The Weather Station Telemetry System implements a three-tier modular architecture that separates concerns and facilitates maintenance, following aerospace industry best practices. This design enables independent testing of components, simplified debugging through isolation of functions, and straightforward expansion without requiring complete system rewrites.
Each module maintains a single, well-defined responsibility, reducing complexity and improving maintainability. This approach mirrors the modular design philosophy used in mission-critical aerospace systems where component isolation prevents cascading failures.
The system implements comprehensive error handling at every level, from individual sensor readings to complete communication failures. This defensive approach ensures the system can continue operating even when components fail partially or completely.
When failures occur, the system continues operating with reduced functionality rather than complete shutdown. For example, if the humidity sensor fails, the system continues providing temperature data while alerting the ground station to the partial failure.
TemperatureAndHumiditySensor.ino)Primary Responsibilities:
Key Design Features:
Interface Specification:
// Initialization with comprehensive status reporting
initData initSensor();
// State query for runtime monitoring
initData getSensorState();
// Data acquisition with validation
data getSensorData(String dataType);
CommunicationModule.ino)Primary Responsibilities:
Key Design Features:
Protocol Specifications:
mainWeatherStation.ino)Primary Responsibilities:
Key Design Features:
┌─────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐
│ DHT22 Sensor │ ─> │ Sensor Module │ ─> │ Main Program │
│ │ │ • Data Reading │ │ • Coordination │
│ • Temperature │ │ • Validation │ │ • Timing │
│ • Humidity │ │ • Error Check │ │ • Error Handle │
└─────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘ └─────────┬───────┘
│
┌─────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ │
│ Ground Station │ <- │ Communication │ <────────────┘
│ │ │ Module │
│ • JSON Parse │ │ • Format JSON │
│ • Data Process │ │ • Send Message │
│ • Command Send │ │ • Health Check │
└─────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘
Level 1 - Component Level: Individual modules detect and handle their specific error conditions. Sensor modules validate readings against physical limits, while communication modules verify transmission success.
Level 2 - System Level: The main program coordinates recovery efforts and makes decisions about system operation based on component status. This includes retry logic and graceful degradation decisions.
Level 3 - Mission Level: The system continues operating with reduced capability when complete recovery is not possible, maintaining maximum scientific value from available resources.
// Example retry pattern used throughout the system
int attempts = 1;
while (!success && (attempts < MAX_RETRIES)) {
attempts++;
success = attemptOperation();
if (!success) {
delay(RETRY_DELAY_MS);
}
}
The modular architecture facilitates addition of new sensor types by creating additional sensor modules that follow the same interface pattern. Each new sensor module maintains its own state and validation logic.
Communication protocols can be enhanced without affecting sensor modules. Migration from JSON to binary protocols requires changes only in the communication module and main program coordination logic.
The current implementation provides ample headroom for optimization. Future enhancements could include data compression, encryption, or local buffering without requiring architectural changes.
Each module can be tested independently using standardized test fixtures. This isolation simplifies debugging and validation during development and maintenance phases.
Consistent data structures and error reporting patterns across modules enable automated testing and monitoring systems to verify correct operation.
Code comments and documentation maintain synchronization through regular review cycles, ensuring accuracy and completeness of technical documentation.
This architecture documentation provides the technical foundation for understanding, maintaining, and extending the Weather Station Telemetry System according to professional software development standards.