Patent ID: 8517659

Claim:
A mechanism for deploying and aligning a ramp relative to a platform, comprising: a main bearing operatively associated with the platform and rotatable about a main pivot axis; a drive member disposed on the main bearing, the drive member being adapted to drive the main bearing to rotate about the main pivot axis; a stationary cam adapted to be fixedly connected to the platform, wherein the main bearing is rotatably disposed on the stationary cam; a rotating cam disposed on the main bearing and rotatable about the main pivot axis with the main bearing; and a ramp member rotatably connected to the rotating cam at a pivot point eccentric to the main pivot axis, wherein rotation of the rotating cam causes the ramp member to move between a stowed position and a deployed position in an arcuate path about the main pivot axis, wherein the rotating cam includes a catch element and the ramp member includes a stop element and the catch element engages the stop element to prevent relative rotation of the ramp member, with respect to the rotating cam, in a direction toward the deployed position, and wherein the stationary cam defines a cam surface along a top side thereof, the rotating cam defines a cam surface along a side thereof, and the stop element of the ramp member is a roller extending laterally from the ramp member to engage and roll along the cam surface of the stationary cam to cause movement of the ramp member in the arcuate path from the stowed position toward the deployed position and to engage and roll along the cam surface of the rotating cam to cause movement of the ramp member from the deployed position to an aligned position.