ATCM: Airplane-Cabin Temperature Contactless Measure
The problem
Gates with passenger boarding bridges are equipped with pre-conditioned air units (PCA) for introducing air conditioning inside the aircraft. The temperature inside the cabin is detected by a probe with cable that is placed near the aircraft door.
Difficulties and problems:
- Incorrect positioning of the temperature probe
- Risk that the cable is hooked or damaged during passengers boarding / disembarking
- Unaccomplished removal of the probe before closing the aircraft door with consequent cable damage
The consequence of such problems is an inefficient temperature regulation that negatively affects both well-being and consumption.
The solution
The ATCM is an innovative system that consists in installing a thermal camera on the cabin of the passenger boarding bridge oriented towards the aircraft door. Through an intelligent module (ATCM) the thermal camera locates the position of the aircraft door, detects the average temperature of the air inside the aircraft, sends information thus enabling the PCA to continuously regulate the flow of air and the temperature in order to optimize well-being and consumption.
Working logic
Aircraft door identification
Image is processed to identify the interior areas of the aircraft through the door.
Data processing
Areas affected by passengers during boarding/disembarkation are excluded by an algorithm.
Sending data to PCA
Detected temperature is sent to the aircraft preconditioning unit using a signal converter.
Storage and display
Detected temperatures data are stored, can be downloaded to an external memory or displayed in real time on a supervision SCADA.