US 4,375,932 AGranted

Powered cargo restraint

AssigneeThe Boeing Company

InventorJohn Alberti

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Abstract

A cargo restraint for use in loading and unloading cargo in the hold of an aircraft includes a lip member which extends into the path of cargo entering the aircraft and is yieldably mounted to rotate out of the way of cargo entering the cargo hold. The lip member has stop means associated therewith to prevent rotation of the lip means on engagement by cargo in a direction exiting the cargo hold so as to restrain the cargo from exiting. The lip member is rotatably mounted on a carrier member which in turn is pivotally attached to a base affixed to the floor of the cargo hold. The lip member is movable into a retracted position below the cargo deck to permit passage of cargo out of the hold. A powered actuator is provided which is operable to move the lip member between its extended and retracted positions. A control means associated with the powered actuator is located remotely from the cargo restraint and is operable to cause movement of the lip member between its extended and retracted positions from the remote location. The lip member can be manually moved into the retracted position in the event the powered actuator is inoperative and preferably a latching mechanism is provided that is operable to maintain the lip member in its retracted position independently of the powered actuator.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A cargo restraint comprising:

a base;
a carrier member pivotally attached at a first end thereof to said base;
a lip member rotatably mounted on a second end of said carrier member, said lip member being movable between a cargo-engaging position and a retracted position;
stop means associated with said carrier member and said lip member for establishing an upstanding limit position of said lip member and preventing rotation of said lip member in a first direction;
biasing means for biasing said lip member into said upstanding limit position;
toggle linkage means mounted on said base and cooperative with said carrier member to prevent pivotal movement of said carrier member and to maintain said lip member in said cargo-engaging position, said toggle linkage means including a first toggle link pivotally attached at a first end thereof to said lip member, a second toggle link pivotally attached at a first end thereof to said base, a second end of said second toggle link being pivotally attached to a second end of said first toggle link at a common pivot point, said first and second links having an overcenter position in which said links cooperate to resist rotation of said carrier member;
retraction means cooperably associated with said toggle linkage means and operable to release said toggle linkage means and to move said lip member to said retracted position, said retraction means including a retraction link abutting said toggle linkage means adjacent said common pivot point, said retraction link actuatable to push said first and second toggle links out of their overcenter position and to move said carrier member to place said lip member into said retracted position;
and
control means associated with said retraction means and located remotely from said cargo restraint, said control means being operable to cause said retraction means to release said toggle linkage means.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.