METHODS OF OBTAINING A BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE REPRESENTATIVE OF A PASSENGER CABIN ON AN AIRCRAFT USING AN AIR CYCLONIC COLLECTOR

Abstract

A system for monitoring aircraft air including a vessel having an inlet, a conical main body for extracting particles from the air coating an inner surface on the conical main body, and an outlet, wherein the outlet is to be positioned within at least one of an outlet flow path or a recirculation flow path of an aircraft, and at least one of an outflow valve positioned in the outlet flow path downstream from the collector or a HEPA filter positioned in the recirculation flow path downstream from the collector.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring aircraft air comprising: a vessel having an inlet, a conical main body containing: a reagent fluid for extracting particles from the air coating an inner surface on the conical main body, and an outlet, wherein the outlet is to be positioned within at least one of an outlet flow path or a recirculation flow path of an aircraft; and at least one of an outflow valve positioned in the outlet flow path downstream from the collector or a HEPA filter positioned in the recirculation flow path downstream from the collector.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the reagent fluid includes a customized mixture for the targeted pathogen or contaminant.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the inlet has a smaller diameter than the outlet.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the conical main body tapers down away from the inlet.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the HEPA filter is positioned in the recirculation flow path downstream of the collector, wherein the HEPA filter is configured and adapted to filter the air flowing through the recirculation flow path.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the particles include aerosol droplets exhaled from passengers throughout at least a portion of a flight.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a mounting slot in the outlet flow path upstream from the outflow valve, wherein the collector is positioned within the mounting slot.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the collector is configured and adapted to be removed from the mounting slot for testing.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the vessel includes a plurality of vessels affixed within a space between an aircraft hull and a passenger cabin floor for collecting air samples.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of vessels are affixed between passenger cabin seats.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of vessels is affixed within at least one of: galley areas, lavatories, or corridors.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of vessels is attached to a galley trolley.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of vessels is located within an cargo bay area.

14. A method of monitoring aircraft air comprising: driving ambient cabin air from the cabin through a reagent fluid located within a conical collector; concentrating the reagent fluid; and extracting and purifying a portion of the concentrated reagent fluid to produce a testable sample.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising conducting a pathogen/contaminant diagnostic test, on the testable sample.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the ambient cabin air passes through a HEPA-filter after passing through the reagent fluid.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein extracting and purifying includes passing the concentrated reagent fluid through silica columns.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein extracting and purifying includes passing the concentrated reagent fluid through magnetic beads.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein extracting and purifying includes passing the concentrated reagent fluid through a microfluidic system.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein concentrating the reagent fluid includes a passing the reagent fluid through a concentrator with foam.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] So that those skilled in the art to which the subject disclosure appertains will readily understand how to make and use the devices and methods of the subject disclosure without undue experimentation, embodiments thereof will be described in detail herein below with reference to certain figures, wherein:

[0013] FIG. 1 is schematic view of the conical collector; and

[0014] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an aircraft showing diagrammatically where the conical collector of FIG. 1 are be located.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like reference numerals identify similar structural features or aspects of the subject disclosure. For purposes of explanation and illustration, and not limitation, a partial view of an exemplary embodiment of a system in accordance with the disclosure is shown in FIG. 1 and is designated generally by reference character 100. The global collector system described below is used to collect a bulk sample, representative of all passengers as a group on the aircraft and to test it to provide a bulk screening of the aircraft.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a system 100 for monitoring aircraft air. The system 100 includes a vessel 102 having an inlet 104, a conical main body 106 containing: a reagent fluid 108 for extracting particles from the air coating an inner surface 110 on the conical main body, and an outlet 112. The outlet 112 is positioned within either an outlet flow path or a recirculation flow path of the aircraft. An outflow valve 114 (shown diagrammatically) is positioned in the outlet flow path downstream from the collector or a HEPA filter 113 (also shown diagramatically) can be positioned in the recirculation flow path downstream from the collector. This reagent fluid 108 is customized for the targeted pathogen/contaminant as well to the diagnostic test. Referring further to FIG. 1, the inlet 104 of the conical main body 102 has a smaller diameter (d1) than the diameter of the outlet 112 (d2). The conical main body 102 tapers down away from the inlet 104.

[0017] Referring to FIG. 2, a plurality of vessels 102 can be affixed within a space 202 between an aircraft hull and a passenger cabin floor for collecting air samples. The vessels can be affixed between passenger cabin seats 204, within at least one of: galley areas, lavatories, or corridors, or be attached to a galley trolley. At least one of the plurality of vessels can be located within an aft or fwd cargo bay area 206.

[0018] A method of monitoring aircraft air is also disclosed. The method includes driving ambient cabin air from the cabin through a reagent fluid located within the conical collector, concentrating the reagent fluid, extracting and purifying a portion of the concentrated reagent fluid to produce a testable sample to prepare the sample for a test, and conducting a pathogen/contaminant diagnostic test such as a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test on the testable sample.

[0019] The methods and systems of the present disclosure, as described above and shown in the drawings, provide for an improved bulk data and analysis of passenger pathogens on an aircraft. While the apparatus and methods of the subject disclosure have been shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that changes and/or modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure.