ITER Remote Handling Conference - ENEA Frascati - February 26th, 2010 PROMETEO Presentation Contents: 1.Mission 2.Main product lines 3.Skills 4.Teaming.

ITER Remote Handling Conference - ENEA Frascati - February 26th, 2010

PROMETEO

Presentation Contents:1. Mission2. Main product lines3. Skills4. Teaming Approach

presentation held by:ing. Maurizio Forcieri - President

SkyTech for ITER Remote Handling


The CompanyPROMETEO

Since its establishment in 1995, SkyTech has been dedicated to high-tech professional electronics, with operations in diverse market segments: scientific research, aerospace, defense, railway and ship automation, civil engineering, etc.

SkyTech’s typical product consists of hardware and embedded realtime software.

Its business is a well-balanced mix of own products and services. We call “products” those in which trademark, IP, and rights of reproduction, belong to SkyTech, even though they are most often developed in a partnership with research or industrial Bodies. We call “services” those in which trademark, IP, or rights of reproduction, are retained by the (typically industrial) Customer, even though most often SkyTech commit to deliver a fully engineered and functional “product” on a turn-key basis.

SkyTech is 100% privately owned and managed by three electronics engineers with senior experience, directly involved in the operations; and employs a lean (≈10 heads) but stable and strongly committed workforce of graduated and diplomed engineers. The FY2008 turnover was in the order of 1 Million €.

In brief, we can define SkyTech a small manufacturing industry, with a flexible approach to problem-solving that allows to cater on the one hand with production in small series (up to a few thousand identical units) without harm to the compliance required for unique R&D projects (prototypes).


This equipment is designed to control and manage the most sophisticated scientific CCD detectors worldwide. It was developed jointly with the top researchers in the Italian astronomic scientific community, and was manufactured in several tens (with continuing evolutions) for all major Italian astronomic observatories

Thanks to its architecture, powerful and flexible DSP firmware and high speed optical fiber communication link, this is the state-of-the-art in CCD controllers on the market.

SkyTech’s CCD controller is also available in a special version with high frame rate, low latency interfaces to acquire images from a wavefront sensor and deliver data to a fast controller for adaptive optics.

Video Cameras


The Telescope Power Control provides a remotely controlled power drive to actuators typically associated with the focal plane of a Telescope (CCD detector & camera active thermal control, filter wheels, shutters, brakes, etc…)

Owing to the complex logistics associated with shared multi-user Observatory facilities located in the Southern hemisphere, remote control is web-based

Remote Camera Control


SkyTech develop spacecraft OBCs (more broadly “OBDH” = OnBoard Data Handling equipment) that meet the performance and environmental specifications issued by prime contractors such as Thales Alenia Space

The OBC is not just digital hardware: it is an “integrated platform controller” in one box, that include acquisition and conditioning of signals from analogue sensors, as well as power electronics to drive actuators

Although SkyTech commit to deliver on a turn-key basis, the design in progress is shared weekly if not daily with the industrial Customer in a kind of “concurrent engineering” approach

The resources required for SkyTech to handle flight hardware are available now (skilled staff) or will be available soon (clean room)

OBDH for Spacecraft


This test equipment carries out the complete simulation and test of an ASTR (Autonomous Star Tracker) that determine the spacecraft attitude autonomously onboard, based on pattern-matching against a stored catalogue of constellations.

The Test Equipment exercises the ASTR by means of a real-time dynamic simulation of the sky background, both when the spacecraft is 3-axis stabilised, and during acquisition, manœuvers, and attitude loss

The product was delivered in several sets and in both versions: for conventional CCD- as well as for more advanced Active Pixel Sensor (APS) i.e. CMOS sensors

Optical Sensors Simulation & Test (1 of 2)


This device allows a thorough test of an APSS (Active Pixel Sun Sensor) for spacecraft

The system is used to check the satellite’s attitude control system by means of a real-time simulation of the Sun position relative to the spacecraft body

The front-end hardware stands vacuum thanks to conduction-cooling and proper choice of non-outgassing materials (e.g. no Cadmium!)

Optical Sensors Simulation & Test (2 of 2)


This interactive cockpit-mounted MMI, also thanks to satellite navigation, allows a central Control Station to track a fleet of public buses, and manage operations in urban areas

New generation under development, applicable to vehicles that carry hazardous freight or waste

(This product is not directly relevant to ITER as such; nevertheless it is shown here just to prove SkyTech’s capability to series manufacturing, as it was made in some 6,000 units and is still going on: for instance, after a pre-series, the plastic housing in the fully industrialised version is sub-let by SkyTech to a Chinese factory)

Series Products – Info-Mobility Devices


Control & Power Electronics for spacecraft Hall-effect Thruster (HET) with high voltage output programmable up to 350 Vdc in steps of 1.5 V, <200 mV ripple, <2 ms transient recovery time; efficiency ranging from 79% @ 100 Vdc, up to 94% @ 350 Vdc

Spacecraft Control & Power


Experimental plasma torch developed jointly with ALTA for hazardous waste pyrolisis

Main features (control & power electronics):

• igniter (air + Argon) with a 70 mm gap between electrodes

• keeper power supply 30 A @ 150 Vdc (open circuit 600 Vdc), 10 Ω impedance; 3-phase mains, 32 A @ 380 Vac

• main power supply 270 A @ 65 Vdc (open circuit 150 Vdc) adjustable in 5% steps; 3-phase mains, 70 A @ 380 Vac

• microprocessor in charge of dynamic discharge control

Control & Power for Plasma Torch


ATC = Attrezzatura di Test per Cannoni = test equipment for guns Oto Melara 76/62 e 40/70, used for onboard periodic check and retrofit (post-sales service)

Main function is the simulation of the gun control console w.r.t.

azimuth & elevation (fast & slow, coarse & fine) either through the Datore di Moto, or directly through 4 synchro channels, in 3 modes:

•manually, by means of a joystick;

•linked to a gyro-stabilised CCTV-camera, for gun alignment and shot spread tests, and

•in closed-loop to chase a quasi-static target, identified by video processing, under the ship’s own pitch and roll

arm/safe/fire

Guns Test Bench


Main features (onboard GN&C power drive electronics): silent drive thanks to careful choice of the frequencies, and frequency spreading of the PWM, followed by acoustic tests

Main features (test bench): test the Control & Guidance System SCG (“Sistema di Controllo e Guida”) of the NSP (“Nuovo Siluro Pesante”) torpedo, from a functional, interface, and EMC point of view, including burn-in test, simulated launch, pre-launch setup through umbilical connection and simultaneous realtime operation of all onboard sensors (pressure, furrow, acoustic, guidance wire including metallised tags etc.) as well as torpedo dynamics simulation (e.g. realtime behaviour of guidance fins)

Torpedo GN&C Electronics & Test Bench


SkyTech’s RV33 is a state-of-the-art γ-radiation doserate monitoring system for fixed and mobile installations. It is a typical “dual-use” product that can meet both civil and military applications requirements, with unique features:

• a wide γ-doserate range (8 decades) with a single Geiger-Müller tube, limiting the discharge thanks to an active electronic quenching without quenching gas (this grants a very long life well over 30 years under normal doserate)

• built-in calibration source exempt of shine-through (very low activity β-emitter, can be handled easily) that can be commanded remotely: calibration data are stored onboard NV-RAM and exploited to adjust the raw measurements online

• rugged, watertight construction according to Navy’s specs, stands ElectroMagnetic Pulse (EMP), vibrations & shock, and decontamination

Product derived, by agreement with Ital Elettronica, from that implemented in 1200+ units for the nation-wide radio-activity monitoring network

Gamma-Doserate Monitoring System


In the late 1990s SkyTech was heavily involved in INFN’s APE parallel processing development

This experience may turn useful when designing the processor array (whether general-purpose or unique) for the huge computational load required in some ITER subsystems

Moreover SkyTech has access to a shared supercomputing facility recently installed at La Spezia for use by local hi-tech industry – this could also be useful e.g. as a host for simulation, prototyping and tuning control algorithms for ITER Remote Handling, ahead of physical implementation which may require ad hoc solutions

Background in Parallel Processing


Hardware:• intelligent digital modules equipped with microprocessors

or DSP• ASICs and FPGAs development• special high-speed data acquisition and processing• integration/training support equipment• high accuracy, low noise conditioning, multiplexing, and

ADCs modules• special sensors and sensor networks• communications equipment• special power supplies and power drive electronics• harness (copper or optical), physical integration in racks

and casesSoftware:• high-level software requirements analysis and specification• microprocessor and DSP firmware development• low-level (embedded) software development• ISA/PCI drivers development• multi-tasking and graphic packages for CCD controllers• real-time packages for special applicationsClean room under construction

Generic Skills


Drawing on the above mentioned products and skills, we believe that in ITER RH, SkyTech may be a useful partner to institutional and industrial leaders for:

• Cameras, incl. high resolution, high frame rate, radiation-hard electronics

• Processing electronics, including heavily parallel arrays

• Actuator power drive electronics, including high voltage

• Simulation & test benches

• Monitoring arrays

• … … … …

SkyTech aim at fair opportunities in both (i) R&D, and then also (ii) supplies; nevertheless, having regard to potential industrial policy constraints, SkyTech is willing to undertake contract R&D at reasonable terms and conditions as a “problem-solver” for unique items.

Depending on the procurement level under the Work Breakdown Structure, on the complexity and mix of engineering skills, technologies, manufacturing volume, logistics, and on the consequent financial effort required, SkyTech may tender on its own or jointly with other Bodies

SkyTech attitude w.r.t. ITER RH


Thanks for your attention!

SkyTech S.r.l. C.S.T. Centro Sviluppo Tecnologico

via delle Pianazze, 74 – 19036 La Spezia phone:+39.0187.984100 – fax:+39.0187.943528

mobile: ++39-338-6517117e-mail:[email protected]

web: www.skytechnologies.it

ITER Remote Handling Conference - ENEA Frascati - February 26th, 2010 PROMETEO Presentation Contents: 1.Mission 2.Main product lines 3.Skills 4.Teaming.

Documents

remote control

spacecraft slide

remote camera control

test equipment

spacecraft attitude

telescope power control

spacecraft body

spacecraft obcs