Aeronautics and the Internet of Things

Netgroup’s application for tracking information, anticipating failures, and streamlining maintenance of complex equipment in the aviation context, also increasing the value and desirability of a product by offering innovative processes related to its lifecycle management

The Challenge

Innovation comes through maintenance

The aviation environment is a prolific site of technological challenges among the various manufacturers facing each other, not only for performance-related technologies but also for those that are maintenance-oriented.

In fact, maintenance is not to be considered a procedure of secondary importance; preventing and anticipating the occurrence of problems on subsystems and components becomes essential to save resources and time and to make the entire system more efficient.

This is why Netgroup engages in projects involving the use of IoT technologies, thanks to which it is possible to collect real-time data and application solutions for the integration of heterogeneous systems.

The Proposal

The sensors and the application

Pietro De Angelis, of Netgroup’s B.U. of Digital Infrastructures & Cybersecurity, explains the activities in the implementation of the application chosen for the aviation domain.

The solution we have implemented involves the application of a sensor on each component of the aircraft for which it is necessary to collect data on the component’s in-flight and ground activity.

With key support from the Client, we identified the requirements for a sensor with well-defined technical specifications; we identified one with physical characteristics such that it could also be applied to components subjected to high heating or very high dynamic stresses.

At this point we applied the sensors to the affected components, operating directly on the production line, aboard an experimental aircraft.

An essential part of the system, of course, is the application component, capable of collecting data from sensors, processing it and communicating it to the Client’s legacy systems. Together with the latter, we then defined a process that would aim to achieve specific goals by implementing the application integrated with IoT technology in the field.

In essence, the process flow that is managed involves four stages:

INITIALIZATION

Of the sensor with association to the respective material registry using appropriate reader\writers in the field

ASSEMBLY

With definition of dependency relationships with other components

UPDATE

Of the data collected in the field

DISSEMBLING

For the purpose of maintenance or replacement of the component, with subsequent reassembly

The Benefits

The adoption of NetDOC has thus enabled a number of results:

dematerialization

process automation

component traceability

real-time feedback

support for operational activities

The Results

Netgroup's contribution in Industry 4.0

The application of cutting-edge technologies, on contexts such as aeronautics, makes us proud of our achievements and proud of the steps we have taken toward Industry 4.0.

Applied technologies support the main purpose regarding the support of emerging realities that promote modernity and different productivity in the logistics system, which is becoming increasingly challenging and demanding.

Aeronautics and the Internet of Things