Passenger boarding bridge alignment system and method therefor
AssigneeDEW Engineering and Development ULC
InventorNeil Hutton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a method for aligning an aircraft-engaging end of a passenger boarding bridge with a doorway of an aircraft, a first sensor disposed aboard the aircraft is used for sensing first information relating to a current bridge alignment operation and a second sensor disposed at a location that is remote from the aircraft is used for sensing second information relating to the current bridge alignment operation. The sensed first information and the sensed second information are received at a processor. The processor subsequently determines instruction data for moving the aircraft-engaging end of the passenger boarding bridge along a direction toward the doorway of the aircraft, based upon the sensed first information and the sensed second information.
Claims29
A method of aligning an aircraft-engaging end of a passenger boarding bridge with a doorway of an aircraft, comprising:
- using a first sensor disposed aboard the aircraft, sensing first information relating to a current bridge alignment operation;
- using a second sensor disposed at a location that is remote from the aircraft, sensing second information relating to the current bridge alignment operation;
- receiving the sensed first information and the sensed second information at a processor;
- and,
- using the processor, determining instruction data for moving the aircraft-engaging end of the passenger boarding bridge along a direction toward the doorway of the aircraft, based upon the sensed first information and the sensed second information.
A method of aligning an aircraft-engaging end of a passenger boarding bridge with a doorway of an aircraft, comprising:
- using a first sensor disposed aboard the aircraft, capturing first image data relating to a current bridge alignment operation;
- using a second sensor disposed at a location that is remote from the aircraft, capturing second image data relating to the current bridge alignment operation;
- generating a first input signal relating to the first image data;
- generating a second input signal relating to the second image data;
- receiving the first input signal and the second input signal at a processor;
- and,
- when a correlation between the first input signal and the second input signal is established that is within a predetermined range of threshold values, determining a control signal comprising instruction data for moving the aircraft-engaging end of the passenger boarding bridge along a direction toward the doorway of the aircraft.
A method of aligning an aircraft-engaging end of a passenger boarding bridge with a doorway of an aircraft, comprising:
- providing a processor for determining instruction data for moving the aircraft-engaging end of the passenger boarding bridge along a direction toward the doorway of the aircraft;
- receiving at the processor a first input signal provided from a first sensor disposed aboard the aircraft, the first input signal comprising sensed first information relating to a current bridge alignment operation;
- receiving at the processor a second input signal provided from a second sensor disposed at a location that is remote from the aircraft, the second input signal comprising sensed second information relating to the current bridge alignment operation;
- when the first input signal and the second input signal are received at the processor within a predetermined period of time, determining a value relating to a predetermined correlation between the sensed first information and the sensed second information;
- and,
- when the determined value is within a predetermined range of threshold values, determining instruction data for moving the aircraft-engaging end of the passenger boarding bridge along a direction toward the doorway of the aircraft.
A system for aligning an aircraft-engaging end of a passenger boarding bridge with a doorway of an aircraft, comprising:
- a first sensor disposed aboard the aircraft for sensing first information relating to a current bridge alignment operation;
- a second sensor disposed at a location that is remote from the aircraft, for sensing second information relating to the current bridge alignment operation;
- a processor in communication with the first sensor and with the second sensor for receiving the sensed first information and the sensed second information, respectively, and for determining instruction data for moving the aircraft-engaging end of the passenger boarding bridge along a direction toward the doorway of the aircraft, based upon a predetermined correlation between the sensed first information and the sensed second information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.