Patent GB-1112192-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to parking garages for vehicles
IPC: E04H6/18
Filed: 1965-05-11
Abstract: 1,112,192. Mechanical garages; lifts. R. A. ROUGEMONT. 11 May, 1965 [13 May, 1964; 28 Oct., 1964; 30 April, 1965], No. 19917/65. Headings B8E and B8L. [Also in Divisions B7 and H2] A vehicle parking garage comprises a plurality of floors served by an elevator 11, Fig. 1, each floor having a plurality of parking spaces, and a carrier 13, Fig. 4, for transporting the vehicles between the elevator and the parking spaces, the carrier being driven by a motor 23 and having two sets of wheels 41, 42 for alternative travel in horizontal directions which are at right-angles to each other so that a vehicle can be moved between the elevator at position 200, Fig. 5, and any of the parking spaces at position 201 ... 210. The carrier is automatically controlled from a central control room with the aid of switches disposed in the parking spaces and on the elevator. The elevator 11 has two vertically spaced compartments simultaneously served by ramps 16, 17 when the elevator is in the position shown in Fig. 1. In off-peak hours the lower elevator compartment is disconnected from the upper compartment to rest on a foundation 21; a device for releasably interconnecting the corners of the elevator compartments is described with reference to Fig. 17 (not shown). The wheels 41, 42 of the carrier 13 run on rails, e.g. 60 ... 63 shown at position 200, Fig. 5, and these rails can be selectively pivoted out of operational position depending on which direction the carrier is to travel by jacks 30... 33 (see also Fig. 7). The carrier 13 has two rotary switches 24, 25 used to control the supply of current from a storage battery 34 to the motor 23. An hydraulic pump 27 is driven by the motor 23 and is used to recharge a pneumatichydraulic accumulator 28. A transformer 26 recharges the battery 34 and an electricallyactuated valve 35 feeds hydraulic fluid to cylinders 36, 37 and brakes 38. An oil reservoir 39 is also provided and the motor drives the wheels 41, 42 through a bevel gear 43, clutches 56, 57 and speed reducers 44. In operation, when a vehicle is to be parked, a signal lamp in the control room indicates when the vehicle is correctly placed on the elevator and the operator presses a button corresponding to a free parking space. This sends the elevator to the correct floor and lowers the correct rail 60 . . . 63 in the elevator and in any parking space through which the carrier is to pass. When the rail, e.g. 60, as shown in Fig. 7, is lowered it drives a latch 45 which operates a spring-loaded rod 46 to strike a dog 48 on a bar 47 connected to the switch 24. Movement of the bar 47 is limited by stops 49. The switch 24 is displaced by means of a known ball and spring notching system to start the motor 23 which moves the carrier towards the space 201. When the carrier arrives there and if this is the selected parking space the bar 47 abuts a stopping device 59 (see also Fig. 9, not shown), to stop the motor 23 so that the carriage stops accurately in the parking space; a portion 65, Fig. 10, of the device 59 is engaged by the bar 47 and the latter is moved to reverse the switch 24. A ramp 67 on the carrier thereafter lowers the portion 65 against a return spring 68 out of engagement with the bar 47. When the carrier 13 is accurately positioned in the parking space 201 a stop 71 again engages the bar 47 to operate the switch 24 to re-start the motor 23 in the direction to return the carriage to the elevator where the bar 47 is engaged by a stop 72 and the switch 24 operated to stop the motor 23 and start the elevator. If the carrier 13 is to pass the space 201, the switch 59 and stop 71 are lowered by electromagnets 74 and the carrier travels to the space 202 to be stopped and reversed similar to the above. If the space 201 is selected a contactor 78 in space 201 is operated when the carrier reaches that space to reset the rails 60 . . . 63. At the same time the bar 47 moves the switch 24 to start the motor 23 to drive the carrier towards the space 210 where the carrier is stopped and then reversed in a manner similar to the above. Tables 40 are provided in the parking spaces to receive the vehicle wheels. One of the tables in each space is hinged at 79 and urged upwardly by a spring 80, Fig. 18. When a vehicle rests on the tables including the hinged table, the latter is depressed and through a lever 81 acts on a rocking lever 82 which moves between contactors 70 in a lifting circuit on the carrier 13. When the latter arrives to uplift the vehicle the valve 35, Fig. 4, is operated to pass hydraulic fluid to the cylinders 36, 37 which actuate lifting arms 85, Fig. 6, having plates 86 for supporting the vehicle. A solenoid retains the lever 82 in a neutral position when the carrier is to pass a parking space. The motor 23 is automatically started when all of the arms 85 are lifted, through switches 90. . . 93, Fig. 4. In a modification, Fig. 8 (not shown), a spring-loaded hydraulic ram (96) is operative upon two arms (97) which carry drive wheels (98) engaged with or disengaged from fixed rails by movement of the arms. The carrier 13 is positively located in the parking spaces by an hydraulically-releasable spring-loaded piston 100, Fig. 11, engaging a socket 102. At the bottom of the latter is a contact 103 for passing recharging current to the battery 34. Alternatively, the socket 102 may be movable, Fig. 12 (not shown). The adjacent ends of the rails may be connected by a slot and tongue construction, Figs. 13, 14 (not shown). The ends of the rails have hinged portions (104) biased by leaf spring (105) and once the joint is formed by raising the rails the portion (104) acts as a ramp to compensate for slight differences in level. The rails may have inclined junction surfaces, Figs. 15, 16 (not shown).