A Link Reliability Study of Optical Wireless Headset inside Aircraft Cockpit

Communications inside an aircraft cockpit are currently based on wired or radiofrequency connections. For instance, wireless ones have been introduced to support the tablets. However, the use of radiofrequency technologies remains limited. For example, a wireless connectivity for the headset would be an advantage for the pilots in terms of comfort and flexibility but there are some issues especially concerning radiofrequency interferences but also audio data security. Optical wireless communications based on visible light or infrared offer interesting possibilities to overcome these issues. Indeed, as optical beams are confined in the environment, this technology brings robustness against the risks of attacks, thus increasing security. In addition, radiofrequency immunity ensures the absence of disturbances, allowing more resources for communications. For the first time in the literature and using simulation, this paper investigates the optical wireless channel for pilot headset connectivity inside aircraft cockpit, and determines its performance in terms of maximal data rates that can be achieved for a given link reliability.