Power allocation control in an overdemand situation of an airport support system

A method for controlling power allocation in an overdemand situation of at least a passenger loading bridge comprising the steps of:

• determining a requested amount of power;
• determining an amount of power available;
• and,
• apportioning on a prioritized basis the amount of power available and less than the amount of power required amongst systems of the at least a passenger loading bridge demanding power to result in a load of the at least a passenger loading bridge requiring no more than the power available and to provide sufficient power to account for one of minimum requirements, operational requirements and ideal requirements for each system based on an operational mode of the at least a passenger loading bridge.

A controller for controlling power allocation in an overdemand situation of an airport support system comprising:

• a processor for:
• determining a requested amount of power,
• determining an amount of power available,
• determining an apportioning of the amount of power available and less than the amount of power required amongst subsystems demanding power to result in a load of the airport support system requiring no more than the power available and to provide sufficient power where required, and
• providing a control signal based on the determined apportioning;
• at least a control device for receiving the control signal and for controlling provision of the apportioned amount of power to at least a subsystem in dependence thereupon;
• and,
• a communication link connecting the processor and the at least a control device for providing control signal communication therebetween.