ACCESS DEVICE TO AN AIRPLANE

Abstract

An access device to an aircraft, bus or building. The access device having a loading surface connected to a vehicle, wherein a protective device for passengers is arranged on the loading surface.

Claims

1.-21. (canceled)

22. An access device to an aircraft, bus or building for passengers, comprising: a loading surface connected to a vehicle; and a protective device disposed on the loading surface.

23. An access device according to claim 22, wherein the vehicle is an air passenger stair vehicle, the air passenger stair vehicle having a front end and an opposing rear end.

24. An access device according to claim 23, wherein the protective device comprise at least one tunnel element.

25. An access device according to claim 24, wherein the at least one tunnel element is movable.

26. An access device according to claim 25, wherein the at least one tunnel element comprise rollers for movability.

27. An access device according to claim 24, wherein the at least one tunnel element is adapted to be supported telescopically into the another at least one tunnel element on the loading surface.

28. An access device according to claim 22, wherein the loading surface is horizontally pivotably attached to the vehicle.

29. An access device according to claim 28, wherein the loading surface is pivotable by 180° with respect to the vehicle.

30. An access device according to claim 22, wherein the loading surface is lowerable.

31. An access device according to claim 22, wherein the loading surface projects from the vehicle.

32. An access device according to claim 31, further comprising a lifting device, wherein the projecting loading surface is lowerable by the lifting device.

33. An access device according to claim 22, wherein the loading surface comprise a chassis.

34. An access device according to claim 33, wherein the chassis receives the loading surface in a lowerable manner.

35. An access device according to claim 24, wherein the at least one tunnel element at the front end is fixable to the loading surface.

36. An access device according to claim 23, further comprising: a stair device, the stair device having a fore end disposed towards the front end of the air passenger stair vehicle and an opposing aft end disposed towards the rear end of the air passenger stair vehicle; and a lifting apparatus, wherein the stair device is attached to the air passenger stair vehicle, the stair device being vertically adjustable by the lifting apparatus while providing a free space above the loading surface of the air passenger stair vehicle at the front end or the rear end.

37. An access device according to claim 36, wherein the lifting apparatus is arranged at the rear end of the air passenger stair vehicle.

38. An access device according to claim 36, further comprising a vertically adjustable mounting, wherein the stair device is seated on the mounting near the front end of the air passenger stair vehicle, the stair device being displaceably disposed on the vertically adjustable mounting.

39. An access device according to claim 36, wherein the stair device comprises a substantially perpendicular connecting frame at the aft end in a lowered state of the stair device.

40. An access device according to claim 39, wherein the stair device further comprises a connecting stair segment towards the aft end and the stair device telescopically receives the connecting stair segment.

41. An access device according to claim 39, wherein the stair device and/or the connecting stair segment are/is tunneled.

42. An access device according to claim 36, wherein the lifting apparatus comprises two lifting columns by which the stair device is displaceably guided in a vertically adjustable manner.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an air passenger stair vehicle that has a freely projecting loading surface for receiving a protective device;

[0023] FIG. 2 shows a side view of the vehicle in accordance with FIG. 1;

[0024] FIG. 3 shows a representation in accordance with FIG. 1 in which the loading surface is lowered;

[0025] FIG. 4 shows an air passenger stair vehicle having a freely projecting loading surface, with the loading surface being connected in an articulated manner to the air passenger stair vehicle wherein the loading surface is laterally pivotable by 180°;

[0026] FIG. 5 shows a representation in accordance with FIG. 4 in which the individual tunnel elements of the protective device are pulled apart for forming an access tunnel in a lowered and pivoted position of the loading surface;

[0027] FIG. 6 shows an air passenger stair vehicle with a trailer on which the protective device comprising a plurality of tunnel elements is supported;

[0028] FIG. 7 shows an air passenger stair vehicle with a protective device having a plurality of tunnel elements arranged beneath a stair device; and

[0029] FIG. 8 shows a representation in accordance with FIG. 7, with the end of the stair device facing the protective device being lowered.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] The aircraft in accordance with FIGS. 1 to 5 is marked by 1. The air passenger stair vehicle 3 having the air passenger stairs 5 is docked at the aircraft 1, with the air passenger stair 5 enabling access to the aircraft. In accordance with a first embodiment, the loading surface 10 (FIG. 1 to FIG. 3) is connected in an articulated manner and is freely projecting at the air passenger stair vehicle 3. The loading surface 10 receives the protective device 12 that comprises a plurality of tunnel elements 15. The tunnel elements 15, that are conical, can be arranged on the loading surface 10 supported telescopically in one another. The loading surface 10 can be lowered onto the ground with the aid of a lifting device 20 (FIG. 3) in order to move the individual tunnel elements 15 apart to form the access tunnel, for which purpose the individual elements can have wheels 15a on their lower sides. The loading surface 10 comprises two rails extending in parallel with one another.

[0031] As a variant of the first embodiment, provision is made in accordance with FIGS. 4 and 5 that the loading surface 10 is connected in an articulated manner horizontally pivotably to the air passenger stair vehicle such that, as shown in FIG. 5, it is located laterally in parallel with the air passenger stair vehicle 3 after pivoting by 180°. The loading surface, which is shown over its full surface, is then lowered in this position to be able to pull out the tunnel elements 15 located thereon to form the access tunnel, for example to an airport bus. The tunnel elements 15 are conical, as already explained above, and have wheels 15a.

[0032] In a second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a trailer 17 is hitched to the air passenger stair vehicle 3, with the trailer 17 comprising the loading surface 10 and the chassis 13, with the chassis 13 being lowerable such that at least the rear end of the loading surface 10 of the trailer 17 can stand on the ground to be able to move the individual tunnel elements 15 of the protective device 12 from the loading surface 10, as has been explained in the first embodiment.

[0033] To be able to pull the individual tunnel elements 15 apart from the loading surface 10 for forming the access tunnel, the front tunnel element is advantageously fixed on the loading surface 10, for example by blocking the wheels 15a of the tunnel element 15 that directly faces the air passenger stairs 5.

[0034] According to a third embodiment, the air passenger stair vehicle 3, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, comprises a loading surface 10, that is in particular lowerable, for receiving the protective device 12, comprising a plurality of tunnel elements 15. The air passenger stair vehicle 3 has a lifting apparatus 40 at the rear end, with the lifting apparatus 40 comprising two lifting columns 45 that are arranged spaced apart from one another and that serve the guidance of the rear stair device 30 at the end near the access side. The connecting stair segment 34 has a respective cam 35 at both sides for receiving the stair device 30, with each cam 35 being guided by a lifting column 45. The lifting column 45 is formed with approximately a C profile in cross-section to receive the corresponding cam 35. The raising of the stair device 30 in the rear end region of the vehicle can be effected either hydraulically or pneumatically e.g. by piston-in-cylinder drives or also by a respective chain drive arranged in each lifting column 45.

[0035] The air passenger stair vehicle 3 furthermore has the mounting 50 in the front end for supporting the front end of the stair device 30. The mounting 50 comprises telescopic supports 52 that are arranged at both sides of the air passenger stair vehicles, that are variable in length, and that are connected to one another at the upper end by a traverse 55. The traverse is supported at the telescopic supports 52 pivotable about a horizontal axis. The front end of the stair device 30 lies on the traverse 55. The telescopic supports 52 each have a support aim 58 that is arranged at the air passenger stair vehicle 3 at one end and at the telescopic support 52 at the other end. The stair device 30 that is provided with stairs and that is tunneled has the connecting stair segment 34 that likewise has treads and is likewise tunneled. The connecting stair segment 34 is telescopically supported in the stair device. Thus the stair device is variable in length to adapt to different aircraft heights. The length variation of the stair device 30 is effected by a vertical adjustment of the mounting and/or by the telescoping of the connecting segment 34 out of or into the stair device 30. The connecting stair segment 34 furthermore shows a connection frame 37 that is aligned substantially perpendicular in the lowered state of the stair device 30 and that serves as a connection to a corresponding frame of a tunnel element 15.

[0036] At the front end facing the aircraft, the stair device 30 has the coupling module 32 that can have a folding awning, not shown, at its free end.

[0037] The operation of the air passenger stair vehicle 3 is described as follows: In the state shown in FIG. 7, the air passenger stair vehicle 3 is bought near the aircraft. The protective device 12 having the individual tunnel elements 15 is then pulled out of the loading surface 10 of the air passenger stair vehicle 3. The loading surface 10 can optionally be lowered for this purpose. Then the stair device 30 is lowered at the rear end, that is in the region of the connecting stair segment at the two lifting columns 45, until a position as shown in FIG. 8 is reached. The front end of the stair device 30 can then be raised so far together with the coupling module 32 with the aid of the telescopic supports 52 of the mounting 50 until the coupling module 32 reaches the access region of the aircraft. If the required height for reaching the access of the aircraft cannot be reached by the stair device, the required length can be provided by the telescopic capability of the connecting stair segment 34 of the stair device 30. The moving apart of the connecting stair segment 34 from the stair device 30 can be effected by a rack-and pinion drive or chain drive 36 arranged between the stair device 30 and the connecting stair segment 34. Alternatively, such a rack-and-pinion drive or chain drive can be located between the traverse 55 and the stair device 30. To ensure that the traverse 55 can contact the lower side of the stair device 30 over the whole area when the mounting 50 is vertically adjusted, provision is made that the traverse is connected to the telescopic supports pivotable about a horizontal axis.

REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST

[0038] 1 aircraft [0039] 3 air passenger stair vehicle [0040] 5 air passenger stair [0041] 10 loading surface [0042] 12 protective device [0043] 13 chassis [0044] 15 tunnel element [0045] 15a wheels [0046] 17 trailer [0047] 20 lifting device [0048] 30 stair device [0049] 32 coupling module [0050] 34 connecting segment [0051] 35 cam [0052] 36 chain drive/rack-and-pinion drive [0053] 37 connecting frame [0054] 40 lifting apparatus [0055] 45 lifting column [0056] 50 mounting [0057] 52 telescopic support [0058] 55 traverse [0059] 58 support arm