Software support for testing command reception and transmission and telemetry analysis in the command-and-measuring system

In this article, the authors describe creation of software for spacecraft’s command and measuring system of onboard equipment test preparation and conduction. The command and measuring system performs data exchange between the Earth and onboard control complexes with the help of two data types: telecommands and telemetry. The software is designed to solve the task of the command transmission and their execution control in accordance with the telemetry frame values. It expands the possibilities of the control and measuring equipment’s software complex implemented in JSC “Information satellite system” named after academician M. F. Reshetnev”. The authors have the set of tasks and identified the main functions of test preparation and conduction that require software support. For this purpose, we have built a simulation model of the onboard equipment’s command and measuring system function during command reception and transmission. The model contains a set of subsystems’ software simulators demonstrating the logics of the command and measuring system’s work and the algorithms of data interaction between the onboard systems and the Earth control complex. The authors have described realization of the software functions identified on the basis of the simulation model: creation of the telemetry command and structure base, setting of the ways to display fields, creation of the list of commands, reference values and parameters of transmission, test conduction and analysis of command execution in accordance with the telemetry frames. Our software allows preparing and conducting tests. In order to prepare tests, the onboard equipment designer creates a command base in a graphic editor. On the basis of the command base, he creates different test procedures, choosing commands, tuning transmission, setting commutation interfaces, command respond waiting time, number of repetitions, ways of transmission, the controlled fields and telemetry values. The software performs the formulated test procedures both in auto and manual mode. While conducting tests, the software controls the telemetry parameters by the set limit conditions and demonstrates the results of the analysis. For the purpose of test visualization, the authors have designed a command reception and transmission monitoring window. The window displays the list of commands, time of their transmission and execution response, as well as the reference values of the set telemetry parameters. The data are constantly updated in accordance with the current condition of tests and the incoming telemetry packages. The designed software subsystems provide clarity of building complex sequences of test procedures of command reception and transmission, as well as simplicity and correctness of the results display.