The airline industry is in the midst of a tectonic shift that will forever change the way it operates. While the giants of the industry struggle to adapt, more nimble players are finding their footing and snapping up market share. Take for example Jet Blue Airways, which has become synonymous with budget travel in comfort and style. A key Jet Blue differentiator is its “At Home in the Air” in-flight entertainment system that features 24 channels of DirecTV satellite television pumped to every passenger. This article discusses the design and features of the system.
Developed by LiveTV of Palm Bay, Florida, the system is ideal for short-haul flights where there is insufficient time to run a full-length motion picture. It features an aerodynamic Digital Broadcast Satellite (DBS) antenna, a personal display for each passenger, and independent channel selection at each seat. Airlines can also specify the option of in-seat billing and payment for premium services using a built-in credit card reader. At the heart of the LiveTV system is the Wireless Aircraft Unit (WAU), a PC/104-based remote monitoring and diagnostics unit that continually checks the LiveTV DBS computers and communication system (see the design diagram in Figure 1).
 Open Figure 1
Adding functionality to the system
To further extend the system and give carriers the ability to easily download data gathered in flight to ground systems, LiveTV developed an 802.11-based Wireless Aircraft Data Link (WADL) system. Whenever an aircraft approaches the gate, the WADL system automatically establishes communications with a central processing center and transfers information such as credit card transactions and viewership statistics, along with system availability and diagnostic data. The latter enables ground crews to predict and negate potential system problems.
As powerful as this initial design was, it was clear to the LiveTV team that there was still room to add valuable functionality and potentially provide some real cost savings to cash-strapped airlines. Of particular interest was the concept of expanding the system to include operational parameters from various flight instruments so that ground stations could examine avionics data and analyze or predict aircraft system faults. Ground crews could then be prepared to service faulty components even before an aircraft reached the gate, decreasing repair times and facilitating equipment allocation while helping to reduce delays. This feature would entail interfacing the WAU with the aircraft’s avionics system, which uses a specialized communications protocol known as ARINC 429.
Interfacing with onboard avionics systems
“For various reasons, we had isolated the LiveTV system from the aircraft’s avionics and electrical systems. From a safety perspective, this is what the airlines wanted,” recalls Scott Easterling, product manager at LiveTV. “This meant that the ARINC interface would need to conform to critical aircraft certification.”
Development of such an interface was certainly within the reach of LiveTV’s engineers, but a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution was sought. Key criteria of the board were defined to narrow down the search:
- It would need the PC/104 format so it could be housed in a compact ARINC-standard 1/2 ATR 4 MCU box.
- It should offer a well-defined and documented software interface offering flexible systems integration.
- Built to ISO 9001 standards, it also must pass FAA-mandated DO-160D environmental testing.
- The vendor should have extensive experience interfacing with and supporting the latest flight avionics systems.
The team selected Condor Engineering to provide the COTS ARINC interface, due to the company’s extensive experience in the avionics business and its reputation for advanced, high-density PC/104 products.
Condor enables fast time-to-market
Condor’s CEI-420A, controlled by a powerful Intel 80960 CPU, features independent channels, selectable data rates and parity, along with automatic slew rate adjustment that provide complete software control. Other standard features include error detection, small PC/104 bus memory footprint and latching, and keyed I/O connections. Up to sixteen input discretes support TTL to avionics-level voltages, while up to eight open-collector output discretes switch up to 0.5 ampere.
The Condor CEI-420A enabled the LiveTV team to shave months off their software development timeline. The engineers were able to efficiently integrate key avionics data into the system, including navigational and maintenance information. This data is now transmitted whenever the WADL establishes ground communications.
Less aircraft downtime and a boost to ground operations efficiency
The addition of avionics information to the system has a dramatic impact on airline flight operations. Ground crews now have immediate access to data about the aircraft’s health and status and are able to improve logistics while reducing inventories and mean-time-to-repair. The system also provides an airline’s operations center with essential metrics such as on-time statistics, crew schedules, and baggage control information.
Since WADL is a bidirectional system, data is also uploaded to the aircraft. Onboard, the cabin crew is able to access inventory and passenger billing information, while the flight deck benefits from timely flight manifest and aircraft contents information, navigational and flight plans, weather updates, and weight and balance reports. The cashless cabin and a reduction in time-consuming paperwork chores are now within grasp of the airlines. Future possible functionality of the system includes transmission of in-cabin surveillance video images for security purposes. Transmission would take place both on ground and in flight.
And while cost efficiency has long been a priority for airlines, from a revenue perspective, passenger loyalty is also of paramount importance. With a plan to add more functionality to the system, LiveTV is currently investigating how each passenger can be offered personalized connecting flight gate information and Internet e-mail services.
The LiveTV solution demonstrates the effectiveness of the PC/104 platform for rugged, compact, in-flight applications. Using COTS interfaces has proven to be a cost-effective methodology yielding a rapid time to market. Both customers and airlines can benefit from this emerging technology.
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Richard Schuh, VP Strategic Business Development, Condor Engineering, is responsible for the identification and assessment of new strategic growth initiatives as well as the development of key customer accounts and programs for Condor Engineering. Before joining Condor, Rick was chief operating officer for Linux NetworX, a high-end cluster computer company, and president of SBS Technologies’ Avionics Division.
Condor Engineering is an ISO-9001 registered and AS9000 certified manufacturer of test, simulation, and production interface products for ARINC 429, MIL-STD-1553, and other avionics data buses. Condor products are used in labs, manufacturing plants, simulators, test cells, on aircraft, and the flight line by avionics developers, technicians, and field maintenance crews. For more information, contact:
Condor Engineering
101 West Anapamu Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Tel: 805-965-8000
Fax: 805-963-9630
E-mail: sales@condoreng.com
Web site: www.condoreng.com.
LiveTV™ provides in-flight entertainment systems for commercial aircraft, including live in-seat satellite television, XM Satellite Radio service, wireless aircraft data link service, cabin surveillance systems, and Internet services. Live TV’s satellite TV system includes individual seatback monitors, armrest mounted channel, brightness, and volume controls that allow passengers to select from 24 channels of DIRECTV programming. LiveTV is a wholly owned subsidiary of JetBlue Airways Corporation. For more information, visit the LiveTV Web site at www.livetvifs.com.
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