An on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules

Abstract

The present invention discloses a satellite integrated processing system based on a microsystem and a micromodule, including a satellite data control module, a satellite data processing module and a Beidou short message communication module; wherein the satellite data control module is the main control module of the satellite, adopts a SIP chip, and the SIP chip integrates a CPU and an FPGA module; the satellite data processing module is used to realize the real-time processing of optical and other payload data on orbit, with a micromodule acceleration module as the core, and a secondary power conversion circuit, an EMMC storage circuit and an Ethernet interface circuit are designed peripherally; the Beidou short message communication module is used to provide a satellite-to-ground communication link for the system; the Beidou short message communication module is connected to the satellite data control module, and the satellite data control module is connected to the satellite data processing module to realize a complete communication link. The present invention realizes functions such as intelligent control, high-performance processing, and Beidou short message communication of satellite services and control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of satellite integrated electronics, and in particular to an integrated on-board processing system based on a microsystem and a micromodule. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the rapid development of a new generation of artificial intelligence technologies represented by deep learning and reinforcement learning, their application in the satellite field has also accelerated. On July 1, 2021, the U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA) carried out an in-orbit demonstration and verification of autonomous onboard data processing and analysis technology in its first launch mission since its establishment. Previously, on September 3, 2020, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced the successful launch of Europe's first artificial intelligence earth observation satellite Φ-sat-1, verifying the application of artificial intelligence technology in the field of earth observation. With the continuous application of artificial intelligence technology, the requirements for the capabilities of onboard processing systems are also constantly increasing. The traditional processing architecture based on FPGA, DSP or CPU can no longer meet the needs of large models and deep learning algorithms. There is an urgent need to develop a new onboard high-performance and high-reliability processing architecture.

[0003] On the other hand, intelligent hardware such as high-performance miniaturized GPUs are rapidly improving and have been widely used in mobile phones, PCs and other fields. At the same time, domestic and foreign countries are developing satellite-borne intelligent processing devices based on new processors such as GPUs. This type of processor has powerful performance and a mature and complete development ecosystem. It supports the application of most existing deep learning programs, greatly reducing the difficulty of program development. At the same time, commercial-grade devices are inexpensive, small in size and power consumption, and are therefore suitable for use on microsatellites. However, the adaptability of such devices to space environments is weaker than that of aerospace-grade devices, and they do not meet the needs of high-reliability data processing on satellite platforms.

[0004] This project proposes an onboard processing system architecture based on microsystems + micromodules. The microsystem SIP is used to meet the needs of high-reliability data processing for satellite platform services, control, energy, thermal control, etc., and the micromodule GPU is used to achieve high-performance data processing of payload data. Compared with the independent settings of conventional control units and processing units, the SIP+micromodule configuration adopted in this project has a processing capability that is more than one order of magnitude better than existing products, and its size is reduced by more than 60% compared to board-level circuits. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules, which can realize on-board satellite affairs, control and other intelligent management and control, high-performance processing, Beidou short message communication and other functions, and can simultaneously meet the management and control needs of satellite affairs, control and other management needs and the needs of high-performance processing on board.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides an on-board integrated processing system based on a microsystem and a micromodule, wherein the on-board integrated processing system comprises an on-board data control module, an on-board data processing module and a Beidou short message communication module; wherein,

[0007] The onboard data control module is the main control module of the satellite, which adopts a SIP chip. The SIP chip integrates a CPU and an FPGA module, wherein the CPU runs the core software system, and the FPGA module realizes the expansion and conversion of the CPU and the external interface;

[0008] The onboard data processing module is used to realize the real-time processing of optical and other payload data on orbit. It takes the micro-module acceleration module as the core, and the peripheral designs include secondary power conversion circuit, EMMC storage circuit and Ethernet interface circuit.

[0009] The Beidou short message communication module is used to provide a satellite-to-ground communication link for the system; the Beidou short message communication module is connected to the onboard data control module, and the onboard data control module is connected to the onboard data processing module through the network port, SPI and RS422 to realize a complete communication link.

[0010] Furthermore, the interfaces or circuits provided on the periphery of the onboard data control module include memory, RS422, PPS, CAN bus, Ethernet, analog quantity acquisition and configuration refresh circuits.

[0011] Furthermore, the onboard data control module is externally configured with two NAND FLASH as program memory, and two NAND FLASH are mounted on the SIP. The same image file is stored in the two NAND FLASH to back up each other. The system startup position is determined by external instructions and the Boot program to select one of them as the primary NAND FLASH. After the Boot detects that the primary NAND FLASH fails to start, the startup position is automatically switched to the backup NAND FLASH.

[0012] Furthermore, the on-board data processing module adopts a dual design, including a first on-board data processing module and a second on-board data processing module. The first on-board data processing module and the second on-board data processing module can work independently at the same time and can also be used as backup.

[0013] Furthermore, the Beidou short message communication module adopts a shell interaction method, connects to the Beidou short message terminal on the ground, and then connects to the management and control module through two serial ports. It can be regarded as linking the management and control module debugging serial port, and controls and manages the on-board data management and control module or the on-board data processing module in a command line manner. The execution results are transmitted to the ground through the Beidou short message stand-alone.

[0014] Furthermore, the on-board integrated processing system has two working modes: a main working mode and a backup working mode. In the main working mode, it acts as the brain of the satellite and participates in the control and management of the entire satellite equipment. In the backup working mode, it acts as a single machine of the satellite platform and completes the payload data processing function.

[0015] Furthermore, when the on-board integrated processing system based on the microsystem and micromodule is in orbit, the software running on it is remotely managed to realize software entry, software installation, software operation, software uninstallation, software status monitoring and software abnormality recovery; the ground injects the software installation package into the on-board integrated processing system through the satellite-to-ground measurement and control link and the Beidou link, and then controls the installation, operation, stop, uninstallation and monitoring of the software through indirect instructions of the remote control telemetry module.

[0016] Furthermore, the micro-module uses GPU to realize load data processing, and the GPU module load supports EP and RC modes. In EP mode, it does not run the operating system to support the GPU module and is only used as an acceleration node; in RC mode, the GPU module runs the operating system and can be used as an independent processing node.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0018] 1. The same hardware module is used to meet the needs of high-reliability data processing of satellite services, control, energy and other platforms, as well as the needs of high-performance data processing of payloads, greatly reducing the power consumption and size of a single machine.

[0019] 2. The Linux operating system is used to realize the APP configuration of satellite services, control, energy and other software, which changes the current situation of scattered settings of various payload software on the traditional satellite, is conducive to breaking the current closed status of on-board software and creating a good on-board software R&D ecosystem. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It shows a hardware block diagram of the on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules according to the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 A BeiDou link diagram according to the present invention is shown;

[0022] Figure 3 A design architecture diagram of a software management module according to the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The technical solution of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0025] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0026] The following combination Figure 1-Figure 3 The specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to illustrate and explain the present invention, and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0027] The on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules proposed in the present invention is the core payload of intelligent satellites, which realizes functions such as on-board satellite services and control, intelligent management and control, high-performance processing, and Beidou short message communication. The on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules includes an on-board data management and control module, an on-board data processing module, and a Beidou short message communication module, wherein the on-board data management and control module is the management and control module of the entire satellite, and has the ability to run high-reliability software such as satellite services and control. The on-board data processing module is used to realize intelligent processing of optical and other remote sensing data, and has high-performance processing capabilities. The Beidou short message communication module is used to realize data communication through Beidou short messages.

[0028] The on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules according to the present invention has the following specific functions:

[0029] 1) It can simultaneously meet the satellite service, control and other management and control needs as well as the needs of high-performance processing on board;

[0030] 2) The onboard data control module adopts the microsystem (SIP) design to manage the payload itself, including the power-on and power-off management of other modules, as well as the operation of satellite services, control and other control software. It supports the Linux system and can be powered on for a long time in orbit.

[0031] 3) The hardware module part responsible for satellite management and control functions, such as satellite services and control, adopts micro modules (such as Atlas200 modules or TX2 modules), supports Linux system, and can meet the performance requirements of on-orbit image processing;

[0032] 4) The payload can support the reception and transmission of Beidou short messages.

[0033] The hardware block diagram of the on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules of the present invention is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, it includes an on-board data control module, an on-board data processing module and a Beidou short message communication module.

[0034] Among them, the onboard data control module is the main control module of the satellite, which is completed with a high-performance SIP chip. SIP integrates high-performance CUP and FPGA modules, in which the CPU runs the core software system, and the FGPA module realizes the expansion and conversion of the CPU and external interfaces. The peripheral design memory, RS422, PPS, CAN bus, Ethernet, analog acquisition, configuration refresh circuit and other interfaces or circuits can realize UART communication, CAN bus communication, Ethernet communication and other functions to meet the needs of satellite services and control. Due to the limited capacity of the program memory integrated in SIP, it cannot support the operation of the Linux system. Two NAND FLASH are configured externally as program memory, with a single chip capacity of 16GB. Two NAND FLASH are mounted on SIP, and the same image files are stored in both, which are backed up for each other. After the single system startup fails, the backup can be switched to start. The system startup position is determined by external instructions and the Boot program. After the Boot detects that the main NAND FLASH fails to start, the startup position is automatically switched to the backup NAND FLASH. The FPGA inside the SIP has a total dose index of 100Krad. As an SRAM-type FPGA, there is still the possibility of single-particle upset, so a refresh configuration circuit is designed for it. For single-particle upset events, the reliability of the FPGA is improved by implementing triple-mode redundancy design for key functions, state machine security implementation (to prevent deadlock), and verification fault-tolerant design for data communication.

[0035] The onboard data processing module is used to realize the real-time processing of optical and other payload data on orbit. It takes the commercial-grade micro-module acceleration module as the core, and designs the secondary power conversion circuit, EMMC storage circuit, Ethernet interface circuit and other low-speed interface circuits on the periphery. The onboard data control module generates power-on control and reset control signals through GPIO to control the power-on, power-off and reset of the onboard data processing module. The onboard data control module sends control instructions, interactive telemetry status information, etc. to the onboard data processing module through the low-speed interface. The onboard data control module transmits image files to the onboard data processing module through the Ethernet interface, and receives large data files such as image processing result files. The main data processing process is: the onboard data control module transmits image files to the onboard data processing module, and the onboard data processing module stores the files on the disk; the onboard data control module sends image processing instructions to the onboard data processing module according to the ground control instructions; the onboard data processing module starts the corresponding image processing APP to process the image files; after the image processing is completed, the onboard data processing module sends the image processing results to the onboard data control module to complete the rectification image processing process. To improve reliability, the onboard data processing module adopts a dual design, namely onboard data processing module 1 and onboard data processing module 2. The two modules can work independently at the same time and can also be used as backups.

[0036] The internal interface relationship between the onboard data control module and the onboard data processing module is shown in Table 1. Table 1 Internal interface relationship table of the intelligent integrated processing system:

[0037]

[0038] The Beidou short message communication module is used to provide the system with a satellite-to-ground communication link. The Beidou short message communication module is connected to the satellite data control module through two RS422s, and the satellite data control module is connected to the satellite data processing module through the network port, RS422 and other interfaces to achieve a complete communication link, which is used to realize four functions, namely telemetry and control, shell interaction, software management, and data interaction.

[0039] The shell interaction function is a new type of satellite-ground interaction method pioneered by this system, that is, the interactive support of shell terminals, which supports most shell command line operations. The ground connects to the Beidou short message communication module on the satellite through the Beidou short message communication service system, and then connects to the control module through two serial ports. One serial port can be regarded as connecting to the debugging serial port of the control module, and the other serial port is connected by the control module to the debugging serial port of the processing module. The specific process of data transmission is: the ground encodes the shell command, and sends the encoded shell command to the Beidou short message communication module on the satellite through the Beidou short message communication service system. After receiving the command, the Beidou short message communication module forwards it to the control module. The control module determines whether it is a shell command of the control module or the processing module according to the coding protocol. If it is a shell command of the control module, it is executed directly. If it is a shell command of the processing module, it is forwarded to the processing module through the serial port for execution. The execution result is transmitted to the ground through the Beidou short message communication module. In this way, a system that controls and manages the control module or the processing module in a command line manner is realized, such as Figure 2 As shown. To ensure the safety of the system, two security strategies are designed: 1. Shell commands use double-frame encoding. A shell command is encoded as the same A / B frames and sent simultaneously. The control module or processing module can only execute after receiving the A / B frames and confirming that the shell commands of the two frames are consistent, to prevent the execution of wrong shell commands due to unstable wireless communication links; 2. Shield individual sensitive shell commands to prevent fatal failures caused by misoperation by ground personnel. Compared with the traditional telemetry and remote control interaction method, shell interaction has the following advantages: 1. It is not limited by the visible range of the ground measurement and control station, and can control and manage the on-board integrated processing system in real time 24 hours a day; 2. It is not limited by remote control and telemetry, and can view the system background operation and modify the system configuration in real time.

[0040] The working modes of the on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules include main working mode and backup working mode. In the main working mode, the on-board integrated processing system serves as the brain of the satellite, replacing the functions of the subsystems such as satellite management and attitude and orbit control of the conventional satellite platform. The on-board data control module receives the status information of each subsystem through the external data interface, and manages and monitors the operating status of other subsystems of the satellite platform according to the current working status of the satellite. The on-board data control module controls the power on and off of each payload through indirect or direct instructions. The on-board data control module receives the real-time data of each sensor of the satellite through the external data interface, generates attitude and orbit control instructions according to the current attitude and orbit requirements of the satellite, and outputs attitude and orbit control instructions to each actuator through the external data interface to ensure the safety of satellite operation. The on-board data processing module cooperates with the on-board data control module to complete the on-board data processing work, providing sufficient computing power support for intelligent algorithms such as satellite image processing and mission planning. In the backup working mode, the on-board integrated processing system serves as a single machine of the satellite and is managed by the satellite platform. The onboard data control module receives telemetry polling from the satellite computer through an external data interface, and regularly feeds back the operating status of the onboard integrated processing system to the satellite computer; it receives remote control commands from the satellite computer and executes corresponding command actions. The onboard data processing module cooperates with the satellite platform's satellite computer, attitude and orbit control and other subsystems to complete onboard data processing and provide sufficient computing power support for the satellite. The device enters the main working mode by default when it is powered on. When the satellite's operating status encounters special circumstances and it is not suitable to continue working in the main working mode, it automatically or by ground control switches to the backup working mode.

[0041] When the on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules is in orbit, it is necessary to remotely manage the software running on it to realize functions such as software injection, software installation, software operation, software uninstallation, software status monitoring, and software abnormal recovery. The ground injects the software installation package into the on-board integrated processing system through the satellite-to-ground measurement and control link and the Beidou link, and then controls the installation, operation, stop, uninstallation, monitoring, etc. of the software through indirect instructions. Figure 3As shown. The on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules defines the packaging format of the uploaded software package. All software is packaged according to a unified directory structure, and the software is described and characterized in the packaging format. The APPID is mainly defined, and the installation path corresponds to the APPID to achieve centralized management of different software. Secondly, the storage path and installation path after the software is uploaded are defined. After the upload is completed, the APPID must be extracted first to determine whether the APP has been installed and determine the installation directory. Therefore, the description file in the installation package must be unzipped, the APPID must be extracted, and then the installation package must be renamed to the file name containing the APPID for easy retrieval during installation. In addition, it also has the functions of starting, stopping, and uninstalling the software. The software start, stop, and uninstall functions are realized through the indirect instruction function. The software management module consists of three parts: serial port component, software uploading and installation component, and software management component. The serial port component receives external data through FPGA, parses the uploading software package and provides it to the software uploading and installation component. The software uploading and installation component manages the storage path and installation path of the software package, extracts the key information of the uploading software package and the software installation function. The software management component is responsible for software operation management functions such as starting, stopping, uninstalling, and running status after software installation, and provides corresponding API interfaces to the outside world.

[0042] The technical effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0043] 1. The same hardware module is used to meet the needs of high-reliability data processing of satellite services, control, energy and other platforms, as well as the needs of high-performance data processing of payloads, greatly reducing the power consumption and size of a single machine.

[0044] 2. The Linux operating system is used to realize the APP configuration of satellite services, control, energy and other software, which changes the current situation of scattered settings of various payload software on the traditional satellite, is conducive to breaking the current closed status of on-board software and creating a good on-board software R&D ecosystem.

[0045] Any process or method description in the flowchart of the present invention or described in other ways herein can be understood as a module, segment or part of a code including one or more executable instructions for implementing the steps of a specific logical function or process, which can be implemented in any computer-readable medium for use by an instruction execution system, device or equipment, and the computer-readable medium can be any medium containing storage, communication, propagation or transmission programs for use by execution systems, devices or equipment, including read-only memories, magnetic disks or optical disks, etc.

[0046] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "embodiment", "example", etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. In addition, those skilled in the art can combine or combine different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features therein without causing any contradiction.

[0047] Although the above content has shown and described the embodiments of the present invention, it can be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and cannot be understood as limitations of the present invention. Ordinary technicians in the field can change, modify, replace, modify and other update operations on the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An integrated on-board processing system based on microsystems and micromodules, characterized in that: The on-board integrated processing system includes an on-board data control module, an on-board data processing module and a Beidou short message communication module; wherein, The onboard data control module is the main control module of the satellite, which adopts a SIP chip. The SIP chip integrates a CPU and an FPGA module, wherein the CPU runs the core software system, and the FPGA module realizes the expansion and conversion of the CPU and the external interface; The onboard data processing module is used to realize the real-time processing of payload data on orbit. It takes the micro-module acceleration module as the core, and the peripheral designs include secondary power conversion circuit, EMMC storage circuit and Ethernet interface circuit. The Beidou short message communication module is used to provide the system with a satellite-to-ground communication link; the Beidou short message communication module is connected to the onboard data control module, and the onboard data control module is connected to the onboard data processing module through the network port, SPI and RS422 to realize a complete communication link; The satellite data control module is externally configured with two NAND FLASH as program memory. Two NAND FLASH are mounted on the SIP. Multiple identical image files are stored in each of the two NAND FLASH to back up each other. The system startup position is determined by external instructions and the Boot program to select one of them as the primary NAND FLASH. The system starts from the first image file until one of the image files is successfully started. After the Boot detects that the startup of the primary NAND FLASH fails, the startup position is automatically switched to the backup NAND FLASH. Similarly, the system starts from the first image file until one of the image files is successfully started. The on-board data processing module adopts a backup design, including a first on-board data processing module and a second on-board data processing module. The first on-board data processing module and the second on-board data processing module work simultaneously and are also used as backups. The working modes of the on-board integrated processing system include a main working mode and a backup working mode. In the main working mode, it acts as the brain of the satellite and participates in the control and management of the entire satellite equipment. In the backup working mode, it acts as a single machine of the satellite platform and completes the payload data processing function.

2. The on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The interfaces or circuits provided on the periphery of the on-board data control module include memory, RS422, LVDS, pulse per second, CAN bus, Ethernet, analog quantity acquisition and configuration refresh circuit.

3. The on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The Beidou short message communication module adopts shell interaction mode, connects to the Beidou short message terminal on the ground, and then connects to the control module, which is regarded as linking the control module debugging interface. It controls and manages the on-board data control module or the on-board data processing module in command line mode, and the execution results are transmitted to the ground through the Beidou short message communication module.

4. The on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules is operating in orbit, the software running on the remote management system is managed to realize software entry, software installation, software operation, software uninstallation, software status monitoring and software abnormality recovery; the ground injects the software installation package into the on-board integrated processing system through the satellite-to-ground measurement and control link and the Beidou link, and then controls the installation, operation, stop, uninstallation and monitoring of the software through indirect instructions of the remote control telemetry module.

5. The on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The micromodule uses GPU to realize load data processing; GPU module load supports EP mode and RC mode.

6. The on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules according to claim 5, characterized in that: In the EP mode, it does not run the operating system to support the GPU module and is only used as an acceleration node.

7. The on-board integrated processing system based on microsystems and micromodules according to claim 5, characterized in that: In the RC mode, the GPU module runs an operating system and is used as an independent processing node.

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