Sanitizing system
A sanitizing system includes a plurality of ultraviolet (UV) lamps and a control unit that includes one or more processors. The UV lamps are mounted at various locations within an internal cabin of a vehicle. The UV lamps are configured to receive electrical power from a power source onboard the vehicle and to emit UV light into the internal cabin during a trip of the vehicle. The control unit is operatively connected to the UV lamps and configured to modify the electrical power supplied to one or more of the UV lamps located in a common area of the internal cabin based on occupancy of the common area.
1 . A sanitizing system comprising:
ultraviolet (UV) lamps mounted at various locations within common areas of an internal cabin of a vehicle, wherein the UV lamps are configured to receive electrical power from a power source onboard the vehicle and to emit UV light into the internal cabin during a trip of the vehicle; and
a control unit including one or more processors and operatively connected to the UV lamps, the control unit configured to:
supply the electrical power to the UV lamps located in the common areas of the internal cabin to activate the UV lamps at a full power level based on the occupancy of the common areas,
stop supply of the electrical power to deactivate the UV lamps located in the common areas of the internal cabin based on the occupancy of the common areas,
modify the electrical power supplied to one or more of the UV lamps located in the common areas of the internal cabin based on occupancy of the common areas, wherein the electrical power supplied to the one or more of the UV lamps is modified to operate the one or more of the UV lamps at (a) a first reduced power level that is a non-zero power level that is less than the full power level, and (b) a second reduced power level that is also a non-zero power level that is less than both the first reduced power level and the full power level,
operate the one or more of the UV lamps at one or both of the first reduced power level or the second reduced power level when one or more of the common areas is occupied, and
operate the one or more of the UV lamps at the full power after the one or more of the common areas is occupied for a designated period of time.
2 . The sanitizing system of claim 1 , wherein, responsive to detecting that an occupant of one of the common areas has exited the one of the common areas, the control unit is configured to operate the UV lamps located in the common area at the full power level for a designated time period to provide sanitization of the one of the common areas.
3 . The sanitizing system of claim 2 , wherein, responsive to detecting that the one of the common areas is occupied at an expiration of the designated time period, the control unit is configured to operate the UV lamps located in the one of the common areas at one of the first reduced power level or the second reduced power level.
4 . The sanitizing system of claim 2 , wherein, responsive to detecting that the one of the common areas is not occupied at an expiration of the designated time period, the control unit is configured to turn off the UV lamps located in the one of the common areas to cease emitting UV light after operating the UV lamps located in the one of the common areas at the first reduced power level and the second reduced power level.
5 . The sanitizing system of claim 1 , wherein the common areas includes a lavatory, an area immediately outside of the lavatory, a galley, an aisle, a crew quarters, a divider assembly between two different zones of the internal cabin, and an area adjacent an entrance to the vehicle.
6 . The sanitizing system of claim 1 , further comprising sensors mounted within the internal cabin and operatively connected to the control unit, the sensors configured to monitor the common areas, the control unit further configured to determine the occupancy of the common areas based on signals received from the sensors.
7 . The sanitizing system of claim 6 , wherein the sensors include at least one of a pressure sensor, a proximity sensor, or a motion sensor.
8 . The sanitizing system of claim 1 , wherein at least a subset of the sensors are pressure sensors disposed under a floor of the internal cabin to monitor occupants walking on the floor.
9 . The sanitizing system of claim 1 , wherein the UV lamps are configured to emit the UV light at a designated wavelength that is safe for human tissue.
10 . The sanitizing system of claim 9 , wherein the designated wavelength is 222 nm.
11 . The sanitizing system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is an aircraft.
12 . The sanitizing system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the UV lamps are configured to persistently emit the UV light into the internal cabin during a duration of the trip of the vehicle.
13 . The sanitizing system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to operate the one or more of the UV lamps at the full power when one or more of the common areas is occupied.
14 . The sanitizing system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to modify operation of the one or more of the UV lamps between a deactivated state, the first reduced power level, the second reduced power level, and the full power level.
15 . A method for a sanitizing system comprising:
ultraviolet (UV) lamps mounted at various locations within common areas of an internal cabin of a vehicle, wherein the UV lamps are configured to receive electrical power from a power source onboard the vehicle and to emit UV light into the internal cabin during a trip of the vehicle; and
a control unit including one or more processors and operatively connected to the UV lamps, the control unit configured to:
supply the electrical power to the UV lamps located in the common areas of the internal cabin to activate the UV lamps at a full power level based on the occupancy of the common areas,
stop supply of the electrical power to deactivate the UV lamps located in the common areas of the internal cabin based on the occupancy of the common areas,
modify the electrical power supplied to one or more of the UV lamps located in the common areas of the internal cabin based on occupancy of the common areas, wherein the electrical power supplied to the one or more of the UV lamps is modified to operate the one or more of the UV lamps at (a) a first reduced power level that is a non-zero power level that is less than the full power level, and (b) a second reduced power level that is also a non-zero power level that is less than both the first reduced power level and the full power level,
operate the one or more of the UV lamps at one or both of the first reduced power level or the second reduced power level when one or more of the common areas is occupied, and
operate the one or more of the UV lamps at the full power after the one or more of the common areas is occupied for a designated period of time,
the method comprising:
supplying the electrical power to the UV lamps located in the common areas of the internal cabin to activate the UV lamps based on the occupancy of the common areas;
stopping supply of the electrical power to deactivate the UV lamps located in the common areas of the internal cabin based on the occupancy of the common areas; and
modifying the electrical power supplied to the one or more of the UV lamps located in the common areas of the internal cabin based on the occupancy of the common areas.
16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising monitoring the common areas for occupancy via sensors, and
responsive to detecting that an occupant of one of the common areas has exited the one of the common areas, the modifying of the electrical power supplied to the UV lamps in the one of the common areas includes operating the UV lamps at one of the first reduced power level or the second reduced power level for a designated time period to provide sanitization of the one of the common areas.
17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein, responsive to detecting that the one of the common areas is not occupied at the expiration of the designated time period, the modifying of the electrical power supplied to the UV lamps in the one of the common areas includes turning off the UV lamps located in the one of the common areas to cease emitting UV light after operating the UV lamps at one or both of the first reduced power level or the second reduced power level.
18 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising controlling the UV lamps to emit the UV light at a designated wavelength that is safe for human tissue at prolonged exposure.
19 . A sanitizing system comprising:
ultraviolet (UV) lamps mounted at various locations within common areas of an internal cabin of a vehicle, wherein the UV lamps are configured to receive electrical power from a power source onboard the vehicle and to emit UV light into the internal cabin during a trip of the vehicle at a designated wavelength that is safe for human tissue;
sensors mounted within the common areas of the internal cabin and configured to monitor the common areas of the internal cabin; and
a control unit including one or more processors and operatively connected to the UV lamps and the sensors, the control unit configured to determine occupancy of the common areas based on signals received from the sensors and to:
supply the electrical power to the UV lamps located in the common areas of the internal cabin to activate the UV lamps at a full power level based on the determined occupancy of the common areas,
stop supplying the electrical power supplied to deactivate the UV lamps located in the common areas of the internal cabin based on the determined occupancy of the common areas,
modify the electrical power supplied to one or more of the UV lamps located in the common areas of the internal cabin based on the determined occupancy of the common areas, wherein the electrical power supplied to the one or more of the UV lamps is modified to operate the one or more of the UV lamps at (a) a first reduced power level that is a non-zero power level that is less than the full power level, and (b) a second reduced power level that is also a non-zero power level that is less than both the first reduced power level and the full power level,
operate the one or more of the UV lamps at one or both of the first reduced power level or the second reduced power level when one or more of the common areas is occupied, and
operate the one or more of the UV lamps at the full power after the one or more of the common areas is occupied for a designated period of time.