Towbarless Aircraft Tractor Coordination for Faster Ground Servicing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tow vehicles for aircraft lack efficient systems for coordinating and automating aircraft servicing tasks, such as towing, pushback, and positioning, which are typically manual and labor-intensive.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising beacons and processing circuits that coordinate the movement of ground support equipment based on acquired signals to execute aircraft servicing tasks, including a tractor with a capture system that can couple with the aircraft's nose landing gear without a tow bar, enabling autonomous or semi-autonomous operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual coordination of ground support equipment is used, then operational flexibility is maintained, but labor intensity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical coordination with an automated electronic system. Processing circuits receive signals from beacons on multiple ground support equipment, automatically calculate optimal movement paths, and coordinate equipment movement without human intervention. This substitution dramatically increases servicing speed while the modular beacon and processing circuit design keeps system complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The ground support equipment performs self-coordination through onboard beacons that continuously transmit position and status information. The processing circuits automatically interpret these signals and adjust equipment movement in real-time, enabling the system to service aircraft autonomously without requiring manual operation or complex centralized control.
2Loss of time
If automated coordination systems are implemented, then servicing efficiency increases, but system complexity and initial investment increase
Solution Approach 1:
The coordination system is segmented into independent, modular components: individual beacons on each ground support equipment unit and distributed processing circuits. Each beacon independently transmits its status, and processing circuits independently compute coordination commands. This segmentation reduces overall system complexity while enabling rapid automated coordination of multiple equipment pieces during aircraft servicing operations.
3Loss of information
If multiple ground support equipment are coordinated manually, then operational control is maintained, but communication efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The beacon system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it transmits position information, equipment status, and coordination commands through standardized signals. The processing circuits universally interpret these signals to coordinate any combination of ground support equipment. This multi-functionality ensures accurate information transmission while dramatically improving coordination efficiency across the entire aircraft servicing operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for coordinating aircraft servicing tasks of a plurality of ground support equipment at an airport includes a plurality of beacons and one or more processing circuits. The plurality of beacons are configured to couple to the plurality of ground support equipment. The one or more processing circuits include one or more processors storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processing circuits to acquire signals from the plurality of beacons and coordinate movement of the plurality of ground support equipment based on the signals and in accordance with an aircraft servicing plan.