG_ enable prints out the length of the rx_buffer after filling it.

Commented out line will print the input buffer straight to cout.

Definition at line 138 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::requestBatt ( )

Sends a request to the Ursa to report the batteries voltage.

The battery voltage is reported to the driver differently depending on if the driver is in acquire mode. When not acquiring the battery voltage is updated immediately. When acquiring the voltage will be processed as part of the Interface::read() call.

In either case to get the voltage see: Interface::getBatt.

Definition at line 348 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

uint32_t ursa::Interface::requestCounts ( )

In GM mode; Returns the number of counts since the last call to requestCounts().

Returns:: The number of counts as a unsigned 32 bit integer.

This function will only work in GM mode and while acquiring. The number of counts counted since the last time this function was called is returned via serial as 4 bytes. This function then combines the 4 bytes into one 32 but number and returns the number.

If the number of bytes in the serial buffer is not 4 an error is written to cout.

Definition at line 308 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::requestMaxHV ( )

This is a utility function to request the maximum HV capable by the Ursa.

This function is mainly used by the original software to determine the ratio for setting the high voltage. The max HV is almost always 2000.

Definition at line 424 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

int ursa::Interface::requestSerialNumber ( )

Requests the serial number of the connected Ursa.

Returns:: The serial number as a int.

Definition at line 400 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::setAlarm0 ( bool enable )

Enables or disables alarm 0 output on the ursa.

Parameters:

enable Enable or disable as a bool.

Definition at line 774 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::setAlarm1 ( bool enable )

Enables or disables alarm 1 output on the ursa.

Parameters:

enable Enable or disabel as a bool.

Definition at line 779 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::setBitMode ( int bits )

This function sets the number of bits used for acquisition.

The ursa can use between 8 and 12 bits of resolution for energy readings. The power up condition of the usra is 12 bits.

This function can only be used when not in acquire mode.

Parameters:

bits	The number of bits to use as an int.

Definition at line 727 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::setGain ( double gain )

This function will set the gain of the MCA.

This function takes a gain between 0 and 250 x and commands the ursa to adjust its internal gain.

This function can only be used when not in acquire mode.

This parameter is stored to EEPROM.

Parameters:

gain	the desired gain as a double

Definition at line 585 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::setInput ( inputs input )

This function sets the input and polarity of the ursa.

This function takes in a ursa::inputs and commands the ursa to change its input and polarity. The input can be 1 or 2 positive or negative. The input can also be either input with a preshaped pulse. See: ursa::INPUTXPOS.

This function can only be used when not in acquire mode.

This parameter is stored to EEPROM.

Parameters:

input The desired input and polarity as a ursa:inputs.

Definition at line 655 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::setNoSave ( )

This function instructs the Ursa to not save the next instructed HV to EEPROM.

Definition at line 521 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::setRamp ( int seconds )

This function will set the ramping time for the HV.

This function will take in a ramping time in seconds per 100 volts. So that a ramp of 6 seconds to 900 volts will take 54 seconds. The time must be between 6 and 219 seconds.

This function can only be used when not in acquire mode.

Parameters:

seconds The ramping time in seconds as an int.

Definition at line 747 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::setShapingTime ( shaping_time time )

This function sets the shaping time of the ursa.

This function takes a ursa::shaping_time and instructs the ursa to change its internal shaping time. A 1uS shaping time is appropriate for most sensors used with the ursa.

This function can only be used when not in acquire mode.

This parameter is stored to EEPROM.

Parameters:

time	The shaping time as an ursa::shaping_time

Definition at line 677 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::setThresholdOffset ( int mVolts )

This function sets the threshold and offset of the ursa.

This function takes in a threshold as millivolts and calculates the offset. It then instructs the ursa to change its internal value. The voltage must be between 25 and 1024 mV.

This function can only be used when not in acquire mode.

This parameter is stored to EEPROM

Parameters:

mVolts The threshold in millivolts as an int.

Definition at line 697 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::setVoltage ( int voltage )

This function instructs the ursa to enable high voltage.

This function will send a command to the ursa to enable high voltage. The ursa will use the ramping time which must be set prior to calling this function. If no ramping time is set the high voltage will ramp as fast as it can.

While the ursa is ramping it cannot respond to any command. This function will block and wait till the ursa is responsive again. While it waits an approximation of the time remaining will be printed to std::cout.

This function can only be called when not in acquire mode.

This parameter is stored to EEPROM.

Parameters:

voltage The voltage to ramp to as an int.

Definition at line 545 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::startAcquire ( )

Instructs the Ursa to start acquiring.

Definition at line 270 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::startASCII ( )

Instructs Ursa to run in ASCII mode.

This driver can't process data in ASCII mode so this function is only included for completeness.

Definition at line 378 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::startGM ( )

Instructs the Ursa to start acquiring in Gieger Muller mode.

Definition at line 281 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::stopAcquire ( )

Instructs the Ursa to stop acquiring.

Definition at line 258 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::stopASCII ( )

Switches Ursa out of ASCII mode.

Definition at line 389 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::stopGM ( )

Instructs the Ursa to stop acquiring and to switch out of Geiger Muller Mode.

Definition at line 293 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::stopVoltage ( )

Immediately sets High Voltage to zero. This is not stored to EEPROM.

Definition at line 338 of file ursa_driver.cpp.

void ursa::Interface::transmit ( ) [private]

Private utility function for flushing the transmit buffer down the line.

This function writes the whole output buffer to the serial port as a string. It will write an error to cout if a serial timeout occurs. With DEBUG_ enabled it will write the buffer to std::cout.

Definition at line 116 of file ursa_driver.cpp.