Cabin occupancy sensor for aircraft ecs

An air controller system for controlling an atmosphere within an aircraft, the air controller system comprising:

• a cabin air circulation system;
• at least one cabin occupancy sensor in a cabin of the aircraft and configured to detect a number of empty seats within the cabin;
• and
• an electronic controller in communication with the cabin air circulation system and the at least one cabin occupancy sensor, wherein the electronic controller is configured to receive data from the at least one cabin occupancy sensor representative of the number of empty seats detected by the cabin occupancy sensor, and wherein the electronic controller is configured to send commands to the cabin air circulation system based on the number of empty seats detected by the cabin occupancy sensor.

A method for controlling an atmosphere within an aircraft, the method comprising:

• sensing, by at least one cabin occupancy sensor, surface temperatures of passengers within a first zone of a cabin of the aircraft;
• communicating data representative of the surface temperatures of the passengers within the first zone from the at least one cabin occupancy sensor to an electronic controller, wherein the electronic controller is in communication with a first environmental control system;
• and
• sending a first temperature command, by the electronic controller, to the first environmental control system to adjust a temperature of a first air inflow into the first zone of the cabin based on the surface temperatures of the passengers within the first zone sensed by the at least one cabin occupancy sensor.