JPH04328098A - Aircraft towing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure large braking power at the time of traction by providing an electrically-operated servomotor, connected to a mechanical transmitting device for actuating a power brake valve, in an aircraft side, so that a servo amplifier, provided in a tractor side, can be electrically connected to this servomotor. CONSTITUTION:In the case of application to an aircraft having a mechanical brake operational system, in addition to cables 24 connected to and branched from operational cables 22 of a brake system in an airframe side, an electrically- operated servomotor 23 is mounted to a point of these cables 24, in the airframe side. On the other hand, a position transducer 3 is provided in the vicinity of a brake pedal in a tractor 1 thus to generate an electric signal in accordance with a brake step-in margin of the tractor, so that power can be supplied to the electrically-operated servomotor 23 in the airframe side through a servo amplifier 4 and wires 7, 11. This electrically-operated servomotor 23 is constituted such that a clutch is connected in the point of time connecting the tractor 1 to airframe wiring, and a brake in the airframe side is applied by power of this electrically-operated servomotor 23.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an aircraft towing system comprising an aircraft and a towing vehicle.

0002

[Prior Art] When an aircraft is moved for maintenance, etc., the nose gear of the aircraft is towed by a tow bar attached to a towing vehicle (
(see FIG. 3), or the front legs are placed on a towing vehicle, the front legs or front leg tires are secured by a lashing mechanism, and the vehicle is towed by the towing vehicle (see FIG. 4). Further, even at a large airport where large aircraft take off and land, if the terminal is close to the runway takeoff point, the main engine is stopped to save fuel and a low-speed taxi is performed using one of the above-mentioned towing methods. In this case, there is no particular problem in terms of operation or time loss.

[0003] At a large airport where large aircraft take off and land, when the main engine is shut down to save fuel and travel a long distance to the runway near the takeoff point, both the operation side and the air traffic control side who want to move the aircraft quickly. Furthermore, it is necessary to taxi at high speed in order to prevent passengers from getting bored.

[0004] If the aircraft is large, the braking ability of the towing vehicle alone is insufficient, and as the taxi speeds up, the stopping distance increases when stopping from a high speed, which is insufficient in terms of operational safety. Therefore, sufficient braking ability is required even when braking from high speed. Incidentally, when decelerating a large jumbo-class aircraft of approximately 380 TON using only a towing vehicle of approximately 70 TON, if the deceleration of both is approximately 0.07 G, the stopping distance from 30 km/h will be approximately 70 m (approximately 1 However, the same distance from 60km/h is approximately 28km/h.
It is estimated that the distance is 0m (approximately 4 pilots), which is too long for a stopping distance from a taxi, and furthermore, it cannot be said to be sufficient for operational safety when there is fog or the airport is crowded.

[0005]

In the prior art, the braking force was insufficient, resulting in safety problems, and it was not possible to move the aircraft at high speed on the ground.

The present invention aims to provide an aircraft towing system that can perform sufficient braking to ensure safety during high-speed movement of an aircraft on the ground.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has solved the above problems and relates to an aircraft towing system having the following features. (1) A hydraulic power source driven by an auxiliary power device, a mechanical transmission device that transmits the force applied to the brake pedal on the aircraft side to the power brake valve via a link, cable, etc. to operate the power brake valve, and the power brake valve. In an aircraft towing system in which an aircraft is towed by a towing vehicle, the aircraft is equipped with a hydraulic transmission device that transmits hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic power source to operate the main wheel brakes of the aircraft when activated, and the mechanical transmission device is connected to the mechanical transmission device on the aircraft side. An electric servo motor is connected to drive the electric servo motor, and a position transducer that converts the displacement of the brake pedal on the towing vehicle side into an electric signal and a servo amplifier that converts the electric signal into electric power are provided on the towing vehicle side. Sometimes, the electric servo motor on the aircraft side and the servo amplifier on the towing vehicle were connected by wiring. (2) The hydraulic power source driven by the auxiliary power unit responds to the displacement of the brake pedal on the fuselage side via a transducer that converts the displacement of the brake pedal on the fuselage side into an electrical signal and a servo amplifier on the fuselage side that converts the electric signal into electric power. an electric transmission device that drives a servo valve of the power brake valve to operate the power brake valve; and a hydraulic transmission device that transmits the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic source to operate the main wheel brakes of the aircraft when the power brake valve is activated. In an aircraft towing system in which an aircraft equipped with a device is towed by a towing vehicle, the towing vehicle is equipped with a position transducer that converts the displacement of the brake pedal on the towing vehicle into an electrical signal, and a servo amplifier that converts the electrical signal into electric power. , and the servo amplifier on the aircraft side and the servo amplifier on the tow vehicle side are connected by wiring during towing.

[0008]

[Operation] Large aircraft usually use power brakes (a means of amplifying human power input using hydraulic pressure). In this system, when towing the aircraft, the auxiliary power unit of the aircraft is activated to enable the use of the power brake.

In the present invention, by adding a device to the aircraft side brake operation system that synchronizes and interlocks with the brake pedal of the tow vehicle, the tow vehicle can travel at high speed, and in the event that a sudden stop is necessary, the tow vehicle At the same time, the main wheel brakes on the aircraft side can also be applied, providing safe braking capability for operational safety.

[0010] In addition, with respect to the target high-speed taxi speed, the front and rear, left and right direction should be adjusted under various conditions, such as the mass combination of the towing vehicle and the aircraft, and the method of towing the towing vehicle's nose gear (using a tow bar or securing the nose leg). It is necessary to suppress the coupled vertical vibration to an allowable level, and the goal of synchronization level is to adjust the mutual braking force in advance so that the difference in braking force between the aircraft and the towing vehicle does not affect the fatigue load on the nose gear. I'll keep it.

[0011]

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is an example of moving an aircraft using a tow bar. In the figure, 1 is the towing vehicle, 2 is the brake system of the towing vehicle, 3 is the position transducer connected to the brake of the towing vehicle, 4 is the servo amplifier connected to the position transducer, and 5 is the towing vehicle 1 and the nose gear of the aircraft. 6 is a shear pin attached to the connecting portion between the tow bar 5 and the nose landing gear, 7 is a tow vehicle side wiring connected to the servo amplifier 4, 8 is a connector, 9 is a front tire of the aircraft, 10 11 is the aircraft fuselage side wiring, 12 is the aircraft fuselage, 13 is the brake pedal provided in the cockpit of the aircraft, 14 is the power brake valve, 15 is the main wheel brake of the aircraft, and 16 is the hydraulic power source. , 17 is an AC motor, 18 is an APU (auxiliary power unit), 19 is the main landing gear of the aircraft, 20 is a pipe connected to the power brake valve 14, and 21 is connected from the end of the pipe to each main wheel brake 15. A hose, 22 is a brake operation cable interposed between the brake pedal 13 and the power brake valve 14, 23 is an electric servo motor connected to the body side wiring 11, and 24 is a connection between the electric servo motor 23 and the brake operation cable. This is a synchronization cable interposed between the cable.

This embodiment shows a case where an aircraft has a mechanical brake operation system. A branched cable 24 is added to the fuselage side, which is connected to the operating cable 22 of the brake system on the fuselage side, and an electric servo motor 23 is attached to the end of this cable. On the other hand, a position transducer 3 or the like is used near the brake pedal of the towing vehicle 1 to convert the brake pedal distance of the towing vehicle into an electric signal corresponding to the amount, and the signal is transmitted via the servo amplifier 4 and wiring 7, 11 on the towing vehicle. Electric power is supplied to the electric servo motor 23 on the body side according to the stepping distance of the towing vehicle. The clutch of this electric servo motor is engaged when the wiring between the towing vehicle and the aircraft body is connected, and the clutch is released when the wiring between the two is disconnected. Therefore, when there is no towing vehicle such as when landing, servo motor 2
3 has no power and the clutch is disengaged, allowing the pilot to perform normal braking operations. Further, the gain of the servo amplifier 4 can be adjusted depending on the number of passengers and the weight of the vehicle loaded.

Instead of stopping all main engines, the APU 18 is activated (or one main engine is idling) to secure the hydraulic power source for the brake system, and the hydraulic power source 16 is driven via the AC motor 17 etc. to perform the power brake. Send hydraulic pressure to 14. While being towed by a towing vehicle, the brake pedal on the aircraft side shall not be depressed, and the input from the brake pedal of the towing vehicle is transmitted to the power brake valve 14 via the electric servo motor 23.
The brake pressure is transmitted to the input section of the brake system and amplified by the above-mentioned hydraulic power source, and this is sent to the wheel brakes 15 of the main landing gear 19 on the fuselage side, thereby applying the brakes to the fuselage at the same time as the brake system 2 of the tow vehicle. It looks like this.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the towing vehicle operator depresses the brake pedal of the towing vehicle, the towing vehicle's brake system 2 is actuated and at the same time the position transducer 3, servo amplifier 4, connector 8, and Servo motor 23, aircraft side brake operation cables 24, 22
The power brake valve 14 is actuated via the hydraulic pressure 16 on the aircraft side, and the main wheel brakes 15 of the aircraft can be applied at the same time.

[0015] The pilot of the aircraft can apply the brakes to the aircraft just in case. That is, since the tow bar has the snap pin 6, it can be cut off at such times to ensure safety. However, from the pilot's seat, the area below the fuselage cannot be seen and the ground situation below the aircraft cannot be seen, so as a general rule, the towing vehicle operator has the right to brake the ground taxi. The taxiway should be flat, and the driver's seat should be able to see far enough from the vantage point of the tow vehicle and be able to see the wingtips and the rear of the aircraft even if it passes an oncoming aircraft.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment shows a so-called nose leg locking system in which the front tires of an aircraft are placed and fixed on a towing vehicle 1 to tow the aircraft. Additionally, the illustrated aircraft is of a type in which brake operations are transmitted by electrical signals. In the figure, the parts numbered 1 to 21 have the same names as the corresponding parts in FIG. 1, so the explanation will be omitted. however,
Since this embodiment is of the front leg locking type as described above, there is nothing corresponding to the numbers 5 (tow bar) and 6 (shear pin) in FIG. 1. 25 is a position transducer connected to the brake pedal of the aircraft, 26 is a signal wiring connected to the transducer, 27 is a servo amplifier on the aircraft side connected to the signal wiring, 28 is a signal wiring connected to the servo amplifier, 29 is the same wiring 28 It is a servo valve related to.

Since the aircraft in this embodiment uses the power brake valve 14 that is directly connected to the servo valve 29, the electrical signal of the brake pedal distance of the tow vehicle is transmitted from the aircraft wiring 11 after the connector 8 to the aircraft servo amplifier 27. is input to this servo valve 29, so when the towing vehicle operator depresses the brake pedal, the fuselage main wheel brakes 15 can be applied at the same time, as in the first embodiment.

[0018]

[Effects of the Invention] The aircraft towing system of the present invention is provided with a device that connects the brake pedal on the towing vehicle side to the brake operating system on the aircraft body side and operates the main wheel brakes of the aircraft. It sometimes has a large braking capacity, allowing safe high-speed towing movement.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a towing situation using a tow bar by a conventional towing vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a front leg securing type towing situation by a conventional towing vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Towing vehicle 2 Towing vehicle brake system 3 position transducer 4 Servo amplifier 5 Tow bar 6 Shear pin 7 Tractor side wiring 8 Connector 9 Front tire 10 Front legs 11　Aircraft side wiring 12 Aircraft (aircraft) 13 Brake pedal 14 Power brake valve 15 Main wheel brake 16 Hydraulic source 17 AC motor 18 APU 19 Main landing gear 20 Piping 21 Hose 22 Brake operation cable 23 Electric servo motor 24 Synchronization cable 25 position transducer 26 Signal wiring 27 Aircraft side servo amplifier 28 Signal wiring 29 Servo valve

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claims: 1. A hydraulic power source driven by an auxiliary power device, a mechanical transmission device that transmits the pedal force applied to the brake pedal on the aircraft side to the power brake valve via a link, a cable, etc. to operate the power brake valve, and the above-mentioned power source. In an aircraft towing system for towing an aircraft with a towing vehicle, the aircraft is equipped with a hydraulic transmission device that transmits the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic source to operate the main wheel brakes of the aircraft when a brake valve is activated, and the mechanical transmission is provided on the aircraft side. An electric servo motor connected to the device to drive it is provided, and a position transducer that converts the displacement of the brake pedal on the tow vehicle side into an electric signal and a servo amplifier that converts the electric signal into electric power are provided on the tow vehicle side, An aircraft towing system characterized in that, during towing, an electric servo motor on the aircraft side and a servo amplifier on the tow vehicle side are connected by wiring. Claim 2: A hydraulic power source driven by an auxiliary power unit, a transducer that converts the displacement of the brake pedal on the fuselage side into an electrical signal, and a servo amplifier on the fuselage side that converts the electrical signal into electric power, which determines the displacement of the brake pedal on the fuselage side. an electric transmission device that drives a servo valve of the power brake valve in response to the power brake valve, and when the power brake valve is activated, transmits the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic power source to operate the main wheel brakes of the aircraft. In an aircraft towing system that uses a towing vehicle to tow an aircraft equipped with a hydraulic transmission device, the towing vehicle is equipped with a position transducer that converts the displacement of the brake pedal on the towing vehicle into an electrical signal, and a servo amplifier that converts the electrical signal into electric power. An aircraft towing system characterized in that the servo amplifier on the aircraft side and the servo amplifier on the tow vehicle side are connected by wiring during towing.