Aircraft tie-down device

Abstract

An aircraft tie-down device, comprising: a housing (110), wherein the housing accommodates a rope (120) for tying down an aircraft, the housing is provided with an opening (111) for the rope to enter / leave the housing, and the housing is configured to be capable of being connected to a ground anchor; a rope winding device (130), wherein the rope winding device is mounted to the housing and configured to wind / unwind the rope on / from the rope winding device; and a displacement damping mechanism (140), wherein the displacement damping mechanism comprises an elastic element (141), the rope bypasses the displacement damping mechanism between the opening of the housing and the rope winding device to interact with the elastic element, and the elastic element is configured to be displaced when a force from the rope exceeding a predetermined threshold is applied thereto, so as to reduce the length of the rope from the position where the rope leaves the rope winding device to the opening of the housing. The aircraft tie-down device allows for a certain displacement margin when the tie-down rope reaches a bearing limit, thereby enhancing the tie-down safety.

Description

Tethering devices for aircraft Technical Field

[0001] This patent belongs to the field of aircraft ground equipment technology, specifically relating to an aircraft mooring device. Background Technology

[0002] Aircraft mooring lines are ropes used to secure and hold aircraft in place to prevent them from being blown away by strong winds while parked at airports.

[0003] The current mainstream methods of mooring aircraft, as mentioned in patents such as US20160016676A1 "Aircraft Mooring Device", CN213323750U "Aircraft Mooring Device", and CN201961537U "An Aircraft Mooring Safety Device", as well as the Aircraft AMM manual, mostly use mooring ropes (flat straps) and hand-operated fasteners, or mooring cables and shackles to moor the aircraft. These two main types of methods are commonly used in aircraft such as the B757, B737, A320, ARJ21, and C919.

[0004] However, both methods have some problems. The tightening (pre-tightening) of the tether ropes must be done manually by ground crew, and manual loading and unloading are required before and after tethering. In addition, once the aircraft is tethered, the ground crew will not be able to readjust the rope after leaving. Once the rope reaches its load-bearing limit, it will break, causing damage to the aircraft's structural components. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this patent is to obtain a tethering device that can release a certain displacement margin when the tethering rope reaches its load limit, so as to realize the change of aircraft attitude and the redistribution of the load of the whole aircraft; when the load of the rope that has reached the limit is reduced, the remaining ropes help to bear the load, thereby increasing the total load limit of the whole aircraft and enhancing the safety of tethering.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention provides an aircraft mooring device.

[0007] The aircraft mooring device includes:

[0008] The housing contains a rope for mooring the aircraft, the housing has an opening for the rope to enter and exit the housing, and the housing is configured to be connected to a ground anchor.

[0009] A rope winding device, mounted on the housing and configured to wind or unwind the rope; and

[0010] A displacement relief mechanism includes an elastic element, wherein the rope interacts with the elastic element by passing around the displacement relief mechanism between the opening of the housing and the rope winding device, wherein the elastic element is configured to displace when subjected to a force from the rope exceeding a predetermined threshold, thereby reducing the length of the rope from its exit from the rope winding device to the opening of the housing.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment of the aircraft mooring device of the present invention, the displacement relief mechanism further includes a movable slider and a fixed bracket, the elastic element is a pressure-bearing elastic element installed between the movable slider and the fixed bracket, and the rope is wound around the outer surface of the movable slider.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment of the aircraft mooring device of the present invention, the elastic element includes a disc spring assembly.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment of the aircraft mooring device of the present invention, the disc spring assembly includes a plurality of disc spring elements connected in series and parallel.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment of the aircraft mooring device of the present invention, the disc spring elements are respectively disposed on two or more disc spring guide rods arranged in parallel between the movable slider and the fixed bracket.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment of the aircraft mooring device of the present invention, the opening of the housing and the displacement relief mechanism are respectively arranged on both sides of the rope winding device.

[0016] According to a preferred embodiment of the aircraft mooring device of the present invention, the movable slider is engaged in a channel in the housing to perform translational movement relative to the housing.

[0017] According to a preferred embodiment of the aircraft mooring device of the present invention, the predetermined threshold is at least 1.2 times the corresponding rope breaking force.

[0018] According to a preferred embodiment of the aircraft mooring device of the present invention, the rope winding device includes a winding shaft rotatable relative to the housing, the winding shaft being mounted on the housing such that a drive mechanism can engage the end of the winding shaft from outside the housing to drive the rotational movement of the winding shaft.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment of the aircraft mooring device of the present invention, the winding shaft is provided with bearing holes at both ends for cooperating with the drive mechanism.

[0020] In summary, the aircraft tethering device according to the present invention can adjust the load distribution by releasing a portion of the tethering rope length under overload conditions, and in a preferred embodiment, the aircraft tethering device of the present invention can further improve the rope winding operation. Attached Figure Description

[0021] This document includes accompanying drawings to provide a further understanding of various embodiments. The drawings are incorporated in and form part of this specification.

[0022] The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments described herein and, together with the textual description, serve to explain the principles and operation of the claimed subject matter.

[0023] With reference to the above objectives, the technical features of the present invention are clearly described below, and its advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention by way of example, without limiting the scope of the invention.

[0024] In the attached image:

[0025] Figure 1 shows a schematic bottom perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the aircraft mooring device according to the present invention in a possible usage state;

[0026] Figure 2 shows a schematic front view of a preferred embodiment of the aircraft mooring device according to the present invention in a possible usage state;

[0027] Figure 3 shows a schematic bottom view of a preferred embodiment of the aircraft mooring device according to the invention shown in Figure 1 in a possible usage state; and

[0028] Figure 4 shows a schematic and partially cut-out bottom view of a preferred embodiment of the aircraft mooring device according to the invention in a possible use state, as shown in Figure 3, wherein the mooring rope has been removed to better show the structure of the aircraft mooring device itself.

[0029] List of reference numerals: 100 Aircraft mooring device; 110 Housing; 111 Opening; 120 Rope; 130 Rope winding device; 131 Winding shaft; 140 Displacement relief mechanism; 141 Elastic element; 142 Movable slider; 143 Fixed bracket; 144 Disc spring guide rod; 200 Drive mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0030] Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings and described below.

[0031] Although the invention will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that this specification is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments illustrated. Rather, the invention is intended to cover not only these exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and other embodiments that may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0032] To facilitate explanation and precise definition of the technical solutions of the present invention, the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," and "outer" are used to describe these features with reference to the positions of features in the exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0033] Various preferred but non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] As shown in the accompanying drawings of this application, the aircraft tethering device 100 according to the present invention includes a housing 110, a rope winding device 130, and a displacement relief mechanism 140.

[0035] The housing 110 houses the rope 120 for tethering the aircraft. It should be noted that the term "rope" as used herein is not limited to the flat straps shown in the figures, such as flat nylon straps, but also includes various other shapes and materials of aircraft tethering cable structures, including but not limited to steel cables.

[0036] The housing 110 is provided with an opening 111 for the rope 120 to enter and exit the housing 110. Those skilled in the art will understand that the shape of the opening 111 is preferably adapted to the cross-sectional shape of the rope 120. For example, in the case of the rope 120 in the form of a flat band as shown in the figure, the opening 111 may be arranged near the bottom edge of the housing 110.

[0037] Furthermore, the housing 110 is configured to be connected to a ground anchor. The housing 110 may specifically employ various attachment structures to achieve the connection with the ground anchor, including but not limited to hooks and buckles (not shown) located at the housing end opposite the opening 111 as shown in the figure, etc., which will not be described in detail here.

[0038] The rope winding device 130 is mounted on the housing 110 and is configured to wind or unwind the rope 120.

[0039] According to the preferred but non-limiting embodiment shown in the figures, the rope winding device 130 may include, for example, a winding shaft 131 rotatable relative to the housing 110. The winding shaft 131 is mounted on the housing 110 such that the drive mechanism 200 can engage the end of the winding shaft 131 from outside the housing 110 to drive the rotational movement of the winding shaft 131.

[0040] The winding shaft 131 is preferably provided with bearing holes at both ends for engaging with the drive mechanism 200. The drive mechanism is preferably a detachable external drive mechanism, which can be a commonly available crank handle or a portable electric drill, and can be inserted into the bearing holes of the winding shaft 131, preferably in the form of grooves, and can be removed after driving is completed.

[0041] The rope winding device 130 may include a ratchet mechanism, for example, consisting of a ratchet, a locking plate, and a spring. In this way, the external drive mechanism drives the reel, causing the tether rope to wind around the reel to achieve pre-tension; the spring ensures that the locking plate is tightly locked onto the ratchet, achieving a lock.

[0042] The displacement relief mechanism 140 may include an elastic element 141, with the rope 120 interacting with the elastic element 141 as it passes over the displacement relief mechanism 140 between the opening 111 of the housing 110 and the rope winding device 130. The elastic element 141 is configured to displace when subjected to a force exceeding a predetermined threshold from the rope 120, thereby reducing the length of the rope 120 from its exit from the rope winding device 130 to the opening 111 of the housing 110. Preferably, the predetermined threshold is at least 1.2 times the corresponding rope breaking force.

[0043] According to the preferred but non-limiting embodiment shown in the figure, the displacement relief mechanism 140 may further include a movable slider 142 and a fixed bracket 143. The elastic element 141 is a pressure-bearing elastic element installed between the movable slider 142 and the fixed bracket 143, and the rope 120 is wound around the outer surface of the movable slider 142. Preferably, the movable slider 142 can be engaged in a channel in the housing 110 to perform translational movement relative to the housing 110.

[0044] More preferably, and as shown in the accompanying drawings, the elastic element 141 may include a disc spring assembly. As shown, the disc spring assembly may include multiple disc spring elements connected in series and parallel, and in the figures, two disc spring sub-groups are connected in series and the two disc spring sub-groups are connected in parallel with each other. In this case, for better arrangement of the disc spring assembly, the disc spring elements may be respectively arranged on two or more disc spring guide rods 144 arranged in parallel between the movable slider 142 and the fixed bracket 143.

[0045] When the tether rope 120 reaches its load limit, the force it receives will overcome the thrust of the disc spring, pulling the movable slider 142 forward along the slide groove, releasing part of the length of the tether rope 120, so as to achieve the effect of changing the aircraft attitude and redistributing the load of the entire aircraft, thereby reducing the load on the dangerous rope.

[0046] According to a preferred embodiment of the tethering device 100 of the present invention, the opening 111 of the housing 110 and the displacement relief mechanism 140 may be arranged on both sides of the rope winding device 130, respectively.

[0047] In summary, this invention utilizes a simple mechanism to achieve automatic pre-tensioning and automatic length adjustment of the tethering rope. Compared with the prior art, the preferred embodiment of this invention has at least three advantages:

[0048] (1) The detachable external drive mechanism, in conjunction with the rope winding mechanism, enables the rapid and automatic pre-tensioning and locking of the tethering rope, which can free up manpower and reduce the complexity of operation.

[0049] (2) By utilizing the displacement relief mechanism, the length of the tether rope that has reached its load limit is increased, thereby changing the aircraft's attitude and redistributing the overall load. Ultimately, the load on the limit rope can be reduced, while the remaining ropes assist in bearing the load. Using this method, the overall load limit of the aircraft during tethering can be increased, and the safety of tethering can be enhanced.

[0050] (3) The device is equipped with connecting rings at both ends, which can be matched with any type of tether rope. It can be connected in multiple sections to flexibly adjust the total length of the aircraft tether rope, and can be matched with any type of aircraft tether to meet various tether length requirements.

[0051] The following describes the use of the tethering device 100 according to the present invention with specific examples.

[0052] When the aircraft is moored, the connection sequence is: ground anchor point → mooring rope → this device → mooring rope → aircraft. Multi-segment connections can also be used to meet various mooring length requirements. The towing hook of this invention can be connected to a ground anchor point, or connected to a ground anchor point by connecting a section of mooring rope. The mooring rope connecting ring of this device is connected to the aircraft towing ring by connecting a section of mooring rope.

[0053] When the mooring rope 120 is pre-tensioned, ground crew will engage the crank handle or a replaceable portable drill on the winding shaft 131 to drive the winding shaft 131 to rotate forward and wind up the mooring rope 120. When the mooring rope 120 is pre-tensioned, the ground crew will remove the crank handle. At this time, the locking plate will be engaged on the ratchet by the spring, preventing the ratchet from reversing.

[0054] When the aircraft is moored and subjected to wind load, one end of the mooring rope 120 is locked to the winding shaft 131, while the other end is connected to the aircraft's mooring rope. As the wind load gradually increases, the mooring rope 120 reaches its limit load, which exceeds the thrust exerted by the series-parallel combined disc springs on the movable slider 142. In this state, the mooring rope 120 pulls the movable slider 142, causing it to move forward along the sliding shaft groove, releasing a portion of the mooring rope 120's length, thus reducing the load.

[0055] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but it should be understood that, if necessary, aspects of the embodiments can be modified to utilize aspects, features, and concepts from various patents, applications, and publications to provide other embodiments.

[0056] In light of the detailed description above, these and other changes can be made to the embodiments described herein. Generally, the terminology used in the claims should not be considered limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and claims, but should be understood to include all possible embodiments together with the full scope of equivalents enjoyed by the claims.

Claims

1. An aircraft tie-down device (100), characterized in that the aircraft tie-down device (100) comprises: a housing (110) accommodating a rope (120) for tying down an aircraft, the housing (110) being provided with an opening (111) for the rope (120) to pass in and out of the housing (110), and the housing (110) being configured to be connectable with a ground anchor; a rope winding device (130) mounted on the housing (110) and configured to wind or unwind the rope (120) thereon; and a displacement relief mechanism (140) comprising an elastic element (141), the rope (120) passing between the opening (111) of the housing (110) and the rope winding device (130) around the displacement relief mechanism (140) to interact with the elastic element (141), wherein the elastic element (141) is configured to displace when subjected to a force from the rope (120) exceeding a predetermined threshold to reduce the length of the rope (120) between the rope winding device (130) and the opening (111) of the housing (110).

2. The aircraft tie-down device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the displacement relief mechanism (140) further comprises a movable slider (142) and a fixed bracket (143), the elastic element (141) being a compression elastic element mounted between the movable slider (142) and the fixed bracket (143), and the rope (120) being wound around the outer surface of the movable slider (142).

3. The aircraft tie-down device (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that the elastic element (141) comprises a disc spring assembly.

4. The aircraft tie-down device (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that the disc spring assembly comprises a plurality of disc spring elements connected in series and in parallel.

5. The aircraft tie-down device (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that the disc spring elements are respectively arranged on two or more disc spring guides (144) arranged in parallel between the movable slider (142) and the fixed bracket (143).

6. The aircraft tie-down device (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that the opening (111) of the housing (110) and the displacement relief mechanism (140) are respectively arranged on both sides of the rope winding device (130).

7. The aircraft tie-down device (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that the movable slider (142) is clamped in a channel of the housing (110) to move translationally relative to the housing (110).

8. The aircraft tie-down device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the predetermined threshold is at least 1.2 times the corresponding rope breaking force.

9. The aircraft tie-down device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that The rope winding device (130) includes a winding shaft (131) that can rotate back and forth relative to the housing (110), the winding shaft (131) being mounted on the housing (110) so that an end portion of the winding shaft (131) can be engaged by a driving mechanism (200) from outside the housing (110) to drive the rotational movement of the winding shaft (131).

10. Aircraft tie-down arrangement (100) according to claim 9, characterized in that The winding shaft (131) is provided with bearing holes at both ends to cooperate with the driving mechanism (200).

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