# US 11,299,251 B2 · Retractable cargo deck entrance guide assemblies for palletized loads in cargo aircraft > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,299,251 B2 - Document ID: US11299251B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/442,794 - Filed: 2019-06-17 - Published: 2019-12-19 - Granted: 2022-04-12 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-19 - Assignees: Embraer S.A. - Applicants: Embraer S.A. - Inventors: Mario Tadeu Crema Junior; Saint Clair Trisotto; Guilherme Peneluppi Corrêa; Guilherme Barbosa de Sousa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11299251B2 ## CPC - B64C 1/20: specially adapted for freight - B64D 9/003: {Devices for retaining pallets or freight containers} - B64D 9/00: Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like - F16B 5/0621: {in parallel relationship (fastened by a drive-pin F16B19/1081; fastened by a device locking by rotation F16B21/02)} - B64C: AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS - B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT - F16B: DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING (couplings for transmitting rotation F16D) ## Abstract Retractable guide assemblies are provided to guide cargo load pallets onto a cargo deck of a cargo aircraft, the guide assembly having a support subassembly comprising a recessed housing box, a moveable guide subassembly pivotally connected to the support subassembly so as to be pivotally moveable relative thereto, and an actuator subassembly operatively interconnecting the moveable guide subassembly and the support subassembly. The actuator subassembly may thereby allow the moveable guide subassembly to be pivotally moveable between (i) a releasably locked stowed condition, (ii) a releasably locked deployed condition and (iii) a freely moveable unlocked maintenance condition. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A retractable guide assembly for guiding cargo load pallets onto a cargo deck of a cargo aircraft, the guide assembly comprising: a support subassembly comprising a recessed housing box and a latch pin; a moveable guide subassembly pivotally connected to the support subassembly so as to be pivotally moveable relative thereto; and an actuating subassembly operatively interconnecting the moveable guide subassembly and the support subassembly to allow the moveable guide subassembly to be pivotally moveable between (1) a releasably locked stowed condition, (2) a releasably locked deployed condition and (3) a freely moveable unlocked maintenance condition, wherein the actuating subassembly comprises: (i) a frame component; (ii) shaft pivotally connected to the frame component; and (iii) a latch lever and hook element each connected to the shaft for pivotal movement therewith; and wherein the moveable subassembly comprises a pivotally moveable operation handle having a distal end that is releasably engaged with the latch lever when the moveable subassembly is in the stowed condition, and wherein pivotal movement of the operation handle disengages the distal end thereof with the latch lever to allow the frame component to pivotally move from the stowed condition to the deployed condition, and wherein the hook element engages the latch pin when the frame component pivotally moves from the stowed condition to the deployed condition so as to establish the releasably locked deployed condition. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The retractable guide assembly as in claim 1, wherein the moveable guide assembly comprises: a hinge assembly providing a hinged connection to the support subassembly along an exterior lateral edge thereof, and an opposite interior lateral edge defining an aft guide surface that is angularly inclined in a converging direction relative to a longitudinal centerline of the cargo aircraft, and a forward guide surface which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal centerline of the cargo aircraft. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The retractable guide assembly as in claim 1, wherein the actuating subassembly comprises an actuator spring element operatively associated with the shaft for exerting a spring force on the latch lever in a direction to provide engagement with the distal end of the operation lever. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The retractable guide assembly as in claim 3, wherein the actuator spring element is also operatively associated with the hook element so as to exert a spring force to the hook element causing the hook element to rotate into engagement with the latch pin upon disengagement between the distal end of the operation handle and the latch lever. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The retractable guide assembly as in claim 3, wherein the moveable subassembly further comprises a mounting pin which is operatively connected to the operation handle to allow the distal end of the operation handle to be pivotally displaced upwardly relative to the latch lever to thereby disengage the latch lever and the distal end of the operation handle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The retractable guide assembly as in claim 5, further comprising a handle spring element operatively associated with the mounting pin of the operation handle to exert a spring force on the operation handle in an opposite direction of the spring force exerted by the actuator spring element. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The retractable guide assembly as in claim 6, wherein each of the handle spring element and the actuator spring element is a torsion spring. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The retractable guide assembly as in claim 1, wherein the support subassembly comprises a pair of latch pins, and wherein the moveable subassembly comprises a pair a pair of hook elements releasably engageable with a respective one of the latch pins. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A cargo aircraft comprising: a cargo compartment having a cargo deck; and an opposed mirror image pair of retractable guide assemblies as in claim 1. ### Claim 10 A guide assembly for cargo load pallets comprising: a support subassembly comprising a recessed housing box and a latch pin; a moveable guide subassembly receivable within the recessed housing box and being pivotally connected to the support subassembly so as to be pivotally moveable relative thereto; and an actuating subassembly operatively interconnecting the moveable guide subassembly and the support subassembly to allow the moveable guide subassembly to be pivotally moveable between a releasably locked stowed condition and a releasably locked deployed condition, wherein the actuating subassembly comprises: (i) a frame component; (ii) shaft pivotally connected to the frame component; and (iii) a latch lever and hook element each connected to the shaft for pivotal movement therewith; wherein the moveable guide subassembly comprises a pivotally moveable operation handle having a distal end that is releasably engaged with the latch lever when the moveable subassembly is in the stowed condition, and wherein pivotal movement of the operation handle disengages the distal end thereof with the latch lever to allow the frame component to pivotally move from the stowed condition to the deployed condition, and wherein the hook element engages the latch pin when the frame component pivotally moves from the stowed condition to the deployed condition so as to establish the releasably locked deployed condition. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The retractable guide assembly as in claim 10, wherein the actuating subassembly comprises an actuator spring element operatively associated with the shaft for exerting a spring force on the latch lever in a direction to provide engagement with the distal end of the operation lever. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The retractable guide assembly as in claim 11, wherein the actuator spring element is also operatively associated with the hook element so as to exert a spring force to the hook element causing the hook element to rotate into engagement with the latch pin upon disengagement between the distal end of the operation handle and the latch lever. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The retractable guide assembly as in claim 12, wherein the moveable subassembly further comprises a mounting pin which is operatively connected to the operation handle to allow the distal end of the operation handle to be pivotally displaced upwardly relative to the latch lever to thereby disengage the latch lever and the distal end of the operation handle. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The retractable guide assembly as in claim 13, further comprising a handle spring element operatively associated with the mounting pin of the operation handle to exert a spring force on the operation handle in an opposite direction of the spring force exerted by the actuator spring element. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The retractable guide assembly as in claim 14, wherein each of the handle spring element and the actuator spring element is a torsion spring. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The retractable guide assembly as in claim 10, wherein the support subassembly comprises a pair of latch pins, and wherein the moveable subassembly comprises a pair a pair of hook elements releasably engageable with a respective one of the latch pins. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The retractable guide assembly as in claim 10, wherein the actuating subassembly allows the moveable subassembly to assume a freely moveable unlocked maintenance condition wherein the moveable subassembly can be moved freely relative to the support subassembly to allow access to the recessed housing box. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The retractable guide assembly as in claim 10, wherein the moveable guide assembly comprises: a hinge assembly providing a hinged connection to the support subassembly along an exterior lateral edge thereof, and an opposite interior lateral edge defining an aft guide surface that is angularly inclined in a converging direction relative to a longitudinal centerline of the cargo aircraft, and a forward guide surface which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal centerline of the cargo aircraft. ### Claim 19 (depends on 10) A cargo aircraft comprising: a cargo compartment having a cargo deck; and a guide assembly as in claim 10 operatively associated with the cargo deck.