JP2001080407A - Tractor for airplane - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To pull an airplane easily in a short time. SOLUTION: In a tractor 1 for pulling an airplane while lifting its front wheel, plural running wheels 35a, 36a, and a wheel lift 9 for lifting the front wheel of the airplane taken in a wheel take in part 7 are provided on a vehicular main body 4, and an opening 8 for taking in the front wheel of the airplane from one outside of the vehicular main body 4 to the wheel take in part 7 is formed on right/left sides of the vehicular main body 4, and the wheel direction changing device for changing the wheel direction of plural running wheels 35a, 36a from the front/rear direction A (vertical running direction) to right/left direction B (horizontal running direction) is provided on the vehicular main body 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to
The present invention relates to an aircraft towing vehicle used for towing an aircraft or pushing it from a pickup deck to a taxiway.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this kind of towing vehicle for an aircraft, for example, there is one shown in FIGS. That is, the vehicle main body 71 is provided with a pair of front and rear running wheels 72 and a pair of rear running wheels 73, respectively, and the towing vehicle 74 is configured to be able to run via these running wheels 72 and 73. A driver's cab 75 is provided at a front portion of the vehicle main body 71, and a vehicle body frame 76 having a U shape in a plan view is provided at a rear portion of the vehicle main body 71.

At the center of the body frame 76, a wheel take-in portion 77 for taking in the front wheels 3 of the aircraft 2 and a wheel lifting device 78 for lifting the front wheels 3 of the aircraft 2 taken into the wheel take-up portions 77 are provided. Is provided. At the rear end of the vehicle body frame 76, an intake opening 79 is formed to allow the front wheels 3 of the aircraft 2 to enter and exit the wheel intake portion 77 from behind the vehicle body 71.

According to this, when towing the aircraft 2,
As shown in FIG. 16, the towing vehicle 74 travels, passes by the side of the front wheel 3 of the aircraft 2, and temporarily advances to the front of the aircraft 2. Thereafter, the towing vehicle 74 is moved backward, and the front wheels 3 of the aircraft 2 are taken into the wheel taking-in portion 77 from the taking-in opening 79. Then, the front wheel 3 of the aircraft 2 is lifted by the wheel lifting device 78 and the towing vehicle 74 is moved forward to tow the aircraft 2.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional type, when the aircraft 2 is towed, the towing vehicle 74 is used.
Is temporarily advanced to the front of the aircraft 2 and then moved backward to take the front wheel 3 of the aircraft 2 from the intake opening 79 to the wheel intake 77.
The problem is that the towing work is time-consuming because it has to be taken into the vehicle. Further, it is necessary to secure a large space S for towing work in front of the aircraft 2, but if there is a building such as a pick-up deck, such a pick-up deck will obstruct the space S. Another problem was that it was difficult to do so.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an aircraft towing vehicle capable of performing an aircraft towing operation easily and in a short time.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aircraft towing vehicle for lifting an aircraft wheel, wherein the vehicle body includes a plurality of traveling vehicles. A wheel, a wheel take-in portion for taking in the wheels of the aircraft, and a wheel lifting device for lifting the wheels of the aircraft taken in by the wheel take-in portion are provided. An intake opening for taking in the wheels of the aircraft from one side outside to the wheel intake portion is formed, and the direction of the plurality of traveling wheels is set in the vehicle body in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction. A wheel turning device for switching is provided.

[0008] According to this, the towing vehicle is made to travel forward and is stopped at one of the left and right sides of the wheel of the aircraft. Thereafter, the towing vehicle is caused to travel in the left-right direction while the direction of the running wheels is switched from the front-rear direction to the left-right direction by the wheel turning device, and the wheels of the aircraft are taken into the wheel taking-in portion from the intake opening. Then, the wheels of the aircraft are lifted by the wheel lifting device. Then, the direction of the running wheels is switched from the left-right direction to the front-rear direction by the wheel turning device, and the aircraft is towed or pushed by moving the towing vehicle forward or backward (longitudinal traveling).

The towing vehicle for an aircraft according to the second aspect of the present invention comprises:
A driver's cab is provided at a front portion of the vehicle body, and a C-shaped frame is formed at a rear portion of the vehicle body. Is provided at the center of the.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes an aircraft tow vehicle that lifts and tow the front wheels 3 of the aircraft 2 at an airport or the like. A driver's cab 5 is provided at the front of the vehicle body 4 of the towing vehicle 1, and a C-shaped body frame 6 is provided at the rear of the vehicle body 4 in plan view.

A wheel take-in portion 7 for taking in the front wheels 3 of the aircraft 2 is formed at the center of the body frame 6. Intake opening 8 for taking in front wheel 3 of aircraft 2 into section 7
Are formed. The body frame 6 includes a front frame portion 6a, a rear frame portion 6b, and a side frame portion 6c provided between the left and right sides of the front and rear frame portions 6a and 6b. .

The wheel intake unit 7 is provided with a wheel lifting device 9 for lifting the front wheels 3 of the aircraft 2 incorporated in the wheel intake unit 7. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the wheel lifting device 9 includes a wheel holder 44 for holding the front wheel 3 of the aircraft 2, and a pair of front and rear members for attaching the wheel holder 44 to the body frame 6 so as to be able to move up and down. A parallel link mechanism 45;
It comprises a pair of front and rear lift cylinder devices 46 for raising and lowering the wheel holder 44.

The wheel holder 44 has a pair of front and rear support members 44a and 44b that are bifurcated, and the front wheel 3 of the aircraft 2 is supported and lifted between the two support members 44a and 44b. The parallel link mechanism 45 includes an upper link 45a and a lower link 45b, respectively.
One end of each of the upper and lower links 45a, 45b is vertically rotatably connected to the side frame portion 6c of the vehicle body frame 6, and the other end of each of the upper and lower links 45a, 45b is vertically rotatably connected to the wheel holder 44. Have been. The cylinder body 46a of each of the lift cylinder devices 46 is vertically rotatably mounted on the side frame portion 6c, and each of the piston rods 46b is vertically rotatably connected to the wheel holder 44.

Further, the front frame portion 6 of the body frame 6
a and the rear frame portion 6b, respectively,
Is provided with a shock absorber 47 that absorbs an impact when the vehicle swings in the front-rear direction A. The shock absorber 47 is formed of an elastic body such as rubber. As shown in FIG. 8, the vehicle body 4 has the front and rear running wheels 35a, 35b, 36a and 36b and the front running wheels 35a and 35b oriented in the front-rear direction A and the front-rear direction A as shown in FIG. And a rear wheel turning device 38 for switching the direction of the rear running wheels 36a, 36b to the front-rear direction A and the left-right direction B orthogonal to the front-rear direction A. Are provided.

The front wheel turning device 37 has the following configuration. That is, as shown in FIGS.
At the front of the body frame 6, a pair of left and right rotating shafts 11a and 11b are provided via bearings (not shown) provided inside the housings 12a and 12b. . Axle frames 13a, 13b are provided below the rotating shafts 11a, 11b, respectively, and the front running wheels 35a, 35b are driving wheels rotatably supported on both sides of the axle frames 13a, 13b, respectively. 14 and the idler wheel 15 constitute a double tire type. The drive wheels 14 are each axle frame 13
a and 13b are rotationally driven by a hydraulic motor 16 provided therein.

Knuckle arms 17a, 17b are provided at the upper ends of the two rotating shafts 11a, 11b, respectively. Of these, the free end of the left knuckle arm 17a is directed forward from the rotary shaft 11a, and the free end of the right knuckle arm 17b is directed rearward from the rotary shaft 11b. A pair of left and right rotating arms 18a, 18b is provided at a central front portion between the rotating shafts 11a, 11b. The left pivot arm 18a is provided at the left end of a mounting bracket 19 provided on the vehicle body frame 6 at a fulcrum 2.
It is attached so as to be rotatable in the left-right direction about 0. Further, the right rotating arm 18b is attached to the right end of the mounting bracket 19 so as to be rotatable left and right about the fulcrum 21, and both ends are free ends. The free end of the left turning arm 18a is directed rearward from the fulcrum 20, and the front free end of the right turning arm 18b is directed forward from the fulcrum 21.

Between the free end of the left rotating arm 18a and the free end of the right knuckle arm 17b, a hydraulic pressure capable of switching the front right traveling wheel 35b between the front-rear direction A and the left-right direction B is provided. The first travel switching cylinder 22 of the type is connected. The piston rod 2 of the first travel switching cylinder 22
3 is connected to the free end of the right knuckle arm 17b, and the main body 24 of the first travel switching cylinder 22 is connected to the free end of the left rotating arm 18a.

Between the free end of the front portion of the right rotating arm 18b and the free end of the left knuckle arm 17a, the front left traveling wheel 35a is moved in the front-rear direction A and the left-right direction B. Is connected to a hydraulic second travel switching cylinder 25 that can be switched. The tip of the piston rod 26 of the second travel switching cylinder 25 is connected to the free end of the left knuckle arm 17a,
Reference numeral 7 is connected to the front free end of the right-hand rotary arm 18b.

Between the free end of the left turning arm 18a and the rear free end of the right turning arm 18b, there is provided a link 28 for turning the turning arms 18a and 18b in the same direction. Are linked. Further, the body frame 6 is provided with a steering cylinder 29 for turning the left turning arm 18a to steer the left and right traveling wheels 35a, 35b. This steering cylinder 2
The tip of the piston rod 30 at the left is the left rotating arm 18
a to the free end.

As shown in FIG. 8, the rear wheel turning device 37 is connected to the front wheel turning device 37 by 180 degrees.
It is arranged in a state in which the right and left are turned by half a turn, and the configuration is the same as that of the above-mentioned front wheel turning device 37. The cab 5 has a switching lever 33 that can be switched between a longitudinal traveling position and a traversing traveling position.
A steering handle 34 is provided. When the switching lever 33 is switched to the longitudinal traveling position, the front wheel turning device 37 and the rear wheel turning device 38 are provided.
Are configured to operate in conjunction with the steering handle 34. When the switching lever 33 is switched to the traverse traveling position, each steering cylinder 29 is disconnected from the steering handle 34, and the second traveling switching cylinder 25 of the front wheel reversing device 37 and the rear wheel reversing device. The first travel switching cylinder 22 and the first travel switching cylinder 22 are configured to interlock with the steering handle 34, respectively. Also, front and rear wheel turning devices 37, 3
The first and second travel switching cylinders 22 and 25 of FIG. 8 are operated in conjunction with the switching lever 33.

Next, the running wheels 35a, 35b, 36a, 3 by the front and rear wheel turning devices 37, 38 will be described.
The turning operation of 6b will be described. When turning the towing vehicle 1 rightward in the longitudinal traveling in the front-rear direction A as shown in FIG. 8, by turning the steering handle 34 clockwise, as shown in FIG. The piston rod 30 of the steering cylinder 29 of the wheel turning device 37 extends, the left turning arm 18a rotates clockwise around the fulcrum 20, and the right turning arm 18b
Rotates clockwise around the fulcrum 21.

For this reason, the right knuckle arm 17b rotates clockwise through the first travel switching cylinder 22 in conjunction with the left rotation arm 18a, and The left knuckle arm 17a also rotates clockwise in conjunction with the right rotation arm 18b. Accordingly, the pair of left and right front rotating shafts 11a and 11b both rotate clockwise, so that both front wheels 35a and 35b are steered to the right.

Simultaneously with the operation of the front wheel turning device 37 described above, the piston rod 30 of the steering cylinder 29 of the rear wheel turning device 38 is shortened, and the movement opposite to that of the front wheel turning device 37 is performed. Rear wheels 36a, 36b
Is steered to the left. Thereby, as shown in FIG.
The towing vehicle 1 can make a right turn with a small turning radius by a four-wheel steering system. At this time, each first travel switching cylinder 2
The second piston rod 23 and the piston rod 26 of the second travel switching cylinder 25 are fixed respectively.

Contrary to the above, when the vehicle 1 is to be turned left in a longitudinal traveling, the steering rod 34 is turned counterclockwise to shorten the piston rod 30 of the steering cylinder 29 of the front wheel turning device 37. Steering cylinder 29 of rear wheel turning device 38
, The front wheels 35a, 35b are steered to the left and the rear wheels 36a, 36b are steered to the right, as shown in FIG. In this case as well, the piston rod 23 of the first travel switching cylinder 22 and the piston rod 26 of the second travel switching cylinder 25
And are respectively fixed.

When the vehicle 1 is switched from longitudinal traveling in the front-rear direction A to transverse traveling in the left-right direction B as shown in FIG. 8, the steering handle 34 is first returned to its original position as shown in FIG. Both front wheels 35a, 35b and both rear wheels 36a,
36b are directed in the front-rear direction A, respectively. Then, FIG.
By switching the switching lever 33 from the longitudinal traveling position to the transverse traveling position, the piston rod 23 of the first traveling switching cylinder 22 of the front wheel turning device 37 extends to the rod end as shown in FIG. Rotary axis 1
1b is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise through the knuckle arm 17b.
Therefore, the right front wheel 35b is turned 90 degrees counterclockwise to switch from the front-rear direction A to the left-right direction B. At the same time, the piston rod 26 of the second travel switching cylinder 25 is shortened, and the left rotating shaft 11a rotates 90 degrees clockwise via the knuckle arm 17a, so that the left front wheel 35a is turned 90 degrees clockwise. Thus, the direction A is switched from the front-back direction A to the left-right direction B. When the left front wheel 35a is switched to the position in the left-right direction B, a detector (not shown) detects the left front wheel 35a, and the operation of the second travel switching cylinder 25 is stopped.

At the same time, the piston rod 23 of the first travel switching cylinder 22 of the rear wheel turning device 38 extends to the rod end, and the piston rod 26 of the second travel switching cylinder 25 is shortened. The rear wheels 36a and 36b are switched from the front-back direction A to the left-right direction B. Thereby, as shown in FIG.
5a, 35b, 36a, and 36b are switched from the front-rear direction A to the left-right direction B, and the towing vehicle 1 can travel laterally in the left-right direction B.

Further, as shown in the figure, when the steering wheel 34 is switched to the left and right direction B, the steering wheel 34 is rotated, so that the second travel switching cylinder 25 of the front wheel turning device 37 is linked with the steering handle 34. Then, the first traveling switching cylinder 22 of the rear wheel turning device 38 is operated, and both the left front wheel 35a and the left rear wheel 36a can be turned in the same direction. Thereby, it is also possible to change the traveling direction of the towing vehicle 1 little by little while traversing in the left-right direction B.

The front wheels 35a and 35b and the rear wheels 36
When the a and 36b are returned from the left-right direction B to the front-rear direction A, the switching lever 33 is switched from the transverse traveling position to the longitudinal traveling position, whereby the front wheel turning device 37 and the rear wheel turning device 38 are switched. The first travel switching cylinder 22 and the second travel switching cylinder 25 operate in reverse.
As shown in FIG. 8, both front wheels 35a and 35b and both rear wheels 36
a, 36b are returned in the front-back direction A.

The procedure for towing the aircraft 2 using the towing vehicle 1 will be described below. First, with the switching lever 33 switched to the longitudinal traveling position, the steering handle 34 is operated to move the towing vehicle 1 forward as shown by the solid line in FIG. Stop. Thereafter, by switching the switching lever 33 from the longitudinal traveling position to the transverse traveling position, as shown in FIG. 14, each traveling wheel 35a, 35b, 36a, 36
b is switched from the front-rear direction A to the left-right direction B, so that the towing vehicle 1 can travel in the left-right direction B.

In this state, as shown by a virtual line in FIG.
The towing vehicle 1 is caused to travel left and right one side (in the direction of arrow C),
The front wheel 3 of the aircraft 2 is moved from the intake opening 8 to the wheel intake 7
And is located between the support members 44a and 44b of the wheel holder 44 as shown in FIGS. Then, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, by extending the piston rod 46 b of the lift cylinder device 46 of the wheel lifting device 9 to raise the wheel holder 44, the aircraft 2
Is lifted. Then, by switching the switching lever 33 from the traverse traveling position to the longitudinal traveling position, as shown in FIG. 8, each traveling wheel 35a,
35b, 36a, and 36b are switched from the left-right direction B to the front-rear direction A, and the towing vehicle 1 can travel longitudinally in the front-rear direction A.

In this state, while the towing vehicle 1 is traveling forward or backward, the steering handle 3
4 is operated to turn the towing vehicle 1 left and right, and the aircraft 2 is towed to the destination. Thereafter, the towing vehicle 1 is stopped, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the piston rod 46b of the lift cylinder device 46 is shortened so that the wheel holder 4
4 lowers the front wheels 3 of the aircraft 2 to the ground. Then, by switching the switching lever 33 from the longitudinal traveling position to the transverse traveling position, as shown in FIG. 14, each traveling wheel 35a, 35b, 36
The positions a and b are switched from the front-rear direction A to the left-right direction B, and the towing vehicle 1 can travel in the left-right direction B. In this state, as shown by a solid line in FIG.
The towing vehicle 1 moves away from the intake opening 8 to the side of the front wheel 3 of the aircraft 2.

After the towing of the aircraft 2 is completed in this way, the switching lever 33 is switched from the traverse traveling position to the longitudinal traveling position, and as shown in FIG.
Can be traversed longitudinally in the front-rear direction A, and while the towing vehicle 1 is traveling forward (or may be traveling backward), the steering handle 34 is operated as necessary, and the towing vehicle 1 is operated.
Is evacuated from the aircraft 2.

As described above, the towing vehicle 1 is configured to be capable of traveling in a transverse direction (traveling in the left-right direction B), and the front wheel 3 of the aircraft 2 can be taken in from one side, as shown in FIG. When the aircraft 2 is towed, the towing operation can be performed from one of the left and right sides of the front wheel 3 of the aircraft 2, and it is not necessary to cause the towing vehicle to travel forward to the front of the aircraft 2 once as in the related art. As a result, the towing operation can be performed easily and in a short time, and further, since there is no need to secure a special space for towing operation in front of the aircraft 2, a building such as a shuttle deck is provided in front of the aircraft 2. Even if present, such a transfer deck or the like does not interfere.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention, after the towing vehicle is moved forward and stopped on one side of the wheels of the aircraft,
With the direction of the running wheels switched from the front-rear direction to the left-right direction by the wheel turning device, the towing vehicle is caused to travel laterally in the left-right direction, and the wheels of the aircraft are taken into the wheel taking-in portion from the intake opening. Then, the wheels of the aircraft are lifted by the wheel lifting device. Then, the direction of the running wheels is switched from the left-right direction to the front-rear direction by the wheel turning device, and the towing vehicle is driven forward or backward (longitudinal running) to tow or push the aircraft. With this, when towing the aircraft, towing work can be performed from one side of the left and right sides of the aircraft's wheels,
It is not necessary to make the towing vehicle run forward to the front of the aircraft once as in the related art. Therefore, the towing operation can be performed easily and in a short time, and there is no need to secure a wide special space for towing operation in front of the aircraft.

Further, even after the towing vehicle has been separated from the aircraft wheels, the towing vehicle can be moved to one side of the aircraft wheels, so that the towing vehicle does not obstruct the front of the aircraft. The departure of the aircraft is possible in a shorter time than in a conventional towing vehicle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a towing vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a procedure for towing an aircraft using the towing vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the wheel lifting device of the towing vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a view taken in the direction of arrows XX in FIG. 3, showing a state in which a front wheel of the aircraft is lowered to the ground.

5 is a view taken in the direction of arrows XX in FIG. 3, showing a state in which a front wheel of the aircraft is lifted from the ground.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the towing vehicle, showing a state where a front wheel of the aircraft is lowered to the ground.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the towing vehicle, showing a state where a front wheel of the aircraft is lifted from the ground.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the front and rear wheel turning devices of the towing vehicle.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a traveling wheel mounting portion of the towing vehicle.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the wheel turning device at the front of the towing vehicle, showing a state of right turn in longitudinal traveling.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the towing vehicle at the time of a right turn in longitudinal traveling.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the towing vehicle at the time of turning left in longitudinal traveling.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the wheel turning device at the front of the towing vehicle, showing a state during traversing.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the towing vehicle at the time of traversing.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a conventional towing vehicle.

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing a procedure for towing an aircraft using a conventional towing vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Towing vehicle 2 Aircraft 3 Front wheel (wheel) 4 Vehicle main body 5 Operator's cab 6 Body frame 7 Wheel take-in part 8 Take-in opening 9 Wheel lifting device 35a, 35b, 36a, 36b Running wheel 37, 38 Wheel turning Device A Front-back direction B Left-right direction

Claims (2)

[Claims] Claims 1. An aircraft towing vehicle for lifting and towing an aircraft wheel, comprising a vehicle body, a plurality of traveling wheels, a wheel intake section for receiving the aircraft wheel, and an intake port for the wheel intake section. A wheel lifting device for lifting the wheel of the aircraft is provided, on one of the left and right sides of the vehicle body,
An intake opening for taking in the wheel of the aircraft from one side outside of the vehicle body to the wheel intake portion is formed, and the vehicle body includes:
An aircraft towing vehicle, comprising: a wheel turning device that switches a direction of a plurality of traveling wheels between a front-rear direction and a left-right direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction. 2. A driver's cab is provided at a front portion of the vehicle body, and a C-shaped frame is formed at a rear portion of the vehicle body. 2. The towing vehicle for an aircraft according to claim 1, wherein a recessed portion is provided at a central portion of the frame.