Refueling system, in particular for the refueling of aircraft having high-positioned wings

In a refueling system comprising plural pipe sections connected by plurality swivel joint means and carried by a movable carrier means, a first end swivel joint means on a first of said pipe sections for facilitating a connection to supply pipelines, and a second end swivel joint means on a second of said pipe sections, said second end swivel joint means having a head piece means and a refueling coupling means thereon for facilitating a connection to a tank to be at least one of refueled and emptied, the improvement:

• (a) wherein said head piece means is a refueling tip having a lockable swivel joint with a releasable automatic lock means thereon and a first pipe section which is pivotal 180.degree. about an axis of rotation, a releasing of said automatic lock means enabling said first pipe section and, therefore, said refueling tip to pivot 180.degree. about said axis of rotation, after which said lockable swivel joint locks again;
• (b) wherein said refueling tip further includes, between said refueling coupling means and said lockable swivel joint, means defining three joints for moving and adjusting said refueling coupling means in three orthogonally related directions, one of said directions being parallel to said axis of rotation;
• (c) wherein a guiding carriage is provided on said movable carrier means;
• (d) wherein said refueling tip has, between said lockable swivel joint and said guiding carriage third and fourth pipe sections, in which one said third pipe section and at an end of a fifth pipe section extending between said lockable swivel joint and said third pipe section, there is secured a concussion-spring unit consisting of several concussion springs, which unit compensates for the weight of said refueling tip and reduces to a minimum the forces required for facilitating an up and down adjusting movement;
• (e) wherein an elbow means is secured to said guiding carriage and is connected to said fourth pipe section;
• (f) wherein said movable carrier means is provided with support means for supporting said guiding carriage for vertical movement, said support means including linear bearings provided on two guide shafts on said movable carrier means so as to facilitate movement up or down by means defining a self-locking cable winch also provided on said movable carrier means;
• (g) wherein a third swivel joint means is arranged above and between said lockable swivel joint and said second pipe section of said refueling tip to facilitate said refueling tip turning through 360.degree.;
• (h) wherein a fourth swivel joint is provided between said third and fourth pipe sections adjacent said concussion spring unit to facilitate said refueling tip being swung out of a horizontal position to at least one of a maximum high position and low position relative to a support surface for said movable carrier means, and
• (i) wherein a last pipe section is connected to said elbow means through a movable scissors pipe means having three joints, which last pipe section is fixedly secured to said movable carrier means.