Automated elevational adjustment of passenger loading bridge

Abstract

Vertical alignment of a movable bridge with a doorway of an aircraft is achieved by moving a sensor disposed on the movable bridge in a generally downward direction so as to sense a position of an upper surface of the aircraft. The upper surface of the aircraft has a known elevational relationship relative to the doorway of the aircraft, which is used along with the sensed position to align an aircraft engaging portion of the movable bridge with the doorway. The method accommodates different heights of a same model of aircraft resulting from differences in the aircraft loads and is easily implemented using either contact or non-contact sensors.

1 . A method for elevationally aligning a movable bridge with a doorway of an aircraft, comprising: 
 using a sensor, sensing a property relating to each one of a plurality of different elevational locations within a vertical plane that is normal to a length of the aircraft, the vertical plane passing through the doorway of the aircraft to which the moveable bridge is to be elevationally aligned, and at least some of the plurality of different elevational locations being disposed outside a known surface boundary of the aircraft; and,    detecting a variation in the sensed property between two elevational locations of the plurality of different elevational locations, the variation being indicative of an elevational position of the known surface boundary of the aircraft.    
   
   
       2 . A method for elevationally aligning a movable bridge with a doorway of an aircraft according to  claim 1 , comprising: determining an elevational position of the doorway of the aircraft based upon a known elevational relationship between the known surface boundary of the aircraft and the doorway of the aircraft and based upon the indicated elevational position of the known surface boundary of the aircraft.  
   
   
       3 . A method for elevationally aligning a movable bridge with a doorway of an aircraft according to  claim 1 , comprising: 
 elevationally aligning an aircraft engaging portion of the movable bridge based upon the indicated elevational position of the known surface boundary of the aircraft and based upon a known elevational relationship between the known surface boundary of the aircraft and the doorway of the aircraft.    
   
   
       4 . A method for elevationally aligning a movable bridge with a doorway of an aircraft according to  claim 1 , comprising providing the sensor including at least one transmitter element for transmitting electromagnetic radiation having a range of wavelengths selected from a known portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and further comprising providing at least one detector element for sensing at least an intensity of the electromagnetic radiation having the range of wavelengths selected from the known portion of the electromagnetic spectrum after reflection from a surface of the aircraft.  
   
   
       5 . A method for elevationally aligning a movable bridge with a doorway of an aircraft according to  claim 4 , wherein the range of wavelengths is selected from one of the infrared, ultraviolet and visible portions of the electromagnetic spectrum.  
   
   
       6 . A method for elevationally aligning a movable bridge with a doorway of an aircraft according to  claim 4 , wherein the at least one transmitter element is a laser light source.  
   
   
       7 . A method for elevationally aligning a movable bridge with a doorway of an aircraft according to  claim 1 , wherein providing a sensor comprises providing an imager including an array of CCD elements.  
   
   
       8 . A method for elevationally aligning a movable bridge with a doorway of an aircraft according to  claim 1 , comprising providing the sensor including an elongated body having a mounting end and an indicating end, the mounting end for being mounted to a surface of the moveable bridge at a location proximate the aircraft engaging portion and the indicating end for being moved toward the known surface boundary of the aircraft.  
   
   
       9 . A method for elevationally aligning a movable bridge with a doorway of an aircraft according to  claim 8 , wherein the mounting end is pivotally mounted to the surface of the moveable bridge proximate the aircraft engaging portion.  
   
   
       10 . A method for elevationally aligning a movable bridge with a doorway of an aircraft according to  claim 8 , wherein the sensor comprises a contact sensor and wherein detecting a variation in the sensed property comprises sensing a change in state of the contact sensor resulting from a contact between of the elongated body and the known surface boundary of the aircraft.  
   
   
       11 . A method for elevationally aligning a movable bridge with a doorway of an aircraft according to  claim 8 , wherein the sensor comprises a non-contact sensor and wherein detecting a variation in the sensed property comprises sensing a close approach of the indicating end to the known surface boundary of the aircraft.  
   
   
       12 . A method for elevationally aligning a movable bridge with a doorway of an aircraft according to  claim 1 , comprising: 
 identifying a model of the aircraft; and,    retrieving from memory data that is indicative of the known elevational relationship between the known surface boundary of the aircraft and the doorway of the aircraft for the identified model of the aircraft.