KEYWORDS: Sensors, Charge-coupled devices, Power supplies, Analog electronics, Signal detection, Control systems, Electronics, Clocks, Detector development, Calibration
The Torrent detector control system is being developed at NOAO as a follow-on to the MONSOON systems that
have been used successfully for instruments at several institutions. The poster will cover the evolution of
MONSOON into Torrent and will cover: Motivations, What's gained/What's lost, Major Technological Differences,
Goals, plans and first users.
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Control systems, Calibration, Field programmable gate arrays, Signal detection, Analog electronics, Mirrors, Clocks, Connectors, Power supplies
The MONSOON Torrent image Acquisition system is being designed partially to reduce the complexity in
configuring a Detector controller system. This paper will discuss how we have achieved this goal by creating a system
of automation for the configuration task. We also discuss how the automated systems work to insure proper focal plane
operation in the face of potential network, communications and controller hardware failures during observing sessions.
The Torrent hardware design is discussed in section 2. In Sections 4 and 5 we discuss the automated processes used
to develop the description of the Torrent hardware used by the rest of the automation system. In Sections 6 through 8 we
discuss the semi automated system configuration/integration/design software. In Section 9 we present the automated
run-time configuration tools and discuss how it operates in the face of various failures. In Section 10 we discuss how
Torrent and the automated systems will achieve the goal of reducing observing down time in the face of hardware
failures.
KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Network on a chip, Human-machine interfaces, Calibration, Control systems, Data acquisition, Image processing, Cameras, Data processing, Databases
NEWFIRM is the wide-field infra-red mosaic camera just delivered and commissioned on the Mayall 4-m telescope
on Kitt Peak. As with other major instrumentation projects, the software was part of a design, development,
implementation and delivery strategy. In this paper, we describe the final implementation of the NEWFIRM
software from acquisition within a MONSOON controller environment, directed by the observation control system,
to the quick-look functionality at the telescope and final delivery of standardized data products via the pipeline.
NEWFIRM is, therefore, the culmination of several years of design and development effort on several fronts.
The MONSOON Detector Controller has successfully demonstrated the ability to control the complex image acquisition
and real time processing required to achieve quality science performance from the Orthogonal Transfer Array (OTA)
detector technology. A mosaic of four OTA detectors has been used to track multiple guide stars and apply charge shift
corrections to compensate for real time image motion. The control algorithms required to achieve this have been
embedded and distributed within the MONSOON controller to reduce the control loop latency and improve correction
efficiency. This paper highlights the flexibility of the MONSOON architecture in supporting the many roles required by
applications of scientific detectors.
The development of the Orthogonal Transfer Array CCD provides unique control mechanisms that allow a rich set of operating modes necessary to meet the demands of very wide-field imaging programs. The exclusive control modes of the OTA place strong requirements on the CCD controller to support the capabilities of the device while providing detector-limited performance. NOAO and WIYN Observatory have developed a controller based on the MONSOON Image Acquisition concept with the specific application for testing and characterizing the OTA performance and capability. The OTA controller implements control solutions for on-chip cell multiplexing, multiple read modes, high-speed guiding with multiple stars, predictive algorithms for temporal and spatial image motions, and application of electronic tip-tilt corrections. The MONSOON image acquisition system provides the flexibility needed to support the full capabilities of the OTA, while its extensibility can facilitate large mosaics of devices to meet the demands of future very large focal plane instruments.
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Astronomy, Data acquisition, Data communications, Observatories, Control systems, Associative arrays, Image acquisition, Control systems design, Beryllium
MONSOON is NOAO's diverse, future-proof, array controller project that holds the promise of a common hardware and software platform for the whole of US astronomy. As such it is an implementation of the Generic Pixel Server which is a new concept that serves OUV-IR pixel data. The fundamental element of the server is the GPX dictionary which is the only entry point into the system from instrumentation or observatory level software. In the MONSOON implementation, which uses mostly commercial off-the-shelf hardware and software components, the MONSOON supervisor layer (MSL) is the highest level layer and this communicates with multiple Pixel-Acquisition-Node / Detector-Head-Electronics (PAN-DHE) pairs to co-ordinate the acquisition of the celestial data. The MSL is the MONSOON implementation of the GPX and this paper discusses the design requirements and the techniques used to meet them.
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Databases, Data conversion, Data acquisition, Software engineering, Imaging spectroscopy, Control systems, Associative arrays, Chemical elements, Java
MONSOON is the next generation OUV-IR controller project being developed at NOAO. The design is flexible, emphasizing code re-use, maintainability and scalability as key factors. The software needs to support widely divergent detector systems ranging from
multi-chip mosaics (for LSST, QUOTA, ODI and NEWFIRM) down to large single or multi-detector laboratory development systems. In order for this flexibility to be effective and safe, the software must be able to configure itself to the requirements of the attached detector system at startup. The basic building block of all MONSOON systems is the PAN-DHE pair which make up a single data acquisition node. In this paper we discuss the software solutions used in the automatic PAN configuration system.
MONSOON is the next generation OUV-IR controller development project being conducted at NOAO. MONSOON was designed from the start as an "architecture" that provides the flexibility to handle multiple detector types, rather than as a set of specific hardware to control a particular detector. The hardware design was done with maintainability and scalability as key factors. We have, wherever possible chosen commercial off-the-shelf components rather than use in-house or proprietary systems.
From first principles, the software design had to be configurable in order to handle many detector types and focal plane configurations. The MONSOON software is multi-layered with simulation of the hardware built in. By keeping the details of hardware interfaces confined to only two libraries and by strict conformance to a set of interface control documents the MONSOON software is usable with other hardware systems with minimal change. In addition, the design provides that focal plane specific details are confined to routines that are selected at load time.
At the top-level, the MONSOON Supervisor Level (MSL), we use the GPX dictionary, a defined interface to the software system that instruments and high-level software can use to control and query the system. Below this are PAN-DHE pairs that interface directly with portions of the focal plane. The number of PAN-DHE pairs can be scaled up to increase channel counts and processing speed or to handle larger focal planes. The range of detector applications supported goes from single detector LAB systems, four detector IR systems like NEWFIRM, up to 500 CCD focal planes like LSST. In this paper we discuss the design of the PAN software and it's interaction with the detector head electronics.
Instruments and telescopes being planned for the US community include a wide assortment of facilities. These will require a consistent interface. Existing controllers use a variety of interfaces that will make using multiple controller types difficult. A new architecture that takes maximum advantage of code and hardware re-use, maintainability and extensibility is being developed at NOAO. The MONSOON Image acquisition/Detector controller system makes maximum use of COTS hardware and Open-Source development and can support OUV and IR detectors, singly or in very large mosaics. A basic requirement of the project was the ability to seamlessly handle even massive focal planes like LSST and ODI.
Software plays a vital role in the flexibility of the MONSOON system. The authors have built on their experience with previous systems (E.g. GNAAC, wildfire, ALICE, SDSU etc.), to develop a command interface, based on a dictionary of commands that can be applied to any detector controller project. The Generic Pixel Server, or GPX, concept consists of a dictionary that not only supports the needs of projects that use MONSOON controllers, but the set of commands can be used as the interface to any detector controller with only modest additional effort. This generic command set (the GPX dictionary) is defined here as introduction to the GPX concept.
The MONSOON Image Acquisition System has been designed to meet the need for scalable, multichannel, high-speed image acquisition required for the next-generation optical and infared detectors and mosaic projects currently under development at NOAO as described in other papers at this proceeding such as ORION, NEWFIRM, QUOTA, ODI and LSST. These new systems with their large scale (64 to 2000 channels) and high performance (up to 1Gbyte/s) raise new challenges in terms of communication bandwidth, data storage and data processing requirements which are not adequately met by existing astronomical controllers. In order to meet this demand, new techniques for not only a new detector controller, but rather a new image acquisition architecture, have been defined. These extremely large scale imaging systems also raise less obvious concerns in previously neglected areas of controller design such as physical size and form factor issues, power dissipation and cooling near the telescope, system assembly/test/ integration time, reliability, and total cost of ownership. At NOAO we have taken efforts to look outside of the astronomical community for solutions found in other disciplines to similar classes of problems. A large number of the challenges raised by these system needs are already successfully being faced in other areas such as telecommunications, instrumentation and aerospace. Efforts have also been made to use true commercial off the shelf (COTS) system elements, and find truly technology independent solutions for a number of system design issues whenever possible. The Monsoon effort is a full-disclosure development effort by NOAO in collaboration with the CARA ASTEROID project for the benefit of the astronomical community.
KEYWORDS: Digital signal processing, Analog electronics, Signal processing, Electronics, Digital electronics, Fiber optics, Interfaces, Infrared radiation, Control systems, Image processing
Wildfire is the array and instrument controller currently used in the infra-red instrumentation at National Optical Astronomy Observatories. Wildfire is a high performance, versatile transputer based controller which handles the clocking and readout of two-dimensional arrays along with all other aspects of instrument control. The system was originally designed to support the present generation of 256 X 256 infra-red arrays. This paper discusses the upgrade plan for Wildfire which is required to read out the newly developed 1 K X 1 K InSb arrays.
KEYWORDS: Digital signal processing, Fiber optics, Signal processing, Sun, Infrared radiation, Telescopes, Electronics, Fiber optic communications, Infrared imaging, Process control
The Wildfire Instrument Controller is currently being used in four IR instruments at the Kitt Peak National Observatory. Wildfire is a high performance, versatile transputer based controller which manages the clocking and readout of the 2D arrays along with all other aspects of instrument control. Wildfire utilizes high speed fiber optic links for communication between its two components: the electronics mounted on the instrument and the digital signal processor located in the computer room. This paper is a systems level discussion of the hardware and software that make up the Wildfire Instrument Controller. We present an overview of the system operation along with measured performance data. We also discuss how the Wildfire system can be easily expanded to provide the higher level of performance required for high speed readout of the next generation 1024 by 1024 pixel IR arrays.
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Digital signal processing, Telescopes, Signal processing, Infrared imaging, Optical benches, Astronomy, Electronics, Optical cryogenics, Sun
The Simultaneous Quad-Color Infrared Imaging Device (SQIID) is the first of a new generation of infrared instruments to be put into service at the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO). The camera has been configured to be modular in design and to accept new innovations in detector format as they become available. Currently the camera is equipped with four 256 x 256 platinum silicide arrays with 30 micron pixels for each of the four bands J (1.1-1.4 microns), H (1.5-1.8 microns), K (2.0-2.4 microns), and L' (3.52-4.12 microns). The optics of the instrument have been designed to accept detector arrays as large as 512 x 512, or an equivalent field size of 12.4 mm x 12.4 mm. The instrument is cooled with a pair of closed cycle cryogenic coolers, which are mechanically aligned and electrically phased to eliminate vibration. In addition, a transputer based electronics system has been incorporated to facilitate fast frame rates, co-add frames, and ease the data handling burden.
This paper describes a fiber optic subsystem currently in use at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) for linking infrared instruments at the telescope with the remotely located digital signal processor (DSP) in the telescope computer room. This system is capable of transmitting and receiving ten transputer links at full link speed over four optical fibers. Transputers are equipped with bidirectional serial communication links. These links, coupled with a simple processor architecture, make transputers ideal for the embedded controller, state generator, and parallel processing tasks required by modern infrared instruments using large two-dimensional arrays. Communication between transputers separated by a short distance can proceed over wires in the conventional sense but for communication over long distances, such as between subsystems in astronomical instruments, other techniques are needed if the full link speed of 20 Mbits/sec is to be maintained. Fiber optics provides an ideal solution to this problem. It also provides immunity from noisy environments and electrical isolation between subsystems. The problem with using fiber optics with transputers is that the links are asynchronous (synchronization is handled within the receiving transputer) while the fiber optic transmitters and receivers require a clock for encoding and decoding the transmitted data. In this paper we address this problem and provide a solution which satisfies both needs.
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