• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.322-332
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• 2011

In this paper, we introduce the 1st performance evaluation of VLBI Correlation Subsystem (VCS) main product, which is core system of Korea-Japan Joint VLBI Correlator (KJJVC). The main goal of the 1st performance evaluation of VCS main product is that the perfection of overall system will be enhanced after checking the unsolved part by performing the experiments towards various test items at the manufacturer before installation of field. The functional test was performed by including the overflow problem occurred in the FFT re-quantization module due to the insufficient of effective bit at the VCS trial product in this performance test of VCS main product. Through the performance test for VCS main product in the factory, the problem such as FFT re-quantization discovered at performance test of VCS trial product in 2008 was clearly solved and the important functions such as delay tracking, daly compensation, and frequency bining were added in this VCS main product. We also confirmed that the predicted correlation results (fringe) was obtained in the correlation test by using real astronomical observed data(wideband/narrow band).

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2012

In this paper, we describe the installation of VLBI Correlation Subsystem (VCS) main product and its performance at the Korea-Japan Correlation Center (KJCC). The VCS main product was installed at KJCC in August 2009. For the overall performance evaluation of VCS, playbacks, Raw VLBI Data Buffer (RVDB) system, and Data Archive (DA) system were installed together. The VCS main product was connected between RVDB and DA, and the correlation results were put into the DA to confirm the normal operation of VCS 16 station mode configuration. The evaluation test was first performed with 4 station mode, same as the factory test of VCS main product. Based on the results of 4 station mode, the same evaluation test was conducted for 16 station mode of VCS. We found that the correlation results of VCS were almost similarly compared to those of the Mitaka FX Correlator. Through the test results, we confirmed that the problems such as spectrum errors, delay parameter processing module and field programmable gate array errors in antenna unit, which were generated at the factory test of VCS main product, were clearly solved. And we verified the performance and connectivity of VCS by obtaining the expected correlation results and we also confirmed that the performance of VCS was sufficient for real VLBI observation data in both 4 and 16 station modes.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.65-81
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• 2009

We present the performance test results of VLBI Correlation Subsystem (VCS) trial product which was being developed for 1 year from August 2007. It is a core component of Korea-Japan Joint VLBI Correlator (KJJVC). The aim for developing VCS trial product is to improve the performance of VCS main product to reduce the efforts and cost, and to solve the design problems by performing the preliminary test of the manufactured trial product. The function of VCS trial product is that it is able to process the 2 stations-1 baseline, 8 Gbps/station speed, 1.2 Gbps output speed with FX-type. VCS trial product consists of Read Data Control Board (RDC), Fourier Transform Board (FTB), and Correlation and Accumulation Board (CAB). Almost main functions are integrated in the FTB and CAB board. In order to confirm the performance of VCS trial product functions, the spectral analysis, delay compensation and correlation processing experiments were carried out by using simulation and real observation data. We found that the overflow problem of re-quantization after FFT processing was occurred in the delay compensation experiment. We confirmed that this problem was caused by valid bit-expression of the re-quantized data. To solve this problem, the novel method will be applied to VCS main product. The effectiveness of VCS trial product has been verified through the preliminary experimental results, but the overflow problem was occurred.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.73-90
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• 2008

A software simulator is developed for verifying the VLBI Correlation Subsystem (VCS) trial product hardware. This software simulator includes the delay tracking, fringe rotation, bit-jump, FFT analysis, re-quantization, and auto/cross-correlation functions so as to confirm the function of the VCS trial product hardware. To verify the effectiveness of the developed software simulator, we carried out experiments using the simulation data which is a mixed signal with white noise and tone signal generated by software. We confirmed that the performance of this software simulator is similar as that of the hardware system. In case of spectral analysis and re-quantization experiment, a serious problem of the VCS hardware, which is not enough for expressing the data stream of FFT results specified in VCS hardware specification, was found by this software simulator. Through the experiments, the performance of software simulator was verified to be efficient. In future, we will improve and modify the function of software simulator to be used as a software correlator of Korea-Japan Joint VLBI Correlator (KJJVC).

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.567-588
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• 2009

Korea-Japan Joint VLBI Correlator (KJJVC) is being developed by collaborating KASI (Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute), Korea, and NAOJ(National Observatory of Japan), Japan. In early 2010, KJJVC will work in normal operation. In this study, we developed the software correlator which is based on VCS (VLBI Correlation Subsystem) hardware specification as the core component of KJJVC. The main specification of software correlator is 8 Gbps, 8192 output channels, and 262,144-points FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) function same as VCS. And the functional algorithm which is same as specification of VCS and arithmetic register are adopted in this software correlator. To verify the performance of developed software correlator, the correlation experiments were carried out using the spectral line and continuum sources which were observed by VERA (VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry), NAOJ. And the experimental results were compared to the output of Mitaka FX correlator by referring spectrum shape, phase rate, and fringe detection and so on. Through the experimental results, we confirmed that the correlation results of software correlator are the same as Mitaka FX correlator and verified the effectiveness of it. In future, we expect that the developed software correlator will be the possible software correlator of KVN (Korean VLBI Network) with KJJVC by introducing the correlation post-processing and modifying the user interface as like GUI (Graphic User Interface).

• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.211-219
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• 2012

In this paper, we described the software development for verifying the integrity of output data of TCP/IP for VLBI Correlation Subsystem (VCS) correlation block and proposed the performance improvement method in order to prevent the data loss of correlation output. The VCS correlation results are saved at the Data Archive system through TCP/IP packet transmission. In this paper, the integrity verification software is developed so as to confirm the integrity of correlation result saved at the data archive system using TCP/IP packet information of VCS. The 3-step integrity verification process is proposed by using the developed software, its effectiveness was confirmed in consequence of correlation experiments. In addition, TCP/IP packet transmission must be completed within minimum integration period. However, there is not only TCP/IP packet loss occurred but also the problem of correlation result integrity affected in account of a large quantity of packets and data during short integration time. In this paper, the reason of TCP/IP packet loss is analyzed and the modified methods for FPGA(Field Programmable Gate Array) of VCS are proposed, the integrity problem of correlation results will be solved.

• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.55-63
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• 2014

In this paper, we introduce the performance evaluation of data archive system for saving correlation result of Daejeon correlator with high-data rate. Daejeon correlator supports various correlation modes, but the speed of correlation result is affected by correlator according to the integration time in each mode. Maximum data rate of Daejeon correlator is 1.4GB/s in case of C1 mode with 25.6ms integration time. In this research, the performance evaluation of the proposed data archive system is conducted for saving correlation results connected with 4 10GbE optical cable with VCS (VLBI Correlation Subsystem), which is the core system of Daejeon correlator. For the experiments, the data archive system for 2 benders was selected and benchmark test was performed. In this paper, the developed data generation program of VCS correlation result file for benchmark test and evaluation results are described.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.419-429
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• 2012

In this paper, we propose a new re-quantization method after FFT processing to prevent the distortion of correlation result of VCS (VLBI Correlation Subsystem). The re-quantization is used to rearrange the data bit so as to reduce the data rate processed as 16-bit of FFT result of VCS. Having done this procedure, we found that the distorted spectrum of correlation result occurred in the delay tracking experiments by the re-quantization method introduced for initial design of VCS. In order to solve this, two kinds of re-quantization method, that is, the comparison and selection-type, are proposed. The first is to re-quantize the FFT result as a valid-bit by comparing with the input data after determining the adequate threshold. The second is manually to select the valid-bit of FFT result after finding the valid-field of data according to the bit-distribution of input data. We confirmed that the second is more effective compared with the first through the experimental result, and it will be implemented without so much modification of applied method in the condition of the limited resource of FPGA. The re-quantization is, however, carried out with 4-bit in the proposed second method for FFT result, and then the distortion of correlation result is also appeared. To fix this problem, the bit for re-quantization is extended to 8-bit. The proposed 8-bit selection-type is effectively verified so that the distortion of correlation result disappeared by applying to VCS in consequence of the simulation and correlation experiments.

• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.220-232
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• 2012

In this paper, we investigate the correlation result due to the problems of delay tracking and fringe rotation module in the VCS(VLBI Correlation Subsystem). The VCS, FX-type correlator, adopts the delay tracking and fringe rotation module in order to compensate the delay change and fringe phase of wave signal from the radio source by Doppler's effect. The phase of observed data is also compensated by means of delay tracking and fringe rotation in the correlator, but we confirmed that the phase is unstable by applying long integration period of AIPS(Astronomical Image Processing System) rather than correlator. And the delay value of observed data has the errors of several tens nanoseconds than normal case at the analysis of correlation result. In addition, we found that the phase of correlation results is not connected as the unit of FFT-segment because the initial fringe phase at the fringe rotation module is not correctly determined. In this paper, in order to solve these problems, the original direction of 90 degree phase jump is reversely modified when the bit-shift occurred at the delay tracking. And the initial fringe phase at the fringe rotation module is correctly modified by using the initial phase of observed data. In addition, the parameter calculation module was abnormally operated as designed in the fringe rotation. So, the logical program by the VCS is modified so as to calculate the parameters correctly. Through the experiments of correlation processing over the above problems, the modified proposal algorithm is adequately corrected to the data analysis results, so that the experimental results make it clear for us to operate the developed VCS hardware correlator normally.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.44.1-44.1
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• 2010

한국천문연구원에서는 2009년 1단계 한일공동VLBI상관기(Korea-Japan Joint VLBI Correlator, KJJVC)의 개발과 설치를 완료하였다. KJJVC는 한국우주전파관측망(Korean VLBI Network, KVN), KVN과 일본 내의 VLBI 관측망을 포함하는 한일공동VLBI관측망(Korea-Japan Joint VLBI Network, KJJVN), 그리고 한중일의 VLBI관측망인 동아시아 VLBI관측망(East Asian VLBI Network, EAVN)으로 관측한 VLBI 데이터를 상관처리할 수 있도록 설계 제작되었다. 그리고 고속재생기, 데이터 동기재생처리시스템(Raw VLBI Data Buffer, RVDB), VLBI상관서브시스템(VLBI Correlation Subsystem, VCS), 데이터 아카이브 시스템(Peta-scale Epoch Data Archive, PEDA)로 구성된다. 특히 일본국립천문대 VERA에서는 테이프 형태의 DIR2000 고속기록기를 사용하고 있는데, DIR2000의 제품단종으로 인해 이 데이터를 VCS에 재생하기 위해 DIR1000을 개량한 VERA2000 고속재생기를 개발하였다. 즉, VSI 형태의 데이터를 1Gbps 속도로 재생만 하기 위해 기존의 시스템을 개량하였으며, 2009년 10월에 VLBI상관기실에 설치되었다. 본 논문에서는 VERA2000 시스템의 구성 및 개발, 시험운영 등에 대해 간략히 소개하고자 한다.