Patent Description:
The recent novel-coronavirus (SARS-COV-<NUM>) outbreak has negatively impacted the safety and health of many people. Pathogens can be transmitted via direct airborne transmission between users or via indirect contact transmission from different users occupying the same space at different times. For example, pathogens on personal items of passengers or lingering pathogens that may remain on contact surfaces of an aircraft cabin between flights may spread to passengers and/or crew members. The safety of passengers and crew members may be improved by performing disinfecting treatments to surfaces, such as seats, ceiling/wall panels, handles, and lavatory surfaces, etc., to mitigate the presence of pathogens on such surfaces. However, conventional disinfection procedures may inadequately sanitize certain stowable items or hidden areas within a cabin of an aircraft. Accordingly, extra cleaning between flights may be required to disinfect stowable items or areas of an aircraft cabin, and thus the operating efficiency of the aircraft (increased interval time between flights) may be adversely affected. Further, the effectiveness and quality of such conventional treatments are often difficult to verify/track. Still further, certain treatments, such as ultraviolet radiation treatments, may result in harm to the operator if not properly effectuated. <CIT> discloses a system for sanitizing a tray table including a sanitation assembly operatively coupled to the tray table. The sanitation assembly includes an ultraviolet (UV) light source configured to emit UV light, and a sanitation control unit operatively coupled to the UV light source. The sanitation control unit operates the UV light source to emit the UV light onto the tray table when the tray table is secured in an upright position, and prevents the UV light source from emitting the UV light when the tray table is not secured in the upright position. <CIT> and <CIT> relate to UV light sanitizing systems and methods. <CIT> relates to systems and methods for refreshing passenger garments on board a vehicle.

In various embodiments, the present disclosure provides a disinfection system for a cabin of an aircraft according to claim <NUM>.

The disinfecting electromagnetic radiation that is configured to be emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source may be ultraviolet ("UV") radiation and may comprise a wavelength between about <NUM> nanometers and about <NUM> nanometers. In various embodiments, the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation configured to be emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source is far UV-C radiation and comprises a wavelength between about <NUM> nanometers and about <NUM> nanometers. In various embodiments, the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation configured to be emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source is UV-B radiation and comprises a wavelength between about <NUM> nanometers and about <NUM> nanometers. In various embodiments, the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation configured to be emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source is UV-A radiation and comprises a wavelength between about <NUM> nanometers and about <NUM> nanometers. In various embodiments, the housing comprises at least one of a reflective material, a refractive material, and a diffractive material configured to direct emission of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation.

The disinfection system further includes a controller electrically coupled to the electromagnetic radiation source. The controller comprises a processor and a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform various operations. The various operations include controlling, by the processor, emission of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation. The disinfection system includes a detector coupled to the housing and electrically coupled to the controller. The detector is configured to determine, by the processor, at least one of a presence, a position, and an orientation of the stowable item. Controlling the emission of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation is based on at least one of the presence, the position, and the orientation of the stowable item. In various embodiments, controlling the emission of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation comprises varying the wavelength of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation. In various embodiments, the controller is configured to determine, by the processor, a dosage of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation delivered to the stowable item.

In various embodiments, the stowable item is at least one of a personal item of a passenger and a component of the cabin of the aircraft. For example, the housing may include a passenger storage container and the stowable item may be a personal item of a passenger. Not within the scope of the claims, however mentioned as an example, a passenger storage container comprises a lid, wherein controlling the emission of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation is based on whether the lid is open or closed. In various embodiments, the housing comprises seat structure, the stowable item comprises a tray, and the compartment is a receptacle for at least partially receiving the tray. The seat structure may be a seat-back and the electromagnetic radiation source may be mounted to the seat-back. For example, the electromagnetic radiation source may be disposed along a shoulder of the seat-back that defines the receptacle. In various embodiments, the seat structure is an armrest and the electromagnetic radiation source is disposed within the receptacle. The housing comprises a refractive material configured to direct emission of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation.

Also disclosed herein, according to various embodiments, is a method of delivering disinfecting electromagnetic radiation to a cabin of an aircraft according to claim <NUM>.

A more complete understanding of the present disclosure, however, may best be obtained by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in connection with the drawing figures.

The detailed description of exemplary embodiments herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which show exemplary embodiments by way of illustration. While these exemplary embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, it should be understood that other embodiments may be realized and that logical changes and adaptations in design and construction may be made in accordance with this disclosure and the teachings herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure defined by the appended claims.

Disclosed herein, according to various embodiments, are devices, systems, methods, and articles of manufacture for delivering disinfecting electromagnetic radiation to various areas and components of a cabin of an aircraft. For example, the present disclosure generally provides a system that may be configured to emit electromagnetic radiation to disinfect a stowable item, according to various embodiments. Generally, the devices, systems, methods, and articles of manufacture disclosed and described herein facilitate disinfection treatments, especially to items and/or components that would not be subjected to conventional aircraft cleaning treatments. Although numerous details and examples are included herein pertaining to utilizing these concepts to aircraft cabins, the present disclosure is not necessarily so limited, and thus aspects of the disclosed embodiments may be adapted for performance in a variety of other industries (e.g., trains, vehicles, buildings, hotels, etc.). As such, numerous applications of the present disclosure may be realized.

With reference to <FIG>, a cabin <NUM> of an aircraft <NUM> is shown, according to various embodiments. The aircraft <NUM> may be any aircraft such as an airplane, a helicopter, or any other aircraft. Pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, may remain on surfaces of the cabin <NUM>, and these remaining pathogens may result in indirect contact transmission to other people (e.g., subsequent passengers). For example, the cabin <NUM> may include overhead bins <NUM>, passenger seats <NUM> for supporting passengers <NUM>, armrests <NUM>, lavatory surfaces, and other structures/surfaces upon which active pathogens may temporarily reside. As mentioned above, certain components within an aircraft cabin, such as stowable items, may not receive adequate conventional disinfection treatment. Thus, the present disclosure provides a disinfection system that is configured to deliver disinfecting electromagnetic radiation to stowable items, such as personal items of a passenger (e.g., a cell phone or wallet) or retractable/foldable component of the aircraft cabin, such as a tray or a section of a seat.

In various embodiments, and with reference to <FIG>, the disinfection system <NUM> includes among other things, a housing <NUM> and an electromagnetic radiation source <NUM>. The housing <NUM> generally defines a compartment within which a stowable item is configured to be at least partially retained, according to various embodiments. The electromagnetic radiation source <NUM> may be coupled to the housing <NUM> and may be configured to operably emit disinfecting electromagnetic radiation to the compartment to deliver a disinfecting treatment to the stowable item. In various embodiments, the stowable item may have a stowed position and a released/extended position. As described in greater detail below, the electromagnetic radiation source <NUM> may be configured to deliver the disinfecting treatment to the stowable item when it is in the stowed position, thus potentially enabling the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation to remain in the localized vicinity of the stowed stowable item (e.g., within the compartment). In such configurations, the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation may be prevented from making inadvertent contact with passengers or crew of the aircraft.

As used herein, the term "electromagnetic radiation source" <NUM> refers to a lighting unit or other device that is configured to selectively emit radiation that is at least partially effective at inactivating and/or inhibiting pathogens. As used herein, "pathogens" may refer to bacteria, viruses, fungal spores, and other microorganisms that may cause disease in mammals. In various embodiments, the electromagnetic radiation source <NUM> emits ultraviolet ("UV") radiation. That is, the term "disinfecting electromagnetic radiation" may refer to UV radiation. In various embodiments, the electromagnetic radiation source <NUM> is a light-emitting diode ("LED") configured to emit UV radiation. The electromagnetic radiation source <NUM> may be referred to as a lighting unit and may include a plurality of discrete LEDs (e.g., an array of LEDs) that are controlled to collectively produce a desired intensity/wavelength of UV radiation. The lighting unit may include associated circuitry coupled to a controller, as described in greater detail below, for controlling emission of the UV radiation.

In various embodiments, the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation configured to be emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source comprises a wavelength between about <NUM> nanometers and about <NUM> nanometers. In various embodiments, the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation configured to be emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source is referred to as "far UV radiation" or "UV-C radiation" and comprises a wavelength between about <NUM> nanometers and about <NUM> nanometers. For example, the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation may have a wavelength of between about <NUM> nanometers and about <NUM> nanometers. In various embodiments, the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation configured to be emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source is referred to as "hard UV radiation" or "UV-B radiation" and comprises a wavelength between about <NUM> nanometers and about <NUM> nanometers. In various embodiments, the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation configured to be emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source is referred to as "near UV radiation" or "UV-A radiation" and comprises a wavelength between about <NUM> nanometers and about <NUM> nanometers. As used in this context only, the term "about" refers to plus or minus <NUM>.

The housing <NUM> comprises a refractive material and may further comprise a reflective or a diffractive material configured to direct emission of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation. That is, the surfaces and/or walls of the housing <NUM> that define the compartment within which the stowable item may be stowed may be specifically configured to provide desired radiation propagation properties to promote disinfection across the entire surface of the stowable item, or at least across a majority portion of the hidden regions of the stowable item.

With reference to <FIG>, the disinfection system <NUM> further includes a controller <NUM> electrically coupled to the electromagnetic radiation source. The controller <NUM> comprises a processor and a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform various operations. As described in greater detail below, the various operations performed by the processor include controlling, by the processor, emission of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation. Controlling or actuating emission of the UV radiation may be performed in response to various conditions or in conjunction with other aircraft systems, such as dynamic power management systems of an aircraft seat. Additional details pertaining to controller operations are provided below with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>.

In various embodiments, the controller <NUM> may be configured to be electrically coupled to the circuitry (e.g., integrated circuit components) of the electromagnetic radiation source <NUM>. The controller <NUM> may be affixed/integrated into the circuitry of the lighting unit or the controller <NUM> may be integrated into computer systems onboard the aircraft. The controller <NUM> comprises a processor. In various embodiments, the controller <NUM> is implemented in a single processor. In various embodiments, the controller <NUM> may be implemented as and may include one or more processors and/or one or more tangible, non-transitory memories and be capable of implementing logic. Each processor can be a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The controller <NUM> may comprise a processor configured to implement various logical operations in response to execution of instructions, for example, instructions stored on a non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable medium (i.e., the memory) configured to communicate with the controller <NUM>. Furthermore, any number of conventional techniques for electronics configuration, signal processing and/or control, data processing and the like may be employed. Also, the processes, functions, and instructions may can include software routines in conjunction with processors, etc..

System program instructions and/or controller instructions may be loaded onto a non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the controller to perform various operations. The term "non-transitory" is to be understood to remove only propagating transitory signals per se from the claim scope and does not relinquish rights to all standard computer-readable media that are not only propagating transitory signals per se.

The instructions stored on the memory of the controller <NUM> may be configured to perform various operations. The schematic flow chart diagram of <FIG> include various exemplary controller methods that the processor of the controller <NUM> may perform. Generally, the controller <NUM> is configured to control, by the processor, the actuation and intensity of UV radiation emitted from the respective LEDs that form the electromagnetic radiation source.

With reference to <FIG>, the disinfection system <NUM> also includes a detector <NUM> coupled to the housing <NUM> and electrically coupled to the controller <NUM>. The detector <NUM> is configured to determine, by the processor of the controller <NUM>, at least one of a presence, a position, and an orientation of the stowable item. For example, the detector <NUM> may be generally configured to determine if the stowable item is in the stowed position (i.e., if the stowable item is properly positioned within the compartment defined by the housing <NUM>). In response to the detector <NUM> and the controller <NUM> determining that the stowable item is in a desired position relative to the housing <NUM>, the controller <NUM> may actuate the electromagnetic radiation source <NUM> to deliver disinfecting treatment to the stowable item. Said differently, controlling the emission of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation is based on at least one of the presence, the position, and the orientation of the stowable item. For example, controlling the emission of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation may include changing, altering, and/or varying the wavelength of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation.

In various embodiments, the controller <NUM> is also configured to determine, by the processor, a dosage of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation delivered to the stowable item. In response to determining that a sufficient dosage of the disinfecting treatment has been delivered to the stowable item, the electromagnetic radiation source may be adjusted to turn off or at least lower the intensity of the UV radiation, thereby conserving power. Numerous examples of the disinfection system <NUM> incorporated into various regions and structures of the cabin of the aircraft are provided below with reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>. In said figures, the controller, the detector, and even the electromagnetic light source may not be visible (e.g., may be hidden from view). Said differently, the controller and/or the detector may be integrated within the housing or may otherwise be disposed away from the housing in a relatively remote location.

In various embodiments, and with reference to <FIG>, a passenger region of an aircraft cabin may include a seat <NUM>, a tray, a shelf, and various compartments for storing personal items of the passenger. In various embodiments, the passenger region may also include a compartment where integrated passenger controls are housed. These compartments, such as compartment 212A and 212B, may be defined by housing 210A and 210B, respectively. Thus, the term "housing" as used in this context may refer to aircraft cabin structure in proximity to passengers or crew of the aircraft. In various embodiments, an electromagnetic radiation source may be mounted within the one or more compartments 212A, 212B to provide disinfecting electromagnetic radiation to the personal items placed by the passenger within the defined compartments. For example, a passenger may insert keys, wallet, a phone, or other personal items into one or more of the storage compartments, and these items may be the stowable items that are configured to be sanitized by the UV radiation emitted from the electromagnetic radiation sources mounted within the compartments.

In various embodiments, and with reference to <FIG>, a more detailed view of an exemplary storage compartment in a passenger region of an aircraft is provided. In <FIG>, the disinfection system <NUM> includes housing <NUM> that is a shelf structure of an aircraft cabin. Defined within the housing <NUM> is a compartment <NUM> within which a stowable item <NUM> (e.g., a personal item of the passenger) may be deposited. The disinfection system <NUM> may further include one or more electromagnetic radiation sources, such as LED strip <NUM> mounted along sidewalls of the compartment <NUM>. In various embodiments, the housing <NUM> also includes a lid <NUM> configured to be opened and closed by the passenger. In various embodiments, the lid <NUM> may be biased (e.g., via gravity or via mechanism) to be in the closed position. With the lid <NUM> in the closed/shut position, the electromagnetic radiation source may be triggered to provide the disinfecting treatment to the compartment <NUM> and the items <NUM> stored therein. That is, controlling, by the processor of the controller, emission of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation may be based on whether the lid is open or closed.

In various embodiments, an item detection subsystem may be incorporated into the housing <NUM> or compartment <NUM>. That is, the detector may be an item detection subsystem that is configured to determine a presence of one or more personal items <NUM> of the passenger in the compartment <NUM>. In such configurations, the disinfecting treatment from the electromagnetic radiation source may be performed only when a stowable item is determined to be within the defined compartment.

Although the LED strip <NUM> is shown along the sidewalls of the compartment, the electromagnetic radiation source may be disposed in other configurations. For example, the bottom surface of the lid <NUM> may have one or more UV sources that are configured to be activated once the lid <NUM> is closed. In various embodiments, the intensity (e.g., wavelength) of the electromagnetic radiation is altered in response to the position of the lid <NUM>. For example, when the lid <NUM> is open the electromagnetic radiation source may emit near UV radiation but when the lid <NUM> is closed the electromagnetic radiation source may emit far UV radiation, according to various embodiments.

As mentioned above, the housing <NUM> may be made from various materials that configured to refract, reflect, and/or diffract the UV radiation, thus helping to improve uniformity and consistency of the disinfecting treatment. For example, the floor of the compartment <NUM> may be made from a material that is configured to propagate light to the surface of the personal item <NUM> that is resting against the floor of the compartment <NUM>, thus facilitating sanitization of all the surfaces of the personal item, according to various embodiments.

In various embodiments, and with reference to <FIG>, the disinfection system <NUM> has a housing that is a seat structure <NUM> defining a receptacle <NUM> (e.g., a recess) that is configured to receive a tray <NUM>. That is, the stowable item may be tray <NUM>. The disinfection system <NUM> may include an electromagnetic radiation source <NUM> coupled to the seat structure <NUM> so as to be capable of delivering UV radiation to the tray <NUM> in the stowed position within the receptacle <NUM>. For example, the seat structure <NUM> may be a seat-back and the electromagnetic radiation source <NUM> may be mounted to the seat-back. In various embodiments, the electromagnetic radiation source <NUM> may be disposed along a shoulder <NUM> of the seat-back that defines the receptacle. In various embodiments, regions of the seat-back structure may be made from a reflective, refractive, and/or diffractive material configured to propagate UV radiation to the surface of the tray <NUM> that faces the seat-back in the stowed position.

In various embodiments, and with reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, the disinfection system <NUM>, <NUM> includes a housing that is an armrest <NUM>, <NUM> and the stowable item is a tray <NUM>, <NUM> that is configured to be stowed within a compartment <NUM> defined within or adjacent to the armrest <NUM>, <NUM>. The disinfection system <NUM>, <NUM> may also include an electromagnetic radiation source <NUM>, <NUM> that is coupled to the armrest <NUM>, <NUM> and/or that is disposed within the compartment <NUM> so as to be able to provide disinfecting UV treatment to the stowed tray <NUM>, <NUM>. For example, in <FIG> the electromagnetic radiation source <NUM> may disposed within and extend vertically along the armrest compartment <NUM> in order to deliver disinfecting treatment to the tray <NUM>. Similar to the above, one or more surfaces/walls of the armrest <NUM> may be made from materials that are configured to reflect, refract, and/or diffract the UV radiation to facilitate uniform sanitization of the entire tray <NUM>.

In various embodiments, and with reference to <FIG>, the disinfection system <NUM> may include a housing <NUM> that is a magazine pocket or brochure sleeve mounted to a wall or seat of the aircraft cabin area. The housing <NUM> may define a compartment <NUM> within which magazines, brochures, or other documents (e.g., the stowable items) may be retained. The electromagnetic radiation source may be disposed within the pocket/sleeve and may thus be configured to provide disinfecting treatment to the items retained there within. In various embodiments, the disinfection system <NUM> may further include one or more additional electromagnetic radiation sources 720A, 720B that are outwardly facing (relative to compartment <NUM>) and may be configured to selectively deliver UV radiation to specific/targeted areas of the passenger area of the cabin of the aircraft.

In various embodiments, and with reference to <FIG>, a method <NUM> of delivering disinfecting electromagnetic radiation to a cabin of an aircraft is provided. The method <NUM>, which may be performed by controller <NUM> described above, includes determining, by a processor, at least one of a presence, a position, and an orientation of a stowable item at step <NUM>. The method <NUM> further includes controlling, by the processor, the emission of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation at step <NUM>. Step <NUM> may include modulating the relative intensity outputs of the one or more electromagnetic radiation sources. The method <NUM> includes controlling/modulating the electromagnetic radiation in response to the determined presence, position, and/or orientation of the stowable item. In various embodiments, the method <NUM> further includes (or step <NUM> may include) managing, by the processor, electric power of the seat and/or the aircraft cabin structure that is dedicated to delivering disinfecting electromagnetic radiation. For example, the controller/processor may be configured to manage power consumption and thus may be configured to selectively actuate emission of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation when sufficient power can be dedicated to operate the disinfecting system.

In various embodiments, the method <NUM> also includes determining a dosage of disinfecting electromagnetic radiation delivered to the stowable item. For example, the controller may be configured to calculate a disinfection rating of an environment where the stowable item is situated. The disinfection rating may be based on at least one of an intensity of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation, an activated time of the electromagnetic radiation source (e.g., to account for how long the disinfecting radiation has been irradiated at target surfaces of the stowable item and/or to account for luminance degradation over time), and a distance between the electromagnetic light source and the stowable item. The term "disinfection rating" may refer to a planned disinfection procedure (i.e., an estimated quantification of the extent of a disinfection treatment that will be carried out) or may refer to a performed disinfection procedure (i.e., an estimated quantification of the cleanliness of the stowable item after a disinfection treatment has been performed).

In various embodiments, the operations performed by the controller <NUM> include recommending supplementary disinfection procedures. That is, if the electromagnetic radiation source was not activated for a sufficient time period, the controller may ask for supplemental/extra disinfection to meet cleanliness thresholds. Accordingly, the controller <NUM> may communicate an alert or other notification to an aircraft crew member or other maintenance operator.

It should be noted that many additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in a practical system.

Moreover, where a phrase similar to "at least one of A, B, or C" is used in the claims, it is intended that the phrase be interpreted to mean that A alone may be present in an embodiment, B alone may be present in an embodiment, C alone may be present in an embodiment, or that any combination of the elements A, B and C may be present in a single embodiment; for example, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C.

In the detailed description herein, references to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "various embodiments", etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic.

Claim 1:
A disinfection system (<NUM>) for a cabin of an aircraft, the disinfection system comprising:
a stowable item;
a housing (<NUM>) defining a compartment within which the stowable item is configured to be at least partially retained, wherein the housing is a section of a cabin structure of the aircraft;
an electromagnetic radiation source (<NUM>) coupled to the housing and configured to operably emit disinfecting electromagnetic radiation to the compartment to deliver a disinfecting treatment to the stowable item;
a controller (<NUM>) electrically coupled to the electromagnetic radiation source, the controller comprising a processor and a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform various operations comprising controlling, by the processor, emission of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation; and
a detector (<NUM>) coupled to the housing and electrically coupled to the controller, the detector configured to determine, by the processor, at least one of a presence, a position, and an orientation of the stowable item, wherein controlling the emission of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation is based on at least one of the presence, the position, and the orientation of the stowable item;
characterized in that,
the housing comprises a refractive material configured to direct emission of the disinfecting electromagnetic radiation.