Infrared Communication System For Activating Power Drive Units In An Aircraft Cargo Loading System
First Claim
1. A cargo loading system installed in a cargo compartment of an aircraft, the cargo loading system comprising:
- a plurality of power drive units (PDUs), each of the PDUs comprising a light detector coupled to a PDU processor and configured to receive and process an incoming light signal;
at least one main control panel (MCP) mounted on the aircraft;
a controller connected by a wired network to the plurality of PDUs and also to the main control panel; and
at least one wireless remote control handset configured to selectively emit a coded light signal;
wherein;
each PDU processor is programmed to;
determine whether a coded light signal received at the light detector comprises a valid command signal from the handset to be provided to the controller; and
provide an appropriate first command information signal to the controller, if the received coded light signal is determined to be a valid command signal from the handset; and
the controller is programmed to;
obtain the first command information signal provided by the PDU;
determine which, if any, of said plurality of PDUs should be activated, in response to the first command information signal; and
send a first PDU control signal to activate only those PDUs that the controller has determined should be activated in response to the first command information signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An air cargo loading system also includes a controller, a main control panel and a plurality of PDUs (PDUs), at least the controller and the PDUs being connected by a wired network. Each PDU has a motor, at least one driver roller element coupled to said motor, a light source, a light detector, and a processor. The light detector of each PDU is configured to receive and process an incoming coded light signal from a wireless remote control handset. The PDU'"'"'s processor determines whether the received coded light signal is a valid command signal and, if so, provides a command information signal to the controller via the wired network. The controller decodes the command information signal and, in view of its knowledge of container locations, various switch settings and other status information, the controller then sends the appropriate control signals to turn on the required PDUs in response thereto. Because wireless remote handsets are used to communicate with the controller, the air cargo system may either be wholly devoid of local control panels or, have only a very small number of local control panels.
28 Citations
50 Claims
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1. A cargo loading system installed in a cargo compartment of an aircraft, the cargo loading system comprising:
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a plurality of power drive units (PDUs), each of the PDUs comprising a light detector coupled to a PDU processor and configured to receive and process an incoming light signal; at least one main control panel (MCP) mounted on the aircraft; a controller connected by a wired network to the plurality of PDUs and also to the main control panel; and at least one wireless remote control handset configured to selectively emit a coded light signal;
wherein;each PDU processor is programmed to; determine whether a coded light signal received at the light detector comprises a valid command signal from the handset to be provided to the controller; and provide an appropriate first command information signal to the controller, if the received coded light signal is determined to be a valid command signal from the handset; and the controller is programmed to; obtain the first command information signal provided by the PDU; determine which, if any, of said plurality of PDUs should be activated, in response to the first command information signal; and send a first PDU control signal to activate only those PDUs that the controller has determined should be activated in response to the first command information signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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Specification