KEYWORDS: Systems modeling, Antennas, Prototyping, Performance modeling, Signal processing, Electromagnetic coupling, Associative arrays, Digital signal processing, Radio telescopes, Databases
In the context of the LOFAR preliminary design phase and in particular for the specification of the Station Digital Processing (SDP), a performance/cost model of the system was used. We present
here the framework and the trajectory followed in this phase when going from requirements to specification.
In the phased array antenna concepts for the next generation of radio telescopes (LOFAR, ATA, SKA) signal processing (multi-beaming and RFI mitigation) replaces the large antenna dishes. The embedded systems for these telescopes are major infrastructure cost items. Moreover, the flexibility and overall performance of the instrument depend greatly on them, therefore alternative solutions need to be investigated. In particular, the technology and the various data transport selections play a fundamental role in the optimization of the architecture.
We proposed a formal method [1] of exploring these alternatives that has been followed during the SDP developments. Different scenarios were compared for the specification of the application (selection of the algorithms as well as detailed signal processing techniques) and in the specification of the system architecture (selection of high level topologies, platforms and components). It gave us inside knowledge on the possible trade-offs in the application and architecture domains. This was successful in providing firm basis for the design choices that are demanded by technical review committees.
For the new generation of radio telescopes based on phased array principles, the complexity of the embedded systems is growing. The main changes are a very high bandwidth, multi-beaming, RFI suppression and scaling to thousands of elements. To handle the complexity and to facilitate the optimum design of a very large system, a high level architecture model is needed. The architecture exploration at system level is of high value, as it orients the intermediate and detailed design steps of a telescope. Moreover, the impact of detailed application selections should be visible at an early stage of the system design. Therefore we propose to improve the quality of the system models using possible combinations of processing and routing up to board and component levels to model generic hardware blocks. The blocks are connected at various levels of abstraction to the application process network. The model of the system architecture presented here is consequently derived from the high level system description and simulation, refined and scaled up using modular hardware blocks as mapping targets. The exercise allowed comparisons of telescope schemes for the station digital processing and the correlation based on existing and tested generic blocks.
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