When devices learn to talk to each other - Diehl Aviation & Boeing
The fact that sensors in all kinds of devices collect all kinds of data is nothing new in itself. They have also been doing this in aircraft cabins for a long time. The functions of the coffee machine are monitored in the same way as the electronics in the seats. Water consumption is recorded, as is the electrical energy required. But until now, each device has worked entirely on its own. Sharing the data with other applications was not an option.
"When we started i+sCabin, the aircraft cabin was a 'black box' from a data perspective. We wanted to shed light on it," says Lothar Trunk, describing the initial situation. The aeronautical engineer coordinated the LuFo project i+sCabin and its successor i+sCabin2.0 for the consortium leader Diehl Aerospace.
On the one hand, some systems still work in analogue mode. On the other hand, the lack of data exchange with each other and with the ground station means that a large part of the potential functionality contained in this data is wasted
adds Jens Schiefele. He is involved in the i+sCabin projects for Jeppesen, a Boeing subsidiary. On the one hand, passengers have to move their seat manually, switch on the screen by pressing a button and operate the volume and quiet buttons, he says. And on the other hand, error messages from the coffee machine or seat, for example, are entered manually in the logbook by the crew and reported to the ground staff after landing. "The idea was to network as many devices as possible - regardless of their purpose and manufacturer - in an aircraft cabin."
A new standard is launched
Lothar Trunk and Jens Schiefele were well aware that they had set themselves no easy task. In order to realise their plan, nothing less was needed than to launch a new communication standard for aviation devices. From a purely technical point of view, this is a major challenge. After all, each device has its own methods and protocols for handling the collected data. The fact that manufacturers are willing to look at their cards and even sit at the same table as their competitors is another challenge. And the basic prerequisite for a standard to be accepted by the industry later on.
Lothar Trunk is certain that this would never have worked without LuFo. "Because you have to get a critical mass of players round the table to establish a standard," he explains. "And that's why we deliberately chose competitors in the various fields. This would hardly have been possible outside of a large research project like LuFo." The list of players therefore reads like a who's who of aviation: Bühler Motor Aviation, Diehl Aviation, Jeppesen, Safran Cabin, Thales Deutschland, Adient Aerospace, Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University and Hamburg University of Technology. Airbus Operations, ANS, Boeing, NEVEON Austria and Thales were also on board as associated partners. The effort has paid off. "In the first project, we focussed on developing a uniform communication standard for cabin devices," says Lothar Trunk. "We then finally launched it together." The standard is called ARINC 853 Cabin Secure Media-Independent Messaging and now applies to all devices in the cabin.
"We are particularly proud that the results of the first iCabin project in 2019 have been incorporated into Boeing's ecoDemonstrator," says a delighted Jens Schiefele. The ecoDemonstrator (ecoD) is a Boeing 777 that the company is using to test the latest technologies. "Our colleagues from Seattle came to Frankfurt with it and presented the systems to the aviation industry, politicians, schools and the public at Frankfurt Airport."
Diehl Stiftung & Co. KG
Better travelling experience and faster maintenance
The first step towards the intelligent cabin had been taken. The next step was to generate additional benefits from networking the devices. All project partners agreed on this. And also that it should be another LuFo project. "I'm a child of LuFo," says Jens Schiefele with a laugh. "It was the first edition of the programme through which I received funding for my dissertation." And Lothar Trunk also came to his current employer over 20 years ago through the funding programme. i+sCabin 2.0 was then launched in 2022.
"Our aim was to exchange the data from the cabin with the ground stations," explains Lothar Trunk. There, it would then be processed and analysed using algorithms from the field of artificial intelligence. "A wide variety of applications can then be based on this, for example to maximise the travel experience for passengers," says Jens Schiefele, describing his vision. The passenger of tomorrow could then order their food in advance on their smartphone and select their film. They have already reserved their seat at home and can see on their smartphone whether the luggage compartment above them is occupied. Once they have made themselves comfortable, they can control their seat via their smartphone in the same way as the monitor and video system in front of them.
But it's not just about making the flight itself more comfortable. Maintenance and servicing can also benefit from the new standard. "The electronics in the seats or in the on-board devices such as the coffee machine know when there is a fault," says Lothar Trunk, picking up the thread. "If something breaks during the flight today, this is indicated and the crew records it in the logbook by hand." After landing, the maintenance staff first have to read the logbook, then analyse the fault, order spare parts and finally install them. This costs valuable time, which the aircraft has to spend on the ground - often to the annoyance of the passengers. "With i+sCabin 2.0, we can speed up this process," says Jens Schiefele. "This is because the device reports its defect directly to the ground station. After landing, the maintenance staff are already waiting with the right spare part. The repair is then completed in no time at all."
Shared vision creates huge application possibilities
In addition to the actual research projects, the project partners also benefited from the LuFo programme in a completely different way. Because when manufacturers, suppliers, aircraft operators and research institutions work together, different worlds often come together. For Jens Schiefele, this was an enriching experience that should not be underestimated. The younger colleagues in particular had the opportunity to come into contact with other companies, experience different ways of thinking and approaches and familiarise themselves with other corporate cultures. "For me, that's one of the most exciting things about LuFo projects," he says. "And to be honest, you can only develop a standard like this if lots of people with different backgrounds and industry interests work together and pursue a common goal." Lothar Trunk agrees and points to Boeing.
The colleagues from Seattle are associated partners in the project. They have to bring their own money and are not funded
he says. "Nevertheless, they regularly came to our workshops with a well-known team and contributed their expertise." This contributed greatly to the success of the programme, he continues. And the Americans have also come to appreciate the LuFo programme, he adds. Above all, the quality of the work here has left a lasting impression.
After two successful LuFo projects, the foundations for the intelligent aircraft cabin of the future have now been laid. And the first applications have also been launched. "But this is just the beginning," says Jens Schiefele euphorically. "Because the potential applications are huge and not everything has been explored yet. We have only just begun in the cabin, especially with our major goal of decarbonising aviation." This fact, and because all good things come in threes, has prompted the consortium to launch another LuFo project centred around the intelligent cabin. This will be launched as part of LuFo VII. But that is a story for another time.
Text: Kai Dürfeld