Photonic Exchange Network: a reconfigurable data network for mobile platforms

Cost, reliability, and safety issues for the electronics of mobile platforms force a re- examination of the architectures of platform electronics, particularly for those platforms that will carry people or operate near people. Previous architectures provided a system to control each function, and reliability and safety requirements were met by duplicating components or entire systems. Integration of the activities of the system was accomplished by the operator. As the complexity of the functions increased the workload on the operator became unmanageable and the cost of the electronics became prohibitive. Within the category of mobile platforms, the trend developed in its most extreme form for tactical aircraft avionics. This paper describes the requirements for a data network for a distributed avionic architecture for a tactical aircraft. In many respects, the requirements on a tactical aircraft are more extreme than will be seen in most other mobile platforms; however, the overall distributed architecture, and the data network which allows it to function, is applicable and can be scaled to meet the need.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.