HK1101373B - System for loading and unloading unit load into a cargo hold, in particular of an aircraft, and intermediate transport device or corresponding unit - Google Patents

Abstract

English abstract will be submitted.

Description

The present invention relates to a system for loading and unloading of bulk cargo in a cargo compartment, in particular an aircraft, as defined in claim 1.

The loading and unloading of bulk cargo in cargo holds generally involves first moving it from the surrounding area to the cargo hold and through it, searching for a free space in the cargo hold and laying or stacking or stowing the bulk cargo there. Loading and unloading bulk cargo in an aircraft hold is particularly difficult because the bulk cargo is first brought up the ramp from a viewpoint confined to the immediate vicinity of the aircraft to the cargo hold in the cargo hold, where it is collected and then, without damaging the aircraft hull or its training structure, transferred to a free space in the cargo hold of the aircraft and, if necessary, transported to a free space in the cargo hold.The frequently confined space is a further difficulty, for example, with a cargo compartment depth of 8 m or more and a cargo volume of only about 1.15 m in a Boeing 737, where the staff responsible for loading and unloading the aircraft can only work in a bent, kneeling or squatting position, and the distance from the cargo compartment opening to the rear end of the cargo compartment must be covered by sliding on their knees.This can easily cause damage or injury to the muscles, tendons or ligaments and to the supporting equipment. Furthermore, for reasons of economy, at least 5 tonnes of cargo must now be loaded or unloaded in less than 10 minutes. In addition, the personnel working in the cargo hold must take care that neither the cargo is damaged nor the structure of the cargo hold is broken. This results in the movements which are already a burden on the supporting equipment of the personnel concerned being carried out quickly and carelessly, which further increases the risk of injury to the personnel.

In order to move pieces of cargo from the runway to the cargo bay or to the immediate area immediately behind the cargo bay inside the aeroplane from which they can be stowed by the cargo bay staff, the following approaches are known in principle:

DE 199 61 349 A1 describes a transportable equipment for loading and unloading aircraft, with a chassis and a conveyor arrangement such as a conveyor belt mounted on the chassis. In order to be able to carry various loads, such as cargo, from the runway or from a transport vehicle arriving at the runway to the aircraft, DE 199 61 349 A1 proposes that this transportable equipment be equipped with a main conveyor which is adjustable in height and inclination towards the chassis and at least one longitudinal conveyor which is adjustable to a horizontal conveyor belt. This means that the conveyor belt can be moved horizontally from the aircraft to the top of the aircraft and backwards through the conveyor belt.

However, since such a transportable device is not available at all airports, it is proposed in DE 297 21 959 U 1 that such a device be carried on board the aircraft. The luggage carrier device for aeroplanes with a conveyor belt described in DE 297 21 959 U 1 is mounted on an airplane cargo pallet and stowed in the fuselage.

WO 98/54073 describes a conveyor system with a front section which can be introduced into the cargo compartment of an aeroplane through a cargo opening and then rolled over the cargo floor, which is intended to provide a conveyor belt running from the cargo area to the rear end of the cargo area to support the loading and unloading process, which must also be carried out manually by a person.An additional table, which is placed on the floor at the rear end, extends over the whole width of the loading area and may vary in height, enabling suitcases, bags or similar goods to be loaded and unloaded, and which, when loaded by means of the conveyor belt, transports the goods from the rolling surface to the end of the conveyor belt in the loading area in front of the table, where they are dragged by the person kneeling on the table and then pushed over it to the top of the stack of pieces.The introduction of the extremely long and unwieldy conveyor belt cannot exclude damage to the cargo compartment opening. This aid is also of little use, since whenever a series of pieces is stacked, it must be moved back, repositioned and connected to the table which is also re-aligned.

DE 100 07 332 A1 discusses an alternative variant of a basic rolling-bed vehicle with an endless conveyor belt extending into the cargo compartment. DE 100 07 332 A1 proposes a reversible conveyor belt for piece goods with a swivel and height and length adjustable holder for loading and unloading passenger luggage on passenger aircraft. Delivery stations are to be avoided.

Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 382 (char 381)

Notice EP 0 263 540 A1 shows a modular cargo loading and unloading system mounted in the lower compartment of an aeroplane. The system consists of a cargo-locker-facing unit and several longitudinal units with conveyor belts for transporting cargo containers. The modular units can be quickly mounted on the deck of the lower compartment by means of a quick-locking mechanism.

Appendix WO 01/51356 A1 refers to an apparatus for loading and unloading aircraft. The apparatus has a height-adjustable and tilting first conveyor which transports the cargo between an area outside the cargo compartment and a second conveyor. The second conveyor has a first and second end and is at least partially accessible from the apparatus to the cargo compartment. The second conveyor has a series of conveyor units, one of which has a first terminal conveyor unit at its first end. Each conveyor unit has a set of wheels on its head and the conveyor units are alternately connected by means of pulleys which allow the conveyor units to rotate sideways in an alternating manner.

While these devices or transport facilities help to facilitate or reduce the use of human labour in the cargo area, they still require the use of human labour, particularly in the cargo area. Personnel must continue to receive, in extremely uncomfortable working positions, the baggage or cargo carried by the external conveyor from the rolling stock to the cargo area opening and, through the width of the fuselage at the front end of the aircraft, unload the cargo in the cargo area, for example, as a transport carrier, and then use them to transport it successively into the interior of the cargo area.

In addition, the staff responsible for these tasks are often poorly paid, poorly trained and therefore not sufficiently motivated, and as a result, accidental damage to the aircraft structure in the cargo hold, and in particular to the cargo hold opening, is often caused, although this should be avoided, which then leads to immense costs due to the necessary repairs and the associated downtime of the aircraft.

The present invention is intended to propose a system and a suitable intermediate conveyor system by which the known conveyor systems in the cargo hold of the aeroplane can be combined with the conveyor systems outside the aeroplane to form a complete concept, so that cargo can be moved from the airfield during loading into the cargo hold and stored there and then transported back to the airfield during unloading without endangering the health of the personnel employed.

Finally, the present invention is intended to specify an intermediate conveyor system which, without the availability of known conveyor systems in the cargo compartment of the aircraft and only with the availability of conveyor organs extending into the cargo compartment outside the aircraft, can be used to implement an overall concept in such a way that pieces of cargo can be moved from the airfield during loading into the cargo compartment and stored there and transported back to the airfield upon unloading without endangering the health of the personnel employed.

This problem is solved by the characteristics of claim 1.

The present invention proposes for the first time a system for loading and unloading of cargo in a cargo compartment, in particular an aircraft, with a conveyor system covering the floor of the cargo compartment horizontally to carry the cargo in a particular clockwise direction towards the inner end of the cargo compartment during loading and from this direction during unloading, with the conveyor system extending from its front end to the area of the cargo compartment opening in the fuselage of the aircraft and with a conveyor system adjacent to the cargo compartment opening on the outside of the aircraft for the transport of the cargo between the rolling stage and the cargo compartment opening, providing for the first time that the conveyor is located at the front end of the cargo compartment and the cargo compartment opening is located at the rear end of the aircraft, and that the conveyor is positioned at least in the direction of forward movement in the rear direction of the cargo compartment, with the conveyor system at the front end of the aircraft, and the cargo compartment opening at the rear end of the aircraft, and the conveyor system is located at the rear end of the cargo compartment, with the conveyor system at the front end of the aircraft, and the conveyor is located at the rear end of the cargo compartment, and the conveyor is located at the rear end of the aircraft, and the conveyor is located at the rear end of the aircraft.

This is the first time that the use of human labour in the cargo hold can be effectively eliminated completely in the loading and unloading of individual items. Not only is the associated personnel cost saved and thus the operating costs reduced, but the risk of damage to the structure in the cargo hold is also reduced to zero. By reducing the risk of damage, the risk of downtime for repairs of such items is also effectively eliminated and the enormous repair costs are thus reduced to zero in principle. Furthermore, the invention offers the advantage of having an automatically operated system which can automatically remove the volume of the cargo at any time of day and night and the load from the cargo hold at the minimum load rate, since the loading rate can be guaranteed to be set free within 5 minutes or less, for example, if the cargo hold is not in use, and a similar system is not yet available, such as an intelligent camera or a sensor, and can be used for the automatic loading of cargo at any time of day or night.

The system proposed for the first time and in particular the intermediate conveyor system intended for this purpose can be made of particularly light materials, such as intermediate high-strength aluminium, carbon fibre composites or composites. When using correspondingly rigid profiles of such materials, a sufficiently low total weight of the intermediate conveyor system is possible so that the remaining weight of the intermediate conveyor in the cargo hold of the aircraft is not negatively affected by its maximum available carrying capacity. The extremely light and rigid profiles not only offer the advantage of a particularly low weight of the intermediate conveyor system overall, but also allow the intermediate conveyor to be used without any problems in the case of high loads, for example in the case of high load-bearing or heavy loads, and thus in the case of high load-bearing, especially in the case of high load-bearing.

In a similarly preferred variant of the system of the invention, the intermediate conveyor may be mechanically connected to the conveyor system which is capable of being operated on the runway. The latter can be extended at its end facing the cargo area in a substantially straight line around the intermediate conveyor system. This has the advantage of reducing the weight and thus enabling the intermediate conveyor to be made more economical in terms of material and yet sufficiently load-bearing. In this preferred combination, damage to the immediate area around the cargo area cannot be completely eliminated, since the intermediate conveyor must be brought into the direction of the aircraft by means of the opening and the loading position must be adjusted accordingly. However, in any case, this is a permanent damage to the structure or the cargo area.

The system of the invention, and in particular the intermediate transport device intended for it, can reduce the time taken to load and unload an aeroplane and thus reduce operating costs.

The system of the invention allows the loading and unloading of the items moved on the transport device to be placed on the loading area at the time of loading and to be taken up and moved away from the loading area at the time of unloading. This has the great advantage of enabling the loading area and especially the free areas therein to be optimally filled with cargo, items of goods, luggage, etc. For example, in the case of automation, the condition of the loading area can be permanently monitored and the system set up accordingly by means of appropriate sensors, cameras, control circuits, artificial intelligence or the loading system.

Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 685 (char 684)

Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 144 (char 143)

A more favourable embodiment is the transport device in the cargo compartment, which is a carpet, which offers the advantage of continuous, discontinuous or tactile movement of the goods into the cargo compartment and a considerable potential for saving space, since such a carpet has a particularly low structural height and therefore little storage capacity of the cargo compartment is lost for the installation of a transport device, e.g. a carpet.

In a more preferred embodiment, the intermediate conveyor system shall have at least one longitudinally variable first conveyor, preferably a conveyor belt, which, when loaded, receives the cargo in the cargo area from the outer conveyor belt's side end and conveys it across the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, with a second conveyor belt at the fuselage end, preferably a conveyor belt, which receives the cargo in the conveyor belt and conveys it in the direction of the aircraft along the length to the front end of the port in the cargo area, thus ensuring the most advantageous way of taking the cargo in the cargo area and transporting it at the same time by 90° around the conveyor belt, which is the closest and most suitable to each type of aircraft.

In accordance with a more favourable embodiment of the system of the invention, the second conveyor system, when unloading, picks up the piece of cargo from the front end of the transport device in the cargo compartment and conveys it outwards in the direction of the aircraft and passes it to the first conveyor, which conveys the piece of cargo across the longitudinal axis of the aircraft to the cargo compartment opening and passes it to the external conveyor for further conveyance.

In a more favourable embodiment of the system, the fuselage fin end of the first conveyor of the intermediate conveyor has a shoulder which is directed vertically along a first rail in the luggage compartment, which is oriented vertically along the first rail, allowing a favourable adjustment of the height of the end point of the first conveyor, thus ensuring that the full load can be stacked above the loading area.

A more favourable embodiment of the system is that the first rail, which is vertical, is in turn guided by at least one second rail, which is horizontal and fixed to the ceiling or floor, which allows the point of attachment to be moved across the length of the aircraft along the width of the fuselage, thus ensuring that the cargo can be stacked and brought in not only over the entire height at one point of the cargo hold but also over its entire width and, by virtue of the underpass, over its entire depth and thus over its entire volume, and can be naturally removed when unloaded.

For example, the second conveyor is adjustable in the longitudinal direction of the aircraft, which also increases the operating radius of the intermediate conveyor, in particular by ensuring that, in the case of particularly wide cargo spaces compared with a relatively narrow intermediate conveyor, the cargo is conveyed and passed along the longitudinal direction of the aircraft to the front end of the conveyor in the cargo compartment.

The second conveyor of the intermediate conveyor is a conveyor belt running over a rigid slide plate placed below it, whereby the slide plate can be inserted between two pieces of goods with the conveyor belt and the upper piece of goods can be removed with the conveyor belt, thus providing a cost-effective option for unloading the cargo space as efficiently as possible.

The intermediate conveyor system for loading and unloading of cargo in aircraft holds is proposed for use in a system for loading and unloading cargo discussed above, where for the first time it is provided that it has at least one longitudinally variable first conveyor, preferably a conveyor belt, which, when loading, receives the cargo in the area of the cargo bay from the aircraft side end of the outer conveyor belt and conveys it laterally to the aircraft side.

In a further embodiment of the intermediate conveyor, the fuselage fin end of the first conveyor has a shoulder by which it is oriented vertically along the same main rail, for example in the luggage compartment, which is essentially vertical. This can be used to ensure that the height of the first conveyor end facing the interior of the aircraft is adjusted over the entire height of the luggage compartment. This, as discussed above, has the advantage of allowing the entire load capacity of the luggage compartment to be used.The horizontal rail may be supported against the structure of the cargo compartment in an appropriate way; in the case of the variant connected to the external conveyor, the vertical rail may be moved horizontally by means of a suitable rack or a suitable frame; it is also conceivable to provide for the shoulder of the intermediate conveyor to be first attached to a mainly horizontal rail which is in turn moved along a vertical rail, the vertical rail being able to support itself against the structure of the aeroplane while the intermediate conveyor remains in the aeroplane and, in combination with the conveyor on the rolling ground, by means of a frame,a rack or similar can be attached to it.

Accordingly, a more preferred embodiment of the intermediate conveyor is proposed to have the first vertical rail in turn guided by at least one horizontal second rail fixed to the ceiling and floor, to move the reference point along the longitudinal axis of the aeroplane.

This not only ensures that the entire width of the load compartment is usable, but also ensures the most stable, non-twisting design possible.Instead of a second rail mounted on the floor or ceiling, oriented horizontally, the first rail can also be moved horizontally in a suitably designed rack or frame, which in turn is mounted on the external conveyor, so that the full usable width, depth and height of the entire load compartment is also ensured in the variant of an intermediate conveyor mounted on the external conveyor.

The system of the invention is much easier to maintain, which leads to significantly lower maintenance costs. Independently of this, the system of the invention is simple to operate and to operate, so that the personnel working with it do not need extensive training. If one also takes into account that, for example, a smaller airport already needs five conveyor belts to handle just five aircraft at a time, which is not a large amount of money, solutions based on the basic principle of DE 07 100 332 A1 or 98/54073 are quickly larger than EUR 1,000,000 in investment volumes, which in the example mentioned in the previous paragraph will only be EUR 200,000 in the worst case.

In addition, the system of the invention has the inestimable advantage that, owing to its ease of use, the intermediate conveyor can be positioned to bridge the distance from the end of the outer ground supporting structure facing the cargo compartment into the cargo compartment and thus through the cargo compartment without any risk of damage to the fuselage or cargo compartment, since the normally difficult to move outer ground supporting structure no longer needs to be carried into the cargo compartment but can be positioned at a sufficient heating distance from the cargo compartment opening, thus preventing damage to the aircraft and the cargo compartment.

Finally, the system of the invention and the intermediate conveyor system can significantly reduce the time taken to load and unload an aircraft and thus reduce operating costs.

For example, the intermediate conveyor may have a sliding element, preferably a wheel, at the bottom of the conveyor in the area of overlap with the external conveyor, which will provide a sliding support for the intermediate conveyor on the top of the external conveyor in its end zone, allowing the end of the intermediate conveyor in the cargo hold to be moved across the width of the cargo hold or the fuselage as desired, with the advantage that a total length of about 1.50 m is sufficient for the same conveyor in a preferred embodiment.

For example, the intermediate conveyor may be fitted with a bearing at the point of overlap with the external conveyor, which is supported by its end, which is away from the intermediate conveyor, against a slide, which is oriented parallel to and fixed to the longitudinal direction of the external conveyor, by means of a joint attached to it. This achieves a shifting support of the intermediate conveyor in the direction of the external conveyor. This results in a kind of forced induction of the intermediate conveyor and thus in a constantly correct orientation of the beginning of the intermediate conveyor at the point of origin of the external conveyor, which is located in the direction of the external conveyor, so that it is always possible to ensure that the operation of the intermediate conveyor is smooth and at the same time ensures a smooth and safe movement of the material.

If necessary, a braking system may be fitted in addition to the one used in the area of the joint supporting the slide, to help to prevent the intermediate conveyor from moving too easily if necessary.

The advantage of the extension is that the start of the intermediate conveyor is always forced in the direction of the external ground supporting conveyor, but the end of the intermediate conveyor in the cargo compartment can be deflected relative to its start, so that the person working in the cargo compartment can always adjust the overall orientation of the intermediate conveyor to the current work process in the best possible way.

For example, the front end of the conveyor, facing the end of the intermediate conveyor in the cargo hold, may be adjustable in height relative to the beginning of the intermediate conveyor facing the external conveyor, which will ensure that the conveyed piece of goods can reach any point of the cross-section of the cargo hold, even at the height of the cargo hold, without the person working in the cargo hold having to apply any force, for example by actively lifting the piece of goods.

For example, a terminal section of the intermediate conveyor may be deflected by one axis to support the intermediate conveyor so that the terminal section can be horizontally aligned, which will at least attain the advantage of simultaneously aligning the final conveyor on its final conveyor route so that it can be placed without great effort directly on the piece already in the loading bay or, if no piece is yet to be stored in the loading bay, directly on the transport unit in the loading bay. Conversely, the advantage of unloading the conveyor in the loading bay is that it can be moved further outwards without any further force being applied to the horizontal terminal without the load being moved outwards and then to the conveyor in the loading bay.

For example, a starting section of the intermediate conveyor may be oriented with a predetermined inclination angle, preferably between 10° and 30°, to the inclination angle of the outer conveyor. Such a smooth ramp-like transition from the outer ground-supported conveyor to the intermediate conveyor is beneficial in ensuring that any type of load can be passed without problems from the outer conveyor to the intermediate conveyor. Congestion or garment suspension is avoided in this area. At the same time, this inclination angle provides a good compromise between a smooth transition from the outer conveyor to the intermediate conveyor and the provision of constructive measures in this area, such as the installation of a motor motor to accommodate the installation of a motor, such as a motor frame, a motor motor motor control unit, or a motor support system, for the training of the driver.

For example, the intermediate conveyor, with its conveyor direction for conveying pieces of cargo essentially along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, can be deflected by an angle of about -30° to +30° relative to the conveyor direction of the external conveyor organ.

For example, parts of the load-bearing structure of the intermediate conveyor may be made of lightweight materials, such as aluminium or fibre composites, to ensure that the part of the intermediate conveyor protruding from the end of the outer ground-supported conveyor, which, depending on the position of the end of the intermediate conveyor, can be carried farther and farther and less easily when loading and unloading pieces of goods in the cargo hold, can be kept so lightly that the total weight of the intermediate conveyor is equal in the area of overlap with the outer conveyor, so that a slip of the sliding part of the conveyor is already excluded by virtue of its own weight distribution. This also provides the additional advantage that the operation of the conveyor can be carried out in the direction of the load-bearing material, or even in the direction of the load-bearing material, so that the weight of the material can be easily removed from the outer surface of the conveyor, and the weight of the material can also be removed by the weight of the material.

Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 153 (char 152)

For example, devices or elements to support the lifting, lowering or turning movement of the second and/or third conveyor system may be provided, for example, a parallelogram power steering wheel, a spring storage cylinder, electrically operated actuators or similar components, placed on either side of the edges of a conveyor system, which allows the person working in the cargo hold to specify the position required for changing storage places of the piece, from near-free to automatically operated, depending on the design.

For example, a multifunctional control may be provided to control, for example, the horizontal orientation of the third conveyor, the inclination of the second conveyor, the position of the first conveyor in the cargo compartment, the conveyor direction, the conveyor speed or other functions.

A particularly favourable embodiment of the conveyor unit of the invention is a third conveyor body with conveyor belts formed as conveyor belts, which passes over a rigid slide plate placed underneath it, ensuring that the conveyor belt has a sufficiently high surface rigidity to prevent the conveyor belt from hanging even in the case of small and heavy pieces of luggage.In the same way, when loading, a piece of luggage or cargo can be placed just below the top edge or ceiling of the cargo hold on the top layer of a stack of cargoes, since the third conveyor takes up little space for itself at height. This makes the storage space available in the cargo hold as useful as possible at height. The splitting or cutting design of the third conveyor, as considered in the longitudinal section, also allows the loading to be carried particularly close to the ground, so that even flat pieces of luggage, for example, can be loaded at the bottom of the stack.directly on the loading floor, can be automatically picked up by the third conveyor body, whereby the top of the third conveyor body is pushed under the piece of luggage lying on the loading floor and, in the case of a retractable conveyor belt, the piece of luggage is pulled up onto the conveyor belt. Depending on the design of the conveyor unit, the third conveyor body can automatically move itself into the stack according to the instructions of the operator on the multifunction control unit or even automatically, depending on the commands of the control systems, into the stack, to pick up pieces of luggage from there when unloading or to move them to a specific position when loading to the stack to drop pieces of luggage there. If necessary, the person in charge can intervene in case of a problem and, if necessary, take action to remedy the problem.

In a particularly favourable version of the conveyor belt, the coefficient of friction μ between at least part of the goods and at least part of the surface of the conveyor belt facing the goods is greater than 0,50. In a particularly favourable variant, the coefficient of friction μ is greater than 0,60 and more particularly preferably greater than 0,70. This ensures that even luggage with a particularly smooth surface, such as hard metal suitcases, metal suitcases, alukettes, smooth sailing bags or the like, can be taken up without difficulty, as well as luggage with a much more stiff surface, such as leather bags, leather bags, soft plastic bags, plastic foam or other materials, or from the leather belt.This also ensures that, when loading, such pieces of luggage can be easily loaded by the third conveyancing body onto existing pieces of luggage, even if the piece of luggage to be loaded has to be moved up or down the already loaded piece by the third conveyancing body, overcoming the frictional forces between these two pieces. With frictional forces between 0.40 and 0.80 and preferably between 0.50 and 0.75 between the piece and the conveyance, there is no problem for the above materials or baggage of the same nature and type and for the regular movement of the luggage between the load and the conveyance.Moving it secured.

A preferred variant is that the conveyor belt has friction-enhancing agents on its surface, such as grooves, notches, ribs, bars, grooves, foam or mousse-rubber or similar, which can be provided by the conveyor belt being built in several layers. The structure of a middle layer can be chosen so that the conveyor belt can handle the longitudinal and, if necessary, transverse forces in the conveyor belt without difficulty. A backward or inward-pointing layer is selected so that an optimum cutting of the conveyor belt is ensured. A backward or inward-pointing layer can be completely removed or fitted with a correspondingly high-speed belt.

The purpose of such friction-enhancing measures is to ensure that, in any position, pieces of goods may be removed from a stack of stacked pieces or that a piece of goods which is too high may be pulled down from such a stack and be picked up by the conveyor belt of the third conveyor and passed on to the second conveyor belt.

The invention is explained in detail in the following examples of execution using the figures in the drawing. Fig. 1a schematically simplified section and a schematically simplified view of a cargo compartment in an aeroplane with an example embodiment of an intermediate conveyor system of the invention at load directed to the rolling-bed conveyor body arranged in it;Fig. 2a schematically simplified section and a schematically simplified view of the intermediate conveyor system at load directed to the rolling-bed conveyor body shown in Fig. 1 with a second variant of the second conveyor system at load directed to a second conveyor body with a partially exhausted second conveyor body;Fig. 3e combines schematically simplified and a schematically simplified view of the second intermediate conveyor system at load directed to a second conveyor body with a shortened sub-conveyor body (Fig. 2a);4a schematically simplified section and a schematically simplified view of the second variant of an intermediate conveyor, shown in Fig. 2, during unloading, without a reception bowl (abbreviated DWU) underneath;Fig. 5a schematically simplified side view of an alternative embodiment of the system of the invention and an alternative embodiment of the intermediate conveyor, during loading;Fig. 6the alternative embodiment of the system and the intermediate conveyor, during unloading, shown in Fig. 5;Fig. 7a schematically simplified variation of the enlarged screen shown in Fig. 5 and 6Fig. 8 and 7;Fig. 9 to 17a schematically simplified variation of the enlarged screen shown in Fig. 9 and 17a;Fig. 8 to 17a;Fig. 9a;Fig. 9a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 17a;Fig. 175 to 8 shown.

In Fig. 1 a loading bay 1 of an aircraft not shown in detail with a first example of the ejection form of an intermediate conveyor 2 of the invention is shown in a simplified diagram and a simplified diagram in loading. The intermediate conveyor 2 is directed to a rolling-bed conveyor 4 which is only partly fitted and supports a fitted piece of goods 6. The rolling-bed conveyor, as discussed above, can be operated on the rolling-bed.

The intermediate conveyor 2 in Fig. 1 has a first conveyor 8 extending from the rolling field conveyor 4 through the cargo bay into cargo bay 1, with the first conveyor 8 here for example formed as a conveyor belt, and a second conveyor 10 has a conveyor section 12 formed as a conveyor belt, whose longitudinal direction and thus longitudinal direction of the aircraft can be varied, which in this representation, as far as the cargo bay not shown, extends to the front of one end of the conveyor bay not shown, with the conveyor 1 14 forming the ground conveyor, where the conveyor 14 may be used as an example of transport.

The second conveyor body 10 is attached to the first conveyor body 8 and can be deflected in front of it. The second conveyor body 10 has a frame-like structure 16 supported by the longitudinal conveyor section 12. The piece 6 is transported from the rolling field conveyor body 4 to the first conveyor body 8 of the intermediate conveyor unit 2 and from there to the second conveyor body 10 so that it can continue into cargo compartment 1 along the plane axis and then be passed in a longitudinal direction of cargo compartment 1 from the second conveyor body 10 to cargo compartment 14 so that it can be transported from there in a further direction into the depth of cargo compartment 1.

In the course of the description of the figures, parts or elements having the same or similar appearance shall be given the same reference marks as in the first embodiment.

In Fig. 2 the intermediate conveyor 2 shown in Fig. 1 is shown in a simplified diagram and diagrammatically simplified diagram with a variant of the second conveyor 10' when loaded with a second conveyor 10' partially deployed. The second conveyor 10' has a 10' sliding plate 18 in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor 20 which is carried in a linear guide structure and in the diagram shown here is extended in an aircraft lengthwise direction to the extent that it can reach over the front end of the ground conveyor 14 to ensure that the piece 6 of the intermediate conveyor 2 is passed to the conveyor 14 without gaps.

In Figure 3 the second variant of an intermediate conveyor 2 shown in Figure 2 is shown in a simplified diagrammatic section and a simplified diagrammatic overview with the second variant of the conveyor 10' already shown there, when loaded with the receptacle 24 below it.

As already mentioned, the following are similarly appearing parts or elements of the variants discussed below with the same reference marks as in the previous figures.

The discharge operations shown in Figure 4 are shown without a receiving vessel (abbreviated DWU).

In Fig. 4 a simplified diagram and a simplified diagram show the loading of the second conveyor 10' in Fig. 2 with the second conveyor 10' in the second conveyor 10' in the second conveyor 10' has a conveyor belt running over a rigid slide plate 18 below it, where the plate 18 can be inserted between two conveyor belts 6 and the upper part can be removed with the conveyor belt. For unloading the plate 18 spatulae in a longitudinal direction parallel to each other at the front end of the conveyor 14' is drawn upwards from the conveyor belt 4 and then drawn upwards to the rear of the conveyor belt 8 so that it can be moved upwards with the first conveyor belt 4 and then drawn upwards to the conveyor belt 8 in the rear direction of the conveyor belt.

In Figures 5 to 9, a further variant of the system and the intermediate conveyor system of the invention are shown in a simplified schematic form.

In Figure 5 a further variant of the system of the invention for loading and unloading of pieces of cargo in a cargo compartment 100 of an aircraft during loading is shown in a simplified side view. As is particularly evident in Figures 8 or 9, the floor of cargo compartment 100 is covered in a flat surface with a conveyor 102 which may preferably be formed as a carrier carpet. This carrier carpet 102 is used, in particular by means of a clockwise route, to move pieces of cargo towards the inner end of cargo compartment 100 during loading and unloading.For example, a mobile conveyor 106 with a conveyor 108 is mounted on the side of the aircraft to transport pieces of cargo between the rolling-bed 110 and the cargo bay 104. Between the aircraft side end of the outer conveyor 108 and the front end of the conveyor 102 in cargo bay 100, an intermediate conveyor 112 forms a bridge of sorts by which the distance between the aircraft side end of the outer conveyor 108 and the front end of the conveyor 102 can be bridged.When unloading, the intermediate conveyor 112 may move the load carried through the conveyor 104 through the conveyor 102 through the front end of the conveyor 102 to the level of the conveyor 104 essentially along the length of the aeroplane.

In the aeroplane shown here in a simplified diagram, the cargo compartment 114 is opened by a swing upwards inwards.

As can be seen in Figures 5 to 6, the outer conveyor 108 extends from the side of the aircraft to the area of the cargo compartment 104 but not into it, so that there is no risk of damage to the cargo compartment 104 when the mobile wrapping machine 106 is positioned.

The system and the intermediate conveyor 112 of the invention allow the specific unloading of the goods on the transport device 102 in cargo hold 100 during loading and the specific unloading from there.

The intermediate conveyor 112 can be moved both in the conveyor direction of the external ground support conveyor 108 and in relation to it at an angle of approximately -30° to +30°, so that the end of the intermediate conveyor 116 facing the external conveyor 108 always overlaps the external conveyor 108 and the inner end of the intermediate conveyor 118 inside the cargo compartment 100 always overlaps the area 120 facing the cargo compartment 104 end of the conveyor 102 as shown in Figures 8 and 9.

The intermediate conveyor 112 has at its bottom, in the area of overlap 122 with the external conveyor 108, an unspecified sliding element, which may be formed, for example, as a wheel or roller, which is used to move the intermediate conveyor 112 on the top 124 of the external conveyor 108 into its end zone.

The intermediate conveyor 112 has a support 126 in the area of overlap 122 with the external conveyor 108 which is directed between the intermediate conveyor 112. The support 126 is supported by its leading end from the intermediate conveyor 108 with an end no longer shown by the leading end against a slide 128 The slide 128 is oriented parallel to and attached to the longitudinal direction of the external conveyor 108 The slide 128 is used to move the support of the intermediate conveyor 112 in the direction of the leading edge of the external conveyor 108. For this purpose, a slide 130 is provided in Fig. 7 with the leading edge of the slide, which is connected to the leading edge of the element 126 not shown here.

As shown in particular in Figures 5 to 7, the end 108 of the intermediate conveyor 112 facing the front end 120 of the conveyor 102 in the cargo compartment 100 is adjustable in height relative to the outer conveyor 108 facing the beginning 116 of the intermediate conveyor 112. In particular, it is shown in Figure 7 that a terminal section 132 of the intermediate conveyor 112 can be deflected by an axis 134 in the direction of the conveyor 112 in such a way that this terminal section 132 can be oriented horizontally.

The intermediate conveyor 112 with its conveyor direction for conveying bulk cargo is essentially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the aeroplane, in the angular range of approximately -30° to +30° relative to the conveyor direction of the external conveyor 108 .

The support structure of the intermediate conveyor 112 shall be made of lightweight materials such as aluminium or fibre composites.

As can be seen in particular from Figure 7, the intermediate conveyor unit 112 has a first frame 138 which is supported against the external conveyor 108; the frame 138 has a first frame 140 which may be formed, for example, as a conveyor belt; this first frame 140 takes pieces of cargo when loading, for example, in the area of the cargo bay 104 of the aircraft from the end of the external conveyor 122 facing the aircraft and carries it mainly along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, whereby the main cross-axis of the aircraft is the forward spread of the conveyor tolerance from -30° to +30° discussed above.This second conveyor 144 is used to bridge the distance from the end 122 of the external conveyor 108 to the inside of the cargo compartment 100. The second conveyor 144 takes pieces of cargo, for example, in the area of the cargo compartment 104 of the aircraft from the end 142 of the first conveyor 140 when loading and conveys them substantially down the length of the aircraft into the fuselage. At the end 146 of the second conveyor 144 a third conveyor 148 is connected, which is preferably designed as a rolling plate.the goods are essentially transportable longitudinally to the forward end 120 of a transport device 102 in cargo compartment 100.

Accordingly, when unloading, the forward end 120 of the transport device 102 in cargo compartment 100 receives goods to the third conveyor body 148 in such a way that it can be carried by a person working in this area without considerable effort to the third conveyor body 148, where it is stored in a rotating manner, so that it can be rotated manually and supported, if necessary, to the second conveyor body 144. The second conveyor body carries goods 144 mainly along the longitudinal axis to the cargo opening 104 and/or through it and passes the goods to the first conveyor body 140, which carries the goods mainly along the outer axis of the aircraft to the conveyor body 108 and passes them on to the conveyor body 108 for further conveyance.In the case of the first conveyor 140 a frame 138 is attached to an unspecified sliding element which may be formed as a wheel or roller, and in the case of the first conveyor 140 a frame 138 is attached to a lever which may be formed as a two-arm lever, the two arms 150 and 152 being designed as telescopic arms in a variable length, so that the geometry of the triangle formed around the two arms with the joint shown in more detail is variable.

The second conveyor is so oriented to the frame 138 of the first conveyor 140 that it can be deflected along the conveyor by an axis 154 such as a range of angles from -15° to +45° relative to the horizontal, to change the height of the end 146 of the second conveyor 144 relative to its beginning. Depending on the needs and orientation of the outermost conveyor 108 it may also be useful to deflect the second conveyor 144 by an angular range of about -30° to +30°. The third conveyor 148 is deflectable along an axis 134 relative to the second conveyor 144 so that it is horizontal in operation of the intermediate conveyor 112 and/or the second conveyor has its propulsion or propulsion elements, such as a load-bearing support, so that the movement of a person or a rotor can be given free rein by a rotor 144 in the direction of the second conveyor.

The intermediate conveyor 112 also has a multifunction control which is not shown in detail. The multifunction control is located in the area of the third conveyor 148 and can be trained as a multifunction lever. The multifunction control can be used to control, for example, the horizontal orientation of the third conveyor 148, the inclination of the second conveyor 144, the positioning of the first conveyor 140 on the external conveyor 108, the conveyor direction, the conveyor speed or other functions.

The role of the intermediate conveyor 112 on the outer conveyor 108 is not shown in detail, but it is used to maintain a small gap of about 5-10 mm between the conveyor belts of the first conveyor 140 of the intermediate conveyor 112 and the outer conveyor 108 in the operation, so that these two closely adjacent conveyor belts are as close as possible to each other but do not rub against each other, thus ensuring an optimal transfer of bulk from the conveyor belt of the outer conveyor 108 to the conveyor belt of the first conveyor belt of the 140th intermediate conveyor 112.

The unmarked joint with which the support 138 is directed to the slide 128 over the slide 130 provides a sufficiently strong support for the entire intermediate conveyor 112 and the goods in operation thereon against the external conveyor 108 located in the overlap area 122 below the frame 138.

The drive system for the intermediate conveyor's conveyor organs may be, for example, electric actuators, but hydraulic or pneumatic actuators are also conceivable, and the support elements which support the lifting, lowering or turning movements of the three conveyor organs of the intermediate conveyor 112 may be trained as active elements, such as hydraulic cylinders, pneumatic cylinders or electric actuators.

The length of the intermediate conveyor is in a preferred design of approximately 1.50 m with a width of approximately 0.40 m. The total weight of the intermediate conveyor is less than 100 kg. The low mass forces thus ensuring easy mobility of the intermediate conveyor 112 in any operating condition. At the same time, the risk of damage to the aircraft structure, especially in cargo bay 100, is negligible if an end of the intermediate conveyor 112 accidentally touches the aircraft structure due to the low mass forces. To further protect against damage and/or injury, the edges or edges of the intermediate conveyor 112 are covered with a suitable soft material.

The present invention thus proposes for the first time a system for loading and unloading of piece of cargo, such as in particular baggage or the like, in an aircraft cargo hold, with a movement of the piece of cargo towards the inner end of the cargo hold during loading and from that direction during unloading, and with a movement of the piece of cargo between the rolling stage and the cargo hold. In the system according to the invention, the piece of cargo can be carried in a transverse direction to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft and also in a transverse direction to the aircraft hull and in the cargo hold. When unloaded into the plane of the cargo hold, the piece of cargo can be carried back to the aircraft through the loading hold.In particular, the present invention proposes a system for loading and unloading bulk cargo in a cargo compartment, in particular an aircraft, with, for example, a transport device covering the floor of the cargo compartment flatly in one variant, to propel the bulk cargo in particular by a tactile means towards the inner end of the cargo compartment during loading and from that direction during unloading, with the transport device reaching the front end of the bulk cargo compartment into the area of the cargo compartment in the fuselage of the aircraft, and with a conveyor system attached to the cargo compartment on the outside of the aircraft to transport the bulk cargo between the rolling stock and the cargo compartment.which, when loaded, allows the piece of cargo to pass first transversely to the longitudinal axis down into the fuselage and then transversely to the aircraft and be unloaded at the front end of the transport unit into the cargo hold, and which, when unloaded, allows the piece of cargo to pass through the cargo hold through the longitudinal axis to the plane of the cargo hold beyond the front end of the transport unit.

Claims (7)

1. A system for loading and unloading loose cargo (6) in a cargo hold (1) of a plane, comprising a plane and transport means (14) covering the area of the floor of the cargo hold (1) of the plane for particularly intermittently conveying the loose cargo (6) towards the inner end of the cargo hold (1) during loading, and away from it during unloading, with the front end of said transport means (14) reaching into the range of the cargo hold opening inside the fuselage, and a ground-supported conveyor organ (4) connecting to the cargo hold opening on the outside of the plane for transporting the loose cargo between the level of the tarmac and the cargo hold opening, and an intermediate conveyor means (2) which is connectable with said external conveyor organ (4) and which is arranged between the plane-side end of said external conveyor organ (4) and the front end of said transport means (14), which covers the area of the floor of the cargo hold (1), in the cargo hold (1), whereby during loading, the loose cargo (6) may initially be conveyed deeper into the fuselage in a direction transversal to the longitudinal axis of the plane, and subsequently be conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the plane and deposited on the front end of said transport means (14) in the cargo hold (1), and whereby during unloading, loose cargo (6) conveyed beyond the front end of said transport means (14) into the plane of the cargo hold opening may be transported off transversely to the longitudinal axis of the plane through the cargo hold opening, wherein said intermediate conveyor means (2) comprises at least one first conveyor organ (8) provided as a conveyor belt and adapted to be modifiable in length in the conveying direction, which may be inserted into the cargo hold (1) and which receives the loose cargo (6) in the range of the cargo hold opening from the plane-side end of said external conveyor organ (4) and conveys it on transversely to the longitudinal axis of the plane during loading, wherein its end inside the fuselage is followed by another second conveyor organ (10, 10'), provided as a conveyor belt, which receives the loose cargo (6) from said first conveyor organ (8) and conveys it inside of the cargo hold (1) further in the longitudinal direction of the plane, characterized in that said another second conveyor organ (10, 10') of the intermediate conveyor means (2) is capable of being pivoted about an axis transversely to the conveying direction of the first conveyor organ (8) of the intermediate conveyor means (2), such that this second conveyor organ (10, 10') may be oriented horizontally, and said conveyor belt of said second conveyor organ (10, 10') runs over a rigid slide panel (18) arranged underneath of it, wherein said slide panel (18) is displaceable guided in a rail-type guide structure (20) in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor organ (10, 10'), and during unloading, said slide panel (18) with the conveyor belt may be inserted between two loose cargo items (6), and the upper loose cargo (6) may be transported off by means of the conveyor belt.
2. The system according Claim 1, characterized in that the loose cargo (6) may purposely be deposited on said transport means (14) in the cargo hold (1) during loading, and purposely transported away from there during unloading.
3. The system according any one of Claims 1 or 2, characterized in that a tray (24) covering the area of the floor of the cargo hold (1) and also of the floor-side range of the cargo hold opening is arranged in the range of the cargo hold opening above the floor of the cargo hold (1) horizontally between said intermediate conveyor means (2) and the floor of the cargo hold (1).
4. The system according to Claim 3, characterized in that said tray (24) is adapted to be folded along a line parallel to the longitudinal axis of the plane.
5. The system according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said transport means (14) in the cargo hold (1) is a transport carpet.
6. The system according to Claim 1, characterized in that said second conveyor organ (10, 10') receives loose cargo (6) from the front end of said transport means (14) present in the cargo hold (1) during unloading, transports it off in the longitudinal direction of the plane, and hands it over to said first conveyor organ (8) which conveys the loose cargo (6) transversely to the longitudinal axis of the plane to the cargo hold opening to hand it over to said external conveyor organ (4) for further transport.
7. The system according to Claim 1, characterized in that the end located inside the plane's fuselage of said first conveyor organ (8) of said intermediate conveyor means (2) is linked via a shoulder to first rail having a vertical orientation in the luggage cargo hold (1), so as to be vertically slidable along it for height adjustment in the luggage hold, and in that said vertically oriented first rail in turn is guided by at least one second rail having a horizontal orientation and fastened on the ceiling or on the floor, for displacing the linking point transversely to the longitudinal axis of the plane.