Patent ID: 7293952

Claim:
A lift apparatus for a vehicle for the handicapped, comprising: a forward and rearward moving rail member mounted to a roof panel within a vehicle body, where the forward and reversed moving rail member is configured to extend rearward from a position of a driver's seat by a predetermined distance; a leftward and rightward moving rail member mounted to the roof panel and configured to extend sideward from a rear end of the forward and rearward moving rail member by a preselected distance; a lifter movable along the forward and rearward moving rail member and the leftward and rightward moving rail member and capable of lifting and holding the seat and lowering and releasing the seat; and a rotating device installed at an intersection of the forward and rearward moving rail member and the leftward and rightward moving rail member, for rotating the lifter by a predetermined angle; wherein the lifter comprises: a lifter case; a pair of hook elements coupled to a bottom wall of the lifter case to extend downward in a vertical direction, for suspending the seat; a lifting and lowering motor for lifting and lowering the hook elements; a belt connected between the hook elements and the lifting and lowering motor and capable of being wound; a baseplate capable of being moved in each rail member; a pair of support cylinders each having one end secured to the baseplate and the other end secured to the lifter case to support the lifter case against the baseplate, and extending through the opening defined in the bottom wall of each rail member; a pair of gear wheels rotatably secured to the baseplate and engaged with the toothed rail parts of each rail member to allow the baseplate to be moved in each rail member; and a moving motor for driving the gear wheels, the moving motor including a power transmitting mechanism.