INDUSTRY FOCUS Aerospace & Marine
Life-saving changes for marine beacons
By Phil Evans, Business Line Manager for Telecoms at TÜV SÜD, a global product testing and certification organisation
of a distress condition whilst in fl ight, or can be activated manually. The ICAO standard for the distress tracking element of GADSS is mandated to be installed in new-build aircraft from January 2023. The quick rollout in the industry is a result of the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
T
he International Cospas-Sarsat Programme is an international distress alert and location system. Beacons which use the Cospas-
Sarsat satellite system are registered to individual ships, persons and aircraft, to provide search and rescue authorities with accurate information to mount a recovery operation should the emergency beacon be triggered. The system uses a network of satellites to detect and locate distress beacon signals, activated by persons, aircraft or vessels in distress, anywhere in the world. Distress alerts are detected, located and forwarded to over 200 countries and territories at no cost to beacon owners or the receiving government agencies.
Cospas-Sarsat’s new MEOSAR (Medium Earth Orbit Search and Rescue System) programme is second generation of the international search and rescue (SAR) satellite system. MEOSAR delivers global coverage, near-instantaneous distress beacon detection and a unique Return Link Service (RLS) feature. Alongside this, new second-generation search-and-rescue distress beacons will provide additional functions and increased accuracy. They are required to be fully compatible with MEOSAR and the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). They must also be compliant with the Cospas-Sarsat international standards. Second-generation search-and-rescue distress beacon technology is included in
30 July/August 2021 | Automation
the following products: • Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) – used in aircraft to indicate the location and identity of an aircraft in distress. • An Emergency Position Indicating Radiobeacon (EPIRB) – used by the maritime sector to indicate the location and identity of a distressed vessel. • A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) – designed to be carried by an individual person.
The signal from all of these devices can be detected by the Cospas-Sarsat satellite network anywhere in the world, which alerts the nearest rescue authority. As such, all of these devices must be compliant with the Cospas-Sarsat international standards. The addition of a new RLS for beacons means that operators can acknowledge that a distress signal has been received and that help is on the way, alongside new PLBs that will remain with the person, rather than their craft. For aviation, the new system remotely activates the ELT for more immediate and precise tracking of the distress signal, aiming to improve the location times for aircraft in distress. Distress Tracking ELT, or ELT (DT), is
specifi cally designed to be activated prior to an aircraft crash. It also must function in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS) requirements for the location of an aeroplane in distress. ELT (DT) may be activated automatically upon detection
A matter of life and death The nature of these technologies demands that they comply with some strenuous approval standards before they can be put into use. Testing involves proving that they are capable of withstanding whatever stresses a harsh environment can throw at them, and of continuing to operate in the manner to which they were designed. In addition, they usually need to be certifi ed for compliance with local legislation before being put into use in whatever country they are deployed. While diff erent types of emergency beacons have been in use for many years, manufacturers that are now producing second-generation beacons and their antennas must ensure that they are designed to operate the requirements of the latest Cospas-Sarsat test standards and regulation. This puts manufacturers of electronic marine equipment under signifi cant pressure to meet the complex compliance requirements of international radio equipment standards. Marine beacon manufacturers must
also prove that their devices have the build quality that is required to remain operational. This must be the case in even the most extreme sea conditions, so that electromagnetic disturbances do not interfere with their functionality. While MEOSAR has introduced many life-saving innovations to mariners, manufacturers of marine beacons are now making a signifi cant step change in their approach to product development in order to deliver against this.
CONTACT:
TÜV SÜD
www.tuvsud.com/uk
automationmagazine.co.uk
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