IFEC INNOVATIONS
LEFT AND ABOVE: LUFTHANSA
TECHNIK’S RECENT SKYRETREAT
CONCEPT. THE COMPANY IS
EXPLORING IF LAMPS
AND OTHER CABIN
ELEMENTS COULD
REALISTICALLY BE
USED TO TRANSMIT
IFEC DATA
Astronics says
its full 4K Blu-ray
disc player should
be qualified by
the first quarter
businessjet inter iorsinternat ional . com 047
JANUARY 2020
Li-fi
Another technology in development at
Lufthansa Technik is li-fi, which would
enable IFEC content to be transmitted
by light, from a reading lamp for
example. “You’re transmitting data
through the lightbulb – in a manner
that is not visible to the human eye –
and picking it up through a receiver,
which could be your phone, although
currently we have a separate receiver,”
says Andrew Muirhead. “It’s noiseimmune,
so you don’t have problems
with reflections in the cabin, like you
can with wi-fi. It’s also a point-topoint
light source that can’t be hacked
into, unlike a wireless signal that could
be received outside of the aircraft. It
has no other systems interfering with
it; it’s basically just like fibre optic
cable without the cable.”
Lufthansa Technik is currently
investigating the technology.
Muirhead says that there are a
number of conceivable applications,
but the company hasn’t locked in
on one yet. He believes it will be
most useful for applications
where you want to make sure
nobody can listen in, and for
reconfiguring IFEC systems
without moving cables
around in the aircraft.
“Would you use reading
lights to transmit video, I don’t
know at this point in time,” he
says. “Theoretically and practically
you can; at the moment we’re using
this technology demonstrator as a
talking point to see what applications
OEMs think could be interesting.”
Wireless charging
It’s easy to see why wireless charging is making in-roads
in the industry, as it has clear appeal to passengers
– enabling them to charge compatible smartphones
without the fuss of power cables and chargers. The
technology is a feature on Bombardier’s Nuage chaise,
available as an option on the newest Global aircraft,
and will also feature on the new Gulfstream G700.
Pentastar Aviation offers the technology through a
partnership with Cobalt Aerospace, and demonstrated it
at NBAA-BACE 2016. Cobalt’s latest unit is a 15W threecoil
solution that accepts aircraft power and provides
contained wireless charging. Designed to be thin,
requiring as little integration room as possible, the unit
can be installed in drink rails, tables and other surfaces.
of 2020
Astronics announced in October 2019 that its wireless
charging module (WCM), introduced to the airline market
in 2018, is now available for the business aviation sector.
The solution can be integrated in seats, furniture or
galleys, on aircraft and helicopters, and is already linefit
and retrofit approved for Boeing and Airbus types.
The 15W charger is Qi-certified, which Astronics
says ensures safety through testing, as well as device
compatibility. Qi-enabled devices include popular phone
models from Apple and Samsung.
The WCM has an enlarged charging area to ensure
charging functionality without the phone having to be
centrally positioned – an important feature in an aircraft,
where things may move around.
ABOVE: AN ILLUSTRATION
SHOWING HOW
ASTRONICS’ WIRELESS
CHARGER WOULD BE
INTEGRATED INTO AN
AIRCRAFT DRINKS RAIL
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