Equipment for transferring platforms, particularly for carrying motorcars

Abstract

 An equipment for transferring platforms (14,32), particularly for carrying motorcars (13), from a movable base (9) to fixed stands (12) and viceversa, in which the movable base (9) is provided with a frame (10) movable with respect to the base (9), while the fixed stands (12) consist of couples of parallel overlapped guides (30,31), each one of them designed for bearing one of the platforms (14,32).
The movable frame (10) is fitted with a chain (16) that is wound around wheels (15) with horizontal axes at the opposite sides of the frame (10). The chain (16) lies in a vertical plane parallel with respect to the translation plane of the platforms (14,32) and is fitted with pins (17,18,19,20) for hooking respective seats (22,23,24 and 37,38,39) of the platforms (14,32).

Description

[0001] The object of the present invention is an equipment for transferring motorcar hearing platforms from a movable base to fixed stands and viceversa. The equipment is particularly indicated for mechanized and/or automatized garages.

[0002] Mechanized car parks are becoming widespread due to the well known traffic problems of big cities. In these garages there are at present several kinds of equipments that move the vehicles in and out. The vehicles, with the engine switched off, are collected at the entrance and transferred to fixed stands by means of movable running-boards or by other euipments, and viceversa.

[0003] Although many are quite sophisticated, these equipments have a few drawbacks, such as high costs, and are quite complexe. Moreover, such equipments cannot always operate quickly enough to prevent from queues forming. Another important factor is represented by the overall dimensions of the equipment, that have to be restrained for obvious reasons both in underground car parks and in car park constructions.

[0004] A purpose of the invention is to overcome these inconveniences and to reach the above-mentioned advantages by proposing a simple and cost-effective equipment that can move the motorcars quickly between the various stands.

[0005] Some mechanized garages make use of movable bases that collect a car from its place together with the platform on which the car stands and deliver the lot towards the exit. In this way, after several consecutive operations, a pile of unloaded platforms that must be put back into the empty parking places is formed at the exit. The same problem occurs near the entrance.

[0006] Another advantage given by this invention is that the equipment is able to resolve the above problems.

[0007] For these and other purposes, that will appear more clearly with the following description, the invention discloses an equipment for transferring platforms (14,32), particularly for carrying motorcars, from a movable base (9) to fixed stands and viceversa, in which the movable base (9) is provided with a frame (10) movable with respect to the base (9), while the fixed stands (12) consist of couples of parallel overlapped guides (30,31), each one of them designed for bearing said platforms (14,32); the equipment is characterized in that said movable frame (10) is fitted with a chain (16) that is wound around wheels (15) with horizontal axes at the opposite sides of the frame (10); the chain (16) lies in a vertical plane parallel with respect to the translation plane of the platforms (14,32) and is fitted with pins (17,18,19,20) for hooking respective seats (22,23,24 and 37,38,39) of the platforms (14,32) for moving said platforms; said hooking pins (17,18,19,20) of the chain (16) being arranged so as to engage simultaneously a loaded upper platform (14) on the movable base (9) or on the fixed stand (12) and an unloaded lower platform (32) respectively on the fixed stand (12) or on the movable base (9) so as to determine a simultaneous shifting in opposite ways of the platforms (14,32) from the fixed stand (12) to the movable base (9) and viceversa.

[0008] A favourite embodiment of the equipment that is the object of the present invention is going to be described hereinafter referring to the enclosed drawings, in which:

figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

show different steps of the transferring operations of a car by means of the equipment that is the object of this invention;

fig. 6

is a perspective view of a detail of the invention.

[0009] Referring to figs. 1-5, a movable frame 10 is carried by a movable base 9, that is not shown entirely for simplicity. This platform is provided with traditional electromechanical equipments (not shown in the drawings) that are necessary for moving the frame 10 towards and away from a fixed parking stand 12, and also to lift, translate and rotate the vehicle with respect to a vertical axis x-x.

[0010] A car 13 is positioned on a platform 14 that is carried by the movable frame 10. Two cogged wheels 15 , of which one is the driving one and the other is driven, are mounted on the frame 10 with horizontal axes of rotation. A chain 16 is disposed around said cogged wheels and is fitted with peripherical and central hooking pins or rolls, indicated respectively with 17, 18 and 19, 20. Each platform 14 has idle wheels 21 for facilitating the shifting from the stands 12 to the movable base 9 and viceversa.

[0011] Both ends and the centre of platform 14 are provided with hooking seats 22, 23 and 24 respectively, that are located on the top and on the bottom of the platform. These seats have the aim of letting pins 17, 18, 19, 20 respectively transmit the shifting motion of chain 16 to platform 14.

[0012] Referring to fig. 6, platform 14 is preferably made of folded sheet-steel and forms a pair of longitudinal parallel running-boards. The inside of these boards is fitted with two pairs of transversal rises 27. The front wheels of the car getting on the platform run along the running boards 26 until they get between the rises 27. The car is stopped in this position and maintained firmly on top of platform 14.

[0013] Fig. 6 shows the particular case of a platform that is also able to perform side shiftings by means of two shifting systems. Three pairs of wheels 28 are fitted at the ends and in the middle of the short sides of platform 14. The wheels 28 run inside transversal slides 29 for the transversal shifting of the platform. A pair of chains of the same length (not shown) have to be disposed along the short side of the platform for carrying out said transversal movement.

[0014] With reference to figs. 1-5, the parking stand 12 is formed by two pairs of fixed guides: an upper guide 30 that bears platform 14 with the car on it, an a lower parallel guide 32 that takes an empty platform 32. Like platform 14, also platform 32 has end hooking seats 37 and 38 and a central hooking seat 39.

[0015] The guides 30 and 31 are set at the same distance that lies between the two sections 33 and 34 of the movable frame 10. In this way a substantially continuous run is formed when the frame 10 is shifted towards the fixed stand 12.

[0016] The fixed guides 30, 31 and the sections 33 and 34 are fitted with special slides (not shown) to facilitate the shifting of platforms 14, 32 from the fixed stands 12 to the movable platform 9.

[0017] Pins 17-20 and their respective seats 22-24 can be made in two parts so as to reduce the bulk of the platform hooking seats and obtain a size reduction of the mechanical members.

[0018] The main steps of a parking operation are shown in figs. 1 to 5. By inverting the order of the drawings the opposite operation is figured, where a car is collected.

[0019] Car 13 has to be parked in parking stand 12. For this purpose the car has been driven onto platform 14 and transferred from the garage entrance near to stand 12 (fig. 1).

[0020] The empty platform 32 rests on the lower guide 31 of stand 12. Hooking pins 17, 18 are in a resting position on the median line of the cogged wheels 15, in opposite positions on chain 16.

[0021] The approach of a car 13 to stand 12 (fig. 2) is accomplished by getting frame 10 to slide on top of movable base 9 by means of the above mentioned electro-mechanical equipments. The frame 10 slides towards the left on wheels 36 until it contacts the fixed guides 30, 31. At this point frame 10 stops and the transferring phase with the platform exchange begins.

[0022] The counter-clockwise movement of the chain 16 (fig. 2) takes at first the upper center pin 19 to insert in the central hook or seat 24 of platform 14. Then, it begins to pull said platform with it. At the same time pin 17 engages the edge hooking seat 38 of empty platform 32, collecting it from stand 12 and transferring it onto lower guide 34 of movable frame 10. When pin 19 reaches the left cogged wheel 15 (fig. 4), it comes out of hook 24, engages the central hook 39 of lower platform 32 and pulls it to the right. In the meantime the shifting of platform 14 on the upper fixed guide 30 is carried out by pin 18 that from the beginning of the operations was hooked in seat 23 and remains therein until platform 14 gets in the position of fig. 4.

[0023] When the movement is completed, pin 19 blocks platform 32 in a central position on lower guide 34 while the car 13 and the platform 14 are in a parking position on upper fixed guide 30.

[0024] Successively (fig. 5) frame 10 is moved to the right into a central position on movable base 9 and can be removed for collecting another car.

[0025] A remarkable characteristic of the equipment is that, due to the arrangement on a vertical plane of chain 16 and of wheels 15, both platforms can be shifted at the same time with the same chain, with the upper branch of the chain moving an upper platform one way, and the lower branch of the same chain moving a lower platform in the opposite way.

[0026] For the aim of giving chain 16 a gradual motion and acheive a good operation speed, the chain is operated through known electric equipments that provide a suitable acceleration and that ensure an accurate positioning of the hooking pins.

[0027] Figs. 1 to 5 show the case of longitudinal transfer of platform 14, in the direction of its long sides, but it is understood that the invention can be used for moving the platforms transversally, maintaining the same characteristics and advantages.

Claims

1. An equipment for transferring platforms (14,32), particularly for carrying motorcars, from a movable base (9) to fixed stands (12) and viceversa, in which the movable base (9) is provided with a frame (10) movable with respect to the base (9), while the fixed stands (12) consist of couples of parallel overlapped guides (30,31), each one of them designed for bearing said platforms (14,32); the equipment is characterized in that said movable frame (10) is fitted with a chain (16) that is wound around wheels (15) with horizontal axes at the opposite sides of the frame (10); the chain (16) lies in a vertical plane parallel with respect to the translation plane of the platforms (14,32) and is fitted with pins (17,18,19,20) for hooking respective seats (22,23,24 and 37,38,39) of the platforms (14,32) for moving said platforms; said hooking pins (17,18,19,20) of the chain (16) being arranged so as to engage simultaneously a loaded upper platform (14) on the movable base (9) or on the fixed stand (12) and an unloaded lower platform (32) respectively on the fixed stand (12) or on the movable base (9) so as to determine a simultaneous shifting in opposite ways of the platforms (14,32) from the fixed stand (12) to the movable base (9) and viceversa.

2. An equipment according to claim 1 wherein the pins (17,18,19,20) carried by the chain (16) are at least four, two (17,18) of them being located at opposite positions on the chain (16), while the other two (19,20) are in intermediate positions between the first two pins (17,18); the seats (22,23,24 and 37,38,39) of the platform being obtained at distances substantially equal to the distances between said pins.

3. An equipment according to claim 2 wherein the hooking pins (17,20) and the corresponding seats (22,23,24 and 37,38,39) on the platforms (14,32) are made in two parts close to each other.

Drawing