An aircraft boarding bridge docking aid

Abstract

The utility model discloses an aircraft boarding bridge butt joint auxiliary device, the device includes longitudinal guide light source, sets up in the aircraft mouth below and sets up at least a group, is used for sending light and projects first alignment mark on the aircraft body surface, transverse guide light source, set up in the aircraft mouth top, is used for sending light and projects second alignment mark on the aircraft body surface, wherein, the aircraft mouth is provided with the reference point position corresponding with longitudinal guide light source position, longitudinal guide light source can move or set up multiple groups through drive part to adapt to different models, and the aircraft mouth is equipped with image acquisition module group. Through two -dimensional optical alignment of longitudinal and transverse light source, operator can complete once adjustment at 2m distance, realizes the accurate butt joint of boarding bridge and hatch, improves alignment efficiency and accuracy, enhances low energy visibility environment adaptability, is applicable to the quick butt joint scene of various aircraft boarding bridge.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of aviation ground equipment technology, specifically to an aircraft boarding bridge docking auxiliary device. Background Technology

[0002] As a crucial connection between airport terminals and aircraft, the precise docking of boarding bridges with aircraft doors directly impacts passenger boarding and disembarking efficiency, flight turnaround speed, and operational safety. In existing technologies, boarding bridge docking operations primarily rely on manual visual guidance or simple auxiliary devices, with the method of projecting alignment marks using a guide light source being the most common for nighttime flights. For example, Chinese utility model patent CN205098491U discloses a "boarding bridge reception auxiliary device," which uses a fixed guide light source near the arrival gate to project alignment marks onto the aircraft door for positioning assistance.

[0003] However, the guiding light source in this technical solution is installed in a fixed position on the side or top of the boarding gate, and its projection direction forms an inherent angle with the front of the boarding gate. When the initial docking distance between the boarding gate and the aircraft door is relatively large (usually 5-10m), the projection path of the light source forms a triangular deviation with the centerline of the boarding gate, causing the offset of the alignment mark on the door to increase significantly with increasing distance. For example, when the distance is 10m, even if the installation angle deviation of the light source is only 1°, the projection deviation can reach 174mm, far exceeding the ±50mm docking error standard stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). To compensate for the above deviation, this solution requires "coarse adjustment" (adjustment of bridge height, boarding gate angle, and wheel frame left and right) 2m from the boarding gate to the door, and then "fine adjustment" (adjustment of bridge height, boarding gate angle, and movable floor position) 1-1.5m away. This two-stage adjustment is inconvenient, and in actual operation in the flight area, a single operator needs to be responsible for multiple boarding bridges, which can easily cause flight delays during peak nighttime hours.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to design an aircraft boarding bridge docking auxiliary device that can facilitate operators in docking the boarding gate with the aircraft door. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an aircraft boarding bridge docking assistance device that can complete optical alignment from a distance, thereby achieving docking of the boarding bridge and the aircraft door with a single adjustment.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by this utility model to solve the above problems is: an aircraft boarding bridge docking auxiliary device, comprising... A longitudinally guided light source, located below the aircraft port and having at least one set, is used to emit light and project a first alignment mark onto the surface of the aircraft body. A lateral guiding light source, positioned above the receiving port, is used to emit light and project a second alignment mark onto the surface of the aircraft. The receiving port is equipped with reference points corresponding to the position of the longitudinal guide light source.

[0007] Preferably, a set of longitudinal guide light sources is provided, and a driving component is provided below the receiving port to drive the longitudinal guide light sources to move horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the receiving port.

[0008] Preferably, the driving component adopts a servo guide rail, which includes a servo motor, a support base is provided on the side wall of the servo motor, a lead screw is provided at the output end of the servo motor, limit rods are symmetrically provided on the inner wall of the support base, a slider is sleeved on the outer circumference of the lead screw, and the limit rod passes through the inside of the slider.

[0009] Preferably, the longitudinal guiding light source is provided in two sets.

[0010] Preferably, the receiving port is equipped with an image acquisition module for acquiring alignment marks emitted by the horizontal guide light source.

[0011] Preferably, the reference point is provided with a fluorescent coating.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, this utility model has the following advantages and effects: This invention achieves precise two-dimensional optical alignment of height and horizontal position during boarding bridge docking by setting up a coordinated structure of longitudinal and lateral guide light sources and combining it with the reference point design on the boarding gate. Specifically, the longitudinal guide light source emits light from the reference point and projects a first alignment mark, while the lateral guide light source projects a second alignment mark. Both provide positioning references in the height and horizontal directions, respectively, allowing the operator to complete the alignment judgment in both dimensions sequentially from far to near. This better assists the operator in adjusting the operation and thus shortens the docking time.

[0013] By driving the longitudinal guide light source to move or setting multiple sets of longitudinal guide light sources through the drive components, it can quickly adapt to the door width of different aircraft models, solving the problem of poor adaptability of fixed light sources to different aircraft models and improving the versatility of the device. The fluorescent coating design of the reference point enhances visibility in low visibility environments, while the image acquisition module uses high-definition imaging to assist in long-distance alignment, reducing human operation errors, and is especially suitable for operations at night or under complex lighting conditions.

[0014] In addition, the device has a compact overall structure and can be directly integrated into existing boarding bridge ports without large-scale modifications, resulting in low installation and maintenance costs. It can be docked with a single adjustment, reducing the workload of operators, helping to improve flight turnaround efficiency, and reducing the risk of delays during peak hours, thus demonstrating significant practical value and economic benefits. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the device in Embodiment 1 of this utility model.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of the device in Embodiment 1 of this utility model.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the projection of the light source onto the aircraft cabin door in Embodiment 1 of this utility model.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a power control diagram of the device in Embodiment 1 of this utility model.

[0019] Figure 5 This is an example of a connection diagram of the operation panel in Embodiment 1 of this utility model.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the driving component in Embodiment 2 of this utility model.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the connection of the input end of the device in Embodiment 2 of this utility model.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the connection of the output end of the device in Embodiment 2 of this utility model.

[0023] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the device in Embodiment 3 of this utility model.

[0024] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the connection of the input end of the device in Embodiment 3 of this utility model.

[0025] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the output end of the device in Embodiment 3 of this utility model.

[0026] Figure Numbers: Longitudinal guide light source 11, First alignment mark 12, Lateral guide light source 13, Second alignment mark 14, Reference point 15, Image acquisition module 16, Distance sensor 17, Door 18, Threshold 19, Reception port 2, Operating table 21, Raised floor 22, Leading edge buffer rubber 23, Front door light 24, Canopy 25, Opening and closing mechanism 26, Storage box 27, Safety boot 28, Drive component 3, Servo motor 31, Support base 32, Lead screw 33, Limit rod 34, Slider 35, Inductive switch 36, First light source 41, Second light source 42, First mark point 43, Second mark point 44. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through embodiments. The following embodiments are explanations of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0028] Example 1:

[0029] See Figure 1 - Figure 3 This embodiment relates to an aircraft boarding bridge docking assistance device, specifically used to assist in the precise docking of the boarding bridge and the aircraft door 18, and includes: A longitudinally guiding light source 11 is provided below the receiving port 2 and at least one set is provided, for emitting light and projecting a first alignment mark 12 onto the surface of the aircraft body; A lateral guiding light source 13 is positioned above the receiving port 2 to emit light and project a second alignment mark 14 onto the surface of the aircraft. Among them, the receiving port 2 is provided with a reference point 15 corresponding to the position of the longitudinal guide light source 11.

[0030] Specifically, in this embodiment, the control panel 21 of the receiving port 2 is equipped with an operation panel. The operation panel is equipped with an operation handle and corresponding operation buttons that control the movement of various components of the boarding bridge via a PLC (in this embodiment, a Siemens S7-200smart is used). (This is prior art; its power connection diagram can be found in the appendix.) Figure 4 and Figure 5 (This will not be elaborated upon here). The longitudinal guiding light source 11 preferably uses a projection lamp of model AP-IS30-F to ensure that the projected mark is clearly visible under different lighting conditions. The transverse guiding light source 13 uses a line laser module of model FU637C1200-FSDZ-2, which projects a straight laser line with clear edges, facilitating precise alignment.

[0031] The working principle of this device is as follows: During the boarding bridge docking process, the operator simultaneously activates the longitudinal and lateral guide lights 13 and controls the boarding bridge movement via the operating handle and buttons. The goal is to achieve synchronous alignment of the boarding gate 2 in two dimensions (height and horizontal position): First, observe whether the longitudinal guide light 11 accurately emits light from the reference point 15, and adjust the overall height position of the boarding bridge so that the first alignment mark 12 projected by the longitudinal guide light 11 is close to the lower part of the threshold 19 of the aircraft door 18 and finally projects to the leftmost preset point (a target type can be used) of the threshold 19 to complete one calibration; Second, when the distance between the boarding gate 2 and the aircraft door 18 is 1.5m, the lateral guide light 13 is activated (the distance is set to within 1.5m to ensure that the light does not shine into the eyes of crew members or passengers due to excessive distance, causing discomfort and complaints), and at this time the boarding bridge enters the snail speed state, and the snail speed light is turned on. That is to say, the snail speed light and the laser are turned on simultaneously. At this point, observe and adjust the horizontal position of the boarding bridge so that the second alignment mark 14 projected by the lateral guide light source 13 coincides with the lower left corner of the aircraft door 18 frame, completing the secondary calibration. In this embodiment, both the primary and secondary calibrations are controlled manually via buttons. Through the two-dimensional (vertical height and lateral reference angle) visual information provided by the two longitudinal guide light sources 11 and lateral guide light source 13, which are located above and below the arrival port 2 and have different projection positions, the operator can intuitively judge the real-time spatial position of the arrival port 2, so as to facilitate the safe docking of the arrival port 2 and its docking with the aircraft door 18.

[0032] In this embodiment, the reference point 15 is located on the outer surface of the front edge buffer rubber 23 of the raised floor 22, and its surface is coated with a fluorescent coating to enhance the visibility of the point at night or in low-visibility environments. This fluorescent coating absorbs ambient light or stray light from the boarding bridge's own lighting, and emits a clearly visible light when light is insufficient. This allows the operator to confirm the reference position of the longitudinal guide light source 11 even in dim conditions, ensuring its proper functioning and thus improving the safety and reliability of all-weather operations.

[0033] An image acquisition module 16 is installed on the boarding bridge 2 to acquire the alignment mark emitted by the horizontal guide light source 13 and its relative position on the aircraft door 18. The image acquisition module 16 uses a camera, which is mounted on the boarding bridge 2 with the lens facing the aircraft. This camera is connected to a high-definition display screen on the operation panel via a PLC. When the boarding bridge is far from the aircraft (e.g., more than 8 meters), the human eye may have difficulty clearly distinguishing the details of the lower left corner of the distant door 18 and the fine laser lines (the vertical guide light source 11 opens in a short horizontal line form, and remains fully open after entering the boarding bridge 2 and reaching a distance of 1.5 meters from the aircraft door 18). In this case, the operator can magnify the image of the lower left corner area of ​​the door 18 through the camera and clearly display it on the screen in front of them. Based on the magnified real-time image on the screen, the operator can precisely adjust the position of the first alignment mark 12 and the left side of the door 18 threshold 19, ensuring that the distance between the first alignment mark 12 and the left side of the threshold 19 is controlled within the 50mm error range specified by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Figure 3 With a distance of less than 50mm between D1 and D2, the position calibration between the boarding bridge and the aircraft can be achieved from a slightly distant location.

[0034] In addition, a distance sensor 17 is installed below the receiving port 2. The distance sensor 17 is preferably a laser rangefinder sensor of model LDM-50H and is electrically connected to the PLC. The sensor is installed at the bottom front end of the receiving port 2 and is electrically connected to the PLC. It is used to measure the straight distance between the front end of the receiving port 2 and the surface of the aircraft body, providing upgrade space for subsequent research and development (for example, reminding the operator to operate according to the change of distance by flashing and constantly lit different indicator lights, preventing the risk of collision due to operation error).

[0035] Since the width of the hatch 18 varies among different aircraft models, a corresponding longitudinal guide light source 11 located below the receiving port 2 is required to accommodate the hatch 18 of various aircraft models. This utility model provides two solutions, described in Embodiments 2 and 3 respectively.

[0036] Example 2:

[0037] In this embodiment, a set of longitudinal guide light sources 11 is provided, and a driving component 3 is provided below the receiving port 2 to drive the longitudinal guide light sources 11 to move horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the receiving port 2.

[0038] See Figure 6The drive component 3 employs a servo guide rail, which includes a servo motor 31. A support base 32 is provided on the side wall of the servo motor 31, and a lead screw 33 is provided at the output end of the servo motor 31. The axis of the lead screw 33 is parallel to the horizontal plane of the boarding gate 2 and perpendicular to the forward direction of the boarding bridge. Two limiting rods 34 are symmetrically arranged on the inner wall of the support base 32, and these two limiting rods 34 are parallel to the lead screw 33. A slider 35 is threaded onto the outer circumference of the lead screw 33, and the longitudinal guide light source 11 is mounted on this slider 35. The limiting rods 34 pass through the inside of the slider 35.

[0039] Specifically, in this embodiment, in order to dynamically adapt to the width differences of the cabin doors 18 of different aircraft models, this solution uses a servo guide rail as a driving component 3 to perform lateral position translation of a single longitudinal guide light source 11. According to the main aircraft model being served, the driving component 3 drives the longitudinal guide light source 11 to move while simultaneously mapping and calibrating the reference points 15 corresponding to each aircraft model.

[0040] Before the aircraft arrives at the port, the operator sends a command to the PLC system via the forward and reverse drive buttons (e.g., K1, K2) on the control panel for the servo motor 31. The light source automatically stops after moving to the preset position corresponding to the selected aircraft model. The operator can visually inspect (or set up a set of sensor switches 36 (e.g., G1, G2) at each reference point 15, with each set of sensor switches 36 connected to a set of indicator lights (e.g., Z1, Z2) via the PLC to confirm whether the longitudinal guide light source 11 is in position) to ensure that the light outlet of the longitudinal guide light source 11 is strictly aligned with the reference point 15 marked for the aircraft model directly above it. At this time, the operator only needs to follow the method described in Embodiment 1 to simultaneously align the first alignment mark 12 and the second alignment mark 14 from a distance (e.g., 5-10 meters) and perform the docking operation until the docking is completed. The connection circuit is described in [reference needed]. Figure 7 and Figure 8 .

[0041] Example 3:

[0042] Based on the actual flight scheduling at the airport, a single boarding bridge can accommodate two different widths of cabin doors 18 to basically cover its operational cycle. For the common scenario where a fixed boarding bridge primarily serves two specific aircraft types, this solution offers a simpler structure and higher reliability. Specifically, in this embodiment, below the boarding gate 2, along a direction perpendicular to the boarding bridge axis, two independent sets of longitudinal guide lights (first light source 41 and second light source 42) are fixedly installed side-by-side: the installation position of the first light source 41 is precisely calibrated for the cabin door 18 parameters of the first specific aircraft type; similarly, the installation position of the second light source 42 corresponds to the second aircraft type.

[0043] See Figure 9Correspondingly, two independent reference points 15 are set at intervals on the outer surface of the front edge buffer rubber 23 of the access port 2 movable floor 22, namely the first marking point 43 and the second marking point 44. Their positions are strictly corresponding to the first light source 41 and the second light source 42 below in the vertical direction, respectively. In order to facilitate the operator to quickly distinguish them in dim light, the two markings adopt fluorescent coatings of different colors with strong visual contrast. In this embodiment, the first marking point 43 is marked with a black marking line, and the second marking point 44 is marked with a red marking line. The black marking line applies to the following aircraft: L1 door of B787, B737-100, B737-200, B737-300, B737-400, and B737-500; while the red marking line applies to the following aircraft: M1 door and MD80 of A380, B737-600, B737-700, B737-800, B737-900, B747, B757, B767, B777, L2 door of B787, and all doors of A300, A310, A319, A320, A321, A330, and A340. The control panel has two independent control switches (S1 and S2) for independently turning on and off the two sets of light sources (first light source 41 and second light source 42), and their connection circuits are described below. Figure 10 and Figure 11 .

[0044] After confirming the aircraft type of the inbound flight (e.g., B737-600), the operator presses the corresponding switch (e.g., S2) on the control panel. The PLC system receives the instruction and illuminates only the second light source 42, while the first light source 41 remains off. The operator can observe that the second marker point 44 (red) on the upper surface of the docking port 2 is illuminated by the first light source 41 directly below it, thus confirming for the second time that the correct longitudinal guide light source 11 has been selected for the current aircraft type. At this point, the operator can directly perform a one-time docking operation as described in Embodiment 1.

[0045] The above description is merely illustrative of the present invention. In the above embodiments, the connection points of the PLC's IN and OUT ports are only schematic and should be selected according to the actual product; they are not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains can make various modifications or additions to the described specific embodiments or use similar methods to replace them, as long as they do not deviate from the content of this specification or exceed the scope defined by the claims, all of which should fall within the protection scope of this invention.

Claims

1. An aircraft boarding bridge docking auxiliary device, characterized in that, include A longitudinally guided light source, located below the aircraft port and having at least one set, is used to emit light and project a first alignment mark onto the surface of the aircraft body. A lateral guiding light source, positioned above the receiving port, is used to emit light and project a second alignment mark onto the surface of the aircraft. The receiving port is equipped with reference points corresponding to the position of the longitudinal guide light source.

2. The aircraft boarding bridge docking auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The longitudinal guide light source is provided in a set, and a driving component is provided below the receiving port to drive the longitudinal guide light source to move horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the receiving port.

3. The aircraft boarding bridge docking auxiliary device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The drive component adopts a servo guide rail, which includes a servo motor. A support base is provided on the side wall of the servo motor, and a lead screw is provided at the output end of the servo motor. Limiting rods are symmetrically arranged on the inner wall of the support base. A slider is sleeved on the outer circumference of the lead screw, and the limiting rod passes through the inside of the slider.

4. The aircraft boarding bridge docking auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The longitudinal guide light source is provided in two sets.

5. The aircraft boarding bridge docking auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The receiving port is equipped with an image acquisition module for acquiring alignment marks emitted by the horizontal guide light source.

6. The aircraft boarding bridge docking auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reference points are coated with a fluorescent coating.

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