Hands-Free Airport and Cabin Access for Socially Distanced Boarding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transportation facilities lack solutions for reducing the spread of communicable diseases by minimizing touch points and maintaining social distancing, particularly in areas such as airports and train stations, and there are no effective methods for prioritized boarding and deboarding.
Innovation Solution
A mobile application that interacts with transportation facility and vehicle controls using machine-readable codes and real-time thermal screening, enabling hands-free access and operation of doors, elevators, and cabin controls, while ensuring social distancing and priority boarding based on passenger data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If manual priority boarding and deboarding is used, then social distancing can be maintained, but touch points increase and disease transmission risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical priority boarding with an automated electronic system that uses mobile devices to communicate boarding information. Passengers receive notifications on their smartphones indicating when they should board, eliminating the need for manual calls or physical signaling by staff. This substitution reduces touch points while maintaining efficient priority boarding for essential passengers.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables passengers to self-manage their boarding process through mobile devices. Passengers check their own boarding status, receive priority notifications automatically, and proceed to gates without requiring staff intervention or physical guidance. This self-service approach reduces contact with staff and other passengers while maintaining organized boarding procedures.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If hands-free operation is implemented, then touch points are minimized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces mobile devices as intermediary tools between passengers and the access control system. Instead of passengers directly interacting with complex access control interfaces, the mobile device serves as a mediator that handles authentication, boarding pass presentation, and communication with the automated system. This intermediary approach simplifies the user experience while enabling hands-free operation through automated recognition and validation processes.
3Productivity
If automated priority boarding is implemented, then boarding efficiency increases, but measurement precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device serves multiple functions for passenger identification and authentication: it stores boarding information, displays QR codes or barcodes for scanning, provides biometric verification capabilities, and communicates with the automated boarding system. This multi-functionality approach consolidates multiple identification methods into a single device, improving boarding efficiency while maintaining high accuracy through combined verification mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables hands-free operation of controls, reduces disease transmission by minimizing touch points, maintains social distancing, and optimizes boarding processes through priority scheduling.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal imaging unit configured to measure a body temperature of the passenger
Data Source
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AI summary
A system enabling hands-free operation of controls for accessing a transportation vehicle is provided. The system comprises code readers associated with respective entry barriers for admitting passengers to a transportation vehicle. The code readers read a machine-readable passenger code generated by a mobile electronic device and actuate mechanisms allowing entry through the barriers responsive confirmation of the code. A signal receiver in communication with a Passenger Service Unit for passenger seat onboard the vehicle receives instructions from the mobile electronic device and instruct the PSU to actuate passenger cabin controls for the passenger seat. An application on the mobile electronic device determines a time-stamped temperature of a passenger and generates the passenger code, which includes passenger identification, authorization to pass through the entry barriers and board the vehicle, and a determination if the temperature of the passenger indicates an acceptable passenger health status.