Motor-vehicle parking system

• US 5,469,676 A
• Filed: 12/22/1993
• Issued: 11/28/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Round Palis AG
• Original Assignee: Round Palis AG
• Inventors: Colsman, Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Safavi, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yip, Winnie S.
• Application Number:
  US08/171,465
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 52/30, 52/31, 52/32, 52/33, 52/64, 52/65, 52/174, 52/175
• US Class Current: 52/174
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 6/28 characterised by use of turntables or rotary rings for horizontal transport
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 6/285 using car-gripping transfer means

Abstract

The installation for the parking of motor vehicles has one or several autonomous parking units (S), shaped as sectors of a circle on plan. Each such unit has its own mechanical conveyor system, comprising a car lift (10) with a vertical guide (11) located in the region of the apex of the sector, and a cantilevered vehicle platform (12) that pivots across the angle enclosed by the sector. Within the parking unit (S) the lift (10) provides the vertical and horizontal transport of the vehicles between a drive-in/drive-out level (1) and the parking spaces on parking levels below and/or above level (1); in addition, the lift (10) is equipped for the radial transfer of vehicles. Each parking unit (S) also has its own means for turning vehicles in situ, e.g. one or several turntables or rotary platforms (8) at the drive-in/drive-out level (1). A vehicle-standing area (9) on each turntable or rotary platform can be turned to a drive-in position and a drive-out position and can be aligned radially with the vehicle platform (12) of the lift. A computer-controlled installation of this type is very flexible and readily adaptable to a wide range of operational situations. After being parked, the vehicles can be driven out and leave the parking installation readily without reversing. Because of its modular design, the system is suitable not only for use in buildings that are circular on plan, but also, always with similar units (S), for other layouts to conform to local circumstances.

Claims

1. Installation for parking of a motor vehicle, comprising

a drive-in and drive-out level,

a plurality of parking levels vertically spaced separate from the drive-in and drive-out level,

at least one parking unit (S, S'"'"') at the drive-in and drive-out level having at least one drive-in and drive-out position (9, 17, 18) for the vehicle,

each said drive-in and drive-out position having turntable means for turning the vehicle in situ in relation to the drive-in and drive-out position,

a ground plan of said parking unit having a form of a sector of a circle,

a plurality of parking spaces (4) on said parking levels (2) separate from the parking unit (S, S'"'"'), said parking spaces aligned side by side radially on an arc of a circle,

at least one automatically controlled mechanical car lift means (10, 10'"'"') for vertical and horizontal transport of the vehicle between the drive-in and drive-out position (9, 17, 18) and the parking spaces (4),

the car lift means (10, 10'"'"') having a vertical guide (11) located adjacent to an apex of, and within the sector of the parking unit,

each said parking unit (S, S'"'"') being served by one of said car lift means (10, 10'"'"')

said car lift means further having vehicle platform means (12, 12'"'"') cantilevered from said vertical guide for pivoting laterally across an angle within the sector of the parking unit associated and aligned with said turntable means and respectively retrieving the vehicle from a drive-in position of said drive-in and drive-out position and depositing the vehicle on one of said parking spaces at one of said parking levers and thereafter respectively retrieving the vehicle from said parking space of said parking levels and depositing the vehicle on the drive-out position of said drive-in and drive-out position,

wherein an operator can respectively leave or retrieve the vehicle on the drive-in position of the drive-in and drive-out position, or the drive-out position of the drive-in and drive-out position and,

said car lift means will thereafter move the vehicle between the drive-in position or the drive-out position and the parking spaces.

2. An installation according to claim 1 wherein said turnable means for turning the vehicle in situ comprises a rotary platform (8) on said drive-in and drive-out position, said rotary platform having a vehicle-standing area (9) which can be oriented as required to a drive-in position (9a), a drive-out position (9c), or to radial alignment (9b) with the vehicle platform means (12).

3. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said turnable means for turning the vehicle in situ comprises a rotary platform (8'"'"') on the vehicle platform means (12'"'"') and said drive-in and drive-out position comprises a fixed drive-in position (17) and fixed drive-out position (18) within the sector of the parking unit at the drive-in/drive-out level (1).

4. An installation according to claim 1 further comprising a movable partition wall (16) provided adjacent the drive-in and drive-out position for preventing access to the car lift (10, 10'"'"').

5. An installation according to claim 1, wherein the car lift (10, 10'"'"') comprises a carriage (22) which can be raised or lowered along said vertical guide (11, 11'"'"'), and to which a cantilever arm (26) is journalled for pivoting about a vertical pivot axis (13).

6. An installation according to claim 1, wherein several of said parking units (S, S'"'"') are placed net to one another, with the apex of each sector coinciding at a common point.

7. An installation according to claim 6, wherein said several of said parking units form a full circle in a plan view.

8. An installation according to claim 6, wherein each vertical guide of said corresponding car lift (10, 10'"'"') is arranged about a central column (14) which can be rotated about a common axis (5) through said common point.

9. An installation according to claim 1, wherein several of said parking units (S, S'"'"') are placed in a line next to one another with sides abutting, but with each apex of the sector of the parking unit alternately on opposite sides of said line.

10. An installation according to claim 1, wherein several of said parking units (S, S'"'"') are placed in a line next to one another with each apex of the sector of the parking unit positioned on said line.

11. An installation according to claim 1, comprising of a single parking unit (S, S'"'"') where the sector has an angle of approximately 90°

.

12. An installation according to claim 2 further comprising a movable partition wall (16) provided adjacent the drive-in and drive-out position for preventing access to the car lift (10, 10'"'"').

13. An installation according to claim 3 further comprising a movable partition wall (16) provided adjacent the drive-in and drive-out position for preventing access to the car lift (10, 10'"'"').

14. An installation according to claim 13, wherein the car lift (10,10'"'"') comprises a carriage (22) which can be raised or lowered along said vertical guide (11, 11'"'"'), and to which a cantilever arm (26) is journalled for pivoting about a vertical pivot axis (13).

15. An installation according to claim 14, wherein several of said parking units (S, S'"'"') are placed in a line next to one another with sides abutting, but with each apex of the sector of the parking unit alternately on opposite sides of said line.

16. An installation according to claim 14, wherein several of said parking units (S, S'"'"') are placed in a line next to one another with each apex of the sector of the parking unit positioned on said line.

17. An installation according to claim 16, comprising of a single parking unit (S, S'"'"') where the sector has an angle of approximately 90°

.

18. An installation according to claim 12, wherein several of said parking units (S, S'"'"') are placed in a line next to one another with sides abutting, but with each apex of the sector of the parking unit alternately on opposite sides of said line.

19. An installation according to claim 12, wherein several of said parking units (S, S'"'"') are placed in a line next to one another with each apex of the sector of the parking unit positioned on said line.

20. An installation according to claim 12 comprising of a single parking unit (S, S'"'"') where the sector has an angle of approximately 90°

.