Electromagnetic Interference Simulation of a Cell Phone in an Aircraft System Using Domain Decomposition Method

Laboratorial experiments to investigate the behavior of numerous embedded avionics installations to onboard electromagnetic interference (EMI) are extremely complex and costly. Even if all electronic subsystems in an aircraft are validated under the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standards, the integration between them can create numerous points of potential hazards that affects the total electromagnetic behavior of the entire system, hazards that can be detected only when the first complete aircraft prototype is available, and whose resolution at this phase of the development process is very time consuming and expensive. Numerical techniques such as the finite element method (FEM) present a reliable solution to analyze EMI responses enabling additional analysis of any portable electronic device without impact the in-service aircraft schedules. FEM technique requires a considerable computational resource to solve large field problems, and in order to create a reliable model of an aircraft interior, a new procedure called domain decomposition method (DDM) was used taking advantage of parallel processing. In order to address the concern for cellular phone EMI to an aircraft monopole antenna and a wiring harness, a full numerical methodology was developed including actual diagnostic signals. The study presents complete results regarding EMI and communication channel analysis addressing the potential hazards of a cell phone in an aircraft’s electronic system.