Vehicle Elevator Systems And Methods

摘要

Ground-accessing elevator systems and methods are provided for transporting personnel between the ground level and one or more decks of multi-level vehicle such as a fixed-wing aircraft. The vehicle elevator systems and methods may be implemented using a multi-track guide rail system configured to guide an elevator car between the ground and two or more levels within a vehicle. The multi-track guide rail system may include an intra-vehicle track fixed to the vehicle structure and configured to guide the elevator car between decks of the vehicle, and a separate deployment track may be configured to telescope downward from the intra-vehicle guide rail track to guide the elevator car during deployment to the ground from the vehicle.

主权项

1. A ground-accessing vehicle elevator system, comprising:
at least one multi-track guide rail assembly configured for installation between multiple levels of a vehicle, the multi-track guide rail assembly comprising an elongated intra-vehicle guide rail track and a separate elongated deployment track movably coupled in adjacent parallel relationship to the intra-vehicle guide rail track, the separate deployment track being configured to move between a retracted position and an extended position relative to the intra-vehicle guide rail track; and an elevator car coupled in moveable engaged relationship to the elongated deployment track of each multi-track guide rail assembly, the deployment track configured to support the elevator car and guide the movement of the engaged elevator car relative to the deployment track up and down between the multiple levels of the vehicle; where the elevator car is configured to be deployed outside a body of the vehicle in engaged relationship with the deployment track either together with or after movement of the deployment track from the retracted position to the extended position; where the elevator car is configured to be retracted into the body of the vehicle in engaged relationship with the deployment track either together with or before movement of the deployment track from the extended position to the retracted position; and where the ground-accessing vehicle elevator system further comprises at least one belt and drive pulley system that includes:
a fixed upper guide rail assembly pulley configured to be coupled adjacent to and in fixed relationship to an upper end of the multi-track guide rail assembly,a movable lower guide rail assembly pulley coupled to the lower end of the deployment track, the movable lower guide rail assembly pulley being configured to move with the deployment track from the retracted position to the extended position relative to the intra-vehicle guide rail track such that a distance between the fixed upper guide rail assembly pulley and the movable lower guide rail assembly pulley is greater when the deployment track is in the extended position than when the deployment track is in the retracted position with the fixed upper guide rail assembly pulley coupled in fixed relationship to and adjacent to the upper end of the multi-track guide rail assembly, anda drive belt fixedly coupled to the elevator car at one or more fixed coupling points, each of the coupling points coupling the drive belt in fixed relationship to the elevator car, the drive belt extending from the fixed upper guide rail assembly pulley downward to one of the fixed coupling points to the elevator car, and the drive belt also extending from the movable lower guide rail assembly pulley upward to one of the fixed coupling points to the elevator car with the elevator car coupled to the drive belt in-between the fixed upper guide rail assembly pulley and movable lower guide rail assembly pulley, the drive belt being configured to move between the fixed upper guide rail assembly pulley and the movable lower guide rail assembly pulley so as to move the engaged elevator car relative to the deployment track between the multiple levels of the vehicle.