VLSI Design and Embedded Systems Group
Reconfigurable system-on-a-chip based platform for satellite on-board computing
Small satellites aim to achieve low-cost, fast access to space and this is normally supported by the use of off-the-shelf components (COTS) and development tools. The advances in micro and nano technology, which have already brought to life remarkable new products and capabilities in terrestrial systems, are bound to change the way in which satellite on-board computing and electronics are designed. Computing has always played an important role in on-board data processing and control. Historically on-board computing has been represented mainly by the on-board computer (OBC) as the kernel of the On-Board Data Handling (OBDH) system, which is central to the overall satellite design and its operations. The OBDH system is an integral part of the satellite platform and in many missions extends to comprise elements of payload electronics. Nowadays, a computer controls almost any single on-board sub-system and the on-board computing system is represented by a number of processors connected by an on-board data network. The increased number of computing elements on-board is possible due to the emergence of advanced miniaturization technologies, which have given birth to multi-million system-on-a-chip (SoC) processor designs. This trend is going to be continued further and it is expected that in the near future all the electronics of a fully functional satellite will be condensed into one multi-chip module.
This project is aimed at application of advanced technologies to on-board computing. A generic single-chip computing platform for use on-board small spacecraft, which can be reconfigured remotely from the ground station, is proposed. The platform features a highly modular structure, such that it can be quickly and easily customised to produce specific-purpose controllers for data processing, communication and control of different spacecraft subsystems and payload blocks. The platform is targeted at the QPro radiation tolerant family of Xilinx Virtex FPGAs. It is composed of reusable soft IP cores and is centred on the LEON microprocessor core and the AMBA on-chip bus. Two schemes for on-board run-time partial reconfiguration are proposed, which will facilitate adding and updating of peripheral cores remotely (in space) while the rest of the OBC is operational. In addition, a 3-tier client-server remote configuration scheme with the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) is proposed to support the run-time reconfiguration of the on-board platform in a LEO constellation of small satellites over TCP/IP.
A simplified communication system, specifically designed to meet the needs of a single chip on-board computer has been developed. The system represents a streamlined, yet reliable and automated, standalone software implementation of the Consultative Committee of Space Data Systems (CCSDS) protocol. The CCSDS protocol is a standard space industry communication protocol employed on numerous missions ranging from relatively simple low-earth orbit missions to deep space probes.
Publications:
T.Vladimirova and D.Zheng. Reconfigurable System-on-a-Chip Based Computing Platform for Small Satellites - Proceedings of the 1st Annual ESA Workshop on Spacecraft Data Systems and Software, SDSS 2005, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 17-20 October 2005.
D.Zheng, T.Vladimirova. Application of Programmable System-on-a-Chip for Small Satellite Computers - Journal for Chinese Space Science and Technology, Vol.24, No.1, pp. 37-44, February, 2004, Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST) (Chinese standard journal number: ISSN1000-758X, overseas journal number: BM1137) (in Chinese)
T.Vladimirova, M.N.Sweeting. System-on-a-Chip Development for Small Satellite On-Board Data Handling - Journal of Aerospace Computing, Information, and Communication, vol. 1, n 1, pp. 36-43, January 2004, AIAA, (ISSN: 1542-9423/04).
H.Tiggeler, T.Vladimirova, J.Gaisler. Designing a System-on-a-chip for Small Satellite Data Processing and Control, IIE Magazine on Engineering Technology, June 2001, pp. 38-42.
M.Meier, T.Vladimirova, T.Plant, A.da Silva Curiel. DMA Controller for a Credit-Card Size Satellite Onboard Computer - Proceedings of the 7th Military and Aerospace Applications of Programmable Devices and Technologies International Conference (MAPLD'2004), P-208, September 2004, Washington, US, NASA
T.Vladimirova, D.Eamey, S.Keller, M.N.Sweeting. Floating-Point Mathematical Co-Processor for a Single Chip On-Board Computer - Proceedings of the 6th Military and Aerospace Applications of Programmable Logic Devices and Technologies International Conference (MAPLD'2003), D5, September 9-11, 2003, Washington DC, US, NASA.
D.Zheng, T.Vladimirova, M.N.Sweeting. A CCSDS-Based Communication System for a Single Chip On-Board Computer, Proceedings of the 5th Military and Aerospace Applications of Programmable Devices and Technologies International Conference (MAPLD'2002), D5, September 2002, Laurel, Maryland, US, NASA.
I.Rutter, T.Vladimirova, H.Tiggeler. A CCSDS Software System for a Single-Chip On-Board Computer of a Small Satellite - 15th AIAA/Utah Sate University Conference on Small Satellites, Utah, USA, August 13-16 2001, SSC01-VI-4.
H.Tiggeler, T.Vladimirova, D.Zheng. A System-on-a-Chip for Small Satellite Data Processing and Control - Proceedings of Military and Aerospace Applications of Programmable Devices and Technologies International Conference (MAPLD'2000), P-20, September 2000, Laurel, Maryland US, NASA publ.
