This was the first time that we have met with the ATC group at Esterline since the purchase of the division from Barco, although we have met at ITSEC and other shows. The company was in a very positive mood as it recently announced a deal with the French ATC service provider DSNA with 200 43″ UltraHD monitors, the Codis MDP-843.
Esterline quoted Guy Vilquin, Head of Programme at DSNA as saying:
“We wanted a 43 inch display to enable our traffic controllers to view large-sized radar images. This will make it easier to visualize traffic and, consequently, understand what is happening and detect possible conflicts. In addition, our operators will be able to see ancillary information, like flight schedules and data from the Medium-Term Conflict Detection (MTCD) system, on the same screen. In the past, they needed a second screen to see those details. By consolidating all information on one main screen, the new display is a more ergonomic solution.”
Staff told us that they believe that they have as much as 70% of the ATC monitor market.
The monitor can be supplied with an optional glass front panel and brightness can be adjusted from 5 – 350 cd/m², although typical brightness stabilisation would be at 150 cd/m². Contrast is 1,000:1 and the monitor has an edge-based backlight. There is a DVI-I, dual DisplayPort and dual HDMI connectors. The monitor is fanless and typically consumes 65W at the calibrated brightness.
The company has its own KVM-style input controller, the Codis RNA (Real-time network adapter) which can support quad view, multi-view and picture-in-picture functions and the company had quite a sophisticated set-up on the booth with multiple sources being shown and controlled from one of the 43″ displays. The units can include video which can be encoded.
Esterline concentrates on the special monitors that are needed in ATC and works with NEC where more commercial specifications may be acceptable. Esterline tests, calibrates and certifies the monitors for ATC applications as part of a long term collaboration.
Esterline certifies this NEC PA272W for ATC as part of a long term relationship. Image:Meko
Elsewhere at the show, Harris was showing ATC systems using Esterline displays.
