AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT AIRCRAFT PATIENT LOADING DEVICE The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me: 1 AIRCRAFT PATIENT LOADING DEVICE TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an aircraft patient loading device. BACKGROUND [0002] The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge. [0003] Patients in remote areas often need to be transported to city hospitals for more comprehensive care. It is often necessary to transport the patients in corporate and/or light aircraft. Such aircraft have not generally been designed and developed to cater for such activities, particularly with respect to their doorway accesses and stairway systems. [0004] Loading immobile patients on stretchers can be a laborious task. It is not unusual for the stretcher and patient to weigh in excess of 100-1 50kg. Traversing the narrow aircraft staircase carrying a stretcher is difficult, and complicated by the fact that many patients are morbidly obese. It is not uncommon that obese patients in particular can be dropped upon loading or unloading of the aircraft which can be detrimental to already fragile health. [0005] The preferred embodiment provides an improved aircraft patient loading device for loading stretchered patients onto such aircraft. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aircraft patient loading device including: a stretcher carriage for carrying a patient stretcher trolley; and a guide for guiding the carriage along an aircraft staircase.
2 [0007] Preferably, the stretcher trolley may be loaded with a patient stretcher, in turn, carrying the patient. The loaded trolley may then be carried by the carriage along the guide, and up the staircase for loading into an aircraft. Advantageously, the device avoids the need to manually carry the obese patient up the aircraft staircase thereby also avoiding the possibility of dropping the patient. [0008] The loading device may further include fastening means for fastening the trolley to the carriage. The fastening means may include pins for pinning legs of the trolley. [0009] The carriage may include a platform upon which the trolley is loaded. The platform may include a lip for restricting movement of the trolley. Preferably, the platform remains horizontal during carriage. The carriage may include a chassis supporting the platform. The chassis may include a pair of trusses. The carriage may include rollers for rolling along the guide. The rollers may be located in two planes. [00010] The guide may include a ramp. The guide may include a pair of rails with which the carriage engages. Each rail may define a channel or rounded members for containing, holding and guiding one or more rollers of the carriage. Each rail may also include support rollers at their base that support the weight of the rail on the ground. [00011] The loading device may further include a bridge for bridging the guide and the aircraft. The bridge may include fastening means to facilitate fastening to the aircraft. The fastening means may include a pair of hooks for hooking to door mounts of the aircraft. The fastening means may include handles for securing the hooks to the mounts. The bridge may include a base plate, and a pair of restriction lips. [00012] The loading device may include a winch for winching the carriage along the guide. The winch may be manual or motorized. The winch may include a hook for hooking to the carriage. [00013] The loading device may include a stretcher trolley. The loading device may include a stretcher for releasably fastening to the stretcher trolley. [00014] The loading device may be compacted for storage. The carriage may be stacked on the guide. The trolley may be stacked on the carriage.
3 [00015] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aircraft patient loading device including: a stretcher carriage for carrying wheeled patient carrying equipment; and a guide for guiding the carriage. [00016] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aircraft patient loading method including: loading a patient stretcher trolley on a stretcher carriage; and guiding the loaded carriage along an aircraft staircase. [00017] Any of the features described herein can be combined in any combination with any one or more of the other features described herein within the scope of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [00018] Preferred features, embodiments and variations of the invention may be discerned from the following Detailed Description which provides sufficient information for those skilled in the art to perform the invention. The Detailed Description is not to be regarded as limiting the scope of the preceding Summary of the Invention in any way. The Detailed Description will make reference to a number of drawings as follows: [00019] Figure 1 a is a perspective view of an aircraft patient loading device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, with a carriage in an upper position; [00020] Figure 1 b is a perspective view of the aircraft patient loading device of Figure 1 a with the carriage in a lower position; [00021] Figure 2 includes a lower perspective view of the carriage of Figure 1 and a detail view B of a carriage roller assembly; [00022] Figure 3 includes a rear perspective view of the device of Figure 1, and detail views D, E of a winch hook and bridge mount; [00023] Figure 4 includes a front perspective view of the device of Figure 1, and a detail view A of a bridge fastening arrangement; 4 [00024] Figures 5a, 5b and 5c show respective plan, front and side views of the compacted patient loading device of Figure 1 stored in the aircraft; and [00025] Figure 6 is a side view of the aircraft patient loading device of Figure 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [00026] According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an aircraft patient loading device 100 as shown in Figure 1. The device 100 includes a stretcher carriage 102 for loading with and carrying a purpose-built narrow patient stretcher trolley 104. The device 100 further includes a ramp guide 106 for guiding the carriage 102 along a staircase 300 (in this case of a Challenger series aircraft 302) see Fig. 3. The loading device 100 further includes a bridge 108 for bridging the ramp guide 106 and the aircraft stairs 300. [00027] The stretcher trolley 104 is purpose-built and is loaded with a narrow patient stretcher 110 (see Fig. 1 b), in turn, carrying the patient (not shown). The erect and loaded trolley 104 can then be carried by the carriage 102 along the guide 106, and up the staircase 300 for loading into the aircraft 302 (see Fig. 1 a). Advantageously, the device 100 avoids the need to manually carry the patient up the aircraft staircase 300 thereby also avoiding the possibility of dropping the patient. [00028] Turning to Figure 2, the carriage 102 includes a flat platform 200 upon which the trolley 104 is loaded. The platform 200 includes a peripheral lip 202 for restricting movement of the trolley 104, and preventing the trolley 104 from inadvertently falling from the carriage 102 in the event that the trolley wheels are not locked. The platform 200 remains horizontal during carriage which impedes movement of the trolley 104. Furthermore, the device 100 includes fastening means for fixedly fastening the trolley 104 to the carriage 102. The fastening means may include pins (not shown) for pinning respective legs of the trolley 104 to the platform 200. [00029] The carriage 102 further includes an under-chassis 204 supporting the platform 200. The chassis 204 is lightweight and may include a pair of lateral trusses 206 interconnected by framework. The carriage 102 also includes two pairs of roller arrangements 208 mounted to the respective trusses 206. Each roller arrangement 208 5 includes a primary roller 210 for rolling along a lower surface of the guide 106 and an orthogonally mounted secondary roller 212 for rolling along a lateral surface of the guide 106. The arrangement of the rollers 210, 212 in two orthogonal planes impedes shuddering and lateral movement of the carriage 102 during transport. [00030] Turning to Figure 3, the bridge 108 includes a pair of hooks 304 for hooking to structural door mounts 306 of the aircraft 302. [00031] As can best be seen in Figure 4, the bridge 108 further includes quick release handles 400 for securing the hooks 304 to the mounts 306. The bridge 108 further includes a base plate 402, and a pair of tapering restriction lips 404 (see also Fig. 1 b) for restricting the trolley 104 from falling from the bridge 108. The bridge lips 404 sit adjacent the carriage lips 202 to contain the trolley 104. [00032] Turning to Figure 5, the loading device 100 can be compacted for storage in the fuselage of the light aircraft 302. As can best be seen in Figure 5b, the carriage 102 is removed from and stacked on the guide 106 and, in turn, the trolley 104 is stacked on the carriage 102. The patient remains on the stretcher 110 during flight. [00033] Turning to Figure 6, the loading device 100 includes a manual winch 600 for winching the carriage 102 along the guide 106. The winch 600 includes a hook 310 for hooking to the under-chassis 204 of the carriage 102 as best shown in Figure 3. The winch further includes a tether 312 extending from the hook 310 to a crank arrangement of the winch 600. [00034] Returning to Figure 6, the ramp guide 106 includes a pair of outer rails 602 within which the rollers 210, 212 of the carriage 102 engage. Each rail 602 defines an outwardly facing channel, with a pair of inwardly extending retention lips 604, for containing the rollers 210, 212. The rails can also be fabricated from round bars as opposed to channels, and the rollers 210 can be retained on either side of these rounded rails. [00035] An aircraft patient loading method using the device 100 is briefly described.
6 [00036] Firstly, the carriage 102 is in a lower position as shown in Figure 1 b with the trolley 104 already fitted to the carriage 102 and retained by the pins (or otherwise), so that it is safe to load the patient and stretcher 110 onto the carriage 102. [00037] A Carer pushes the stretcher 110 loaded with the patient from the ground ambulance stretcher (not shown) directly onto the trolley 104 which would be at approximately the same height as the ground ambulance stretcher (not shown). The height of the loading system with the carriage 102 and the trolley 104 can be adjusted to suit the height of the ground ambulance stretcher (not shown) by adjusting the winch 600, so that this transfer does not require the stretcher 110 to be lifted when undertaking the move - or if it does, any lifting is minimized and it can be undertaken over a very small distance and approximately at the same level. [00038] The Carer then manually winches the carriage 102 along the ramp guide 106 and to the upper position indicated in Figure 1 a using winch 600. The carriage platform 200 and lip 202 engage with the bridge base plate 402 and lips 404. Another Carer in the aircraft 302 can then safely pull the trolley 104 into the aircraft. Advantageously, the device 100 enables no carrying of the loaded stretcher 110 from the ground and into the aircraft 302 avoiding the possibility of dropping the obese patient. [00039] Similarly, the patient can be unloaded at the destination by following the reverse procedure. [00040] A person skilled in the art will appreciate that many embodiments and variations can be made without departing from the ambit of the present invention. [00041] The preferred embodiment showed a purpose built narrow trolley 104 and stretcher 110 suitable for entering the narrow door of a light aircraft 302. The device 100 may also adapted for use with wheelchairs, beds on rollers and other like wheeled patient carrying equipment. [00042] In one embodiment, the winch 600 may be motorized. [00043] In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. It is to be understood that the 7 invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. [00044] Reference throughout this specification to 'one embodiment' or 'an embodiment' means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases 'in one embodiment' or 'in an embodiment' in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more combinations.