DTS E2E Phases

In the broad reaching landscape of ground-based telemetry systems, locking, tracking, capturing, and receiving of the radiated signal from the source is the tip of the spear. This phase of the telemetering process is called “Acquisition,” and it involves a variety of systems and equipment to maintain fidelity of the source signal and ensure mission critical data can be captured, aligned, and moved through the telemetry pipeline. After the signal is transmitted from the source, the responsibility of the ground-based systems starts at the Antenna, to lock onto and track the RF signal being transmitted. At this point the captured signal is amplified, filtered, and distributed to telemetry Receivers and Bit Syncs for demodulation (and decoding) and alignment back to the signal’s original form. Often, multiple antennas and receivers acquire the same signal at various locations due to constant movement of the source or vehicle. In this instance, the quality of each received stream may vary due to a multitude of factors. In order to correlate all the received streams and output the best quality version of the data, a Best Source Selector is typically introduced into the acquisition sequence. Following the Acquisition of the signal, the data stream must then be transported to mission control rooms either locally or remotely, where the evolution of the telemetry cycle continues.

After acquiring the signal data, it is paramount for mission operators to have the ability to “Transport” the data on and between ranges. Many ranges still employ fiber and microwave links between each destination point of the telemetry pipeline, however, sometimes this data must be transported far distances that are not practical for hardline connections. It is typical in this instance that synchronous serial telemetry data is converted to Internet Protocol (IP) based telemetry (TM over IP, “TMoIP”), via devices such as PCM/Ethernet TMoIP Gateways and transported from telemetry acquisition sites to mission control rooms. Once the data reaches the control room, a second PCM/Ethernet TMoIP Gateway can be used to re-convert the data back into a synchronous serial telemetry stream for subsequent processing and display operations. Additionally, depending on the mission, operators may have the need to not only transport the data, but also convert between data formats. Using a conversion device, such as a Data Distribution System (DDS), meeting the demands of format switches between Ranges and Missions of varying architecture is easily resolved. These key resources ensure that data is distributed safely and efficiently where and when the mission is counting on it.

With the cost, risk, and time critical nature of each mission, operators cannot afford to miss even a single bit of data. While managing real-time data as it traverses the telemetry pipeline is at the forefront, it is equally important to capture and “record” mission data for archival, playback, and analysis tasks.

The primary purpose of telemetry recorders is to capture and store telemetry data generated during the testing and evaluation of aerospace systems, including missiles, aircraft, satellites, and spacecraft. The recorded telemetry data can then be played back and analyzed after a test or mission. This analysis is crucial for evaluating system performance, identifying anomalies, and making improvements. As with any telemetry data stream, the inputs/outputs, connectors, and transfer components can vary widely from mission to mission, or range to range. Advanced telemetry Recorders provide a litany of options to address both storage capacity and data requirements. Recorded data is faithfully reproduced during playback via native signal reconstruction or TMoIP over Ethernet. Additionally, as data rates climb and ranges integrate Ethernet-based architecture throughout the telemetry pipeline, other recording devices such as Ethernet Recorders can be utilized in a variety of high data rate, large capacity network streaming applications.

While data Acquisition and Transport are essential in safely gathering the source signal, it is at the “Processing” stage where the data is conditioned and converted into formats that are more easily interpreted by a human operator. The primary processing function takes the incoming signal from the transport medium and decommutates the PCM code, pulling out the encapsulated data, and applies engineering unit conversions prior to sending it to a display system. Telemetry Data Processing (TDP) systems provide industry leading designs focused on these functions and much more, with specialized PCI/PCIe card-based modules, mezzanines, and accessory panels available to meet every mission requirement.

Finally, after the Telemetry Data Processor has decommutated and converted the data signal into interpretable units, the data is sent to a “Display & Analysis” program for final visualization to the operators, engineers, or end customer. At the display system, simple (and some complex) mathematical “derived equations” might be performed and output onto various display types (i.e. charts, graphs, tables etc…) within a Graphical User Interface (GUI), such as the “Acroamatics Display and Analysis Tool (ADAT)” software. ADAT combines display, analysis, and operations tools into a widget-based dashboard environment. This allows for customized layouts featuring setup, status, & control widgets, alongside display and data visualization widgets. Various display widgets, including strip charts, bar charts, dials, and tabular data, are available. ADAT offers both real-time and playback modes, facilitating precise measurement analysis and data export. This compilation of visualization tools and widgets provides the end user insight to the onboard sensors and systems of the source vehicle for further observation, monitoring, and evaluation to aide in critical decision making for the mission or program.