Fuzzification of electromagnetic interference patterns onboard commercial airliners due to wireless technology

The use of portable wireless technology has increased dramatically over the past few years. Over the years however, numerous reports have cited portable electronic devices (PED) as a possible cause of electromagnetic interference (EMI) to aircraft navigation and communication radio systems. PED may act as transmitters and their signals may be detected by the various radio receiver antennas installed on the aircraft. Measurement of the radiated field coupling between passenger cabin locations and aircraft communication and navigation receivers, via their antennas is defined herein as interference path loss (IPL). Personnel from NASA Langley Research Center, Eagles Wings Incorporated, and United Airlines performed extensive IPL measurements on several Boeing 737 airplanes. In previous work, the IPL data collected was graphically plotted and presented using MATLAB. This paper provides an introductory result of modeling EMI patterns using fuzzy logic, using the graphical analysis of IPL data. The application of fuzzy logic seeks to provide a means of estimating IPL at various locations within an airplane passenger cabin using simple modeling parameters. Fuzzy logic methods may provide a means to assess IPL characteristics of aircraft that have not been subject to expensive measurement or modeling processes and may also be useful for estimating the merit of aircraft design changes intended to minimize the potential for EMI.