A SYSTEM FOR PARKING VEHICLES ON A PLURALITY OF LEVELS

Abstract: A system for parking cars or similar, on a plurality of levels, comprising a silo of reinforced concrete or steel, in which a mechanical system is provided consisting of a board (1) resting on a platform (2) being horizontally movable, and which is part of a vertically movable track (3). The system further provides the following operation stages: when the car to be parked arrives, or when it is to be redelivered, said platform is placed centrally or laterally with respect to the lateral and vertical walls to which the brackets (4) are fixed; the car to be parked is placed onto the board (1) provided on the platform (2), and by means of a vertical movement of the track and of a horizontal movement of the platform, the board will be laid in a free place on said fixed brackets (4). Now said platform (2) returns to the central position onto the track, searches a free board, lifts the same from its brackets and brings it down to the operative parking area.

Description: "A system for parking vehicles on a plurality of levels" The present invention concerns a system for parking ve¬ hicles on a plurality o levels, consisting of a silos module realized of reinforced concrete or of steel, a- bove or under the ground level, or partially above and partially under the same. Inside said silos module, and in central position, a mo- vement unit is provided , and said unit may be electro¬ mechanical and/or electrohydraulic, for providing for the transport of the vehicles into the lateral deposit areas, and the drawing of the same for the redelivery from the parking. This operation may be performed by means of apposite metal boards onto which the vehicles are placed. Said boards are carried by said electromechanical unit in a vertical and in a horizontal sense. The board carrying a vehicle to be parked is vertical¬ ly moved for searching a free parking place, and once said parking place has been found the board is hori- zontally moved and laid onto fixed supporting iron brackets hooked to the walls of the silos module and provided on a plurality of levels in the same. . - Said brackets are placed on parallel planes, having a distance one from the other of about two meters, in consideration of one or more planes of the same module or eventually also on the whole module, the vertical distance between the brackets may be more or less than two meters, according to the kind of vehicle to be parked (tracks, caravans, campers, buses, lorries, etc.). The movement unit, that may be of electromechanical and/ or electrohydraulic kind, provides for the transport to the parking place of the vehicles and for the draw¬ ing of the same when they are to be redelivered. The module may have a single opening for the inlet and outlet, or two openings, one for the inlet and one for the outlet, placed one in front of the other; the in¬ let and/or the outlet are provided, according to the realization of the while parking system (underground, partially underground, elevated 0 , downwards, upwards or in intermediate position. However, the inlet and the outlet may be provided also on different levels and laterally to the silos, taking the space of one or two parking places. The dimensions of the silos module may vary in the plant and in height according to the requirements. The present invention will be described more in detail hereinbelow relating to the enclosed drawings, in which a preferred embodiment is shown. Figures 1 and 2 show a plant view of the admittance area and of the deposit storey for the vehicles. Figures 3 adn 4 show a length and a cross view of a part of the system. Figures 5 and 6 show a transversal scheme of the sequency for depositing a vehicle in the relative parking place; figure 6 shows the platform in an intermediate position of lateral transport. Relating to the details of the figures, the system - that can be electromechanical adn/or electrohydraulic with ma¬ nual and/or automatic operation, according to the re¬ quirements, provides for the housing of the vehicles in- side a container silos in which two counterposed series of fix brackets 4, hooked to the walls are provided, be¬ ing aligned and placed on a plurality of levels. Said barckets are the support of boards 1 onto which the vehicles to be parked are placed. The vehicle is taken, together with the board on which it has been placed, and laid on said brackets by a move¬ ment unit that may be electromechanical and/or electro¬ hydraulic, consisting of a movable track 3, of return ro¬ pes 5, of return pulleys 6 upperly provided and having the axis thereof jointed to the fix structure, of re¬ turn pulleys 7 downwardly provided, of a rope 8 for the translation and the safety of movement, of counterbalan¬ ces 13, of a drum 9 for winding the ropes 5 and 8. if provided. Said movable track 3 slides vertically on winding and/or dragging bearings 10 that get engaged with guides 11 jointed to the structure of the silos. A movable platform 2 is provided on track 3, and on said platform the board 1 is laid; said platform 2 horizon¬ tally moves to one side or to the other of said track 3 for depositing or taking the board 1 with or without vehicle. Figure 6 shows the platform in an intermediate position of lateral translation. The horizontal movement of the platform2 may take place by means of a chain or rope shafting or by means of a rack shafting or by an oleodynamic shafting; the opera¬ tion may be electromechanical or electrodynamic. The platform 2 slides according to the realization re¬ quirements or directly onto track 3, or even on one or more intermediate levels provided between said platform and the track. The movable platform 2 performs therefore a vertical mo¬ vement together with the track, and a translation move¬ ment being horizontal to said track. On the platform the board is laid onto which the vehicle is placed in the initial storing stage. In its vertical movement together with the track, the movable platform brings the board to the parking level corresponding to the fixed brackets 4. Now the movable platform moves laterally, transporting the board onto the fix supporting brackets. Said move¬ ment is possible due to the fact that the movable plat- form 2, having a metal structure, is provided with ap¬ posite grooves into which the fix brackets 4 find their housing. Said boards 1, on which the vehicles are placed, are shaped in such a way as to block the vehicle, preventing any movement of the same; they are furthermore provided with blocking and centering means for the correct plac¬ ing of said boards onto the movable platform. For what concerns the parking operations, the vehicle A that is to be parked will be placed by the driver onto a board 1 in the admittance storey; the correct placing may be controlled by apposite sensors. Once the driver has left the vehicle said board 1, sup¬ ported by said movable platform 2, starts together with the track, a vertical movement until the appropriate storey has been found. Now the movable platform moves laterally and transports the board with the vehicle un¬ til the same gets housed onto the fix supporting bra¬ ckets. At this point the movable platform, which now is free, returns - on the track - to the central position, and repeats the searching operation for a free board, lifts it from its fix brackets 4 and brings it back to the operative parking area. Obviously, the working of the system for the redelivery of a vehicle is opposite to the one already described. The system may be operated in an automatic-manual way. In a further embodiment, the platform 2 slides with re¬ spect to an intermediate plane which, in turn, slides with respect to track 3; on said intermediate plane a chain shafting with two pulleys is provided, having means for engaging in apposite fix seats provided on the upper platform 2 as well as on the lower track 3.

Claims: _ CLAIMS 1. A system for parking vehicles characterized in one or more vertical silos 12 of reinforced concrete or steel (having variable dimensions according to the kind of vehicle to be parked: vehicles, buses, lorries, tracks, etc.), said silos being placed above or below the ground level or partially above and partially below, and in a unit consisting of a board (1) laid on a ho- rizontally movable platform (2) which in turn is part of a track 3 being vertically movable, with the fol¬ lowing operative stages: said track (3) is centrally placed with respect to the two lateral and vertical walls to which two series of brackets (4) are fixed; on board (1), laid on platform (2) connected to track (3), the vehicle to be parked is placed and by means of a vertical movement of the track and a horizontal movement of the platform, the board is placed in a free space on said fix brackets (4) and successively the platform (2) returns in its central position on¬ to the track, together with the same the platform searches for a free board, lifts it on its brackets and brings it to the operative parking area. 2. A system for parking vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the inlet of the vehicles to the parking and the outlet thereof take place on the same side of the silos or the inlet on one side and the outlet on the opposite one. 3. A system for parking vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the inlet of the vehicle to the parking and/or the outlet are provided at the centre of the silos or laterally to the central position, on the same level or on different levels. 4. A system for parking vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the track (3) vertically sli¬ des on one, two or a plurality of guides (11) by means of rolling and/or dragging bearings. 5. A system for parking vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the guides (11) are provided in correspondence to one or more sides of the track. 6. A system for parking vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the vertical movement of the track (3) takes place by means of a rope or chain shafting, or by means of a rack shafting or by means of an oleodynamic shafting, with or without counter¬ balance (13), with or without return rope (8). 7. A system for parking vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the electromechanical and/or electrohydraulic movement unit(s) is (are) placed abo¬ ve or below the silos or at an intermediate level the¬ reof. 8. A system for parking vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the platform (2) moves horizon¬ tally and parallel to the fix brackets, forced to sli¬ de with respect to the track by means of a mechanical system. 9. A system for parking vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the translation system consists of a platform (2) sliding with respect to an interme¬ diate level which in turn slides with respect to the track (3). 10. A system for parking vehicles according to claims 1 and 9,characterized in that a chain shafting with two pulleys is provided on the intermediate level. 11. A system for parking vehicles according to claims 1, 9 and 10 characterized in that said chain is provided with means for engaging in apposite fix seats in the upper platform (2) as well as in the lower track (3).

Inventors: GIANFRANCO CASINI, GIANFRANCO, CASINI
Applicants: GRUPPO C S P A, GRUPPO C S.P.A.
Application year: 1989
Main classification: E04H6
IPC codes: E04H6