Telescope control system with remote communication protocol self-verification function

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of telescope control, and specifically provides a telescope control system with remote communication protocol self-verification function, which comprises a remote control system, a telescope control software system and a telescope, the telescope control software system comprises an analog remote network protocol layer and an analog remote network layer, the analog remote network protocol layer is used for encoding user control instructions into control protocol data units and decoding state protocol data units, and the analog remote network layer and a local network layer are used for interacting control protocol data units and state protocol data units and establishing a communication connection. The control system has the self-verification ability of remote communication and protocol, effectively reduces the workload, and improves product quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of telescope control technology, and specifically provides a telescope control system with a remote communication protocol self-verification function. Background Technology

[0002] As the "commander-in-chief" of the telescope, the telescope control software system integrates core functions such as commissioning and guidance, star / satellite / theoretical orbit guidance, external guidance, small system control, subsystem management, and status display. It is an indispensable component of the telescope equipment. Although telescopes used for different purposes, such as astronomical observation, range measurement, laser communication, and situational awareness, differ in their optical, mechanical, and electronic designs, the control software system always plays a crucial role. This system typically runs on a local computer, controlling and communicating with the telescope itself, small systems, and other subsystems by directly calling hardware communication interfaces or local network interfaces.

[0003] In recent years, to achieve unmanned local operation of telescope equipment, integrated management and control platforms based on B / S architecture have become the mainstream technical solution. This solution achieves full software control and status display through network communication between the remote control system and various local subsystems, providing strong support for global scheduling, cross-system collaboration, unified information display, and remote operation. However, this architecture faces challenges due to the complexity and diversity of communication types and protocols. Communication methods include TCP, UDP, HTTP, and other forms, and are extremely complex in terms of operation types, displayed information, and data formats, seriously hindering the efficiency of system development and integration. Therefore, how to improve the communication accuracy of various subsystems during the development phase and reduce the time and manpower costs of later integration has become a critical issue that urgently needs to be addressed.

[0004] like Figure 1 As shown, in existing technologies, local telescope control software systems with remote control capabilities typically employ an architecture that includes a display and control interface, a telescope hardware communication module, and a network communication module. The modules within the system interact through function calls, with the display and control interface and network communication module directly interacting with the hardware communication module to achieve control and status display. While this design is simple in architecture, easy to implement, and supports rapid iteration when functionality is simple, its shortcomings become increasingly apparent as telescope systems become more integrated and complex. On the one hand, the software system itself lacks the capability to verify communication functions. If verification needs to be completed before integration testing, a separate simulated remote control system must be developed, whose communication module must perform the reverse operation of the local system. This approach not only increases the maintenance cost of code with no product value, but also results in a high degree of code redundancy due to the high degree of overlap between the simulation system's interface and the local system. During rapid iteration, the simulation system often lags behind, causing verification work to consume a significant amount of time.

[0005] On the other hand, if the verification of the communication module is postponed until the full system integration testing phase, it will be impossible to discover major defects in the code itself, such as TCP packet fragmentation / reassembly, UDP frame association processing, and complex format parsing, in advance. In the context of busy full system integration testing, lengthy modifications due to code defects will severely impact the development cycle and delivery schedule. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention provides a telescope control system with a remote communication protocol self-verification function. In a telescope control software system supporting remote control, an analog remote network layer equivalent to the remote control system is added to verify the communication function and communication protocol, thereby reducing the overall system debugging time and improving product quality.

[0007] The telescope control system with remote communication protocol self-verification function provided by the present invention includes: Remote control system, telescope control software system, and the controlled telescope; The telescope control software system includes, in sequence, a local user interface layer, an analog remote network protocol layer, an analog remote network layer, a local network layer, a local network protocol layer, a telescope hardware protocol layer, and a telescope hardware communication layer; it also includes observation task planning and execution modules that are connected to the local network protocol layer and the telescope hardware protocol layer, respectively. The local user interface layer is used to control the telescope and provide information display functions; the analog remote network protocol layer is used to encode user control commands into control protocol data units and decode status protocol data units; the analog remote network layer and the local network layer are used for the interaction of control protocol data units and status protocol data units and to establish communication connections; the local network protocol layer is used to decode the control protocol data units sent by the client and encode device status data into status protocol data units. The telescope hardware protocol layer is used to encode hardware control commands into hardware command frames and decode hardware response frames into telescope hardware status parameters; the telescope hardware communication layer is used to receive hardware response frames and send hardware command frames; the observation task planning and execution module is used to plan and execute observation tasks. The remote control system connects to the local network layer for remote operation of the telescope.

[0008] Preferably, the remote control system includes a remote network layer, which is connected to the local network layer; The remote network layer has the same function as the simulated remote network layer.

[0009] Preferably, the telescope control software system has a remote communication interface, which can be used to control the telescope via remote network control or a user interface.

[0010] Preferably, the simulated remote network protocol layer and the remote control system use the same communication protocol.

[0011] Preferably, the encoding and decoding functions of the simulated remote network protocol layer and the local network protocol layer, as well as the local network protocol layer and the remote control system, are all inverse operations of each other for the same communication protocol.

[0012] Preferably, the local network protocol layer divides the control protocol data unit into two parts: simple control and observation task. Simple control is single instruction and single action control, while the observation task is a series of controls.

[0013] Preferably, the connection pool of the local network layer comprises two parts: a remote communication connection pool and a local communication unit. The remote communication connection pool maintains the connection of one or more remote control systems, while the local communication unit maintains the connection of only a single network loopback address.

[0014] Preferably, the control protocol data unit of the remote communication connection pool and the local communication unit has the same validity.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects: The telescope control system provided in this invention has remote communication and protocol self-verification capabilities. It can fully verify the correctness of network communication functions and network protocol encoding / decoding during the development of the local telescope control software system. Through structural optimization, the function calls involved in the local software interface are transformed into homogeneous network communication, enabling pre-verification of network communication and communication protocols. This solves a large amount of communication module verification work before the entire system is integrated, without requiring the maintenance of additional simulation software systems, effectively reducing workload, shortening the overall system integration cycle, and improving product quality. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a traditional software design method provided by the background art of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall design of a telescope control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 This is a detailed schematic diagram of the telescope control system provided according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the task planning and execution module provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a local network layer connection pool provided according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for explaining the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. Similar elements in different embodiments are referred to by associated similar element reference numerals. In the following embodiments, many details are described to facilitate a better understanding of the invention. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that some features may be omitted in different situations, or may be replaced by other elements, materials, or methods. In some cases, some operations related to the invention are not shown or described in the specification. This is to avoid obscuring the core parts of the invention with excessive description. For those skilled in the art, detailed description of these related operations is not necessary; they can fully understand the related operations based on the description in the specification and general technical knowledge in the art.

[0018] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this invention can be combined to form various implementations. Furthermore, the order of the steps or actions in the method description can be changed or adjusted in a manner readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the various orders in the specification and drawings are merely for the clear description of a particular embodiment and do not imply a mandatory order, unless otherwise stated that a particular order must be followed.

[0019] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on this invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0020] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0021] The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0022] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, this embodiment of the invention provides a telescope control system with a remote communication protocol self-verification function, including: a remote control system, a local telescope control software system, and a controlled telescope. The remote control system is typically a B / S architecture, allowing users to control the telescope and view its status via a browser. The remote control system includes a remote network layer and a remote user interface layer, enabling remote development, debugging, and operation personnel to interact with the remote control system through the remote user interface layer. The telescope control software system has a remote communication interface, allowing telescope control via remote network control or a user interface. The telescope control software system includes a local user interface layer, a simulated remote network protocol layer, a simulated remote network layer, a local network layer, a local network protocol layer, a telescope hardware protocol layer, a telescope hardware communication layer, and an observation task planning and execution module. These layers are sequentially connected; the observation task planning and execution module is connected to both the local network protocol layer and the telescope hardware protocol layer; and the remote network layer is connected to the local network layer. Local developers, debuggers, and operators interact with the local telescope control software system through the local user interface layer. The telescope hardware communication layer communicates directly with the entire telescope system, which includes all hardware systems such as the frame, focusing system, despinning system, lens cap, and dome. Figure 3 The block diagram between the mid-to-remote network layer and the remote user interface layer represents setting basic commands or booting basic commands, the number of which is variable. Figure 3 The tasks shown are merely examples of embodiments of the present invention.

[0023] The local user interface layer is a user interface with full telescope control functions and information display capabilities. It is used to control the telescope and provide information display functions. The telescope control functions include commissioning guidance, star guidance, system calibration, satellite guidance, theoretical orbit guidance, external guidance, and small system control. The information display content includes time synchronization, telescope pointing, current guidance mode, observation target information, and the working status of each small system.

[0024] The simulated remote network protocol layer is used to convert information understood by personnel into network data. Specifically, it encodes user control commands into control protocol data units according to the network protocol and decodes status protocol data units to obtain the user-understandable data to be displayed. Common network protocol data formats include binary structures, JSON, and Protobuf. In this embodiment of the invention, the simulated remote network protocol layer uses the same communication protocol as the remote control system.

[0025] The simulated remote network layer and local network layer are used for network data interaction and establish communication connections according to the communication methods specified in the protocol, such as TCP, UDP, and HTTP. The remote network layer and the simulated remote network layer have the same function and are equivalent in status. The remote control system connects to the local network layer.

[0026] The local network protocol layer is used for the mutual conversion between network data and device behavior status. Specifically, it decodes network information (i.e., control commands) sent by the client and encodes device status data into network information. The encoding and decoding functions of the analog remote network protocol layer and the local network protocol layer are inverse operations for the same communication protocol. Similarly, the encoding and decoding functions of the local network protocol layer and the remote control system are inverse operations for the same communication protocol. Furthermore, the local network protocol layer divides the control protocol data unit into two parts: simple control and observation tasks. Simple control involves single-command, single-action control, such as telescope positioning, focusing, and opening / closing the lens cap. Observation tasks involve a series of controls that require execution by the local telescope control software system.

[0027] The telescope hardware protocol layer completes the mutual conversion between device behavior status and hardware communication data. Specifically, the telescope hardware protocol layer is used to encode telescope hardware control commands into hardware command frames according to the hardware protocol, and decode hardware response frames into telescope hardware status parameters.

[0028] The telescope hardware communication layer is used to receive hardware response frames and send hardware command frames, completing the data interaction between the local computer and the various hardware components of the telescope.

[0029] The execution module is used to plan and execute complex observation tasks. Typically, observation tasks include real-time guidance and orbit guidance. In real-time guided observation tasks, the remote control system continuously sends the target position and corresponding time in advance (with a short lead time). The observation task planning and execution module then performs coordinate analysis and time matching to ultimately achieve guided observation; for example... Figure 4 As shown, in the orbit-guided observation mission, the remote control system sends the target orbit to the local telescope control software system in advance. The observation mission planning and execution module breaks down the complete observation mission into basic setting instructions such as setting exposure time, opening and closing the dome, opening and closing the lens cap, and opening and closing the derotation, as well as basic guidance instructions based on time and target pointing.

[0030] In this embodiment of the invention, the local network layer is a server, and the remote network layer and the simulated remote network layer are clients.

[0031] like Figure 5 As shown, the local software system needs to support one or more remote control systems, but the simulated remote network layer has only one instance. Therefore, in this embodiment of the invention, the connection pool of the local network layer includes two parts: a remote communication connection pool and a local communication unit. The remote communication connection pool maintains connections to one or more remote control systems, while the local communication unit maintains connections to only a single network loopback address. The control protocol data units of the remote communication connection pool and the local communication unit are equivalent, sending data to the control command codec (the codec of the telescope protocol layer) to achieve final control.

[0032] This invention uses a photoelectric telescope control software system as an example. The telescope control functions involved include time synchronization communication, fixed-point guidance, constant-velocity guidance, star tracking, satellite mission execution, lens cover opening and closing, secondary mirror focusing, derotation control, and power control. The software control interface (i.e., the local user interface layer) has control functions for the aforementioned hardware. The communication protocol is a binary structure and includes the control capabilities of the hardware. Furthermore, time information, encoder values, lens cover status, secondary mirror focusing value, derotation angle, and power-on status are all displayed on the interface.

[0033] The hardware systems and status information mentioned in the embodiments of this invention are only examples of typical application scenarios. The actual hardware control and status display may be more, less, or slightly different from the embodiments of this invention.

[0034] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

[0035] The specific embodiments of the present invention described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of the present invention. Any other corresponding changes and modifications made in accordance with the technical concept of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A telescope control system with a remote communication protocol self-verification function, characterized in that, include: Remote control system, telescope control software system, and the controlled telescope; The telescope control software system includes, in sequence, a local user interface layer, an analog remote network protocol layer, an analog remote network layer, a local network layer, a local network protocol layer, a telescope hardware protocol layer, and a telescope hardware communication layer; it also includes observation task planning and execution modules that are connected to the local network protocol layer and the telescope hardware protocol layer, respectively. The local user interface layer is used to control the telescope and provide information display functions; the analog remote network protocol layer is used to encode user control commands into control protocol data units and decode status protocol data units; the analog remote network layer and the local network layer are used to interact with the control protocol data units and status protocol data units and establish a communication connection; the local network protocol layer is used to decode the control protocol data units sent by the client and encode the device status data into status protocol data units. The telescope hardware protocol layer is used to encode hardware control commands into hardware command frames and decode hardware response frames into telescope hardware status parameters; the telescope hardware communication layer is used to receive hardware response frames and send hardware command frames. The observation task planning and execution module is used to plan and execute observation tasks; The remote control system is connected to the local network layer and is used to remotely operate the telescope.

2. The telescope control system with remote communication protocol self-verification function as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The remote control system includes a remote network layer, which is connected to the local network layer; The remote network layer has the same function as the simulated remote network layer.

3. The telescope control system with remote communication protocol self-verification function as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The telescope control software system has a remote communication interface, which can be used to control the telescope via remote network control or a user interface.

4. The telescope control system with remote communication protocol self-verification function as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The simulated remote network protocol layer uses the same communication protocol as the remote control system.

5. The telescope control system with remote communication protocol self-verification function as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The encoding and decoding functions of the simulated remote network protocol layer and the local network protocol layer, as well as the local network protocol layer and the remote control system, are all inverse operations of each other for the same communication protocol.

6. The telescope control system with remote communication protocol self-verification function as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The local network protocol layer divides the control protocol data unit into two parts: simple control and observation task. The simple control is single instruction and single action control, while the observation task is a series of controls.

7. The telescope control system with remote communication protocol self-verification function as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The connection pool of the local network layer consists of two parts: a remote communication connection pool and a local communication unit. The remote communication connection pool maintains the connection of one or more remote control systems, while the local communication unit maintains the connection of only a single network loopback address.

8. The telescope control system with remote communication protocol self-verification function as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The control protocol data units of the remote communication connection pool and the local communication unit are equivalent in function.

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