AU705497B2 - Elevational vehicle ramp - Google Patents

Description

WO 97/28997 PCT/AU97/00063 -1- ELEVATIONAL VEHICLE RAMP This invention relates to a vehicle ramp having an elevational facility.

Vehicle ramps are in common use, enabling either the front or rear of the vehicle to be driven up onto the ramps and hence be elevated between 200mm-300mm above the ground thereby providing more access space for a mechanic to work on the underside of the vehicle. Vehicle ramps of the abovementioned type are generally used in pairs for the raising of the front or the rear of the vehicle. Manufacturers of these ramps generally advise against the use of a single ramp for the raising of only one wheel of the vehicle.

Vehicle ramps comprising the prior art known to the applicant are frequently fabricated from angled section metal, having a flat horizontal portion which is elevated above a base, and sloping side rails supporting a plurality of cross rungs, the side rails being spaced downwardly from one end of the horizontal portion.

Even with as much as 250mm elevation (10 inches) the applicant has noticed that it is still awkward and inconvenient to obtain access to the undersurface of a vehicle. The sloping portion of a vehicle ramp of the types known to the applicant generally only has an incline for the vehicle wheels at approximately 20 degrees to the horizontal. A steeper slope than this generally results in great difficulty in driving the vehicle up the inclined portion of the ramp as the vehicle tends to push the ramp along the ground without a secure attachment of the vehicle ramp to the ground. As vehicle ramps are generally intended to be a portable piece of vehicle maintenance equipment, it is WO 97/28997 PCT/AU97/00063 -2unreasonable to expect users to firmly secure a vehicle ramp to the ground for proper operation. If greater access height is required, the inclined portion of the vehicle ramp would need to be made longer so that vehicles could still be driven up the ramp. However, adopting this approach, the ramp is made unwieldy in length, adds to the cost of manufacture and also requires stiffer beams for the sloping portion in turn resulting in a heavier and more difficult piece of equipment to be used.

The problem of providing adequate space within which to inspect the underside of a vehicle has been well known for many years. Professional vehicle maintenance providers have used relatively expensive hydraulic lifts for many years to lift an entire vehicle above the ground enabling them sufficient access to attend to repairs to the underside of the vehicle. The expense of this type of equipment is beyond average persons wishing to effect their own minor repairs. In addition, this type of equipment is not portable and does not lend itself to professional servicemen wishing to effect repairs outside the workshop environment.

To overcome the problem of expense, many people resorted to the digging of a pit of sufficient depth that they could stand in the pit whilst effecting repairs to the underside of a vehicle. This particular solution to the lack of accessibility to the underside of the vehicle however presented other problems including the possibility of driving one or more of the vehicle wheels into the pit.

Such a relatively minor annoyance did not deter many users of pits, however a more significant problem that was discovered was the possibility of the pit WO 97/28997 PCT/AU97/00063 -3becoming filled with noxious emissions. This would generally result from running the vehicle engine while above the pit. In some circumstances, fatalities have been known to occur due to this problem. Accordingly, pits are generally considered to be unsafe to use. Various attempts have been proposed to solve the problem of a lack of access to the underside of vehicles.

In particular, applicant is aware of New Zealand Patent specification 105,942 (Williams) and Australian Patent specifications 3,583/66 (Johns), 83 603/82 (Bigini) and 32691/84 (Pellegrini). In all of these instances, the solutions proposed involve the lifting of the entire vehicle above the ground. The Williams, Bigini and the Pelegrini specifications detail relatively expensive pieces of equipment to solve the problem, none of which could be considered as portable pieces of equipment capable of being easily transported to another location to effect repairs. The Johns specification details a see-saw arrangement which reduces the cost of manufacture as compared with the other Australian specifications however this approach significantly increases the space in which the equipment needs to operate. Again, the Johns specification is directed to raising the entire vehicle off the ground and is even less portable than the solutions proposed in the other Australian specifications.

Applicant is also aware of English specification GB1389339 (Defleur) wherein a piece of lifting apparatus is provided which can be raised and lowered by an independent mobile jack of any type and Russian specification RU2035389 (Ovchinnikov) which describes a parallelogram lifting arrangement wherein the lifting is effected by a cylinder. Both Defleur and Ovchinnikov describe an WO 97/28997 PCT/AU97/00063 -4apparatus which is collapsed completely in its stored state such that it can be inserted below a vehicle and raised to effect the elevation of the vehicle. The entire vertical distance through which the vehicle is lifted is effected by the independent jack or cylinder. Both the collapsing of the apparatus in its stored state and the entire lifting operation being effected by the jack or cylinder complicates the design of the apparatus and increases the manufacturing cost.

The requirement for a relatively inexpensive means by which a vehicle can be elevated to increase the accessibility to the underside of the vehicle still remains in spite of the prior art discussed. As a result, standard vehicle ramps as initially described above are still successfully sold by many retail outlets even though accessibility is limited.

It is an object of this invention to overcome the abovementioned difficulties, and provide additional elevation within a ramp assembly which is compact and easy to use.

In an embodiment of the invention, a vehicle ramp comprises four upstanding posts which guide depending legs of a generally horizontal elevational platform. The vehicle ramp further comprises sloping side rails supporting a plurality of cross rungs, the side rails extending downwardly from one pair of upstanding hollow posts. The vehicle ramp further comprises means to effect elevation of that elevational platform with respect to the remainder of the assembly. Such means for effecting the elevation of the platform can, for example, be constituted by a simple and inexpensive hydraulic jack which can be employed under the elevational platform. In most instances WO 97/28997 PCT/AU97/00063 each ramp would comprise its own separate jack, but the invention also accommodates any requirement for a single jack to be used on a number of ramps, and in an embodiment of the invention there are provided retaining pins which will secure the elevational platform with respect to the remainder of the assembly.

Although the invention need not necessarily include the abovementioned details an embodiment is described hereunder in some further detail with reference to and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig 1 is an isometric view of an elevational ramp which has its elevational platform in its upper position; Fig 2 is a side view of an elevational ramp assembly detailing the end stop member; and Fig 3 is a side view of the sloping portion of an elevational ramp detailing an additional piece of apparatus to assist vehicles with low flaring.

In the preferred embodiment, an elevational ramp assembly 10 has a base frame 11 which at one end supports upstanding square tubular posts 12, and at the other end carries a sloping assembly 13. It will be recognised by those skilled in the art that the square tubular posts 12 could easily be substituted with posts of alternate cross section such as circular or even guides with an angle section.

In the preferred embodiment, the sloping assembly 13 is constructed generally in accordance with known art, having a pair of side rails 14 which support between them spaced rungs 15, all made from angle section steel.

WO 97/28997 PCT/AU97/00063 -6- The upper ends of the rails 14 terminate against and are firmly attached to the posts 12. The rails 14 are supported intermediate their ends by generally vertical support members 17.

There is provided a generally horizontal elevating platform 20 having depending legs 21 of square cross section which slidably engage into posts 12, and the platform 20 is provided with side rails 22 an end rail 23, and an end stop assembly 26, which are of an angled cross section, the ridge of the end rail 23 projecting above the side rails 22. Intermediate the ends of the side rails 22 and on the underside of the side rails 22 there are provided a pair of stiffeners 24, which are also of angled cross section, which have between them a flat plate 25. When a motor vehicle wheel is transported up the ramp in its non-elevated state, and onto the platform 20, its wheels will be constrained firstly by the stiffeners 24 and secondly by the end rail 23 and the end stop assembly 26, this double safety feature already being known in the art. The legs 21 as said are slidable in the posts 12 of the base frame 11, but when in their elevated position, are retained by safety pin assemblies 27 which extend a pin through the walls of posts 12 to support the lower ends of the legs 21. The depending legs 21 comprise apertures (not detailed herein) which, in the elevated position of the horizontal platform 20, align with apertures in the posts 12 such that the insertion of a pin through the aligned apertures would hold the post 12 and the depending member 21 fast to each other. The safety pin assemblies 27 comprise engaging springs 28 such that in their retracted state, the engaging springs 28 urge the safety pin assemblies 27 toward engagement WO 97/28997 PCT/AU97/00063 -7and locking of the posts 12 to the depending members 21. In the non-elevated state of the generally horizontal platform 20, the apertures of the depending members 21 are non-aligned with the apertures of the posts 12. During the elevation of the generally horizontal platform 20, the apertures of the depending members 21 will eventually align with the apertures of the posts 12.

At this stage, the safety pin assemblies 27, under the action of the engagement spring 28, urge a pin into the aligned apertures of the posts 12 and the depending members 21. The safety pin assemblies 27 are provided with loops 29 for ease of disengaging the safety pin assemblies from their locked position.

The disengagement of the safety pin assemblies 27 is generally effected manually by hand.

In order to effect elevation use is made of a hydraulic jack 30. This can be cradled between the pair of angle section cross members 31, but upon release can be removed. The upper end of the jack engages the flat plate and in this embodiment it is possible to get a lift of more than 110mm and a resting position of about 105mm, it being found that the additional 100mm (4 inches) of elevation greatly simplifies the work of a maintenance mechanic because of the additional access provided. A foot pad 35 of elastomeric material is applied to the underside of the base frame members of the elevational ramp assembly 10 to protect any supporting surface and to prevent slipping of the elevational ramp assembly.

With reference to Fig 2, the resting position of a vehicle wheel on the generally horizontal platform 21 is detailed. The wheel 40 is supported by the WO 97/28997 PCT/AU97/00063 -8stiffeners 24, the end rail 23 and the end stop assembly 26. These members act to cradle the vehicle wheel 40 in the generally horizontal platform 20 and inhibit the vehicle wheel from rolling off the elevational ramp. In addition, upon transporting the wheel 40 up the ramp and onto the generally horizontal platform 21, the end stop assembly 26 acts to retain the wheel 40 upon the ramp and inhibit the forward momentum of the vehicle from rolling the wheel over the end of the ramp.

Fig 3 is a side view of the sloping assembly of an elevational ramp detailing an additional piece of apparatus to assist vehicles with low flaring.

The sloping sub-assembly 45 is provided for removable attachment to the sloping assembly 13 of the elevational ramp assembly 10 in the case of a vehicle with low flaring which would otherwise interfere with the sloping assembly 13 and possibly cause damage to the flaring. The sloping subassembly 45 is of similar structural configuration to the sloping assembly 13 and can engage the sloping assembly 13 removably thereby providing a temporary extension to the sloping assembly 13 and altering the effective slope of the overall sloping assembly. This altered slope being such that vehicles with low flaring may be driven up and onto the elevational vehicle ramp without sustaining damage to the flaring.

The invention is particularly simple, but provides a commercially valuable construction which can be used by professional and amateur repairers, without requiring entry into a pit, itself considered very dangerous because of the likelihood of concentration of lethal gases.

Claims (9)

1. A vehicle ramp comprising a plurality of generally vertical support members, a plurality of sloping rails supporting a plurality of cross rungs extending across the rails forming a sloping assembly, said sloping assembly extending from the upper portion of said generally vertical support members and sloping downwards from the generally vertical supports, a generally horizontal platform comprising a plurality of depending supports and a cylinder, said generally horizontal platform depending supports being engaged with and in slidable relation with said generally vertical support members such that placement and operation of a cylinder beneath the generally horizontal platform effects the guided raising of the generally horizontal platform in relation to the generally vertical support members.

2. A vehicle ramp according to claim 1 wherein said generally horizontal platform depending members are of the same or lesser length than the generally vertical support members and said sloping rails are affixed to a pair of said generally vertical support members at the upper portion of the vertical members such that in its non-raised state, one edge of the generally flat and horizontal platform is in relatively close proximity to the upper portion of the sloping rails such that a vehicle wheel may be driven up the sloping rail assembly and onto the generally horizontal platform.

3. A vehicle ramp according to claim 1 wherein said generally vertical support members and said depending members comprise a plurality of WO 97/28997 PCT/AU97/00063 apertures along the length of each member which are aligned at various positions of elevation of the generally horizontal platform enabling the insertion of a pin through the aligned apertures such that the generally horizontal platform may be fixed in its elevational position with respect to the generally vertical members.

4. A vehicle ramp according to claim 1 wherein the generally vertical support members are fixed in relative position to a base frame said base frame further comprising a generally horizontal member firmly affixed to said base frame and at a raised position in relation to the generally horizontal platform whilst in its non raised state and at the opposite end of the generally flat and horizontal platform to the sloping assembly.

A vehicle ramp according to claim 1 wherein said generally vertical supports are hollow tubes of generally square cross section and said depending members are also of generally square cross section being of lesser dimensions than the internal dimensions of the generally vertical supports such that the depending members may slide freely within the generally vertical supporting members.

6. A vehicle ramp according to claim 1 wherein said generally vertical supports are hollow tubes of generally circular cross section and said depending members are also of generally circular cross section being of lesser dimension than the internal dimension of the generally vertical supports such that the depending members may slide freely within the generally vertical supporting members. WO 97/28997 PCT/AU97/00063 -11

7. A vehicle ramp according to claim 1 wherein said generally vertical supports are sections with an angled cross section and said depending members are also of an angled cross section such that the depending members may abut and slide freely against the generally vertical supporting members.

8. A vehicle ramp according to claim 4 wherein said cylinder is fast with respect to said base frame and said platform and operable to raise said platform from its lowered position, said cylinder being removable from said base frame and platform whether said platform is in its lowered position or an elevated position with respect to said base frame.

9. A vehicle ramp according to claim 4 wherein a second sloping assembly, substantially of the same structural configuration as the sloping assembly, is provided for removable attachment to said sloping assembly at a position along the sloping assembly's length thereby extending the length of the sloping assembly and altering the effective slope of the sloping assembly.