Welcome to Germany, Boeing ecoDemonstrator 2019
iCabin is flying on the Boeing B777 ecoDemonstrator 2019!
"A key part of the ecoDemonstrator program is collaboration with industry partners to jointly test technologies and share learnings that advance aviation. More than a dozen partners are participating in the 2019 program, including an industry consortium developing a connectivity standard for networked cabins of the future known as iCabin." [More]
Keywords
intelligent aircraft cabin, networked cabin, wireless cabin, cabin status, predictive health management, communication standard
Project Duration
January 01, 2018 - March 31, 2021 (39 months)
Funding Program
Aviation Research Program V
Thrid Program Call 2018 - 2022
Project Coordinator
Dipl.-Ing. Lothar Trunk Diehl Aerospace GmbH
An der Sandelmuehle 13, 60439 Frankfurt
Phone.: + 49 69 5805-1461
E-Mail: lothar.trunk(at)diehl(dot)com
Homepage: www.diehl-aerospace.de
Project objective
The intelligent Cabin (iCabin) inter-connects information from sophisticated cabin systems to an overall cabin condition enabling new innovative digital passenger, cabin crew and airline services. The iCabin consortium focuses on the following primary objectives:
- the development of a communication standard for an intelligent cabin network,
- the introduction of predictive maintenance for cabin systems, including standardized interfaces,
- the interconnection of currently independent and seperated cabin systems, e.g. seats, galleys, lavatories and surfaces, via the cabin network.
The intelligent cabin generates and inter-connects information from systems and sensors to an overall cabin condition. This information allows a previously non-existent predictive maintenance. A wireless intelligent cabin network designed as an open platform connects smart applications, seats, galleys, lavatories and surfaces. The intelligent applications determine the current state of the systems, provide a failure forecast and enable predictive maintenance. For this, the intelligent seats, galleys, lavatories and surfaces are equipped with the necessary infrastructure. This increases the availability and reliability of the cabin and thus also passenger satisfaction. Further applications for the networking of passengers and flight attendants are being prepared. For this purpose, corresponding communication protocols are provided in the developed cabin network. The standards to be established for this in the field of cabin communication allow for future flexibility for the supplier industry in order to gradually extend the systems and to ensure scalability. In order to achieve a broad foundation, competing suppliers are involved in this project as partners. The interdisciplinary team includes Boeing and Etihad Airlines as international associated partners. The inclusion of customer requirements (airlines, OEMs) at such an early stage allows a positive exploitation perspective for the emerging products and requires timely processing within the 39-month project duration, especially with regard to the standards to be established.