| Infrared communication system for activating power drive units in an aircraft cargo loading system -> Monitor Keywords |
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Infrared communication system for activating power drive units in an aircraft cargo loading systemInfrared communication system for activating power drive units in an aircraft cargo loading system description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20090121085, Infrared communication system for activating power drive units in an aircraft cargo loading system. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, filed on even date herewith, and entitled “Infrared Communication Power Drive Unit And Method For Activating Same In An Aircraft Cargo Loading System”, which contains substantially the same disclosure. One embodiment of the present invention is directed to an air cargo system that utilizes power drive units equipped with infrared receivers. The power drive units are configured to receive and relay coded signals to a controller that controls the various power drive units in response to the coded signals. Cargo within an airplane cargo deck is typically supported by a system of freely rotating floor-mounted conveyance rollers. Sets or banks of power drive units (PDUs) can be simultaneously elevated from, beneath the cargo deck to a level just above the conveyance rollers. Spring-lift PDUs having surfaces which remain above the cargo deck may also be present in longitudinal areas of the cargo deck. Regardless of its type, each PDU may be a separate electro-mechanical actuator which includes one or more rubber coated wheels or drive rollers. The drive rollers of the elevated PDUs contact and move cargo above the conveyance rollers in the commanded direction upon energization. The movement of cargo depends on the coefficient of friction between the PDU drive rollers and the bottom surface of the cargo, as well as the lifting force generated by the PDU lift mechanism. When the PDUs are de-energized, roller rotation, ceases and the cargo stops moving. Several sets of PDUs can be arranged along a common path of conveyance, and each set can be operated separately, thereby allowing for the transfer of multiple pieces of cargo. Loading personnel can guide cargo by means of a joystick, typically in combination with other switches, buttons and/or similar controls. Prior art PDUs, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,384 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,014,038 are provided with an IR sensor to detect the presence of an ULD directly above a corresponding PDU. The aircraft 100 has a main cargo door 110 through which cargo containers and pallets (collectively known as unit load devices, or “ULDs”) enter and exit the main cargo deck 112 within the main cargo compartment 113. Installed on the main cargo deck 112 are a plurality of PDUs 114a, 114b, such as those mentioned above. In the aircraft shown, most of the PDUs are arranged in rows 116, 118, on either side of a longitudinal centerline C of the cargo deck 112. As seen in In a large aircraft, there may be several dozen PDUs 114a, 114b. To control the PDUs, the cargo loading system is provided, with a number of features. Among these are a controller, sometimes called a “main controller unit” (MCU) 130, a main control panel (“MCP”) 132, and a plurality of local control panels (“LCPs”), including control panels 134a on right side 136 of centerline C as you lace the front of the aircraft 100, and control panels 134b on left side 138 of centerline C. The MCU 130 comprises one or more processors physically connected to the PDUs 114a, 114b, the main control panel (“MCP”) 132, and the plurality of local control panels (“LCPs”) 134a, 134b. The connections between the various components may be made by one or more communication buses, each comprising one or more wires, cables, optical fibers or the like. As seen in The MCU 130 receives commands entered via the main control panel 132 and the local control panels 134a, 134b. In response to such commands, the MCU 130 sends appropriate signals to selected PDUs 114a, 114b, all in a manner known to those skilled in the art. The MCP 132 is usually mounted next to the main cargo door 110. In one embodiment, the MCP 132 is mounted on a wall of the main cargo compartment 113, inside the aircraft, in some prior art aircraft, the MCP, or an auxiliary main control panel, may be accessible from outside the aircraft, at a point next to the main cargo door 110, allowing an operator outside the aircraft to control loading and unloading. In general, the MCP 132 includes indicator lights, a display comprising a screen and/or one or more rows of LEDs, and also such things as a joystick, buttons and/or switches to control the PDUs 114a, 114b. The LCPs 134a, 134b are mounted on the inside wall of the cargo compartment 113, at spaced intervals along the length thereof. The LCPs 134a, 134b are similar to the MCP 132, but do not usually include a display; their primary function is to activate the rollers of a power drive unit to propel an ULD forward or backward, in a particular row 116 or 118. As is known to those skilled in the art, when an LCP 134a, 134b is activated, it sends a first signal to the MCU 130. The MCU, using information about the location of the ULDs, determines which PDUs 114a, 114b in the rows 116, 118 should be turned on, and sends a second signal to one or more of the PDUs 114a, 114b. During loading operations, two or three person cargo loading/unloading teams are common. The primary operator runs the MCP 130 to move ULDs into and out of the main cargo door 110 from the off-aircraft loading platform. The assistant operator(s) utilize the LCPs 134a, 134b to control travel of cargo towards and away from the main cargo door 110 door, from within the longitudinal aircraft cargo compartment 113. If two assistant operators are present, each is commonly assigned a given side of the aircraft cargo compartment 113 to load. As is known to those familiar with air cargo operations, an ULD must be parked with sufficient precision so that it can be secured by cargo latches (not shown). This requires the assistant operators to be able to see the positions of each ULD well enough to be able to park it in a location which permits latching. And despite having numerous LCPs 114a, 114b, the fixed location of each on the wail of the cargo compartment 113 requires the assistant operators to stand atone of several discrete locations, providing, them with less than ideal viewing of the required work area in which the ULDs are to be precisely placed. In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a cargo loading system installed in a cargo compartment of an aircraft. The inventive cargo loading system comprises a plurality of power drive units (PDUs), each of the PDUs comprising a light detector coupled to a PDU processor and configured to receive and process an incoming light signal. The cargo loading system further comprises at least one main control panel (MCP) mounted on the aircraft, a controller connected by a wired network to the plurality of PDUs and also to the main control panel, and at least one wireless remote control handset configured to selectively emit a coded light signal. Each PDU processor is programmed to determine whether a coded light signal received at the light detector comprises a valid command signal from the handset to be provided to the controller, and provide an appropriate first command information signal to the controller if the received coded light signal is determined to be a valid command signal from the handset. Furthermore, the controller is programmed to obtain, the first command information signal provided by the PDU, determine which, if any, of said plurality of PDUs should be activated in response to the first command information signal, and send a first PDU control signal to activate only those PDUs that the controller has determined should be activated in response to the first command information signal. In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of issuing commands from a controller of an air cargo loading system installed in an air cargo compartment of an aircraft to at least one power drive unit (PDU). The air cargo loading system includes a plurality of such PDUs connected via a wired network to the controller, each of the PDUs comprising a light detector coupled to a PDU processor and configured to receive and process an incoming light signal, each of the PDUs also being configured to detect whether a unit load device (ULD) is overhead. The method includes activating a first button on a first wireless remote control handset to thereby create a first light signal, and receiving the first light signal at a light detector of one of the PDUs. At that PDU, it is determined whether the received first light signal comprises a command signal to be relayed to the controller. If the received first light signal is determined to be a command signal to be relayed to the controller, an appropriate first command information signal is sent to the controller. At the controller, the first command information, signal is obtained, and a determination is made as to which of the PDUs should be activated in response to the first command information signal. The controller then sends a first PDU control signal via the wired network to activate only those PDUs that the controller has determined should be activated in response to the first command information signal. In yet another aspect, the present invention is directed to a power drive unit (PDU) for an air cargo loading system in which a controller is connected to a plurality of such PDUs via a wired network and is instructed via wireless remote handset to activate one or more of the PDUs in response to a coded light signal. The PDU comprises a light source configured to emit light, at least one light detector configured to receive light, and a PDU processor coupled to said at least one light detector. The PDU processor is programmed to determine whether a Unit Load Device (ULD) is overhead, based at least in part on reflected Sight received by said at least one light detector after illuminating an underside of the ULD by said light source, determine whether a coded light signal received by the at least one light detector comprises a command signal to be provided to the controller, and output an appropriate first command information signal if the coded light signal is determined to be a command signal. Continue reading about Infrared communication system for activating power drive units in an aircraft cargo loading system... 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