In this article, we explore the performance of optical wireless technology for ensuring audio communications inside an aircraft cockpit. One advantage is that, unlike radio frequencies, opaque objects block optical signals and, therefore, signals cannot pass through walls. This can reduce security risks against eavesdropping and hacking of the physical layer, which is one of the main concerns in the aviation environment. However, optical wireless technology faces some issues, including range limitation and sensitivity to blockages. To study the achievable performances, we propose a modeling of the channels for the uplink and the downlink between the headsets of the four pilots of an Airbus A350 and the access point at the cockpit ceiling. A ray-tracing approach associated with a Monte-Carlo method takes into account the 3D geometric model of the cockpit, the presence of the pilots and their movements. We show that using spatial diversity for headset transceivers can improve performance. Using IEEE 802.11 medium access control mechanism to ensure multi-user communication, the approach highlights the trade-offs between power and delay for a successful communication, linked to the maximum achievable data rate for a given performance level.

中文翻译：

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部署在飞机驾驶舱中的光学无线通信网络的性能折衷

在本文中，我们探讨了用于确保飞机驾驶舱内部音频通信的光学无线技术的性能。一个优点是，与无线电频率不同，不透明的物体会阻挡光信号，因此，信号无法穿过墙壁。这可以减少针对物理层的窃听和黑客入侵的安全风险，这是航空环境中的主要问题之一。但是，光学无线技术面临一些问题，包括范围限制和对阻塞的敏感性。为了研究可实现的性能，我们建议对空中客车A350的四名飞行员的头戴式耳机与驾驶舱天花板上的接入点之间的上行链路和下行链路的通道进行建模。与蒙特卡洛方法关联的光线跟踪方法考虑了驾驶舱的3D几何模型，飞行员的存在及其动作。我们表明，对耳机收发器使用空间分集可以提高性能。该方法使用IEEE 802.11介质访问控制机制来确保多用户通信，从而突出显示了在成功进行通信时功率和延迟之间的权衡，并与给定性能水平下可实现的最大数据速率相关联。