Aircraft Seat Sensor System for Automated Cabin Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current systems for managing aircraft cabin seats are inefficient and prone to errors during pre-flight checks, maintenance inspections, and passenger preference management, leading to potential safety issues, passenger dissatisfaction, and increased maintenance time.

Innovation Solution

A management system integrating sensors within the seat to detect operational positions, predict malfunctions, and manage passenger preferences through a control unit with wireless communication, including presence, position, and environmental sensors, and a passenger identification system for personalized settings.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual checks are performed by cabin crew to verify seat positions and components, then operational safety can be ensured, but the process becomes time-consuming and prone to human errors

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperational safetyVSAvoidpre-flight check time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The seat assembly performs self-monitoring through integrated sensors that automatically detect malfunctions, position deviations, and usage cycles, eliminating the need for manual inspection by cabin crew while ensuring continuous safety monitoring

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Manual mechanical inspection by cabin crew is replaced with an electronic sensor-based monitoring system that automatically detects seat position, component status, and operational parameters, providing more reliable and faster monitoring

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If manual inspection is performed to detect seat defects, then maintenance issues can be identified, but the process is time-consuming and defects may be missed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedefect detection accuracyVSAvoidmaintenance inspection time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Manual visual and functional inspection by maintenance teams is replaced with automated sensor systems that continuously monitor seat components, detect malfunctions, and provide real-time alerts, ensuring no defects are missed while reducing inspection time

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of periodic manual inspections, the sensor system provides continuous monitoring of seat components, ensuring defects are detected immediately upon occurrence rather than during scheduled maintenance intervals

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Ease of operation

If passengers manually adjust seat settings and remember preferences for each flight, then personalized comfort can be achieved, but the process becomes tedious especially for frequent flyers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepassenger preference managementVSAvoidtime to adapt seat settings
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system stores a copy of the passenger's preferred seat settings and entertainment preferences in memory, automatically retrieving and applying these stored preferences when the passenger boards, eliminating the need for manual re-adjustment on each flight

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The seat system automatically detects passenger presence and autonomously adjusts settings according to stored preferences without requiring passenger intervention, providing personalized comfort immediately upon boarding

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3371054B1Aircraft cabin management system
Publication Date: 2023.01.11 ZODIAC SEATS FRANCE
  • EP3371054B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3371054B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3

AI summary

The invention relates mainly to an aircraft cabin management system (10), characterised in that it comprises: a control unit (11), and at least one sensor (171-174, 301-307) to be incorporated into a seat (13) and suitable for establishing a communication with the control unit (11) in order to transmit to the control unit (11) at least one signal relating to at least one measurement performed by the sensor (171-174, 301-307).