Patent GB-1099194-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in transport trolleys for moving vehicles in parking garages
IPC: E04H6/18
Filed: 1965-04-22
Abstract: 1,099,194. Mechanical garages. MANNHEIMER MASCHINENFABRIK MOHR & FEDERHAFF A.G. April 22, 1965 [April 25, 1964], No. 16988/65. Heading B8E. A trolley 1, Fig. 1, for moving vehicles in a garage comprises devices for engaging the wheels of vehicles having different wheel bases and track widths including for each steering wheel 4, 4<SP>1</SP> of the vehicle, a wheel boom 55 for guiding the wheel when it is in rolling contact with the ground, the boom 55 having a wheel-engaging position substantially radial to the wheel and inclined to the vertical. The trolley runs on rollers 2 and is moved through cables 6, 61 by an external drive system disposed, for example, in a lift cage. A shaft 8 is slidably mounted in the trolley for longitudinal movement limited by stops 11, 12, the shaft 8 carrying pulleys 7, 7<SP>1</SP> round which extend the cables 6 6<SP>1</SP> to spring-loaded anchor bolts 24, 29. The shaft 8 is releasably locked by a spring-loaded bolt 13 which engages a recess 16 in the shaft and is slidably mounted in a pivoted and spring- loaded lever 14, the latter being held in the position shown by a spring-loaded, slidably mounted bolt 19. The end 22 of the lever 14 is connected by a linkage 23 to the anchor bolt 24 and from there by a linkage 26, a pivoted lever 27 and a further linkage 28 to the anchor bolt 29. The linkages 23, 28 have slots 31, 32 to give lost-motion connections with the anchor bolts 24, 29. The bolt 13 has a recess 33 in which there is engaged a spring-loaded catch 35, the latter being releasable by movement of a bell-crank lever 36, 37 which carries a roller 38 for engagement by a cam 39 on the shaft 8. On the latter are two pulleys 40, 41 around which extends a cable 42, the cable being secured to a slidably mounted slide rail 43 releasably held in the position shown by a spring-loaded catch 46. The ends of the cable 42 are wound in opposed directions on a drum 47 which is rotatably mounted on a carrier 49 having rollers 48 for running in the trolley 1, a gear-wheel 50, Fig. 2 (not shown), and a toothed brake disc 51 being fixed to the drum 47. The disc 51 is engageable by a pivoted, toothed brake lever 52 which is operable by a pivoted bell-crank lever having rollers 69, 70 on its respective arms for engaging the bell-crank brake lever 52 and a cam guide 71 provided on the slide rail 43. The wheels 4, 4<SP>1</SP> are also engaged by booms 53, each of which is pivotally mounted on the carrier 49 and carries a roller 61 which is engaged in a spring-loaded guide 62 or 62<SP>1</SP>, the latter being pivotally mounted on the trolley 1, and each boom 55 is mounted on an arm 56 connected through a worm gearing 57 with a rack 58 or 581 which is engaged by the gear-wheel 50. The booms 53, 55 include roller assemblies. The arms 56 can be rotated through about 45 degrees by a lever 60 connected by a linkage 74, Figs. 3 and 4 (not shown), to a roller 73 which engages a guide 72 provided on the slide rail 43, and the arm 56 is releasably held in the shown position by a catch 67 which is connected to a pivoted bell-crank lever 66 carrying a roller 65, the latter being engaged in a guide 64 attached to the guide 62. The guide 62<SP>1</SP> has a brake surface 68 adapted to engage the carrier 49. The cable 42 may be replaced by a chain or belt. In operation, when the troller 1 is moved to the left by the cable 6 to engage a vehicle, the trolley movement is continued until a stop 75 is engaged by the bolt 19 to release the lever 14 for engagement behind the stop 75. The movement of the lever 14 disengages the bolt 13 from the recess 16 in the shaft 8 so that upon reversal of the drive the shaft is moved to the right by the cable 6<SP>1</SP>. The cam 39 engages the roller 38 to withdraw the catch 35, so permitting the bolt 13 to be pressed against the shaft 8 until it engages behind the stop 11 thereon. Upon movement of the shaft 8 to the right, the carrier 49 is displaced to the right by twice the distance moved by the shaft 8 and due to the engagement of the rollers 61 in the guides 62, 62<SP>1</SP>, the booms 53 are pivotally moved outwardly, Fig. 5 (not shown). The movement of the carrier 49 continues until the booms 53 engage the vehicle wheels 4, 4<SP>1</SP>, the booms 53 being then displaced in a reverse direction to move the guides 62, 62<SP>1</SP> inwardly of the trolley 1. The brake surface 68 on the guide 62<SP>1</SP> engages the carrier 49 to stop its further movement and, simultaneously, the bell-crank lever 66 is moved to disengage the catch 67 from the arm 56. Upon further movement of the shaft 8 the drum 47 is rotated and the racks 58, 58<SP>1</SP> with the arms 56 are moved laterally of the trolley until the booms 55 engage the vehicle wheels. Further movement of the shaft 8 now moves the slide rail 43 to the right, the catch 46 being overridden, to engage the brake lever 52 with the disc 51 and to rotate the arms 56 to a position in which the booms 55 are directed substantially radially of the vehicle wheels. Due to the interconnection of the arms 56 and the racks 58, 58<SP>1</SP> by the worm gearings 57 the rotation of the arms causes the booms 55 to withdraw a short distance from the vehicle wheels. Further movement of the cable 6<SP>1</SP> now moves the trolley 1 to the right, the lever 14 being disengaged from the stop 75 and reengaged by the bolt 19 by the initial pull of the cable 6<SP>1</SP> on the anchor bolt 29. The movement of the lever 14 also re-engages the catch 35 in the recess 33 in the bolt 13. The movement of the trolley 1 to the right continues until a stop 75<SP>1</SP> is engaged by a bolt 19<SP>1</SP>, a lever 141 thereafter engaging behind the stop 75<SP>1</SP>; the levers 14, 14<SP>1</SP> and the bolts 19, 19<SP>1</SP> are similar and are respectively interconnected mechanically or hydraulically so that they move in unison. In depositing a vehicle the above described movements are carried out in reverse sequence. In a second embodiment, Fig. 6 (not shown), the trolley 1 is driven by a motor 81 through a clutch 80 and a brake 79. The motor 81 is also connected to a threaded spindle 82, rotation of which moves a nut 83 having half-clutches 84, 84<SP>1</SP> which are adapted to selectively engage complementary half-clutches 85, 85<SP>1</SP>. Secured to the latter are worm or helical gears 86, 86<SP>1</SP> movement of which is transmitted through rack gears 87, 87<SP>1</SP> to a shaft 88 corresponding to the shaft 8 of the first embodiment. The gears 86, 86<SP>1</SP> are multiple threaded to prevent self-locking. In operation, after the trolley has travelled from, for example, the lift cage to a parking space and the half clutch 84 has engaged the clutch half 85 due to movement of the nut 83, a catch (not shown) is applied to ensure that on further movement of the motor 81 a disengagement of the half-clutches 84, 85 can take place only when the shaft 88 has completed its movement to engage or deposit a vehicle. The operation of the catch may be co-ordinated with the operation of the clutch 80.