AIRPORT VEHICLE HAVING AN ANTI-COLLISION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A VEHICLE HAVING AN ANTI-COLLISION SYSTEM

Abstract

The invention relates to an airport vehicle having an anti-collision system and a method for operating the vehicle, where the vehicle comprises a distance sensor, a 3D sensor system comprising two individual 3D sensors, a brake activation system arranged for activating the braking system of the vehicle, an operator visual indication system, and an anti-collision processing system for controlling the visual indication system as a result of sensed parameters from said distance sensor and said 3D sensors, and for controlling the brake activation system depending on the sensed parameters, such that when a predefined minimum distance is sensed by the distance sensor, the visual indication system and said brake activation system are activated, and when the 3D sensor senses an aircraft part, the visual indication system and/or said brake activation system is activated, where the brake activation system is arranged

SA, SC, SD, SE, SG, SK, SL, ST, SV, SY, TH, TJ, TM, TN, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, WS, ZA, ZM, ZW.

Claims

1. An airport vehicle having a drivetrain and an anti-collision system for preventing a collision between said vehicle and an aircraft, when said vehicle is approaching said aircraft and part of said vehicle is approaching in close proximity of said aircraft to a luggage/cargo loading/unloading position, said anti-collision system comprising: a distance sensor for sensing a distance parameter between a front end of said vehicle and said aircraft; a 3D sensor system, comprising two individual 3D sensors, each 3D sensor being arranged for sensing parameters of different parts of said aircraft and/or said vehicle, such as the left and right door side of the aircraft hold door frame and the front end of said vehicle; a brake activation system arranged for activating the braking system of said vehicle with a given braking force; an operator visual indication system, comprising a number of light indicators for visual indicative guiding a vehicle operator in maneuvering said front end into or out of said loading/unloading position; an anti-collision processing system for controlling said visual indication system as a result of said sensed parameters from said distance sensor and said 3D sensors, and for controlling said brake activation system depending on said sensed parameters, such that when a predefined minimum distance is sensed by said distance sensor, said visual indication system and said brake activation system are activated, and when said 3D sensor senses an aircraft part, said visual indication system and/or said brake activation system is activated, and wherein said brake activation system is arranged for controlling said approaching speed by continuously controlling said brake system of said vehicle independently of any controlling and activation of the drivetrain of said vehicle such that an approaching speed of said vehicle is controlled independently of any controlling and activation of said drivetrain by an operator.

2. An airport vehicle according to claim 1, said braking system comprising a brake pedal being manually controllable by said operator establishing a manual braking force, said braking system being activated by either of said given braking force or said manual braking force, whichever is the largest.

3. An airport vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said anti-collision system further comprises a wheel alignment sensing arrangement, having a wheel position sensor, for sensing the directional position of the wheels of said vehicle, said anti-collision processing system being arranged for controlling said brake activation system and said visual indication system based on information from said wheel alignment sensing arrangement, such that said brake activation system is activated when said wheels are not substantially aligned with a longitudinal direction of said vehicle.

4. An airport vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said visual indication system is arranged at said front end of said vehicle and in a line of sight between said vehicle operator and said front end.

5. An airport vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said visual indication system is arranged proximate to one of said 3D sensors.

6. An airport vehicle according to claim 3, wherein said visual indication system comprises a number of indicators for emitting a light pattern towards the operator, which light pattern indicates which way the operator must turn the steering wheels in order for them to be aligned with the vehicle.

7. An airport vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said 3D sensors are arranged on opposite sides of said distance sensor and/or on opposite sides of said front end of said vehicle.

8. An airport vehicle according to claim 1, wherein one or preferably both of said 3D sensors are arranged at a distance from said front end of said vehicle, such as on top of an operators cabin, one of said 3D sensors being directed towards said front end of said vehicle for primarily sensing said front, and the other of said 3D sensor being directed ahead of said front end for primarily sensing parameters of different parts of said aircraft.

9. An airport vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said anti-collision processing system is arranged outside an operator's cabin and preferable at a rear end of said vehicle.

10. An airport vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle is a belt loader having a belt arm, said distance sensor being arranged at a front end of said belt arm, and said 3D sensors being arranged at said front end of said belt arm and on opposite sides thereof.

11. An airport vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a second visual indication system arranged outside said operator's cabin, and being arranged for signalling towards surrounding ground personnel the operation status of said anti-collision system, such status as activated, deactivated and activated brake activation system.

12. An airport vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said brake activation system is arranged as a retrofitted brake activation system which is mounted onto the existing brake system of the vehicle.

13. An airport vehicle according to claim 12, wherein said brake activation system is arranged as a brake pedal activation mechanism including a mechanically, hydraulically, pneumatically or electrically activated cylinder, which is arranged between the rear side of the operator's brake pedal and the chassis of the vehicle, such that said retrofitted brake pedal activation mechanism does not interfere with a manual operation of said brake pedal.

14. A method for operating a vehicle having a drivetrain and an anti-collision system comprising the following steps: providing a vehicle according to claim 1, when said vehicle is ing said aircraft, continuously sensing a distance between said front end of said vehicle and said aircraft with said distance sensor, when said vehicle is approaching said aircraft, continuously sensing two different aircraft parts, such as the left and right side of the aircraft hold door frame with said 3D sensor system, activating said visual indication system when said 3D system senses said two different aircraft parts being outside a predefined position in relation to said front end of said vehicle, and activating said visual indication system and said brake activating system when said distance sensor senses a minimum distance between said front end of said vehicle and said aircraft, said brake activating system being arranged for controlling said approaching speed by continuously controlling said brake system of said vehicle independently of any controlling and activation of the drivetrain of said vehicle such that an approaching speed of said vehicle is controlled independently of any controlling of said drivetrain by an operator.

15. A method for operating a vehicle according to claim 14, said method comprising the following steps, activating said visual indication system and said brake activating system when said wheel alignment sensing arrangement senses said wheels are not substantially aligned with a longitudinal direction of said vehicle, and said visual indication system indicating to said operator a direction of maneuvering said wheels into a direction substantially in alignment with said longitudinal direction of said vehicle, before deactivating said brake activating system.

Description

[0067] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an airport vehicle.

[0068] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an airport vehicle.

[0069] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a visual indication system.

[0070] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a second visual indication system.

[0071] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of part of an operator's cabin.

[0072] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a principal embodiment of an anti-collision system.

[0073] The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. The invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. Like elements will thus not be described in detail with respect to the description of each figure.

[0074] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an airport vehicle 10 having an anti-collision system. The vehicle 10 is illustrated as a typically self-propelled belt loader 10 and will in the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention be defined as a belt loader 10.

[0075] The belt loader 10 is designed to deliver bulk cargo and baggage to the aircraft hold and comprises a longitudinal belt arm 24, also defined as a boom, which is equipped with a main conveyer belt for conveying the cargo and baggage into the aircraft. The belt arm 24 may come in various lengths and may thus vary from a few meters and up to 9-10 meters suitable for reaching higher level aircraft doorsills. A typically belt loader 10 may reach approx. five meters in height.

[0076] The belt loader 10 comprises a rear end and a front end 22, which front end 22 in the illustrated embodiment is defined as the most forward part of the belt arm 24. The front end 22 comprises a second belt conveyer for engaging the cargo floor of the aircraft hold and may be pivoted in relation to the larger main conveyer belt.

[0077] The belt loader 10 comprises an anti-collision system having a distance sensor (shown in FIG. 2) for measuring the distance between the front end 22 of the belt loader 10 and the aircraft; a 3D sensor system comprising a left 3D sensor 14 and a right 3D sensor 16 (shown in FIG. 2) for sensing the position of the doorsill of the aircraft hold door frame sides in relation to the front end 22 of the belt loader 10. The anti-collision system further comprises a visual indication system 18, which in the illustrated embodiment is arranged in the same housing as the left 3D sensor 14. The left 3D sensor 14 and the visual indication system 18 may however be arranged as separate elements. It is through a preferred embodiment that the visual indication system 18 is arranged in the operator's line of sight and therefore preferable in proximity of the front end 22 of the belt arm and connected thereto.

[0078] The visual indication system 18 comprises a number of light emitting indicators 20′-20″″, pointing towards the operator for visual guiding the operator in steering the belt loader 10 in response to the sensed parameters of the distance sensor 12 and the 3D sensors 14, 16.

[0079] The anti-collision system is controlled by a processing system 30, which processes the received information/parameters from the sensors 12, 14, 16 and compares this information with predefined parameters such as a minimum distance to the aircraft hold and maximum offset of the location of the door frame in relation to the front end 22. The processing system 30 continuously signals the processed information via the visual indication system 18, such that the operator at any time receives visual information from the light emitting indicators 20′-20″″. Such visual information may be a green light, when a minimum distance is not present or the front end 22 is in alignment with the opening into the aircraft hold. The visual information may thus be a red light, when a minimum distance is reached and/or if the front end 22 is not properly aligned with the opening into the aircraft hold.

[0080] Further, the belt loader is arranged with a brake activation system (see FIG. 6), which in a basic embodiment comprises a brake pedal activation mechanism, such as a cylinder (ref. 28, FIG. 6), including a mechanically, hydraulically, pneumatically or electrically activated cylinder, which is arranged e.g. between that rear side of the operator's brake pedal and the chassis of the belt loader 10. The brake activation system is connected to the processing system 30 and is activated when the above described minimum distance or maximum offset is reached, hereby avoiding any collision between the front end 22 and the aircraft.

[0081] The belt loader 10 further comprises a wheel alignment sensing arrangement (not shown) having a wheel position sensor for sensing the directional position of the wheels of the belt loader 10. When backing the belt loader 10 away from the aircraft, it is crucial that the steering wheels are aligned with the longitudinal direction of said belt loader 10; otherwise the front end 22 will swing into the aircraft.

[0082] The wheel alignment sensing arrangement is thus connected to the processing system 30, which signals to the visual indication system for visual informing the operator that the wheels are not properly aligned, and if the operator starts backing out without aligning the wheels, the brake activation system is activated and the brakes (brake pedal 26, FIG. 6) of the belt loader 10 are engaged. The brake activation system is incorporated into the vehicle, independent of the drivetrain of the vehicle, whereby the system is cost effective to install in a retrofit process and may be installed in basically any type of ground support vehicle, no matter what type of drivetrain is being used.

[0083] In order for the other ground personnel to be aware of the status of the anti-collision system, the belt loader 10 comprises a second visual indication system 32, arranged above and behind the operator, for signalling different colours dependent on the system status, e.g. the second visual indication system 32 is off when the anti-collision system is off; the colour is green when the anti-collision system is activated and no collision has occurred, yellow if the operator uses an override button for overriding the brake activation system, and red when a collision has occurred.

[0084] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the front end of the belt loader 10. The distance sensor 12 is shown arranged on the most forward part of the front end 22 and in a centre thereof.

[0085] The left 3D sensor 14 and the right 3D sensor 16 are shown arranged on opposite sides of the front end 22, and each 3D sensor 14, 16 comprises a lower 3D sensor emitter 14′,16′, which emits the infrared light pulses, and an upper 3D sensor receiver 14″,16″, which receives the bounced back infrared light impulses.

[0086] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the visual indication system 18, which is shown having four light indicators 20′-20″″, each indicator being arranged for displaying a number of colours, preferable three colours such as green, yellow and red.

[0087] If the anti-collision system is of, all four indicators 20′-20″″ are off.

[0088] If the anti-collision system is on and all four indicators 20′-20″″ are green, the belt loader 10 may proceed to drive.

[0089] If one of the indicators 20′-20″″ turns yellow, the belt loader is headed towards an obstacle that eventually will come too close in that side of the yellow light. The upper indicator 20′ symbolises the front end 22, the left and right indicators 20′″, 20″″ symbolise the left and right side of the front end 22.

[0090] If the operator does not try to get out of the yellow indicator state, the yellow indicator(s) will turn red, and the brake activation system is engaged, whereby the belt loader 10 will stop. For the operator to be able to continue, an override button (ref. 36— FIG. 5) would have to be activated.

[0091] When the belt loader has reached a correct docking position, the indicators 20′-20″″ will signal a flashing pattern towards the operator.

[0092] When the belt loader 10 is being reversed away from the aircraft and if the wheels are aligned, all four indicators will be green. If the wheels are not aligned and the front end 22 is within 2 meters of the aircraft, the brake activation system will be activated and the belt loader 10 will stop. Here, three indicators will turn red and one will turn green, which green indicator light travels around all four indicators 20′-20″″ in a circle to indicate which way the operator must turn the steering wheels in order for them to be aligned.

[0093] Although specific motion patterns and light colours have been described in relation to the visual indicator system 18, the skilled person would, when being presented to the above description, recognise that any colour and/or light pattern that would give the same effect could be incorporated.

[0094] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a second visual indication system 32 and clearly illustrates the second visual indication system 32 being arranged above and behind the operator.

[0095] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of part of an operator's cabin. The figure shows the operator's cabin being arranged with a standby button 34, which the operator has to press in order to activate the anti-collision system. The operator's cabin further comprises an override button 36, which has to be pressed if the processing system has activated the brake activation system. It the belt arm is raised, the anti-collision system will activate automatically.

[0096] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a principal embodiment of an airport vehicle having an anti-collision system. The figure shows a sensor system 14, 16, including the distance sensor 14 and the 3D sensors 16, but is, for the sake of simplicity, illustrated as one single sensor. The figure further shows the visual indication system 18 and the processing system 30 being in parallel connection with sensors 14, 16 and the indicator system 18.

[0097] The figure also shows a brake pedal activation mechanism illustrated as a brake cylinder connected to the 28 vehicle brake pedal, and the brake pedal activation mechanism being connected to the processing system. All components of the anti-collision are thus installed into the vehicle independently of any vehicle drivetrain.

[0098] In the following is given a list of the reference signs used in the detailed description of the invention and the drawings referred to in the detailed description of the invention. [0099] 10 Airport vehicle [0100] 12 Distance sensor [0101] 14 Left 3D sensor [0102] 14′ Left 3D sensor emitter [0103] 14″ Left 3D sensor receiver [0104] 16 Right 3D sensor [0105] 16′ Right 3D sensor emitter [0106] 16″ Right 3D sensor receiver [0107] 18 Visual indication system [0108] 20′ Upper indicator (Ui) [0109] 20″ Lower indicator (Li) [0110] 20′″ Left indicator (Lei) [0111] 20″″ Right indicator (Ri) [0112] 22 Front end [0113] 24 Belt arm/boom [0114] 26 Brake pedal [0115] 28 Brake cylinder [0116] 30 Processing system [0117] 32 Second visual indication system [0118] 34 Standby button [0119] 34 Override button [0120] 38 Third visual indication system