Aeronautics and astronautics – Spacecraft – Attitude control
Patent
1997-11-24
1999-10-05
Jordan, Charles T.
Aeronautics and astronautics
Spacecraft
Attitude control
244135R, 141392, 141279, B64F 100, B64F 128
Patent
active
059610794
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention generally relates to a service system for at least one docking position for a craft such as an aircraft, a ship or the like, which requires the supply of various utilities, such as fuel, water, air and electric power, and the discharge of waste, such as wastewater.
Such service systems are previously known, for example from GB-C-2,231,073, and may comprise a plurality of service boxes lowered into the ground in the docking position, which each comprise a casing forming the side walls and the bottom of the service box, and a cover forming the top of the service box. The service boxes each accommodate a connecting device for connecting an underground supply or discharge conduit opening into the service box and connected to a utility source or a waste receiver, to a corresponding inlet or outlet of the craft.
The advantage of such a service system at an airport is that the need of vehicles on the apron is eliminated. The service boxes lowered into the ground constitute no obstacle to an aircraft on the apron, when it is not being used, but permit convenient access to, for instance, fuel, water, air and electric power, when the aircraft is parked in the docking position formed by the apron. As a result, the risk of collisions and fire on the apron is reduced. Besides, a shortened out-of-service period on the apron is rendered possible, which can be used to accomplish a better utilisation of the aircraft, i.e. a relatively seen greater amount of flying time. This implies, in turn, that the transport capacity of the airport can be increased to a considerable extent, while using the available docking positions.
The object of the present invention is to further improve a service system of the type described above, by simplifying the overhaul and repair of the system, such that the maintenance and any repairs of the system affect the operation of the system as little as possible.
According to the invention, this object is achieved in that at least one of the service boxes comprises a cassette which is accommodated in the casing and is liftable up from the casing when the cover is removed and in which the connecting device of the box and the associated equipment, if any, are mounted.
Owing to the inventive design, a more extensive overhaul or repair of the cassette can be carried out after it has been lifted up from the casing and replaced with a replacement cassette. The time during which the system is out of operation can thus be made extremely short, at the same time as the overhaul or repair of the raised cassette can be carried out without requiring work under pressure, the accessibility being considerably better than down in the casing.
To permit the cassette to be completely released from the service system, the connecting device of the cassette and the associated supply or discharge conduit suitably each have a coupling element adapted to be interconnected when lowering the cassette into the casing, and to be disconnected when raising the cassette from the casing. Preferably, each coupling element has a vertical centre axis, thereby allowing the coupling elements to take their interconnected position, when the cassette is lowered to its final position in the casing.
To prevent undesired opening of the supply or discharge conduit to the surrounding atmosphere, when the cassette is being raised from the casing, a locking means is suitably arranged for the coupling elements in the box, said locking means needing to be released, before the coupling elements can be disconnected by raising the cassette from the casing.
In order to prevent also attempts to raise the cassette from the casing before the locking means has been released, a securing means can advantageously be arranged to secure the cassette against lifting up from the casing as long as the locking means is not released. Consequently, a non-desirable overloading of the coupling elements is prevented.
At least in the case in which the supply conduit constitutes a fuel line, it can be provided, in a preferred embodiment, with a shut-
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patent: 4993463 (1991-02-01), Von Meyerinck et al.
patent: 5149017 (1992-09-01), McEntire et al.
patent: 5595224 (1997-01-01), Cutore
Combi Box System Scandinavia AB
Jordan Charles T.
Zuniga Patricia L.
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