Abstract:
A safety device to separate personnel from landing gear tires which incorporates a clamping collar configured to wrap around a landing gear post. A support frame extends outward from the clamping collar and defines a perimeter around the landing gear. A mesh skirt extends downward from the support frame.

Description:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
     1.. Field 
     Embodiments of the disclosure relate generally to the field of aircraft ground handling and more particularly to a removable barrier for attachment to an aircraft landing gear to create a personnel safety zone. 
     2.. Background 
     Ground handling of large commercial aircraft often requires that personnel be present under and around the aircraft while the aircraft is in motion. In certain operations spotters or other ground personnel may be in proximity to the moving landing gear and wheels. Downward rotation of a forward rolling wheel can create deceptive perception regarding distance and speed which may result in an individual inadvertently venturing too close to the wheel. If an individual walks too close to a downward rotating wheel it can trap, trip or catch a toe or foot. Clothing, feet or other appendages may also be snagged or caught by the rotating wheel resulting in injury. 
     It is therefore desirable to provide a safety device to create an exclusion zone around aircraft landing gear and physically catch or deflect personnel who may be impinging on the exclusion zone. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments disclosed herein provide a safety device to separate personnel from landing gear tires which incorporates a clamping collar configured to wrap around a landing gear post. A support frame extends outward from the clamping collar and defines a perimeter around the landing gear. A mesh skirt extends downward from the support frame. 
     The embodiments disclosed provide a method for landing gear safety by attaching a collar to a landing gear leg and spacing a perimeter hoop from the collar. A mesh skirt is then extended from the perimeter hoop to near ground level. 
     The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed can be achieved independently in various embodiments of the present disclosure or may be combined in yet other embodiments further details of which can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a pictorial view of a large commercial aircraft during ground handling operations; 
         FIG. 2  is a simplified view of an example nose landing gear; 
         FIG. 3  is an isometric view of a first embodiment of the safety zone fence as installed on the landing gear; 
         FIGS. 4A-4C  are isometric close up views of the engagement collar of the safety zone fence; 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric exploded view of the safety zone fence elements for installation on an aircraft landing gear; 
         FIG. 6  shows an alternative attachment of struts and spokes to the collar; 
         FIG. 7  shows an isometric view of a second embodiment of the safety zone fence with a second alternative attachment of struts and spokes to the collar; 
         FIG. 8  is a detailed isometric of the collar of the second embodiment; 
         FIG. 9  is a detailed isometric of an exemplary strut for the second embodiment; 
         FIG. 10  shows an accordion pleat embodiment; 
         FIGS. 11A and 11B  are an isometric view and side view of a storage rack for the first embodiments of the safety zone fence on an aircraft tug; and, 
         FIGS. 12A   12 B an isometric view and side view of a storage rack for the second embodiment of the safety zone fence on an aircraft tug. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments disclosed herein provide a support frame and mesh barrier attachable to an aircraft landing gear to create a safety zone around the landing gear wheel. Referring to the drawings,  FIG. 1  shows a commercial aircraft  10  during ground operations. The landing gear of the aircraft include a nose gear  12  under the flight deck of the fuselage and main gear  14 ,  16  aft at the fuselage and wing attachment fairing. 
       FIG. 2  shows a representative nose gear  12  in simplified form. While the embodiments are described herein with respect to the nose gear  12 , the same or alternative embodiments may be employed on the main gear  14  and  16  as well. Nose gear  12  incorporates two wheels  18 ,  20  which are attached with an axle (not shown) received through a housing  22 . A substantially cylindrical gear leg  24  extends upward from the housing and terminates in an attachment strut  26 . A drag link support  28  extends aft from the leg for additional structural support. 
     An embodiment of the safety zone fence (SZF)  30  is shown in  FIG. 3 . A collar  32 , which will be described in greater detail subsequently, is attached to nose gear leg  24  to secure the SZF to the nose gear  12 . In other embodiments alternative attachment locations on the gear leg or other structure of the landing gear assembly may be employed to support and secure the SZF. A support frame  34  extends from the collar and includes a perimeter hoop  36  surrounding the landing gear  12  and spaced from the collar  32  by fore and aft struts  38   a  and  38   b  and spokes  40 . While shown as differing in geometric configuration in the embodiments of the drawings, the struts and spokes may be of common shape. The struts and spokes provide structural support to suspend the perimeter hoop  36  and prevent radial deformation of the perimeter hoop. A mesh skirt  42  extends downward from the perimeter hoop  36  to establish the safety zone and prevent encroachment into the safety zone by personnel. Height of the perimeter hoop  36  establishes a top or first level of the safety zone and the mesh skirt extends downward substantially to ground level. The struts  38   a ,  38   b , spokes  40 , perimeter hoop  36  and mesh skirt  42  may be metal, such as aluminum or light weight steel or rigid plastic or composite material with sufficient strength to physically displace a person from the path of the landing gear  12  while in motion or, as a minimum, restrain the person from engaging the landing gear tires. Sufficient rigidity is provided to allow a person contacting the SZF to grasp the structure to stabilize themselves to prevent falling if contacted by the SZF. The embodiment shown in the drawings is elliptical in shape however a circular, quadrilateral or other alternative geometric shape may be employed. 
     Details of an exemplary collar  32  are shown in  FIGS. 4A ,  4 B and  4 C. Collar  32  is adapted to be secured on the gear leg  24 . For the embodiment shown, an indexing key  44  extends from the gear leg  24  and is received in a mating aperture  46  in the collar as best seen in  FIG. 4A . The key may be an existing structural element on the landing gear leg  24  or an added member. For the embodiment shown, the key  44  additionally provides vertical support for the collar  32 . For the embodiment shown, the SZF is bifurcated on the minor axis for attachment and disassembly from the gear leg. The collar  32  is bifurcated for attachment around the gear leg  24  and mating halves of the collar  32   a  and  32   b  may be secured with a boss  48  extending from a forward half of the collar and fasteners  50  extending through the boss into the rear half of the collar as best seen in  FIG. 4B . For the embodiment shown in the drawings and detailed in  FIG. 4C , cinch blocks  52  extend from the forward and rear halves of the collar  32  and receive a threaded fastener  54  to circumferentially tension the collar around the gear leg  24 . While shown in the drawings as a hex head bolt, the fastener may be a hand tightened clamp such as a wing nut or self-ratcheting handle. Friction created by the collar prevents turning of the assembled SZF on the gear leg and provides vertical support to allow the landing gear  12  to carry the SZF. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the SZF  30  may be separated for attachment and removal from the landing gear  12 . A forward section  30   a  and a rear section  30   b  are positioned in front of and behind the landing gear as shown. The elements are then brought together and the forward and rear elements of the collar  32   a  and  32   b  are secured as previously described. The assembled SZF then provides the secure zone as shown in  FIG. 3 . In alternative embodiments, the forward and rear elements of the collar  32   a  and  32   b  may be separately mounted on the gear leg  12 . Struts  38   a ,  38   b  and spokes  40  may then be inserted in keyed slots  56  or similar attachments in the collar as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     A second embodiment of the SZF employing separate segmented elements forming the perimeter hoop and mesh skirt as shown in  FIG. 7 . Hoop segments  36   a ,  36   b ,  36   c  and  36   d  may be employed to form the forward section  30   a  of the SZF supporting mesh skirt segments  42   a ,  42   b ,  42   c  and  42   d  (while shown as flat segments the hoop and mesh skirt segments may be arcuate). The struts as exemplified by forward strut  38   a  and spokes  40  employ connection assemblies  100  to removably support the hoop segments and, in turn are removably supported on hooks  102  extending from the collar  32 . As shown in detail in  FIG. 8 , collar  32  may employ upper hooks  102   a  and lower hooks  104  to provide additional rigidity to receive the mating apertured flanges  106  and  108  respectively of the strut  38   a  as shown in detail in  FIG. 9 . The spokes  40  may be bifurcated adjacent the collar providing angled arms  41  to attach to the lower hooks (as best seen in  FIG. 7 ). Similarly, the connection assembly  100  on the struts and spokes may employ upper hooks  110  and lower hooks  112  to be received in the mating apertured flanges  114  on the perimeter hoop sections. Cotter pins or similar securing elements may be employed to secure the assembled aperture flanges on the hooks. 
     As yet another alternative, the struts  38   a ,  38   b  and/or spokes  40  may be pivotally mounted to the collar  32  with hinges  57  and perimeter hoop  36  and skirt  42  may be equipped with multiple hinges  58  to allow them to be collapsed in accordion pleats as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
     The embodiment of the SZF as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5  may be carried stored and transported on a tow tug  64  with a rack adapted to engage the spokes  40  as shown in  FIGS. 11A and 11B . A separate trailer may be employed to carry the SZF elements and towed by the tug. One or more cylindrical posts  60  extending from a rear deck  62  of the tug are engaged between the spokes to support the SZF halves  30   a and  30   b  which are nested. Alternative vertical suspending racks may also be employed. 
     Similarly, the perimeter hoop sections of the second embodiment of the SZF shown in  FIG. 7  may be disassembled and stored on the cylindrical racks of the tug with additional brackets  64  or support for the struts and spokes as shown in  FIGS. 12A and 12B   
     The embodiments disclosed provide a method for landing gear safety by attaching a collar to a landing gear leg and spacing a perimeter hoop from the collar. A mesh skirt is then extended from the perimeter hoop to near ground level. Spacing of the perimeter hoop may be accomplished by attaching struts between the collar and perimeter hoop. The struts may be attached by inserting the struts in keyed slots in the collar or rigidly secured by welding or other means. The perimeter hoop and mesh skirt may also be hinged for accordion pleat folding. 
     Having now described various embodiments of the disclosure in detail as required by the patent statutes, those skilled in the art will recognize modifications and substitutions to the specific embodiments disclosed herein. Such modifications are within the scope and intent of the present disclosure as defined in the following claims.