ATENAA - Advanced Technologies for Networking in Avionic Applications
Overview
Background & policy context:
The rapid expansion of the aircraft communications, with the aim to exchange navigation and maintenance data, internet services, ATM services, etc. requires the development of new tools and technologies and the improvement of the existing ones to optimise the communications management and reliability.
The modern researches in the field of the airborne communications mainly investigate the use of broadband ground/air/ground communications and air/satellite/air to achieve high data rate and secure data links. In the following paragraph the main work items will be described.
Objectives:
The ATENAA project focused on the possible role of civilian aircraft as nodes of an ad-hoc network, capable of multi-hop transmission over omnidirectional and broadband directional data links. The key technological components investigated were:
- aeronautical mobile ad-hoc network protocols;
- Ka-band phased array antennas;
- free-space optics for inter-aircraft communications;
- free-space optics for inside-cabin data distribution.
The project objectives can be summarised as follows:
- Objective 1: identification of areas of application for mobile ad-hoc networks in aeronautics;
- Objective 2: identification of MANET routing protocols suitable for aeronautical applications and relative assessment via simulations;
- Objective 3: methodologies and technologies to establish and maintain free space optics communication links between two platforms in relative motion, with identification of achievable performances;
- Objective 4: low profile and price competitive airborne Ka-band phased-array antenna design with steering capability, by adoption of promising technologies;
- Objective 5: feasibility study for a cabin free space optic system, which can deliver through diffused IR light, broadband communication to passengers;
- Objective 6: reduced scale validation platforms for testing the different technologies and assessing their capabilities;
- Objective 7: preparing a robust knowledge layer for subsequent related projects (e.g. MINERVAA).
Methodology:
The project performed research in the following areas:
- Defining the concept for a future networked avionic environment including both moving platforms (aircraft ant satellites), ground infrastructures and the related users and communications systems;
- Evaluating and developing the technologies needed for the networking and the security of the avionic network;
- Assessing a common set of requirements for the advanced technologies under investigation;
- Identifying Mobile Ad-hoc Network routing protocols suitable for aeronautical applications;
- Assessin HW technologies for Ka-band communications systems (with particular reference to TX and RX avionic phased array antenna realisation);
- Assessing HW technologies for Optical communication systems for outside-aircraft data links realisation;
- Assessin HW technologies for Optical communication systems for inside-aircraft broadband bus implementation;
- Testing and validating such emerging technologies against their applicability in the realization of broadband communication systems for the avionic networked environment;
- Dissemination of project results to a wider audience fostering the dialog with the research community and standardisation/normative bodies, trough journal publications, conferences, organisation of a workshop and a constant updating of the project web page;
- Subsequent sections describe in more detail the work performed and the methodologies and approaches employed.
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