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US 12,459,667 B2Granted
System for transporting airplanes on an airport apron
OwnerSlawomir Malickiinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The exemplary arrangements provide a system of selectively moving airplanes on an airport apron. Airplanes are selectively moved from selected parking locations to areas adjacent to take-off locations such as runways. Airplanes may also be selectively moved from an area of the apron adjacent to a landing location to a parking location. This may include for example an unloading location, an airport terminal, a servicing location, a fueling location, storage location and/or other suitable location. The exemplary systems include driving channels through which a carriage is selectively moved. The carriage is in operative connection with a basket for operatively engaging at least one front wheel of selected airplanes for purposes of transporting such airplanes to and between the desired locations.
Claims24
A system operative to move an aircraft supported on an airport apron, comprising:
- an elongated driving channel, wherein the driving channel
- extends along a channel direction,
- extends below the airport apron,
- has an upper surface that is generally flush with the airport apron,
- a carriage, wherein the carriage
- is positioned below the airport apron in the driving channel,
- is selectively movable along the channel direction within the driving channel,
- a basket, wherein the basket
- is in operative connection with the carriage
- is configured to engage and disengage from at least one front wheel of an aircraft by the at least one front wheel and the basket relatively moving in generally aligned relation with the channel direction,
- at least one actuator, wherein the at least one actuator
- is in operative connection with the basket,
- is selectively operative to move at least one portion of the basket upward and downward relative to the carriage,
- wherein movement of the at least one portion from a downward position to an upward position responsive to the at least one actuator is operative to cause the basket to be in a configuration in which at least one front wheel in engagement with the basket and in generally aligned relation with the channel direction is caused to be held engaged with the basket,
- wherein with the basket in the configuration and with the at least one front wheel held engaged with the basket, the aircraft is movable along the channel direction responsive to movement of the carriage in the channel, and
- wherein movement of the at least one portion from the upward position to the downward position is operative to cause the basket to be in a further configuration,
- wherein with the basket in the further configuration the at least one front wheel in engagement with the basket is not held engaged with the basket, and the at least one front wheel is enabled to disengage from the basket by movement of the at least one front wheel along the channel direction relative to the basket.
14 more elements
A system operative to move an aircraft supported on an airport apron, comprising:
- an elongated driving channel, wherein the driving channel
- extends along a channel direction,
- extends below the airport apron,
- has an upper surface that is generally flush with a level of the airport apron,
- a carriage, wherein the carriage
- is positioned below the airport apron in the driving channel,
- is selectively movable along the channel direction within the driving channel,
- a basket, wherein the basket
- is in operative connection with the carriage,
- is configured to engage and disengage from at least one front wheel of an aircraft by the least one front wheel and the basket relatively moving in generally aligned relation with the channel direction,
- includes at least one side plate movably mounted in operative connection with the basket, wherein the at least one side plate extends transversely of the channel direction and is movable between an upward position and a downward position,
- includes at least one ramp movably mounted in operative connection with the basket, wherein each at least one ramp extends along the channel direction and is movable between a down ramp position and in up ramp position,
- wherein in the down ramp position a distal end of the ramp is generally at a level of the airport apron and in the up ramp position the distal end of the ramp is above the level of the airport apron,
- at least one actuator, wherein the at least one actuator
- is in operative connection with the at least one side plate and the at least one ramp,
- is selectively operative to selectively move at least one side plate between the upward position and the downward position and the at least one ramp between the up ramp position and the down ramp position,
- wherein when the at least one ramp is in the down ramp position, relative movement of the basket and the at least one front wheel enables the at least one front wheel to move on the ramp into engagement with the basket,
- wherein when the at least one front wheel is in engagement with the basket, movement of the at least one basket side plate from the downward position to the upward position responsive to the at least one actuator is operative to hold the at least one front wheel in engagement with the basket, and
- wherein with the at least one front wheel held in engagement with the basket by the at least one basket side plate and with the at least one ramp in the up ramp position responsive to the at least one actuator, the basket is operative to move the aircraft along the channel direction responsive to movement of the carriage in the channel.
16 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.