Adjustable Walking Tunnel Floor for ADA-Compliant Passenger Bridges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Passenger bridges connecting terminals to ships or aircraft face challenges in maintaining a safe inclination, as existing solutions often result in transition slopes greater than 1:12, violating ADA guidelines, due to varying height differences and water levels, which require additional ramps or uneven resting planes.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates adjustable walking tunnels with horizontal resting planes that can pivot and move lengthwise using electric actuators or hydraulic cylinders, ensuring the floor maintains a horizontal position and adjusts to accommodate varying inclinations, with angle sensors controlling the actuator to maintain compliance with ADA standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the passenger bridge floor is adjusted to accommodate varying height differences and water levels, then the bridge can connect to different ships and terminals, but the transition slope exceeds 1:12 violating ADA guidelines
Solution Approach 1:
The passenger bridge is divided into multiple independently adjustable sections, each capable of being inclined or kept horizontal. This segmentation allows the bridge to adapt to varying height differences while maintaining ADA-compliant transition slopes in critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The bridge sections are made dynamically adjustable through hydraulic cylinders and electric actuators that can change the inclination angle of each section. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the bridge to maintain compliance with ADA standards while connecting to different ships and terminals with varying elevations.
2Reliability
If separate ramps are provided for transitions, then ADA compliance can be maintained, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge sections serve multiple functions: they provide structural support, enable height adjustment, and create ADA-compliant transitions when positioned horizontally. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated ramps while maintaining accessibility compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The transition function is merged into the bridge structure itself by making the bridge sections horizontally adjustable. This combines the ramp function with the bridge walking surface, eliminating separate ramp structures and reducing overall device complexity.
3Ease of operation
If the floor is made movable to maintain horizontal position, then accessibility is improved, but the manufacturing precision and control requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Sensors are integrated into the bridge sections to detect their position and inclination angle in real-time. This feedback is sent to the control system, which automatically adjusts the hydraulic cylinders and electric actuators to maintain the required horizontal position, ensuring manufacturing precision without compromising accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system automatically manages the floor position adjustments based on sensor feedback, eliminating the need for manual intervention. The system self-regulates to maintain ADA-compliant horizontal positions, reducing the complexity of precise manual manufacturing and positioning.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for safe and compliant transitions between passenger bridges and terminals or ships by ensuring the floor remains within ADA-specified inclinations, eliminating the need for separate ramps and maintaining a horizontal resting plane, thus enhancing accessibility and safety.
Implementation Method 1
the floor portion, which forms the resting plane, is arranged to be pivoted about a horizontal axis by use of an electric actuator or a hydraulic cylinder
Implementation Method 2
the floor portion, which forms the resting plane, is arranged to be pivoted about a horizontal axis by use of an electric actuator or a hydraulic cylinder
Implementation Method 3
the other short end of the respective floor rests on a sliding or rolling surface arranged so that the floor can move lengthwise relative to the said sliding or rolling surface
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
Device at inclined floors in passenger bridges for connection between a terminal building and a ship or an aircraft, com- prising two or more consecutive walking tunnels (1), which walking tunnels are adjustable to be inclined in relation to the horizontal plane, and which walking tunnels comprise horizontal resting planes, wherein the floor (3,4) of the walking tunnel (1) extends out from a floor portion (2) con- stituting the said resting plane in opposite directions from the resting plane. The invention is characterised in that a first short end (5,6) of the respective floor (3,4) of the walking tunnel is pivotally fixed to the said floor portion (2), constituting the said resting plane, in that the other short end (7,8) of the respective floor (3,4) rests on a sliding or rolling surface (9,10) arranged so that the floor can move lengthwise relative to the said sliding or rolling surface, in that the floor portion (2), which forms the resting plane, is arranged to be pivoted about a horizontal axis (11) by use of an electric actuator or a hydraulic cylinder (12), using which the resting plane or planes is or are arranged to assume a horizontal position.