Patent ID: 11891041
Assignee: TEXTRON INNOVATIONS INC.
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. An amphibious air cushion vehicle, comprising:
an air cushion hull configured for travel on water and smooth land;
a deck supported by the hull;
an extended stern ramp that is coupled with the deck and may be level with the deck; and
a dual-rail cargo system having a longitudinally arranged track extending along the deck from an aft end of the deck, the track including (1) guide rails and rollers providing for guided sliding movement of palletized cargo along the track, and (2) locks for locking pallets in position during transport, the track being configured at the aft end for an unloading operation in which the locks are disengaged while the vehicle is moving across a predetermined landing location and the palletized cargo slides along the track and off the aft end onto underlying land as the vehicle is moving forward thereon,
wherein the track at the aft end of the deck includes a stern ramp portion coupled with the extended stern ramp, and
wherein the stern ramp portion (1) includes the guide rails and the rollers and (2) is configured to enable the palletized cargo to slide downwards along the stern ramp portion and off the extended stern ramp in the unloading operation while the vehicle is moving forward, thereby delivering the palletized cargo at the predetermined landing location.