Patent Publication Number: US-2007119003-A1

Title: Method for aligning a passenger boarding bridge to a doorway of an aircraft

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The instant invention relates generally to passenger boarding bridges, and more particularly to a method for aligning a passenger boarding bridge to a doorway of an aircraft.  
     BACKGROUND  
      In order to make aircraft passengers comfortable, and in order to transport them between an airport terminal building and an aircraft in such a way that they are protected from weather and other environmental influences, passenger boarding bridges are used which can be telescopically extended and the height of which is adjustable. For instance, an apron drive bridge in present day use includes a plurality of adjustable modules, including: a rotunda, a telescopic tunnel, a bubble section, a cab, and elevating columns with wheel carriage. Manual, semi-automated and fully-automated bridge alignment systems are known for adjusting the position of the passenger boarding bridge relative to an aircraft, for instance to compensate for different sized aircraft and to compensate for imprecise parking of aircraft at an airport terminal.  
      A manual bridge alignment system requires that a human operator is present to perform the alignment operation each time an aircraft arrives. Delays may occur when the human operator is not standing-by to perform the alignment operation as soon as the aircraft comes to a stop. In addition, human operators are prone to errors which may result in the passenger boarding bridge being driven into the aircraft or into a piece of ground service equipment. Such collisions involving the passenger boarding bridge are costly and also result in delays. However, an experienced human operator may be better able to predict the outcome of future bridge movements compared to some of the automated bridge alignment systems that are currently on the market.  
      Semi-automated bridge alignment systems also require a human operator, but the human operator may be present at a remote location and interact with the bridge control system in a tele-robotic manner. Alternatively, certain movements of the bridge are automated whilst other movements are performed under the control of the human operator.  
      Automated bridge alignment systems provide a number of advantages compared to manual and semi-automated systems. For instance, automated bridge alignment systems do not require a human operator, and therefore the costs that are associated with training and paying the salaries of human bridge operators are reduced. Furthermore, an automated bridge alignment system is always standing by to control the passenger boarding bridge as soon as an aircraft comes to a stop. Accordingly, delays associated with dispatching a human operator to perform a bridge alignment operation are eliminated, particularly during periods of heavy aircraft travel.  
      Of course, each type of bridge alignment system relies upon having accurate and precise information regarding the position of the doorway to which the passenger boarding bridge is to be aligned. In the case of a manual bridge alignment system, the human operator visually identifies the location of the doorway and then drives the bridge in an appropriate direction. Similarly, an automated bridge alignment system uses sophisticated imaging and data processing systems to identify the location of the doorway. Unfortunately, poor lighting conditions and other environmental factors may make it difficult to identify precisely the position of the doorway, especially in the case of an automated bridge alignment system.  
      Furthermore, in some instances it may be necessary firstly to determine whether or not to perform the alignment process, even before the position of the doorway is determined precisely. In particular, the over-the-wing portion of a dual boarding bridge is not used every time an aircraft is parked, especially if the incoming and outgoing flight has a minimal passenger load or if the turn-around time of the aircraft is relatively long. Under these circumstances, the pilot may wish to transfer all passengers using only the front doorway of the aircraft, so as to reduce wear-and-tear of the over-the-wing boarding bridge of the aircraft, for instance. If the decision not to use the rear doorway of the aircraft is made at the last minute, then communicating this information to the bridge alignment system poses a problem.  
      It would be advantageous to provide a system and method that overcomes at least some of the above-mentioned limitations of the prior art.  
     SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION  
      It is an object of at least some of the embodiments of the instant invention to provide a system and method for indicating a request to have a passenger boarding bridge aligned to a particular doorway of an aircraft.  
      It is an object of at least some of the embodiments of the instant invention to provide a system and method for identifying the position of a doorway of an aircraft.  
      In accordance with an aspect of the instant invention there is provided a method for aligning an aircraft-engaging end of a passenger boarding bridge to a doorway of an aircraft, the method comprising: waiting for the aircraft to park within a parking space that is adjacent to the passenger boarding bridge; determining a status of the doorway, the status indicative of a door panel being in one of a secured-closed condition and an unsecured-open condition within the doorway; and, in dependence upon the determined status being indicative of the unsecured-open condition, performing an alignment operation for adjusting the aircraft engaging-end of the passenger boarding bridge into an aligned relationship relative to the doorway of the aircraft.  
      According to an optional aspect, opening the door panel is for providing an indication for communicating a request to initiate the alignment operation for adjusting the aircraft engaging-end of the passenger boarding bridge into an aligned relationship relative to the doorway of the aircraft.  
      According to another optional aspect, the doorway of the aircraft is a doorway used optionally for passenger transfer, in addition to another doorway of the aircraft.  
      According to another optional aspect, the doorway of the aircraft is a doorway that is located aft of or over a wing of the aircraft.  
      According to another optional aspect, the method comprises: determining whether to transfer passengers between the doorway of the aircraft and the passenger boarding bridge; and,  
      when it is determined that passengers are to be transferred between the doorway of the aircraft and the passenger boarding bridge, opening the door panel into the unsecured-open condition.  
      In accordance with another aspect of the instant invention there is provided a method for aligning an aircraft-engaging end of a passenger boarding bridge to a doorway of an aircraft, the method comprising: parking the aircraft within a parking space that is adjacent to the passenger boarding bridge; opening a door panel within a doorway of the aircraft to which the passenger boarding bridge is to be aligned; using a sensor disposed at a location that is remote from the aircraft, sensing an indication that the door panel is open; in dependence upon sensing the indication that the door panel is open, providing a control signal between the sensor and a controller of an automated bridge alignment control-system, the control signal for initiating an automated alignment operation of the passenger boarding bridge; and, in dependence upon receiving the control signal at the controller, automatically aligning the passenger boarding bridge to the doorway of the aircraft.  
      According to an optional aspect, the doorway of the aircraft is a doorway used optionally for passenger transfer, in addition to another doorway of the aircraft.  
      According to another optional aspect, the doorway of the aircraft is a doorway that is located aft of or over a wing of the aircraft.  
      According to another optional aspect, the method comprises prior to opening the door panel, determining whether to transfer passengers between the doorway of the aircraft and the passenger boarding bridge.  
      According to another optional aspect, opening the door panel is for indicating a selected doorway for passenger transfer from a plurality of available doorways of the same aircraft.  
      In accordance with another aspect of the instant invention there is provided a method for aligning an aircraft-engaging end of a passenger boarding bridge to a doorway of an aircraft, the method comprising: parking the aircraft within a parking space that is adjacent to the passenger boarding bridge; determining whether to transfer passengers between the doorway of the aircraft and the passenger boarding bridge, the doorway selected from a plurality of doorways of the same aircraft that are available for transferring passengers; when it is determined that passengers are to be transferred between the doorway of the aircraft and the passenger boarding bridge, opening a door panel within the doorway subsequent to the aircraft being parked; waiting for the passenger boarding bridge to move into an aircraft engaging position that is aligned with the doorway; and, directing passengers along a path between the doorway of the aircraft and the passenger boarding bridge.  
      In accordance with another aspect of the instant invention there is provided a system for aligning an aircraft-engaging end of a passenger boarding bridge to a doorway of an aircraft, comprising: an indicator for being mounted to an aircraft internal mounting surface and adjacent to the doorway, the indicator including a portion that is extensible across the doorway in a direction away from the aircraft internal mounting surface, the portion that is extensible having characteristics that are visually distinguishable compared to an outer surface of the aircraft when the indicator is viewed through the open doorway from a location that is external to the aircraft. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the following drawings, in which similar reference numbers designate similar items:  
       FIG. 1  is a simplified flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of the instant invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a simplified flow diagram of another method according to an embodiment of the instant invention;  
       FIG. 3  is a simplified flow diagram of yet another method according to an embodiment of the instant invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a partial elevational view of an aircraft including a doorway in a secured-closed condition;  
       FIG. 5  is a partial elevational view of an aircraft including a doorway in an unsecured-open condition;  
       FIG. 6  is a partial elevational view of an aircraft including a doorway in an unsecured-open condition;  
       FIG. 7  is a partial elevational view of an aircraft including a doorway in an unsecured-open condition with a screen-type indicator deployed;  
       FIG. 8  is a partial elevational view of an aircraft including a doorway in an unsecured-open condition with a retractable belt-type indicator deployed; and,  
       FIG. 9  is a partial elevational view of an aircraft including a doorway in an unsecured-open condition with a light-emitting retractable belt-type indicator deployed. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION  
      The following description is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , shown is a simplified flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of the instant invention. Step  100  is a step of waiting for the aircraft to park within a parking space that is adjacent to the passenger boarding bridge. During this waiting period, the aircraft is guided to a predetermined position on the apron surface and is urged to a stop. Ground service equipment optionally is connected to the aircraft after the aircraft is parked, but such connections are not considered to be a part of the parking process. At step  102 , a determination is made of a status of the doorway to which the passenger boarding bridge is to be aligned. In particular, the determined status is indicative of a door panel being in one of a secured-closed condition and an unsecured-open condition within the doorway. The secured-closed condition is identical to the door panel condition during flight, that is to say, the door panel forms an air-tight seal with the doorway when in the secured-closed condition. In contrast, the unsecured-open condition corresponds to any other state of the door panel, which is not suitable for flight. When in the unsecured-open condition, the door panel optionally is in a fully open position, or is only partially open. In either case, the door panel does not form an air-tight seal with the doorway when in the unsecured-open condition. At step  104 , and in dependence upon the determined status being indicative of the unsecured-open condition, an alignment operation is performed for adjusting an aircraft engaging-end of the passenger boarding bridge into an aligned relationship relative to the doorway of the aircraft. Accordingly, the open door panel serves as an indication for communicating a request to have a passenger boarding bridge aligned to a particular doorway of an aircraft. This indication is particularly useful when multiple-bridges are used, such as for instance an over-the-wing bridge as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,615, issued on Mar. 4, 2003 in the name of Hutton et. al., the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. Although the nose-loader portion is always used, sometimes the over-the-wing portion is not. In such a case, an open door panel in the doorway aft of or over the aircraft wing functions as a convenient, “low tech” call signal, which does not require any additional specialized communication equipment such as transmitters, receivers, and the like.  
      The method described with reference to  FIG. 1  is useful with any of the manual, semi-automated and automated bridge alignment control systems discussed supra. When a manual system is in use, the human bridge operator visually determines the status of the doorway. For instance, the human operator looks to see if the door panel is open or closed.  
      When an automated bridge alignment control system is in use, an imager replaces the human operator and captures image data that is representative of a portion of the aircraft including the doorway. The image data is processed to determine whether or not the door panel is open or closed. When it is determined that the door panel is open, the automated bridge control system aligns the aircraft engaging end of the passenger boarding bridge with the doorway of the aircraft, in an automated manner. An example of an automated bridge alignment control system suitable for use with the method of  FIG. 1  is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,724,314, issued to Hutton on Apr. 20, 2004, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. Advantageously, the features along the lateral surface of the aircraft appear to be more discontinuous when the door panel is open compared to when the door panel is closed. Such discontinuous features provide relatively more useful information when imaged by the imager. Accordingly, the probability that the automated bridge alignment control system will improperly determine the status of the doorway is low.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 2 , shown is a simplified flow diagram of another method according to an embodiment of the instant invention. At step  200  the aircraft is parked within a parking space that is adjacent to the passenger boarding bridge. For instance, the aircraft is guided to a predetermined position on the apron surface and is urged to a stop. Ground service equipment optionally is connected to the aircraft after the aircraft is parked, but such connections are not considered to be a part of the parking process. At step  202  a door panel is opened within a doorway of the aircraft to which the passenger boarding bridge is to be aligned. At step  204  a sensor disposed at a location that is remote from the aircraft is used for sensing an indication that the door panel is open. In dependence upon sensing the indication that the door panel is open, a control signal is provided at step  206  between the sensor and a controller of an automated bridge alignment control-system. The control signal is for initiating an automated alignment operation of the passenger boarding bridge. At step  208 , in dependence upon receiving the control signal at the controller, the passenger boarding bridge is aligned automatically to the doorway of the aircraft. An example of an automated bridge alignment control system suitable for use with the method of  FIG. 2  is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,724,314, issued to Hutton on Apr. 20, 2004.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 3 , shown is a simplified flow diagram of yet another method according to an embodiment of the instant invention. At step  300  the aircraft is parked within a parking space that is adjacent to the passenger boarding bridge. For instance, the aircraft is guided to a predetermined position on the apron surface and is urged to a stop. Ground service equipment optionally is connected to the aircraft after the aircraft is parked, but such connections are not considered to be a part of the parking process. At step  302 , a determination is made whether to transfer passengers between the doorway of the aircraft and the passenger boarding bridge. For instance, the pilot makes the determination based upon the number of passengers aboard the flight and/or the turn-around time of the flight. When it is determined that passengers are to be transferred between the doorway of the aircraft and the passenger boarding bridge, then at step  304  a door panel is opened within the doorway subsequent to the aircraft being parked. Step  306  is a step of waiting for the passenger boarding bridge to move into an aircraft engaging position that is aligned with the doorway. For instance, the passenger boarding bridge is aligned in one of a manual fashion, a semi-automated fashion and an automated fashion. An example of an automated bridge alignment control system suitable for aligning the passenger boarding bridge in an automated fashion is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,724,314, issued to Hutton on Apr. 20, 2004. At step  308 , passengers are directed along a path between the doorway of the aircraft and the passenger boarding bridge.  
      It is to be understood that the numbering of steps in  FIGS. 1 through 3  is not intended to imply any particular order, and that some steps may be performed in an order other than what is described supra. For instance, the step  302  of determining whether to transfer passengers between the doorway of the aircraft and the passenger boarding optionally is performed prior to the step  300  of parking the aircraft within a parking space that is adjacent to the passenger boarding bridge. Other such variations from the specific order of steps described supra will be apparent to one of skill in the art upon reading the description of the various embodiments of the instant invention.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 4 , shown is a partial elevational view of an aircraft  400  including a door panel  402  of a doorway  404  in a secured-closed condition.  FIG. 4  illustrates the condition of the doorway when alignment of a passenger boarding bridge to the doorway  400  is not desired.  FIG. 4  also shows that the door panel  402  tends to “blend-in” with the rest of the lateral surface of the aircraft  400 . Prior automated bridge alignment systems are known to have difficulty identifying the precise location of the doorway  404  due to the paucity of identifiable features. To this end, often the location of the doorway relative to a reference feature of the aircraft is stored in a database and provided to the automated bridge alignment system during the alignment process. In other cases, markings are placed along the lateral surface of the aircraft in order to help with the doorway location identification. Each of these solutions suffers from some disadvantage. For instance, if the type or sub-type of aircraft is not properly identified, then the doorway will not actually be at the location that is provided from the database. In addition, markings on the aircraft may be obscured by dirt, snow, or may have become detached from the aircraft during flight, and therefore not easily identified under some operating conditions.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 5 , shown is a partial elevational view of an aircraft  400  including a door panel  402  of a doorway  404  in an unsecured-open condition. In  FIG. 5 , the door panel  402  has been moved only part of the way from the fully closed position to the fully open position, resulting in a visible space  406  between the door panel  402  and the portion of the aircraft  400  surrounding the doorway  404 . The visible space  406  is identified relatively easily regardless of whether a manual or automated bridge alignment system is used. Identification of the visible space  406  results in the determination of the unsecure-open status of the doorway, which is understood to be an indication that a request is being made to have a passenger boarding bridge aligned to that doorway. Advantageously, the interface between the visible space  406  and the portion of the aircraft  400  surrounding the doorway  404  is useful for determining precisely the location of the doorway  404  during the alignment process. In particular, the visible space  406  contrasts with the portion of the aircraft  400  surrounding the doorway  404 , rendering the interface, which corresponds to the outline of the doorway  404 , easier to identify precisely.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 6 , shown is a partial elevational view of an aircraft  400  including a door panel  402  of a doorway  404  in an unsecured-open condition. In  FIG. 6 , the door panel  402  has been moved all the way from the fully closed position to the fully open position, resulting in a visible space  408  that is approximately the size of the door panel  402 . The visible space  408  is identified relatively easily regardless of whether a manual or automated bridge alignment system is used. Identification of the visible space  408  results in the determination of the unsecure-open status of the doorway, which is understood to be an indication that a request is being made to have a passenger boarding bridge aligned to that doorway. Advantageously, the interface between the visible space  408  and the portion of the aircraft  400  surrounding the doorway  404  is useful for determining precisely the location of the doorway  404  during the alignment process. In particular, the visible space  408  contrasts with the portion of the aircraft  400  surrounding the doorway  404 , rendering the interface, which corresponds to the outline of the doorway  404 , easier to identify precisely.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 7 , shown is a partial elevational view of an aircraft  400  including a door panel  402  of a doorway  404  in an unsecured-open condition, with a screen-type indicator  410  deployed. The screen-type indicator  410  is mounted to an aircraft internal mounting surface and adjacent to the aircraft doorway, and includes a portion that is extensible across the doorway in a direction away from the aircraft internal mounting surface. In other words, during use, a user aboard the aircraft pulls the screen portion downwardly so as to cover the open space  408  either entirely or only partially. As is shown in  FIG. 7 , the screen-type indicator  410  is visually distinct from the surface of the aircraft  400  surrounding the doorway  404 . Optionally, the screen-type indicator  410  is at least one of distinctively colored, distinctively patterned, light-reflective, and fluorescent. Optionally, the screen-type indicator  410  includes a feature  412  that is visually distinct from any aircraft features within a portion of the aircraft proximate the doorway  404 . Optionally, the feature  412  is at least one of distinctively colored, distinctively patterned, light-reflective, fluorescent and electro-magnetic radiation emitting. The feature  412  is shown by way of a non-limiting example as a distinctly patterned circular feature.  
      Identification of the screen-type indicator  410  and/or the feature  412  results in the determination of the unsecure-open status of the doorway, which is understood to be an indication that a request is being made to have a passenger boarding bridge aligned to that doorway. Optionally, the feature  412  is disposed within a portion of the screen-type indicator  410  at a predetermined location for being reproducibly deployable to a known position within the doorway  404 . In this way, once the feature  412  is identified by an automated bridge alignment system, the passenger boarding bridge may be aligned automatically with the doorway  404  based upon the known location of the feature  412  and a known relationship between the location of the feature and the location of the doorway  404 .  
      Referring now to  FIG. 8 , shown is a partial elevational view of an aircraft  400  including a door panel  402  of a doorway  404  in an unsecured-open condition, with a retractable belt-type indicator  414  deployed. The belt-type indicator  414  is mounted to an aircraft internal mounting surface and adjacent to the aircraft doorway  404 , and includes a portion that is extensible across the doorway in a direction away from the aircraft internal mounting surface. In other words, during use, a user aboard the aircraft pulls the belt-type portion across the open space  408 , for instance from left to right in the figure. The free end of the belt-like portion is then secured, in this specific example, to a receptacle that is mounted to another aircraft internal mounting surface along the right-hand edge of doorway  404  in  FIG. 8 . Optionally, the belt portion of the belt-like indicator  414  is at least one of distinctively colored, distinctively patterned, light-reflective, and fluorescent. Optionally, a feature  416  that is visually distinct from any aircraft features within a portion of the aircraft proximate the doorway  404  is mounted on the retractable belt-type indicator  414 . The feature  416  optionally is removably mounted on the retractable belt-type indicator  414 , or is permanently mounted on the retractable belt-type indicator  414 . Optionally, the feature  416  is at least one of distinctively colored, distinctively patterned, light-reflective, fluorescent and light emitting. The feature  416  is shown by way of a non-limiting example as a distinctly patterned circular feature.  
      Identification of the belt-type indicator  414  and/or the feature  416  results in the determination of the unsecure-open status of the doorway, which is understood to be an indication that a request is being made to have a passenger boarding bridge aligned to that doorway. Optionally, the feature  416  is disposed within a portion of the belt-type indicator  414  at a predetermined location for being reproducibly deployable to a known position within the doorway  404 . In this way, once the feature  416  is identified by an automated bridge alignment system, the passenger boarding bridge may be aligned automatically with the doorway  404  based upon the known location of the feature  416  and a known relationship between the location of the feature  416  and the location of the doorway  404 .  
      Referring now to  FIG. 9 , shown is a partial elevational view of an aircraft  400  including a door panel  402  of a doorway  404  in an unsecured-open condition, with a retractable belt-type indicator  418  deployed and supporting a light-emitting element  420 . The belt-type indicator  418  is mounted to an aircraft internal mounting surface and adjacent to the aircraft doorway  404 , and includes a portion that is extensible across the doorway in a direction away from the aircraft internal mounting surface. In other words, during use, a user aboard the aircraft pulls the belt-type portion across the open space  408 , for instance from left to right in the figure. The free end of the belt-like portion  418  is then secured, in this specific example, to a receptacle that is mounted to another aircraft internal mounting surface along the right-hand edge of doorway  404  in  FIG. 9 . Optionally, the belt portion of the belt-like indicator  418  is at least one of distinctively colored, distinctively patterned, light-reflective, and fluorescent. A light-emitting element  420  is mounted on the retractable belt-type indicator  418 . The light-emitting element  420  optionally is removably mounted on the retractable belt-type indicator  418 , or is permanently mounted on the retractable belt-type indicator  418 .  
      Identification of the light-emitting element  420  results in the determination of the unsecure-open status of the doorway, which is understood to be an indication that a request is being made to have a passenger boarding bridge aligned to that doorway. Advantageously, the light emitting element is highly visible to human bridge operators and to electronic imagers, even under conditions of poor lighting or adverse weather. Optionally, the light-emitting element  420  is disposed within a portion of the belt-type indicator  418  at a predetermined location for being reproducibly deployable to a known position within the doorway  404 . In this way, once the light-emitting element  420  is identified by an automated bridge alignment system, the passenger boarding bridge may be aligned automatically with the doorway  404  based upon the known location of the light-emitting element  420  and a known relationship between the location of the light-emitting element  420  and the location of the doorway  404 .  
      Numerous other embodiments may be envisaged without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.