Migration of a real-time optimal-control algorithm from MATLAB TM to Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)

Abstract

This thesis presents an overarching plan to migrate a time-optimal spacecraft control algorithm from the MATLABTM development environment into an FPGA-based embedded-platform development board. Research at the Naval Postgraduate School has produced a revolutionary time-optimal spacecraft control algorithm based upon the Legendre Pseudospectral method. Currently, the control algorithm is dependent on the MATLABTM environment, a fourth generation language (4GL). 4GLs are powerful high-level abstraction and development tools, but are not efficiently instantiated into an embedded system. This study establishes three distinct development phases to migrate the algorithm from 4GL dependency to embedded operation. The first phase removes the algorithm's dependency on the 4GL environment by translating the algorithm into the C programming language. The second development phase compiles and embeds the algorithm into an FPGA-based development board. The final development phase introduces a custom computing machine (CCM) instantiated in an FPGA to reduce the control calculation time, thereby broadening the algorithm's potential application.