Airliner with internal baggage transfer.

Abstract

Airliner with internal baggage transfer. Oversized baggage belonging to passengers on a commercial flight is sometimes misplaced or lost after check-in and handling by airport services. To address this, an airliner (1) has a passenger area (2) and a cargo area (3) connected by an inclined ramp (4) equipped with a motorized conveyor belt (5) (6) that allows for the continuous transfer of oversized baggage (9) during boarding, from the passenger area (2) to the cargo area (3), and during disembarkation, from the cargo area (3) to the passenger area (2), thus enabling passengers (8) to deposit their own baggage (9) in the hold (3) of the aircraft (1) they are boarding. The invention is intended to provide airline operators with aircraft offering an absolute guarantee of operating commercial flights without lost baggage.

Description

Title of the invention: Airliner with internal baggage transfer.

[0001] The invention relates to an airliner whose passenger area and cargo area are connected by an inclined ramp equipped with a motorized conveyor belt allowing passenger baggage to be transferred at a constant flow, during boarding, from the passenger area to the cargo area of ​​the aircraft and during disembarking, from the cargo area to the passenger area.

[0002] Commercial airliners have an internal structure with several levels including one or more passenger areas and one or more cargo areas (or baggage holds), and this configuration does not allow passengers to keep their large suitcases with them due to the narrowness of the storage in the passenger area. Thus, small bags, or "carry-on baggage," are placed in overhead luggage racks, while large bags are checked in and handled by airport staff and transported via a complex route to the aircraft's cargo area. Consequently, a passenger cannot be certain that their checked baggage is actually on board the plane they are taking. Approximately two percent of checked bags are temporarily or permanently lost each year, and passengers must endure this inconvenience without any alternative, potentially receiving their suitcase on the last day of their vacation. It would be beneficial to guarantee passengers the actual presence of their luggage on board the aircraft by allowing them to carry all their bags with them to the aircraft entrance and then transfer them directly to the cargo area. Currently, some aircraft are equipped with an elevator that would allow such a transfer between passenger and cargo areas, but due to their sequential flow operation, which results in slow baggage transfer, their use is impractical because of operational constraints that require a rapid flow of passengers during boarding and disembarking.

[0003] To overcome one or more of the aforementioned drawbacks, an airliner with internal baggage transfer comprises a passenger area and a cargo area connected by an inclined ramp equipped with a motor-driven conveyor belt operating in both directions, such that, - Upon boarding, luggage placed by a passenger on the conveyor belt is transported to the cargo area and received by a baggage handler, then stored in said cargo area. - upon disembarkation, a piece of luggage stored in the cargo area is picked up and placed on the conveyor belt by a baggage handler and transported to the passenger area where said luggage is received by a passenger.

[0004] Characteristics of particular embodiments are:

[0005] The cargo area may include a horizontal conveyor belt equipped with a motor operating in both directions such that, - at boarding, a piece of luggage arriving from the inclined ramp and dumped onto the horizontal conveyor belt is transported along the entire length of said conveyor belt to a baggage handler. - Upon disembarkation, a piece of luggage positioned by a baggage handler on the conveyor belt is transported to the inclined ramp and transferred to the passenger area.

[0006] Conveyor belts may have notches on their surface preventing, among other things, luggage from slipping.

[0007] Summary description of the figures.

[0008] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description and examining the accompanying figures, which are given solely by way of example.

[0009] Summary description of the figures.

[0010] [Fig-1] is an isometric view of the device according to the invention in which the wall The exterior of the aircraft is not shown in full for greater clarity.

[0011] [Fig.2] is a side view of the device of [Fig. 1]

[0012] [Fig.3] is a side view of a variant of the device in [Fig.1]

[0013] [Fig.4] is a cross-sectional view of the device of [Fig.3]

[0014] With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the aircraft (1) has a passenger area (2) and a The cargo area or hold (3) is connected by an inclined ramp (4) equipped with a conveyor belt (5) and a bidirectional electric motor (6). At boarding, the motor (6) is activated by the baggage handlers (7), who position themselves in the cargo area (3) and direct the conveyor belt (5) downwards towards the hold (3). Passengers (8) place their oversized baggage (9) one after the other onto the conveyor belt (5) of the inclined ramp, which transports it to the hold (3). The baggage handlers (7) receive the oversized baggage (9) and store it in the containers (10) located in the cargo area (3). Passengers (8) keep their carry-on baggage (11), which must meet the permitted size limits, with them in the passenger area (2) and place it in the overhead storage compartments (13) above the passenger seats (14).Upon disembarkation, baggage handlers activate the motor (6) in the upward direction of the conveyor belt (5) and take the baggage (9) from the containers (10) located in the hold (3) to position them on the conveyor belt (5) of the inclined ramp (4) which transports them to the passenger area (2). The baggage (9) is then collected by the passengers. (8). [Fig.2], the conveyor belt (5) of the inclined ramp (4) has notches (15) which prevent any slippage of luggage (9) on the conveyor belt (5).

[0015] In [Figs. 3] and 4, the cargo area (3) is equipped with a conveyor belt (16) fitted with an electric motor (17) whose start and stop are activated by the baggage handlers (10). During boarding, the conveyor belt (5) and the conveyor belt (16) are activated to move the baggage from the passenger area (2) to the rear of the cargo area (3). Thus, the conveyor belt (16) receives the baggage (9) arriving from the inclined ramp (4) and conveys it along its entire length, allowing the baggage handlers (7) to fill the containers (10). Upon disembarking the passengers (8), the baggage handlers (7) take the baggage (9) stored in the containers (10) and place it on the conveyor belt (16), which transports it to the conveyor belt (5) of the inclined ramp (4). The luggage is then transferred by the conveyor belt (5) to the passenger area (2) where it is collected by the passengers (7).The baggage being conveyed along the entire length of the conveyor belt (16) reduces baggage handling for baggage handlers. The conveyor belt (16) has notches (15). Correct baggage allocation is ensured by a tag associated with the boarding pass, displaying the passenger's name, seat number, and baggage number. Pass verification takes place at the aircraft door (18) or on the jet bridge (19).

Claims

Demands

1. An airliner internal baggage transfer device (1) comprising a hold (3) equipped with an inclined conveyor belt (5) connecting said hold to a passenger area (2), said conveyor belt being motorized and operating in both directions, said hold comprising several containers (10), said hold, said containers and said inclined conveyor belt (5) being accessible to baggage handlers (7) during boarding and disembarking, - the inclined conveyor belt (5) being capable, during boarding, of receiving in the passenger area (2) baggage (9) that is too large for the narrow storage areas of the passenger area (2) and deposited by boarding passengers, and, when oriented downwards, of transferring said baggage (9) at a constant flow to the hold (3), where it can be received by baggage handlers (7) and stowed in the containers (10), - the inclined conveyor belt (5) also being capable, during disembarking,to receive in the hold (3) the baggage (9) taken from the containers (10) and deposited by the baggage handlers (7), allows, when oriented towards ascent, the transfer at a constant flow of said baggage (9) to the passenger area (2), so as to deliver it to the disembarking passengers (8), - the containers being able to store in a superimposed manner, the baggage (9) of the embarking passengers (8).

2. Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the hold (3) comprises a horizontal conveyor belt (16), - said horizontal conveyor belt (16) being able to receive baggage (9) coming from the inclined conveyor belt (5), allows said baggage (9) to be conveyed at a constant flow along its entire length where it can be received by baggage handlers (7) and stored in the containers (10) located in the hold (3), - said horizontal conveyor belt (16) also being able to receive and convey at a constant flow up to the inclined conveyor belt (5) the baggage (9) taken from the containers (10) by the baggage handlers (7) and placed on said conveyor belt (16).

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, the conveyor belts having notches (15) on their surfaces preventing baggage slippage.

4. Method of using a device according to claim 1 or 2 comprising a step of checking, at the exit of the aircraft, during disembarkation, the boarding passes displaying the name of the passenger, the seat number and the baggage number, in order to ensure proper allocation of said baggage.

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