The ATST base: command-action-response in action

Abstract

The Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) Common Services Framework (CSF) provides the technical framework necessary to quickly and easily develop applications implementing the command-action-response model. The ATST Base builds on top of CSF and provides applications that, with a few modifications, can be dropped into a telescope control system or an instrument control system. This is done by extending the CSF Controller and writing applications that perform some of the common tasks needed by telescope and instrument control systems. This paper includes a general look at the Hardware Controller and an in-depth look at the Management Controller and Motion Controller classes. Telescope and instrument control systems typically have multiple axes of motion that need to be coordinated. Management Controllers allow a simple command to be given to a single Controller and then aggregated to multiple worker Controllers who can perform multiple actions. Management Controllers aggregate the state and status of their workers. The workers may be of the same type (e.g., multiple servo control systems) or of different types (e.g., two different servo controllers, a hexapod controller, digital I/O controller and a camera controller). Most users of turnkey motion control solutions use only a few of the commands that the motion control system provides. The ATST Base Motion Controller abstracts the hardware, and provides a simple interface (focusing on a few common instructions) to use in controlling different types of motion stages.