Teledyne Controls, an aircraft data management company, has obtained FAA Supplemental Type Certification (STC) approval for installation of its new Aircraft Cabin Environment Sensor (ACES) on the Boeing 737 aircraft. ACES is an autonomous system based on sensors and technologies developed by Teledyne’s environmental monitoring businesses, which can enable air transport operators to monitor and measure air quality in the cabin and flight deck.
Teledyne Controls claims that ACES is the first FAA-certified product of its type and is ‘a major step’ toward giving airlines the data they need to ensure a safe and positive flying experience for passengers and crew. Certification for other aircraft types is in progress.
The ACES system employs a range of sensor technologies that perform continuous air sensing and monitoring to detect potentially hazardous contaminants that could affect the air quality in the cabin and flight deck. The system can record 13 environmental parameters, including data on airborne particulates from 0.3 to 10 microns in size, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, volatile organic compounds and several other parameters.
Multiple ACES units would be distributed in the aircraft to capture a comprehensive understanding of the air quality. The recorded data is stored in the compact ACES units and is automatically transmitted to the ACES Cloud Service portal for processing and analysis upon landing. The ACES system transmits the data itself without relying on any other aircraft connectivity systems.
The idea behind the system is that by gaining access to comprehensive and reliable environmental data for every flight, airlines can more quickly identify, troubleshoot and diagnose cabin air issues, monitor each aircraft for emerging problems, and ultimately deliver a safe cabin environment.
George Bobb, president of Teledyne Controls, commented, “The need for accurate and comprehensive air quality data on aircraft has been recognised for decades. The combination of Teledyne Technologies’ expertise in air quality and gas monitoring, and Teledyne Controls’ experience in aircraft data acquisition and connectivity is a powerful one, and we have leveraged it to deliver this ground-breaking product.”
