EP1133433A1 - Towbarless towing truck - Google Patents

Towbarless towing truck

Info

Publication number
EP1133433A1
EP1133433A1 EP99956195A EP99956195A EP1133433A1 EP 1133433 A1 EP1133433 A1 EP 1133433A1 EP 99956195 A EP99956195 A EP 99956195A EP 99956195 A EP99956195 A EP 99956195A EP 1133433 A1 EP1133433 A1 EP 1133433A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
towing truck
wheels
towbarless
towing
undercarriage
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
EP99956195A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Matthew British Aerospace Airbus MARPLES
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
BAE Systems PLC
Original Assignee
BAE Systems PLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by BAE Systems PLC filed Critical BAE Systems PLC
Publication of EP1133433A1 publication Critical patent/EP1133433A1/en
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64F—GROUND OR AIRCRAFT-CARRIER-DECK INSTALLATIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH AIRCRAFT; DESIGNING, MANUFACTURING, ASSEMBLING, CLEANING, MAINTAINING OR REPAIRING AIRCRAFT, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; HANDLING, TRANSPORTING, TESTING OR INSPECTING AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B64F1/00—Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations
    • B64F1/22—Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations installed for handling aircraft
    • B64F1/225—Towing trucks
    • B64F1/227—Towing trucks adapted for directly connecting to aircraft, e.g. trucks without tow-bars
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64F—GROUND OR AIRCRAFT-CARRIER-DECK INSTALLATIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH AIRCRAFT; DESIGNING, MANUFACTURING, ASSEMBLING, CLEANING, MAINTAINING OR REPAIRING AIRCRAFT, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; HANDLING, TRANSPORTING, TESTING OR INSPECTING AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B64F1/00—Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations
    • B64F1/22—Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations installed for handling aircraft

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a towbarless towing truck for towing an aircraft on the ground.
  • a towbarless towing truck has front and rear wheels and has a section between the rear wheels for receiving the nosewheels of an aircraft undercarriage.
  • Such vehicles easily accommodate two nosewheels side by side.
  • the invention is intended to address that problem.
  • a towbarless towing truck having front and rear wheels, and a section for receiving undercarriage wheels of an aircraft, the said section being located on a side of the towing truck between the front and rear wheels.
  • the towing truck may be increased in length but no increase in width is required to accommodate additional wheels.
  • the wheels of the towing truck can turn through an angle in order to enable the truck to be driven in a direction transverse to the fore-and-aft direction. In that way the towing truck is particularly manoeuvrable.
  • the wheels of the towing truck preferably turn through an angle of at least 90°.
  • the section for receiving the undercarriage wheels is arranged such that the undercarriage wheels will lie, in use, substantially inboard of front and rear wheels of the vehicle.
  • the section for receiving the undercarriage wheels may extend from one side of the towing truck towards the other beyond the centre of the towing truck.
  • the said section for receiving the undercarriage wheels is in the form of a recess.
  • the recess may be open towards said one side for receiving the undercarriage wheels.
  • the said section of the towing truck has or is capable of receiving three or more undercarriage wheels.
  • Fig 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a towbarless towing truck in accordance with the invention indicating a longitudinal direction of travel relative to an aircraft nosewheels;
  • Fig 2 is a view similar to Fig 1 indicating a transverse direction of travel relative to the aircraft nosewheels;
  • Fig 3 is a view similar to that of Figs 1 and 2 showing the nosewheels in position on the towing truck.
  • a towing truck 10 comprises an elongate chassis or body 12 having sets of front and rear wheels 14, 16 respectively.
  • the wheels 14, 16 are steerable by a suitable mechanism (not shown) which enables the wheels to be steered through 90 degrees (see Fig 2).
  • Both sets of wheels 14, 16 are drivable.
  • the chassis 12 is shaped on one side 13 of the towing truck 10 between the front and rear wheels 14, 16 to define a recess 18.
  • the recess 18 is open towards the side 13 and a ramp 20 is supported by the chassis 12 to form a bottom surface for the recess 18. It will be noted that the recess 18 extends from the side 13 of the towing truck 10 towards the opposite side and across a central longitudinal axis A of the towing truck 10.
  • An undercarriage loading mechanism (not shown) is carried by the towing truck 10 at a position adjacent the recess 18.
  • the loading mechanism is normally powered by hydraulics on the towing truck 10 and is similar to the kind used in known towing trucks which load from the rear.
  • the undercarriage is indicated at 22 and comprises four aircraft nosewheels 24 arranged two each side of an undercarriage strut 26.
  • the elongate towing truck 10 is driven normally in the fore-and-aft direction indicated by the arrow L in Fig 1 towards the aircraft undercarriage 22.
  • the driver positions the towing truck 10 so that the recess 18 aligns with the nosewheels 24 and the driver then turns the front and rear wheels 14, 16 through 90 degrees into the position shown in Fig 2.
  • the truck can then be driven sideways if necessary in the direction of the arrow T to move the truck 10 closer to the nosewheels 24.
  • the hydraulic loading mechanism is then operated to pull and lift the nosewheels 24 on to the ramp 20 as shown in Fig 3. It will be noted from the position of the strut 26 that the load carried by the nosewheels 24 acts on the ramp 20 at a position inboard of the front and rear wheels 14, 16.
  • the loading mechanism secures the nosewheels 24 in place on the towing truck 10 and the towing truck can then tow the aircraft, for example, in the direction of the arrow R in Fig 3.
  • the wheels 14, 16 can be steered so that the towing truck 10 can be driven in a direction between the fore- and-aft and transverse directions. In that way, the towing truck 10 is easily manoeuvrable. It will be appreciated that the towbarless towing truck 10 in accordance with the invention will enable extra nosewheels 24 to be accommodated without the need to increase the width of the towing truck 10.

Abstract

A towbarless towing truc (10) having front and rear wheels (14, 16) and a recess (18) for receiving undercarriage wheels (24) of an aircraft. The said recess (18) is located on a side (13) of the towing truck (10) between the front and rear wheels (14, 16). Such an arrangement enables more undercarriage wheels (24) to be accommodated without having to increase the width of the towing truck (10).

Description

TOWBARLESS TOWING TRUCK
The invention relates to a towbarless towing truck for towing an aircraft on the ground. Conventionally a towbarless towing truck has front and rear wheels and has a section between the rear wheels for receiving the nosewheels of an aircraft undercarriage. Such vehicles easily accommodate two nosewheels side by side.
However where the nosewheels comprise more than two wheels placed side by side, existing towbarless towing trucks cannot accommodate the additional width of the extra wheels. If the towing truck were widened to accommodate the wider undercarriage problems would arise because the airport access roads are of a finite width and the truck would then be too wide to use them.
The invention is intended to address that problem.
According to the invention there is provided a towbarless towing truck having front and rear wheels, and a section for receiving undercarriage wheels of an aircraft, the said section being located on a side of the towing truck between the front and rear wheels.
In that way, the towing truck may be increased in length but no increase in width is required to accommodate additional wheels.
Preferably the wheels of the towing truck can turn through an angle in order to enable the truck to be driven in a direction transverse to the fore-and-aft direction. In that way the towing truck is particularly manoeuvrable. The wheels of the towing truck preferably turn through an angle of at least 90°.
Preferably the section for receiving the undercarriage wheels is arranged such that the undercarriage wheels will lie, in use, substantially inboard of front and rear wheels of the vehicle. The section for receiving the undercarriage wheels may extend from one side of the towing truck towards the other beyond the centre of the towing truck.
Conveniently the said section for receiving the undercarriage wheels is in the form of a recess. The recess may be open towards said one side for receiving the undercarriage wheels.
Preferably the said section of the towing truck has or is capable of receiving three or more undercarriage wheels.
A towbarless towing truck in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Fig 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a towbarless towing truck in accordance with the invention indicating a longitudinal direction of travel relative to an aircraft nosewheels;
Fig 2 is a view similar to Fig 1 indicating a transverse direction of travel relative to the aircraft nosewheels; and
Fig 3 is a view similar to that of Figs 1 and 2 showing the nosewheels in position on the towing truck.
Looking at Fig 1, a towing truck 10 comprises an elongate chassis or body 12 having sets of front and rear wheels 14, 16 respectively. The wheels 14, 16 are steerable by a suitable mechanism (not shown) which enables the wheels to be steered through 90 degrees (see Fig 2). Both sets of wheels 14, 16 are drivable.
The chassis 12 is shaped on one side 13 of the towing truck 10 between the front and rear wheels 14, 16 to define a recess 18. The recess 18 is open towards the side 13 and a ramp 20 is supported by the chassis 12 to form a bottom surface for the recess 18. It will be noted that the recess 18 extends from the side 13 of the towing truck 10 towards the opposite side and across a central longitudinal axis A of the towing truck 10.
An undercarriage loading mechanism (not shown) is carried by the towing truck 10 at a position adjacent the recess 18. The loading mechanism is normally powered by hydraulics on the towing truck 10 and is similar to the kind used in known towing trucks which load from the rear.
The undercarriage is indicated at 22 and comprises four aircraft nosewheels 24 arranged two each side of an undercarriage strut 26.
In use, the elongate towing truck 10 is driven normally in the fore-and-aft direction indicated by the arrow L in Fig 1 towards the aircraft undercarriage 22. The driver positions the towing truck 10 so that the recess 18 aligns with the nosewheels 24 and the driver then turns the front and rear wheels 14, 16 through 90 degrees into the position shown in Fig 2. The truck can then be driven sideways if necessary in the direction of the arrow T to move the truck 10 closer to the nosewheels 24. The hydraulic loading mechanism is then operated to pull and lift the nosewheels 24 on to the ramp 20 as shown in Fig 3. It will be noted from the position of the strut 26 that the load carried by the nosewheels 24 acts on the ramp 20 at a position inboard of the front and rear wheels 14, 16. The loading mechanism secures the nosewheels 24 in place on the towing truck 10 and the towing truck can then tow the aircraft, for example, in the direction of the arrow R in Fig 3. If desired, the wheels 14, 16 can be steered so that the towing truck 10 can be driven in a direction between the fore- and-aft and transverse directions. In that way, the towing truck 10 is easily manoeuvrable. It will be appreciated that the towbarless towing truck 10 in accordance with the invention will enable extra nosewheels 24 to be accommodated without the need to increase the width of the towing truck 10.

Claims

Claims
1. A towbarless towing truck having front and rear wheels, and a body having a section for receiving undercarriage wheels of an aircraft, the said section being located on a side of the body between the front and rear wheels.
2. A towbarless towing truck according to Claim 1, in which the wheels of the towing truck can turn through an angle in order to enable the truck to be driven in a direction transverse to the fore-and-aft direction.
3. A towbarless towing truck according to Claim 2, in which the wheels of the towing truck turn through an angle of at least 90°.
4. A towbarless towing truck according to any preceding claim in which the section for receiving the undercarriage wheels is arranged such that the undercarriage wheels will lie, in use, substantially inboard of front and rear wheels of the towing truck.
5. A towbarless towing truck according to any preceding claim in which the section for receiving the undercarriage wheels extends from one side of the towing truck towards the other beyond the centre of the towing truck.
6. A towbarless towing truck according to any preceding claim in which the section is a recess in the body.
7. A towbarless towing truck according to Claim 6 in which the recess is open towards said one side of the body for receiving the undercarriage wheels.
8. A towbarless towing truck according to any preceding claim having a said section capable of receiving three or more undercarriage wheels therein.
EP99956195A 1998-11-28 1999-11-24 Towbarless towing truck Ceased EP1133433A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB9825998.9A GB9825998D0 (en) 1998-11-28 1998-11-28 Towbarless towing truck
GB9825998 1998-11-28
PCT/GB1999/003904 WO2000032471A1 (en) 1998-11-28 1999-11-24 Towbarless towing truck

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1133433A1 true EP1133433A1 (en) 2001-09-19

Family

ID=10843148

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP99956195A Ceased EP1133433A1 (en) 1998-11-28 1999-11-24 Towbarless towing truck

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1133433A1 (en)
AU (1) AU1283900A (en)
CA (1) CA2352311A1 (en)
GB (1) GB9825998D0 (en)
WO (1) WO2000032471A1 (en)

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1028892B (en) * 1956-05-29 1958-04-24 Walter Lange Transport trolley for picking up damaged wheel sets from aircraft
EP0153378B1 (en) * 1983-08-18 1987-11-04 BRUUN, Svend Aage Johan Method and tractor for towing aeroplanes
DE3534045A1 (en) * 1985-09-24 1987-04-16 Krauss Maffei Ag Towing vehicle for the manoeuvring of aircraft
US5709520A (en) * 1996-01-26 1998-01-20 Pish; Paul J. Portable wheel dolly

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO0032471A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB9825998D0 (en) 1999-01-20
WO2000032471A1 (en) 2000-06-08
CA2352311A1 (en) 2000-06-08
AU1283900A (en) 2000-06-19

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