Pivotable Floor Bumper for Aircraft Sensor Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coupling modules for air passenger bridges and stairs risk damaging aircraft sensors and pitot tubes due to direct contact, and create hazards from openings that can injure passengers or allow objects to fall onto the apron.
Innovation Solution
A pivotable floor bumper segment is integrated into the coupling module, allowing it to pivot away from potential collision with sensors and pitot tubes, using a joint or hinge mechanism, and optionally assisted by a pivot drive, to prevent damage and minimize openings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the floor bumper directly contacts the aircraft fuselage, then complete contact and stability are improved, but damage to sensors and pitot tubes occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The floor bumper is divided into multiple segments that can move independently relative to each other. This segmentation allows the bumper to adapt its configuration to avoid sensors and pitot tubes while maintaining contact with the fuselage, resolving the contradiction between stable contact and protection of sensitive components.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor bumper segments are made movable rather than fixed, allowing them to dynamically adjust their positions during coupling operations. This dynamic capability enables the bumper to maintain reliable contact with the fuselage while avoiding collision with sensors and pitot tubes through real-time position adjustment.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If floor segments are made telescopic or flipped up to protect measuring devices, then damage to sensors is prevented, but large openings are created causing safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The floor bumper is segmented into multiple movable segments that can independently adjust their positions. This segmentation allows the system to protect sensors by repositioning specific segments without creating large openings, as each segment can be independently positioned to maintain floor integrity while avoiding sensor collision.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor bumper segments can move in multiple dimensions (translation and rotation), providing additional degrees of freedom for positioning. This multi-dimensional capability allows the segments to navigate around sensors and pitot tubes while maintaining a continuous floor surface, avoiding the need to create openings for protection.
3Strength
If the floor bumper is made fixed and rigid, then structural strength is improved, but adaptability to avoid sensors and maintain safe distance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The floor bumper is divided into multiple segments connected by joints, allowing each segment to maintain structural strength while the overall structure gains adaptability. The segmentation enables individual segments to move independently to avoid sensors while the connected structure maintains overall integrity and strength.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple floor bumper segments are merged through joint connections to form a unified structure that combines the strength of rigid segments with the flexibility of connected movements. This merging allows the floor bumper to exhibit both structural strength and adaptability, resolving the contradiction between rigidity and flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A coupling module as an interface between an air passenger bridge or air passenger stairs and the fuselage of an aircraft has a floor and at least the floor has a floor bumper at an end facing the aircraft fuselage. The floor bumper has a floor bumper segment that is arranged at the coupling module pivotable about a joint having a horizontal axis.