An aircraft loader comprises a chassis, a cab, a loading floor and a load lifting apparatus. The load lifting apparatus includes a frame, a first horizontal platform and a second horizontal platform. The frame includes a pair of vertical columns. Each column has a front slider and a rear slider configured to be displaced vertically along the columns. The first platform is displaceable through movement of the rear sliders between a loading floor height and an aircraft loading height. The second platform is displaceable through movement of the front sliders and the first platform between an intermediate height and the aircraft loading height. When the first platform is raised from the loading floor height and reaches the intermediate height, the first and second platforms engage to so as to travel in unison, thus defining a loading deck which is displaceable between the intermediate height and the aircraft loading height.

An aircraft loader comprises a chassis, a cab, a loading floor and a load lifting apparatus. The load lifting apparatus includes a frame, a first horizontal platform and a second horizontal platform. The frame includes a pair of vertical columns. Each column has a front slider and a rear slider configured to be displaced vertically along the columns. The first platform is displaceable through movement of the rear sliders between a loading floor height and an aircraft loading height. The second platform is displaceable through movement of the front sliders and the first platform between an intermediate height and the aircraft loading height. When the first platform is raised from the loading floor height and reaches the intermediate height, the first and second platforms engage to so as to travel in unison, thus defining a loading deck which is displaceable between the intermediate height and the aircraft loading height.

An information processing device includes an association information acquiring unit, a first position information acquiring unit, and an output control unit. The association information acquiring unit acquires association information in which first identification information used for identifying baggage and second identification information used for identifying an owner of baggage identified by the first identification information are associated with each other. The first position information acquiring unit acquires position information of target baggage that is baggage identified by the first identification information included in the association information. The output control unit causes a mobile terminal held by a target owner who is an owner of the baggage identified by the second identification information associated with the first identification information relating to the target baggage in the association information to output information based on the position information of the target baggage.

A transport safety system (400) for use in airports comprising a status monitor (300) for an airside dolly (200) used to improve airport safety. The status monitor (300) comprises a sensor (303) configured to sense a safety variable of the airside dolly and an output (301) in communication with the sensor (303). The output (303) is configured to provide a status signal in dependence on the sensed safety variable of the airside dolly (200).

The present invention relates to self-propelled airside dollies (100), and particularly but not exclusively to airside baggage dollies and airside cargo dollies, and autonomous airside dollies. The self-propelled airside dolly comprises a cargo portion (104) configured to hold baggage or cargo, a drive system (108) for driving the self-propelled airside dolly (100), a controller (114) configured to control the drive system (108) in response to control signals and a processor (116) configured to provide the control signals to the controller (114).

A fire suppression system has a unique combination of components that includes interoperable electric-powered vehicles, facilities, hardware and software along with their range of specifications, standards, processes, capabilities and concepts of operations that comprise a concerted, multi-modal, system for delivering fire-retardant onto fires by uniquely-capable, ultra-quiet, electrically-powered, autonomous robotic aircraft (“SkyQarts”) that fly precise trajectories and perform extremely short take-offs and landings (ESTOL) at a highly-distributed network of small facilities (“SkyNests”) that have standardized compatible facilities, as defined herein, that interoperate with SkyQarts as well as with versatile, autonomous robotic electric-powered payload carts and electric-powered autonomous robotic delivery carts to provide safe, fast, on-demand, community-acceptable, environmentally friendly, high-capacity, sustained, affordable, day or night delivery of fire-retardant, even in smokey, IFR conditions to wildfires or controlled burns in urban, suburban, wildlands and rural settings in both developed and undeveloped countries across the globe.

An electronic system and method controls automatic or semi-automatic docking of a vehicle with a given docking area, applicable, in particular, to the docking of an airport vehicle, such as a baggage belt loader, a catering vehicle, etc., to the fuselage of an aircraft, for example to the door of such an aircraft. The given docking area comprises at least one target. The system includes first determination device configured to determine the position of the docking area by determining the type of target from a set of given types and its position, second determination device configured to determine a guide path for guiding the vehicle towards the given docking area depending on the position of the docking area, and third determination device configured to determine the type of docking destination, the second determination device being capable of determining one or more exclusion areas depending on the type of docking destination, by comparing the type of docking destination with types of docking destination, stored in a database in association with exclusion areas, such that the guide path for guiding the vehicle towards the given docking area does not pass into any of the exclusion areas.

An information processing device includes an association information acquiring unit, a first position information acquiring unit, and an output control unit. The association information acquiring unit acquires association information in which first identification information used for identifying baggage and second identification information used for identifying an owner of baggage identified by the first identification information are associated with each other. The first position information acquiring unit acquires position information of target baggage that is baggage identified by the first identification information included in the association information. The output control unit causes a mobile terminal held by a target owner who is an owner of the baggage identified by the second identification information associated with the first identification information relating to the target baggage in the association information to output information based on the position information of the target baggage.

Enhanced systems and methods for collision avoidance of a high value asset with reflective beacons around it using multi-sensor data fusion on a mobile industrial vehicle. The system has a sensing processing system with a LiDAR and camera sensors, and a multi-processor module responsive to the different sensors. The sensing processing system fuses the different sensor data to locate the reflective beacons. A model predictive controller on the vehicle determines possible control solutions where each defines a threshold allowable speed for the vehicle at discrete moments based upon an estimated path to a breaching point projected from the reflective beacons, and then identifies an optimal one of the control solutions based upon a performance cost function and associated with an optimal threshold allowable speed. The system has a vehicle actuator configured to respond and alter vehicle movement to avoid a collision when the vehicle exceeds the optimal threshold allowable speed.

An electronic system and method controls automatic or semi-automatic docking of a vehicle with a given docking area, applicable, in particular, to the docking of an airport vehicle, such as a baggage belt loader, a catering vehicle, etc., to the fuselage of an aircraft, for example to the door of such an aircraft. The given docking area comprises at least one target. The system includes first determination device configured to determine the position of the docking area by determining the type of target from a set of given types and its position, second determination device configured to determine a guide path for guiding the vehicle towards the given docking area depending on the position of the docking area, and third determination device configured to determine the type of docking destination, the second determination device being capable of determining one or more exclusion areas depending on the type of docking destination, by comparing the type of docking destination with types of docking destination, stored in a database in association with exclusion areas, such that the guide path for guiding the vehicle towards the given docking area does not pass into any of the exclusion areas.