Method and apparatus for aligning an aircraft with a passenger loading bridge
AssigneeDEW Engineering and Development Limited
InventorNeil Hutton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a method and system for aligning a door of an aircraft to a passenger loading bridge. A final parking position of the aircraft is defined as being immediately adjacent to a position of the passenger loading bridge, such that when the aircraft is stopped at the final parking position, the passenger loading bridge requires only a telescopic extension of less than about 1 meter to complete the alignment operation. To this end, an indicating device that works cooperatively with an aircraft-engaging end of the passenger loading bridge is provided for displaying human intelligible instructions for use by a pilot of the aircraft to guide the aircraft to the final parking position.
Claims26
A system for aligning a passenger loading bridge to a doorway of an aircraft comprising:
- a passenger loading bridge having an aircraft-engaging end for being aligned with the doorway of the aircraft;
- an alignment indicator comprising an active indicating device comprising a wand for displaying a human intelligible indication for indicating a stopping position of the aircraft;
- and,
- a controller in electrical communication with the passenger loading bridge and with the alignment indicator for determining a human intelligible indication to be displayed by the alignment indicator in dependence upon a location of the aircraft-engaging end of the passenger loading bridge,
- wherein the stopping position of an aircraft of a same type changes with changes in the location of the aircraft-engaging end of the passenger loading bridge.
A system for aligning a passenger loading bridge to a doorway of an aircraft, comprising:
- a passenger loading bridge comprising a cab for being aligned with a doorway of an aircraft;
- an indicating device attached to a surface of the passenger loading bridge, the indicating device comprising an indicator portion comprising a wand that is positionable at a predetermined location relative to the cab of the passenger loading bridge for indicating a stopping position of the aircraft;
- and,
- a controller in communication with the indicating device for controllably adjusting the indicator portion of the indicating device to the predetermined location for indicating the stopping position of the aircraft,
- wherein the stopping position of an aircraft of a same type varies with changes in the location of the cab of the passenger loading bridge.
A system for aligning a passenger loading bridge to a doorway of an aircraft, comprising:
- a passenger loading bridge comprising a cab for being aligned with a doorway of an aircraft;
- a visual guidance docking system comprising a display portion mounted at a location remote from the passenger loading bridge, the display portion being configurable for displaying a human intelligible indication for guiding the aircraft toward a final parking position that is adjacent to the cab of the passenger loading bridge, such that the human intelligible indication is approximately aligned with an imaginary lead-in line associated with a current location of the cab of the passenger loading bridge;
- and,
- a controller in communication with the visual guidance docking system for determining the human intelligible indication to be displayed by the display portion in dependence upon the current location of the cab of the passenger loading bridge,
- wherein an aircraft of a same type is guided toward a different final parking position for each different location of the cab of the passenger loading bridge, and,
- wherein the display portion is dynamically re-configurable such that the human intelligible indication is approximately alignable with a different imaginary lead-in line for an aircraft of a same type, the different imaginary lead-in line being associated with the different location of the cab of the passenger loading bridge.
A system for aligning a passenger loading bridge to a doorway of an aircraft, comprising:
- a passenger loading bridge including a cab for being aligned with a doorway of an aircraft;
- a visual guidance docking system including a display portion mounted at a location remote from the passenger loading bridge, the display portion for displaying a human intelligible indication for guiding the aircraft toward a final parking position adjacent to the cab of the passenger loading bridge;
- and,
- a controller in communication with the visual guidance docking system for determining the human intelligible indication to be displayed by the display portion in dependence upon a location of the cab of the passenger loading bridge, and for configuring the display portion for displaying the human intelligible indication at a location that is determined in dependence upon the location of the cab of the passenger loading bridge,
- wherein the stopping position of an aircraft of a same type varies with changes in the location of the cab of the passenger loading bridge, and,
- wherein the location of the human intelligible indication display varies with changes in the location of the cab of the passenger loading bridge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.