1. Power Line Communications for Aviation Applications
Stephen Dominiak (Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts - HLU)
Stephen Dominiak, Ulrich Dersch (Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts - HLU)
Power Line Communications for Aviation Applications
ASHLEY/WP73/HLU/DISM/PRES/0756

3. Power Line Communications (PLC)
PLC Concept:
Data transmission network completely removed
Single connector for power + data
Data transmission independent of the underlying power signal
PLC Advantages:
Reduced wiring weight, volume and complexity
Reduced installation and maintenance effort
Higher data rates than traditional avionics data buses (except AFDX)
Contains
Traditional Avionics Architecture
Employ
Improve
Propose
PLC-Enabled Avionics Architecture

4. PLC Architecture
Ultimately PLC specific components can be integrated directly into application equipment
PLC Components
PLC protocol chip (e.g. FPGA)
Analog Front End (AFE)
Coupling module
Coupling of high frequency PLC signal onto the power line
Filtering of low-frequency power signal
Lightning/transient protection

5. History of Power Line Communications
1898
First patent on using PLC for metering
1930’s
PLC for Ripple Control Systems (RCS)
Several bps
1996
Breakthrough of Broadband PLC (BPL) technology at Ascom
BPL targeted for last-mile internet access
5 Mbps
2010
International standardization of BPL
IEEE 1901
ITU G.hn
>500 Mbps
2010-today
Advancements in Narrowband-PLC for smart metering applications
10’s of kbps
Low-cost
1920’s
PLC for carrier telephony
1980’s
PLC for industry and home automation
~1 kbps
2000’s
BPL for LAN applications
>200 Mbps
Diversification of BPL for Aviation Applications
First EU FP6 ECAB project
Commercial BPL for in-flight entertainment
Initial feasibility study of PLC in the aircraft
EU FP7 TAUPE project
Commercial BPL for cabin systems
Detailed feasibility study (Architecture, EMC, performance, weight savings)
Positive result, but no technology supplier
2012
HSLU begins development of the Power Line data bUS (PLUS) technology
Dedicated PLC technology for niche safety-critical applications (aviation, train, smart grid, …)
2013-today
EU FP7 ASHLEY project
Demonstration of PLUS for Ventilation Control System
German national project SESAM partnered with Diehl Aerospace
PLUS for cabin applications

6. EU FP7 TAUPE Project Final Event (Feb. 15, 2012)
Motivation for a Dedicated PLC Solution
EU FP7 TAUPE Project Final Event (Feb. 15, 2012)

7. Power Line data bUS (PLUS)
Design Targets for
Power Line data bUS (PLUS)
Communication system design is a multi-goal optimization problem
Performance is dependent upon the transmission channel
Available channel capacity (signal-to-noise ratio - SNR)
Commercial PLC technology is optimized for:
High-throughput
Small network sizes
Plug-and-play behavior
PLUS has been optimized for:
High reliability
Low-latency
Larger network sizes
Determinism

8. Power Line data bUS (PLUS)
Design Targets for
Power Line data bUS (PLUS)
Performance history plays an important role in the acceptance of a new technology in the aircraft
PLUS has therefore been designed around:
Proven PLC standards for the physical layer (IEEE 1901)
Proven avionics standards for bus arbitration (ARINC 629)
PLUS has also been developed according to a white-box approach
Complete control of all aspects of the technology
No dependencies upon technology supplier support
Enables avionics design assurance

9. Power Line data bUS (PLUS) – Specification
Physical Layer Signal
Based on IEEE 1901
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)
Signal spectrum
Configurable: 2-50MHz (extension to 70MHz)
Max. number of data sub-carriers
1’968
Sub-carrier spacing
kHz
Modulation
BPSK, QPSK, 8-QAM, 16-QAM
Physical data rates
5 Mbps Mbps
Forward Error Correction
Convolutional Turbo Coding
Error Detection
Multi-level Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)
Bus arbitration
Based on ARINC-629 Basic Protocol
Network Architecture
Peer-to-peer without central clock master
Network Setup / Management
Zero network setup time
No network management traffic
Data services
Gateway functionality for CAN bus, Ethernet / IP
Multiplexing of multiple data services supported with segregation

10. Demonstration within ASHLEY Project
PLUS Achievements—
Demonstration within ASHLEY Project
PLUS is enabling communications for the ventilation control system
Control between RPC (DAs) and FANs (Nord Micro) realized with PLC
CAN data transmitted transparently over the power network using PLC
EMC investigation
Airbus Group Innovations (AGI) is also investigating PLC in the advanced studies work package
PLUS prototypes have been used for EMC testing with AGI
DAs has also performed EMC testing with the prototypes

11. 2017 Crystal Cabin Award Winner
PLUS Achievements—
2017 Crystal Cabin Award Winner
Diehl Aerospace and Lucerne University have won the 2017 Crystal Cabin Award for Cabin Systems on April 4 in Hamburg
“Diehl Aerospace, together with the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, combines data and electricity cables with their newly developed “Power Line Communication”. This “free-loading” of data flows using existing power cabling on board results in an immense saving of materials and thereby weight.”

12. Commercialization of the Technology
PLUS Achievements –
Commercialization of the Technology
A Swiss spinoff company (plc-tec AG) was founded in 2014 for the commercialization of the PLUS Intellectual Property
plc-tec AG and Diehl Aerospace have reached a licensing agreement to continue the further development of the PLUS PLC technology in Diehl’s future aviation products
Lucerne University will continue to support the development of PLUS as a R&D partner

13. Vision for PLUS in the Aircraft
PLUS PLC solution is currently at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4
TRL 4
TRL 5
TRL 6
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
PLC Prototype 1
EU ASHLEY
PLC Prototype 2
Lufo SESAM
PLC Prototype 3
Lufo NETKAB
PLC Prototype 4
Lufo ATIKA
PLC Prototype 1
115VAC
CAN Protocol
Ventilation Control System
PLC Prototype 2
115VAC
Ethernet Protocol
1st miniaturization
Cabin Seat Power
PLC Prototype 3
270VDC
CAN Protocol
Configuration and parameterization
Certification
PLC Prototype 4
Pre-industrialization / miniaturization
Certification
Larger networks with representative structures

14. Next Steps for PLUS in the Aircraft
Certification of PLC:
Discussions with EASA regarding PLC have been ongoing within WP24
No showstopper has been identified for PLC approach (ASHLEY D24.2)
EASA will visit the ASHLEY PLC demonstrator for further discussions (Sep. 18, 2017)
Technology development:
Diehl Aerospace and Lucerne University are cooperating within a series of German national research projects
Lucerne University is participating in a Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation funded project
Miniaturization:
Within the German national project SESAM a smaller form factor modem has been developed (MiniMRP Avionics Packaging size D)
Development is ongoing to reduce the size by a factor of 2 (MiniMRP size B)

15. Summary
Lucerne University has developed Power Line data bUS (PLUS) a dedicated PLC solution for aviation applications
PLUS has been successfully demonstrated within the ASHLEY project on the ventilation control system
Technology is assessed at TRL 4
PLUS prototypes can pass DO-160 EMC testing
Diehl Aerospace and plc-tec AG (spinoff of Lucerne University) have partnered for the continued product development of PLUS
2017 winners of Crystal Cabin Award for Cabin Systems
Certification will now be the focus for achieving a higher TRL
Development continues within German and Swiss national research projects

16. Contacts Stephen Dominiak stephen.dominiak@hslu.ch
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Dersch
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Wassner