Coordinated passenger prescreening and deplaning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11780604-B2
Application number	US-202117163270-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2021
Priority date	Jan 29, 2021
Publication date	Oct 10, 2023
Grant date	Oct 10, 2023

Abstract

Devices, systems and methods for electronic systems that manage an order in which an aircraft is boarded or deplaned are described. An exemplary method includes configuring an onboard computer to execute a script, wherein the script controls an order by which passengers on an airplane are prompted for deplaning, updating the script for a travel segment of the airplane using a first input comprising a passenger information for the travel segment or a second input comprising a travel configuration of the airplane during the travel segment or a third input from onboard crew of the airplane; and controlling onboard electronic equipment of the airplane by executing the script at an end of the travel segment by prompting passengers to deplane the airplane in the order.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of managing airplane deplaning, comprising:
configuring an onboard computer to execute a script, wherein the script controls a default order by which passengers on an airplane are prompted for deplaning;
updating the script for a travel segment of the airplane using (a) a first input comprising a passenger information for the travel segment or a second input comprising a travel configuration of the airplane during the travel segment, and (b) a third input from onboard crew of the airplane that includes a modification to the default order, wherein the modification is communicated, during the deplaning, to the onboard computer using a control application from a personal electronic device (PED) assigned to the onboard crew, and wherein the updating is based on an authorization to override the default order; and
controlling onboard electronic equipment of the airplane by executing the script at an end of the travel segment by prompting the passengers to deplane the airplane in a modified order;
wherein the script is executed by advancing based on sensor feedbacks from one or more sensors comprising weight sensors embedded in passenger seats, wireless proximity sensors configured to determine whether passengers in a zone have deplaned or a door sensor configured to record a number of passengers that have deplaned.

2. The method of claim 1 , further including:
collecting sensor information from a sensor indicative of passenger passage during deplaning; and
cross-checking an actual deplaning sequence of the passengers based on the sensor information with the modified order prompted by using the script for a mismatch.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuring the script includes generating the script to comply with a regulatory requirement of a departure destination of the travel segment, an arrival destination of the travel segment, or an airlines policy.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a degree of separation among the passengers based on analyzing the passenger information; and
providing an alert in case that the degree of separation falls below a threshold.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second input regarding the travel configuration includes a passenger occupancy map, and wherein the updating the script includes updating the script by using a deplaning priority information associated with at least some of the passengers with the passenger occupancy map.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the script comprises an ordered list of airplane zones for deplaning and time gaps between the deplaning from the airplane zones.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the time gaps between the deplaning are responsive to the passenger information are updated during the updating.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the onboard electronic equipment includes a public announcement system or passenger seatback displays or overhead lights or passenger personal electronic equipment and correspondingly the prompting passenger to deplane includes playing overhead announcements or displaying a visual prompt to deplane or activating the overhead lights or sending a message to the passenger personal electronic equipment.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the airplane is boarded according to a boarding sequence in which the passengers are allowed to board the airplane based on one or more of: indications of completion of security formalities by the passengers, a passenger occupancy map, or passenger vaccination information.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the script is organized as a list of position entries, wherein each entry includes a field indicating a deplaning zone, a field indicating a priority associated with the deplaning zone, and/or a field indicating a unique identifier associated with the deplaning zone, and wherein the script includes information allowing a selection of a method for prompting a passenger or the deplaning zone, and wherein the information is presented as user-selectable icons on a user interface of the PED for the selection.

11. A computer system, comprising:
an onboard computer located on an airplane, the onboard computer comprising one or more processors configured to execute a script, wherein the script controls a default order by which passengers on the airplane are prompted for deplaning;
the one or more processors further configured to update the script for a travel segment of the airplane using (a) a first input comprising a passenger information for the travel segment or a second input comprising a travel configuration of the airplane during the travel segment, and (b) a third input from onboard crew of the airplane that includes a modification to the default order, wherein the modification is communicated, during the deplaning, to the onboard computer using a control application from a personal electronic device (PED) assigned to the onboard crew, and wherein updating the script is based on an authorization to override the default order; and
onboard electronic equipment of the airplane that is coupled to the onboard computer and configured to prompt the passengers to deplane the airplane in a modified order according to execution of the script by the onboard computer at an end of the travel segment;
wherein the script is executed by advancing based on sensor feedbacks from one or more sensors comprising weight sensors embedded in passenger seats, wireless proximity sensors configured to determine whether passengers in a zone have deplaned or a door sensor configured to record a number of passengers that have deplaned.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the onboard electronic equipment includes a public announcement system or passenger seatback displays or overhead lights or passenger personal electronic equipment and correspondingly the prompting passenger to deplane includes playing overhead announcements or displaying a visual prompt to deplane or activating the overhead lights or sending a message to the passenger personal electronic equipment.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the script comprises an ordered list of airplane zones for deplaning and time gaps between the deplaning from the airplane zones.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the time gaps between the deplaning are responsive to the passenger information are updated during the updating.

15. A computer readable medium having processor-executable code for implementing a method of managing airplane deplaning stored thereon, the code causing a processor to:
store a default script that controls a default order by which passengers on an airplane are prompted for deplaning;
update the script for a travel segment of the airplane using (a) a first input comprising a passenger information for the travel segment or a second input comprising a travel configuration of the airplane during the travel segment, and a third input from onboard crew of the airplane that includes a modification to the default order, wherein the modification is communicated, during the deplaning, to an onboard computer using a control application from a personal electronic device (PED) assigned to the onboard crew, and wherein updating the script is based on an authorization to override the default order; and
control onboard electronic equipment of the airplane by executing the script at an end of the travel segment by prompting the passengers to deplane the airplane in a modified order;
wherein the script is executed by advancing based on sensor feedbacks from one or more sensors comprising weight sensors embedded in passenger seats, wireless proximity sensors configured to determine whet

Assignees

• Panasonic Avionics Corp

Inventors

• Watson Philip
• Bates Steven

Classifications

• G08G5/21

  located onboard the aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/26

  Transmission of traffic-related information between aircraft and ground stations · CPC title

• B64D45/00 Primary

  Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• G06Q10/0633

  Workflow analysis · CPC title

• G06Q10/06316 Primary

  Sequencing of tasks or work · CPC title