ESPRESSO instrument control electronics: a PLC based distributed layout for a second generation instrument at ESO VLT

V. Baldini; R. Cirami; I. Coretti; S. Cristiani; P. Di Marcantonio; M. Mannetta; P. Santin; D. Mégevand; F. Zerbi

doi:10.1117/12.2054896

25 July 2014 ESPRESSO instrument control electronics: a PLC based distributed layout for a second generation instrument at ESO VLT

V. Baldini, R. Cirami, I. Coretti, S. Cristiani, P. Di Marcantonio, M. Mannetta, P. Santin, D. Mégevand, F. Zerbi

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9152, Software and Cyberinfrastructure for Astronomy III; 915228 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2054896
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2014, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

ESPRESSO is an ultra-stable fiber-fed spectrograph designed to combine incoherently the light coming from up to 4 Unit Telescopes of the ESO VLT. From the Nasmyth focus of each telescope the light, through an optical path, is fed by the Coudé Train subsystems to the Front End Unit placed in the Combined Coudé Laboratory. The Front End is composed by one arm for each telescope and its task is to convey the incoming light, after a calibration process, into the spectrograph fibers. To perform these operations a large number of functions are foreseen, like motorized stages, lamps, digital and analog sensors that, coupled with dedicated Technical CCDs (two per arms), allow to stabilize the incoming beam up to the level needed to exploit the ESPRESSO scientific requirements. The Instrument Control Electronics goal is to properly control all the functions in the Combined Coudé Laboratory and the spectrograph itself. It is fully based on a distributed PLC architecture, abandoning in this way the VME-based technology previously adopted for the ESO VLT instruments. In this paper we will describe the ESPRESSO Instrument Control Electronics architecture, focusing on the distributed layout and its interfaces with the other ESPRESSO subsystems.

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V. Baldini, R. Cirami, I. Coretti, S. Cristiani, P. Di Marcantonio, M. Mannetta, P. Santin, D. Mégevand, and F. Zerbi "ESPRESSO instrument control electronics: a PLC based distributed layout for a second generation instrument at ESO VLT", Proc. SPIE 9152, Software and Cyberinfrastructure for Astronomy III, 915228 (25 July 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2054896

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