GOALI: Collaborative Research: An Experimentally Validated Simulation Framework for Next-Generation Plastic Optical Fiber-based Systems on Airplanes

GOALI：协作研究：用于飞机上的下一代塑料光纤系统的经实验验证的仿真框架该研究项目旨在开发一个经实验验证的仿真框架，该框架将有助于研究和设计基于塑料光纤(POF)的飞机通信系统和网络。主要参与者是斯塔滕岛学院(CSI/CUNY)、蒙大拿州立大学博兹曼分校(MSU)和纽约城市学院(CCNY/CUNY)。它还将涉及与西班牙萨拉戈萨大学(UZ)的国际合作，以及与世界领先的航空电子设备制造商波音公司的GALI组件。航空电子通信系统目前正在商业和军事领域经历根本性变革。前者(商用)是本项目的重点，由于旅行公众的新兴应用以及对正在部署的超现代飞机的更高操作需求，对高速通信的需求日益增长。此外，老化的飞机布线对飞机构成重大威胁，因为电线已被证明是导致飞机故障的主要因素之一。因此，航空电子数据总线正在从铜缆向基于光纤的网络迁移，因为后者具有高传输能力和高电磁抗扰性。研究人员建议POF作为商业飞机上下一代航空电子通信系统的合适传输介质，因为其易于操作、重量轻和高耐振性等优点。虽然实验结果已经证明了在不同类型的POF上进行高速数据传输的可行性，但基于POF的系统的建模和仿真相对滞后。因此，研究人员将开发一套全面的组件和模拟技术，使工程师在为其特定系统确定最终定制解决方案之前，能够系统地探索不同的设计。他们还将作出特别努力，让妇女和代表性不足的群体参与这一努力，因为他们传统上不接触航空电子系统工程。该项目的目标是研究POF在飞机环境中的使用，重点是系统性能和高比特率传输。玻璃纤维在诸如航空电子网络等短距离网络中用作传输介质时存在许多问题。它的机械性能较弱，一般缺乏弯曲能力。此外，单模玻璃光纤的芯径很小(~10 mm)，需要非常精确的处理技术。塑料光纤(POF)虽然具有较高的损耗(~100-300分贝/千米)和扩散，但由于其更易于操作，弯曲半径约为5 mm，因此可以解决这些问题，这在航空电子网络中是一个很大的好处。其更大的芯径(50 mm至1 mm)使您可以使用廉价的连接器轻松连接。增加的芯径允许更高的耐振性和对灰尘颗粒的耐受性，这些颗粒可以完全阻碍光在玻璃纤维中的传播。研究人员将涵盖三种不同类型的塑料光纤：大芯(长达1毫米)阶跃折射率塑料光纤(SI-POF)、多芯阶梯折射率塑料光纤(MC SI-POF)和渐变折射率塑料光纤(GI-POF)。已有的仿真模型能够捕捉多模光纤中所有的导模，具有详细的空间场；然而，它们不适合于大芯光纤，因为大芯光纤有数百万个传播模。该项目旨在开发计算效率高的模型，以避免需要过长的模拟时间和过多的计算机内存。模型验证是该项目的关键组成部分，将通过萨拉戈萨大学最先进的设备表征实验室和斯塔滕岛学院的试验床相结合进行。蒙大拿州立大学将主要研究高级调制格式和数字信号处理算法。波音公司将提供原型设备和现实的系统设计。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

GOALI: Collaborative Research: An Experimentally-Validated Simulation Framework for Next-Generation Plastic Optical Fiber-based Systems on AirplanesThis research project seeks to develop an experimentally-validated simulation framework that will help investigate and design Plastic Optical Fiber (POF)-based communication systems and networks for airplanes. The main participants are The College of Staten Island (CSI/CUNY), Montana State University-Bozeman (MSU), and The City College of New York (CCNY/CUNY). It will also involve an international collaboration with the University of Zaragoza (UZ), Spain, and a GOALI component with the world-leader in avionics, The Boeing Co. Avionic communication systems are currently undergoing a radical transformation in both the commercial and military sectors. The former (commercial), the focus of this project, exhibits an increasing need for high-speed communication due to emerging applications for the traveling public, as well as higher operational needs for the ultra-modern aircraft that are being deployed. In addition, aging aircraft wiring poses a significant threat to aircrafts, as electrical wires have proven to be one of the major factors leading to airplane failures. Therefore, there is an ongoing migration of avionic data buses from copper to fiber-based networks, since the latter exhibit high transmission capacity and high electromagnetic immunity. The investigators have suggested POF as a suitable transmission medium for next-generation avionic communication systems on commercial aircrafts due to its ease of handling, light weight and high tolerance to vibration, among other benefits. While experimental results have demonstrated the feasibility of high-speed data transmission over different types of POFs, the modeling and simulation of POF-based systems is lagging behind. Therefore, the investigators will develop a comprehensive set of components and simulation techniques that empower engineers to systematically explore different designs before settling on a final custom solution for their particular system. They will also make a special effort to involve women and underrepresented groups in the effort since they traditionally are not exposed to avionic systems engineering. The goal of the project is to study the use of POF in an airplane environment with an emphasis on system performance and high bit rate transmissions. Glass fiber has a number of problems when used as a transmission medium in short-reach networks such as avionic networks. It is mechanically weak and generally lacks bending ability. Also, the core diameter of single-mode glass optical fiber is small (~10mm) and it requires very precise handling techniques. Plastic optical fiber (POF), even with its high loss (~100-300 dB/km) and diffusion, can solve these problems since it is easier to handle and has a bending radius of about 5 mm, which can be a big benefit in avionics networks. Its larger core diameter (50 mm to 1 mm) enables easy connections using inexpensive connectors. The increased core diameter allows higher tolerance to vibrations and to dust particles that can totally obstruct light propagation in glass fibers. The investigators will cover three different types of POF: large-core (up to 1 mm) step-index plastic optical fiber (SI-POF), multicore step-index plastic optical fiber (MC SI-POF), and graded-index plastic optical fiber (GI-POF). There are existing simulation models that capture all the guided modes in multimode fibers with detailed spatial fields; however, they are not adequate for large-core fibers, where there are millions of propagation modes. The project intends to develop computationally-efficient models that circumvent the need for prohibitively long simulation times and excessive computer memory. The model validation, a critical component of the project, will be done via a combination of the state-of-the-art device characterization laboratory at the University of Zaragoza and a testbed at the College of Staten Island. Montana State University will primarily work on advanced modulation formats and digital signal processing algorithms. Boeing Co. will provide prototype devices and realistic system designs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.