Aircraft Equipment Area Network Coordinator

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Solution Overview

Problem

In aircraft applications, wireless devices in electromagnetically shielded locations require higher power wireless protocols for effective communication, but these consume more power and are costly, while low power protocols are beneficial for battery-powered devices, creating a need for efficient data transmission across different power levels and protocols.

Innovation Solution

An equipment area network system with a dual-transceiver architecture, where a first transceiver uses low power for communication within the network and a second transceiver, using higher power, communicates with a wide area network, allowing data translation between different wireless protocols, and antenna placement within and outside the shielded enclosure facilitates this.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If higher power wireless protocols are used in electromagnetically shielded locations, then communication effectiveness is improved, but power consumption increases and equipment cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication effectivenessVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The wireless communication system is segmented into two distinct parts: a low-power transceiver for short-range communication within the shielded enclosure, and a high-power transceiver for long-range communication outside the enclosure. This segmentation allows each transceiver to be optimized for its specific function, with the low-power transceiver handling local device communications and the high-power transceiver handling remote coordinator communications, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining communication effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The equipment area network coordinator acts as an intermediary between wireless devices in the shielded enclosure and the wide area network coordinator outside the enclosure. It receives data from low-power devices via the first transceiver, translates protocols, and transmits via the second transceiver to the wide area network, eliminating the need for each device to use high-power protocols for all communications.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If higher power wireless protocols are used in electromagnetically shielded locations, then communication effectiveness is improved, but equipment cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication effectivenessVSAvoidequipment cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments communication functions into two transceivers with different power capabilities. The low-power first transceiver uses inexpensive hardware suitable for short-range communication, while the high-power second transceiver is only required in the coordinator device, not in every wireless device. This reduces the overall equipment cost compared to deploying high-power transceivers in all devices.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The equipment area network coordinator serves as an intermediary that bridges low-power device communications with high-power wide area network communications. By concentrating the high-power transceiver capability in the coordinator rather than requiring it in every device, the system reduces equipment costs while maintaining communication effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Use of energy by moving object

If low power protocols are used for wireless communication, then power consumption is reduced, but communication range and effectiveness in shielded locations is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidcommunication effectiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The communication system is segmented into two tiers: a low-power tier for short-range device-to-coordinator communication within the shielded enclosure, and a high-power tier for long-range coordinator-to-wide-area-network communication outside the enclosure. This segmentation enables low-power protocols to be used where sufficient (within the enclosure) while leveraging high-power protocols where needed (for external communication).

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The equipment area network coordinator acts as an intermediary that receives data via low-power protocols from devices in the shielded enclosure and transmits via high-power protocols to the wide area network. This intermediary approach allows low-power devices to achieve effective communication by relying on the coordinator's high-power transceiver for external communications.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS10333197B2Wireless network with equipment area network

Publication Date: 2019.06.25 ROSEMOUNT AEROSPACE INC

AI summary

A multi-level network system of an aircraft includes at least one equipment area network and a wide area network. The equipment area network includes equipment of the aircraft, at least one wireless device, and at least one equipment area network coordinator. The at least one wireless device is configured to transmit and receive data using a first wireless link. The at least one equipment area network coordinator is configured to transmit to and receive data from the at least one wireless device using the first wireless link and to transmit data to and receive data from the wide area network using a second wireless link, the first wireless link using lower power than the second wireless link. The wide area network includes a wide area network coordinator that is configured to transmit and receive data from the at least one equipment area network coordinator using the second wireless link.