The Passenger Counting Prototype on the Aircraft Using Microwave Sensors

The prototype for an aircraft passenger counting system using microwave sensors is presented. The sensor was developed with a rectangular patch design using CST Microwave Studio software. Dimension 40 mm × 46 mm, the sensor is made of FR-4 material with a thickness of 1.6 mm and operates at a frequency of 2.4 GHz. A mock-up of an A310-200 aircraft door was constructed using PVC pipes. The dimensions of this simulated door are 80 cm× 230 cm. The passenger counting system was created using MATLAB, interfacing with a Nano-Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) to evaluate signal transmission and reflection properties. The sensor was mounted at a height of 80 cm, suitable for detecting children and aligning with the lower body of adults. Passengers of varying characteristics walked through the simulated door in three sessions, each with 50 participants. In the first two tests, 44 passengers were successfully counted, while the third test recorded 45 passengers. Overall, the sensor achieved an average accuracy of 88.33% in passenger counting.