Patent GB-1054768-A (GB)
IPC: E04H6/28
Abstract: 1,054,768. Dollies for mechanical garages. ESPROGA S. L. Oct. 29, 1963 [Nov. 5, 1962], No. 42615/63. Heading B8E. A dolly for transferring vehicles between a lift platform and a parking location in a mechanical garage is movable longitudinally into a position beneath a vehicle and engages the vehicle by means of laterally extensible members each of which carries roller means for contacting a vehicle wheel both along an inner face and at the periphery thereof, all four of the vehicle's wheels being contacted in this way. The platform from which the dolly operates is horizontally movable on each floor of the garage to serve a plurality of parking sites. This may be achieved by constructing the platform as a turntable and arranging the sites in a circle (Fig. 1, not shown). The dolly itself is extensible in each of two opposite directions and, although driven from the platform, is readily detachable therefrom. The dolly (only half of which is shown) is in two parts, the first or outer part comprising a framework made up of two longitudinal members 16 joined by cross struts and the second or inner part comprising a central longitudinal member 18 movable lengthwise with respect to the first part. The inner edge of each member 16 and both edges of member 18 carry racks 17 which in use are engaged with pinions mounted on the lift platform. The arrangement of pinions (Figs. 2 and 5, not shown) is such that the pinions (4) engaged with members 16 and the pinions (5) engaged with member 18 turn in opposite senses but at the same angular speed. The former pinions are of greater diameter and so cause the outer part of the dolly to extend at a greater rate than the inner. Eventually, however, the racks of the outer part leave their pinions; at this stage rollers 28, which have hitherto run over cam surfaces 25 on a pair of spring coupled pivoted levers 24, fall into notches in the levers and rigidly couple the two dolly parts together. The extension of the outer dolly part then continues at the slower rate of movement of the inner part. The vehicle-wheel-engaging elements 37 and 38 are extensible laterally from the outer dolly part and each comprises a set of rollers and/or balls carried by a pair of parallel articulated struts 33, 35 and 34, 36 respectively. These struts are all articulated to a common central pull rod 30 operated hydraulically against a return spring 39. The balls and/or rollers 58 to 62 (Fig. 15, not shown) are all mounted directly in the frame of the elements 37 or 38, but the end roller 54 has an hydraulically resilient mounting on that frame. Thus, as the elements are swung out, the rollers 54 run along the inner face of the vehicle wheels and retract with respect to the other rollers (58 to 62). Eventually the rollers 58 to 62 are in contact with the said inner face and the roller 54 with the periphery of the wheel. The other half (not shown) of the dolly similarly engages the other pair of vehicle wheels so that the four rollers 54 entrain it for transport and the four sets of other rollers align its wheels. The operating arms 33, 34 are extended past their common pivot to provide extensions 43, 44 connected to further hydraulic actuators: this enables the ratio of longitudinal to lateral displacement of the roller-bearing frames to be adjusted to allow for vehicles of different proportions.