Parking apparatus

• US 10,316,535 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2018
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Basha, Bekim
• Primary Examiner(s): Hageman, Mark C
• Application Number:
  US16/042,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20190063097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• Field of Search: 414228, 414233, 414234
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 6/06 with means for shifting or lifting vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 6/18 with means for transport in vertical direction only or independently in vertical and horizontal directions E04H6/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 6/422 Automatically operated car-parks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A parking apparatus having at least two parking areas, on each of which a motor vehicle can be parked. The parking apparatus includes at least one movable parking area which is movable relative to at least one fixed parking area. In order to simplify the charging of electrically operable motor vehicles, the parking apparatus is combined with a charging apparatus for charging electrical energy accumulators of electrically operable motor vehicles. The charging apparatus is simultaneously connectable in terms of charging to electrically operable motor vehicles on both parking areas.

Claims

1. A parking apparatus having at least two parking areas, on each of which a motor vehicle can be parked, wherein the parking apparatus comprises:

at least one movable parking area of the at least two parking areas which is movable between two different parking positions relative to at least one fixed parking area of the at least two parking areas, and

a charging apparatus for charging electrical energy accumulators of electrically operable motor vehicles,

wherein the charging apparatus is simultaneously connectable to both a first electrically operable motor vehicle positioned on the at least one fixed parking area and a second electrically operable motor vehicle positioned on the at least one movable parking area for charging the first and second electrically operable motor vehicles,

wherein in a first parking position of the two different parking positions, the at least one movable parking area and the second electrically operable motor vehicle are positioned above the at least one fixed parking area and the first electrically operable motor vehicle that is positioned in the at least one fixed parking area, and, in a second parking position of the two different parking positions, the at least one movable parking area and the second electrically operable motor vehicle are positioned in front of the at least one fixed parking area and the first electrically operable motor vehicle that is positioned in the at least one fixed parking area as viewed in a forward/reverse travel direction of the vehicles,

wherein a charging cable of the charging apparatus is configured to be connected to the second electrically operable motor vehicle parked on the movable parking area, and the charging cable is configured to remain connected to the second electrically operable motor vehicle on the movable parking area while the movable parking area is moved between the two different parking positions,

wherein the movable parking area is attached to at least two rods, and one of the rods is a telescopic rod which is coupled at one end to the at least one movable parking area, and

wherein one end of the telescopic rod is attached to a trolley which is translatably mounted in the vicinity of a floor, and the trolley translates with respect to the charging apparatus while the at least one movable parking area is moved between the two different parking positions.

2. The parking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the rods is a rigid articulated rod having a first end that is coupled to a fixed bearing and a second end that is coupled to the movable parking area.

3. The parking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movable parking area is pivotable between a low position and a high position.

4. The parking apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the movable parking area in the low position is arranged in a forward direction and either in front of or behind the fixed parking area.

5. The parking apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the movable parking area in the high position is arranged above the fixed parking area.

6. The parking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charging apparatus comprises a charging point having at least two charging cables of a length sufficient to electrically charge the electrically operable motor vehicles on the parking areas.

7. The parking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charging apparatus is simultaneously connectable to the electrically operable motor vehicles on both of the at least two parking areas for charging the electrically operable motor vehicles while the at least one moveable parking area is moved between the two different parking positions.

8. In a charging station having a parking apparatus including (i) at least one fixed parking area on which a first electrically operable motor vehicle can be parked, (ii) at least one movable parking area which is movable relative to the at least one fixed parking area and on which a second electrically operable motor vehicle can be parked, wherein the at least one movable parking area is attached to at least two rods, and one of the rods is a telescopic rod which is coupled at one end to the at least one movable parking area, and one end of the telescopic rod is attached to a trolley which is translatably mounted in the vicinity of a floor, and (iii) a charging apparatus including a charging cable for charging electrical energy accumulators of the first and second electrically operable motor vehicles, a method for charging electrical energy accumulators in motor vehicles comprises:

moving the at least one moveable parking area between two different parking positions by translating the trolley with respect to the charging apparatus and either extending or retracting the telescopic rod, wherein in a first parking position of the two different parking positions, the at least one movable parking area and the second electrically operable motor vehicle are positioned above the at least one fixed parking area and the first electrically operable motor vehicle, and, in a second parking position of the two different parking positions, the at least one movable parking area and the second electrically operable motor vehicle are positioned in front of the at least one fixed parking area and the first electrically operable motor vehicle as viewed in a forward/reverse travel direction of the vehicles; and

simultaneously charging the first and second electrically operable motor vehicles using the charging apparatus during the moving step while the charging cable remains connected to the second electrically operable motor vehicle on the at least one movable parking area.