The Air Force and other DoD agencies are seeking transformational communications and technology that will support legacy and future mission data transfers over lower-cost and more reliable network infrastructure, such as Internet Protocol (IP) networks. In Phase I, Avtec will (1) define the requirements for the Real Time Multiplexer (RTM), (2) evaluate the ability of existing COTS multiplexer/demultiplexer equipment-over IP networks-to meet timing reconstruction needs for legacy mission processing of streaming serial data received via air-ground telemetry links in real time, (3) evaluate candidate avionics telemetry architectures, and (4) develop approaches for upgrading existing equipment to support the additional functionality such as Quality of Service (QoS), latency deviation, and strict time-data correlation requirements. We will also develop plans for supporting a broad range of telemetry formats and protocols. We will conduct a cost-analysis to determine the optimal architecture that meets the technical, reliability, and availability requirements derived from this study. Finally, we will demonstrate the capabilities of our ioNET mux/demux system, which we believe provides a solid foundation for incorporating these additional requirements, and which can support legacy telemetry missions and migration to future packet telemetry services-resulting in a Phase II prototype product that can be commercialized. In addition to Avionics telemetry, the Air Force and other government agencies are exploring similar migrations to IP networks for the transport of legacy and future voice, video and data for air, land, sea and space vehicles. These widespread network upgrade incentives present significant commercial opportunity for multiplexer/demultiplexer systems operating in an IP environment. Mux/demux systems for voice, video and data are also utilized in the commercial broadcast industry. We will investigate the interest in providing IP systems for these and other commercial activities.
Keywords: Real Time Telemetry, Multiplexer, Demultiplexer, Internet Protocol (IP), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Time-Data Correlation (TDC), Quality of Service (QoS), Latency Variation
