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Patent 2149134 Summary

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Claims and Abstract availability

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(12) Patent: (11) CA 2149134
(54) English Title: CAR PARK INSTALLATION
(54) French Title: INSTALLATION DE PARC DE STATIONNEMENT
Status: Deemed expired
Bibliographic Data
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC):
  • E04H 6/18 (2006.01)
  • E04H 6/28 (2006.01)
(72) Inventors :
  • SCHLECKER, HELMUT (Germany)
(73) Owners :
  • WETRON LOGISTIC GMBH (Germany)
(71) Applicants :
(74) Agent: RIDOUT & MAYBEE LLP
(74) Associate agent:
(45) Issued: 1999-05-04
(86) PCT Filing Date: 1993-11-12
(87) Open to Public Inspection: 1994-05-26
Examination requested: 1995-05-10
Availability of licence: N/A
(25) Language of filing: English

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT): Yes
(86) PCT Filing Number: PCT/DE1993/001084
(87) International Publication Number: WO1994/011598
(85) National Entry: 1995-05-10

(30) Application Priority Data:
Application No. Country/Territory Date
P 42 38 322.6 Germany 1992-11-13
P 43 38 341.6 Germany 1993-11-10

Abstracts

English Abstract




A parking device contains parking boxes (20) for parking cars
in two high storage racks arranged longitudinally next to each
other. A hoisting appliance (64) longitudinally movable in the
floor (14) between the high storage racks has a vertically and
telescopingly horizontally adjustable conveying table (70). At
the side of a rack (10) opposite the floor an entrance and
departure station (24) is disposed having rest combs (30)
projecting from both outer sides into the car track areas,
between which complementary transport combs (36) of a shiftable
lifting table (34) can be moved vertically and from there
horizontally in relation to a parking ox (20) formed as a
transition place (50). Transition place (50) and all parking
boxes (20) contain rest combs (51 and 86 respectively) on both
sides, which interact with transport combs (80) fitted on both
sides of the hoisting appliance conveying table (70) for
receiving and transferring of cars (Fig. 4).


French Abstract

Une installation de parking comprend des boxes (20) de stationnement de voitures particulières situés sur deux rangées d'étages adjacentes. Un convoyeur (64) mobile en longueur dans le couloir (14) entre les rangées d'étages comprend un plateau convoyeur (70) pouvant se déplacer télescopiquement aussi bien en hauteur que dans le sens horizontal. Une station d'entrée et de sortie (24) avec des fourches de support (30) des deux côtés qui pénètrent dans l'écartement entre les roues d'une voiture particulière est située au niveau d'un étage (10), du côté opposé au couloir. Des fourches complémentaires de transport (36) faisant partie d'un plateau de levage et de déplacement (34) sont verticalement mobiles entre les fourches de support (30) et horizontalement mobiles par rapport à un box qui constitue une zone de transfert (50). Les zones de transfert (50) et tous les boxes (20) comportent sur leurs deux côtés des fourches de stationnement (51 ou 86) qui coopèrent avec des fourches de transport montées des deux côtés du plateau (70) du convoyeur (64) pour prendre ou rendre des voitures particulières.

Claims

Note: Claims are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


CLAIMS:

1. A parking device for cars, comprising: a floor;
vertical racks erected on both sides of the floor, the racks
containing parking bays or boxes arranged adjacently and
above each other in several levels, the parking boxes having
rest areas formed by a comb system consisting of stationary
rest combs, and one of the parking boxes forming a
transition place;
a hoisting appliance movable upon the floor between the vertical
racks, the hoisting appliance having a conveying table to
one side of the parking boxes, the table being provided
with transport combs complementary to the stationary rest
combs of the parking boxes for the purpose of receiving,
transferring and discharging a car, which transport combs
may vertically traverse the stationary rest combs of the
parking boxes;
an entrance and departure station disposed to one side of the
vertical rack including the parking box forming a transit
ion place, the station being provided with stationary rest
combs; and
a shiftable lifting table disposed adjacent the parking box
which forms a transition place and below the entrance and
departure station, the shiftable lifting table being
provided with transport combs complementary to the
stationary rest combs of the entrance and departure station
and the transition place, which shiftable lifting table may
carry out horizontal and vertical movements between the
transition place and the entrance and departure station.

2. The parking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the
entrance and departure station and each of the parking boxes are
provided with side support members, wherein each of the
stationary rest combs are made up of two groups of prongs
arranged in car track areas and which extend from the side
support members up to a central free area, and wherein the
transport combs of the hoisting appliance and the shiftable

-1-


lifting table project into the car track areas and are staggered
with respect to the stationary rest combs.

3. The parking device as set forth in claim 1 in which two or
more entrance and departure stations are disposed to the side of
one or more of the vertical racks, and wherein there is a
transition place associated with each of the entrance and
departure stations.

4. The parking device as set forth in claim 1 in which the
hoisting appliance is mounted for longitudinal movement by a pair
of rails, wherein the hoisting appliance has one or two masts,
the conveying table being guided on the one or two masts, and
wherein the conveying table includes a telescoping part which may
be moved horizontally.

5. The parking device as set forth in claim 4 wherein the
transport combs of the conveying table are mounted on the
telescoping part, the transport combs of the conveying table
extending to the sides of the telescoping part.

6. The parking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the
conveying table is mounted for rotational movement by at least
180 about a vertically extending axis.

7. The parking device as set forth in claim 6 wherein two
hoisting appliances are movable upon the floor between the
vertical racks, which hoisting appliances may pass each other,
the conveying table on each hoisting appliance having a
telescoping part which, when viewed from the top, has a
substantially rectangular shape, and which in one of its rotated
positions is aligned with its long sides parallel to the
direction of movement of the hoisting appliance upon the floor
and in a second position of rotation is aligned with its shorter
sides parallel to the direction of movement of the hoisting
appliance.

-2-


8. The parking device as set forth in claims 2 wherein the
transport combs of the hoisting appliance and of the shiftable
lifting table have first receiving means formed by larger prong
intervals to position at least the front wheels of a car, and in
that the rest combs of the parking boxes and the entrance and
departure station also have receiving means which consist of
prongs disposed at smaller distances from each other open to fit
between the first receiving means.

9. The parking device as set forth in claim 8 wherein the prongs
of the receiving means of the entrance and departure station are
vertically adjustable.

10. The parking device as set forth in claim 1 in which the
vertical racks extend above and below the entrance and departure
station, and wherein the transition place is located at the same
level as the entrance and departure station.

11. The parking device as set forth in claim 1 in which the
shiftable lifting table includes hoisting means for raising and
lowering the transport combs of the shiftable lifting table, the
hoisting means includes an upper table, a base frame, a scissor
structure between the upper table and the base frame, and
cylinder means for operating the scissor structure, the base
frame being horizontally movable between a position below the
entrance and departure station and a position below the
transition place.

12. The parking device as set forth in claim 11 characterized in
that, in the case of the vertical racks being disposed entirely
below ground, at least one entrance and departure station is
provided above ground, the entrance and departure station having
a pit suitably dimensioned for the largest anticipated car
dimensions of length and width, the shiftable lifting table being
disposed in the pit, the transport combs of the shiftable lifting
table being movable from a raised position at the entrance and
departure station to a lowered position where they may be moved

-3-


horizontally to a transition place.

13. The parking device as set forth in claim 12 wherein the pit
has sidewalls, wherein the stationary rest combs of the entrance
and departure station are retractable into the sidewalls of the
pit by guided driving means.

14. The parking device as set forth in claim 12 wherein the
stationary rest combs of the entrance and departure station are
pivotable downwardly into the pit.

15. The parking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein sensor and
signaling device are provided in the entrance and departure
station for positioning the front wheels of a car.

16. The parking device as set forth in claim 13 wherein the
shiftable lifting table is adjustable in the entrance and
departure station to a fully raised position located above
ground, in which the retractable rest combs can be adjusted
freely between released and closed positions with respect to the
pit.

17. The parking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein drip
plates are fixed in the parking boxes below the stationary rest
combs and are inclined downwardly away from the conveying floor
to drain into common disposal gutters.

18. A parking device for cars, comprising: a floor;
a roof disposed over the floor;
vertical racks erected on both sides of the floor, the
racks containing parking bays or boxes arranged adjacently and
above each other in several levels, the parking boxes having rest
areas formed by a comb system consisting of stationary rest
combs;
a hoisting appliance movable upon the floor between the
vertical racks, the hoisting appliance having a conveying table
mounted for vertical movement to one side of the parking boxes,

-4-


the table being provided with transport combs complementary to
the stationary rest combs of the parking boxes for the purpose
of receiving, transferring and discharging a car, which transport
combs may vertically traverse the stationary rest combs of the
parking boxes; and
an entrance and departure station provided on the roof,
the station being provided with stationary rest combs, which
stationary rest combs may be moved from a position where they may
support a car to a retracted position, the transport combs of the
conveying table being adapted to pass through the stationary rest
combs of the entrance and departure station when the transport
table is raised to its highest raised position.

19. The parking device according to claim 18 wherein the
stationary rest combs may be swung downwardly from a support
position to a retracted position.

-5-

Description

Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


~14~13'~ ~
Thyssen Aufzuege Gmb~

D-73765 Neuhausen/Filder

" ~' ''' '~
Parking Device



Thls inventicn is related to a parking device for cars ccm-
prising parking boxes arranged abcve and adjacent each other or.
either side of a floor and of a hoisting app~iance movable
there-along, each parking box having twc stationary rest combs
disposed within the car track areas, and extending from lateral
support members towards a central free space, and - for
transferring or receiving a car - being adapted to be vértical-
ly traversed by complementarily staggered transport combs
disFcsed on both sides of a conveyor table o~ the hoisting
appliance displaceakle laterally with respect to the floor.

:.. ;, ~, ,.

The demand for parking devices is growing rapidly due to the

continually increasing number of cars in traffic. In providing
, .;
additional parking places conventionally designed passable
parking houses will often be disregarded as a possible
solution, primarily because of the large area required, but
also in view of other disadvantages including danger of active
or passive car damage, burglary, theft, environmental pollution
by exhaust fumes and noise, and long access durations at rush
hours. In reducing the demand for ground proposals have -been
documented to house cars in mechanized high storage rack

systems, which in practice, however, remained unaccepted be-
cause of extensive periods for retrieving cars and of inac-
ceptably high investment costs.


-. 2~gl3~
- la -



In a parking device of the kind initially referred-to and kncwn
from US-A-5,116,1~2 each parking box comprises two stationary
rest combs and a lower base frame supporting two opposite racks
and a pair of guide rails, such that these additional base
frames result in a structurally expensive and space consuming
rack system.



The hoisting appliance displaceable within the floor between
said racks comprises a slide, which can be moved relative to a
base member remaining within the floor area and making
connection to the guide rails of the base frame of the
respective parking box. The slide includes a vertically
moveable conveyor table having lateral transport combs, which
can be tilted downwardly to allow the slide 22 to be moved into
or out of the parking box without engaging inclined supports
beneath the stationary rest combs 12.



Another parking device similar to an automatic multistory
garage system known from WO-A-8901557 operates with shiftable
boards to carry the cars to be parked. At any moment, at the
bottom of each parking box and at the table of the hoisting
appliance one empty board is present, which at each
transferring operation is exchanged by a board loaded with a
car. For carrying out this exchange the bcttom of each parking

box and the table of the hoisting appliance necessitate drive
rollers acting within two planes and independent drive means,
which are prone to wear and servicing and further are space
consuming and expensive due to their necessary great number. -~

~ 214~134
- lb -



Additionally, the continuously occurring exchange of the boards
results in great noise development, especially due to the
friction at guide means for the board movements and due to the
simultaneously present resonant effect of empty boards.



At the side of one parking box forming a transfer platform op-
posite to the floor, there is provided a vertically adjustable
entrance and departure platform having rollers to accommodate
only one board. During the event of parking-in, the entrance
and departure platform, after a car-loaded board has been moved
into the transfer platform must be lowered to a certain degree
to receive an empty board from the transfer platform. In order
to sustain the exchange of boards at a number of sequential
parking-out operations, it is necessary after driving a car
from the board, to lower the entrance and departure platform
and to reposition the empty board into the transfer platform,
before the hoisting appliance can transfer the next car to be
parked-out.



Consequently, the transfer platform remains empty and unused
over a long period, until the car has left the entrance and
departure station. The next unloading of a car to be parked-out
from the hoisting appliance to the transfer platform cannot
take place until the empty board has been repositioned from the

entrance platform to the transfer platform such that the
exchange of boards may take place at the conveyor table of the
hoisting appliance. This results in unfavorable long waiting
and access periods.


21~9134


The present invention has for object to provide for a
mechanized, highly automated parking device for passenger cars,
which has only small area and space requirements ....




,

21~913~ ~




,as well
as low installation costs, and which, by using the latest
mechanical and structural engineering techniques, renders par-
ticularly short access times and enables to also meet the envi-
ronmental requirements.



According to the inventional solution of this problem one par-
king box of a rack forms a transition place between the conve-
ying table, which can be brought up from one side, and a
shiftable lifting table fitted with transport combs, which can
be brought Up from the opposite side and is guided and driven
to carry out vertical movements relative to stationary rest
combs ol an entrance and departure station, installed at the
end of the transition place opposite the floor, and relative to
the transition place for receipt or delivery of a car, and to
carry out horizontal movements between transition place and E/D
station and in that the comb system consists of two groups of
prongs, each arranged in car track areas and as stationary rest
combs extending from side support members of the rest areas of
the parking box, of the transition place, and of the E/D sta-
tion up to a central free area provided for vertical movement
of and/or for receiving the conveying table and the shiftable
lifting table, respectively, from both longitudinal sides of


- - 21~913~
-- 3



which extend transport combs projecting in-to the car track area
and complementarily staggered with respect to the stationary
rest combs.



This kind of parking devices, in which steel construction parts
are extensively used for the rack beams, shelving system and/or
rest areas, hoisting appliance, and in the entrance and depar-
ture station, can be installed in an independent car park or in
a part of a building complex of hotels, office or residential
buildings, or can be integrated hospitals, old people's homes
and other existing building complexes, since they function
without exhaust pollution and with a minimum of noise genera-
tion. Moreover the manoeuvring, which normally takes place in
car parks when parking and retrieving vehicles, disappears .-
particularly if the cars, when prepared for leaving are placed
in their departing direction.
'
A low noise level. is achieved by the conveying principle
throughout used from an entrance and departure station up to :
the high storage racks and back, wherei.n the shiftable lifting ~ ;
table by means of its transport combs takes up a car from the .
rest combs and by moving through the rest combs of the transi-
tion place, deposits it there, while the hoisting appliance by ~; .:.. ;
means of the transport combs of its conveying table lifts a car
from the transition place and deposits it on the rest comhs of
an allocated parking box.

.:-: -: ~;
The incoming car can activate the opening mechanism of a rol~



~. ' ,. '. ,." .,' ." '' '.- ';'"' "'

913~
. .:, .
_ 4 _
' "'' ',
ling gate or a barrier at the entrance and departure stations
by driving over an induction loop and is then driven on the
rest combs to a pre-determined position, in which preferably
its front wheels are received in a recess provided by greater
prong intervals and/or may be positioned by using sensor and
signalling devices such that they can be po~itionedly taken up
in appropriate receivi.ng means or depressions of the transport
combs of the shiftable lifting table. This pos-itioning princip-
le which is extended to the transiticn place, the hoisting
appliance conveying table and the rest combs and parking boxes,
facilitates a simple and safe handling procedure for moving
driverless cars.



~epending on the number of parking boxes available in the
parking device and also on the length of the storing racks,
several entrance and departure stations with allocated transi-
tion places may be provided in the adjacent bay and additional-
ly several hoisting appliances passable in the conveying floor,
this for the purpose of effectively reduci.ng the access time.
During periods of i~creased user frequency, for example work
start time, the m~jority of stations can be programmed only as
entrance station. Preferably, there are two hoisting appliances
along each conveying floor, passable past each other on rails,
the conveying table of which having a hoisting platform guided
on one or two masts and a telescoping table, rotatabl.e through
at least 180~ by means of a pivot bearing and telescopingly
movable horizontally on or into opposite direction, transport
combs being fixed to the sides of upper, farthest extensible


2~4913~


telescoping unit. For parking devices having very long conve-
ying floors and several entrance/departure stations, more than
one hoisting appliance can be provided on each pair of rails
formed by one upper and one lower rail.



The transport combs fixed to the shiftable lifting table and to
the hoisting appliance conveying table have, as a result of
greater prong intervals, first receiving means for positioning
preferably the car front wheels, whilst the rest combs in the
parking boxes, the transition place and the entrance/departure
stations also have receiving means formed by prongs of smaller
intervals fitting between the prongs of the first receiving
means or formed by trough sections upwardly open. If required,
the receiving means or recesses can be established or removed,
respectively, by means of vertically adjustable prongs.



For loading and unloading of bays arranged completely under-
ground, at least one entrdnce and departure station is provided
above ground at entrance level, and having a shiftable lifting
table vertically adjustable within a pit, designed to suit the
largest car dimensions, between entrance height and a minimum
height for then being displaced at a level underneath the
transition place, whilst the rest combs of the E/D station are
adjustable between a clearing position to open the pit and a
closing position partly to cover the pit. By carrying out this
proposal, the high storage rack parking system with its advan-

tages as to effecient utilization of space, may be constructed
on underground, wherein simply one or several E/D stations with


2~4~134
-- 6



roofs or in the form of small garage building remain vi.sible
over a green free area at entrance height. The rest combs in
the E/D stations to clear the pit either are moved horizontally
into the pit side boundaries or folded downwards. The shiftable
lifting table with a car standing on it is adjustable to an
upper end position located above the entrance level, at which
the rest combs can be adjusted freely between their clearing
and closing positions.


In providing a simplified parking device, at least one transi-
tion place installed in a parking box may be positioned at . :
entrance height and used as an E/D station having both rest
combs and rolling gates. This variant is used either exclusi-
vely or in combination with a parking device which has at least .
one other transition place behind a E/D station. Provision can
also be made such that only cars placed ready for leaving at a
transition place ~re collected from here by the driver and
driven out via a lane continuing up to the rest combs of the
entrance and departure station. ~:
,:
According to another simplified embodiment of the inventional ~:
parking device, at the height of a passable roof above the
conveying floor, at least one E/D station is provided wi.th rest
combs bei.ng disposed above an opening designed to suit the
largest car dimensions and i.nteracting with transport combs of
the hoisting appliance telescoping table, which can be moved to
a correspondingl.y aligning or fitting height, while the rest
combs can be retracted into the side opening boundaries or

folded downwards by means guided drive means.

21~913~




Further features and advantages of the parking device according
to the invention will become apparent from the following des-
cription of embodiments shown in the drawings, which also con-
tain details essential to the invention. These features, inclu-
ding those of the claims may form alternative embodiments of
the invention either individuall-y or in any other combination.
In the drawings, each as a schematic, is



Fig. 1 a top view of a parking device in accordance with the
invention,
Fig. 2 a vertical longitudinal section following line A-A in ~ ~
Fig. 1, ~-
Fig. 3 an enlarged vertical section following line B-B in
Fig. 1 showing an entrance and departure station at
the level of a passable roof,
Fig. 4 a partly underground parking device having an E/D sta~
tion at normal level, similar to Fig. 3, -;;
Fig. 5 a horizontal section of the parking device as in Fig.
4 at the entrance level, ,~
Fig. 6 an enlarged reprsentation of a sub-area of the parking
device of Fig. 4, ~ ;~
Fig. 7 a vertical partial cross section through a parking box
and an upper telescoping unit of the hoisting applian- ~' -
ce conveying table,
Fig. 8 a section following line C-C in Fig. 7,
Fig. 9 a simplified view of two hoisting appliances which

move longitudinally in the conveying floor,
Fig. 10 a simplified front view of the hoisting appliances

~4~134
- 8
'
guide in different pairs of rails as in Fig. 9, -

Fig. 11 a top view of the two hoisting appliances as in Fig.
9, ,
Fig. 12 a vertical section of another embodiment of the inven-
tional parking device showing an E/D station disposed
above the conveying floor,
Fig. 13 a vertical cross-section through the pit of an entran-
ce and departure station shown in Fig. 3, explaining
two variants for adjustment of the rest combs.



According to Fig. 1 and 2, two racks 11, 12 of any length con-
sisting preferably of metal profiles, are installed parallel to
each other on both sides of a conveying floor 14 in a car park,
which in the example shown in Fig. 2 is located un~erground,
has a base 16 and is closed to above by a passable roof 18,
which can be used as an additional parking area or by grassing
or covering with a layer of top-soil. Each rack 10, 12 contains
horizontal rows of parking boxes 20, arranged longitudinally
adjacent each other and fitted with rest areas, and being dis-
posed above each other to groups between vertical beams 22,
wherein more spacious parking boxes, e.g. in the uppermost and
lowermost rows are used for parking off-roaders or vehicles
having roof superstructures.



At the entrance level which in Fig. 2 and 3 is located above
the passable roof 18 and in Fig. 4 at an interim height, seve-

ral covered entrance and departure stations 24 are provided at
the side next to rack 10 having front and rear rolling gates or


-~ - 2149~ 34
g

barriers, 25 and 26 respectively. Rear exits and barriers 26
are unnecessary in Fig. 3 if the departing cars are turned
through 180 degrees within the parking system and leave station
24 in the opposite direction to which they entered.



With reference to Fig. 4 and 5, an incoming car activates the
opening mechanism of rolling gate 25 by driving over an induc-
tion loop 25 and proceeds to the E/D station 24 up to a
position pre-determined for the front wheels. The driver leaves
station 24 and takes a parking ticket from automatic ticket
dispenser 27, whereupon rolling gate 25 closes, after sensors
installed in station 24 have checked the car dimensions as to
height and other factors and determined a suitable parking box,
which is printed onto the parking ticket.



In station 24 a pit 28 is covered by rest combs 30 consisting
, ~ :
of horizontal prongs arranged in the two car track areas, and
projecting from both sides of the pit boundary. For positioning
the front wheels the rest combs 30 include receiving means 32,
may be in the form of a throughed profile or of increased prong
intervals (Fig. 6). The central free area between the combs
serves for receiving and for moving through shiftable lifting
table 34, on both sides of which are fastened transport combs
36 projecting into the car track area, and consisting of
prongs; the transport combs 36 are in staggered positioned such
that they fit into the prong intervals of the rest combs 30 and

together with then form a widely closed rest or placing area.
The transport combs 36 also comprise prongs 37 with a large in-

,'' '' ~

' ~- 214~134

-- 10 --

terval serving to position the front wheels and to take up the
above mentioned channel or trough profile or two prongs serving
as receiving means 32 and having a smaller interval but still
adequate for the purpose of wheel positioning.



For a larger parking device with several E/D stations in
accordance with Fig. 1, some of these can be used, temporarily
or permanently, either only for parking or retrieving. In the
example of Fig. 6, outgoing cars are turned through 180 degrees
and delivered to a station 24 which is designed for parking and
retrieving. For the purpose of safe conveying the transport
combs 36 of the shiftable lifting table 34 comprise front and
rear prongs 37 and 39, respectively, with large intervals,
whereby the rear receiving prongs 39 also interact with the
rest combs 30.



The shiftable lifting table 34 is supported in the pit 28 by
means of articulated hoisting scissors 40 on a base frame,
which can be moved by means of rollers 44 on horizontal rails
46 by actuating a drive, not illustrated. At least one lifting
cylinder 49 operating between base frame 43 and articulating
hoisting scissors 40 is provided for the vertical movement of
the shiftable lifting table 34.




For movement of a car positioned ~or parking in the E/D station
24, in the example in Fig. 4 the shiftable lifting table 34
will be lifted above the rest combs 30 and then moved on its
rails 46 into a stop position, at which it stands above a




i -, . ., - , . ", -.,, , ., - -~ -.. ; . .,, . , , - , . ~ .

- ' ~
9 1 3 ~


transition place 50 installed in rack 10 preferably at the same
height as the rest combs 30. In this position the shiftable
lifting table 34 is lowered through resting combs 51 fixed on
both sides of rack 10, projecting into the track areas and
having forward and rear positioning means 52 as shown in Fig. 6
so that the car remains standing on the transition place 50.
The shiftable lifting table 34 then reaches its lowermost end
position, from which it is returned to the E/D station, eleva-
ted and indexed and/or locked in flush alignment to the rest
combs 30. After the front rolling gate 25 has closed, the rear
rolling gate 26 remains open until the shiftable lifti.ng table
stands with the car above the transition place SO.



Corresponding to Fig. 3, a car placed for parking on the rest
combs 30 for being proceeded into the parking system, first
must be lowered into pit 28, which, for this purpose, is deeper
thdn that shown in Fig. 4 and is suited to the length and wi.dth
of the largest cdr dimensi.ons. The articulated hoisting scis-
sors 40 are designed to provide for the increased hoisting
height and have articulated links, which are rotatably suppor-
ted on the shiftable hoisting table 34 and on the base frame
43, respectively,.by means of joint pins 42 a~d additional ar~
~, ,~ . ,
ticulated links which are displaceably and rotatably supported
by means of joint pins 45 in horizontal slots 48 of the
shiftable hoisting table and at base frame, respectively. In
order to take over a car from the rest combs 30, the shiftable
hoisting table 34 is raised slightly from its indexed rest :~

position at the height of the rest prongs until the front :

,"




.'~' . ." ' ' ' J "' -, ', ': ., ' ,',

--- 21~9~ 34
- 12 -



wheels have been positively received in the positioning space
between prongs 37. The rest combs 30, now relieved from the
vehicle well be either mcved horizontally sideways out of the
pit or swung downwards into the pit, as shown in Fig. 13.



As soon as the rest combs 30 have opened the pit 28, the
shiftable hoisting table 34 with the car on it is lowered to a
height at which its transport combs 36 are above the level of
the transition place 50 installed in the adjacent ra~k. From
this position, further conveyance of the car into and out of
the subsequent parking device takes the same course as that
shown in Fig. 4. When the shiftabl.e lifting table 34 has been
lowered down through the rest combs 51 of the transition place
and has delivered the car, it reaches its lowermost position,
from which it is driven return to pit 28, elevated and indexed
in flush alignment with rest combs 30. Indexing means not shown
are provided to fix the shiftable lifting table at the height
of the rest combs 30 and so rel.ieve its lifting means. If the
rest prongs 30 are removable the i.ndexing means may be forrned
by limit stops mounted to the rest prongs and construed to
support at least two transport prongs 36 from below. Generall.y,
such indexing means may consist of horizontally movable, prefe-
rably servo-operated, bolts which are supported at the pit wall
or by the rest combs 30 and in their protruding position act to
support the shi~table lifting table or its transport prongs 36
or to engage receiving means located there.




A hoisting appliance 64 is movable along the conveying floor 14



,.. , . . . , ~ . . . .

- ~" 21~913~
- 13 -



extending between the two racks 10, 12, with its mast 68 guided
in upper and lower rails secured to the ground and to the cei-
ling of the park roof. Fig. 1 and 11 show adjacently disposed
pairs of rails for at least two hoisting appliances 64, 65
which are movable past each other. Each hoisting appliance
includes a vertically adjustable hoisting platform 69 guided on
cne or two vertical masts 68 and mounting a hcrizontally
adjustable conveying table 70, which is rotatable through at

least 180 degrees. ~-
;'- ' .:,

Each conveying table 70 of substantially rectangled periphery
is rotatable about its vertical pivot axis 72 into differing
angular positions such that its longitudinal (longer) sides --~
either run parallel to the direction of the floor 14 or, after ~
rotation 90~ degrees, transverse to the floor 14. In the first ~ ~-
mentioned angular position of the conveying table, sufficient
clearance space is left at its longitudinal side, opposite to
the adjacent rack 10, up to the masts 68 of the h~isting
appliance guided on the other pair of rails, so that the two
hoisting appliances 64, 65 can pass each other, if their con~
veying tables 70 are staggeredly adjusted to different heights.



By suitably disposing the pivot axis 72 and dimensioning the
rotatable conveying table to a smallest possible width, it is

possible to keep the width b of the conveying floor 14 small- ~ -~
and thereby to reduce the necessary extension length of the -
telescopic conveying table 70 and also cf the necessary
constructional support requirements, but at the same time to ;~
, ': .: '
: :,

-~ 21~91 34
- 14 -



house hoisting appliances 64, 65 passing each other in the
floor. The rotatability of the conveying table 70 on the hoi-
sting platform 69 can be realised means of any suitable pivot
bearing, e.g. a kingpin and an additional ball bearing support
or by means of a rotating track/turntable. One or several rota-
ting motors or simple hydraulic cylinders, if necessary with
additional kinematic lever transmission, may serve as rotating
drive, since the maximum angle of rotation can be limited to
180~. The rotatability of the conveying table 70 facilitates
both the housing of two hoisting appliances passing each other
on a relative narrow floor, and turning of the cars whilst
being conveyed such that they stand in the direction of travel
for both parking and departure.



Each conveying table 70 preferably consists of three
telescoping units 74, 76, 78 (Fig. 3) which are able to move
the in the same or opposite directions, with adequate travel of
projection to deliver a car from the transition place 50 into
any parking box of the two racks 10, 12 or remove it from the
same. Like the shiftable lifting table 34, the furthest exten-
sible uppermost telescoping table unit 78 has fixed on its both
sides transport combs 80 including groups of- prongs forming
receiving means 82 for front wheels. These transport combs are
arranged for complementary combing relation with rest combs 51
and 86 of the transition place 50 and at each parking box 20,
respectively. The conveying table 70 can be move-d vertically

and horizontally and where necessary rotationally at the dis-
placement time of the hoisting appliance, so that the total


9 1 3 4

- 15 -
' '

transfer or conveyance time remains at a mi.nimum. To take over
an incoming car the conveying table 70 with its telescoping
unit 78 moves under the transition place 50 and from there
lifts the car with the transport combs 80 by vertical movement
of the hoisting platform 69. The car positioned on the conve-
ying table is then telescopingly moved into floor 14, turned if
necessary, brought up to the pre-determined vertical group of
parking boxes by movement of the hoisting appliance, moved to
the height of an allocated parking box 20 by actuating the
hoisting platform 69 and from there is desposited, preferably
with its front facing floor 14, by telescoping and vertical
movement, onto rest combs 86 mounted at the floor l.evel of a
parking box 20.

~ .'~ . ,'
The take-over and/or delivering operations for a car effected
for example as in Fig. 5 by the transport combs 80 of the COII~
veying table 70 in a parking box 20, are i.llustrated in detail
in Fig. 6 to 8. The transport combs 80 fixed to both sif~es of
the telescoping unit 78 each comprise a larger group of prongs
,:, ~- :- .,:
81 for support of the rear wheels H and at least two front ~, .-
prongs 82 having a larger distance between for positive posi-
tioning the front wheels. It may be appropriate to mount the
positioning prongs 82 on the telescoping unit 78 slightly ; : .
higher than the rear group of prongs 81, so taht when lifting a .
car from the rest combs of a transition place or a parking box,
the front wheels are gripped into position first. The rest . ; :
combs 86, as in Fig. 5 and 7, are fixed on both sides of a :~:
:, ~
parking box 20 to horizontal beams 84 connected to vertical ~ ~

' "~ '' ' '.~

. .

~1 ~3~3~
- - 16 -



beams 22. Each rest comb comprises two front prongs 88 with a
distance between adequate to position the front wheels V, which
prongs als may be replaced by a suitable channel or trough pro-
file. According to Fig. 8 two front rest prongs 88 fit into the
distance between positioning prongs 82 of transport comb 80.
The larger group of prongs 81 is long enough to support the
rear wheels H cars of any wheel base. Fig. 7 and 8 show by full
lines transport combs loaded with a car above the rest combs 86
at a height at which they will be telescopingly projected into
the parking box by means of the conveying table. The position
below the rest combs 86 shown by interrupted lines corresponds
to the height of the conveying table, which it assum~s after
having deposited the car in a parking box 20 and before it will
be telescopingly retracted. Below the rest combs 86, drip
plates 92 are provided, placed on or bolted to support members
90, which are inclined downwards from the floor side of each
parking box to drain into a lower common drip channel for
disposal of collecte~ fluids.



Fig. 12 shows a simplified embodiment of a parking device in
accordance with the invention, which neither nee~s a shiftable
lifting table nor a transition place. As before, a hoisting
appliance 64, its masts 68 being guided in upper and lower
rails, can be moved longitudinally in a conveying floor 14 bet-
ween two high storage racks 10, 12 shown only Wit]l their upper
rows of parking boxes. A hoisting platform 69 is vertically ad-

justable on masts 68 and supports a conveying table 70 arrange~
for telescoping movement, horizontally and transverse with



:,

- -'' 214913~

- 17 -



respect to the floor and having fixed transport combs 80 on
both sides for delivering and receiving a car standing on rest
combs 86 in the parking boxes. The conveying table 70 is ad-
justable in upward direction at least up to an opening 96 pro-
vided in a passable park roof 18, in which its transport combs
80 fit flush to the upper side of the opening, covered on both
sides with the rest combs 30. The opening 96 is located, simi-
lar to pit 28 of Fig. 3, inside of an entrance and departure
station 24 on the passable park roof 18, and its width and
length being appropriate for the largest dimensions of incoming
cars. The passable roof 18 can be at the normal ground level
or, if projecting over ground, can be reached by a not shown
access ramp.
'''''''''",'' ;'''
Before a car is lowered from station 24 for transfer into the
parking system or is retrieved for departure, the rest combs 30
must be removed from the opening 96. For this purpose, in
principle, the same adjusting means sho~n in Fig. 13 can be
used as for the rest combs 30 covering the pit 28 in Fig. 3,
and which will become effective either to move the rest combs
sidewards from the pit 28 or from the opening 96 or to swing
them downwardly. For a sideways movement, the rest combs 30
and/or their prongs are fixed to a common beam 98, to which
laterally extending guide members 102 are fixed fitte~ with
rollers 100. The guide members 102, when moved by means of
hydraulic cylinders 104, toothed belt or chain drivers, or rack
and pinion drives, run with their rollers 100 in rail profiles
106 underground the floor of the E/D station 24, which includes


- f~' ~14913~

- 18 -



a receiving space for the retracted rest combs 30 covered by
passable plates. Suitably, guide members 102 are fixed near or
at the ends of support beam 98 outside beyond the comb length
so that the rails 106 lie outside of the comb shifting path and
so may extend up to the pit or opening.



According the variant shown in Fig. 13 at the right of the
centre line of the pit 28 or the opening 96, rest combs 30 are
rotatably mounted on horizontal pivot axes 108 to be adjusted
between a horizontal closing p~sition and a clearing position
when swung downwards. Each comb 30 comprises a multiply
supported carrier beam 110 for its prongs or groups of prongs,
which are strutted at the pit wall or opening wall by means of
toggle joint levers 114, 116 actuated by hydraulic cylinder
112. The toggle joint levers 114, 116 can be foldcd together to
the hinged-down position of rest combs 30.


':




:.'''
.','~

Representative Drawing
A single figure which represents the drawing illustrating the invention.
Administrative Status

For a clearer understanding of the status of the application/patent presented on this page, the site Disclaimer , as well as the definitions for Patent , Administrative Status , Maintenance Fee  and Payment History  should be consulted.

Administrative Status

Title Date
Forecasted Issue Date 1999-05-04
(86) PCT Filing Date 1993-11-12
(87) PCT Publication Date 1994-05-26
(85) National Entry 1995-05-10
Examination Requested 1995-05-10
(45) Issued 1999-05-04
Deemed Expired 2007-11-13

Abandonment History

There is no abandonment history.

Payment History

Fee Type Anniversary Year Due Date Amount Paid Paid Date
Application Fee $0.00 1995-05-10
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 2 1995-11-13 $100.00 1995-11-11
Registration of a document - section 124 $0.00 1996-05-02
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 3 1996-11-12 $100.00 1996-10-15
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 4 1997-11-12 $100.00 1997-10-17
Registration of a document - section 124 $100.00 1998-07-06
Final Fee $300.00 1998-10-07
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 5 1998-11-12 $150.00 1998-10-14
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 6 1999-11-12 $150.00 1999-11-08
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 7 2000-11-14 $150.00 2000-11-10
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 8 2001-11-13 $150.00 2001-11-08
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 9 2002-11-12 $150.00 2002-11-12
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 10 2003-11-12 $200.00 2003-11-12
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 11 2004-11-12 $250.00 2004-10-25
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 12 2005-11-14 $250.00 2005-10-20
Owners on Record

Note: Records showing the ownership history in alphabetical order.

Current Owners on Record
WETRON LOGISTIC GMBH
Past Owners on Record
SCHLECKER, HELMUT
THYSSEN AUFZUGE GMBH
Past Owners that do not appear in the "Owners on Record" listing will appear in other documentation within the application.
Documents

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Document
Description 
Date
(yyyy-mm-dd) 
Number of pages   Size of Image (KB) 
Description 1995-11-04 21 1,192
Cover Page 1999-04-27 2 83
Abstract 1995-11-04 1 49
Cover Page 1995-11-04 1 28
Claims 1995-11-04 6 412
Drawings 1995-11-04 9 422
Claims 1998-02-18 5 212
Representative Drawing 1999-04-27 1 24
Fees 2001-11-08 1 30
Fees 2003-11-12 1 31
Correspondence 1998-09-17 1 1
Assignment 1999-01-13 2 68
Assignment 1999-02-01 2 74
Fees 1998-10-14 1 34
Correspondence 1998-10-07 1 35
Assignment 1998-07-06 2 76
Fees 2002-11-12 1 33
Fees 1997-10-17 1 33
Fees 1999-11-08 1 27
Fees 2000-11-10 1 32
Fees 1996-10-15 1 27
Fees 1995-11-11 1 25
National Entry Request 1995-05-10 3 128
Prosecution Correspondence 1995-05-10 18 591
International Preliminary Examination Report 1995-05-10 55 2,138
Examiner Requisition 1997-10-10 2 44
Prosecution Correspondence 1998-01-12 1 35
National Entry Request 1996-02-09 2 95
Office Letter 1996-01-25 1 29
National Entry Request 1995-08-30 2 82
Office Letter 1995-06-22 1 21
Office Letter 1998-12-01 1 23