Design of a Data Acquisition and Control System for a Volume Scanning Multi-Wavelength Polarization Lidar
Document ID: 105
Master's Thesis
The Pennsylvania State University
The Graduate School
Department of Electrical Engineering
Abstract
A system architecture for a data acquisition and control system capable of handling the demanding data throughput requirements of a volume scanning, multi-wavelength polarization lidar will be presented. The volume scanning lidar is one component of a new research tool called WAVE-LARS (Water Aerosol Vapor Experiment - Lidar And Radar Sounder). This unique instrument employs a variety of remote sensing techniques to collect information on several atmospheric properties important in solving problems in areas of research such as the Earth's radiation budget and cloud physics. The scanning lidar measures the depolarization ratio at three wavelengths to determine the particle size and shape distributions in a three dimensional volume of the atmosphere
The design of the data acquisition and control system for the volume scanning lidar begins with a consideration of the expected input signals, the desired output signals, and the hardware constraints. This information is then used to formulate design goals and system specifications. A system architecture capable of attaining those goals is then presented, followed by a description of the hardware and software used to implement the proposed system Test results of critical functions of the constructed system are then presented validating the systems performance The first atmospheric data collected by the system is also presented. Finally, the system design is evaluated and suggestions are made for improvements and future research.
| Citation: | M. D. O'Brien, "Design of a Data Acquisition and Control System for a Volume Scanning Multi-Wavelength Polarization Lidar", The Pennsylvania State University, Master's Thesis, December 1994, 100 pages |