High Speed Digital Video on Legacy Aircraft Wiring

Currently the Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) connection to the aircraft is done via cable, generally called the Helmet Vehicle Interface (HVI). The current HVI systems have integration issues, human factor limitations, and safety concerns. A Wireless based HVI is needed to eliminate these shortcomings, bring enhanced capabilities to the warfighter, improve safety, and reduce cost. In this proposal we outline our approach in creating a wireless infrastructure that enhances the data, commands and signal transfer in an aircraft in terms of throughput, flexibility, ease of integration, and cost. Our proposed solution is a wireless infrastructure that utilizes the advantages of a V-band technology while addressing the challenges of the 60 GHz band. The development of the proposed technology will not only increase the airborne data bus throughput capability by 1000X but will also, allow for replacement of the wires for signal and data communication onboard a avionics platform; reducing risks resulting from the inflexibility of wired connections, the weight, the cost and the time of qualifying the wire-based architecture. This technology can directly benefit the JHMCS program in providing a high throughput Wireless HVI. BENEFIT: The benefit of our proposed technology for wireless connectivity inside of an aircraft extends beyond the HVI system for JHMCS. The proposed wireless high data rate cable replacement solution can be used in virtually all types military and commercial aircrafts. Each year tremendous amounts of resources is used resolving issues with aircraft wiring, such as hazardous insulation. Specific concerns with regards to a wiring include the old age of such aircrafts, which could lead to more wiring related hazards. Such hazards include autopilot malfunction, fuel tank explosions, and unintentional maneuvers by the aircraft. Such hazards and issues can be resolved with the introduction of A-ViFi on the aircraft. It would also save the military millions of dollars in aircraft redesign because A-ViFi makes the addition of new onboard equipment to be very easy.