Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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LEVELING INSTRUMENT, AN ELECTROMECHANICAL LIFTER AND A SELF
LEVELING INTEGRATED LIFTING SYSTEM USING BOTH OF THEM
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to the field of lifting devices. In particular, this
lifting device is used for lifting and lowering operations, for leveling
purpose, for
self-leveling and weighing of: aircrafts, such as aeroplanes, helicopters,
civil and
military aircrafts, watercraft, camping vehicles and similar, cars and trains,
bridges, radar, and any other structure and/or object to which it can be
applied.
Existing procedures for lifting of aeroplanes, helicopters, and civil
and military aircrafts are used for weighing, balancing, maintenance and
leveling,
hydraulic jacks or self assisted for lifting, which are activated by manual
methods.
This manual operation is obtained by a minimum of five operators taking time
of
actuation. Moreover, there is a risk that a structural yielding of the
hydraulic jack
during the operation of lifting may cause damages to persons and things.
It is in fact obvious that the manual operation causes instability and
lack of precision of the leveling, and consequently it is difficult to bring
suitable
corrections of the same weight, corrections that are required for the safety
of the
flight. Moreover, the operators move in a state of insecurity and dangerously,
because they work under the same aircraft for the proper maneuvers, and they
find difficulty in transporting the same hydraulic jacks for the attack upon
the
linking points of the aircraft; even uncontrolled movements of this aircraft
are
taken place during lifting and lowering operations, caused by suspensions of
the
main retractable undercarriages. This happens very frequently, and after many
years of verifications in this field, these problems still remain caused to
this
empiric existing method of lifting. In the specific field of airlines and
transport
aeroplanes, civil and military, of transport and similar and however for
aircrafts of
big dimensions, for the operations of lifting, balance, leveling, maintenance
and
above all to centre the linking point of the aircraft, four hydraulic jacks or
self
assistant type are used, including a front one (secondary), two principal
centrals,
and an auxiliary rear which is controlled manually, during the lifting for the
proper
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correction of the weight, because it must have respect of the maximum load
allowed by the aircraft specifications of construction and to avoid damages to
the
structure and at the same time to control the exceeding weight. Moreover,
dangerous lateral movements of the aircraft load with eventual structural
damages
of the aircraft can be verified during the operation of lifting and lowering
caused to
the instability of its linking point and of its load. The operators in order
to avoid the
disadvantage of lateral movements of the cargo of the aircraft, throw a
mineral oil
on the ground to make so that the movement of the axis of the linking point
comes
compensated from the forced sliding. This kind of operation is really
difficult.
Moreover it is imperfect to foresee more or less the exceeding load of the
tail of
the aircraft, which cannot exceed the established load of safety. In many
cases
structural damages of aircrafts have been verified.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This Self-Leveling Integrated Lifting device brings the following
improvements: It is composed by three or more lifting groups (FIG. 01 and
FIG. 10) that are all manufactured with "nut-screw" system (FIG. 01, part. 1).
This
lifting group works autonomous or in synchronous speed to have a self-leveling
operation to reference to a leveling cell (FIG. 05). The agglomerate of this
Self
Leveling Integrated Lifting device in order to avoid that one of the jacks for
effect
of instability to the ground doesn't guarantee one perfect adherence, (as an
example during the operations of lifting, a separation may happen from the
linking
points scheduled on the aircrafts and helicopters, etc.), it assures the
raising and
therefore it allows a perfect weighing and leveling to balance the weight; it
is
completely automatic only when the linking points scheduled by the aircraft
are
perfectly adherent to the ground and its linking points.
The benefits of this innovation are: fully electronic management and
at distance, only with an operator who with this device operates in less time
for the
lifting and lowering; to allow the lifting in emergency situations in which is
indispensable in less time to supply the apparatus and balance the weight upon
the aircraft before the takeoff; reduced maintenance and easy use owned to the
considerable mobility of the lifting groups; high safety owned by the use of
"nut-
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screw" penetrable, self-blocking, which at the end of the lifting operation,
avoids
possible instabilities of the attitude obtained upon the aircraft, besides
accidental
lowering. Moreover, an absolutely new feature is represented by the fact that
lifting and, therefore, lowering can be obtained in synchronism, with a
special
floating head for centring operation in case of application to large-dimension
aircraft.
Another feature is the display of partial and total weights and leveling
measurement, this latter being possibly obtained acoustically as well. Self-
leveling
is also useful to operate on mobile surfaces, such as floating platforms,
aircraft
carriers, etc. In the specific case of various camping vehicles, perfect
internal
attitude is required for electrical appliances (refrigerators, etc.) and for
people
inside, independent of the ground the vehicle rests on. At the moment, in
order to
obtain perfect attitude, either hydraulic or electrical, manually-controlled
jacks are
used, which need to be stabilised and levelled by the same user who surveys
leveling from inside, through a visual level. It is clear that balancing is
not perfect
in this case, in particular when the ground below is unstable, which may bring
about damage to the vehicle's structure because the jacks are independent and
not automatically controlled. The advantages of the Self-leveling Integrated
Lifting
device include perfect load balance and attitude of people inside the vehicle,
in
addition to increased stability of the vehicle itself, due to the above-
described
characteristics, since self-leveling is performed automatically even in the
case of
unstable conditions of the ground.
Lifting of bridges for ordinary maintenance, i.e., replacement of joints
and support to devices necessary to check regularly the bridge stability and
capability to sustain load, is today performed by manually-operated hydraulic
jacks, with subsequent economic losses of manpower and working hours, in
addition to possible damage to people or things. The benefits of the Self-
leveling
Integrated Lifting device include shorter time for automatic application, with
the
above-reported characteristics but different capability of resistance to loads
in
lifting and lowering, in addition to synchronous, automatic lifting of one or
more
lifting groups, which avoids possible damage to the structure or users. The
Self-
leveling Integrated Lifting device also allows to reduce time losses and
overwork
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for operation and is perfectly safe for the stability of the lifters used by
an operator
alone.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a self-
leveling integrated lifting system used for lifting and lowering operations,
for leveling
purpose, for self-leveling and weighing aircrafts, watercrafts and other large
structures, said system comprising: a) at least three lifting groups of
electro-
mechanical nut-screw type; b) a central general control in communication with
the
lifting groups; c) a leveling cell coupleable with the structure to be lifted,
the leveling
cell communicating with the central general control; d) a motor that drives
the lifting
groups; e) a reduction unit coupled between the motor and the lifting groups;
and f) a
control panel serving as an operator interface and communicating with the
central
general control, wherein each one of said lifting groups is provided with a
self-
centering floating head.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
After these general preliminary remarks, technical description and
various designs are reported below for preferred, non-restrictive, realisation
of the
devise called Self-leveling Integrated Lifting with reference to the
accompanying
drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows a top-view design of the whole lifting group apparatus
without its upper cover. It includes: lifting jack sectors (1); reduction
units (2); motor
(3); wheels (4); run-out switch (5); bearing base and supports (6); battery-
charger (7);
adhesion sensor (8); batteries (9); electronic command system (10); steering
rod
(11).
FIG. 2 shows the front-view design of a lifting group with upper cover,
including the keyboard, movement wheel and steering rod. It includes: voltage
LED
(12); manual/automatic switch (13); signal entry (14); up/down knob (15);
ON/OFF
key (16); lifting jack head (17); battery disconnecter (18); battery indicator
(19);
steering rod (20); movement wheel (21); wheels (22).
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FIG. 3 shows the rear-view design of a lifting group with upper cover
including support bases, plus lateral view with upper cover. It includes:
lifting jack
head (17); cover (23); supports (24); wheels (25); steering rod (20); movement
wheel
(21).
FIG. 4 shows the top-view of a lifting group with its upper cover. It
includes: guidance knob (25); keyboard (26); cover (23); lifting jack head
(17); wheels
(22); supports (24).
FIG. 46 shows the lifting group assembly.
FIG. 5 shows the level cell. FIG. 5A includes: cover (23). FIG. 56
includes: wedge pin (27); antishock case of the methacrylate cell (28);
projection of
the cell antishock case (29); sensors (30). FIG. 5C includes: wedge pin slot
(31);
mechanical pendulum (32); projection of the swaying bell (33).
FIG. 6 (FIG. 6A and 6B) shows the leveling cell container. It includes:
LED, signal entry, tightening.
FIG. 7 shows the support telescopic pole. It includes: plumb line
reference thrust rod (34); approach knob (35); lifting/lowering regulation
cursor (36).
FIG. 8 shows model "A" of the goniometric shift system. It includes:
clutch of the leveling cell container (37); threaded internal screw (38);
reference push
rod (39); positioning push rods (40); regulation knob (41).
FIG. 9 shows model "B" of the goniometric shift system. It includes:
regulation knob (41); clutch of the leveling cell container (37); reference
index of
degree shifting (42).
FIG. 10 shows the lifting group with tripod base for large-dimension
aircraft. It includes: anti-vibrant supports of the tripod base (43); fifth-
wheels with
balls (44); self-adhesion automatic sensor (45); wheels (46); lifter housing
(47); motor
steering rod (48).
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FIG. 11 shows the self-centering floating head. It includes: aircraft link
point (49); pin and springs for centering (50); fifth-wheel with balls (51);
sensors (52);
centering reference pin (53).
FIG. 12 shows the central general control front panel, including:
IN-connector for signals from lifters; IN-connector of the level; IN-connector
of palmar
control; manual control.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The lifting device is made of three or more groups of ELECTRO-
MECHANICAL LIFTERS (FIGS. 1 and 4), a CENTRAL GENERAL CONTROL
(FIG. 12), and a LEVELING CELL (FIG. 5). Each ELECTROMECHANICAL LIFTER
(FIG. 1) is constituted by the following elements: a load-bearing base and
some
supports (6) equipped with moving wheels (4), each including the following
parts: a
jack with "nut-screw system", i.e., bronze-threaded, penetrating, telescopic
screws
and bushings with one or more sectors (1), two batteries (9), a battery
charger (7), a
reduction unit (2), a motor (3), a run-out switch (5) and synchronism control,
electronic command system for control of the above elements (10), an adhesion
sensor (8) for automatic control of one or more lifting groups and for
function of the
self-leveling mechanism with reference to the LEVELING CELL (FIG. 1), and a
keyboard (FIG. 2). Every lifting group is self-functioning, being integrated
with an
electronic card apparatus that can be operated at various degrees of speed or
in
multiple, for control function in synchronism of every lifting group, with
automatic
weight control that follows lifting by controlled push of the load. This
synchronous
control function allows to perform lifting and lowering operations. In case of
lifting of
large dimension aircraft, due to the impossibility to know any rear-load
excess--which
cannot be greater than that fixed for safety and centering operations of the
aircraft,
the lifting system is also provided with an automatic sensor to avoid possible
structural damage of the aircraft, also aimed at overcoming difficulties in
transport of
the lifting system itself. This self-adhesion automatic sensor is necessary
for multiple
control during the synchronous function, and provides perfect lifting and
weighing just
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as all points expected to link to the vehicle are presently and perfectly
attached with
the linking points, so that any detachment is avoided. Moreover, the lifting
group is
equipped with a tripod base, with the specific shape and structure as shown in
FIG.
10, and protective fairing which makes orbital and axial movements
automatically,
and is formed by steel fifth-wheels (44) for support (FIG. 10), suitable for
acceptable
load. This allows to perform the automatic centering operation by means of a
self-
centering, floating head (FIG. 11), for anchorage with the vehicle's link
point and for
automatic control of lifting--both upward and downward--in order that exact
centering
is recovered on a real-time basis to avoid any lateral shifting of the
aircraft load.
The self-centering floating head (FIG. 11) for the specific lifting device
at the rear of the aircraft, functions as an automatic control (self-
controlled version) of
the rear shift, by never exceeding the safety load limits given in the
aircraft
specifications after proper calibration. In particular, during lifting and
lowering, the
following actions take place: two main lifting devices together with the rear
lifting
group (FIG. 10) start the aircraft detachment from ground. This rear lifting
group
possesses an automatic weighing system that follows lifting with a controlled-
load
push. If the load is exceeding or insufficient for aircraft attitude, as
provided for in the
aircraft specifications, a load cell--suitably calibrated according to load
requirements--
stops automatically the whole lifting system by displaying the excess or
defect load
(safety threshold). After recovering regular attitude, the operation may be
repeated.
These lifting and lowering operations can be performed by a single operation
outside
the aircraft, who uses a palmar remote control in perfect safety, rapidly and
with little
energy, thanks to the easy handling of the device (FIG. 10).
The CENTRAL GENERAL CONTROL (FIG. 12) is composed of a
remote control for self-leveling and manual operations plus a system with
electrical
command card for self-leveling, linked with the lifting groups by means of
wires or
radio control. The central general control is aimed at receiving and
processing
signals coming from the leveling cell through wires linked with the IN-
connector of the
level. As soon as received, the signals are co-coordinated by the electrical
command
card. By a series of batteries (9) placed within the lifting group, this card
supplies the
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energy necessary for the lifters to start and drives them to their self-
leveling
operation, either in synchronism or singularly. The whole apparatus is
enclosed in a
portable metal case that allows the user to control and operate the different
lifting
groups by means of a keyboard.
The LEVELING CELL (FIG. 5) is an integrated, compact, airtight device
with fluid-controlled oscillation that represents constant reference for the
whole
system, placed within the aircraft by means of a telescopic sustaining pole
(FIG. 7),
directly linked with the central general control (FIG. 12) or with the
electronic
command system (10) through electric multipolar wire. It is made of the
following
components: a mechanical pendulum (32) placed on a suitable, highly sensitive,
wedge pin (27) enclosed in an airtight methacrylate cell (28), submerged in
antifreeze
fluid for antishock effect. The leveling cell is enclosed in a suitable
container (FIG. 6)
together with the following components: external reading sensors (30)
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description of mortise positioning of the sensor inside the container FIG. 6),
with
infrared, photoelectric, or similar power of interception of the mechanical
pendulum
shifts (FIG. 5), LED for sensor interception and sensitivity regulators for
leveling
calibration. The leveling cell is equipped with supports appropriate for every
kind of
means to be lifted and self-levelled. FIG. 7 shows a sustaining telescopic
pole with a
spherical sector that operates in reference to the leveling cell (FIG. 5)
whose
container (FIG. 6) is placed below the telescopic pole itself in order to make
possible
amplification of the sensitivity of pendulum shift and, therefore, to attain
further
leveling precision. The whole system is designed to obtain centering and/or
self-
leveling and/or leveling as a substitute for the currently used plumb line.
At the basis of the whole device (including telescopic pole and leveling
cell container) there is a "goniometric" support (FIGS. 8 and 9). The
goniometric
support is part of the Self-leveling Integrated Lifting device and acts by
means of an
electronic control device for triangulation, which makes easier the shifting
of the
longitudinal axis for targeting purposes or aircraft attitude simulation. This
goniometric support (FIGS. 8 and 9) interferes with micrometrical shift by
either
manual or servo-controlled rotation of a knob placed at the basis of the
graduated
goniometre to perform manual simulation maneuvers. In fact, by means of the
triangulation system for aircraft survey that is present in the goniometric
support,
which utilizes three special control cells, it allows a single user to perform
centering
operations automatically, in the shortest operational time and with utmost
accuracy.
The leveling cell is placed inside the aircraft by means of its support
telescopic pole
and connected through multipolar electric wire to either the electronic
command
apparatus including an electronic card placed inside each lifting group for
autonomous function, or the IN-connector of the level in the central general
control
also provided with electric command card for function in synchronism of the
various
lifting groups.
Every shift of the mechanical pendulum in the level cell is translated by
the external reading sensors into electrical impulses, which in turn are sent
to the
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electronic command system or central general control through wires and
therefore
translated into shifts by the electronic card for signal control that
interprets them as
lifting and/or lowering and moves the lifters.
