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Advanced network architecture for in-flight cabin systems (future aircraft optimised cabin systems) - ANAIS -

Exploitable results

Presence Awareness System! To be included in on-board flight entertainment systems. Passengers may opt to contact each other for ad-hoc entertainment or business purpose. A client GUI and a corresponding Presence Awareness Information Base is available. The GUI is implemented in Java and runs under Windows Systems. An interactive In-Route Moving Map mock-up was developed in the scope of ANAIS. This entertainment feature takes opportunity of the interactive nature of the ANAIS to bring higher level of service to the passenger. Compared to existing passive systems, the passenger has an interactive access to various levels of zooms. This feature may be extended to many others features. The ANAIS Moving Map has been the source of a product development, which is integrated, in current Thales IFE systems. Further developments are forecast like the development of a 3D version.
Low Latency voice over IP: the latency of voice transmission over IP has been significantly reduced by directly enhancing the kernel of the windows operating system. The system has been developed at the technical university of Freiberg in Germany. A prototype is available.
The development of an open-system architecture is a key achievement of the ANAIS project. The seat terminal extends this principle by reducing the seat mounted equipment to two functional blocks. An Integrated display and processor module for seatback or deployment arm mounting and a single data hub for arm mounting providing connectivity for any combination of Passenger Control Unit (PCU, Audio module with noise cancellation, Telephone, Games controller, Keyboard and mouse or carry-on equipment such as laptop computer or PDA. In economy class the display unit is usually mounted in the seatback in front of the passenger while the remaining equipment is mounted in his own seat. In current systems this requires dedicated wiring to connect the two seats. By adopting a single datalink the seat to seat wiring is minimised and ultimately eliminated by the use of a wireless technology. A common interface is provided for all the remaining modules. This has many benefits including: Flexibility of installation, allowing airlines to customise their product offerings, Improved ergonomics � by separating functions (such as audio/video control and telephone) the passenger is presented with a familiar interface which requires no instructions for use, Interoperability � allowing competition amongst smaller specialist component suppliers to improve quality and reduce costs, Easier maintenance and upgrade. Current systems employ an under-seat electronics box that interfaces with all the IFE devices on typically 1-3 seats. In economy class the presence of the box severely reduces the available legroom for one of the passengers served. The elimination of the under-seat box is possible as a result of the adoption of a digital network and hence a completely digital seat terminal. This allows the required electronics to be sufficiently reduced in size and power consumption that it can be combined with the display unit which is usually mounted in the seatback or on a deployment arm. The testbed demonstrates an immediate improvement in some of the key performance parameters of the seat terminal (size, weight and power consumption) when compared to systems currently in-service.
The Cabin Crew Console will be the common panel for the cabin crew to operate all relevant applications from one terminal. It will reduce the workload of the cabin crew and therefore increase the efficiency considerable during their daily work. Cabin Management related functions could be controlled and monitored by the 15" touch screen LCD in the full screen mode. All applications, which are not safety critical, will be running on a server in the "open world". The key feature of the CCC is the innovative concept for hard- and software partitioning through one graphic processor, which will result in an overlay frame on top of the Cabin Management application. Together with the CIDS Simulation, the System Management Application (SMA) will demonstrate the capabilities of hard- and software segregation in the ANAIS environment. The intuitive philosophy of the man machine interface of the Cabin Management System pages was adapted to the SMA. This will lead to a reduced training effort for the cabin crew. Potential customers for the CCC will be Airbus for the standard configuration, with only single processor configuration, but could also be any airline which will decide for the optional version with second processor. In addition it will be possible to install stand alone CCC's on board of any aircraft. The first prototype of the CCC will be presented on IFE-exhibitions such as WAEA, Cabin Interior and IPEC.
In-flight cabin (IFC) systems were often limited to business and first classes in 2000. They consumed 60 W per passenger, weighed more than 15 kg per passenger, had sometimes insufficient reliability and cost around 7000 Euros per seat. However, the services provided were so popular that they were extended to the whole aircraft (like Airbus A380, Boeing 747/777, etc., each with hundreds of passengers). On the other hand, more and more basic information technologies (Internet access through laptop, PDA, Wi-Fi systems) were going to move on-board once 'enabling technologies' are reality (broadband communications paths, on-board infrastructure, digital LAN, etc.). These technologies would allow taking benefit directly on-board at the seat level of a large set of services already widespread on ground. Quality of service is a major issue for everyone (aircraft manufacturers, airlines, passengers, etc.). A particular effort has still to be done in that field (reliability, availability, maintainability, etc.). The ANAIS project aimed at developing a new standard of IFC system providing services to up to 1 000 passengers and to the crew members. Passenger services included video-on-demand, Internet access, e-mails, games, etc. Crew services include passenger control, IFC system control and maintenance. An additional objective was to federate the several existing analogue and digital distribution systems (audio/video, control & command, phone) into one unique high throughput fault tolerant digital distribution network that should be linked to existing legacy systems: OIS (On-board Information Systems), avionics, satellite communication systems. Beyond fault tolerance, availability of the system is a particular requirement of the airlines that have been disappointed by current systems. The ANAIS project has also put a special effort on offering significantly lowered weight, volume and power consumption compared to existing systems. Innovative aspects Innovative aspects of the ANAIS project relate to the integration of various new technologies into a single aircraft-compliant architecture. All the services has been integrated -at the server level, the network level, and the seat level- so that weight, power consumption, and space requirements are minimised, and ergonomics is improved. Electrical consumption per seat, and system weight was reduced by around 50 %. This was be made possible by using technology from modern 'palm' PCs and advanced local area networks. The ANAIS test bed has allowed new wireless experiments and connectivity (laptop) at the seat and centralised management of all cabin utilities along with IFC entertainment functions. The ANAIS team proposed a standardised and open platform capable of delivering to the passengers all the emerging services that arise with the advent of broadband Internet access on-board aircraft. Network A lot of the effort was put on the cabin distribution network technologies in order to bring a new level of performance, fault tolerance and ease of installation. The ANAIS team made a large use of COTS products including gigabit and 100 Mb Ethernet. Customised for the specific needs of the IFC, with ring and daisy chain extensions, the Ethernet proved to be very well adapted to the aircraft cabin environment. The ANAIS cabin distribution network was partly operating on optical fibre which required innovative solutions (e.g. use of specific aircraft plastics, shock-resistant fibres and installation operations). Seat terminal Seat terminal is the most visible part of the system, its ergonomics must be well suited to passengers habit. Also, the number of items make it very important to optimise. In terms of weight and power consumption. The objectives of ANAIS concerning the seat terminal address its connectivity, ergonomics and embedability. A number of alternative input devices and external interfaces has been tested and evaluated for suitability with different services and external devices (laptops, PDAs, joysticks, etc.). A more flexible alternative to the multi-function integrated personal controller unit (PCU) has been developed, which allowed system services or functions to be added, removed or reconfigured without the need to swap out seat equipment. Also, an evaluation of the benefits and viability of implementing wireless technology at the seat, for cable reduction (seat to seat) and connection of passenger devices has been made. Crew terminal The cabin crew console (CCC) is the common panel for all cabin crew related applications from browser applications up to critical application (cabin management system). It is the central access point for the cabin crew for all basic cabin systems. Thus an access for crew and maintenance staff to the applications can be provided from different locations (e.g. entry areas, galleys, video control center, lower facilities). The CCC provided an open interface for other systems to be controlled by the cabin and maintenance crew. A standard browser interface allowed various functions and systems to use the CCC for remote controlling. Servers & services Major services were audio & video on demand to the seat, live TV, interactive services through web interface at the seat and on-board comfort services. The most demanding service is video on demand which had to be supplied to every passenger with the same high level of quality as digital satellite TV (MPEG2) at home. Existing services like 'moving map' and in-flight information gained interactivity and attractiveness with the new possibilities offered by the system (individual interface + video animation). A whole new set of services emerging from the internet – e-mail, information, on-line games, audio and video streams, office in the sky, IP-phone - were offered to passengers making the travel a relaxing and/or efficient time. A generic high performance server architecture has been developed that shall suit the various services requirements. Along with this passengers related "entertainment" services comes a set of productivity tools for the cabin and maintenance crew available at the cabin crew console. It ranges from integrated public announcement to centralised control on IFC system functions, or automatic line replaceable unit (LRU) fault detection and reporting.
Current Passenger Control Units (PCUs) combine many different functions into the smallest possible package. This approach has arisen from the difficulty of installing electronic equipment into seats that were not designed to take it. Unfortunately the small packaging results in many design compromises that can make the unit difficult to use and somewhat daunting for inexperienced travellers. Many airlines would like to develop unique PCUs, which reflect their cabin interior styling and customised content. The cost of development of tailored units has so far proved to be too great for most airlines to pursue this option. The ANAIS tested demonstrates the use of a touch screen PCU. The use of "softkeys" means that the look and functionality of the device can be reconfigured in software. Thus, when a passenger selects "telephone" he is presented with a display resembling a familiar telephone keypad. Similar screens can be developed for audio/video control, seat control etc. The creative use of graphics and colour allows the airlines to fully customise the product. Development costs are minimised by using a "common core" touch screen, but packaging can be varied. For instance, the unit could be an integral part of the seat arm or could be a standalone handset tethered on a cable.

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