Hand cleaning systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hand cleaning systems on aircraft lack efficiency and effectiveness in maintaining hygiene, particularly in reducing the transfer of pathogens like bacteria and viruses among passengers and crew, necessitating improved sanitation and cleanliness measures.
Innovation Solution
An integrated hand cleaning system with a housing, dispensing spout, sensor, and actuator, where a controller activates the actuator based on hand detection, allowing selective dispensing of cleaning substances from a reservoir with multiple portions, and is integrated with other lavatory systems for efficient power management and hygiene maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional hand cleaning systems are used on aircraft, then basic cleaning function is provided, but hygiene effectiveness and pathogen reduction capability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning substance reservoir is divided into multiple separate portions (e.g., sanitizer portion, soap portion, moisturizer portion), each capable of being selectively dispensed. This segmentation allows the system to provide comprehensive hygiene effectiveness by offering multiple cleaning options while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The hand cleaning system is designed to perform multiple functions: dispensing sanitizer, soap, and moisturizer from a single integrated unit. The system can serve different hygiene needs (disinfection, washing, skin care) within one device, improving overall hygiene effectiveness without requiring multiple separate devices throughout the aircraft
2Object-affected harmful factors
If manual operation of hand cleaning systems is used, then simple operation is maintained, but touchless operation and pathogen transfer reduction are not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical operation with sensor-based automated control. Sensors detect the presence of hands and automatically trigger the dispensing mechanism, eliminating the need for physical contact with buttons or levers. This substitution effectively reduces pathogen transfer through touchless operation while maintaining ease of use through automatic activation
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically detects when a user needs cleaning substances and dispenses them without requiring manual activation. The sensor-based automatic dispensing allows the system to serve itself by identifying user needs and providing the appropriate cleaning substance, reducing pathogen transfer while maintaining operational simplicity
3Reliability
If multiple cleaning substances are stored in separate reservoirs, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The multiple cleaning substance portions are nested within a single housing structure. The reservoirs for sanitizer, soap, and moisturizer are arranged in a compact nested configuration, allowing multiple cleaning substances to be stored efficiently within the available space. This nesting approach maintains cleaning effectiveness by providing multiple substances while minimizing the overall volume of the hand cleaning system
4Reliability
If continuous operation of actuators and sensors is maintained, then system reliability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous operation, the sensors and actuators operate periodically or on-demand based on detected needs. The system activates components only when cleaning substances are needed, rather than running continuously. This periodic operation maintains system reliability by ensuring components are functional when needed while significantly reducing overall power consumption during non-use periods
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated hand cleaning system includes a hand cleaning housing including dispensing spout and a sensor. An actuator is operatively connected to the housing. A cleaning substance reservoir is in fluid communication with the dispensing spout. A controller is operatively connected to the sensor and to the actuator. The controller is configured to activate the actuator based on detection of a user's hand by the sensor. A method for controlling a hand cleaning system includes receiving, with a controller, a sensor signal from a sensor in a hand cleaning housing. The method includes activating an actuator of a hand cleaning system with the controller based on the sensor signal.