ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) was developed in the 1970s to automatically transmit arrival and departure times between aircraft and airline operations centers. It allows flight crews to send information like fuel status and delays, and airlines to monitor aircraft parameters. ACARS uses VHF radio or satellite communication and standardized formats to exchange operational messages. It improved airline operations by automating manual voice reports.
ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) was developed in the 1970s to automatically transmit arrival and departure times between aircraft and airline operations centers. It allows flight crews to send information like fuel status and delays, and airlines to monitor aircraft parameters. ACARS uses VHF radio or satellite communication and standardized formats to exchange operational messages. It improved airline operations by automating manual voice reports.
ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) was developed in the 1970s to automatically transmit arrival and departure times between aircraft and airline operations centers. It allows flight crews to send information like fuel status and delays, and airlines to monitor aircraft parameters. ACARS uses VHF radio or satellite communication and standardized formats to exchange operational messages. It improved airline operations by automating manual voice reports.
ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) was developed in the 1970s to automatically transmit arrival and departure times between aircraft and airline operations centers. It allows flight crews to send information like fuel status and delays, and airlines to monitor aircraft parameters. ACARS uses VHF radio or satellite communication and standardized formats to exchange operational messages. It improved airline operations by automating manual voice reports.
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ACARS
AIRCRAFT(ARINC) COMMUNICATION, ADDRESSING AND REPORTING SYSTEM ACARS • WAS DEVELOPED IN 1970S AS AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO BE EQUIPPED WITH DIGITAL AVIONICS • WAS DEVELOPED TO PROVIDE AUTOMATICALLY, THE ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE TIMES AND AIR GROUND EXCHANGE OF OPERATIONAL DATA BETWEEN AIRCRAFT AND AIRLINES OPERATIONS CENTERS AIRLINE DATALINK EVOLUTION
• DATA LINK WAS FIRST INTRODUCED TO
PROVIDE AIRCRAFT MOVEMENT REPORT IN PLACE OF AIR GROUND VOICE REPORT • ONE COMMON USE NOW IS TO PROVIDE AIRCRAFT SYSTEM STATUS REPORT TO THE AIRLINE ON REAL TIME BASIS • PROVISION OF FLIGHT CREW INITIATED INFORMATION REQUEST AND GROUND INITIATED REQUESTS ACARS USE • ALLOWS AIRCREW TO SEND ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE TIMES, FUEL STATUS, FLIGHT DELAY etc. • GROUND MONITORING CAPABILITY OF AIRCRAFT ENGINE AND OTHER PARAMETERS, EFFICIENT EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION CONCERNING CONNECTING FLIGHTS AND RELIABLE SELECTIVE CALLING SYSTEM ACARS AVIONICS • TO COMMUNICATE VIA AN ACARS NETWORK, AN AIRCRAFT MUST BE EQUIPPED WITH AVIONICS THAT PROCESSES THE ACARS PROTOCOL. THE ORIGINAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACARS PROTOCOL IN AVIONICS WAS IN ACARS MANAGEMENT UNIT (MU). THE MAJOR SUPPLIERS OF ACARS MU ARE TELEDYNE, ROCKWELL COLLINS AND HONEYWELL ACARS IMPLEMENTATION • ON BOEING • ON AIRBUS AIRCRAFT ACARS AIRCRAFT, MU IS PERFORMED AEROSPATIALE HAS BY THE AIRCRAFT DEVELOPED AN AIR INFORMATION TRAFFIC SERVICE MANAGEMENT UNIT (ATSU) WHICH SYSTEMS (AIMS) HANDLES ACARS DEVELOPED BY MU FUNCTIONS HONEYWELL AND ALSO HOSTS ATS APPLICATIONS DATA LINK ACCESS FOR AIRCRAFT SYSTEM • ACARS AVIONICS DEVELOPED SINCE 1990 PROVIDE OTHER AIRCRAFT COMPUTER DATA SUCH AS PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND FLIGHT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ACCESS TO AIR GROUND DATA LINK • AIR GROUND PROTOCOL AND MODULATION SCHEME IS SPECIFIED IN AEEC SPECIFICATIONS 618 “AUR/GROUND CHARACTER ORIENTED PROTOCOL SPECIFICATION” • CHANNELS USED IN THE AERONAUTICAL MOBILE EN-ROUTE SERVICE OR AM(R)S 118-137 MHz • EACH CHANNEL HAS 25 KHz BANDWIDTH DATA LINK ACCESS FOR AIRCRAFT SYSTEM • MU CONTAINS A MODEM THAT USES MINIMUM SHIFT KEYING (MSK) AMPLITUDE MODULATION PROVIDING A DATA RATE OF 2400 BITS/SECOND • VHF ACARS STATIONS ON GROUND PROVIDE OVERLAPPING RANGE USING THE SAME FREQUENCY • AS ON 31ST DEC, 1999 THERE WERE 517 REMOTE GROUND STATIONS WERE OPERATING • ASSIGNED FREQUENCIES ARE: – 131.725 MHz FOR EUROPE, SOUTH AMERICA, CARIBBEAN, MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA AND ST. PIERRE ET MIQUELON(FRENCH CANADA) – 131.550 MHz FOR ASIA, NEW ZEALAND AND THE PACIFIC – 136.850 MHz FOR United States of America AND CANADA – TO PARTLY MEET THE REQUIREMENT OF DENSE TRAFFIC IN EUROPE, 131.525 MHz PROVIDED FOR ENROUTE AND 136.900 MHz PROVIDED FOR USE ON GROUND DATA LINK ACCESS FOR AIRCRAFT SYSTEM • TO SWITCH AIRCRAFT FROM ONE FREQUENCY TO THE OTHER WHILE ENROUTE, VHF MULTI FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (VMMS) IS USED WHICH AUTOTUNES THE AIRBORNE SYSTEM • VMMS RECEIVES COPIES OF AIRCRAFT FLIGHT MOVEMENT MESSAGES TO IDENTIFY WHEN THE AIRCRAFT IS AIRBORNE AND SHOULD USE THE ENROUTE FREQUENCY AND WHEN IT IS ON GROUND SHOULD USE AIRPORT FREQUENCY • AEEC 620 PROTOCOL SUPPORTS EXCHANGE OF MESSAGES CONTAINING APPLICATION DATA ENCODED AS CHARACTER. USES A 2 CHARACTER ACARS LABEL ON AIR GROUND CONNECTION AND 3 CHARACTER STANDARD MESSAGE IDENTIFIER (SMI) ON THE INTERFACE TO GROUND SYSTEM DATA LINK ACCESS FOR AIRCRAFT SYSTEM
• AIRCRAFT, SUITABLY EQUIPPED CAN ACCESS THE
DATA LINK VIA INMARSAT AERONAUTICAL MOBILE SATELLITE SERVICE (AMSS) • FOUR GEOSTATIONARY SATELLITES PARKED OVER ATLANTIC OCEAN (WEST), ATLANTIC OCEAN (EAST), INDIAN OCEAN AND PACIFIC OCEAN PROVIDE COVERAGE BETWEEN 80 DEG NORTH AND 80 DEG SOUTH • AIRBORNE/GROUND SYSTEM MAY INDICATE A PREFERENCE FOR THE USE OF VHF OR AMSS MEDIA HOW ACARS WORKS • DATA CONCERNING DEP/ARR TIMES, FUEL STATUS, FLIGHT RELATED PARAMETERS etc. AUTOMATICALLY COLLECTED OR ENTERED INTO SYSTEM, CONVERTED INTO IT5 (7 UNIT WITH 8TH FOR PARITY) AND FORMED INTO BLOCKS OF 220 CHARACTERS MAX. • MESSAGE TRANSMITTED TO GROUND WHICH IS SENT TO ARINC/SITA CENTRAL SWITCH. HOW ACARS WORKS • WORKS IN TWO MODES: – 1. DEMAND MODE: EITHER THE GROUND OR AIRBORNE SYSTEM TO INITIATE COMMUNICATION. AIRBORNE SYSTEM WILL INITIATE WHENEVER A PREDEFINED EVENT HAPPENS OR WHEN PILOT COMMAND IS ENTERED. GROUND STATION DETERMINES IF MESSAGE IS ERROR FREE, ROUTES IT TO DESTINATION AND ISSUES ACK. IF ERROR IS FOUND, ACK MESSAGE IS NOT ISSUED AND AIRCRAFT MAKES UPTO 6 ATTEMPTS AND THEN ALERT THE CREW. IN UPLINK MESSAGE HOWEVER NEG. ACK (NAK) MESSAGE IS ISSUED HOW ACARS WORKS • - 2. POLL MODE: ALLOWS ONLY GROUND PROCESSOR TO INITIATE. GROUND SYSTEM CONTINUOUSLY POLL MESSAGES AND ANALYSES AIRCRAFT REPLIES MESSAGE FORMAT BLOCK IDENTIFIER(1) (UPLINK ONLY) LABEL(2) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT(1) SUFFIX (1) ADDRESS(7) END OF PREAMBLE(1) END OF TEXT OR (START OF TEXT) END OF BLOCK BCS MODE(1) SUFFIX START OF HEADING(1) TEXT (220) BLOCK CHECK CHARACTER SYNC(2) SEQUENCE (2) BIT AMBIGUITY(2) 16 BITS PERKEY(16)
PREAMBLE MESSAGE FORMAT • Preamble:Identifies the message, • Acknowledgement: MU clears from synchronization of message memory last down link message only • Prekey: 16 char for MU to establish bit after receiving ACK message. Upon and character sync receiving NAK ground will retransmit • Bit Ambiguity: two char (+,*) to • Label: Identifies message type like establish bit recognition correct ‘QT’ for departure report, ‘5D’ ATIS • Char Synchronization: Two request etc. consecutive char are sent to establish • Up link Block Identifier: Changes char char synchronization every time a new message or general • Start of Heading: Char sent to indicate message is sent start of message heading also block • End of Preamble: Identified by check sequence characters ‘ETX’ for message • Mode: To be used in future (RTCA) containing no TEXT and ‘STX’ for • Address: Identifies destination. MU message containing TEXT. matches the address. Down link • Text: Free talk included + others identifies aircraft originating • Suffix: End of Text(ETX)/End of Block(ETB) • Block Check Seq: Gen. ACK or NAK ATN/VDL HISTORY
• 1988 FANS Committee proposes concept of
ATN Internet • 1990 ICAO decides to specify ATN subnet provision over a VHF Link • 1991 Aeronautical Mobile Communications Panel initiates VDL Standards • 1997/98 ICAO adopts VDL and ATN Standards ATN INTERNET
• ATN Internet provides transparent data
connectivity across diverse terrestrial and air-ground network • Difference compared to generic Internet is the ATN addresses which contain airline or country codes and creates a routing domain for each airline/civil aviation authority ATN INTERCONNECTION • ATN user system communicates via ATN routers which handle the ATN Internet Protocols • ATN Systems are interconnected by subnetworks which provide the foundation for ATN internet • ATN subnetwork can be provided using the X.25 protocol ATN SUBNETWORK • ATN ground systems connect over existing X.25 networks such as SITA etc. • ATN avionics can connect to ATN ground systems using the X.25 based services of AMSS, VDL, Mode ‘S’ and HFDL • There is no limit to message length over VDL X.25 connections • Aircraft can establish an explicit VDL a/g link using a unique address for each ground station VDL SERVICE PERFORMANCE • One VDL channel provides a 20 fold capacity increase over one ACARS channel • VDL link protocol reduces transmission overhead • Applications: – ACARS based – AOC bit oriented – ATS bit oriented
