Cargo area of an airport

• US 9,387,986 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Wenzel, Reinhard
• Primary Examiner(s): MYERS, GLENN F
• Application Number:
  US11/904,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20080131243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,211 Days
• Field of Search: 414/266, 414/267, 414/278, 414/282, 414/285, 414/749.5, 414/785, 414/344, 198/347.1, 198/347.4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/04 mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 63/004 for containers
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 63/025 for containers

Abstract

The invention relates to the cargo area of an airport, having transporting paths which connect the land side and the air side of the airport and are intended for the standard loading units (ULDs), and also having interim stores for the buffer storage of the loading units prior to the cargo being assembled. In order to create storage and sorting opportunities in the immediate vicinity of the transporting paths, while being simultaneously independent of the main store, and in order to achieve flexible supply of the loading units, it is proposed for the transporting paths to be assigned vertical stores each with a plurality of storage levels which are arranged one above the other, are set up above or alongside the transporting paths and in which, with the aid of lifting means, the loading units, which can be lifted off from the transporting paths, can be stored.

Claims

1. A cargo area of an airport, comprising:

a transporting path;

a transverse transporting path connected to the transporting path;

a land side for connecting to a road and/or railroad, the land side including a first area for loading and unloading;

an air side for connecting to an apron of the airport, the air side including a second area for loading and unloading;

a main store located in the cargo area of the airport and connected to the transporting path by the transverse transporting path;

the transporting path bypassing the main store and is being provided for transporting a plurality of aircraft loading units directly from the land side to the air side and directly from the air side to the land side;

interim vertical stores each being distinct from the main store and having storage levels, each interim vertical store including a plurality of storage levels arranged one above the other and each interim vertical store including a lifting device, the lifting device lifting the aircraft loading units from the transporting path onto an assigned storage level of a respective interim vertical store for storage;

the lifting devices being arranged centrally in the interim vertical stores such that the storage levels of the interim vertical stores are arranged on opposite sides of the lifting devices, and the lifting devices each including a transferring capability, the transferring capability configured for transferring the aircraft loading units into the storage levels on either side of the lifting devices and for receiving the aircraft loading units from the storage levels on the either side of the lifting devices;

the interim vertical stores being arranged above and alongside the transporting path;

the interim vertical stores providing buffer storage of the aircraft loading units within the cargo area of the airport prior to assembling cargo to be assigned to an aircraft or a vehicle in a desired order;

the main store being configured for storing aircraft loading units for a longer period of time than the interim vertical stores; and

the main store being provided for storing a further plurality of aircraft loading units.

2. The cargo area as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lifting devices engage beneath at least one of the aircraft loading units resting on the transporting path.

3. The cargo area as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage levels arranged on the opposite sides of the lifting devices, are dimensioned differently for receiving aircraft loading units of different sizes or a plurality of small aircraft loading units, the lifting devices being dimensioned to correspond to the largest aircraft loading units for storage and retrieval.

4. The cargo area as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the transporting path passes through the interim vertical stores at a lowermost level.

5. The cargo area as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the lifting devices are roller decks.

6. The cargo area as claimed in claim 1,

wherein a plurality of the interim vertical stores are arranged as buffer stores in the cargo area in a vicinity of the apron and/or the road/railroad.

7. The cargo area as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the lifting devices are cargo carriers.