SatCat5: A Low-Power, Mixed-Media Ethernet Network for Smallsats

In any satellite, internal bus and payload systems must exchange a variety of command, control, telemetry, and mission-data. In too many cases, the resulting network is an ad-hoc proliferation of complex, dissimilar protocols with incomplete system-to-system connectivity. While standards like CAN, MIL-STD-1553, and SpaceWire mitigate this problem, none can simultaneously solve the need for high throughput and low power consumption. We present a new solution that uses Ethernet framing and addressing to unify a mixed-media network. Low-speed nodes (0.1-10 Mbps) use simple interfaces such as SPI and UART to communicate with extremely low power and minimal complexity. High-speed nodes use so-called “media-independent” interfaces such as RMII, RGMII, and SGMII to communicate at rates up to 1000 Mbps and enable connection to traditional COTS network equipment. All are interconnected into a single smallsat-area-network using a Layer-2 network switch, with mixed-media support for all these interfaces on a single network. The result is fast, easy, and flexible communication between any two subsystems. SatCat5 is presented as a free and open-source reference implementation of this mixed-media network switch, with power consumption of 0.2-0.7W depending on network activity. Further discussion includes example protocols that can be used on such networks, leveraging IPv4 when suitable but also enabling full-featured communication without the need for a complex protocol stack

A high speed Tri-Vision system for automotive applications

Purpose: Cameras are excellent ways of non-invasively monitoring the interior and exterior of vehicles. In particular, high speed stereovision and multivision systems are important for transport applications such as driver eye tracking or collision avoidance. This paper addresses the synchronisation problem which arises when multivision camera systems are used to capture the high speed motion common in such applications. Methods: An experimental, high-speed tri-vision camera system intended for real-time driver eye-blink and saccade measurement was designed, developed, implemented and tested using prototype, ultra-high dynamic range, automotive-grade image sensors specifically developed by E2V (formerly Atmel) Grenoble SA as part of the European FP6 project – sensation (advanced sensor development for attention stress, vigilance and sleep/wakefulness monitoring). Results : The developed system can sustain frame rates of 59.8 Hz at the full stereovision resolution of 1280 × 480 but this can reach 750 Hz when a 10 k pixel Region of Interest (ROI) is used, with a maximum global shutter speed of 1/48000 s and a shutter efficiency of 99.7%. The data can be reliably transmitted uncompressed over standard copper Camera-Link® cables over 5 metres. The synchronisation error between the left and right stereo images is less than 100 ps and this has been verified both electrically and optically. Synchronisation is automatically established at boot-up and maintained during resolution changes. A third camera in the set can be configured independently. The dynamic range of the 10bit sensors exceeds 123 dB with a spectral sensitivity extending well into the infra-red range. Conclusion: The system was subjected to a comprehensive testing protocol, which confirms that the salient requirements for the driver monitoring application are adequately met and in some respects, exceeded. The synchronisation technique presented may also benefit several other automotive stereovision applications including near and far-field obstacle detection and collision avoidance, road condition monitoring and others.Partially funded by the EU FP6 through the IST-507231 SENSATION project.peer-reviewe

RTOS Control of Hardware Processes

In this thesis, adding hardware-process support to Microcontroller Real-time Operating System Version 2 (MicroC/OS-II) is proposed. MicroC/OS-II is a hard real-time operating system (RTOS), mostly written in the C programming language. MicroC/OS-II is designed to manage limited resources within embedded systems, and it can only execute and control software processes performed in the same processor system. MicroC/OS-II has been modified in order to manage external hardware processes. These hardware processes are implemented on a Nexys 3 Spartan-6 FPGA Board. In this thesis, MicroC/OS-II is already ported to run on an EVBplus HCS12 development board with CodeWarrior Embedded Software Development Tools from Freescale Semiconductor Inc. Modifications are applied on MicroC/OS-II interrupt system to manage hardware processes, and SPI protocol and parallel interface are set up to communicate between the HCS12 trainer and the FPGA board. The work is illustrated by designing a satellite attitude controller, using variable structure control (VSC)

Programmable test platform.

katedra řídicí technik

Time-sensitive autonomous architectures

Autonomous and software-defined vehicles (ASDVs) feature highly complex systems, coupling safety-critical and non-critical components such as infotainment. These systems require the highest connectivity, both inside the vehicle and with the outside world. An effective solution for network communication lies in Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) which enables high-bandwidth and low-latency communications in a mixed-criticality environment. In this work, we present Time-Sensitive Autonomous Architectures (TSAA) to enable TSN in ASDVs. The software architecture is based on a hypervisor providing strong isolation and virtual access to TSN for virtual machines (VMs). TSAA latest iteration includes an autonomous car controlled by two Xilinx accelerators and a multiport TSN switch. We discuss the engineering challenges and the performance evaluation of the project demonstrator. In addition, we propose a Proof-of-Concept design of virtualized TSN to enable multiple VMs executing on a single board taking advantage of the inherent guarantees offered by TSN

Reference Avionics Architecture for Lunar Surface Systems

Developing and delivering infrastructure capable of supporting long-term manned operations to the lunar surface has been a primary objective of the Constellation Program in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. Several concepts have been developed related to development and deployment lunar exploration vehicles and assets that provide critical functionality such as transportation, habitation, and communication, to name a few. Together, these systems perform complex safety-critical functions, largely dependent on avionics for control and behavior of system functions. These functions are implemented using interchangeable, modular avionics designed for lunar transit and lunar surface deployment. Systems are optimized towards reuse and commonality of form and interface and can be configured via software or component integration for special purpose applications. There are two core concepts in the reference avionics architecture described in this report. The first concept uses distributed, smart systems to manage complexity, simplify integration, and facilitate commonality. The second core concept is to employ extensive commonality between elements and subsystems. These two concepts are used in the context of developing reference designs for many lunar surface exploration vehicles and elements. These concepts are repeated constantly as architectural patterns in a conceptual architectural framework. This report describes the use of these architectural patterns in a reference avionics architecture for Lunar surface systems elements

Modellierung von Kommunikationssystemen zum Zweck der Systemanalyse und des Systementwurfs

Einen wesentlichen Beitrag zu Innovationen und Weiterentwicklungen in der Automobilindustrie leisten elektronische Komponenten. Der funktionale Wachstum in den Bereichen Sicherheit, Komfort und Fahrerassistenz führt zu einer Erhöhung der Komplexität. Neben der Anzahl der Komponenten steigert sich auch der Bedarf an Kooperation und Datenaustausch. Insbesondere by-wire- und Assistenzsysteme (Hochautomatisiertes Fahren) zeichnen sich durch hohe Anforderungen in den Bereichen Zuverlässigkeit, Datenkonsistenz, Fehlertoleranz und Ausfallsicherheit aus. Die Zusammenarbeit einzelner Steuergeräte fordert von der Kommunikationsstruktur neben hohen Datenraten auch Determinismus und Echtzeitverhalten. Die Entwicklung dieser komplexen verteilten Systeme profitiert durch modellbasierte Entwurfsprozesse. Der Nachweis von grundlegenden Systemeigenschaften mit dem Schwerpunkt Kommunikation soll bereits in frühen Entwurfsphasen mit Hilfe von ausführbaren Spezifikationen modell- und simulationsbasiert erfolgen. In dieser Arbeit wird ein Modellierungsansatz entworfen, welcher die typischen ereignis- und zeitgesteuerten Protokolle in der Domäne Automotive adressiert. Der Fokus liegt auf den Buszugriffsverfahren. Modelle auf unterschiedlichen Abstraktionsebenen werden am Beispiel von Controller Area Network (CAN) und FlexRay definiert und realisiert. Neben der reinen Kommunikation werden die angrenzenden Themenfelder Gateway (heterogene Kopplung) und Betriebssystem berücksichtigt. Detaillierte Modelle eignen sich zur Analyse spezifischer Protokolleigenschaften sowie zur Weiterentwicklung von Protokollfunktionen auf Modellebene. Mit abstrakteren Modellen lassen sich Leistungs- und Eigenschaftsanalysen von großen heterogenen Systemen durchführen. Echtzeitkommunikation, vernetzte Systeme und Anwendungsfelder für modellbasierte Entwurfsprozesse finden sich auch außerhalb des Automobilbereiches. Die Anwendung wird am Beispiel der Entwicklung und Optimierung eines komplexen verteilten Systems zur Steuerung einer Nanopositionier- und Nanomessmaschine demonstriert. Innerhalb des Entwicklungsprozesses werden Entwurf, Realisierung und Leistungsbewertung bezüglich der Architektur des Gesamtsystems, der Verteilung von Funktionen und der Realisierung einzelner Komponenten sowie applikationsspezifische Kommunikationsprotokolle betrachtet.Major innovations and improvements in the automotive industry base on the electronic components. The growing number of functionality in the areas safety, comfort and driver assistance lead to an increase of the complexity. Not only the number of components increase. Especially to realize complex assistance systems the cooperation and data exchange gets more important. In particular, by-wire and assistance systems (highly-automated driving) have high requirements on reliability, data consistency and safety. The cooperation of single control units to realize these complex functions require not only high data rates but also determinism and real-time behavior of the communication architecture. The development of these complex distributed systems benefits from model-based design processes. The verification and validation of system properties with a focus on communication should be possible in early design phases using model and simulation-based approaches based on executable specifications. In this thesis, a modeling approach is developed addressing the typical event-driven and time-triggered protocols in the automotive domain. Models on different abstraction levels are defined and implemented. The Controller Area Network (CAN) and FlexRay are used as examples. Beside the communication protocols some related topics: gateway-functionality (heterogeneous communication) and operating system. The developed detailed models are adequate for the analysis of specific protocol properties as well as the improvement of protocol functions on model level. More abstract models can be used to analyze the performance, real-time behavior and characteristics of large heterogeneous systems. Real-time communication, distributed embedded systems and model-based design processes are not limited to the automotive sector. Therefore the utilization of the modeling approach is demonstrated within the development and optimization of a distributed embedded system: a signal- and dataprocessing unit of a nanopositioning- and nanomeasuringmachine. The example covers most parts of the development process. Selected topics are the design of the system architecture, the distributed allocation of functionality, the realization of single components and the development of application specific communication protocols

Comparison of Communication Architectures for Spacecraft Modular Avionics Systems

This document is a survey of publicly available information concerning serial communication architectures used, or proposed to be used, in aeronautic and aerospace applications. It focuses on serial communication architectures that are suitable for low-latency or real-time communication between physically distributed nodes in a system. Candidates for the study have either extensive deployment in the field, or appear to be viable for near-term deployment. Eleven different serial communication architectures are considered, and a brief description of each is given with the salient features summarized in a table in appendix A. This survey is a product of the Propulsion High Impact Avionics Technology (PHIAT) Project at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). PHIAT was originally funded under the Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) Program to develop avionics technologies for control of next generation reusable rocket engines. After the announcement of the Space Exploration Initiative, the scope of the project was expanded to include vehicle systems control for human and robotics missions. As such, a section is included presenting the rationale used for selection of a time-triggered architecture for implementation of the avionics demonstration hardware developed by the project tea