Avionics News January 2012 - 23

the displays and control interfaces of the Pro Line 21 system. “Basically, the main aspect of installing the retrofit Fusion displays involves removing the original Pro Line 21 displays, plugging in and mounting the new displays, and updating the software so that the displays become the operating interface,” Evanschwartz explained to World Aircraft Sales magazine last October during an interview at the National Business Aviation Association convention in Las Vegas, Nev. “We designed the interface around the theory of ‘touch what you want to control’ and enter the command.” In a 30-minute demonstration for an active pilot by one of Rockwell Collins’ engineers, the interface felt intuitive and instinctive, allowing the pilot to control how information is displayed by dividing the PFD with SVS on one side while moving map and a top-down terrain-andtraffic display plays on the same screen. Simply touch the center of the PFD to open the menu controlling how the pilot uses and views the display. An icon-driven drag-and-drop interface allows pilots to change the display to show charts for en route, primary or alternate, with the display also divisible into two equal parts in order to show performance charts, flight data, checklists or flight-plan data. On the MFD, the Fusion 23 serves up a full-function flight-planning program with innovative features, such as changing waypoints by dragging the route line – “rubber band” the course line – to vector for traffic, terrain or weather, lay in an all-new route or add an airport as an alternate or new destination. Of course, datalink weather, weather radar, traffic and terrain elevation can all be shown in various map overlays – or de-cluttered so that you toggle through screens to see only traffic or only weather. The Challenges of Two Tracks For Fusion 23 – as an OEM install versus a Pro Line 21 retrofit – Rockwell Collins is doing some major weightand size-loss work, Evanschwartz noted. The back-end boxes, line-replaceable units and other hardware all needs to shrink about 25 to 40 percent to

work well in the light propjets and jets Rockwell Collins is targeting. “We’re well along, but it is a major piece of work to scale down the hardware that runs behind the screens,” he stressed. “That’s why this is taking some time – that and creating the software that ties together all the pieces.” For the retrofit package, writing the software that ties the touch-sensitive controls to the Pro Line 21 backend hardware is the major job in this program. Well, that and how best to connect the screens to the

Rockwell Collins’ new HGS3500 heads-up guidance system takes less space and power than any prior iteration of this technology; behind the screen is the compact optical system that projects the data imagery.

existing wiring with a minimum amount of down time – initially expected to run a month before experience helps installers improve on the process. A couple of weeks is the ultimate goal. “The less down time for the aircraft, the more appealing the switch,” Evanschwartz said. Once the upgrade to Pro Line Fusion is done, the system will be poised to incorporate other advances Rockwell Collins plans for the product line. Ditto for the Fusion 23 users – all thanks to the flexibility of the programmable touchscreen control interface, the open-architecture software that runs it and a hardware system flexible enough to adapt needed pieces. “It’s a package geared for the long haul that’s easy to use in the short term,” Evanschwartz said. And, it’s just around the corner. q
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2012

Avionics News January 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News January 2012