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Functional verification of the Aalto AIS receiver payload for nanosatellite applications
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School of Electrical Engineering |
Master's thesis
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en
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54
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Abstract
The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is a radio beacon and communication standard used in maritime traffic to aid in collision avoidance, and increase the overall situational awareness for both vessels and coastal authorities. Terrestrial implementations of the AIS saw a significant increase in maritime safety, which resulted in proposals to extend the area of application and develop satellite systems with AIS receivers. These satellite based receivers extend ship tracking capabilities to remote areas of the Earth and supplement the existing terrestrial AIS network. An AIS receiver payload intended for use in nanosatellite missions is developed at Aalto University as a technological demonstration of AIS signal reception using a low-power Software Defined Radio (SDR) receiver.
This thesis focuses on updating the existing payload interface design as well as performing functional verification tests on the receiver system. The design modifications are implemented using Printed Circuit Board design software, KiCAD, as well as the STM32CubeIDE programming environment for firmware updates in the C language. The design updates ensure that the payload is compatible with the Aalto Foresail satellite avionics platform, also designed by Aalto University. Subsequently, the updated payload is subjected to a functional verification campaign where each subsystem is verified individually. The individual tests are performed in laboratory conditions and culminate in a general performance demonstration and characterisation of the receiver payload. Reception tests on the entire system were performed at various locations around the Helsinki metropolitan area where real AIS traffic is expected.
The results demonstrate a functional receiver system with each processing step verified individually and the entire system tested to be compatible with the Aalto Foresail avionics platform. The field tests show that the payload is able to track ships using real AIS messages from vessels near the Helsinki shoreline. Furthermore, the sensitivity measurements provide a confidence in the reception ability of the Aalto AIS receiver payload in its intended environment of a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).