Smart Lavatory: IoT-Based Aircraft Cleanliness Monitoring

This page describes the architecture of an IoT-based Aircraft Lavatory Cleanliness Monitoring System. It highlights the benefits and advantages of a smart lavatory designed for aircraft.

Introduction

Aircraft lavatories are typically cleaned before take-off, after landing, and occasionally during flight. The in-flight cleaning process can be inconvenient and disruptive for some passengers. First-class travelers, in particular, often experience lavatory cleaning after each use.

It’s essential to have a system that prompts cleaning only when truly necessary. This avoids unnecessary cleaning, enhances the comfort of air travelers, and optimizes resource allocation.

Let’s explore the architecture of a real-time aircraft lavatory cleanliness monitoring system.

IoT-Based Aircraft Lavatory Cleanliness Monitoring System Architecture

The system utilizes two types of sensors: a gas sensor and two IR sensors.

The gas sensor (e.g., MQ-05) measures the methane level within the lavatory compartment. A threshold methane level, indicative of a clean lavatory, serves as a reference point.

Of the two IR sensors, IR sensor #1 is used for a positive feedback by the passenger. IR sensor #2 is used for negative feedback by the passenger. These IR sensors function as touch sensors in this application.

The sensors are connected to a NodeMCU (ESP32) board, which incorporates Wi-Fi and BLE (Bluetooth) functionalities. The collected sensor data is rapidly uploaded to Adafruit cloud storage before take-off and after landing.

By comparing the real-time sensor data with the methane level threshold, the aircraft support staff is alerted when cleaning is required. An alert is triggered when the real-time methane level exceeds the threshold value. Furthermore, an alert is also triggered when a passenger provides negative feedback by pressing the touch button associated with IR sensor #2.

During flight, achieving connectivity with the Adafruit cloud is not always possible. In these instances, the ESP32 directly communicates with the mobile phone of the aircraft support team using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth frequencies.

Benefits or Advantages of a Smart Lavatory System

Here are the key benefits and advantages of an IoT-based Smart Lavatory system:

Time Savings: It saves time for aircraft maintenance staff, allowing them to attend to a greater number of aircraft lavatories for cleaning.

Passenger Comfort: Passengers experience improved comfort as they have access to a clean lavatory most of the time.

Crew Convenience: Crew members can focus on other services within the cabin.

Cost-Effective: The system is inexpensive to implement and deploy.

Low Maintenance: It requires minimal maintenance once installed.