POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR AN AIRCRAFT SERVICE PIT

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a device for unstowing an electrical supply cable from a storage chamber disposed within an underground service pit. The cable is configured to electrically connect to an electrical power supply at a first end and to connect to an external power socket of an aircraft at a second end for supplying electrical power to the aircraft. The device includes a cable guiding wheel that is disposed at ground level above the underground service pit and configured to receive the cable. The device also includes a motor coupled to the cable guiding wheel that is configured to drive the cable guiding wheel. Upon activation, the motor rotates the cable guiding wheel to generate a pulling force on the cable to at least partially lift the cable out of the storage chamber.

Claims

1. A device for unstowing an electrical supply cable from a storage chamber disposed within an underground service pit, the cable being configured to electrically connect to an electrical power supply at a first end and to connect to an external power socket of an aircraft at a second end to supply electrical power to the aircraft, the device comprising: a cable guiding wheel disposed at ground level above the underground service pit and configured to receive the cable; and a motor coupled to the cable guiding wheel and configured to drive the cable guiding wheel, wherein, upon activation, the motor rotates the cable guiding wheel to generate a pulling force on the cable to at least partially lift the cable out of the storage chamber.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the cable guiding wheel has an external circumferential surface that is substantially concave.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the external circumferential surface of the cable guiding wheel comprises a friction material that increases friction between the external circumferential surface and the cable.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the friction material is rubber, latex caoutchouc, neoprene, or a combination thereof.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the friction material is attached to the external circumferential surface by an adhesive.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the cable guiding wheel comprises a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion are configured for one of the first portion or the second portion to fit at least partially within the other one of the first portion or the second portion to form the cable guiding wheel.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the motor is a brushless wheel hub motor.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the motor is a 12-500V and 10-2000 W motor.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the storage chamber is configured to stow the cable in a monospiral.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the motor is configured to be activated by an action of unstowing the cable.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the motor is configured to be activated by operation of an activation button.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the motor deactivates by releasing the activation button.

13. An electrical power supply system for the underground service pit, comprising: the electrical supply cable; the storage chamber, wherein the storage chamber is configured to stow the electrical supply cable; a cable access point configured to allow access to the second end of the cable; and the device of claim 1.

14. The electrical power supply system of claim 13, wherein the cable access point comprises a pop-up pit or a hatch pit.

15. The electrical power supply system of claim 13, wherein the device of claim 1 is mounted onto the cable access point by a mounting element.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Embodiments will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a human operator unstowing an electrical supply cable from an underground service pit at an access point;

[0029] FIG. 2 shows various cables at an access point of a service pit connected to corresponding connection points of an aircraft; and

[0030] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary cable guiding wheel according to an embodiment;

[0031] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary motor according to an embodiment;

[0032] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary device according to an embodiment installed at an access point of a service pit;

[0033] FIG. 6 shows a close-up view of the device of FIG. 5;

[0034] FIG. 7 shows a cable being unstowed assisted by the device of FIG. 5;

[0035] and

[0036] FIG. 8 shows a human operator unstowing a cable assisted by the device of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0037] Electrical power supply systems used for supplying electrical power to aircrafts are conventionally installed in underground service pits at airports. Cables of an electrical power supply system are stowed in a storage chamber within such underground service pits. FIG. 1 illustrates a human operator unstowing a cable 101 from an underground service pit 102 at a pop-up pit or station 103. When in use, the operator unstows the cable 101 from an underground storage chamber by manually pulling and lifting the cable 101 at an access point such as the pop-up pit 103 or a hatch pit up to ground level, and connect the cable to a corresponding connection point 200 such as an external power socket on an aircraft, as shown in FIG. 2. The unstowing operation is straining for the operator and time consuming since such cables are heavy and long, and the operator risks injuries by performing the manual operation.

[0038] The present technology thus provides a device for assisting with the unstowing of a cable from an underground service pit. Embodiments of the device comprises a cable guiding wheel and a motor coupled to the cable guiding wheel for driving the cable guiding wheel.

[0039] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary cable guiding wheel 300 according to an embodiment. The cable guiding wheel 300 comprises a first portion 310 and a second portion 320. In the present embodiment, the first portion 310 and the second portion 320 are configured such that the second portion 320 is at least partially or completely inserted within the first portion 310, and the second portion 320 (partially or completely) fits within the first portion 310 to form the cable guiding wheel 300. The external circumferential surface 311 of the first portion 310 is partially shown. The external circumferential surface 311 is the surface that receives a cable and guide the motion of the cable as it is unstowed or stowed. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the external circumferential surface 311 is concave or semi-circular in cross-section. A concave external circumferential surface 311 urges a cable to remain substantially along the central circumferential axis of the cable guiding wheel and limits lateral movements of the cable as it is being stowed or unstowed. Other cross-sectional shape can also be used to provide the same or similar result, for example rectangular, triangular or a trough shape. The external circumferential surface 311 can be provided with a friction material, such as rubber, latex caoutchouc, neoprene, etc., partially or wholly covering the surface 311. For example, the friction material may cover a narrow continuous band around the entire circumference of the cable guiding wheel, cover multiple discrete sections around the circumference, across the entire width of the external circumferential surface 311 or across only a portion of the width of the external circumferential surface 311, etc. The friction material may be provided to the external circumferential surface 311 by adhering a strip of the friction material to the external circumferential surface 311 using a suitable adhesive. The internal circumferential surface 312 of the first portion 310 may be convex in correspondence with the concave shape of the external circumferential surface 311, or it may be flat or any other desirable shape. In an embodiment, the shape of the internal circumferential surface 312 of the first portion 310 may correspond to the shape of the external circumferential surface of the second portion 320, such that the second portion 320 fits within the first portion 310.

[0040] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary motor 400 according to an embodiment. In the present embodiment, the motor 400 is a brushless wheel hub motor. The hub motor used in the present embodiment can be any suitable commercially available hub motor. The hub motor 400 is defined by a suitable range of parameters as desired, for example a voltage range of 12-500V, more specifically 24-48V, and a power range of 10-2000 W, more specifically 200-1000 W. In the present embodiment, the motor 400 is positioned in the centre of the cable guiding wheel 300.

[0041] FIG. 5 shows a device 500 according to an embodiment comprising the cable guiding wheel 300 and the motor 400 housed within the cable guiding wheel 300. The device 500 is mounted to an access point of an existing service pit in the form of a pop-up pit 520 by mounting 510. The mounting 510 further provides support for an electrical power connector 530 (which connects to a corresponding external socket of an aircraft) of an electrical power supply cable 540 to allow easy access of the cable 540 from the pop-up pit 520. The connector 530 and the cable 540 are further secured to the pop-up pit 520 by means of an adjustable strap 550 coupled (e.g. tied) to the cable 540 at one end and having a hook 560 at the other end, which hooks into a metal loop 570 attached (e.g. bolted) to the pop-up pit 520. In the present embodiment, the motor 400 is operated by a button 580. FIG. 6 shows a close-up view of the device 500.

[0042] In use, the hook 560 of the strap 550 is unhooked from the loop 570 to release the cable 540 from the pop-up pit 520 and allow the connector 530 and cable 540 to be pulled away from the pop-up pit 520, as shown in FIG. 7. When unstowing the cable 540, the button 580 is operated (e.g. pressed down) to activate the motor 400. Upon activation, the motor 400 drives the cable guiding wheel 300 to rotate the cable guiding wheel 300 in a forward direction—the direction in which the cable 540 travels when being unstowed. The pulling action by the operator ensures contact between the cable 540 and the external circumferential surface of the cable guiding wheel 300. The friction material on the external circumferential surface of the cable guiding wheel 300 improves the efficiency of translating the forward rotation of the cable guiding wheel 300 into an upward motion or lift of the cable 540 from the underground service pit. The concave or semi-circular cross section of the external circumferential surface of the cable guiding wheel 300 reduces lateral movements of the cable 540 as it is being pulled up.

[0043] FIG. 8 shows a human operator unstowing the cable 540 at the pop-up pit 520 assisted by the device 500. The motor 400 of the device 500, when activated, drives the forward rotation of the cable guiding wheel 300, which is translated into a pulling or lifting force on the cable 540 to at least partially drag or lift the cable 540 out of the service pit and towards the operator, thus reducing the load experienced by the operator when unstowing the cable 540.

[0044] In the embodiment above, the motor 400 is activated by pressing down the button 580. In some embodiments, pressing the button 580 again while the motor 400 is activated deactivates the motor 400.

[0045] In other embodiments, the motor 400 may be configured to be activated only when the button 580 is pressed and held down. In these embodiments, the motor 400 is deactivated when the button 580 is released.

[0046] In further embodiments, the button 580 may be replaced with a switch, a lever, a touch screen control, etc., as desired. In some embodiments, the button 580 may be disposed on the connector 530, such that an operator may activate the motor 400 by means of the button 580 while holding the connector 530.

[0047] In alternative embodiments, the motor 400 may be activated automatically when a human operator begins pulling the cable 540. For example, movement/rotation of the cable guiding wheel may be used as a trigger to activate the motor 400.

[0048] In some embodiments, the motor 400 is capable of driving the cable guiding wheel 300 in both a forward and a backward direction. In these embodiments, the motor 400 is activated to drive the cable guiding wheel 300 in the forward direction when unstowing the cable 540. When stowing the cable 540, the motor 400 is operated in reverse to drive the cable guiding wheel 300 in the backward direction to assist in stowing the cable into the storage chamber.

[0049] In alternative embodiments, the motor 400 may be configured to drive the cable guiding wheel 300 only in a forward direction, but may be configured to disengage to allow the cable guiding wheel 300 to rotate in a backward direction. In these embodiments, the motor 400 may be configured to drive the cable guiding wheel 300 to rotate in the forward direction upon activation when unstowing the cable 540. When stowing the cable 540, the motor 400 is disengaged to allow the cable guiding wheel 300 to rotate in the backward direction such that the cable is guided into the storage chamber.

[0050] The technology described herein provides assistance to a human operator when unstowing an electrical supply cable from an underground storage chamber through the provision of a motor driven cable guiding wheel. The cable guiding wheel, when driven by the motor, exerts a pulling force on the cable to at least partially lift the cable from the storage chamber, thus reducing the load experienced by the operator when retrieving the cable. Moreover, since the motor-driven guiding wheel is installed at ground level and configured to receive conventional electrical supply cable, the motor-driven guiding wheel can be retrospectively installed to existing electrical power supply systems already installed in airport underground service pits. As such, techniques described herein improves the efficiency of unstowing an electrical supply cable and improves the safety of the unstowing operation at low cost and with minimal disruptions to normal operations.

[0051] The examples and conditional language recited herein are intended to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the present technology and not to limit its scope to such specifically recited examples and conditions. It will be appreciated that those skilled in the art may devise various arrangements which, although not explicitly described or shown herein, nonetheless embody the principles of the present technology and are included within its scope as defined by the appended claims.

[0052] Furthermore, as an aid to understanding, the above description may describe relatively simplified implementations of the present technology. As persons skilled in the art would understand, various implementations of the present technology may be of a greater complexity.

[0053] In some cases, what are believed to be helpful examples of modifications to the present technology may also be set forth. This is done merely as an aid to understanding, and, again, not to limit the scope or set forth the bounds of the present technology. These modifications are not an exhaustive list, and a person skilled in the art may make other modifications while nonetheless remaining within the scope of the present technology. Further, where no examples of modifications have been set forth, it should not be interpreted that no modifications are possible and/or that what is described is the sole manner of implementing that element of the present technology.

[0054] Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and implementations of the technology, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof, whether they are currently known or developed in the future.

[0055] It will be clear to one skilled in the art that many improvements and modifications can be made to the foregoing exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present techniques.