Aeronautics and astronautics – Aircraft structure – Passenger or cargo loading or discharging
Patent
1989-01-12
1991-01-15
Barefoot, Galen
Aeronautics and astronautics
Aircraft structure
Passenger or cargo loading or discharging
414527, 414515, 198827, 198831, 2441181, B64D 900
Patent
active
049847562
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention is concerned with an arrangement for loading a cargo compartment, in particular that of an aircraft, with piece goods.
In the case of smaller aircraft, for example, baggage holds frequently take the form of low-height, relatively elongated compartments arranged at the bottom of the fuselage. If cargo such as passenger baggage has to be stowed in such a hold, the first few items have to be taken in deep to the area of its rear wall, and loading then continues with the cargo compartment progressively being filled up from the rear to the loading aperture. This is awkward and time-consuming.
The concept of a means to facilitate the loading and unloading of such a cargo hold in an aircraft, became known from an article published in the SPEEDNEWS issue of 01 June 1984.
The handling system referred to therein consists of three separate elements which are arranged at an angle to one another in order to accommodate the curvature of the cargo compartment floor.
The first handling element, the main element, is arranged horizontally at the centre and comprises two belts of high tensile strength which can be wound up on rollers at the rear end of the hold, and a carpet-like conveying fabric which is connected to the belts at the front as seen in the direction of flight, and which can be wound up on a front roller or drum in front of the loading aperture as seen in the direction of flight. Arranged at the point of connection between the two belts and the carpet-like conveying fabric is a loading rear wall which, as the loading operation proceeds, progressively moves from a position close to the loading aperture towards the rear, with the belts being gradually wound up on their respective rollers and the carpet-like conveying fabric gradually being unwound, until the loading rear wall eventually reaches the area of the cargo compartment rear wall and the carpet-like conveying fabric extends over the entire length of the cargo compartment.
The second handling element is again a carpet-like conveying fabric similar to an endless belt, with a front and rear guide pulley (idler) or drum, whereby the rear guide pulley is located at the level of the rear winding rollers for the belts, and the front guide pulley is located at the level of the front winding drum for the central handling element, but with both pulleys inclined to the respective axes of these elements. The second handling element is arranged at the opposite side of the cargo compartment to the loading aperture.
The third handling element is likewise a carpet-like conveying fabric similar to an endless belt with a rear guide pulley at the level of the winding rollers for the belts and a front guide pulley which is located in the vicinity of the rear edge of the loading aperture as seen in the direction of flight. Thus the third handling element is shorter that the first and second handling elements and extends longitudinally such that it avoids the loading aperture. The guide pulleys for the third handling element are suitably inclined to the horizontal so that the horizontal first handling element forms a channel with the two lateral second and third handling elements, the cross section of which channel is polygonal and approximately matched to the curvature of of the floor of the aircraft's fuselage.
A drive motor for this handling facility is not indicated in this item of literature, which essentially only consists of a drawing. It is, however, assumed that the facility is power driven. Owing to design constraints, such a power unit can only reasonably engage at the loading rear wall and move this so that it, in turn, moves the central horizontal handling element such that, in the case of a loading motion, the belts are increasingly wound up on the rear winding rollers and the carpet-like conveying fabric is unwound from its winding drum, and vice versa in the case of an unloading motion. The loading rear wall also spans the conveying fabrics of the two lateral handling elements and is obviously secured to these so that such a drive also serves to
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Speednews, Jun 1, 1984.
Barefoot Galen
Scandinavian Bellyloading Company Aktiebolag
Vigil Thomas R.
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