Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited

Toru Takasu

Yugo Fukuhara

Hideaki Tanaka

Tatsuo Ishiguro

Isao Saito

Motohiro Atsumi

Shigeki Abe

Masakazu Nakanishi

Minoru Kamogari

An aircraft ice protection system is provided for preventing ice accretion on a wing of an aircraft or removing the accreted ice. Bleed air extracted from a main engine of the aircraft and air introduced from an air intake installed on an airframe and heated by a heat source of the airframe of the aircraft are selectively supplied to a hot air chamber formed inside the wing, thereby carrying out ice protection.

Aircraft ice protection system and aircraft provided with the same

The cargo transport system according to this invention employs a tow vehicle that can automatically follow and run upon guide lines. The tow vehicle can tow cargo laden equipment such as container dollies to thereby automatically transport the air cargo. The air cargo is conveyed by an underground air cargo conveyor mechanism which has the conveyor line including the guide line installed underground to link the air cargo holding area in the airport terminal building and the aircraft parking area. Further, the system connects the loading/unloading cargo door of the aircraft and the underground loading/unloading position for the underground air cargo conveyor mechanism by an air cargo elevator.

Air cargo transport system

In the conventional air cargo transportation system, the transportation of the cargo that is stored inside of the airport terminal building, to the area of the loading/unloading door is normally performed using the package/cargo carts. However, numerous workers were needed to load the cargo and drive the carts, which is very labor intensive and entails high manpower costs. The conventional system is also dangerous as they move along the complex tarmac markings. To solve these problems, this invention discloses a loading bridge which employs a cargo conveyor line comprising a transport means such as a conveyer, which can be extended or retracted, that connects with a rotunda extending from the airport terminal building; a cargo conveyor junction having a means to change the direction of the cargo conveyance by rotating the conveyor surface or changing its angle to alter the direction of the cargo conveyance to match the next conveyor line; and another cargo conveyor line to reach the cargo loading/unloading door of the aircraft, to thereby enable the automated conveyance of cargo for the aircraft from the airport terminal cargo holding area to the cargo door of the aircraft to eliminate the possibility of equipment collisions, to reduce manpower costs, and to shorten the time required for loading the aircraft.

Loading bridge for air cargo loading

Growing community of inventors

Minato-ku, Japan

Toru Takasu