Implementation of FPGA-Based Controller in Automatic Control System Platform for Launch Site

Abstract

To develop an FPGA-based controller, we proposed the architecture and implementation schemes for the controller and determined the technical indexes for the design. The schemes include the board layout and design of the logic daughter card for the architecture of the FPGA-based controller. To improve reliability, self-diagnosis and self-protection circuits are included in the controller design. The data communication design mainly consists of backplane serial data communication, a 422/485 serial data communication daughter card, and an I/O daughter card. We developed a prototype controller and established a propellant loading prototype control system for a space launch site. Experimental results show that the performance of the designed FPGA-based controller meets the major technical indexes. The controller is then compared with existing PLCs. The comparison shows that the FPGA-based controller has higher reliability, faster response time, and better performance.