Method for accelerated powered self push back of an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10196133-B2
Application number	US-201414337229-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2014
Priority date	Jul 22, 2013
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A method for accelerated power push back of an aircraft equipped with a pilot-controlled engines-off taxi system that drives the aircraft without reliance on the aircraft's main engines or tugs is provided. An aircraft is quickly and efficiently moved out of a gate where it is positioned in a nose-in orientation. The pilot controls the taxi system to drive the aircraft in reverse along a perpendicular path away from the terminal to a location where there is sufficient space for the aircraft to stop and turn, and the aircraft is turned and driven in a forward direction to a takeoff runway. Pilot reliance on ground personnel guidance during push back maneuvers is minimized by providing a monitoring system designed to monitor gate and ramp areas around the aircraft in any visibility or environmental conditions and provide feedback to the pilot.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A time saving method for accelerated powered self push back of an aircraft equipped with an engines-off taxi system that moves the aircraft efficiently during push back from an airport terminal gate parking location to a location where the aircraft is turned safely and driven forward to taxi to takeoff, comprising:
a. equipping an aircraft with a pilot-controlled engines-off taxi system comprising at least nose or main landing gear wheel-mounted drive motors for autonomous ground movement of the aircraft without operation of aircraft engines and connection to external tow vehicles, and driving the aircraft with the pilot-controlled engines-off taxi system to an airport terminal gate equipped with dual passenger loading bridges connected to the terminal through a single terminal connection;
b. parking the aircraft at the airport terminal gate at an angle with the nose of the aircraft oriented clockwise past perpendicular relative to the airport terminal completely within a width of the airport terminal gate, and simultaneously connecting one of the dual passenger loading bridges to a front door on a terminal facing side of the aircraft and the other of the dual passenger loading bridges to a door of the aircraft rear of an aircraft wing on the terminal-facing side of the aircraft without extending the other of the dual passenger loading bridges over the aircraft wing;
c. at departure and push back, controlling the pilot-controlled engines-off taxi system by the pilot, turning the aircraft nose in a counterclockwise direction to a nose-in perpendicular orientation completely within the airport terminal gate width, and then driving the aircraft with the pilot-controlled engines-off taxi system in a reverse direction along a defined path perpendicular to the terminal to a safe turning location a distance away from the terminal;
d. turning the aircraft with the pilot-controlled engines-off taxi system in a desired direction relative to the terminal through a turning angle ranging from 90° to 270° relative to the defined path perpendicular to the terminal so that the aircraft is oriented either parallel or perpendicular to the terminal; and
e. driving the aircraft in a forward direction with the pilot-controlled engines-off taxi system from the safe turning location to a takeoff location.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising equipped a narrow body aircraft or a wide body aircraft with the pilot-controlled engines-off taxi systems, parking and turning the narrow body aircraft or the wide body aircraft completely within the terminal gate width and driving the narrow body aircraft or the wide body aircraft along the defined path perpendicular to the terminal to the safe turning location.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a marker system comprising markings on an airport tarmac surface between the terminal gate and the safe turning location defining the defined path perpendicular to the terminal and the safe turning location visible to the pilot controlling the engines-off taxi system and to ground personnel as the aircraft is driven in reverse along the defined perpendicular path from the terminal gate to the safe turning location.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting the safe turning location and the distance away from, the terminal along the defined path perpendicular to the terminal in an airport apron area free from ground vehicle and aircraft congestion, wherein the distance away from the terminal comprises from 15 to 50 meters.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a monitoring system on the aircraft positioned to obtain information about potential hazards in a ground level environment of the aircraft at night and in low visibility conditions as the aircraft is driven with the pilot-controlled engines-off taxi system in reverse on the defined path perpendicular to the terminal to the safe turning location, turned in the desired direction through the turning angle and driven forward to the takeoff location, obtaining the information from the monitoring system, communicating the obtained information about the aircraft ground level environment to the pilot of the aircraft or to ground personnel in the vicinity of the aircraft, and continuing to drive the aircraft with the engines-off taxi system in reverse, to turn the aircraft, and to move the aircraft forward, or stopping operation of the engines-off taxi system and movement of the aircraft based on the obtained and communicated ground level environment information.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising providing the monitoring system with cameras, radar, and lidar and controlling operation of the engines-off taxi system to move the aircraft in response to information obtained from the cameras, radar, and lidar.

7. A method for improving safety of push back and reducing time for push back from an airport terminal parking location of a parked aircraft powered by an engines-off taxi system for pilot-controlled powered ground movement independently of the operation of aircraft engines and external tow vehicles that streamlines powered push back and minimizes use of ground personnel, comprising:
a. equipping aircraft moving into and out of parking locations at an airport terminal with engines-off taxi systems comprising at least electric drive motors mounted in one or more nose or main landing gear wheels controllable during taxi by a pilot of the aircraft to drive the aircraft independently without aircraft engines and without tow vehicles to an airport terminal gate and with a push back monitoring systems comprising at least cameras, radar, and sensors positioned in exterior locations on the aircraft operable to continuously survey and obtain information about potential hazards in a ground level environment exterior to the aircraft;
b. providing a tarmac surface marking system visible to the pilot and airport ground personnel as the aircraft are moved with the engines-off taxi system along a perpendicular push back path corresponding to a line extending perpendicular to the airport terminal from an aircraft parking location adjacent to the airport terminal to a safe turning location a distance away from the airport terminal in an area free from ground vehicle and aircraft congestion, wherein the tarmac surface marking system defines and marks the entire perpendicular push back path and defines and marks the safe turning location the distance along the defined and marked perpendicular push back path away from the airport terminal;
c. at push back, driving an equipped aircraft with the engines-off taxi system by the pilot in reverse from the aircraft parking location along the defined and marked perpendicular push back path, and using the monitoring system to simultaneously and continuously survey the aircraft exterior and the ground level environment to obtain the information about potential hazards as the aircraft is driven in reverse along the defined and marked perpendicular push back path the distance to the safe turning location;
d. in the absence of potential hazards, continuing to drive the aircraft with the engines-off taxi system in reverse along the defined and marked perpendicular push back path the distance to the defined and marked safe turning location, and when the monitoring system indicates presence of a potential hazard to continued reverse travel of the aircraft along the defined and marked push back path, stopping reverse travel until the potential hazard is no longer present; and
e. at the defined and marked safe turning location, turning the aircraft with the pilot-controlled engines-off taxi system in a desired direction relative to the airport terminal through a turning angle ranging from 90° to 270° relative to the define

Assignees

• Borealis Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Kracht Stefan
• Vana Jan
• Cox Joseph J
• Cox Isaiah W

Classifications

• B64D27/00

  Arrangement or mounting of power plants in aircraft; Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants · CPC title

• B64F1/36

  Other airport installations (ground installations for de-icing aircraft B64F5/20) · CPC title

• B64C25/405 Primary

  Powered wheels, e.g. for taxing · CPC title

• Y02T50/823

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B64D45/00

  Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for · CPC title