Patent Publication Number: US-2023150669-A1

Title: Motorcycle mount for an aircraft

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present subject matter relates to an apparatus for the mounting of a motorcycle to an aircraft. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Certain aircraft, such as the MH-6 helicopter, are outfitted with various transport systems to better carry passengers, weapons, or equipment. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The drawing figures depict one or more implementations, by way of example only, not by way of limitations. In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. 
         FIG.  1    illustrates a perspective view of a motorcycle coupled to an aircraft by a mount; 
         FIG.  2    illustrates a perspective view of the mount; 
         FIG.  3    illustrates a partial exploded view of the mount emphasizing a pair of support arms and a first support of the mount; 
         FIG.  4    illustrates a partial exploded view of the mount emphasizing a wheel guide; 
         FIG.  5    illustrates a partial exploded view of the mount emphasizing a foot peg hook; 
         FIG.  6    illustrates a partial exploded view of the mount emphasizing a wheel brace; 
         FIG.  7    illustrates a partial exploded view of the mount emphasizing a foot peg mount; 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A mount configured to quickly attach to an aircraft, such as the MH-6 helicopter, for the use of quickly mounting and demounting a motorcycle without the use of tools. The mount attaches to the aircraft via support arms with ball-lock pins for a quick and toolless installation. The mount supports the motorcycle by supporting the body of the motorcycle by a first support and additionally stabilizes the motorcycle in place by use of a wheel brace, a wheel guide, a foot peg hook assembly, and a foot peg mount. 
     Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the examples will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following and the accompanying drawings or may be learned by production or operation of the examples. The objects and advantages of the present subject matter may be realized and attained by means of the methodologies, instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 
     In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth by way of examples in order to provide a thorough understanding of the relevant teachings. However, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present teachings may be practiced without such details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, and components have been described at a relatively high-level, without detail, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the present teachings. 
     The term “coupled” as used herein refers to any logical or physical link. Unless described otherwise, coupled elements or devices are not necessarily directly connected to one another and may be separated by intermediate components or elements. Reference now is made in detail to the examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings and discussed below. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates a perspective view of a motorcycle  200  mounted to an aircraft  300 , such as a MH-6 helicopter, via a mount  100  for quick mounting and demounting of the motorcycle  200  from the aircraft  300  without the use of tools. The mount  100  may couple to an aircraft directly or to an accessory installed on the aircraft. In an example, a troop transport system, which may also be a weapons platform, for the purpose of carrying cargo and personnel is installed on an MH-6 helicopter  300 . The mount  100  couples to the bottom of the troop transport system via the lug and ball-lock pins  104  for the purpose of transporting a motorcycle  200 . 
       FIG.  2    illustrates a perspective view of the mount  100  with two support arms  102 A-B configured to couple to the aircraft with lugs and ball-lock pins  104 . The lugs and ball-lock pins  104  allow for a quick and easy installation of the mount  100  to the aircraft  300  without the need of tools. A first support  106  is coupled to the support arms  102 A-B and is configured to support the weight of the motorcycle  200  by supporting the body of the motorcycle  200 . The first support  106  is further described in  FIG.  3   . A wheel bracket  108  is coupled to the first support  106 . The wheel bracket  108  is configured to couple to a front tire of the motorcycle  200  to prevent the lateral, longitudinal, and rotational movement of the front tire. The wheel bracket  108  is further described in  FIG.  6   . A wheel guide  110  is coupled to the first support  106 . The wheel guide  110  is configured to cradle a rear wheel of the motorcycle  200  to prevent lateral movement of the rear wheel. The wheel guide  110  is further described in  FIG.  4   . A foot peg mount  112  is coupled to the support arm  102 A. The foot peg mount  112  is configured to couple to a left foot peg of the motorcycle  200  to prevent the lateral rotation of the motorcycle  200 . The foot peg mount  112  is described further in  FIG.  7   . A foot peg hook assembly  114  is coupled to the first support  106 . The foot peg hook assembly  114  is configured to couple to a right foot peg of the motorcycle  200  to prevent the lateral rotation of the motorcycle  200 . The foot peg hook assembly  114  is described further in  FIG.  5   . The mount  100  may be made out of a variety of materials rated to withstand the strain expected while in use. For example, aluminum, steel, metal alloys, other strong and lightweight materials, or any combination of these materials may be used in the construction of the mount. 
       FIG.  3    is a partial exploded view of the mount  100  emphasizing the support arms  102 A-B and the first support  106 . The support arms  102 A-B are designed to maximize structural strength while minimizing the weight of the part. In one embodiment, the support arms have a truss design to maximize strength while reducing the amount of material needed to decrease the weight of the part. In another embodiment, the support arms  102 A-B couple to the aircraft  300  via lugs and ball-lock pins  104 . Other quick-connecting assemblies may also be used to attach the support arms  102 A-B to the aircraft. The first support  106  is designed to maximize the strength of the part while also reducing its weight. In one embodiment, the first support  106  is coupled to the support arms  102 A-B by bolts, washers, and nuts, but other types of fasteners may also be used. The first support  106  is configured to support the majority of the load of the motorcycle  200  by supporting the body of the motorcycle  200 . In another embodiment, the first support  106  has a flat surface that contacts the underside of the body of the motorcycle  200 . The flat surface is partially encompassed by raised edges to prevent the sliding of the motorcycle body off the flat surface of the first support  106 . 
       FIG.  4    is a partial exploded view of the mount  100  emphasizing the wheel guide  110 . The wheel guide  110  is coupled to the first support  106 . In one embodiment, the wheel guide  110  is coupled to the first support  106  by bolts, washer, and nuts, but other types of fasteners may also be used. The wheel guide  110  is designed to maximize the strength of the part while also reducing its weight. The wheel guide  110  is configured to stabilize the rear wheel of the motorcycle  200  while it is mounted by preventing the lateral movement of the rear wheel of the motorcycle  200 . In one embodiment, the wheel guide  110  is shaped similar to a ‘U’ or ‘V’ to surround the rear wheel by three sides. 
       FIG.  5    is a partial exploded view of the mount  100  emphasizing the foot peg hook assembly  114 . The foot peg hook assembly  114  comprising of a hook  156 , a pin  163 , a lanyard pin  162 , a bracket  158 , and a handle  160 . The hook  156  is coupled to the first support  106  via a bracket  158 . In one embodiment, the bracket  158  is coupled to the first support  106  by bolts, washers, and nuts, but other fasteners may also be used. The lower body of the hook  156  is threaded and configured to slide through the bracket  158  to adjust for a variety of motorcycle  200  sizes. The pin  163  is configured to insert into the base of the hook  156  to prevent the handle  160  from falling off of the hook  156 . The handle  160  is configured to receive the threaded portion of the hook  160  to adjust for varying motorcycle sizes. The handle  160  can be selectively coupled to the bracket  158  via the lanyard pin  162 . In one embodiment, the foot peg hook  156  is coupled to the right foot peg of the motorcycle  200 . The handle  160  is then rotated about the base of the hook  156  to accommodate for the size of motorcycle  200  that is mounted. The lanyard pin  162  is then used to couple the handle  160  to the bracket  158  to prevent the hook  156  from decoupling from the foot peg of the motorcycle  200 . The foot peg hook assembly  114  helps prevent the movement, such as lateral, longitudinal, and rotational, of the motorcycle  200  in reference to the mount  100  while in transport. 
       FIG.  6    is a partial exploded view of the mount  100  emphasizing the wheel bracket  108 . The wheel bracket  108  comprising of a bracket  152 , a support post  148 , a lanyard pin  154 , and a wheel strap  150 . The wheel bracket  108  is coupled to the first support via the bracket  152 . In one embodiment, the bracket  152  is coupled to the first support by the use of bolts, washers, and nuts, but other fasteners may be used. The wheel strap  150  is coupled to the support post  148 . In another embodiment, the support post  148  is then coupled to the bracket  152  via a lanyard pin  154 . The support post  148  is configured to slide through the bracket  152  to adjust the length between the wheel strap  150  and the first support  106  to properly fit a variety of motorcycle  200  sizes. In another embodiment, the wheel strap  150  is made of a flexible rubber that can be adjusted for varying wheel sizes. The wheel strap  150  is configured to wrap around the front wheel of the motorcycle to prevent the movement, such as lateral, longitudinal, and rotational, of the front wheel, further securing the motorcycle  200  to the mount  100 . 
       FIG.  7    is a partial exploded view of the mount  100  emphasizing the foot peg mount  112 . The foot peg mount  112  comprising of brackets  170  and  172 , a post  164 , a peg mount  166 , and a lanyard pin  168 . The post  164  is coupled to the support arm  102 A via the brackets  170  and  172 . In one embodiment, the brackets  170  and  172  couple the post  164  to the support arm  102 A via bolts, washers, and nuts, but other fasteners may be used. The peg mount  166  is coupled to the post  164  via the lanyard pin  168 . The peg mount  166  may be attached at multiple points vertically along the post to adjust for varying motorcycle  200  sizes. The peg mount  166  couples to the top of a left foot peg of the motorcycle  200  to prevent movement, such as lateral, longitudinal, and rotational, of the motorcycle  200  in reference to the mount  100  during transport. 
     The mount  100 , allows for the quick coupling and decoupling of the motorcycle  200  to the mount without the use of tools. In one embodiment, the motorcycle  200  is quickly attached to the mount  100  without the use of tools. The following may be done in any logical order. First, the body of the motorcycle  200  is placed upon the first support  106 . The rear wheel is then positioned at the wheel guide  110  where it is surrounded by three sides. The right foot peg of the motorcycle  200  is then secured by the foot peg hook assembly  114 . The left foot peg of the motorcycle  200  is then secured by the foot peg mount  112 . The front wheel of the motorcycle  200  is then secured by the wheel strap  108 . The motorcycle  200  may be quickly decoupled from the mount by decoupling the wheel strap  108 , the foot peg mount  108 , and the foot peg hook assembly  114 . The motorcycle may then be removed from the mount  100 . 
     While the foregoing has described what are considered to be the best mode and other examples, it is understood that various modifications may be made therein and that the subject matter disclosed herein may be implemented in various forms and examples, and that they may be applied in numerous applications, only some of which have been described herein. It is intended by the following claims to claim any and all modifications and variations that fall within the true scope of the present concepts.