JP6013803B2 - Ground handling device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a ground handling device having wheels for towing a landing aircraft.

  An aircraft, for example, a rotary wing aircraft (helicopter) lands by contacting a pair of skids formed in a warp shape against the ground, and the skids support the aircraft whose power is stopped. Some aircraft, such as rotary wing aircraft, in which lift is applied in the vertical direction do not have any special means for moving on the ground.

  Thus, a technique for providing a ground handling device that supports the movement of the aircraft before and after the skid of the aircraft and moving the aircraft smoothly on the ground is disclosed (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-6958 A

  In the ground handling apparatus, the positions of the wheels in the horizontal left-right direction (the left-right direction of the aircraft on the horizontal plane) are offset so that they do not interfere with each other. However, if only one wheel is offset in the horizontal left / right direction of the skid, the skid is cantilevered and the load balance becomes worse. Therefore, in many cases, two wheels are symmetrically arranged across the grounding portion of the skid, and the skid is both supported.

  Since the size of the wheel is determined by the load of the aircraft, depending on the size of the wheel, the passenger step and the wheel used when the passenger gets on the aircraft interfere with each other. Therefore, the passenger step had to be removed to install the ground handling device when the aircraft was moving.

  Therefore, in view of such problems, the present invention provides a ground handling device that can avoid the interference between the passenger step and the wheel, avoid complicated work, and improve the movement efficiency of the aircraft on the ground. It is intended to provide.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a ground handling device according to the present invention includes a main body fixed to a skid that contacts the ground and supports the aircraft when the aircraft is landing, and a grounding of the skid connected to the main body. And a plurality of wheels that can movably support the aircraft, and at least one wheel that is inside the skid in the horizontal left-right direction is outside the skid in the horizontal left-right direction It is smaller in diameter than the wheel, and the vertical position of the ground contact surface is equal. Further, the plurality of wheels may have a greater number of wheels on the inner side in the horizontal left-right direction of the skid than a number of wheels on the outer side in the horizontal left-right direction of the skid.

  You may further include the latch part provided in the main body, and the tension | pulling strap which connects an aircraft and a latch part and pulls an aircraft and a skid.

  The latching portion may be positioned vertically upward and horizontally laterally outward with respect to the skid.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to aim at the improvement of the movement efficiency on the ground of an aircraft by avoiding interference with a passenger step and a wheel, avoiding a complicated operation.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the schematic structure of an aircraft. It is the perspective view which showed the schematic structure of the ground handling apparatus. It is a side view for demonstrating a raising / lowering mechanism. It is a front view for demonstrating arrangement | positioning of the wheel in a ground handling apparatus. It is a front view for demonstrating the position of the latching | locking part in a ground handling apparatus. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the storing procedure of an aircraft.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated. To do.

(Aircraft 1)
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the aircraft 1. Here, a rotary wing aircraft (helicopter) is exemplified as the aircraft 1. The aircraft 1 includes a fuselage 10, a main rotor 12, a tail rotor 14, a skid 16, and a passenger step 18.

  The airframe 10 is equipped with an internal combustion engine (for example, a jet engine or a reciprocating engine), its control device, etc., and accommodates a passenger such as a pilot. The main rotor 12 is positioned vertically above the fuselage 10 and is rotated by the internal combustion engine to generate a lift in the vertical direction, thereby maintaining the state where the aircraft 1 has floated in the atmosphere. The tail rotor 14 generates a lifting force in the horizontal direction, thereby canceling a counter torque that causes the main rotor 12 to rotate the aircraft 1 about the vertical axis.

  The skid 16 is configured by a pair of sleds that are positioned vertically below the fuselage 10 and extend in the front-rear direction of the fuselage 10, and contacts the ground and supports the aircraft 1 when the aircraft 1 is landing. Further, the skid 16 has elasticity for alleviating the impact at the time of landing. The passenger step 18 is a bar that is located vertically above the skid 16 and inside the skid 16 in the horizontal left-right direction (center direction of the airframe 10 with respect to the skid 16), and extends in the front-rear direction of the airframe 10. 10 used as a scaffold when boarding.

  Since the aircraft 1 such as a rotary wing aircraft as in the present embodiment does not have a moving means on the ground, it is not possible to voluntarily store and carry out the aircraft 1 in the hangar. Accordingly, one ground handling device that supports the aircraft 1 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction is fixed to each of the skids 16, and the aircraft 1 is pulled with the load of the aircraft 1 applied to the ground handling device.

(Grand handling device 100)
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the ground handling device 100. The ground handling device 100 includes a main body 110, wheels 112 (indicated by 112a and 112b in FIG. 2), an elevating mechanism 114, a hooking portion 116, and a tension strap 118.

  The main body 110 has a vertically lower portion in contact with the skid 16 and is fixed to the skid 16 by a fixture. A plurality of wheels 112 are connected to the main body 110 and arranged in the horizontal left and right directions of the airframe 10 across the grounding portion 16a of the skid 16, so that the aircraft 1 can be supported movably. The elevating mechanism 114 includes a hydraulic cylinder 114 a that operates by hydraulic pressure, and a connecting member 114 b that connects the hydraulic cylinder 114 a and the wheel 112.

  FIG. 3 is a side view for explaining the elevating mechanism 114. In this side view, the ground handling device 100 is viewed from the inside of the skid 16. When the ground handling apparatus 100 is fixed to the skid 16, the wheels 112 (112a and 112b) are maintained at the retracted position as shown in FIG. Then, as shown by the white arrow in FIG. 3B, by applying hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic cylinder 114a, the connecting member 114b rotates as indicated by the solid line arrow.

  Then, the elevating mechanism 114 changes the relative position between the skid 16 and the wheels 112 (112a and 112b in FIG. 3) that are in contact with the ground. That is, the aircraft 1 is raised through the skid 16 as shown by the black arrows in FIG. In this way, the contact between the skid 16 and the ground is released, and the aircraft 1 supported only by the wheels 112 can be moved in the horizontal direction.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the latching portion 116 is provided on the main body 110, and is located vertically above the skid 16 and horizontally outside in the left-right direction (opposite to the center of the machine body 10 with respect to the skid 16). One end of 118 can be hooked. A tension strap (MRSS: Maintenance Roll Stabilizer Strap) 118 has one end hooked to the hook 116 and the other end hooked to the airframe 10, and the skid 16 is pulled toward the airframe 10 to prevent the skid 16 from swinging. . Hereinafter, the wheel 112 and the latching part 116 of the ground handling apparatus 100 will be described in detail.

(Wheel 112)
FIG. 4 is a front view for explaining the arrangement of wheels in the ground handling device. The conventional ground handling device 30 is arranged so that the position of the wheel 30a in the horizontal left-right direction is different from that of the skid 16 so that the skid 16 to be fixed and the wheel 30a do not interfere with each other. However, simply disposing one wheel 30a offset in the horizontal left-right direction of the skid 16 will cause the skid 16 to be cantilevered, resulting in a poor load balance. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4A, the two wheels 30a are arranged symmetrically across the grounding portion 16a of the skid 16, and the skid 16 is held at both ends.

  Since the size of the wheel 30 a is determined by the load of the aircraft 1, if the wheel 30 a becomes relatively large, the wheel 30 a on the inner side in the horizontal left-right direction of the skid 16 interferes with the passenger step 18. Therefore, conventionally, when the aircraft 1 is moved, the passenger handling step 18 is once removed and then the ground handling device 30 is attached. In the present embodiment, work efficiency is improved by devising the arrangement of the wheels 112.

  Specifically, in the ground handling apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, among the plurality of wheels 112 facing each other across the grounding portion 16 a of the skid 16, the skid 16 is horizontally inward in the horizontal left-right direction. A certain wheel 112 a has a smaller diameter than the wheel 112 b located outside the skid 16 in the horizontal left-right direction. Here, since it is assumed that any of the wheels 112 is in contact with the ground at the bottom of the vertical (because the vertical position of the ground contact surface is equal), the height of the rotating shaft of the wheel 112a and the height of the top are higher than those of the wheel 112b. Also lower. Here, since the diameter of the wheel 112a is ½ of the diameter of the wheel 112b, the height of the rotating shaft of the wheel 112a and the height of the top are also ½.

  In this way, by setting the height of the wheel 112a on the inner side in the horizontal left-right direction of the skid 16 to be low, even when the aircraft 1 is lifted (lifted) as shown in FIG. The just step 18 and the wheel 112a do not interfere with each other. Therefore, it is possible to move the aircraft 1 easily and quickly without performing troublesome removal work of the passenger step 18.

  However, if the wheel 112a is simply made smaller in diameter than the wheel 112b, the load burden of the aircraft 1 on the wheel 112a increases. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the number of the small-diameter wheels 112a is more than the number of the wheels 112b (here, two wheels 112a) per one ground handling device 100, thereby distributing the load burden of the aircraft 1. To do.

(Hook 116)
By the way, in order to store and carry out the aircraft 1, individual operations on the aircraft 1 such as accommodation of blades in the main rotor 12 are required. During such operations, the airframe 10 may swing unnecessarily due to the elasticity of the skid 16. Therefore, a tension strap 118 is provided to suppress such swinging.

  FIG. 5 is a front view for explaining the position of the latching portion 116 in the ground handling device. In the conventional tension strap 32, one end of the tension strap 32 is directly hooked on the skid 16, as shown in FIG. However, as shown in FIG. 5A, the passenger step 18 exists on the straight line between the skid 16 and the hooking portion of the airframe 10. Therefore, if the tension strap 32 is simply hooked on the skid 16, the passenger step 18 and the tension strap 32 interfere with each other.

  Since the tension strap 32 plays a role of pulling the skid 16 toward the body 10, if the passenger step 18 and the tension strap 32 interfere with each other, not only can the tension force be adjusted, but also the passenger step 18 can be adjusted to the tension strap 32. A pressing force is applied from 32. In order to avoid such an event, conventionally, when the aircraft 1 is moved, the passenger strap 18 is once removed and then the tension strap 32 is attached.

  Further, while the tension strap 32 is attached, an area that can be externally mounted on the skid 16 is occupied by the tension strap 32, and the ground handling device 30 cannot be disposed. Therefore, when moving the aircraft 1, not only the passenger step 18 but also the tension strap 32 had to be removed in order to attach the ground handling device 30. Therefore, when the work using the tension strap 32 is performed after the aircraft 1 is moved, the troublesome work of reattaching the removed tension strap 32 is involved.

  In the present embodiment, the work efficiency is improved by integrating the tension strap 118 with the ground handling apparatus 100 and devising the position of the hook 116 that hooks the tension strap 118.

  Specifically, in the ground handling apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5B, the hooking portion 116 is positioned vertically upward and horizontally outward in the horizontal direction with respect to the skid 16. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5B, the connecting position of the tension strap 118 with the skid 16 is offset vertically upward and outward in the horizontal left-right direction of the skid 16 via the main body 110. Interference with the strap 118 can be avoided. Therefore, the skid 16 can be pulled toward the airframe 10 in a state where the passenger step 18 can be used without an operation of removing the passenger step 18.

  Also, by integrating the tension strap 118 into the ground handling device 100, the aircraft 1 can be moved without the operation of removing the tension strap 118 and without the operation of removing the passenger step 18 as described above. It can also be made. Therefore, since the tension strap 118 always pulls the skid 16, the work using the tension strap 118 can be performed easily and quickly, and the passenger step 18 can be always used. Become.

(Storing procedure of aircraft 1)
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the storing procedure of the aircraft 1. Here, the procedure for storing the aircraft 1 in the hangar using the ground handling device 100 of the present embodiment after the aircraft 1 has landed will be described.

  First, when the aircraft 1 is landed, the main body 110 of the ground handling device 100 is brought into contact with the skid 16 to fix the ground handling device 100 (S1). Then, one end of the tension strap 118 is hooked on the hook 116 and the other end is hooked on the machine body 10, and the skid 16 is pulled toward the machine body 10 (S2). At this time, it is not necessary to remove the passenger step 18 as in the prior art.

  Subsequently, an operation using the tension strap 118, such as accommodation of a blade in the main rotor 12, is performed (S3). Next, hydraulic pressure is applied to the hydraulic cylinder 114a of the lifting mechanism 114 to raise the aircraft 1 with respect to the ground, and the aircraft 1 is supported only by the wheels 112 (S4). Then, the aircraft 1 is pulled and stored in the hangar without removing the passenger step 18 and the tension strap 118 (S5). Thus, the work can be executed easily and quickly.

  Although the storing procedure of the aircraft 1 has been described here, the unloading procedure of the aircraft 1 can be performed in the reverse order of the storing procedure, and the operation can be performed easily and quickly like the storing procedure.

  As described above, according to the storage procedure (carry-out procedure) of the ground handling apparatus 100 and the aircraft 1 according to the present embodiment, interference between the passenger step 18 and the wheels 112a is avoided, and complicated work is avoided. It becomes possible to improve the movement efficiency of 1 on the ground.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to this embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Is done.

  Note that each step of the storing procedure of the aircraft 1 in this specification does not necessarily have to be processed in time series in the order described as the flowchart, and may include processing in parallel or by a subroutine.

  The present invention can be used for a ground handling device having wheels for towing a landing aircraft.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Aircraft 16 ... Skid 18 ... Passenger step 100 ... Ground handling apparatus 110 ... Main body 112 ... Wheel 116 ... Suspension part 118 ... Tensile strap

Claims (4)

A body fixed to a skid that contacts the ground and supports the aircraft when the aircraft is landing;
A plurality of wheels connected to the main body, arranged across the grounding portion of the skid, and capable of supporting the aircraft movably;
With
The plurality of wheels are characterized in that at least one wheel on the inner side in the horizontal left-right direction of the skid is smaller in diameter than the wheel on the outer side in the horizontal left-right direction of the skid, and the vertical position of the ground plane is equal. Ground handling device. 2. The ground handling device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of wheels has a larger number of wheels on an inner side in a horizontal left-right direction of the skid than a number of wheels on an outer side of the skid in a horizontal left-right direction. A latch provided on the body;
A tension strap for connecting the aircraft and the latching portion and pulling the aircraft and the skid;
Ground handling apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a. The ground handling device according to claim 3 , wherein the hooking portion is positioned vertically upward and horizontally laterally outward with respect to the skid.

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