The invention relates to a method for controlling the torque of a drive device (1) for rotating wheels (2) of an aircraft comprising actuators for selectively driving rotating wheels of the aircraft to ensure its movement on the ground, comprising the step of regulating a torque generated by the drive device according to a torque setpoint (4) issued by the pilot. According to the invention, the method involves the step of generating, as long as the torque setpoint is not sufficient to guarantee a stable movement speed of the aircraft, a replacement torque setpoint (5) to allow the aircraft to move at a stable speed, and substituting the replacement torque setpoint for the torque setpoint generated by the pilot.

A system and method are provided that monitors ground level ambient air in an airport ground environment while aircraft equipped with electric taxi drive systems and ground level visual monitoring assemblies are driven with the electric taxi drive systems during ground travel. Monitoring assemblies with detection elements having configurations similar to pitot tubes modified with a sensor array are provided to generate data about components in the ground level ambient air identified to adversely affect aircraft engine health. The detection elements may be cooperatively mounted with the ground level visual monitoring assemblies. Ambient air flow is directed into the detection elements to contact the sensor array during electric taxi drive system-powered ground travel. Real time data related to the identified components generated by the sensor array is processed and analyzed, engine health is monitored, and a predictive scheduled of engine maintenance may be developed from the analyzed real time data.

Disclosed is a self-taxiing apparatus for an aircraft, the self-taxiing apparatus including an aircraft support body configured to support a body of an aircraft in a state in which the body of the aircraft is spaced apart from a ground surface, the aircraft support body having a motor mounting unit provided at a lower end thereof, an electric motor mounted in the motor mounting unit, a cover fixedly coupled to the motor mounting unit and configured to protect the electric motor, and an aircraft wheel configured to roll in a state of being in contact with the ground surface.

A method for designing and operating aircraft nose landing gear wheel-mounted electric taxi systems to move aircraft during ground travel. Electric taxi system components are engineered and sized to produce optimal ground travel torque to move aircraft during the majority of aircraft ground travel and are operated in conjunction with the aircraft steering to turn the nose wheels to an effective angle that moves the aircraft during pushback and in breakaway situations. The nose landing gear wheels are turned to an effective angle and the electric taxi systems are operated simultaneously to get the aircraft moving. After breaking away, the aircraft is driven with electric taxi systems at the optimal ground travel torque in a forward or reverse direction with the nose wheels parallel or in a desired ground travel direction with the nose wheels steered in the desired direction of ground travel.

An aircraft undercarriage including a wheel, a support, a drive system, a mover system, a first pair of links, and a locking actuator. The drive system drives rotation of the wheel and is mounted to move relative to the support between an engaged position and a disengaged position. The mover system moves the drive system between the engaged and disengaged positions. The first pair of links are hinged to each other about a first hinge axis to pivot during the movement of the drive system between the engaged and disengaged positions. The locking actuator acts on a first target to lock or unlock the drive system. The first target is carried by one of the links.

Aircraft landing gears include at least one wheel, an electric taxiing system including an electric taxiing motor, brakes capable of slowing down or stopping the rotation of the wheel, and a cooling system for cooling the electric taxiing motor and the brakes. The cooling system includes ventilation means capable of mixing a first air flow originating from the brakes and a second air flow originating from outside the landing gear and of ventilating the electric taxiing motor with a mixture of the two air flows.

An aircraft landing gear includes a strut leg, a bottom portion carrying at least one wheel and mounted to slide in the strut leg, and a plurality of elements such as power electric cables, signal-carrying electric cables, and hydraulic pipes extending toward the bottom portion along the strut leg and terminating at the bottom portion, all of the elements being flexible between a bottom end of the strut leg and the bottom portion of the landing gear. The landing gear includes a first movable support having a proximal end hinged to the bottom end of the strut leg, and a distal end carrying a rack for receiving and guiding the flexible elements. The landing gear also includes a second movable support having a distal end hinged to the bottom portion of the landing gear and a proximal end carrying a rack for receiving and guiding the flexible elements.

A method for engaging a first gear element with a second gear element is provided. The second gear element is mounted to be mobile between a meshing position and a position of disengagement using an actuator. The method includes driving one or more of the first and second gear elements in rotation to form a non-zero rotation speed difference between the first and second gear elements and controlling the actuator to successively displace the second gear element to the meshing position, and when an intermediate position of the second gear element is detected, stop the displacement of the second gear element, and when an angular position of engagement of the first and second gear elements is detected, displace the second gear element to the meshing position.

An integrated pushback guidance system and method is provided for guiding pushback travel of electric taxi system-driven aircraft. The pushback guidance system may be integrated with existing ramp monitoring systems to monitor reverse pushback travel of pilot-controlled electric taxi system-driven aircraft along an optimum pushback path from a stand to a pushback end location. Visual signals relating to pushback travel safety as the pilot drives the aircraft along the pushback path are generated in real time by the system and transmitted to a range of display devices viewable by the aircraft pilot and airport personnel responsible for guiding aircraft pushback. The pilot may be guided by visual signals on only display devices or with guidance from airport personnel also viewing the visual signals on display devices to drive the aircraft safely in reverse with the electric taxi system along the pushback path to the pushback end location.

A ground power system for supplying electrical power to an aircraft and method of using the same is disclosed in which an electric motor is connected to an aircraft wheel to drive the aircraft wheel, an autonomous vehicle battery carrier is releasably connected to the aircraft through an articulating robotic arm to power the electric motor and to move the aircraft on the ground to support aircraft taxiing and preparation for takeoff using the battery power from the autonomous vehicle, and a command system releases the autonomous vehicle battery carrier as roll begins but before the aircraft rotates.