The application of commercial Power Line Communications technology for avionics systems

Using the Power Distribution Network (PDN) concurrently as a data bus with Power Line Communications (PLC) technology provides an interesting solution for reducing the complexity, weight and volume of electrical systems in commercial aircraft. The European Union project TAUPE has recently completed an investigation on the use of PLC in commercial aircraft. A Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of four was reached and significant weight and complexity savings were demonstrated. Extensive functional and performance tests have been performed for two cabin reference applications in a representative demonstrator. The measurements were performed with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) PLC equipment based on a state-of-the-art industry standard. A detailed analysis of the results showed a number of deficiencies in applying COTS technology, which has been developed primarily for consumer in-home multimedia distribution, to avionics systems. This paper will provide an analysis of the deficiencies identified during testing as well as present a set of guidelines to aid the way forward for further development towards reaching a higher TRL with PLC which has become well established in the consumer market, but has yet to reach its full potential for avionics applications.