Space vehicle field unit and ground station system
A field unit and ground station may use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components and share a common architecture, where differences in functionality are governed by software. The field units and ground stations may be easy to deploy, relatively inexpensive, and be relatively easy to operate. A novel file system may be used where datagrams of a file may be stored across multiple drives and/or devices. The datagrams may be received out of order and reassembled at the receiving device.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
at least one hardware board configured to enable operation of the apparatus as a field unit and a ground station, wherein
software controls whether the apparatus operates as a field unit or a ground station without physical modification to the at least one hardware board.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one hardware board comprises:
an analog radio board configured to send and receive radio signals via an antenna;
a digital radio board configured to interface with the analog radio board and provide digital radio functionality;
a microcontroller board configured to provide processing for the apparatus; and
a backplane that connects the analog radio board, digital radio board, and microcontroller board, facilitating communication between the boards.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein dimensions of the apparatus are approximately four inches by four inches by two inches (4×4×2).
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a universal serial bus (USB) port, an Ethernet port, a power port, an external antenna connector, or any combination thereof.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a protective enclosure configured to provide protection from weather.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a twisted pair cable port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, a general purpose input/output (GPIO) port, and an N-connector port configured to receive a radio frequency (RF) signal.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the software controlling whether the apparatus operates as a field unit or a ground station is stored on an external storage device that can be plugged into the apparatus, which then reads and executes the stored software.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
hardware configured to enable wired or wireless communication, wherein
the hardware downloads the software to enable operation of the apparatus as a field unit or a ground station.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein encryption keys enabling security privileges on a per-user basis are stored on the apparatus and used by the software.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured to be controlled by a local or remote external computer.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured to control orientation of an antenna via a rotor control box, and to send data to and receive data from a space vehicle via a transceiver box.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is attached to an antenna or integrated with a rotor of the antenna.
13. A field unit/ground station (FU/GS) box, comprising:
an analog radio board configured to send and receive radio signals via an antenna;
a digital radio board configured to interface with the analog radio board and provide digital radio functionality;
a microcontroller board configured to provide processing for the FU/GS box; and
a backplane that connects the analog radio board, digital radio board, and microcontroller board, facilitating communication between the boards, wherein
software controls whether the FU/GS box operates as a field unit or a ground station without physical modification to the boards.
14. The FU/GS box of claim 13 , further comprising:
a protective enclosure configured to provide protection from weather.
15. The FU/GS box of claim 13 , wherein the software controlling whether the FU/GS box operates as a field unit or a ground station is stored on an external storage device that can be plugged into the FU/GS box, which then reads and executes the stored software.
16. The FU/GS box of claim 13 , further comprising:
hardware configured to enable wired or wireless communication, wherein
the hardware downloads the software to enable operation of the FU/GS box as a field unit or a ground station.
17. A system, comprising:
at least one field unit; and
at least one ground station, wherein
the at least one field unit and the at least one ground station have common hardware.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein software controls whether the at least one field unit and the at least one ground station operate as a field unit or a ground station.
19. The system of claim 17 , wherein each of the at least one field unit and the at least one ground station comprises:
an analog radio board configured to send and receive radio signals via an antenna;
a digital radio board configured to interface with the analog radio board and provide digital radio functionality;
a microcontroller board configured to provide processing for the field unit or ground station; and
a backplane that connects the analog radio board, digital radio board, and microcontroller board, facilitating communication between the boards.