FUTURED. ZAL Magazin 2024

ZAL GMBH
GREEN AND CONNECTED
GREEN AND
CONNECTED
“The DaKliF project demonstrates
that even seemingly minor elements,
such as data processing and transfer,
can play a significant role in promoting
sustainability for aircraft.”
Constantin Deneke, DaKliF Project leader at ZAL GmbH
CONTACT
Constantin Deneke
constantin.deneke@zal.aero
Alternative fuels like SAF or hydrogen take
the spotlight in the discussion of sustainable
aviation. However, the complexity of
an aircraft also offers other adjustments to
reduce the ecological footprint of future
travels, such as the onboard network of an
aircraft. This network typically consists of
heavy and energy-intensive computing
components and struggles to keep pace
with technological advancements seen on
the ground. In the collaborative project
DaKliF (German for Datenplattform für
The six research partners (Airbus, Diehl, TUHH, DLR, University Stuttgart and
ZAL GmbH) at the kick-off meeting in August 2023 at the ZAL TechCenter.
The DaKliF project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and
Climate Action (BMWK).
Klima neutrales Fliegen), six partners aim
to make onboard networks more efficient,
lighter and highly adaptable. A shared validation
platform will ensure these improvements
are feasible in real-world scenarios.
Handling these ever-growing amounts of data is
a challenge for the existing rigid network architecture.
All tasks, sensor data or announcements
are currently processed centrally by servers
onboard the aircraft and then distributed in
a star-shaped manner to the respective end devices.
These systems already account for up to
3 percent of fuel consumption. Increasing digitization
would necessitate servers to be more
powerful, consequently consuming even greater
amounts of energy.
SMART NETWORK TOOLKIT
An alternative is a decentralized network, where
smaller computers process data close to the
end device (e.g. a temperature sensor). This is
known as edge computing, which enables central
servers to shrink in size and reduces the necessity
for cables and data transmission.
SHARED TEST PLATFORM DEMONSTRATES
INNOVATIVE NETWORK
How much energy can be saved when all components
come together? How much weight can
be saved by the new cabin network architecture?
Is the network flexible enough to adapt to
changing tasks? These questions will be answered
by a shared testing platform, where the
results of all research partners are compiled
and validated. This platform tests different use
cases of a smart, connected cabin and showcases
the potential benefits of alternative networks
for aviation.
The ZAL Endpoint family offers
performance and efficiency for
every use case:
Listen to the audio
The ZAL Endpoint Standard
28 version of this text.
For this purpose, the Digital Cabin team of ZAL with its maximum flexibility.
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GmbH has been developing the ZAL Endpoint
ZAL Endpoint Performance with
HIGHER DEMAND AND EXPECTATIONS
FOR CONNECTIVITY
No Wi-Fi, old screens, crackling speakers: some
flights make passengers feel technologically
stuck in the past. Besides passengers’ desire for
the comfort they are accustomed to at home, airlines
also have a need for systems that streamline
cabin operations, from passenger counting
during boarding to the detection of forgotten
items using AI camera systems upon arrival.
family. These are versatile cabin multitools that
can easily connect to end devices such as cameras,
microphones or light controls thanks to
numerous interfaces, thus making the cabin
network highly flexible and efficient. For even
more energy reduction, the variant ZAL Endpoint
Eco is being developed in the project. It is
tailored to the needs of low-power devices (e.g.
simple proximity or temperature sensors) and is
particularly lightweight and energy-efficient. Additionally,
computing power for real-time AI
models.
Concept of the ZAL Endpoint Eco
for energy-efficient applications.
smart algorithms control power and
energy requirements allowing devices to be put
into temporary sleep mode if not needed.
Discover more about the applications
of the Endpoint family.