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Vehicle for towing an airplane

  • US 8,640,804 B2
  • Filed: 06/09/2011
  • Issued: 02/04/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A vehicle for towing an airplane by receiving thereupon a nose landing gear of the airplane having an airplane longitudinal axis, said nose landing gear of the airplane having at least one front airplane wheel with a first axis of rotation, said airplane having main landing gear wheels with a common second axis of rotation such that, the first and the second axes of rotation intersect in a common airplane pivot point about which the airplane is to turn, said vehicle having a vehicle longitudinal axis and being configured to tow said airplane along a substantially straight or curved path, said vehicle comprising:

  • a controller for directing operation of the vehicle, including maintaining the vehicle'"'"'s in-phase position in which said vehicle longitudinal axis is substantially parallel to said airplane longitudinal axis;

    a plurality of vehicle wheels, each having a vehicle wheel axis of rotation; and

    wherein the controller is configured to calculate the location of the pivot point of the airplane according to a steering angle between the first and the second axes of rotation, and to control each vehicle wheel to be turned at its Ackerman angle, which is calculated by the controller according to the steering angle, with respect to the second axis of rotation such that all vehicle wheel axes intersect at the pivot point, whereby said in-phase position is maintained.

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