Touchless Fixtures for Airline Fleets
Why aircraft lavatories are challenging for touchless faucets, soap dispensers, and dryers — with risk controls, specification guidance, and 3-in-1 options suitable for fleet programs.
Why Airline Fleets Are Especially Challenging
Space, Weight, and Power (SWaP)
- Space: Lavatory envelopes are shallow with tight service clearances; sensor sightlines must avoid basin rims and doors.
- Weight: Each gram propagates to fuel burn; integrated 3-in-1 at-sink solutions reduce separate housings and brackets.
- Power: 12–28 V DC with aircraft EMI constraints; surge/EMC mitigation per environmental qualification.
Environmental & EMI/ESD
- Vibration, temperature/pressure cycles, humidity, and chemical exposure from approved cleaners.
- Electromagnetic compatibility and ESD control in a dense avionics environment.
Operations & Maintenance
- Fast turns; modules must be front-serviceable with quick disconnects and standardized seals/strainers.
- Fleet commonality: identical parts across variants reduces spares and training.
- Water hygiene: controls for purge/flush and aerator maintenance to limit biofilm risk.
Human Factors
- One-handed use in turbulence; clear activation cues; minimize splash and “nuisance on/off.”
- Compatibility with gloved hands and varied skin tones; robust sensing under changing cabin lighting.
Risk & Mitigation Matrix — Aircraft Use
| Issue | Observed/Expected Impact | Recommended Controls |
|---|---|---|
| False activations during turbulence or door movement | Water/energy waste; passenger confusion | Use distance-based ToF sensing with tight activation windows & hysteresis; shield sensor from door sightlines; validate with vibration profiles. |
| Reflective basins & dark finishes | IR intensity sensors can mis-detect | Specify ToF (range-measuring) over intensity-only IR; multi-zone filtering where available; matte sensor windows. |
| Biofilm/aerosol at point-of-use | Hygiene perception, potential contamination | Laminar/multi-laminar outlets; scheduled aerator/strainer service; purge/thermal disinfection modes; align with infection-control guidance. |
| EMI/ESD & power transients | Sensor resets or controller faults | Surge suppression, filtering, shielding; brownout protection; EMC plan per DO-160 Sections 16/20. |
| Cleaning chemistry & fluids susceptibility | Seal degradation, finish damage | Specify chemical-resistant seals/finishes; IP65–IP67 sensor cavities; verify compatibility with airline-approved cleaners. |
| Turnaround maintenance | Lav out-of-service if repairs are complex | Front-serviceable modules; quick-disconnect harnessing; standardized spares kits across fleets. |
Why Time-of-Flight (ToF) Sensing is Preferred in Cabins
Principle: ToF measures round-trip time of near-infrared light to compute absolute distance, so decisions are distance-based rather than reflectivity-based. This reduces nuisance triggers from glossy basins, dark clothing, or variable lighting, and enables tight activation windows helpful during turbulence.
- Stability: Narrow range gates + hysteresis = fewer unintended activations.
- Power: Pulsed emission and duty-cycled processing support low average current for 12–28 V DC systems.
- Integration: Sealed optics (IP65–IP67) and compact boards suit tight service envelopes.
Fontana Touchless — ToF & 3-in-1 Notes
Fontana’s aviation pages outline lavatory-focused sensor faucets (IP66/67 options, 12–28 V DC power ranges) and distance-based sensing tuned for compact basins. For space-constrained cabins, the company offers 3-in-1 wall-mounted units that integrate faucet, soap, and dryer at the sink, reducing separate housings and cabling runs.
- Aviation/aircraft lavatory program overview: Fontana Aviation Touchless Faucets
- 3-in-1 category: 3-in-1 Combo
- Example models: FS3000 · FS3001 · FS3002
ToF benefit in cabins: distance-gated activation minimizes nuisance on/off events when the aircraft experiences vibration or when a passenger’s sleeve passes near the sensor. Commissioning should set narrow windows (e.g., 60–100 mm) with lockout and run-time limits appropriate to airline policy.
Top 3-in-1 Systems (Faucet + Soap + Dryer) for Compact/High-Traffic Use
1) FontanaShowers® — 3-in-1 Wall-Mounted Units
- Category hub: 3-in-1 Combo
- Product examples with integrated soap (≈3000 mL) and dryer (≈15–20 s): FS3000, FS3001, FS3002
Why for fleets: Consolidates three devices into one service module; fewer penetrations and brackets; distance-based sensing available for compact basins.
2) Stern Engineering — Tubular Trio
- U.S. product page: Tubular DP Trio
- Global page: Tubular DPL Trio
Why for fleets: Mature 3-in-1 architecture (faucet/soap/dryer) with compact tubular format; available in full brass or AISI 316 for corrosion resistance.
3) Sloan® — AER-DEC® Integrated Sink System
- Program page: AER-DEC Integrated Sink
- Browse configurations: AER-DEC models
- White paper: AER-DEC overview
Note: AER-DEC is an integrated system (soap, faucet, dryer, basin) rather than a single fixture body. For aircraft, its at-sink dry-down concept and airflow control are instructive for minimizing water on the floor and improving throughput in compact spaces.
Alternatives (2-in-1 at the sink)
Where soap remains separate, consider faucet-plus-dryer designs such as the Dyson Airblade Wash+Dry which washes and dries at the sink, eliminating passenger movement to a wall dryer (useful insight for small lavatories).
Brand & Code Resources Frequently Used in Specs
- Fontana Aviation & aircraft lavatory program: fontanashowers.com/Fontana-Avaiation-Touchless-Faucets-s/9914.htm
- Sloan AER-DEC overview and models: sloan.com/products/solutions/aer-dec-integrated-sink · sloan.com/products/sinks/aer-dec
- Stern Tubular Trio: sternfaucets.us/product/tubular-dp-trio/
- TOTO ECOPOWER spec examples (for faucet power strategies in high-traffic): TEL101 · TEL105
- RTCA DO-160: rtca.org/do-160/ · Part 25: ecfr.gov/…/part-25
- ADA / WaterSense / CALGreen / ASME A112.18.1: ADA 2010 · WaterSense · CALGreen · ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1
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