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OFF-THE-SHELF, 'OPEN' SOFTWARE USED TO CONTROL AND MONITOR ALL ONBOARD HARDWARE
GE Fanuc's off-the-shelf 'open' software has been chosen by COLEM Communications Limited to provide fully automated control for SISLink's new uPod mobile ground stations for satellite news gathering. With the capability to start transmission within 6 minutes of start-up, the satellite search procedure requires nothing more than the press of a 'Deploy' icon. The all-new SISLink uPod Transportable Ground Station has been designed for high reliability, mobile satellite news gathering throughout the world, avoiding the need for an on-board telecommunications engineer. Currently fitted to a sturdy Mercedes Vito van, the predominantly off-the-shelf hardware has been carefully selected to produce an overall system that is light in weight compared to existing solutions. The antenna and transmission system and its control unit are located on the roof, the rest of the hardware and petrol driven redundant power generators are stowed in the rear of the vehicle. The van needs no special customisation apart from fixture bolt holes. CCL has designed the automation of the entire ground station system, with valuable control expertise provided by GE Fanuc. GE Fanuc Proficy HMI/SCADA iFIX monitors and controls all the local hardware units in the ground station, including the Antenna Control Unit, Beacon Receiver, Satellite Modem, Encoder, Up Converter, High Power Amplifier and electrical power generator. Martin Coleman, Director and Senior Engineer at CCL explained: 'The 'open' design of the off-the-shelf control software provided standardised interfaces with all the disparate hardware systems. All we had to do was to write straightforward drivers to communicate with each unit. Users have the comfort of knowing that the software is supported by one of the world leaders in automation software.' The Proficy HMI/SCADA iFIX control and monitoring software resides on a rugged computer in the central compartment of the vehicle. Once the computer is running, the 'Deploy' icon is either pressed on the touchscreen or on a local handheld PDA. The automation software controls the rest. The ACU in the roof 'pod' calculates the position and orientation of the vehicle via compass and GPS readings. Transmission details and other information from HQ that was stored during a previous broadcast via a Data Modem is then automatically updated to ensure that the next booking is correct, giving the time and satellite details for the day's broadcasting time-slot. Meanwhile, the 1.2 metre diameter lightweight antenna unfolds on the roof, then using the position finding data it rotates and adjusts its inclination automatically until it locks onto the booked satellite. The system is then ready to transmit during the dedicated time slot. Depending on the importance of the broadcast, additional levels of redundancy can be built into the vehicle. Normally supplied as a single thread transmitting station, a dual feed system is easily field-mounted on the roof by adding a second 'pod', with the software providing automatic change over in the event of any hardware glitch in the system. A second petrol driven electrical power generator can also be installed alongside the standard unit in the rear of the vehicle.
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