Abstract:
The present invention relates to a lateral guide for guiding cargo items in an aircraft. Such lateral guides are used to guide containers or pallets during their transport from the tail to the nose and to secure them in their final position. The proposed lateral guide has a mounting frame extending in the longitudinal direction and at least one lateral guide device having a sliding carriage, whereby the lateral guide device is movably supported in the mounting frame in the longitudinal direction. The sliding carriage has at least one guide roller for supporting the cargo items.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority of German patent application no. 10 2010 036 983.7, filed Aug. 13, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to a lateral guide for guiding cargo items, a lateral guide assembly having a plurality of corresponding lateral guides and a cargo deck equipped with a corresponding lateral guide or lateral guide assembly. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    It is known that holds of aircraft are frequently converted for different purposes. It may be necessary, for example, to configure a cargo deck depending on the cargo items to be loaded. When transporting loads in aircraft, cargo items, e.g. containers or pallets, with standardised dimensions are frequently used. So for containers, for example, there are the following standard sizes: 123.5 by 317.5 cm (88 inch×125 inch), 143.8 cm by 317.5 cm (96 inch×125 inch), 223.5 cm by 157.5 cm (88 inch×62 inch). Pallets measuring 274.3 cm by 223.5 cm (108 inch×88 inch) are frequently used in the military sector. Lateral guides mounted on the cargo deck are used to secure and guide such standardised cargo items. For best utilisation of cargo hold it is necessary to offer a plurality of potential configurations whereby high priority is given to rapid conversion of the cargo deck. Suitable lateral guides must be quickly and easily attachable and reconfigurable since the costs for operating relevant aircraft are very high. It should also be very easy to carry out the reconfiguration because the staff carrying out this reconfiguration have frequently had no or only very poor training for the cargo decks used. Added to this is the fact that the lateral guides have to be very rugged as they are exposed to very high loads and it is not possible to demand low impact handling due to the severe time pressure prevailing during loading and unloading. A cargo deck with corresponding lateral guides is frequently exposed to wetness, extreme differences in temperature, dust and other rough external effects. A faulty cargo deck—even a faulty functional element of the cargo deck—may result in the relevant aircraft being unusable for several days. Such a breakdown is very expensive. 
         [0004]    The equipping of an aircraft&#39;s cargo deck is very noticeable in the aircraft&#39;s overall weight which means that it is desirable to save weight in this area. 
         [0005]    EP 1 179 472 A2 discloses lateral guides which make it possible to reconfigure a cargo deck quickly and easily such that different cargo items with a variety of dimensions can be loaded. The lateral guides used therein can be lowered in part such that other lateral guides provided for this purpose can take over the guiding and attachment function. One disadvantage of the cargo deck described in EP 1 179 472 A2 is that reconfiguration is sometimes very time-consuming. Moreover, a plurality of functional elements, e.g. lateral locks, longitudinal locks, PDUs, which together weigh a great deal, have to be provided for the various configurations of the cargo deck. 
         [0006]    Based on EP 1 179 472 A2, some embodiments provide a lateral guide for a cargo deck, said deck enabling a plurality of different configurations, said guide being rugged, easy to operate and, when fitted, resulting in a cargo deck with a low weight. In addition, the intention is to provide a corresponding lateral guide assembly and a corresponding cargo deck. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    In some embodiments a lateral guide for guiding cargo items, in particular containers and/or pallets, in an aircraft whereby the lateral guide comprises: 
         [0000]    a mounting frame extending in the longitudinal direction;
 
at least one lateral guide device having a sliding carriage whereby the lateral guide device is movably supported in the mounting frame in the longitudinal direction, the sliding carriage having at least one guide roller for supporting the cargo items.
 
         [0008]    Lateral guides in aircraft are usually used for guiding cargo items in the aircraft&#39;s longitudinal direction (from nose to tail or from tail to nose). During the flight they absorb forces transverse to the longitudinal direction and hold cargo items in their position. The guide rollers grip the cargo items from below and support them. They enable easy, low-friction transport of the cargo items within the cargo hold. 
         [0009]    The lateral guide device in some embodiments, carries out the actual guiding and holding function of the lateral guide, to be movably supported in a mounting frame. The lateral guide device can thus take up various positions in order to hold and guide cargo items with different dimensions. As a result, it is possible to save on numerous lateral guide devices which have to be arranged at different positions within the cargo deck. The lateral guide device can preferably be moved with the help of a sliding carriage which is movably supported in the mounting frame. This sliding carriage has at least one guide roller which makes transporting the cargo items easier. This guide roller therefore adopts various positions as does the lateral guide device. Due to the movable support of the guide roller, it is possible to save on a plurality of guide rollers. In addition, modern cargo decks are so densely populated with functional elements (e.g. lateral guides, guide rollers, locking claws, PDUs) that it is often difficult to find the right place for the necessary functional elements on the cargo deck. Due to the targeted saving on guide rollers and lateral guide devices according to the invention, it is possible to design cargo decks that facilitate an even greater number of different configurations. 
         [0010]    The lateral guide device and the guide roller are preferably coupled to each other in such a way that they can be moved simultaneously. In this respect, reconfiguration of the cargo deck is also significantly easier than was the case with conventional systems. 
         [0011]    It is possible to design the lateral guide according to the invention in such a manner that the mounting frame extends obliquely to the aircraft&#39;s transverse direction. For example, the longitudinal direction of the mounting frame may run at a 45° angle to the aircraft&#39;s transverse direction. The rotational axis of the guide roller is preferably aligned in such a manner that it is essentially parallel to the aircraft&#39;s transverse direction such that the cargo items can be transported efficiently from nose to tail or from tail to nose of the aircraft. In a preferred embodiment, the at least one guide roller is rotatably mounted in the sliding carriage about a rotational axis whereby the guide roller is arranged in such a manner in the sliding carriage that the rotational axis runs essentially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the mounting frame and thus parallel to the aircraft&#39;s transverse direction. 
         [0012]    The lateral guide may comprise at least one fixing device for fixing the lateral guide device in at least two different positions in the mounting frame. Theoretically, it would be conceivable to design the lateral guide according to the invention such that it can be moved within an area in which it has no functional effect during loading and unloading. In a different configuration, it could adopt its guiding position. However, the lateral guide device can preferably be fixed in a plurality of positions such that it can interact with the cargo items in different configurations of the cargo deck. 
         [0013]    The fixing device may comprise latch elements and mating latch elements at defined positions in the mounting frame. Suitably designed latch elements and mating latch elements enable the lateral guide devices to take up predefined positions. These positions may be chosen in such a manner that it is possible to guide cargo items having specified standard dimensions. In this respect, these latch and mating latch elements make adopting a specific predefined configuration easier. 
         [0014]    The fixing device may comprise axle stubs which are movably supported, preferably on or in the sliding carriage, for releasing the fixing device counter to a spring force. These axles stubs may preferably engage in drilled holes provided therefor and the lateral guide devices may be fixed in a specific position. Such fixing makes it possible to transmit forces acting on the lateral guide devices efficiently into the mounting frame and thus into the cargo deck. The spring force may be directed in such a manner that a sort of snap-in connection arises between the lateral guide device and the mounting frame such that the fixing device of the lateral guide devices fixes in predefined positions. 
         [0015]    The lateral guide device may comprise a limit stop and/or a locking claw which is attached to the sliding carriage in such a manner that the limit stop or locking claw is pivotable from a raised working position into a lowered resting position. In this respect, it is possible that the limit stop or locking claw will not only adopt various functional positions in the lateral guide device in order to guide and hold the cargo items in it. In addition, the limit stop or locking claw may be lowered so that cargo items can travel over them. This makes it possible to guarantee other configurations of the cargo deck. For example, it may be possible to create a freight deck that has no guides and on which a vehicle can drive. 
         [0016]    The limit stop or the locking claw may be rotatably mounted on the sliding carriage about a pivot axis whereby the pivot axis preferably forms that part of the fixing device via which forces arising during holding are transmitted into the mounting frame. In this respect, the pivot axis acts as a pivot joint and at the same time efficiently transmits the forces arising into the mounting frame when in the working position. 
         [0017]    The pivot axis preferably has the axle stub previously referred to above. 
         [0018]    The limit stop or locking claw may have oblique surfaces on at least one side to move the limit stop or locking claw out of the working position into the resting position when being travelled over by a cargo item in a direction that is different to a holding direction of the limit stop or locking claw. 
         [0019]    The lateral guide device may be removably arranged on the mounting frame. The lateral guide can preferably be removed from the guide provided on the mounting frame at least one open end of said mounting frame. Thus it is possible to replace an existing lateral guide device with a different lateral guide device. Moreover, the lateral guide may be designed such that by removing at least one lateral guide device, it can be travelled over at least partly by cargo items. Therefore further configurations of the cargo deck also emerge. 
         [0020]    The lateral guide device may include at least one locking claw for gripping the cargo items at least in sections. 
         [0021]    The locking claw may be flexibly attached to the sliding carriage and/or the sliding carriage may be flexibly attached to the mounting frame. In this respect, it is possible to flexibly absorb forces acting on the locking claw and transmit them to the cargo deck via the mounting frame. 
         [0022]    In some embodiments a lateral guide assembly whereby this lateral guide assembly comprises a plurality of lateral guides, such as have already been described, whereby the lateral guide devices of the individual lateral guides have a least one rail which is movably supported in the mounting frame by means of the sliding carriage. The rail may be rigidly connected to the individual sliding carriage of the individual lateral guides and may guide the cargo items. 
         [0023]    The rail may have locking claws, preferably of types which differ from each other. As the cargo items differ not only in their lateral dimensions but also in their longitudinal dimensions, it is advantageous if the rail extends over longer sections. In this respect, appropriate functional elements, in particular locking claws, may be provided such that a suitable retainer is available for each cargo item. The locking claws may be arranged immediately above a relevant mounting frame or may be arranged offset in relation thereto. Therefore it is possible to select the position of the functional elements in the aircraft&#39;s longitudinal position regardless of the mounting frame&#39;s position. Moreover, a rail may accommodate a plurality of different locking claws which are preferably arranged at varying distances thereon. 
         [0024]    Furthermore, in some embodiments means of a cargo deck having at least one of the lateral guide assemblies described and/or having at least one of the lateral guides described. 
         [0025]    Further advantageous embodiments emerge from the dependent claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0026]    The invention will be described in greater detail in the following based on drawings. The figures show: 
           [0027]      FIG. 1  a lateral view of a lateral guide having two lateral guide devices; 
           [0028]      FIG. 2  a second lateral view of the lateral guide from  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0029]      FIG. 3  a plan view onto the lateral guide from  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 4  a perspective view of a plurality of lateral guides joined by means of a rail; 
           [0031]      FIG. 5  a perspective view of the lateral guide from  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0032]      FIG. 6  a lateral view of a lateral guide having a lateral guide device; 
           [0033]      FIG. 7  a plan view onto the lateral guide from  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0034]      FIG. 8  a longitudinal section through the lateral guide from  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0035]      FIG. 9  a perspective view of the lateral guide from  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0036]      FIG. 10  a front view of the lateral guide from  FIG. 6 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0037]    The same reference numerals are used in the following description for identical parts and parts acting in an identical manner. 
         [0038]      FIGS. 1 to 5  show a first embodiment of lateral guide  10  according to the invention, while a second embodiment can be seen from  FIGS. 6 to 10 . 
         [0039]    Usually, a Cartesian coordinate system is used to provide specific directional information inside the aircraft. In this case, the x axis extends from tail to nose, the y axis runs transverse to the x axis and it lies essentially in the plane defined by the wings. The z axis is perpendicular to the x and y axis. 
         [0040]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , lateral guide  10  according to the invention has an elongated mounting frame  20  which extends in longitudinal direction v. Lateral guide  10  is preferably arranged in such a manner in the aircraft&#39;s deck that longitudinal direction v runs essentially parallel to the aircraft&#39;s transverse direction y. Lateral guide  10  is used to guide cargo items in the longitudinal direction (the aircraft&#39;s x direction) and acts as a limit stop for the cargo items so that they are aligned in the aircraft&#39;s y direction. 
         [0041]    Therefore lateral guide  10  has mounting frame  20  which is attached to the cargo deck, a first lateral guide device  40  and a second lateral guide device  50 . The dotted lines in  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate lateral guide devices  40 ,  50  in different positions, that is in a first position A, a second position B and a third position C. Mounting frame  20 , more precisely its lateral rails  21   a ,  21   b , have drilled holes  24   a ,  24   a ′,  24   a ″,  24   a ′″,  24   b ,  24   b ′,  24   b ″,  24   b ′″ which make it possible to fix lateral guide devices  40 ,  50  in the various positions A, B, C. 
         [0042]    Mounting frame  20  which is substantially u-shaped and has lateral rails  21   a ,  21   b  that are integrally joined to a mounting base  23  (cf.  FIG. 3 ), thus makes it possible for lateral guide devices  40 ,  50  to be moved within it in longitudinal direction v. To fix first lateral guide device  40  in first position A, axle stubs provided for this purpose (cf. the axle stubs indicated schematically in  FIG. 8  in a pivot axis  44 ), which form part of a fixing device, engage alternately in drilled holes  24   a ′,  24   b ′. In second position B, these axle stubs engage in drilled holes  24   a ″ and  24   b ″. In third position C, the axle stubs engage in drilled holes  24   a ′″ and  24   b′″.    
         [0043]    The movability of lateral guide devices  40 ,  50  is ensured by means of a first sliding carriage  47  or by means of a second sliding carriage  57  (cf.  FIG. 5 ) whereby these sliding carriages  47 ,  57  are slidingly supported in guides of lateral rails  21   a ,  21   b  provided for this purpose. 
         [0044]    First lateral guide device  40  comprises first sliding carriage  47 , spring supports  49 ,  49 ′, a guide rail  2  (cf.  FIG. 4 ) which is flexibly supported on spring support  49 ,  49 ′, at least a first guide claw  41  and a first guide roller  45 . First sliding carriage  47  forms a frame in which first guide roller  45  is rotatably mounted. First guide roller  45  may be rotated about a rotational axis and can therefore assist the transport of cargo items resting on it, preferably in the x direction. The rotational axis is essentially aligned along longitudinal axis v of mounting frame  20  such that the cargo items can be transported transversely to this longitudinal axis v. For this purpose, first guide roller  45 , as can be seen from  FIGS. 1 and 2 , projects above mounting frame  20 . 
         [0045]    As can be seen from  FIG. 5 , second lateral guide device  50  has a second sliding carriage  57 , a second guide roller  55  and a guide claw  51  firmly connected to second sliding carriage  57 . In the lateral view, guide claw  51  together with mounting frame  20  also forms a u-shaped profile and is designed to grip lateral sections of the cargo items in order to lock them securely in position. Second guide claw  51  can also carry out a guiding function. Second sliding carriage  57  is also movably supported in mounting frame  20  and forms a frame for second guide roller  55 . Second guide roller  55  is rotatably supported in this frame about a rotational axis which runs essentially coaxial to the rotational axis of first guide roller  45 . Both lateral guide devices  40 ,  50  may essentially be moved independently of each other. It is possible to remove both first and second lateral guide device  40 ,  50  from mounting frame  20  by slipping them out at the open ends of mounting frame  20 . In this sense, this already gives rise to numerous potential configurations. Therefore a guiding function may be performed either exclusively by first lateral guide device  40  or exclusively by second lateral guide device  50 . In addition, first and second lateral guide device  40 ,  50  may adopt a plurality of different positions, that are predefined, for example, by drilled holes  24   a ,  24   a ′,  24   a ″,  24   a ′″,  24   b ,  24   b ′,  24   b ″,  24   b ′″. Thus second lateral guide device  50  engages for the fixing thereof in, for example, drilled holes  24   a ,  24   b  in the position illustrated in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0046]    According to the invention, a plurality of described lateral guides  10  may be combined into a lateral guide assembly  1 . Rail  2  joins first lateral guide devices  40  of individual lateral guides  10 . Some of further lateral guides  10  bear the reference number  10 ′,  10 ″. As already explained, rail  2  is flexibly supported on sliding carriage  47  of individual lateral guides  10 ,  10 ′,  10 ″ and may be moved within mounting frame  20  in longitudinal direction v. Individual functional elements, e.g. a guiding claw  41 , are fixed to the upper side of rail  2 . It should be emphasised that the functional elements (in the aircraft&#39;s longitudinal direction) may be attached regardless of the position of mounting frame  20  such that, even with attachment of mounting frame  20  at regular intervals on the cargo floor, the functional elements may be positioned at varying intervals for holding cargo items with different dimensions. Therefore the example illustrated in  FIG. 4  of lateral guide assembly  1  shows functional elements that are suitable for attaching military pallets and cargo containers used in civil aviation whereby the positions of locking claw or guiding claw  41  vary. 
         [0047]    A further exemplary embodiment of a lateral guide  10  according to the invention may be seen from  FIG. 6 . Mounting frame  20  is made up, as is mounting frame  20  already described previously, of two lateral rails  21   a ,  21   b  and a mounting base. Mounting frame  20  is significantly shorter than that according to the exemplary embodiment of  FIGS. 1 to 5 . Only one lateral guide device  40  is movably supported in this embodiment. As can be seen from  FIGS. 6 to 9 , this lateral guide device  40  has a first guide claw  41  and a second guide claw  41 ′. First guide claw  41  is designed essentially identical to first guide claw  41 ′ according to the exemplary embodiment of  FIGS. 1 to 5  and arranged on sliding carriage  47 . Second guide claw  41 ′ is rotatably attached to sliding carriage  47  and may be pivoted from a working position (cf.  FIGS. 6 ,  7 ,  9  and  10 ) into a resting position (indicated in  FIG. 8 ). Cargo items can travel over guide claw  41 ′ in the resting position. 
         [0048]    Lateral guide device  40  according to the second exemplary embodiment also comprises a guide roller  45  which is arranged in sliding carriage  47 . The pivot joint of second guide claw  41 ′ is attached at one end of sliding carriage  47  and first guide claw  41 ′ is located at the other end. Overall, entire lateral guide  10  may be moved within frame  20  as a unit. Lateral rails  21   a ,  21   b  of lateral guide device  40  also have drilled holes  24   a ,  24   a ′,  24   a ″ for fixing sliding carriage  47  in predefined positions. In one position (cf.  FIG. 6 ), second guide claw  41  is located so close to the end of mounting frame  20  that the claw can be folded down forwards into the resting position. In other positions of lateral guide device  40 , the shoulders of second guide claw  41 ′ rest with oblique surfaces  48 ,  48 ′ on lateral rails  21   a ,  21   b  such that forces acting on second guide claw  41 ′ are transmitted into lateral rails  21   a ,  21   b.    
         [0049]    Oblique surfaces  48 ,  48 ′ are preferably arranged in such a manner that they connect operatively with cargo items that approach second guide claw  41 ′ laterally such that second guide claw  41 ′ is depressed into the resting position. 
         [0050]    In a preferred exemplary embodiment, second guide claw  41 ′ rotates about a pivot axis  44  which has axles stubs in its interior that are simultaneously used to fix lateral guide  10  to mounting frame  20  (cf. the cross-section according to  FIG. 8 ). This pivot axis  44  preferably also comprises at least one spring assembly which pretensions second guide claw  41 ′ into the working position such that it returns to its starting position after second guide claw  41 ′ has been travelled over by a cargo item. 
         [0051]    Lateral guides  10 ,  10 ′,  10 ″ were described previously in which one or two lateral guide devices  40 ,  50  were movably supported in a mounting frame  20 . For the person skilled in the art working in this field, it should be obvious that according to the invention a plurality of lateral guide devices  40 ,  50  can be supported in a mounting frame  20 . In addition, it should be clear to the person skilled in the art working in this field that the length of mounting frame  20  can be adjusted at will to the requirements specified. 
         [0052]    In the preceding embodiments, mainly guide claws  41 ,  41 ′,  51  were described which are arranged as functional elements on sliding carriage  47 ,  57 . It is possible here to provide other functional elements such as a limit stop on sliding carriage  47 ,  57 . Moreover, an embodiment was explained in which sliding carriages  47 ,  57  accommodate a guide roller  45 ,  55 . It should be clear that sliding carriages  47 ,  57  may be fitted with any number of guide rollers  45 ,  55 . 
         [0053]    Moreover, the preceding embodiments are such embodiments in which mounting frames  20  are arranged transverse to the aircraft&#39;s longitudinal direction—that is in the y direction. It should easily be possible for the person skilled in the art working in this field to redesign lateral guide devices  40 ,  50  in such a manner that any alignment of mounting frame  20  is possible. Diagonal movement of sliding carriages  47 ,  57 , for example, would be conceivable. 
       REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       [0000]    
       
           1  Lateral guide assembly 
           2  Guide rail 
           10 ,  10 ′,  10 ″ Lateral guide 
           20  Mounting frame 
           21   a ,  21   b  Lateral rail 
           23  Mounting rail base 
           24   a ,  24   a ′,  24   a ′″,  24   a′″,    
           24   b ,  24   b ′,  24   b ″,  24   b ′″ Drilled hole 
           40  First lateral guide device 
           41 ,  41 ′ Guide claw 
           44  Pivot axis 
           45  First guide roller 
           47  First sliding guide carriage 
           48 ,  48 ′ Oblique surfaces 
           49 ,  49 ′ Spring support 
           50  Second lateral guide device 
           51  Second guide claw 
           55  Second guide roller 
           57  Second sliding carriage 
         v Longitudinal direction of the mounting frame