US 12,304,656 B2
Passenger boarding bridge monitoring device
Wataru Shimomori, Takarazuka (JP)
Assigned to SHINMAYWA INDUSTRIES, LTD., Takarazuka (JP)
Appl. No. 17/754,735
Filed by SHINMAYWA INDUSTRIES, LTD., Takarazuka (JP)
PCT Filed Oct. 30, 2019, PCT No. PCT/JP2019/042580
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 11, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/084651, PCT Pub. Date May 6, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0271722 A1, Aug. 31, 2023
Int. Cl. B64F 1/30 (2006.01); B64F 1/305 (2006.01)
CPC B64F 1/3055 (2013.01) 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A passenger boarding bridge monitoring device for, when docking and/or undocking a plurality of passenger boarding bridges with and/or from a plurality of respective entrances of an aircraft, monitoring the plurality of passenger boarding bridges,
each of the passenger boarding bridges including:
a rotunda connected to a terminal building and supported such that the rotunda is rotatable horizontally;
a tunnel unit whose proximal end is connected to the rotunda, the tunnel unit being extendable and retractable;
a travel device that supports the tunnel unit, the travel device including travel wheels that are drivable to rotate in regular and reverse directions;
a rotatable cab provided at a distal end of the tunnel unit and mounted to one of the entrances of the aircraft;
a detector that detects a rotational angle of the rotunda;
a detector that detects a length of the tunnel unit; and
a detector that detects a rotational angle of the cab,
the passenger boarding bridge monitoring device comprising:
a line calculator configured to calculate, for one of the passenger boarding bridges that are adjacent to each other, a current position of a virtual line based on detection values of the respective detectors of the one passenger boarding bridge, the virtual line being set such that, in a plan view, the virtual line is shifted outward from a profile of the one passenger boarding bridge of its side adjacent to the other passenger boarding bridge, and is a line having a shape conforming to a shape of the profile, the line calculator being configured to calculate, for the other passenger boarding bridge, a current position of a virtual line based on detection values of the respective detectors of the other passenger boarding bridge, the virtual line being set such that, in a plan view, the virtual line either extends along or is shifted outward from a profile of the other passenger boarding bridge of its side adjacent to the one passenger boarding bridge, and is a line having a shape confirming to a shape of the profile; and
a monitoring controller configured to determine based on a predetermined crossing determination condition whether or not the virtual line, of the one passenger boarding bridge, whose current position is calculated by the line calculator and the virtual line, of the other passenger boarding bridge, whose current position is calculated by the line calculator are in a state of crossing each other, and if it is determined that the virtual lines are in the state of crossing each other, perform a first coming-close hindering process.