Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02807986 2013-02-11
WO 2012/019884
PCT/EP2011/062324
Arrangement for orienting multi-track motor vehicles in the direction of
travel in
parking lots
The invention relates to an arrangement for orienting multi-track motor
vehicles in the
direction of travel In parking lots or in parking garages, whereby arrows
showing the
direction of travel and floor markings indicating parking places are provided
on the floor
of the parking area and/or on garage walls, as well as on free-standing sign
boards. In
conventional parking structures or in parking lots, the individual parking
spaces are .
.Identified by markings on the floor, whereby the width of the parking space
is adjusted
to the average width of conventional vehicles. The width of the parking space
varies
here between 2.3 and 2.5 m. In the past, this parking place width was easily
sufficient,
but now motor vehicles have become much wider, as a result of which the
current size
of parking places is often insufficient. Thus, mid-size cars have become
between 17 and
. 20 cm wider on average; this has the effect in narrow parking place widths
that the
doors can be opened less widely, which makes getting out of the vehicle very
difficult.
Because conversion of garages is generally not possible, and is also generally
rejected
for economic reasons, the vehicle driver must be content with small parking
places,
which often has the result that not inconsiderable parking-related damage
occurs due to
carelessly opened doors or collision with walls. =
The object of the invention is to adapt existing parking structures with
predetermined
space allowances so that sufficient room remains for the vehicle driver to be
able to exit
the vehicle. This is essential particularly also in the case of two-door cars,
because such
vehicles have larger doors, which make it possible to get into the back seats.
Such
larger doors, however, also results in the opening angle of the door being
more limited,
which also makes exiting more difficult for the driver.
According to the Invention, said object is attained in that between the pre-
drawn parking
spaces markings and installed components of different width, which form
lateral
boundaries, are provided, whereby a wide footpath, similar to a crosswalk,
identified by
marking or an installed component, and a narrow demarcation device identified
by an
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installed component or marking, both as a parking lane demarcation, are
arranged
alternately. The placement of the vehicles to the effect that the driver door
is arranged In
the area of the wide, crosswalk-like marking or installed component makes it
possible to
exit the vehide comfortably, whereby the space near the passenger door can be
kept
small; as a result, the best possible space utilization and good accessibility
to the
vehicle interior through the driver door are provided despite a small
available space.
Other advantages of the subject matter of the invention are also that an
increase in the
value of the garages can be achieved because of the better usability of any
garage,
which was avoided so far due to the space problems. Installation or renovation
costs
are therefore low relative to the total value of the garage, whereby
construction periods
are short and low in noise without significant interference in existing
systems. Parking
facilities can also be used for business purposes, namely, by professional
drivers with
small commercial vehicles, such as minibuses, taxis, or minivans. With proper
parking
by all motorists, surprises due to doors, which are blocked by parking and
prevent or
make getting into the car very difficult, are prevented.
A further advantage, not to be underestimated, is also that tall or obese
individuals, who
because of the limited opening angle of the driver door at present have either
avoided
such garages or, contrary to rules, have parked the vehicle so that parking
next to the
vehicle was no longer possible. This is the case also especially with vehicles
with a
separate access door to the back seats, because such doors due to the vehicle
B-pillar,
which is set back further, require more space, to clear the exit opening from
the vehicle
to such an extent that tall or obese people can exit the vehicle more easily.
A further argument is also that so much space is kept free between the
vehicles in the
area of the driver doors that mothers with baby carriages can also pass easily
between
vehicles. This also applies to the use of luggage carts or shopping carts.
Finally, also because the driver doors are not directly opposite each other
due to the
opposite orientation of the vehicles, the outwardly protruding side mirrors
are not next to
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one another. This should be noted at present, because generally side mirrors
already
protrude far outwards, whereby because of the opposite arrangement the side
mirrors
are offset in the longitudinal direction of the parking space, so that passing
through is
easily made possible. This advantage also has an effect in the area of the
passenger
door, because thereby due to the offset arrangement bumping by outside mirrors
against one another is prevented.
Advantageously, the installed components can be made as prefabricated parts,
which
are attached to the finished floor of the parking place or garage. In this
way, existing
parking structures can also be retrofitted in a simple manner, whereby due to
the
installations car drivers are encouraged to park the vehicles properly. In
this case, the
installed components, formed as prefabricated parts, can be attached
removably,
preferably by means of a locking device. If necessary, it is possible as a
result to
achieve a modification of the particular parking arrangement. The detachable
formation
of the installed components provides the option of a test run, because the
prefabricated,
possibly temporary prefabricated parts are simple to install or dismantle.
To make it easier for drivers to adhere to the parking arrangement, driving
direction
arrows indicating the parking direction can be applied in the pre-drawn
parking spaces,
or analogously on the garage walls or other signs, in garages or free parking
spaces,
whereby the parking direction for parking the vehicle with the driver door
arranged at the
wide marking or the wide installation component is established by the driving
direction
arrows. In this way, unfamiliar car drivers are told the direction in which
they are to park
the car to be able to exit and enter comfortably and also to save space. An
interesting
psychological advantage is also that despite the installation of this parking
system
theoretically it would still always be possible for the user to approach the
parking places
in an individual manner, which however should not be the goal but cannot be
ruled out.
This should also convince skeptics who live according to their motto that
everything new
should be questioned in principle and must first be carefully examined.
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In a simple design, the narrow installed component for the parking lane
demarcation
can be configured as a parking curb preventing crossing, a wheel stopper,
speed bump,
divider, barrier tape, mobile partition, or plastic strips as a demarcation
curtain in
garages, hanging from the garage ceiling, and/or optionally it can be expanded
by
additional electronic safety devices, preferably light barriers with acoustic
warning
signals when the demarcation device is driven over, acoustic warning signals
when the
tire contacts the demarcation barrier or comparable technical developments.
Finally,
instead of the narrow installed component a partition can be provided which is
equipped
with suitable scratch protection, impact protection, warning markings, or
other devices
to prevent collision of the vehicle with the respective wall during the
parking process.
The invention will be described in greater detail below with use of the
drawing.
FIG. 1 shows schematically a plan view of the arrangement with the aid of the
parking
place demarcations of the Invention. FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show vertical sections
of
different demarcation devices. FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the
installed
components in cross section, whereby guiding components, which indicate when
the
wheel comes too close to the demarcation device, are provided in addition to
the side of
the installed components. FIG. 5 shows schematically a demarcation device
designed
as a pressure sensor, whereby the pressure sensor is designed to the effect
that it
triggers an optical or acoustic signal when there is pressure on the edge of
the
demarcation device. FIG. 6 shows a design adapted for garages with a ceiling,
whereby
the demarcation device comprises sensors emitting vertically downward from the
garage ceiling, which trigger an optical or acoustic signal when parts of a
vehicle enter
the sensing range. FIG. 7 is a design similar to that in FIG. 6 but instead of
sensors,
freely floating plastic strips are provided, which indicate by their movement
when the
vehicle protrudes beyond the provided parking space.
It is evident from the schematic illustration of the subject matter of the
Invention in FIG.
1 how, on the one hand, space can be saved and, on the other, parking damage
to
other vehicles by Inattention during parking can be prevented. The number (1)
is used
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to designate motor vehicles of a different design and size, between which
suitable
markings and installed components (2) with a greater width and installed
components =
= and markings (3) with a smaller width are arranged. The installed
components or
markings (2) are Illustrated in a different embodiment in FIG. 1, whereby the
option is
also indicated of forming only the side demarcations 2' as installed
components and of
providing a continuous, planar space between them. The number (4) is used to
designate a partition or a demarcation, which can be present instead of the
installed
components (3) or markings.
The installations 2 or 3 can be either flat, as shown in FIG. 2, or, as shown
in FIG. 3,
designed as high curb, whereby in both cases the transition from the side
walls to the
top surface is rounded, to prevent damage to car tires. According to FIG. 2,
the installed
= component is anchored to the floor by screws (5), or, according to FIG. 3,
by means of a
removable locking device (6). The precise structure of said locking device is
not
essential in the present case inasmuch as a range of different systems are
known to the
person skilled in this field. As already indicated, this makes it possible to
install this type
of demarcation arrangement for parking spaces on a trial basis or to change it
during
operation according to requirements.
=
In another embodiment, according to FIG. 4, instead of the installed
components (2) (3),
a molded artide (7) Is provided, which is flat on the bottom and made
approximately
trapezoidal in cross section. Side connecting parts (8), to which tubes (9),
running in the
longitudinal direction, or similar profile parts are attached, which enable
driving over by
car tires without damaging them, are placed at the bottom edges. The molded
article (7)
is anchored to the floor via connecting parts (8) by means of screws (10). The
number
(11) designates car tires, whereby proper parking is shown on the left side of
FIG. 4 and
the right part of FIG. 4 shows that a tire can drive onto the tubes without
any problems
and moreover is impeded by hollow body (7) from going beyond the demarcation
of the
parking space.
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Another advantageous embodiment is provided in that flat signal transmitters
(11) [sic],
which trigger acoustic or optical signals when driven over by a vehicle tire,
are placed
on the floor. Such pressure sensors can be selected by the person skilled in
the art
without difficulty from the pressure sensors available on the market. A
plurality of
pressure sensors can also be provided below the plates, along the longitudinal
edges;
this achieves that a corresponding signal is triggered at each position that
is driven
= over. The pressure sensors are indicated with (12) in FIG. 5.
In garages in which a roof or ceiling is provided above the parking places,
according to
FIG. 6, sensors (14), which monitor the approach of a motor vehicle and emit a
suitable
signal when the parking place boundary is overrun, can be provided in the roof
or ceiling
area along the demarcation of the parking places. In FIG. 6, the garage
ceiling is
designated by (13), to which the sensors (14) are attached, as described
above. The
corresponding marking Is provided on the floor.
In the embodiment according to FIG. 7, a ceiling (15) is also provided, but
instead of
sensors, plastic strips (15) or similar indications of the demarcation hang
down from it,
which allow the driver to estimate the position of the vehicle more precisely,
and which
when touched by the vehicle indicate to the vehicle driver based on their
movement that
the vehicle has gone beyond the boundary of the parking space.
As is evident in addition from FIG. 1, driving direction arrows (16), which
indicate the
direction in which the vehicle Is to be parked, are provided in the individual
parking
spaces. The point of the arrow in this case indicates the front of the
vehicle. This means
that the car drawn in FIG. 1 in the parking place seen in FIG. 1 is driven
into the parking
place with Its front being forward. In the parking place in the longitudinal
direction of the
parking place directly adjacent before the parked vehicle, a vehicle is placed
with the
trunk first in the parking space, .so that the two vehicles are arranged
behind one
another in the direction of travel. In the present case, for left-hand drive
vehicles, this
means that a wide marking or a wide installed component (2) is provided next
to the
driver door and a narrow marking or a narrow installed component (3) on the
side facing
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away from the driver side. The individual markings or installed components
must be
dimensioned here so that with precise driving into the parking place,
especially on the
side facing away from the driver door, there still is sufficient room to be
able to drive
past projecting vehicle parts, such as, e.g., side mirrors or the like, if
there is an
adjacent vehicle, or not to bump vehicle parts projecting there, also, for
example, side
mirrors. Right-hand drive vehicles accordingly must be maneuvered into the
parking
place opposite to the drawn driving direction arrows.
For special cases, as in handicapped parking places or in parking places for
cars with a
greater width, the dimensions can then be selected so that the installations
do not
impede the maneuvering into the space or also during exiting of a disabled
individual.
=
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