Seminar Data Communications within Aircraft
Put the November 17 18:30 - 21:00 hrs in your agenda: Seminar Aircraft Networks
All about on data communications within aircraft, wired and wireless.
This mini-seminar is made possible by the Telecommunications Department.
Introduction
First talk: Aircraft data networks with a critical mission: ensuring safe flight.
Second talk: Wireless Avionics Intra-Communications (WAIC)
Program
| 18:30 -18:45 u. | Log in with MS Teams (camera/microphone off) | |
| 18:45 - 19:00 u. | Introduction Data Communications within Aircraft | Ignas Niemegeers KIVI department Telecom |
| 19:00 - 19:45 u. | Aircraft data networks have a critical mission | Asterios Souftas Fokker Elmo B.V. |
| 19:45 - 20:30 u. | Wireless Avionics Intra-Communications (WAIC) | Jesper Lansink Rotgerink NLR Marknesse |
| 20:30 - 21:00 u. | Questions and closing | Huib Ekkelenkamp KIVI department Telecom |
Bio
Asterios Souftas eads the Hybrid Data Networks (HDN) programme within GKN Fokker Elmo's Research & Technology organisation. His work centres on exploring new media types for aircraft intra-communication networks and developing hybrid architectures to create lighter, more flexible, and highly reliable aircraft systems.
He holds an EngD from Eindhoven University of Technology in Design of Electrical Engineering Systems (2021) and an MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens (2018). Asterios has been involved in several European and Dutch innovation projects, including the National Growth Fund programme Aviation in Transition. He enjoys bridging telecom concepts with the unique challenges of safety-critical aviation, and bringing practical engineering insights to the design of future aircraft networks.
Abstract
Aircraft data networks have a critical mission: ensuring safe flight. At the same time, they must support an increasing range of functions, from avionics control systems to cabin operations and passenger services. Traditionally, these needs have been met by robust, wiring-based networks that have proven reliable and certifiable, with a strong track record in operation.
However, relying purely on copper-based solutions is becoming less sustainable. New applications continue to demand more bandwidth and more efficient use of space. This raises an important question: can we introduce alternative, potentially disruptive communication technologies into aircraft data networks?
In this talk, we will explore this question and assess how well different technologies can meet the stringent, heterogeneous, and deterministic requirements of aerospace communication.
Bio
Jesper Lansink Rotgerink received the B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Twente, in 2010 and 2013 respectively. In March 2022 he successfully defended his PhD with the Power Electronics and EMC group at the University of Twente.
Since 2013, he has been working at the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) in Marknesse, the Netherlands, where his main fields of interest are aerospace EMC, specifically crosstalk between cables and EMC in electrified aircraft, as well as propagation of EM waves through radomes and its effect on antenna performance, radar absorbing materials and antennas for aerospace.
Abstract
Wireless Avionics Intra-Communications (WAIC) offer a promising pathway to reduce aircraft wiring, lower weight, simplify installation, and enable new sensing and monitoring capabilities. However, the aircraft cabin presents a uniquely challenging radio environment, where metallic structures, passenger occupancy, and equipment placement can significantly influence wireless performance. Understanding these effects is essential for the reliable design and certification of future airborne wireless networks.
This presentation discusses a series of propagation studies performed using the electromagnetic simulation tool Altair WinProp, focusing on wireless communication within commercial aircraft cabin environments. The work examines how the metallic fuselage acts as a complex wave-guiding enclosure, creating both beneficial and detrimental propagation effects, including signal focusing and multipath enhancement. The impact of dynamic cabin conditions is also explored through simulations of passenger movement, demonstrating how human-body shadowing can affect link quality and network robustness.
Building on the detailed simulation results, a set of design rules is established including a simplified path-loss model that captures the essential propagation characteristics of the cabin environment. These design rules provide valuable insights for system-level network planning and performance assessment, enabling the reliable implementation of WAIC systems. Furthermore, the study's findings can inform the design of future aircraft, making them more suitable to WAIC technology, for instance, by considering the benefits of smaller aircraft or alternative materials, and exploring ways to optimise the cabin environment for improved wireless performance.