C2A-AOBC

Overview

• C2A-AOBC is the flight software for the AOCS module developed by ISSL/UT, Seiren, and JAXA.
• Support environments
  • For real AOBC (Attitude On Board Computer)
    • vMicro + Visual Studio 2019
  • For SILS test
    • S2E-AOBC v5.0.0
  • Telemetry/Command interface
    • WINGS v2.1.0
• How to use
  • The main developers of the AOCS module directly use this repository to add new features and improve the module.
  • General users of the AOCS module do not need to use and edit this repository directly. They need to create a project-specific repository and define spacecraft-specific parameters within the repository.

Release style

• We use Semantic Versioning 2.0.0 as the versioning style
  • Basic version format is <major>.<minor>.<patch>(like 4.0.0)
  • Public API is declared in the code itself (currently, there is no definitive list)
• All releases should be tagged as v<semver>(like v4.0.0)

For general users

How to make a project-specific repository

• Please refer c2a-aobc-example repository.
• Users can fork or copy of this example repository.
• We also have manuals to construct SILS test environment. Please visit the Google Drive to find the manuals.
  • Sorry, but we only have manuals written in Japanese now. We need help to translate them.

How to join the development of this repository

• When general users add new features or remove this repository's bugs, please make upstream pull requests from a forked repository.
• Before making PRs, please carefully read the following Development style for main developers.
• If you have any questions, please feel free to ask us.

Note

• The term body-fixed frame in the codes and tlm/cmd database means the body-fixed frame of the AOCS module. It does not necessarily coincide with the body-fixed frame of your satellite.

For main developers

How to clone the repository

• This repository includes c2a-core and tlm-cmd-generator as the git submodule. Please use the following commands to construct the directory.

  $ git clone git@github.com:ut-issl/c2a-aobc.git
  $ cd c2a-aobc/
  $ git submodule init
  $ git submodule update
  

• Or use the following commands to clone the repository.

  $ git clone --recursive git@github.com:ut-issl/c2a-aobc.git
  

• After the clone, please execute the following script file for the local setting of git.
  • Windows: RUN_AFTER_CLONE.bat
  • Mac: RUN_AFTER_CLONE.command

How to construct the development environment for real AOBC

1. Install Arduino IDE

   • Install Arduino
   • Launch Arduino project
   • Add board setting
     • メニューバー＞ファイル＞環境設定
     • Add the following description to the additional board manager's URL
       • https://github.com/chipKIT32/chipKIT-core/raw/master/package_chipkit_index.json
   • Install ChipKIT
     • メニューバー＞ツール＞ボード＞ボードマネージャ
     • Click Install of chipKIT

2. Add board definition file

   • Open C:\Users\^^^\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\chipKIT\hardware\pic32\2.1.0 directory
     • NOTE This directory name is changed by the PC environment
   • Open board.txt, and move to the end of the line.
   • Open c2a-aobc/settings/board.txt
   • Copy all contents and paste them to the end of the 2.1.0\board.txt.
   • Save and close the 2.1.0\board.txt.
   • Copy c2a-aobc/settings/MXL795 directory and paste to the \2.1.0\variants directory

3. Install Visual Studio 2019 and vMicro

   • TBW

4. Setting of vMicro

   • Open C2A_AOBC.sln
   • Select 拡張機能>vMicro and set it as follows.
     • IDE: Arduino 1.6/1.8
     • Board: PIC32MX795F512L(80MHz)
     • Port: depends on your environment
     • NOTE If you cannot include DTWI.h and DSPI.h and cannot build, add DTWI and DSPI from Add Library>Current Platform in vMicro settings.

How to edit TLM/CMD (Telemetry/Command)

1. Edit TLM/CMD DB in c2a-aobc/database/
   • Please find detailed information on How to use TLM/CMD DB.
2. Execute tools/tlm_cmd_generator and generate source codes.
   • How to use tlm-cmd-generator
   • Just use the version specified in the submodule.
   • It is set to read tools/tlm_cmd_gen_config.json as the config file.

Development style

• Repository settings

  • Branch structure

    - main        # The latest operation guaranteed codes for general users
    - develop     # The latest buildable codes for S2E primary developers
    - feature/*   # Developing codes
    - hotfix/*    # Bug Fix codes
    

  • Push to main and develop is prohibited. All developers have to develop with feature/* or hotfix/* branch and make a pull request.

• Flow of development

  1. Make a feature/* branch from the develop branch.
     • To fix the small bugs in the latest release codes, please make hotfix/* branch from the main branch.
  2. Edit, commit, and push in the branch.
     • Please check the coding conventions and the code format in the next section.
  3. Create a new pull request to the develop branch.
     • The target branch becomes the main branch for the hotfix/* branches.
  4. A maintainer reviews the pull request. If some problems are found, the maintainer proposes modifications.
  5. According to the maintainer's proposal, the developer modifies the codes and goes back to 3.
  6. The maintainer merges the feature/* branch with the develop branch.
  7. The code owners decide to merge the develop branch to the main branch and release a new version.

• Binary files

  • Binary file commit is prohibited.
  • Please write the link to such files, or make a script file to get the files.
  • Exception
    • Images for markdown document files are allowable when the file size is smaller than 200K Bytes.

Coding conventions

• Please follow the Coding rule of c2a-core
• Please also care about the AOCS-specific rules as follows.
  • Add unit information in the name of variables and functions
  • Add frame information in the name of variables and functions
    • eci: Earth Center Inertia frame
    • body: Body-fixed frame (body frame of AOBC module)
    • compo: Component frame
  • For abbreviations, please see the ISSL internal document.

Tips

• When using vMicro, setting the Visual Studio to display by folders instead of filters makes it easier to use.
• For build errors when SILS test with S2E, try the following operations first.
  • Perform git submodule update.
  • Delete CMake cache of S2E.

Used Projects

Project Name	Developer	Launch	Refs
SPHERE-1 EYE	Sony Group Corporation and ISSL, UT	2023	Sekine 2023
ONGLAISAT	ISSL, UT	-	Ikari 2022

Brief history of development

History

• 21st Jan. 2021: Development started in a private repository at GitLab.
• 03rd Mar. 2023: Move to a private repository at GitHub to prepare to publish as OSS
• 14th Jul. 2023: Convert to a public repository.

Contributors in the GitLab repository

• ISSL, UT
  • Satoshi Ikari: 963 commits
  • Ryo Suzumoto: 367 commits
  • Takayuki Hosonuma: 352 commits
  • Toshihiro Suzuki: 341 commits
  • Hirotaka Sekine: 242 commits
  • Toshio Imamura: 149 commits
  • Masahiro Fujiwara: 129 commits
  • Yutaro Ito: 55 commits
  • Riki Nakamura: 14 commits
  • Yoshinari Gyu: 13 commits
• ArkEdge Space Inc.
  • sksat: 8 commits

Publications

1. S. Ikari, and et al., "Development of Compact and Highly Capable Integrated AOCS Module for CubeSats", Journal of Evolving Space Activities, vol. 1, ID 63, 2023. Link
2. H. Sekine, and et al., "Development of Software-In-the-Loop Simulator and Hardware-In-the-Loop Simulator of AOCS Module for CubeSats", 34th ISTS, Kurume, 2023. Link