WO1993009316A1

WO1993009316A1 - A parking and/or storage plant

Info

Publication number: WO1993009316A1
Application number: PCT/SE1992/000739
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sven Tord Eriksson; Ulf Göran FERNSTRÖM
Original assignee: Sven Tord Eriksson; Fernstroem Ulf Goeran
Priority date: 1991-10-29
Filing date: 1992-10-27
Publication date: 1993-05-13
Also published as: AU2925192A; SE468906B; SE9103161D0; SE9103161L

Abstract

The invention relates to a multistorey parking and/or storage complex intended for the parking of vehicles or goods in a parking space (3a). The complex includes one or more elevators (4, 4') which is/are intended to transport vehicles or goods. Each storey level has mutually parallel running surfaces (6b, 6c), normally in the form of rails, along which the wheels (61-64) of a transfer carriage (6) are intended to run for horizontal movement of transfer carriages (6) on the storey level concerned. The running surfaces (6b, 6c) are interrupted in the vicinity of elevator means to form one or more interrupted sections or gaps (6b', 6c') and one or more runners (10, 10') are provided for movement between a position in which the interrupted section or sections is bridged and a position in which the interrupted section or sections is/are exposed.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION: A PARKING AND/OR STORAGE PLANT

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a parking and/or stor¬ age complex, and then particularly to a complex in the form of a parking and/or storage building.

For the sake of simplicity only, the following descrip- tion is made with reference to the use of a vehicle parking building which is adapted to enable a plurality of vehicles to be parked, each in a selected parking place, although the invention can be applied generally in other technical fields as well.

The present invention takes as its starting point a complex which comprises a plurality of mutually overly¬ ing storey or floor levels, with each level providing a plurality of parking and/or storing spaces. The complex also includes one or more elevator or lift arrangements which are provided with an elevator floor plate or the like and which function to transport items, such as vehicles or containers, from a first building level (entrance) to one of the aforesaid overlying storey levels and/or from one of said overlying levels to a second building level (exit) .

According to the present invention, vehicles or other items are moved within one and the same storey level with the aid of one or more transfer carriages which coact with the aforesaid elevator floor plate. The complex also includes mutually parallel running surfac¬ es, normally in the form of rails, along which the wheels of the transfer carriage are intended to run in a direction for horizontal movement of the transfer car¬ riage along said rails. The complex further includes one or more transport carriages which coact with respective transfer carriages in the transportation of vehicles or other items between the parking and/or storage levels with the aid of said elevator means, and within each individual parking and/or storage level with the aid of said transfer carriages wherein the transport carriage can be moved within said parking and/or storage level at right angles to a horizontal direction of movement of the transfer carriage.

BACKGROUND ART

A parking complex which can also be used as a goods storage complex, and preferably as a container storage complex of the aforedescribed kind, is known to the art from the Swedish Published Specification 450 110, which describes and illustrates an elevator and transport arrangement for parking buildings in which respective vehicles are intended to be transported horizontally and vertically therein without the aid of a driver.

One object of the earlier known parking complex is to provide an effective car park complex.

To this end, the complex includes a number of construc¬ tive features, of which those that can be considered significant to a better understanding of the present invention are mentioned below.

For instance, the earlier known parking complex includes four elevator attachments which coact with the elevator floor plate and which are intended to project outwards in the horizontal plane of the plate and extend beyond the requisite parallel running surfaces on respective storey levels. These running surfaces have the form of rails which are interrupted to leave a gap over a dis¬ tance which corresponds to the width of the elevator attachments, so as to allow the elevator attachments of an elevator floor plate to pass freely through the gaps defined between said the ends of said rail interrup¬ tions.

As a result of interrupting the running surfaces in this way, it is necessary to take special measures which will enable a moving transfer carriage to pass over the gaps between interrupted rail section or sections.

In order for a transfer carriage to function satisfacto¬ rily in the aforesaid respect, the transfer carriage taught by the aforesaid earlier publication is provided on each side with two wheel-pairs, where the distance between respective wheels of a wheel-pair is somewhat greater than the interrupted section of the rails, or rail gap, so that the transfer carriage will be able to pass over the interrupted section by exerting load on only one of the wheels of a wheel-pair when the other wheel is located freely and unsupported over the inter¬ rupted section of the carriage movement path.

Because the distance between the wheels of a wheel-pair on each side of a transfer carriage is larger than the length or span of the interrupted section, it is neces¬ sary for all wheels on the transfer carriage to be mounted for movement outwardly from and inwardly towards the carriage, so that when in an extended position the wheel track of opposite wheels will conform controllably to the track width of the rails, while when retracted the wheel track of opposite wheels will be smaller than the distance between the rails, so as to allow the transfer carriage, with wheels retracted, to pass freely between and pass the rails. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

When considering the earlier state of the art, as described above, it will be seen that a qualified tech¬ nical problem resides in the provision of an effective parking and/or storage complex with the aid of simple means and simple measures.

It will also be seen that a further technical problem is one of realizing that a complex of the aforesaid kind can be constructed without requiring respective transfer carriages to be provided, in a known way, with two wheel-pairs on each side thereof, i.e. four wheels on one side and four wheels on the other side.

It must also be considered a technical problem to real¬ ize that the feature whereby an interrupted rail section of adapted length and a selected distance between the wheels of a wheel-pair does not constitute a necessary prerequisite for the construction of an effective and fast-operating comple .

Furthermore, it must be considered a technical problem to realize that a parking complex constructed principly in accordance wit the aforesaid published patent speci¬ fication can be achieved without requiring the eight wheels of the transfer carriage to be mounted for move- ment between two positions, an outwardly extended posi¬ tion in which opposite wheels are spaced apart at a distance which conforms to the track width of the rails, and a retracted position in which opposite wheels are spaced apart at a distance which is smaller than the distance between said rails. Another technical problem is one of realizing that a well-functioning complex can be provided even when the wheels of the transfer carriage are fixedly orientated in a position in which the wheel track width conforms to the rail track width.

Furthermore, another technical problem resides in en¬ abling the wheels, despite being in fixed positions, to pass freely and vertically "through" the running sur- faces or rails, and also to enable the transfer carriage to pass horizontally over the gap defined by the inter¬ rupted or broken rail sections.

Against this background, it will be seen that a techni- cal problem resides in realizing the significance of using short runners which are able to bridge the gap defined by interrupted rail sections, and therewith provide conditions for activating the runners so as to bring the runners in a position in which they bridge said gap adjacent the elevator means, and a position in which said runners expose said gap.

Another technical problem resides in realizing those advantages that are afforded when each storey level, provided with two horizontal running surfaces for trans¬ portation of the transfer carriage with two or four such runners mounted adjacent respective elevator means, one or two for each running surface depending on the posi¬ tion of the elevator means in the body of the building, and to permit each runner to be moveably mounted and therewith capable of being brought to a gap- bridging position when an elevator floor plate of said elevator is brought to a position which corresponds to said storey level.

It must also be considered a technical problem to realize the significance of enabling the height level of the floor plate to be indicated by special means and to enable these means to move a runner horizontally or the like to a gap-bridging position.

Another technical problem resides in realizing the significance of and the advantages afforded by enabling said runners to be moved in beneath the wheels of the transfer carriage on each storey level, such that said wheels can be lowered by the elevator means onto said runners.

It must also be considered a technical problem to pro¬ vide a construction in which respective runners are carried by an end part of a pivotal arm whose other end part is pivotally mounted on a support structure.

Finally, it must be considered a technical problem to realize the significance of configuring respective runners in a particular manner which will enable move¬ ment of the runners and the length of said section to be adapted to the configuration of the gaps or interrup¬ tions in the running surface.

SOLUTION

The present invention thus relates to a parking and/or storage complex which includes a plurality of mutually overlying storey levels, with each storey level being adapted to accommodate a number of parking places or the like. The complex also includes one or more elevator means provided with an elevator floor plate or the like and adapted to transport each item to be parked, said items being in the form of a vehicle, container or the like, from a first building level (entrance) to one of said overlying storey levels and/or from one of said overlying storey levels to a second building level (exit) .

A complex of this nature will include one or more trans- fer carriages which are intended to coact with an eleva¬ tor plate belonging to said elevator means, and mutually parallel running surfaces, normally in the form of rails, provided on each storey level and along which the wheels of the transfer carriage are intended to run during horizontal movement of the transfer carriage, and one or more transport carriages which coact with respec¬ tive transfer carriages and which are arranged for movement in a horizontal direction relative to the transfer carriage, said movement direction being perpen- dicular to the horizontal movement direction of a trans¬ fer carriage.

One or more of the aforesaid technical problems is/are solved by means of the present invention which relates to a complex of the aforedescribed kind which is charac¬ terized by one or more runners which can be brought to a position in which they bridge one or more interruptions or gaps in the running-surface sections adjacent the elevator means, and a position in which said one or more gaps is/are exposed.

According to preferred embodiments which lie within the scope of the inventive concept, each storey level is provided with at least two, normally four, runners which coact with a respective elevator means, wherein one or two runners are provided for each running surface and can be brought to a bridging position when said elevator floor plate is brought to a position corresponding to said storey level. According to one embodiment, means are provided for indicating the height position of the elevator plate, said means functioning to cause the runner concerned to be moved in a horizontal direction.

When the transfer carriage is provided with fixed wheels which are spaced apart at a distance which corresponds to the distance between the mutually parallel running surfaces, the fixed wheels are dimensioned and arranged to pass through the interrupted section of the elevator means.

The runner on each storey level is intended to be moved horizontally in beneath the wheels of a transfer car- riage, whereafter the wheels are lowered onto said runner so as to be supported thereby.

It is proposed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention that one end-part of respective runners are carried by a pivotal arm which is pivotally mounted on the other end-part, for anoeuvering said horizontal runner.

One side-part of each runner will preferably have an arcuate configuration so as to conform to the shape of the interrupted rail section or rail gap.

ADVANTAGES

Those advantages primarily afforded by the inventive complex are that, with certain simplifications to earlier known systems and with simple modifications, the inventive complex provides for a more effective function with regard to the possibility of transporting goods, such as vehicles, containers, etc., to and from differ¬ ent places in a parking or storage building in a relatively short time,

The primary characteristic features of an inventive complex are set forth in the characterizing clause of the following Claim 1.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A parking complex having the features significant of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a parking complex having two elevator means and a plurality of mutually adjacent parking places;

Figure 2 is a simplified, perspective view of the park¬ ing structure, said Figure illustrating the functioning of the invention more clearly;

Figure 3 illustrates part of the arrangement shown in

Figure 2 in larger scale, and shows an eleva¬ tor plate, an interrupted or broken running surface, and a horizontally pivotal runner which is shown swung outwardly to an open position;

Figure 4 is an end view which shows the relationship of the elevator plate and the transfer carriage in relation to a requisite running surface, in a position in which a runner can be moved in beneath the wheels of the transfer carriage; Figure 5 is a horizontal view of the section shown in Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a vertical view of a runner in a position in which said runner coacts with the running surface;

Figure 7 is a horizontal view of a runner in a position in which said runner coacts with the running surface; and

Figure 8 is a horizontal view of a runner in a position in which it does not coact with the running surface.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS AT PRESENT PREFERRED

Figure 1 illustrates in perspective and partly in sec¬ tion a parking complex 1 in which vehicles 2 can be parked in pre-selected parking places without the aid of a driver, one such parking place being referenced 3a in Figure 2.

The parking complex comprises a plurality of mutually overlying storey levels, or floor levels, referenced A, B, C, D, E and F in Figure 1. Each storey level is intended to provide a plurality of parking places in side-by-side relationship, with one array (3) being disposed on one side of an elevator means 4, 4', and another array (3') being disposed on the opposite side of said elevator means 4, 4' .

Thus, it can be mentioned that the storey level "C", shown in Figure 1, does not only include the parking places 3 and 3' located in the near vicinity of the elevator means 4, but also includes a plurality of other side-by-side parking places, of which one that lies close to the parking place 3 is referenced 3a in the drawing.

It will be seen from Figure 1 that the illustrated parking building or parking complex 1 has two elevator means 4, 4' .

One elevator means, 4, is located in the close proximity of one end-wall of the building 1 and the parking places belonging to each storey level will be oriented in front of or behind the elevator shaft 4a and along one side of said shaft.

With regard to the elevator means 4' located in the centre of the complex, or building, the parking places oriented on each storey level are positioned in front of or behind the elevator shaft and along both sides thereof.

It will be understood that it is quite feasible to position a further elevator means in the vicinity of an end-wall of the building structure.

With regard to the elevator means 4, a vehicle 2 trans¬ ported by the elevator can be placed in the parking space 3 or the parking space 3' without moving a trans¬ fer carriage 6 horizontally, while remaining parking spaces on the same storey level, for instance the park- ing space 3a, requires the transfer carriage 6 and associated transport carriage 7 to be moved horizontally and laterally to the position of the selected parking space.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the transfer carriage 6 can be moved horizontally in the direction "x" along running surfaces 6b and 6c, whereas the transport carriage 7 is moveable horizontally in the direction "y" along running surfaces (not shown) on the transfer carriage 6 and along running surfaces (not shown) which extend along the parking place 3a, i.e. in a movement direction "y" which is perpendicular to the movement direction "x" of the transfer carriage 6.

It will also be noted that the elevator means 4 and also the elevator means ^r are constructed to enable each vehicle 2 to be parked to be transported on an elevator floor plate, or elevator floor structure, from a first building level, an entrance level "a", to one of said storey levels, for instance storey level "C", and/or from one of said storey levels to another level, an exit level, which in the case of the illustrated embodiment is assumed to be on said building level "A".

The illustrated building complex includes elevator means 4, 4' which are, in principle, identical with one another. The following description will be made with reference to the drawings and with respect to the one elevator means 4.

The elevator machinery is not shown and neither are the requisite guide means for raising and lowering an eleva¬ tor floor-plate 5. The elevator floor-plate 5 can be caused to stop at a selected storey level in different positions with the aid of different known devices, such as electric switches, light relays and other means referenced Bl and Cl.

The elevator floor-plate 5 of the elevator shaft 4a in the Figure 2 embodiment is intended to be raised and lowered by the elevator machinery with the aid of lines 41-44. When a vehicle 2 is transported vertically in the eleva¬ tor shaft, the vehicle 2 is supported on a transport carriage 7, which in turn is supported on a transfer carriage 6 resting on the elevator floor-plate 5.

The floor-plate 5 supports the transfer carriage 6 in the elevator shaft 4a in the manner illustrated in Figure 4, i.e. the floor-plate 5 has a thicker inter¬ mediate part 5a against which the lower surface 6a of the transfer carriage 6 is allowed to rest.

The floor-plate 5 has four elevator attachments 51, 52, 53 and 54 which extend from the plate 5 and which are carried by said four lines 41, 42, 43 and 44 attached to respective elevator attachments.

It will be noted that these elevator attachments (53) extend beyond running surfaces 6b and 6c on which the transfer carriage 6 is intended to run, and that these running surfaces 6b and 6c are interrupted or removed to form gaps at sections 6b' located adjacent the elevator attachments 51-54.

When the elevator means 4 is positioned adjacent an end- wall of the building structure, two elevator attachments 51 and 54 may be positioned parallel with and inwardly of the running surfaces 6b and 6c.

Each storey level intended for the transportation of a transfer carriage 6 is provided with mutually parallel running surfaces 6b, 6c, normally in the form of angled rails along which the wheels 61, 62, 63 and 64 of a transfer carriage 6 are intended to run as the transfer carriage is moved in the horizontal direction "x".

One or more transport carriages 7, capable of coacting with respective transfer carriages, may be provided with or coact with requisite, known lifting devices (not shown) for raising or lowering the vehicle 2.

However, the transport carriages 7 of the illustrated embodiment are not provided with such lifting devices, but instead each vehicle is assigned a transport car¬ riage 7 which can be moved on wheels 71, 72, 73 and 74 in the direction "y" away from and to the transfer carriage 6.

When necessary, each of these wheels 71, 72, 73 and 74 may be comprised of known and said wheel-pairs or may coact with further pivotal runners, not shown.

In order to allow an elevator floor-plate 5 with requi¬ site, outwardly directed elevator attachments 51-54, to pass "through" the running surfaces 6b, 6c, it is neces¬ sary to interrupt the running surfaces so as to leave a gap adjacent the elevator attachments, such as the elevator attachment 53 in Figure 3, one such interrupted section or gap being identified by reference 6b'.

When the elevator means 4 is located adjacent one end- wall of the parking building 1, it is necessary to provide an interrupted section in each running surface. In the case of the illustrated elevator means 4', which is placed within the parking building, it is necessary to provide two such interrupted sections for one running surface and two interrupted sections for the other running surface.

As will be seen from the drawings, the inventive complex includes one or more short-length runners 10 which are intended to be brought to a position in which said runner will bridge the gap between the interrupted running surfaces 6b adjacent the elevator means, and also to a position in which said gap is exposed (shown in Figure 3) .

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate a runner 10 in a position in which it bridges the gap defined by interrupted section 6b' , while Figure 8 illustrates a runner 10 in a posi¬ tion in which the gap defined by the interrupted section 6b' is exposed.

Each storey level on which the transfer carriage 6 is able to move horizontally is provided with at least two (10, 10'), but normally four runners 10 for each eleva¬ tor means, i.e. one or two such runners 10 for each running surface or rail. These runners 10 can be brought to their respective bridging positions by means (not shown) when the elevator floor-plate 5 is in a position corresponding to said storey level, initiated by switch Cl.

Activation of respective runners may be effected from a central control unit (not shown) when the control unit has established that the floor-plate 5 is located on a relevant storey level on which the transfer carriage 6 shall be moved in order to park or collect a vehicle.

Alternatively, the means for indicating the height position of the floor-plate 5 may be used to directly activate horizontal or rotary movement of the runner.

As before mentioned. Figure 2 is intended to illustrate that when a floor-plate 5 is positioned correctly in relation to the level "C", the runners 10, 10' which bridge the gap to complete the running surfaces 6b and 6c have again been moved into a position in which they no longer bridge the gap defined between interrupted sections 6b', 6σ' after the transfer carriage 6 has been moved to a position immediately adjacent the parking place 3a, whereupon the transport carriage 7 is moved with the vehicle 2 resting thereon to a position in which the vehicle 2 and the transport carriage 7 can be moved into the selected parking place 3a.

The transfer carriage 6 is then again moved in the direction "x" up to and over the floor-plate 5.

The transfer carriage 6 is now ready to collect another vehicle.

The illustrated transfer carriage 6 is provided with four fixed wheels 61-64 which are spaced apart at a distance corresponding to the distance between the mutually parallel running surfaces 6b and 6c, and said fixed wheels are intended to be able to pass through respective interrupted sections 6b' and 6c'.

The elevator means shall be able to control the height position of the elevator floor-plate 5 on each storey level, so that the aforesaid runners 10, 10' can be arranged to be moved freely in beneath the wheels 61-64 of the transfer carriage, wherein the elevator floor- plate 5 can be lowered to an extent such as to lower the wheels onto the runners 10, 10'.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate the mutual position between the elevator floor-plate 5 and the transfer carriage 6 when the wheels 63 of said carriage rest on the runner surface 6b. This is illustrated by a narrow clearance between the runner surface 6b and the wheel 63.

It should be noted that the aforesaid clearance may be larger when the runners 10, 10' are swung to a position in which they coact with, or complete, the runner sur¬ faces 6b, 6c, and consequently the edge 11 is somewhat lower than the corresponding edge of the runner surface 6b.

Although the illustrated embodiment entails resting the carriage wheels 61-64 on a runner 10 that has been inserted beneath the wheels, by lowering the elevator floor-plate 5, it will be obvious that alternative methods can be used.

The transfer carriage 6 can be locked in position rela¬ tive to the elevator floor-plate 5 with the aid of engageable and disengageable latching devices (not shown) , such that the wheels 61-64 will be located immediately above the elevator attachments 51-54.

Similarly, the transport carriage 7 can be latched or locked to the transfer carriage 6 by means of engageable and disengageable latching devices, not shown.

Figures 6 to 8 illustrate a runner 10, which is one of several runners 10, and which comprises a vertical wall- part 11 and a horizontal runner-part 12.

The runner-part 12 is bevelled for coaction with corre¬ spondingly bevelled end-parts of the runner surfaces 6b.

The edge surfaces 13 and 14 are curved with a radius of curvature which corresponds to the length of an arm 15, whose one end-part coacts non-rotatably with the runner- part 12 and whose other end is journalled for rotation on a pivot shaft 16.

The position of the runner-part can be adjusted with the aid of an arm 17, through the intermediary of means not 18 described in detail.

When the runner is located in a non-bridging position, the wall-part 11 will function as a means for stopping a 5 transfer carriage 7 from moving over a non-bridge sec¬ tion 6b'.

In applications other than those described above, it may be convenient to place a container in a frame provided 10 with wheels 71-74.

It will be understood that the invention is not res¬ tricted to the aforedescribed and illustrated embodiment thereof and that modifications can be made within the 15 scope of the inventive concept defined in the following Claims.

The invention also relates to elevator means located adjacent an end wall of the building structure and being 20 of the kind described more clearly in Swedish Patent Application No. 91 03295-3 filed on the 8th November 1991, in addition to the elevator features described above.

Claims

1. A parking and/or storage complex which is intended for the parking of vehicles or goods in a parking place, said complex comprising a) a plurality of mutually overlying storey levels (A-F) , each including a plurality of parking places;

b) one or more elevator means (4, 4') which include an elevator floor-plate (5) or the like and being intended for transporting vehicles or goods to be parked from a first complex level (A) to one of said overlying storey levels (C) and/or from one of said overlying storey levels (C) to a second com¬ plex level (A);

c) one or more transfer carriages (6) which are in¬ tended to coact with the floor-plate (5) of said elevator means;

d) mutually parallel running surfaces (6b, 6c), nor¬ mally in the form of rails, for horizontal trans¬ portation of transfer carriages (6), said transfer carriages (6) having wheels (61-64) which run along said running surfaces during transportation of said transfer carriages; and

e) one or more transport carriages (7) for coaction with respective transfer carriages;

c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the complex further comprises one or more runners (10, 10') which are in¬ tended for movement between a position in which said one or more runners bridge one or more interrupted running- surface sections (6b', 6c') positioned adjacent the elevator means, and a position in which said interrupted section or sections is/are exposed.

2. A complex according to Claim 1, c h a r a c - t e r i z e d in that each storey level is provided with two or more runners belonging to each elevator means, one or two such runners for each running surface; and in that said runners can be brought to a bridging position when said floor-plate (5) is in a position corresponding to said storey level.

3. A complex according to Claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d by means (Bl, Cl) which function to indicate the height position of an elevator floor-plate and to initiate and/or activate horizontal movement of the runners (10) .

4. A complex according to Claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that said transfer carriage (6) is provided with fixed wheels (61-64) which are placed apart at a distance which corresponds to the distance between the parallel running surfaces (6b, 6c); and in that said fixed wheels are intended to pass through said interrupted section (6b', 6c').

5. A complex according to Claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the runners on each storey level are intended to be moved in beneath the wheels of a transfer carriage, said wheels being lowered onto said runners and supported thereby.

6. A complex according to Claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that said runners are carried by, among other things, the end-parts of pivotal arms.

7. A complex according to Claim 1 or 6, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the side surfaces of the runners are arcuate in shape.

8. A complex according to the preamble of Claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that at least one elevator means having the construction given in section "b" above is provided in or adjacent to at least one end-wall of the parking complex.