Airport freight and cargo transfer system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11891191-B2
Application number	US-202117459596-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 27, 2021
Priority date	Aug 27, 2020
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

A system and a method are provided for safely and efficiently transferring cargo and freight packed in ULD containers directly between an airport freight terminal and freight aircraft. An enclosed freightway is designed to provide a direct connection between the freight terminal and aircraft cargo doors. The enclosed freightway is structured and sized to move ULD containers automatically or manually between freight aircraft and freight terminals. Different freightway configurations enable direct connection between the freight terminal and freight aircraft main cargo door when freight aircraft are driven by electric taxi drive systems or aircraft engines and parked in nose-in orientations and when freight aircraft are driven by electric taxi drive systems and parked in parallel orientations at the freight terminal. An alternative embodiment provides direct connections between freight aircraft cargo doors and interior loading docks for aircraft driven with electric taxi drive systems.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An airport freight transfer system that directly transfers freight in unit load device (ULD) containers between dedicated freight aircraft and a dedicated airport freight terminal separate from said airport's main or passenger terminal, comprising:
a. freight aircraft dedicated to transporting only freight and having within a fuselage of said freight aircraft cargo holds with upper and lower levels accessed by a plurality of cargo doors, including a main cargo door;
b. a freight terminal separate from said airport's main or passenger terminal dedicated to holding and transferring freight to be transported by said freight aircraft, said freight terminal having a freight staging area located a distance above a ground surface where said dedicated freight aircraft park at said freight terminal;
c. one or more enclosed freight transfer bridges connected to said freight staging area at heights above said ground surface corresponding to heights of said cargo doors above said ground surface, each said enclosed freight transfer bridge having a first end connected to said freight staging area and a second end removably connectable to one of said cargo doors to provide an enclosed direct freight transfer connection between said freight aircraft cargo holds and said freight staging area, and an interior of each said freight transfer bridge being sized and configured to accommodate and transfer ULD containers with a ULD container conveyance system supported by a floor portion of said enclosed freight transfer bridge and a ULD container transfer system supported by a ceiling portion of said enclosed freight transfer bridge; and
d. a plurality of ULD containers holding freight and cargo to be transferred directly between said freight staging area and said freight aircraft cargo holds through said enclosed freight transfer bridges with said ULD container conveyance system and said ULD container transfer system, said ULD containers being constructed with a contoured configuration to have a maximum volume that fits within said freight aircraft cargo holds.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said dedicated freight aircraft are equipped for ground movement with pilot-controllable landing gear wheel-mounted electric taxi drive systems to move said dedicated freight aircraft into parking orientations at said freight terminal.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein ground movement of said freight aircraft is controlled by operating aircraft engines.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said one or more enclosed freight transfer bridges providing said direct freight transfer connection with said cargo doors on a dedicated freight aircraft parked in a nose-in orientation to said freight staging area are configured to have a first section extending perpendicularly from said first end to a second section extending at a right angle from said first section to said second end, said second end being vertically adjustable to form said enclosed direct freight transfer connection with a cargo door, and configurations of said ULD container conveyance system and said ULD container transfer system correspond to configurations of each said enclosed freight transfer bridge.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein said main cargo door is located on a right side or on a left side of said freight aircraft parked in said nose-in orientation and said enclosed freight transfer bridge second section is oriented to connect said second end to said main cargo door to form said enclosed direct freight transfer connection between said freight staging area and said cargo hold when said freight aircraft is parked in said nose-in orientation.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein said ULD container conveyance system in a said floor portion of said first section comprises a system of rotatably mounted parallel rollers supporting bottom surfaces of said ULD containers moved linearly within said first section, a ball mat with a plurality of balls rotatable in multiple directions supporting said bottom surfaces of said ULD containers moved through said right angle to said second section, and additional rotatably mounted parallel rollers supporting said ULD containers moved linearly to said second end.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein said ULD container transfer system comprises an overhead conveyance track supported by said enclosed freight transfer bridge ceiling portion to removably connectable with a conveyance track connector element on each said ULD container top surface.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein said ULD container transfer system is extendible beyond said second end of said enclosed freight transfer bridge into said cargo hold and beyond said first end of said enclosed freight transfer bridge into said freight staging area.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein said enclosed freight transfer bridge has a rectangular cross-section with an interior volume sized to accommodate and move said ULD containers within an enclosed space.

10. The system of claim 4 , wherein said dedicated freight aircraft are equipped for ground movement with pilot-controllable landing gear wheel-mounted electric taxi drive systems to move said dedicated freight aircraft into a parking orientation at said freight terminal.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein said main cargo door on said freight aircraft is located in a forward portion of said freight aircraft or in an aft portion of said freight aircraft on a right side or on a left side of said freight aircraft, and said freight transfer bridge has a longitudinal configuration perpendicular to said freight terminal to form said enclosed direct freight transfer connection between said freight staging area and said cargo hold when said freight aircraft is parked at said freight terminal in a parallel orientation with a longest axis of said freight aircraft oriented parallel to said freight terminal.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein said container conveyance system in a floor portion of said freight transfer bridge comprises at least a system of rotatably mounted parallel rollers.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein said ULD containers are constructed with said contoured configuration and said maximum volume to fit within cross-sectional configurations of said dedicated freight aircraft fuselage cargo hold upper and lower levels, said contoured configuration comprising at least one angled side located on said ULD containers to permit said ULD containers to be loaded with said angled side adjacent to a top of said fuselage in said cargo hold upper level or located on said ULD containers to permit said ULD containers to be loaded with said angled side adjacent to a bottom of said fuselage in said cargo hold lower level.

Assignees

• Borealis Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Ferrell Stuart Mark
• Reed William T
• Cox Joseph J

Classifications

• B64D9/003 Primary

  Devices for retaining pallets or freight containers · CPC title

• B64D2009/006

  Rollers or drives for pallets of freight containers, e.g. PDU · CPC title

• B64F1/322 Primary

  Cargo loaders specially adapted for loading air freight containers or palletized cargo into or out of the aircraft · CPC title

• B64F1/32 Primary

  for handling freight · CPC title

• B64C25/405

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