FPGA Implementation of Area-Efficient Digital Encoder for Flight Termination System

This paper presents the design and implementation of a novel FPGA-based Digital Encoder System specifically designed for applications in flight termination systems, addressing the critical challenges of data integrity and reliable communication. The proposed Digital Encoder (DE) provides the capability to use both an IRIG Tone-based encoder and a Hex Code-based encoder. The code-based encoder integrates Manchester encoding with Continuous Phase Binary Frequency Shift Keying (CP BFSK) and Frequency Modulation (FM) to enhance data transmission efficiency and synchronization. Design entry is conducted using Verilog HDL in Xilinx ISE, optimizing area consumption while ensuring robust performance. The implementation results demonstrate significant improvements in resource utilization along with a delay reduction of 3.09 ns for the operation. The proposed DE has been implemented on the Virtex 4 XC4VSX55 and can operate at 256 MHz. The results of the high-speed transmitter are compared with those of the existing modulator. This work not only contributes to the field of digital communication but also lays the groundwork for future developments in synchronous receiver designs, enhancing the reliability of safety-critical systems.