Latch unit

Abstract

Latch units are known components of loading systems for use in an aircraft cargo hold in which roller and ball units attached within or on a floor of a cargo hold operate in such a way that containers, pallets or similar items of freight can be conveyed into said hold through a door leading thereto and anchored at specified positions within the cargo hold. The present latch unit comprises a claw that can be depressed out of an elevated, operating position, in which an item of freight can be brought into an immobilizing engagement with the claw, into a resting position in which an item of freight can travel over the latch unit, this lowering movement being achieved by means of an actuator such as a ramp, lever or similar device when the latter are encountered by an approaching item of freight. The actuator is so constructed and the latch unit fixed in position in the region of the door in such a way, that when an item of freight approaches in a direction leading out of the cargo hold and through the door, the claw remains in the operating position, whereas when approached from all other directions the claw is depressed into the resting position. As a result, a considerable increase in the security of operation is achieved because, when a container rotates while in the door region, the latch unit cannot be damaged, and an unintended rolling of a container out of the cargo hold is prevented.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.