JP7549558B2 - Passenger boarding bridge - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to passenger boarding bridges.

At airports, passenger boarding bridges are used to connect the terminal building and the aircraft when boarding and disembarking from an aircraft. It has been proposed to automate the movement of such passenger boarding bridges (see, for example, Patent Documents 1-3).

For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 propose that a passenger boarding bridge be brought close to the predicted position of the aircraft door based on information provided in advance to a control device, and the movement of the passenger boarding bridge be controlled until it docks with the aircraft door based on information obtained by measuring the relative positional relationship between the aircraft door and the passenger boarding bridge using images from a camera installed in the cab of the passenger boarding bridge.

In addition to the above cameras, Patent Document 3 also discloses a pair of distance measuring devices (e.g., laser range finders) that are arranged side-by-side on the left and right of the bumper at the front end of the cab and below the cab floor to detect the distance between the cab and the aircraft. This allows the control device to obtain information on the distance between the cab and the aircraft and the parallelism between them when automatically mounting the passenger boarding bridge to the aircraft door.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 63-43900 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-156897 International Publication No. WO 2019/012648

The objective of this disclosure is to provide a passenger boarding bridge that can measure the distance between the cab and the aircraft with higher accuracy than ever before.

A passenger boarding bridge according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a rotunda connected to a terminal building, a tunnel connected to the rotunda, a cab at the end of the tunnel, and a range finder for measuring the distance between the cab and an aircraft, the range finder housing contains a measuring section of the range finder and includes a lid for covering the measuring section from above, the housing is fixed to the floor of the cab, and the housing has an opening for measuring the distance, the opening being located above the main surface of the floor.

The passenger boarding bridge of one embodiment of the present disclosure has the effect of being able to measure the distance between the cab and the aircraft with higher accuracy than ever before.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a passenger boarding bridge according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cab of the passenger boarding bridge of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cab of the passenger boarding bridge of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of a verification experiment for suppressing the generation of minute water droplets due to the rebound of raindrops. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a distance meter of the passenger boarding bridge of the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a distance meter of the passenger boarding bridge of the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a cab of a passenger boarding bridge according to the third embodiment.

Intensive research was conducted into high-precision distance measurement between the cab and the aircraft, and the following findings were obtained:

Because the cross section of an aircraft fuselage is not flat, but has an egg-shaped curved surface that differs for each aircraft model, it is considered ideal to measure the distance between the aircraft and the tip of the cab floor, which is closest to the aircraft, in order to accurately grasp the distance between the two. In other words, it is desirable to install a rangefinder at the tip of the cab floor, as this will make the rangefinder's measurement value nearly equal to the true distance between the cab and the aircraft (hereinafter referred to as the ideal installation location for the rangefinder). However, to adopt such a configuration, it is necessary to incorporate the rangefinder into the bumper at the tip of the cab floor. This may reduce the maintainability of the rangefinder. In addition, the part of the bumper where the rangefinder is installed may impair the bumper's function of absorbing the impact when the cab floor comes into contact with the aircraft.

The present inventors have therefore thoroughly studied the configuration of installing a rangefinder under the floor of the cab as disclosed in Patent Document 3, and have found that the installation of such a rangefinder is prone to deviation from the ideal installation location of the rangefinder. For example, when the cab is attached to the aircraft at a curved portion of the aircraft fuselage that is lower than the horizontal position at which the aircraft fuselage is most expanded, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 3 measures the distance between the cab and the aircraft at a location where the distance between them is longer than the ideal installation location of the rangefinder where the cab and the aircraft are closest to each other. In this case, when the passenger boarding bridge is automatically attached to the aircraft door based on the measurement value of the rangefinder, there is a possibility that the cab and the aircraft door will come closer than the predetermined distance between them (for example, about 0 mm to 10 mm).

In light of the above, it is believed that placing the rangefinder above the main surface (front surface; hereafter sometimes referred to as the cab floor surface) of the cab floor can reduce the error between the rangefinder's measurement and the true distance between the cab and the aircraft, compared to reversing the placement positions of the two. This allows the distance between the cab and the aircraft to be measured with high accuracy.

However, the present inventors discovered a new problem when adopting the above configuration, in that raindrops tend to fall directly onto the rangefinder, causing water droplets to adhere to the rangefinder, and thus came up with the following aspect of the present disclosure.

That is, the passenger boarding bridge of the first aspect of the present disclosure comprises a rotunda connected to a terminal building, a tunnel section connected to the rotunda, a cab provided at the end of the tunnel section, and a rangefinder that measures the distance between the cab and the aircraft, the rangefinder housing contains the measuring section of the rangefinder and has a lid section for covering the measuring section from above, the housing is fixed to the floor of the cab, and the housing has an opening for measuring the distance between the cab and the aircraft, the opening being located above the main surface of the floor of the cab.

With this configuration, the passenger boarding bridge of this embodiment can measure the distance between the cab and the aircraft with higher accuracy than conventional methods. Specifically, the passenger boarding bridge of this embodiment has the opening located above the cab floor, which reduces the error between the rangefinder measurement value and the true distance between the cab and the aircraft, which is caused by the cross-sectional shape of the aircraft fuselage, compared to conventional examples in which the positions of the two are reversed.

In addition, the passenger boarding bridge of this embodiment can prevent water droplets from adhering to the measurement unit by using a lid that covers the measurement unit from above. This makes it possible for the passenger boarding bridge of this embodiment to prevent measurement errors in the range finder caused by water droplets adhering to the measurement unit.

A passenger boarding bridge according to a second aspect of the present disclosure may be a passenger boarding bridge according to the first aspect, in which the distance meter includes a first sensor provided at a first end portion on either the left or right side of the floor of the cab, and a second sensor provided closer to a second end portion on the other of the left or right side of the floor of the cab than the first end portion.

With this configuration, the passenger boarding bridge of this embodiment can determine the distance between the cab and the aircraft as well as the parallelism between them using the first and second sensors.

Here, the mechanism by which water droplets adhere to the measuring part of the rangefinder was examined, and the following findings were obtained:

It has become increasingly clear that simply covering the measuring section of a rangefinder with a lid from above is insufficient to prevent water droplets from adhering to the measuring section. Specifically, it has been found that tiny water droplets generated by raindrops bouncing off the opening of the housing float in the air and flow into the housing, causing the tiny water droplets to adhere to the measuring section.

After extensive research, the present inventors discovered that the generation of minute water droplets caused by bouncing raindrops can be improved by laying a porous body inside the housing, and came up with the following aspect of the present disclosure. Details will be explained in the verification experiment.

That is, the passenger boarding bridge of the third aspect of the present disclosure is the passenger boarding bridge of the first or second aspect, in which the measuring unit of the rangefinder is a laser rangefinder, the opening of the housing is configured to allow the laser of the laser rangefinder to pass through, and the rangefinder may include a porous body laid below the position where the laser passes through.

With this configuration, the passenger boarding bridge of this embodiment uses a porous body to prevent the generation of minute water droplets caused by bouncing raindrops, thereby reducing the possibility of water droplets adhering to the laser rangefinder compared to a case in which such a porous body is not provided.

A passenger boarding bridge according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is a passenger boarding bridge according to the third aspect, in which the range finder includes a receiving part for covering the laser range finder from below and a holding member for holding the porous body from the back surface, and the holding member may form a gap between the back surface of the porous body and a horizontal plane including the bottom surface of the receiving part.

If the porous body is poor at draining rainwater that falls on it, the above-mentioned improvement effects of the porous body may not be fully realized. Details will be explained in the verification experiment.

The passenger boarding bridge of this embodiment can improve the drainage of rainwater that falls on the porous body due to the presence of the above-mentioned gaps, thereby reducing the possibility of water droplets adhering to the laser rangefinder compared to when such gaps are not provided.

A passenger boarding bridge according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is a passenger boarding bridge according to the third or fourth aspect, in which the housing includes a partition plate facing the laser range finder, and the partition plate may be provided with a passage opening for the laser.

With this configuration, the passenger boarding bridge of this embodiment can maintain a sufficient distance between the laser range finder and the opening due to the presence of a space between the partition and the front wall of the housing in which the opening is provided. This allows the passenger boarding bridge of this embodiment to reduce the possibility of water droplets adhering to the laser range finder.

A passenger boarding bridge according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is a passenger boarding bridge according to any one of the third to fifth aspects, in which the cover has a first wall and a second wall standing upright from the top plate of the cover toward the porous body, and the laser of the laser range finder may pass through a space surrounded by the top plate, the first wall, the second wall, and the porous body.

With this configuration, the passenger boarding bridge of this embodiment can reduce the possibility of water droplets adhering to the laser rangefinder by surrounding the space through which the laser of the laser rangefinder passes with a tunnel-like structure using the above-mentioned components.

A passenger boarding bridge according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure is a passenger boarding bridge according to the first or second aspect, in which the measuring unit of the range finder is a laser range finder, and the optical axis of the laser range finder may extend downward relative to a horizontal axis parallel to the main surface of the floor of the cab.

Depending on the type of aircraft or the height position of the aircraft door on the aircraft fuselage, if the opening of the rangefinder housing is located above the cab floor, the cross-sectional shape of the aircraft fuselage may cause an error between the rangefinder measurement and the true distance between the cab and the aircraft to exceed a certain level.

However, in the passenger boarding bridge of this embodiment, even if the opening of the rangefinder housing is located above the cab floor surface, the optical axis of the laser rangefinder extends downward relative to the horizontal axis parallel to the cab floor surface, so that when the cab approaches the aircraft, the laser can be irradiated near the aircraft surface opposite the tip of the cab floor. Therefore, the passenger boarding bridge of this embodiment can reduce the error between the rangefinder measurement value and the true distance between the cab and the aircraft that occurs due to the cross-sectional shape of the aircraft fuselage, compared to when the optical axis of the laser rangefinder extends parallel to the cab floor surface.

The passenger boarding bridge of the eighth aspect of the present disclosure is a passenger boarding bridge of any one of the first to seventh aspects, in which the housing may include a receiving portion for covering the measuring portion from below, and an unlocking means for opening and closing the lid portion relative to the receiving portion.

With this configuration, even if a problem occurs in the passenger boarding bridge, such as a measurement error in the rangefinder caused by water droplets adhering to the measuring section of the rangefinder, the problem can be quickly dealt with by opening the cover using the unlocking means.

Below, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings. Each of the embodiments described below shows a specific example of the present disclosure. The numerical values, shapes, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of the components shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in the independent claims showing the highest concept of the present disclosure will be described as optional components. Furthermore, in the drawings, the description of components with the same reference numerals may be omitted. Furthermore, the drawings show each component diagrammatically to facilitate understanding, and the shapes and dimensional ratios may not be shown accurately.

First Embodiment
[Device configuration]
1 is a diagram showing an example of a passenger boarding bridge according to a first embodiment, in which a tunnel section 10 is shown in an extended state.

In FIG. 1 (and the other drawings as well), for the sake of convenience, the direction in which the overall length of the tunnel section 10 of the passenger boarding bridge 100 expands and contracts will be described as the front-to-rear direction, the direction in which gravity acts on the passenger boarding bridge 100 as the up-to-down direction, and the width direction of the passenger boarding bridge 100 (the direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear and up-to-down directions) as the left-to-right direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, in the passenger boarding bridge 100, the side facing the aircraft 200 will be described as the "front" and the side facing the terminal building (not shown) as the "rear".

The passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment comprises a rotunda (rear circular room) 12 connected to the terminal building, a tunnel section 10 connected to the rotunda 12 so that it can ascend and descend and rotate horizontally, a cab (forward circular room) 20 provided at the end of the tunnel section 10, a drive column 15 that supports the tunnel section 10 so that it ascends and descends around the rotunda 12, and an auxiliary staircase 16.

The tunnel section 10 is configured such that adjacent tunnels 10A and 10B fit together in a nested manner with the inside and outside relative to each other, and the overall length of the tunnel section 10 can be expanded and contracted in the front-to-rear direction.

The drive column 15 (lifting device) is a device that is connected to the tunnel section 10 to move the tunnel section 10 up and down. In other words, the drive column 15 is connected to an appropriate position of the outer tunnel 10B (specifically, the front part of the outer tunnel 10B) so as to sandwich the tunnel section 10 from both the left and right sides. This allows the tunnel section 10 and the cab 20 to swing up and down based on the rotunda 12 near the boarding and disembarking area of the terminal building.

A drive unit is disposed at the lower end of the drive column 15. The drive unit is a device used for telescopic movement and/or horizontal rotation movement of the tunnel section 10 by supporting the drive column 15. For example, when the tires 14 of the drive unit run in the left-right direction on the ground surface 18 of the apron, the power of horizontal rotation movement is transmitted to the tunnel section 10. When the tires 14 of the drive unit run in the front-rear direction on the ground surface 18 of the apron, the power of telescopic movement in the front-rear direction is transmitted to the tunnel section 10. Then, when the entire length of the tunnel section 10 is extended and the cab 20 arranged at the front end of the tunnel section 10 reaches the aircraft door 201, a passenger walkway (not shown in FIG. 1) is formed between the boarding and disembarking section (not shown) of the airport terminal building and the aircraft door 201.

The cab 20 is rotatably disposed at the front end of the tunnel section 10. A control panel (not shown in FIG. 1) is installed inside the cab 20, and an operator can use a joystick on the control panel to operate the equipment of the passenger boarding bridge 100 (e.g., the drive column 15, etc.). The detailed configuration of the cab 20 will be described later.

The auxiliary staircase 16 is provided on the side of the tunnel section 10 to connect the inside of the tunnel section 10 to the apron ground surface 18. The auxiliary staircase 16 is used, for example, for the operator to enter and exit the cab 20.

[Cab configuration]
Hereinafter, an example of a cab according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

Figures 2 and 3 are diagrams showing an example of a cab for a passenger boarding bridge in the first embodiment. Figure 2 shows a plan view of the front end portion of the cab 20 in the up-down direction. Figure 3 shows a view of the cab 20 from the front.

The cab 20 includes a walkway 21, a closure 24, and an operation panel 30.

The walkway 21 comprises a fixed floor 21B that is connected to the end of the tunnel section 10 (see Figure 1), and a tilting floor 21A that is connected to the fixed floor 21B and is configured to be tiltable in the left and right directions. Note that the tilting mechanism for this type of tilting floor 21A is publicly known, so the mechanism will be outlined below without being illustrated or described in detail.

For example, the fixed floor 21B and the inclined floor 21A are connected via a connecting hinge portion, which is shown in a two-dot chain line. The right end 21AR or the left end 21AL of the inclined floor 21A moves up and down by the power of a power generator (not shown), such as a power cylinder or an electric motor. Then, the front end of the inclined floor 21A swings around the connecting hinge portion. This allows the inclined floor 21A to tilt left and right. A bumper 21C made of synthetic rubber is disposed at the front end of the inclined floor 21A. The bumper 21C has the function of mitigating the impact when the inclined floor 21A comes into contact with the aircraft 200, and the function of maintaining the distance between the front end of the inclined floor 21A and the aircraft door 201.

As shown in FIG. 3, the closure 24 includes a bellows portion that can expand and contract in the front-rear direction, a gate-shaped abutment portion 24B that is provided at the front end of the bellows portion and abuts against the aircraft 200, and a storage portion 24C that stores the bellows portion when the bellows portion contracts. As a result, when the cab 20 is attached to the aircraft 200, the abutment portion 24B can abut against the periphery of the aircraft door 201 by tilting forward.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control panel 30 is disposed in an appropriate position on the fixed floor 21B of the cab 20. A joystick (not shown) is provided on the control panel 30, and a control device (not shown) is disposed within the control panel 30.

The passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment is equipped with a range finder 50 that measures the distance between the cab 20 and the aircraft 200 in a non-contact manner. The measuring unit 51 of the range finder 50 can be, for example, a laser range finder, but is not limited to this.

The range finder 50 includes a first sensor 50A provided at the left end 21AL of the inclined floor 21A, and a second sensor 50B provided closer to the right end 21AR of the inclined floor 21A than the left end 21AL. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the second sensor 50B is fixed on the inclined floor 21A in front of the operation panel 30, but is not limited to this. For example, the second sensor 50B may be provided at the right end 21AR of the inclined floor 21A. This allows the first sensor 50A and the second sensor 50B to know the distance between the bumper 21C provided at the tip of the cab 20 and the aircraft 200, as well as the parallelism between them.

The housing 60 of the rangefinder 50 houses the measuring unit 51 of the rangefinder 50 and includes a lid 60L for covering the measuring unit 51 from above. The housing 60 of the rangefinder 50 is fixed to the inclined floor 21A of the cab 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 60 is provided with an opening 62 for measuring the distance between the cab 20 and the aircraft 200, and the opening 62 is located above the main surface (front surface) of the inclined floor 21A.

As described above, the passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment can measure the distance between the cab 20 and the aircraft 200 with higher accuracy than conventional methods. Specifically, the passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment has the opening 62 located above the main surface of the inclined floor 21A of the cab 20, which reduces the error between the measurement value of the rangefinder 50 and the true distance between the cab 20 and the aircraft 200, which is caused by the cross-sectional shape of the aircraft fuselage, compared to conventional examples in which the positions of the two are reversed.

In addition, the passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment can prevent water droplets from adhering to the measurement unit 51 by using the cover 60L for covering the measurement unit 51 from above. This makes it possible for the passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment to prevent measurement errors in the rangefinder 50 caused by water droplets adhering to the measurement unit 51 of the rangefinder 50.

Second Embodiment
The mechanism by which water droplets adhere to the measuring unit 51 of the rangefinder 50 was investigated, and the following findings were obtained.

It has gradually become clear that simply covering the measuring unit 51 of the rangefinder 50 from above with the lid 60L is insufficient to prevent water droplets from adhering to the measuring unit 51 of the rangefinder 50. Specifically, the following verification experiment revealed that minute water droplets generated by the bounce of raindrops near the opening 62 of the housing 60 float in the air and flow into the housing 60, causing the minute water droplets to adhere to the measuring unit 51 of the rangefinder 50.

<Verification experiment>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of a verification experiment for suppressing the generation of minute water droplets due to the rebound of raindrops.

First, as shown in FIG. 4(a), a predetermined amount of water was sprayed from a shower head 72 directly onto the main surface of the table 71 (spray angle: 60°, spray time: 10 seconds). Then, it was confirmed that water droplets adhered to a transparent plate 70 placed at a predetermined distance L (e.g., about 100 mm) from the table 71. This phenomenon is believed to be caused by minute water droplets generated by water bouncing off the table 71 reaching the transparent plate 70 while floating in the air.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4(b), a porous body 80 with a predetermined thickness L1 was placed on the table 71 with a gap L2 above the main surface of the table 71. In this verification experiment, a Malt Filter (registered trademark) with a three-dimensional mesh structure was used as the porous body 80. Filter A (fine mesh MF-20), Filter B (medium mesh MF-13), and Filter C (coarse mesh MF-8) were selected as the types of Malt Filter (registered trademark).

For the porous bodies 80, filters A, B, and C each having a thickness L1 of 5 mm, and filters A, B, and C each having a thickness L1 of 10 mm, a predetermined amount of water was sprayed onto filters A-C from the shower head 72 under the same water spraying conditions as described above, with the gap L2 at zero, as shown in FIG. 4(c).

The results of the experiment showed that both Filter A and Filter B had more water droplets attached to the transparent plate 70 than Filter C. This is thought to be because Filter A and Filter B are inferior to Filter C in terms of their ability to drain water that falls on them, so a water film forms on the filter surface.

Therefore, the following verification experiments were conducted only on filter C.

First, for filters C with thicknesses L1 of 5 mm and 10 mm, and gaps L2 of 2 mm and 5 mm, respectively, a predetermined amount of water was sprayed onto the filters C from the shower head 72 under the same water spraying conditions as described above, as shown in FIG. 4(c).

As a result of the experiment, the amount of water droplets adhering to the transparent plate 70 of the 10 mm thick filter C was smaller than that of the 5 mm thick filter C. This is thought to be because the 5 mm thick filter C flexes due to the weight of the water that falls on it, making it difficult to ensure the gap L2 necessary for the drainage of the filter C.

The results of the above verification experiments are shown in Table 1. In the table, "◯", "△", and "X" respectively represent the amount of water droplets attached to the transparent plate 70, with these indicating the largest amount of water droplets. Also, the diagonal lines in the table indicate that the verification experiment has not been carried out.

Note that the above verification experiments are merely examples and are not limited to these examples.

As described above, the present inventors conducted verification experiments and found that the generation of minute water droplets caused by bouncing raindrops can be improved by laying a porous body inside the housing 60. The present inventors also found that if the performance of draining rainwater from the porous body is poor, the above-mentioned improvement effect of the porous body may not be fully achieved. Based on the above findings, the present inventors have completed the following rangefinder.

Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of a distance meter for a passenger boarding bridge of the second embodiment. However, in Figures 5 and 6, for convenience, the porous body 180 is shown by a two-dot chain line. Note that an example of the porous body 180 is a rectangular plate-shaped porous filter with a three-dimensional mesh structure. An example of such a porous filter is Malt Filter (registered trademark). In this case, as shown in Table 1 above, it is desirable to use filter C (coarse MF-8) with a thickness L1 of about 10 mm as the Malt Filter (registered trademark), but this is not limited to this.

In the example shown in Figures 5 and 6, the housing 160 of the rangefinder 50 is a container that houses the measurement unit 51 of the rangefinder 50 (in this example, the laser rangefinder 151). That is, the housing 160 includes a lid portion 160L for covering the laser rangefinder 151 from above, and a receiving portion 160R for covering the laser rangefinder 151 from below.

Here, FIG. 6 shows a state in which the lid 160L of the housing 160 is temporarily opened to perform maintenance work on the rangefinder 50. The housing 160 of the rangefinder 50 is provided with a hinge 160LH and a fixed knob 160LK for opening and closing the lid 160L relative to the receiving part 160R. In other words, an example of the "unlocking means" of the present disclosure may be constituted by the hinge 160LH and the fixed knob 160LK.

As described above, when using the rangefinder 50, the cover 160L and the receiver 160R can be abutted using the fixing knob 160LK, and the screw (not shown) of the fixing knob 160LK can be connected to the screw hole SH to fix the cover 160L and the receiver 160R.

In addition, even if a problem occurs such as a measurement error of the laser rangefinder 151 due to water droplets adhering to the laser rangefinder 151, the problem can be quickly addressed by releasing the locking knob 160LK and opening the lid portion 160L.

When the rangefinder 50 is in use, the lid 160L of the housing 160 is closed as shown in FIG. 5. At this time, the porous body 180 is laid below the position where the laser of the laser rangefinder 151 passes. Although not shown, when the housing 160 is fixed to the inclined floor 21A of the cab 20, as described above, this opening 162 is located above the main surface of the inclined floor 21A of the cab 20.

The lid 160L of the housing 160 has a front wall 160LF with a rectangular opening 162. The opening 162 is configured to allow the laser of the laser rangefinder 151 to pass through. The front wall 160LF is provided with a gutter-shaped drain 160LD that is elongated on the left and right at the center and upper edge of the opening 162. As a result, even if raindrops fall on the top plate 160LU of the lid 160L when the rangefinder 50 is in use, the drain 160LD can drain the water in the left and right directions.

The lid 160L of the housing 160 is provided with a holding member 161 (see FIG. 6) that holds the porous body 180 from its back surface. Then, when the rangefinder 50 is in use, as shown in FIG. 5, the holding member 161 forms a gap L2 between the back surface of the porous body 180 and a horizontal plane including the bottom surface 160RD of the receiving portion 160R. This gap L2 (the vertical dimension) is preferably about 2 mm to 5 mm, as shown in Table 1 above, but is not limited to this.

5 and 6, the holding member 161 is provided on each of the left and right side wall portions of the lid portion 160L, and is composed of a long and narrow plate material extending in the front-rear direction, perpendicular to each of the side wall portions. This plate material is also provided with a pair of protruding portions 161A that protrude in a rectangular shape. This prevents the porous body 180 from bending due to the action of gravity when the rangefinder 50 is in use. Note that, as shown in FIG. 6, when the porous body 180 is held by the holding member 161, a plurality of plate materials for restricting movement of the porous body 180 in the in-plane direction and thickness direction may be provided on each of the side wall portions.

As shown in FIG. 6, the housing 160 includes a partition plate 163 facing the laser rangefinder 151. The partition plate 163 is provided with a rectangular laser passage opening 163A. In other words, the partition plate 163 is configured so that the laser passage opening 163A faces the laser passage surface 151A (lens surface) of the laser rangefinder 151. When the rangefinder 50 is in use, the partition plate 163 divides the inside of the housing 160 into an area where the laser rangefinder 151 is arranged and an area where the porous body 180 is arranged.

Here, the laser rangefinder 151 is fixed to the rear wall portion 160RB of the receiving portion 160R using an optical axis adjustment bracket 168. The optical axis adjustment bracket 168 comprises a rectangular first plate PA, a rectangular second plate PB, and a rectangular support plate PC. The first plate PA and the second plate PB are approximately similar in shape, and the outer dimensions of the first plate PA are larger than the outer dimensions of the second plate PB.

The main surface of the first plate PA is fixed to the main surface of the rear wall portion 160RB of the receiving portion 160R by a fixing member (here, a bolt).

The second plate PB is fixed to the first plate PA by fixing members (here, spring-loaded bolts provided at the four corners of the second plate PB) so that the main surface of the first plate PA and the main surface of the second plate PB are approximately parallel with a predetermined distance between them.

The support plate PC is supported by the second plate PB with fixing members (here, bolts not shown) so that the main surface of the second plate PB and the main surface of the support plate PC are perpendicular to each other.

The laser rangefinder 151 is placed on the main surface of the support plate PC by a fixing member (here, a bolt) so that the laser passing surface 151A faces the laser passing opening 163A.

With the above configuration, the laser range finder 151 can fine-tune the inclination of the laser passing surface 151A by turning the spring-loaded bolt on the second plate PB, using the action of the spring reaction force inserted between the first plate PA and the second plate PB.

The lid portion 160L of the housing 160 has a first wall portion 164 and a second wall portion 165 that stand upright from the top plate 160LU of the lid portion 160L toward the porous body 180. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the first wall portion 164 and the second wall portion 165 are composed of a pair of plate members that stand upright perpendicular to the top plate 160LU at a predetermined distance in the left-right direction.

As a result, when the rangefinder 50 is in use, the laser of the laser rangefinder 151 passes through the tunnel-like space S surrounded by the top plate 160LU, the first wall portion 164, the second wall portion 165, and the porous body 180. Specifically, when the rangefinder 50 is in use, the first wall portion 164 and the second wall portion 165 are disposed in front of the partition plate 163, so that the laser of the laser rangefinder 151 passes through the laser passage opening 163A of the partition plate 163 and then passes through the above-mentioned space S.

Furthermore, the lid portion 160L of the housing 160 has a third wall portion 166 and a fourth wall portion 167 that form the outlet of the space S.

Note that the above configuration of the rangefinder 50 is merely an example and is not limited to this example.

The passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment is equipped with the above-mentioned range finder 50, and can provide the following various operational effects.

First, the passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment uses the porous body 180 to prevent the generation of minute water droplets caused by bouncing raindrops, thereby reducing the possibility of water droplets adhering to the laser rangefinder 151 compared to a case in which such a porous body is not provided.

In addition, the passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment can improve the drainage of rainwater that falls on the porous body 180 from the porous body 180 due to the presence of the gap L2, so the possibility of water droplets adhering to the laser rangefinder 151 can be reduced compared to when such a gap is not provided.

In addition, the passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment can maintain a sufficient distance between the laser range finder 151 and the opening 162 due to the presence of a space between the partition plate 163 and the front wall portion 160LF in which the opening 162 is provided. This allows the passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment to reduce the possibility of water droplets adhering to the laser passage surface 151A (lens surface) of the laser range finder 151.

In addition, the passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment surrounds the space S through which the laser of the laser rangefinder 151 passes in a tunnel shape with the top plate 160LU of the cover portion 160L, the first wall portion 164, the second wall portion 165, and the porous body 180, thereby reducing the possibility of water droplets adhering to the laser passage surface 151A of the laser rangefinder 151.

Other than the above features, the passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment may be similar to the passenger boarding bridge 100 of the first embodiment.

Third Embodiment
The passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment is similar to the passenger boarding bridge 100 of the second embodiment, except for the optical axis direction of the laser of the laser rangefinder 151, which will be described below.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a cab for a passenger boarding bridge in the third embodiment. Figure 7 shows the cab 20 as seen from the left side.

As shown in FIG. 7, the optical axis 301 of the laser of the laser range finder 151 in the range finder 50 extends downward relative to a horizontal axis 300 that is parallel to the main surface of the inclined floor 21A of the cab 20.

Here, the angle θ between the optical axis 301 and the horizontal axis 300 can be set appropriately depending on the type of aircraft 200 or the position of the aircraft door 201 in the aircraft fuselage. For example, the angle θ may be about 2°, but is not limited to this.

The direction of the optical axis 301 of the laser rangefinder 151 can be changed as appropriate by fine-tuning the inclination of the laser passing surface 151A using the optical axis adjustment bracket 168, for example, as shown in FIG. 6.

Depending on the type of aircraft 200 or the height position of the aircraft door 201 on the aircraft fuselage, if the opening 162 (not shown in FIG. 7) of the housing 160 of the range finder 50 is located above the main surface (front surface) of the inclined floor 21A of the cab 20, the error between the measurement value of the laser range finder 151 and the true distance between the cab 20 and the aircraft 200 may exceed a predetermined level due to the cross-sectional shape of the aircraft fuselage.

However, in the passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment, even if the opening 162 of the housing 160 of the range finder 50 is provided above the main surface of the inclined floor 21A of the cab 20, the laser optical axis 301 of the laser range finder 151 extends downward with respect to the horizontal axis 300 parallel to the main surface of the inclined floor 21A of the cab 20, so that when the cab 20 approaches the aircraft 200, the laser can be irradiated near the aircraft surface opposite the tip of the floor of the cab. Therefore, in the passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment, the error between the measurement value of the laser range finder 151 caused by the cross-sectional shape of the aircraft fuselage and the true distance between the cab 20 and the aircraft 200 can be reduced compared to the case where the laser optical axis 301 of the laser range finder 151 extends parallel to the main surface of the inclined floor 21A of the cab 20.

Other than the above features, the passenger boarding bridge 100 of this embodiment may be similar to the passenger boarding bridge 100 of the first or second embodiment.

The first, second and third embodiments may be combined with each other as long as they do not exclude each other.

From the above description, many improvements and other embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the above description should be construed as illustrative only and is provided for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the present disclosure. Details of the structure and/or function thereof may be substantially changed without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

One aspect of the present disclosure can be used in passenger boarding bridges that can measure the distance between the cab and the aircraft with greater accuracy than ever before.

10: Tunnel section 10A: Tunnel 10B: Tunnel 12: Rotunda 14: Tire 15: Drive column 16: Auxiliary stairs 18: Ground 20: Cab 21: Walkway 21A: Inclined floor 21AL: Left end 21AR: Right end 21B: Fixed floor 21C: Bumper 24: Closure 24B: Contact portion 24C: Storage portion 30: Operation panel 50: Distance meter 50A: First sensor 50B: Second sensor 51: Measurement portion 60: Housing 60L: Lid portion 62: Opening 70: Transparent plate 71: Table 72: Shower head 80: Porous body 100: Passenger boarding bridge 151: Laser distance meter 151A: Laser passage surface 160: Housing 160L: Lid portion 160LD : Drain 160LF : Front wall 160LH : Hinge 160LK : Fixing knob 160LU : Top plate 160R : Receiving portion 160RB : Rear wall 160RD : Bottom 161 : Holding member 161A : Protrusion 162 : Opening 163 : Partition plate 163A : Passage hole 164 : First wall 165 : Second wall 166 : Third wall 167 : Fourth wall 168 : Optical axis adjustment bracket 180 : Porous body 200 : Aircraft 201 : Aircraft door 300 : Horizontal axis 301 : Optical axis A : Filter B : Filter C : Filter L : Distance L1 : Thickness L2 : Gap PA : First plate PB : Second plate S : Space SH : Screw hole

Claims (7)

A rotunda connected to the terminal building;
a tunnel section connected to the rotunda;
A cab provided at the end of the tunnel portion;
a range finder for measuring the distance between the cab and an aircraft;
Equipped with
a housing of the rangefinder that houses a measuring unit of the rangefinder and includes a lid for covering the measuring unit from above;
A passenger boarding bridge, wherein the housing is fixed to a floor of the cab, the housing is provided with an opening for measuring the distance, and the opening is located above a main surface of the floor,
The measuring unit is a laser rangefinder, the laser rangefinder is fixed to the housing using an optical axis adjustment bracket, and the optical axis of the laser rangefinder is adjusted using the optical axis adjustment bracket so as to extend downward with respect to a horizontal axis parallel to the main surface of the floor of the cab . The passenger boarding bridge according to claim 1, wherein the distance meter comprises a first sensor provided at a first end of the floor on either the left or right side, and a second sensor provided closer to a second end of the floor on either the left or right side than the first end. A rotunda connected to the terminal building;
a tunnel section connected to the rotunda;
A cab provided at the end of the tunnel portion;
a range finder for measuring the distance between the cab and an aircraft;
Equipped with
a housing of the rangefinder that houses a measuring unit of the rangefinder and includes a lid for covering the measuring unit from above;
A passenger boarding bridge, wherein the housing is fixed to a floor of the cab, the housing is provided with an opening for measuring the distance, and the opening is located above a main surface of the floor,
the measuring unit is a laser range finder,
the aperture is configured to allow a laser of the laser rangefinder to pass therethrough;
The distance meter is a passenger boarding bridge having a porous body laid below the passing position of the laser. The housing includes a receiving portion for covering the laser range finder from below and a holding member for holding the porous body from a back surface,
The passenger boarding bridge according to claim 3 , wherein the retaining member forms a gap between the rear surface of the porous body and a horizontal plane including the bottom surface of the receiving portion. the housing includes a partition plate facing the laser rangefinder,
5. The passenger boarding bridge according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the partition plate is provided with a passage for the laser. The lid portion includes a first wall portion and a second wall portion extending from a top plate of the lid portion toward the porous body,
6. The passenger boarding bridge according to claim 3, wherein the laser passes through a space surrounded by the top plate, the first wall portion, the second wall portion, and the porous body. 7. The passenger boarding bridge according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a receiving portion for covering the measuring portion from below, and a lock release means for opening and closing the lid portion relative to the receiving portion.

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