CN111989287A

CN111989287A - Automatic adapter positioning for automotive elevators

Info

Publication number: CN111989287A
Application number: CN201980017036.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: R·埃利奥特; C·贡杜劳; L·乔治; M·克里希南; M·普拉丹; P·古鲁斯瓦米; S·萨克塞纳; P·R·博渡
Original assignee: Vehicle Service Group LLC
Current assignee: Vehicle Service Group LLC
Priority date: 2018-03-05
Filing date: 2019-03-05
Publication date: 2020-11-24
Anticipated expiration: 2039-03-05
Also published as: WO2019173269A1; CN113371639A; CN113415754A; EP3762326A1; CN111989287B; CN113415754B

Abstract

An apparatus for operating a vehicle lift (100) comprises at least one lift assembly (110), a control unit and a control suspension (150). The control suspension is configured to remotely control the movement of the vehicle lift via the control unit and allow the vehicle to be lifted by pushing a single button and/or positioning a lifting feature on the control suspension in preparation for lifting a particular vehicle by pushing a single button. The user may select a vehicle profile from a plurality of vehicle profiles using a menu screen (164) and a plurality of menu buttons together. The selected vehicle profile may correspond to the vehicle being lifted and provide specific data for the particular vehicle being lifted on how the at least one lift assembly and/or lift features should be moved.

Description

Automatic adapter positioning for automotive elevators

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application relates to U.S. non-provisional patent application 14/202,328, filed on 10/2014 and U.S. provisional patent application 61/783,408, filed on 14/3/2013, each entitled "hand-held control unit for a car lift," the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Background

A vehicle lift is a device operable to lift a vehicle, such as a car, truck, bus, or the like. Some vehicle lifts operate by positioning an superstructure beneath the vehicle. Thereafter, the superstructure may be raised or lowered to bring the vehicle to a desired height. Thereafter, once the user has completed his or her task requiring the vehicle to be raised and lowered, the vehicle may be lowered. In some cases, the control device of the vehicle lift may be fixed to a portion of the vehicle lift, such as a lifting column. In other cases, the control device of the vehicle lift may be located in some other structure fixed to the floor, such as a control cabinet. By positioning the control device in this fixed position, it may be difficult for an operator to easily view certain portions of the lift and/or vehicle while operating the control device. For example, it may be difficult for an operator to determine the proper positioning of the superstructure below the vehicle while controlling the vehicle lift.

The following documents disclose further examples of such vehicle lifting devices and related concepts: U.S. patent No.6,983,196 entitled "electronically controlled vehicle lift and vehicle service system," granted on 3.1.2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference; U.S. patent No.7,191,038 entitled "electronically controlled vehicle lift and vehicle service system", granted on 3/13/2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference; U.S. patent No.8,083,034, entitled "elevator control interface," issued 12/27/2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference; and us publication No.2004/0149520, entitled "landfall elevator," published 8/5 in 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Drawings

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the present invention, it is believed that the present invention will be better understood from the following description of certain embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a vehicle lift system with an exemplary suspension control device;

FIG. 2 depicts a front perspective view of a suspension control device of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts a rear perspective view of the suspension control device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the suspension control device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 shows a side view of the suspension control device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 depicts an enlarged plan view of a control panel of the suspension control device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 shows an enlarged perspective cross-sectional view of the lift rocker lever and the lower lock button of the suspension control device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 depicts a front perspective view of an exemplary alternative suspension control device;

FIG. 9 illustrates a rear perspective view of the suspension control device of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 shows a side view of the suspension control device of FIG. 8;

fig. 11 depicts a front perspective view of a first example elevator;

Fig. 12 depicts a front perspective view of a lifting base focused on a first exemplary elevator;

fig. 13 illustrates a top view of a lift base of a first exemplary lift;

FIG. 14 illustrates a top view of a lifting base of a first exemplary lift focused on a long arm;

FIG. 15 depicts a top view of a lifting base of a first exemplary lift focused on a short arm;

fig. 16 depicts a front perspective view of a linear actuator of a first example elevator;

fig. 17 depicts a front perspective view focusing on an arm housing of a first exemplary elevator;

fig. 18 depicts a front perspective isolated view of an arm lock mechanism of the first exemplary lift;

fig. 19 depicts a front perspective view of a second example elevator;

fig. 20 depicts a front perspective view of a lifting base of a second example elevator;

fig. 21 shows a top view of a lifting base of a second exemplary lift;

fig. 22 illustrates a front perspective view of an arm shell of a second exemplary lift with the long arm removed;

fig. 23 illustrates a front perspective view of an arm casing of a second exemplary lift with a short arm removed;

FIG. 24 illustrates a front perspective isolated view of an electric motor and worm of a second exemplary lift;

FIG. 25 illustrates a front perspective view of an extension arm that can be used with an elevator;

FIG. 26 shows a front perspective view of the extension arm with the static portion removed;

FIG. 27 depicts a front perspective view of the linear actuator of the extension arm;

FIG. 28 depicts a front perspective view of the telescopic adapter in a fully retracted state;

FIG. 29 shows a front perspective view of the telescopic adapter in a fully extended state;

FIG. 30 shows a front perspective view of the telescoping base of the telescoping adapter in a fully retracted state with the adapter housing removed;

FIG. 31 shows a front perspective view of the telescoping base of the telescoping adapter in a fully extended state with the adapter housing removed;

FIG. 32 shows an elevational cross-sectional view across the midpoint of the telescopic adapter in a fully retracted state;

FIG. 33 shows another front cross-sectional view across the midpoint of the telescopic adapter in a fully extended state;

FIG. 34 shows a front cross-sectional view of a portion of the telescoping base;

FIG. 35 shows a top perspective view of the collar gear of the telescopic adapter;

FIG. 36 depicts a top perspective view of a fourth portion of the telescoping base;

FIG. 37 shows a front elevational view of the telescopic brake lever of the telescopic base;

Fig. 38 depicts a system architecture for an intelligent lift system;

FIG. 39 depicts a set of features available through a user device of the smart lift system;

FIG. 40 depicts a set of steps that may be performed by the smart lift system to train the smart lift system for a new vehicle profile; and

fig. 41 depicts a set of steps that the smart lift system may perform to automatically locate the lift using the new vehicle profile.

The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be practiced in various other ways, including those not necessarily shown in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention; it should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.

Detailed Description

The following description of certain embodiments of the invention should not be used to limit the scope of the invention. Other examples, features, aspects, embodiments, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description, which is by way of example, one of the best modes contemplated for carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other different and obvious aspects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

I.E. double-column floor elevator

Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary vehicle lift system 100 including a first lift assembly 110, a second lift assembly 120, and a control cabinet 130. The vehicle lift system 100 is operable to control the lift assemblies 110, 120 to lift the vehicle in response to control signals sent by the control cabinet 130. Although the control cabinet 130 is described as a cabinet, it should be understood that the control cabinet 130 may take any suitable form and/or may be integrated into other components of the vehicle lift system 100. The first lift assembly 110 includes an superstructure 112 mounted on a column 114 that reciprocates vertically relative to a floor section 116. Similarly, the second lift assembly 120 includes an superstructure 122 mounted on a mast 124 that reciprocates vertically relative to a floor section 126. The

superstructure

112, 122 is configured to engage with a vehicle, thereby raising and lowering the vehicle relative to the ground as the

posts

114, 124 are raised and lowered relative to the ground portions 116, 126. For example only, the

posts

114, 124 and

superstructures

112, 122 may be raised and lowered relative to the

floor sections

120, 122 using hydraulic, screw mechanisms, scissor mechanisms, and/or any other suitable type of lifting technique. The elevator superstructure 110, 112 may be engaged with the vehicle in a variety of ways, such as by contacting the chassis of the vehicle, the axles of the vehicle, the wheels of the vehicle, and/or any other suitable lifting points on the vehicle. In this embodiment, the landing portion 126 also includes a longitudinal path 128 and a drive feature (not shown) operable to translate the post 124 and superstructure 122 at selected locations along the longitudinal path 128. This enables the vehicle lift system 100 to accommodate vehicles of different lengths by selectively positioning the superstructure 122 below the appropriate lift point for the particular vehicle to be lifted.

As described above, the control cabinet 130 is operable to control the vehicle lift system 100. This may include selectively raising and lowering the

posts

114, 124 and

superstructures

112, 122, translating the posts 124 and superstructures 122 along the longitudinal path 128, stopping movement of the

posts

114, 124 and

superstructures

112, 122, and so forth. The control cabinet 130 may be equipped with one or more control boards, printed circuit boards, computers, microprocessors, and/or any other suitable components configured to transmit, store, execute instructions to operate the vehicle lift system 100. In this example, the control cabinet 130 communicates with the lift assemblies 110, 120 through conduits 132, which conduits 132 may include electrical wires, hydraulic lines, and the like. It should be understood that other suitable communication methods may be used. For example, the control cabinet 130 and the lift assemblies 110, 120 may be equipped with wireless receivers and transmitters for operating to establish wireless communication between the control cabinet 130 and the lift assemblies 110, 120. Other suitable communication methods may be used as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein. Although the vehicle lift system 100 of the present example includes a dual-column floor lift, it should be understood that the teachings of the present invention can be readily applied to a variety of other types of vehicle lifts, including, but not limited to, floor scissor lifts, above-ground lifts, and many other types of lifts that will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

The suspension control device 150 is connected to a suspension wire 151. The suspension cables 151 may be routed through a wall, ceiling, or the like to connect to the control cabinet 130. In some cases, the suspension wires 151 may comprise serial wires, but it should be understood that the suspension wires 151 may comprise any suitable form of wired communication, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings of the present invention. While in the exemplary version, the suspension control device 150 communicates with the control cabinet 130 through suspension cables 151, it should be understood that the use of suspension cables 151 is not required. For example, the suspension control device 150 and the control cabinet 130 may be equipped with transceivers configured to wirelessly communicate information with each other. The suspension control device 150 is operable to provide instructions to the control cabinet 130 regarding the operation of the lift assemblies 110, 120. In some versions, the suspension control device 150 communicates directly with the lift assemblies 110, 120, such that the control cabinet 130 may be omitted (at least partially omitted).

Suspension control device

Fig. 2-5 illustrate an exemplary suspension control device 150 operable for use with the vehicle lift system 100. The suspension control device 150 includes a housing 152, a wire clamp 158, an emergency stop button 160, a membrane faceplate 162, a lift rocker lever 176, and a drop lock button 178. Housing 152 has an elongated rectangular shape, but it should be understood that housing 152 may have any other suitable shape as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings of the present invention. The housing 152 may be constructed of durable plastic, rubber, metal, and/or other suitable materials. As shown in fig. 3, the housing 152 includes a back plate 154. The back plate 154 may be removed to access the interior of the housing 152. A plurality of screws 156 secure the back plate 154 to the housing 152. It should be appreciated that any suitable fastener may be used to connect the back plate 154 and the housing 152. The housing 152 also includes two attachment portions 184 operable to receive a lanyard, string, key ring, or other suitable support structure. Although attachment portion 184 is shown as protruding from housing 152, it should be understood that attachment portion 184 may be of any other suitable design, such as integrated into the structure of housing 152. The housing 152 may also include any suitable number of attachment portions 184, and a single attachment portion 184 or attachment portions 184 may be omitted entirely.

The clip 158 has a removable cap 159 that can operate the above pinch clip 158. The wire clip 158 is configured to engage with the suspension wires 151 to establish communication between the suspension control device 150 and the suspension wires 151. It should be appreciated that the wire clip 158 may communicate with the suspension wires 151 via a screw connection, a snap connection, or any other suitable coupling mechanism. As best seen in fig. 5, the housing 152 has a dome 186. The dome 186 is operable to plug the bottom of the housing 152. In some cases, the clip 158 may be removed and placed in this position. Thus, the wire clip 158 and suspension wires 151 can be selectively placed on the top or bottom of the housing 152.

The emergency stop button 160 is shaped as a large, circular protruding button. The emergency stop button 160 is operable to immediately initiate a stopping action to place the

posts

114, 124 and

superstructures

112, 122 in a controlled stop state. It should be understood that other suitable button shapes may be used that allow a user to quickly stop motion within the vehicle lift system 100. It should be appreciated that pressing the emergency stop button 160 sends a command to the control cabinet 130, which then commands the lift assemblies 110, 120 to stop movement of the lift superstructure 110, 112.

Fig. 6 shows an enlarged view of the membrane face plate 162. The film panel 162 comprises a touch panel film, but it should be understood that other suitable configurations of the film panel 162 may be used as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein. For example, membrane panel 162 may include a face plate (face plate) and corresponding buttons. The membrane panel 162 includes a menu screen 164, a first membrane switch 166, a second membrane switch 168, a mode switch 172, a vertical movement icon 170, and a horizontal movement icon 174. In some versions, all of these features are provided by a printed circuit board located behind the film panel 162. Such a circuit board may also include hardware configured to provide communication with the control cabinet 130.

Menu screen 164 may include an LCD, LED powered LCD, or any other suitable display. In an exemplary version, the menu screen 164 uses three character, seven segment LEDs. In some other versions, a single screen or dual screen display may be used. Menu screen 164 is operable to provide information to a user. This information may include a visual confirmation that the user is pressing a button or the action that the vehicle lift system 100 is currently performing. Further information may include status information of the vehicle lift system 100, error codes, diagnostic codes, height of the

superstructures

112, 122, inches, and/or other information about any component of the vehicle lift system 100. Indeed, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein that the menu screen 164 may provide any suitable information.

The first membrane switch 166 includes three switches (e.g., membrane switches covered by a membrane) that are horizontally aligned and operable to be depressed by a user. Although the exemplary version shows three switches, any other suitable number of switches may be provided. In addition, any orientation of the push button of the first membrane switch 166 may be used. The first membrane switch 166 may include "up", "down" and "enter" buttons, as shown in FIG. 6. It should be understood that the first membrane switch 166 may be used to navigate a menu displayed on the menu screen 164. For example, "up" and "down" may be used to cycle through menu options. "enter" may be used to select/confirm a menu option. It should be appreciated that any suitable control may be used for the first membrane switch 166 as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings of the present invention.

The first membrane switch 166 and the menu screen 164 may be used together to cycle through and select a vehicle profile. The vehicle profiles may be stored in suspension control device 150, control cabinet 130, and/or any other suitable location. The lift system 100 may include stored vehicle profiles for various specific vehicle types (e.g., up to make/model/year, etc.) and/or various vehicle categories (e.g., bus, truck, etc.). The vehicle profiles may include various information that may be used to control or otherwise affect various aspects of the operation of the lift system 100. For example only, the vehicle profile may include information related to vehicle wheelbase dimensions, vehicle height, vehicle axle configuration, and the like. Of course, the vehicle profile does not necessarily include actual values for vehicle wheelbase size, vehicle height, vehicle axle configuration, and the like. The vehicle profile may alternatively include multiple sets of instructions for the lift system 100 based on vehicle wheelbase size, vehicle height, vehicle axle configuration, and the like. Various other types of information that may be stored in a vehicle profile will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein. In addition to displaying, for example, status information, error codes, diagnostic codes, height of the

superstructure

112, 122, inches, and/or other information described above for the vehicle lift system 100, data from the vehicle profile may be displayed on the menu screen 164.

For example only, the lift system 100 may use information in the selected vehicle profile to provide a height limit stop (e.g., to ensure clearance between the highest portion of the vehicle and the garage/shop ceiling in which it is located), to affect where the adapter should be placed along the

superstructure

112, 122, to determine the expected axle engagement height, and so forth. The vehicle profile may also provide instructions for positioning the post 124 and superstructure 122 in the appropriate location of a particular vehicle (or a vehicle matching a particular profile) along the longitudinal path 128. In some cases, the axle adapter on each

superstructure

112, 122 is automated such that the axle adapter automatically moves to the appropriate axle engagement location based on the selected vehicle profile. Such movement may be provided by hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, electromechanical, and/or any other suitable means. Thus, an operator may press a key through the membrane switch 166 to move all of the shaft engaging

adapter superstructures

112, 122 into position. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, in view of the teachings herein, that a vehicle profile may be used in various other ways to affect the operation of the lift system 100.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the combination of the membrane switch 166 and the screen 164 provides interactive lift status and control from the suspension control device 150. In an exemplary use, the user may use the membrane switch 166 and menu screen 164 on the suspension control device 150 to select an appropriate vehicle profile that matches the vehicle that the user wishes to raise and lower. The suspension control device 150 may transmit the user's selection to the control cabinet 130, which may command the lift assembly 120 to position the post 124 and superstructure 122 in the appropriate position of the longitudinal path 128 of the selected vehicle profile. The control cabinet 130 may also command the hub adapter on each

superstructure

112, 122 to move into position. The user may then lift the vehicle using the suspension control device 150. Data from the selected vehicle profile may continue to affect operation of the lift system 100, such as by limiting the allowable lift height, etc. Other suitable uses for the first membrane switch 166 will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein. It should also be understood that a laptop computer or other device may be used to update the vehicle profile and associated lift points in the suspension control 150 as needed.

In this example, the second membrane switch 168 includes a set of three buttons arranged vertically. However, it should be understood that any other suitable number and arrangement of buttons may be used. The second membrane switch 168 is operable to select a single particular lift assembly 110, 120 for control. For example, if the user wishes to operate only one of the lift assemblies 110, 120, the user may press only one of the switches 168. If the user wishes to operate both lift assemblies 110, 120, the user may depress the first switch 168 and the second switch 168. It should be understood that the number of second membrane switches 168 may correspond to the number of lift assemblies 110, 120 present. However, in some cases, the number of second membrane switches 168 may be greater or less than the number of lift assemblies 110, 120 present in the vehicle lift system 100.

A plurality of lamps 167 may be arranged along the second membrane switch 168. Each light 167 may include an LED or any other suitable light source as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. It should be understood that the light 167 may illuminate to indicate to the user which lift assemblies 110, 120 have been selected for operation by the switch 168. It should be understood that in some versions, the light 167 may illuminate in a different color or pattern to indicate to a user a different status of the superstructure associated with the second membrane switch 168.

The user may press the mode switch 172 to switch between the different modes. In this example, the mode switch 172 switches between a first mode and a second mode. In the first mode, the suspension control device 150 is operable to control vertical movement of the

posts

114, 124 and

superstructure

112, 122 relative to the ground-engaging portions 116, 126. In the second mode, the suspension control device 150 is operable to control horizontal movement of the column 124 and superstructure 122 along the longitudinal path 128. The vertical movement icon 170 is located above the mode switch 172. The vertical height icon 170 includes a graphical representation of the lift columns and superstructure next to the vertically-directed double arrow. The horizontal movement icon 174 is located below the mode switch 172. The horizontal shift icon 174 includes a graphical representation of the lift pins and superstructure next to the horizontally-pointing double arrow.

Icons

170, 174 include backlight cutouts formed in housing 152. The backlighting features of the

icons

170, 174 are implemented by LEDs or the like. The

icons

170, 174 will illuminate based on the mode selection by the operator via the mode switch 172. In particular, when the operator selects the first mode, icon 170 is illuminated. When the operator selects the second mode, the icon 174 is illuminated. As the operator repeatedly presses the mode switch 172, the illumination of the

icons

170, 174 may toggle back and forth between the

icons

170, 174. It should be appreciated that

icons

170, 174 may have any other suitable configuration.

Fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional view showing the lifting rocker lever 176 and the drop lock button 178. The lift rocker lever 176 comprises a rocker switch, but it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings of the present invention that any suitable switch type may be used. The lift rocker lever 176 is operable to control movement of the lift superstructure 110, 112. For example, when the first mode of operation is selected, pressing the upper portion of the rocker lever 176 forward (e.g., toward the down lock button 178) raises the

posts

114, 124 and

superstructure

112, 122 relative to the ground; while pressing the lower portion of the rocker lever 176 rearward (e.g., toward the membrane panel 162) lowers the

posts

114, 124 and

superstructure

112, 122 relative to the ground. When the second mode of operation is selected, pressing the upper portion of the rocker lever 176 forward causes the post 124 and superstructure 122 to translate along the longitudinal path 128 in a direction away from the lift assembly 110; while pressing the lower portion of the rocker lever 176 rearwardly causes the post 124 and superstructure 122 to translate along the longitudinal path 128 in a direction toward the lift assembly 110.

The drop lock button 178 comprises a single circular depressible button, but it should be understood that any suitable button may be used as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein. The drop lock button 178 is operable to instruct the lift assemblies 110, 120 to lower the

posts

114, 124 and

superstructures

112, 122 to the point where the mechanical locking features are engaged in each lift assembly 110, 120, which may prevent the

posts

114, 124 and

superstructures

112, 122 from moving further downward until the mechanical locking features are disengaged. For example, each lift assembly 110, 120 may have a mechanical locking feature that includes a locking bar 190 and an engagement member 192 configured to engage the locking bar. This mechanical locking feature may allow the

posts

114, 124 and

superstructures

112, 122 to rise freely; while selectively limiting the descent of the

pillars

114, 124 and the

superstructures

112, 122. In particular, the mechanical locking feature may prevent the

posts

114, 124 and

superstructures

112, 122 from descending unless a lock release is initiated (e.g., an initiated lock release may prevent the engagement member from engaging the locking bar). During normal lowering of the

posts

114, 124 and

superstructures

112, 122, a lock release may be activated to allow the

posts

114, 124 and

superstructures

112, 122 to be lowered unimpeded by the locking feature. When the

columns

114, 124 and

superstructures

112, 122 are not in a normal lowering mode (e.g., during a raising mode), the lock release may be released so that the locking feature may prevent the

columns

114, 124 and

superstructures

112, 122 pair from falling to the ground in the event of a sudden pressure loss to the hydraulic system associated with the

columns

114, 124. Of course, any other suitable type of locking feature may be used.

The housing 152 also includes raised ribs 182 that extend outwardly beyond the rocker lever 176 and the drop lock button 178, such that the ribs 182 prevent the rocker lever 176 and the drop lock button 178 from being inadvertently depressed. It should be understood that other features may be used to shield the rocker lever 176 and the drop lock button 178. For example, a pivotable cover or any other suitable structure may be used.

Fig. 8-10 illustrate an exemplary alternative suspension control device 250 that includes a housing 252, an emergency stop button 260, a membrane faceplate 262, a menu screen 264, a mode switch 272, an upper LED cutout 270, a lower LED cutout 274, a first membrane switch 266, a second membrane switch 268, a plurality of lights 267, a rib section 282, a lift rocker 276, a drop lock button 278, and an on-off switch 280. It should be appreciated that the emergency stop button 260, the membrane faceplate 262, the mode switch 272, the upper LED cutout 270, the lower LED cutout 274, the first membrane switch 266, the second membrane switch 268, the plurality of lights 267, the lift rocker 276, and the drop lock button 278 are substantially similar to the emergency stop button 160, the membrane faceplate 162, the mode switch 172, the vertical movement icon 170, the horizontal movement icon 174, the first membrane switch 166, the second membrane switch 168, the plurality of lights 167, the lift rocker lever 176, the drop lock button 178, and the on-off switch 180, respectively, described above. Some differences between suspension control device 250 and suspension control device 150 will be discussed below.

An alternative suspension 250 is shown having a different configuration of the first membrane switch 266. In particular, the suspension 250 is shown having four membrane switches 266 instead of three membrane switches 266. It should be understood that the first membrane switch 266 may be used to navigate a menu displayed on the menu screen 264. For example, "up" and "down" may be used to cycle through menu options. "enter" may be used to select/confirm a menu option. "Cancel" may be used to cancel the option. As mentioned above, it should be appreciated that any suitable control may be used for the first membrane switch 266 as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein.

The on-off switch 280 is located on the side of the suspension 250. The on-off switch 280 is operable to turn the suspension 250 on or off. It should be appreciated that while the exemplary version shows a switchable rocker arm for the on/off switch 280, other suitable switches may be used as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings of the present invention. In other versions, such as the suspension 150 above, the on-off switch 280 may be omitted entirely.

The housing 252 of the suspension unit 250 has a different shape than the housing 152 of the suspension unit 150. Specifically, the housing 252 is shaped into a flatter shape with rounded corners and beveled corners. Further, the shape of the housing 252 is such that the upper portion of the housing 252 is wider than the bottom portion. It should be appreciated that any suitable housing 252 shape may be used as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein. The menu screen 264 of the hanging device comprises a single LCD screen operable to display information to the user. As described above, the menu screen 264 may be constituted by a single display, but may also be configured as a multi-part display as shown in fig. 2. The rib 282 of the suspension 250 includes a raised, rounded, rectangular perimeter that is operable to surround the rocker arm 276 and the drop lock button 278. Of course, the ribs 282 may have any other suitable configuration.

Angular arm rotation driven by actuator

As described above, the suspension control device 150 and vehicle profile management and selection process may be used for various lift types and lift mechanisms. Because of the manual nature of conventional lift adjustment, lifts typically limit the amount of adjustment of portions of the lift. The ability to automatically make elevation adjustments by managing and selecting vehicle profiles via devices such as suspension control 150 facilitates various options in elevation adjustments rather than additional hassle.

Fig. 11 shows a pair-wise usable lift 300 with additional adjustment options available for the suspension control device 150 and the vehicle profile management and selection process. The elevator 300 includes an elevator tower 302 and an elevator base 304. The lift base 304 may be moved horizontally in one dimension along the y-axis shown, either manually (e.g., by using a specific adjustment input on the suspension control device 150) or automatically (e.g., as a result of profile selection) by the mechanism of the tower 302.

Referring to fig. 12 and 13, the lift base 304 includes a long arm 306, a short arm 308, and an arm housing 310. The long arm 306 includes an adapter 312, and the size and shape of the adapter 312 can be matched to the lifting points on various vehicles in various ways. The adapter 312 is located at the end of the moving portion 314 of the long arm 306, and the moving portion 314 extends from within the static portion 315 of the long arm 306. The static portion 316 is rotatably fixed to the arm housing 310 and cannot extend itself. The moving portion 314 is sized and shaped to nest within the static portion 316, and it can be extended from the static portion 316 and retracted into the static portion 316 to achieve a desired position or length of the entire long arm 306. Fig. 13 shows an arm extension path 341 of the long arm 306, which approaches the direction of travel of the moving part 314 in this way. The short arm 308 also includes an adapter 318, a moving portion 320, and a static portion 322, which have similar capabilities as the long arm 306, and a similar arm extension path 342 during extension or retraction.

Referring to fig. 14, which focuses on long arm 306, static portion 316 of long arm 306 is connected to arm housing 310 by arm pin 354, arm pin 354 passing through arm housing 310 and static portion 316 and allowing long arm 306 to rotate about arm pin 354. Link 324 is rotatably attached to arm slide bracket 350 on the back of long arm 306 such that link 324 can rotate about and slide along arm slide bracket 350. The link 324 is also rotatably attached to a housing bracket 352 of the arm housing 310 and a linear actuator 326, which is itself connected to the housing bracket 352. As shown in fig. 16, linear actuator 326 is selectively operable to extend push rod 356 from actuator body 358 or retract push rod 356 into actuator body 358. Returning to fig. 14, it can be seen that when linear actuator 326 extends its push rod 356 (as shown in fig. 16), link 324 will rotate as its point of attachment to the housing bracket and rotate and slide along its point of attachment to arm slide bracket 350, which also causes long arm 306 to rotate itself about arm pin 354. The dashed lines in fig. 13 generally illustrate adapter rotation path 334 and link rotation path 340 resulting from movement of linear actuator 326 during extension and retraction of push rod 356.

Fig. 15 focuses on the short arm 308. As described with respect to the long arm 306, the short arm 308 is rotatably attached to the arm housing 310 at the arm pin 348. The link 330 is connected to an arm slide bracket 344 on the back side of the short arm 308 so that it can rotate around and slide along the arm slide bracket 344. Link 330 is also rotatably connected to a housing bracket 346 of arm housing 310 and to linear actuator 328, which is itself rotatably connected to housing bracket 346. Linear actuator 328 is similar to the actuator shown in FIG. 16, and is similarly operable to extend and retract, causing short arm 308 to rotate at arm pin 348. Returning to fig. 13, the dashed lines generally illustrate the link rotation path 338 and adapter rotation path 336 that result from the extension and retraction of the linear actuator 328 in this manner.

Fig. 13 also shows that when combining the possibility of arm and adapter rotation and arm extension, the

adapters

312, 318 can be moved in two dimensions along the x-axis and z-axis shown to allow a very high degree of flexibility in adapter placement. Thus, the lift 300 can be used for a larger variety of vehicles and a larger variety and location of safe lift points without any modification other than manual or automatic control of the long arm 306 and the short arm 308.

Fig. 17 shows a front perspective view of the arm housing 310. The long arm 306 has a locking pin 331 that can be pushed or pulled to move the lock restraint gear 364 into position against an arm restraint gear 366 statically secured to the arm pin 354 of the long arm 306. When the lock restraint gear 364 is in contact with the arm restraint gear 366, the long arm 306 will be fully secured because the arm pin 354 will not be able to rotate. Short arm 308 similarly has a locking pin 332 that can be used to move a locking restraint gear 362 into position against arm restraint gear 360 to prevent short arm 308 from rotating about arm pin 348. Fig. 18 shows a focused front perspective view of the locking mechanism isolated from the rest of the arm housing 310. Specifically, it can be seen that arm restraint gear 360 is statically fixed to arm pin 348 so that they rotate together. The locking pin 332 may also be spring biased to force the locking pin 332 into its locked position when the arm housing 310 is lifted from the floor. The mating teeth of arm restraint gear 360 and lock restraint gear 362 are also shown.

Because the short arm 308 and the long arm 306 have the ability to rotate and extend independently and simultaneously due to their independent

linear actuators

326, 328, the automatic positioning process can simultaneously position the adapter of the elevator 300, which can reduce the time required to prepare for a lifting operation as compared to conventional systems.

IV, worm-driven angle arm rotation

Fig. 19 shows a tower of an elevator 400 having similar capabilities as the elevator 300 of fig. 11. The lift 400 includes a lift tower 402 and a lift base 404. The lift base 404 may be moved horizontally in one dimension along the y-axis shown, either manually (e.g., with a control device, such as the control suspension 150) or automatically (e.g., as a result of profile selection) by a mechanism of the lift tower 402.

Referring to fig. 20 and 21, the lift base 404 includes a long arm 406 and a short arm 408 extending from an arm housing 409. The long arm 406 itself is similar to the long arm 306 previously discussed in the context of the elevator 300, having components such as the adapter 312, the moving portion 314, and the static portion 316, while the short arm 408 similarly has components such as the adapter 318, the moving portion 320, and the static portion 322. Static portion 316 of long arm 406 is rotatably connected to arm housing 409 by arm pin 414, and static portion 322 of short arm 408 is rotatably connected to arm housing 409 by arm pin 416. As can be seen in fig. 21, the result is that the long arm 406 has an adapter rotation path 422 and an arm extension path 424, and the short arm 408 has an adapter rotation path 420 and an arm extension path 426, which allow the

adapters

312, 318 to move in two dimensions along the x-axis and z-axis shown, and are positioned such that the various vehicles and lift points can be supported without modification, except for manual or automatic positioning of the

adapters

312, 318.

Rotation of the long arm 406 and the short arm 408 is achieved by a worm motor 418 extending from the right side of the arm housing 409. The worm motor 418 can be seen isolated from the arm housing 409 in fig. 24. The worm motor 418 in this embodiment includes a worm gear (word rod)432 extending from the worm motor 418. The worm 432 has a worm (work) 434 statically located near the worm motor 418 and a worm 436 statically located distal to the worm motor 418. The worm motor 418 may be an electric motor and is selectively operable to rotate the worm 432 in either direction, causing the worm 434 and the worm 436 to also rotate.

Fig. 22 shows a focused front perspective view of the arm housing 409 with the long arm 406 removed to allow unobstructed viewing. The worm motor 418 and worm gear 434 extending through the arm housing 409 can be seen such that the worm gear 432 is in contact with a worm gear 430 attached to the arm pin 416 by an electro-mechanical clutch ("EMC") 428. Rotation of the worm gear 434 will result in a corresponding rotation of the worm 432, which will result in a corresponding rotation of the worm gear 430. As worm gear 430 rotates, arm pin 416 will also rotate, causing short arm 408 to rotate on itself. In this manner, the short arm 408 can be rotated in either direction about the arm pin 416 by selectively operating the worm motor 418. The EMC 428 is selectively operable to engage or disengage an internal clutch that transfers rotational force from the worm gear 430 to the static portion 322 of the short arm 408. In this manner, the EMC 428 may be operated to allow the short arm 408 to rotate as the worm motor 418 rotates the worm 434, or to allow it to remain stationary.

Fig. 23 shows a focused front perspective view of arm housing 409 with short arm 408 removed to allow unobstructed viewing. The worm 436 can be seen in contact with a worm gear 440, which is itself attached to the arm pin 414. The arm pins are connected to the static portion 322 of the short arm 408 through EMC 438. In this manner, when the worm motor 418 is operated to rotate the worm gear lever 434, the worm 436 will rotate and rotate the worm gear 440. As worm gear 440 rotates, arm pin 414 will also rotate and cause long arm 406 to rotate about arm pin 414. EMC 438 is also selectively operable to engage or disengage an internal clutch that transfers rotational force from worm gear 440 to arm pin 414. In this manner, the EMC 438 may be operated to allow the long arm 406 to rotate as the worm motor 418 rotates the worm 434, or to allow the long arm to remain stationary.

Based on the above description, it should be clear that the worm motor 418 can be operated to rotate the long arm 406 and the short arm 408 in the same direction at the same time, or to rotate the long arm 406 itself when the EMC 428 is disengaged, or to rotate the short arm 408 itself when the EMC 438 is disengaged. In some embodiments, the electro-mechanical clutch may also have an internal clutch mechanism that may convert a rotational force in one direction to a rotational force in the opposite direction. In these embodiments, it is also possible for the long arm 406 and the short arm 408 to rotate in opposite directions simultaneously during operation of the worm motor 418.

An advantage of the elevator 400 described above is that the

EMCs

428, 438 can be used to engage or disengage the rotation of the

arms

406, 408 while the worm motor 418 continues to drive, even reversing the rotation of the

arms

406, 408. This may increase speed when locating the

adapter

312, 318 compared to conventional approaches, particularly when automatically locating the

adapter

312, 318 in response to a profile selection.

In some embodiments, the rotation of the arm, whether in elevator 300 or elevator 400, may include additional features. For example, the elevator 300 or the elevator 400 may determine and translate rotational distance and angle, and may use feedback from one or more hall effect sensors to determine motion and position, and enforce rotational limits through software. Physical switches may also be integrated into the

arm housings

310, 409 to provide mechanical feedback when the arm rotation reaches a maximum safe limit. One exemplary calculation that may be used to determine the rotational travel of an arm (e.g., short arm 408 or long arm 406) during the activation of the worm motor 418 is to use 20: a worm-to-worm wheel ratio of 1 (word-to-word wheel ratio) and 1: gear turn ratio of 47, where the number of pulses (360 °) 360 × 47 — 16,920. In other words, for a full 360 ° rotation of the worm 434, the worm motor 418 will produce 16,920 pulses. In this example, if the pulse number feedback from the worm motor 418 is detected as 25,380, the rotation of the worm 434 may be determined to be 25,380/16,920 ═ 1.5 revolutions or 540 ° rotation. The rotation of the arm can be determined as an approximate rotation of 540 °/20 ° 27 °. The approximate rotation of the arm can then be used to limit arm movement, control worm motor 418 output, disengage EMC 428 or EMC438, or take other performance and safety measures.

Linear arm motion driven by actuator

As previously discussed, a lift arm, such as the long arm 306 of the lift 300 shown in fig. 11, has a moving portion 314 and a static portion 316 that allow the long arm 306 to extend or retract along an arm extension path 341. This allows additional flexibility in placing the adapter 312 and allows the lift 300 to support additional kinds of vehicles and lift points without significant modification. Fig. 25 illustrates an example extension arm 500 that may be used with various elevators (e.g., elevator 300, elevator 400, etc.) to allow a moving portion 504 to extend from or retract to a stationary portion 502. Also shown is an adapter housing 512 on which the adapter 506 is mounted and an energy chain 510 extending from the energy chain housing 508. One end of the energy chain 510 is mounted on the energy chain housing 508, which is itself mounted on the static portion 502. The other end of the power chain 510 is mounted on the camera module. In this manner, as the moving part 504 extends from the static part 502, the energy chain 510 will output (feed out) a length until it is fully extended and provide an electrical signal to the positioning camera 606. As the moving portion 504 retracts into the static portion 502, the energy chain 510 will wind within the restrictor shell 508.

Fig. 26 shows the extension arm 500 with the static portion 502 and the restrictor shell 508 removed. It can be seen that the arm linear actuator 514 extends into the moving portion 504 from a position where it is normally contained in the stationary portion 502. The energy chain 510 can also be seen partially wound in an area generally shielded by the energy chain enclosure 508. Fig. 27 shows the arm linear actuator 514 isolated from the rest of the extension arm 500. The linear actuator 514 includes a telescoping portion 519 and a telescoping portion 521. The actuator proximal end 516 may be connected to the static portion 502 and the actuator distal end 518 may be connected to the moving portion 504. The arm linear actuator 514 is selectively operable to extend or retract one or

more telescoping portions

519, 521. For example, the telescoping portion 521 may extend or retract from the telescoping portion 519 to the telescoping portion 519, and the telescoping portion 519 itself may extend or retract from the actuator distal end 518 to the actuator distal end 518. As the overall length of the arm linear actuator 514 changes, the overall length of the extension arm 500 will also change as it will cause the moving part 504 to extend or retract from the static part 502 to the static part 502, respectively.

Extension and retraction of the extension arm 500 may be performed manually (e.g., using a control interface that controls the suspension 150) or automatically (e.g., as a result of vehicle profile selection), and may also be performed simultaneously with other lifting adjustments (e.g., arm rotation) to increase the overall speed of adapter positioning.

Some embodiments of the extension arm 500 may include additional features. For example, a limiter may be installed to prevent over-extension and over-retraction based on an electrical input to the arm linear actuator 514 or based on mechanical feedback that the limiter strikes a physical button or sensor mounted within the extension arm 500 itself at the point of maximum extension and retraction. Another example may include correlating the number of rotations or cycles of the arm linear actuator 514 with the length of extension or retraction using a hall effect sensor and determining a safety limit based on the feedback. One exemplary calculation that may be used to determine the actuator (e.g., linear actuator 326, linear actuator 328, or arm linear actuator 514) travel distance based on actuator feedback is to convert 1 pulse to a 0.05 millimeter travel distance. For example, a feedback pulse number of 2000 would indicate an actuator stroke distance of 100 millimeters.

Pinion driven linear adapter motion

Although the rotation and extension of the arm as described above allows great flexibility and accuracy in positioning the adapter for various vehicles and lifting points, it may also be advantageous to be able to change the characteristics of the adapter itself once positioned. Traditionally, this is achieved by attaching or removing various accessories, such as removing a cup-shaped adapter suitable for one type of lifting point and replacing it with a flat rubber adapter suitable for a different type of lifting point. This may also include adding an adapter extender so that a vehicle that does not have a lifting point at the same height relative to the ground can be lifted in a manner that keeps the vehicle parallel to the ground. For example, some vehicles may have a lift point twelve inches from the ground at the front of the vehicle, while a rear lift point may be fourteen inches from the ground. Lifting the vehicle without the adapter extender may not be safe or even possible at all.

Fig. 28 illustrates a static portion 504 of a lift arm that may be used with various lifts (e.g., lift 300, lift 400, etc.). The adapter 506 extends from the adapter housing 512 at a default height. The adapter housing 512 houses components that allow the adapter 506 to telescope up to a desired height, making extension or other manual adapter modifications unnecessary. Fig. 29 shows the adapter 506 extending from the adapter housing 512 to its full height. A telescoping mount 520 is also seen which allows the adapter 506 to be extended and retracted to reach a desired height.

Fig. 30 shows the adapter 506 with the adapter housing 512 removed. The telescoping foot 520 can be seen in a fully retracted state. The first portion 530 of the telescoping base 520 can be seen to be located on top of the base plate 522, but not statically attached to the base plate 522. The first part 530 has threads on its exterior. The pinion motor 526 is selectively operable to rotate in either direction and cause a corresponding rotation of the pinion gear 524. Rotation of the pinion gear 524 will result in a corresponding rotation of the collar gear 528 in contact with the pinion gear 524. As can be seen in fig. 35, the collar gear 528 has collar gear teeth 529 on its exterior that contact the pinion gear 524. The collar gear 528 also has collar gear threads 531 on its interior that can be threaded onto the threads of the first portion 530. When the pinion motor 526 is activated and causes the pinion 524 to rotate, the collar gear 528 will rotate about the first portion 530.

Typically, friction between the collar gear threads 531 and the first portion 530 will cause the first portion 530 to rotate freely with the collar gear 528. However, as can be seen in FIGS. 31-33, the telescoping brake lever 544 disposed within the telescoping base 520 prevents the telescoping base portion from rotating due to friction as the collar gear 528 rotates. The telescopic brake lever 544 is statically attached to the base plate 522 by a lever base 552. The telescopic brake lever 544 has four nested lever portions and can be freely extended or retracted in length. For example, at its illustrated extended length, rod portion 555 extends completely from within rod portion 554. During this extension, rod portion 555 will slide outwardly from within rod portion 554 without rotating due to rod slides 556 along the sides of rod 554 and sliding bolts 558 at the base of rod 555. The rod 555 itself has a rod slider 557 that allows a rod bolt 559 of a subsequent rod to slide along it during extension and retraction. In this manner, the telescopic brake lever 544 can be extended section by section without rotating in any way, such that the brake pin 550 at the top of the telescopic brake lever 544 remains statically positioned except for its varying height within the telescopic base 520.

The brake pin 550 is placed in the brake pin slot 448 of the fourth portion 542 of the telescoping base 520. Since the stop pin 550 is prevented from rotating and is fixed within the stop pin slot 548, it can be seen that the fourth portion 542 will not rotate due to the rotation of the collar gear 528. By braking rotation of the fourth portion 542 by the telescopic brake lever 544, the telescopic base 520 will extend upwardly to a maximum extension as the collar gear 528 rotates, as shown in FIG. 31. This is because the interior of each section of the telescoping base 520, except for the fourth section 542, is partially threaded, as can be seen in the cross-sectional view of the first section 530 shown in fig. 34 and the cross-sectional view of the entire telescoping base 520 shown in fig. 32 and 33. Since each nesting portion is threaded on both its exterior and interior, any portion that cannot rotate with the remainder under the force of the rotating shaft ring gear 528 will be pushed upward as the other portions rotate about their threaded exterior.

Returning to FIG. 31, it can be seen that the telescopic brake lever 544 extends upwardly from the base plate 522 into the telescopic base 520. Each portion of the telescoping base 520 is also visible. To achieve the maximum extension shown in FIG. 31 from the position shown in FIG. 30, when the collar gear 528 rotates, the first portion 530, the second portion 534 and the third portion 538 are each free to rotate about the fourth portion 542, and the rotational movement of the fourth portion 542 is prevented by the telescopic brake lever 544. Since the fourth portion 542 is threaded on its exterior and the third portion 538 is threaded on its interior, the fourth portion 542 will extend upward to its maximum extension, at which time the third retaining member 540 will prevent further tripping (de-threading) of the fourth portion 542 from the third portion 538. At this point, the telescopic brake lever will prevent the fourth and

third portions

542, 538 from rotating as the second and

first portions

534, 530 continue to rotate.

Continuing in this manner, it can be seen that the second portion 534 will extend upwardly and out of the threaded interior of the first portion 530 until the second retainer 536 prevents any further tripping and the rotational movement of the fourth portion 542, third portion 538 and second portion 534 will be prevented by the telescopic brake lever 544 while the first portion 530 continues to rotate. The second portion 534 will also begin to extend upward as it is tripped from the first portion 530 until the first retaining member 532 prevents any further tripping and rotation of the first portion 530 will be prevented. As the collar gear 528 continues to rotate, the first portion 530 will extend upwardly and begin to trip off the collar gear 528 itself and the lower portion of the telescopic brake lever 544 becomes visible as shown in FIG. 31. A fourth retainer (not shown) on the lower portion of the first portion 530 will prevent the first portion 530 from fully disengaging from the collar gear 528 at the maximum height telescoping foot 520. Returning to the fully nested height shown in fig. 30 requires that the pinion motor 526 be driven in opposite rotational directions, causing each of the steps described above to reverse, and the height of the telescoping base to decrease as the sections are sequentially threaded back into the lower section.

As with other elevation adjustments, the height adjustment of the adapter 506 may be performed manually (e.g., under control of an interface controlling the suspension 150) or automatically (e.g., as a result of profile selection), or simultaneously with one or more other elevation adjustments (e.g., arm extension, arm rotation).

Some embodiments of the adapter 506 may have additional features. For example, a limit switch or load switch may allow the adapter 506 to automatically extend upward until the pinion motor 526 is placed under a particular load or a pressure sensor is placed under a particular load, indicating that a lift point has been contacted, at which point the extension may stop. The software may also be adjusted (automatically or in response to manual configuration) to allow for different rotational speeds and power outputs, allowing for different sizes and weights of adapters, so that a lighter adapter of a smaller diameter may be controlled differently from a heavier adapter of a larger diameter without risk of overloading. Software or hardware may also be used to link two or more adapters in the same adapter pack together so that they may be extended or retracted at the same speed as desired.

VII automatic positioning system and method

Providing additional improved lift control systems and methods beyond the suspension control device 150 may also be advantageous due to the additional flexibility available in the lift positioning disclosed herein. Fig. 38-41 illustrate one embodiment of such an improved intelligent lift system 601 and method.

Fig. 38 shows an exemplary system architecture of the smart lift system. The user device 600 may be a mobile smart phone, tablet, laptop, desktop computer, kiosk, or other similar computing device having features and functionality such as processes and memory, display, user interface, and network communication devices. The elevator server 602 may be a computing device such as a desktop computer, a local server, a remote server, a virtual server, a kiosk, or other proprietary computing device with features and functionality such as processors and memory, data storage, and network communication devices. The smart lift 604 may be one or more of the lift 300, the lift 400, a lift having features such as the extension arm 500 or the adapter 506, or any other lift disclosed herein or conventionally used. The user device 600 serves as a human-machine interface for a user interacting with the smart lift 604, and in the illustrated embodiment, communication between the user device 600 and the smart lift 604 occurs through the lift server 602, although other architectures exist and will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of this disclosure. As one example, communication between the user device 600 and the smart lift 604 may occur over a local wireless connection, such as a Wi-Fi connection or a bluetooth connection between the user device 600 and the smart lift 604. The user device 600 may provide software and interfaces with which a user may interact to manually adjust one or more features of the smart lift 604, such as the extension adapter 506 or the extension arm 500, the rotating short arm 308 or the long arm 406, and the like.

The user device 600 may also allow the user to select and view vehicle profiles and other preconfigured vehicle configurations that may be stored on the lift server 602 or remotely on the global lift server 603. The elevator server 602 may store various vehicle profiles and configurations locally, accessible without an internet connection, while the global elevator server 603 may serve as a global repository of vehicle profiles and configurations. The global elevator server 603 may be accessed by the elevator server 602 on demand, or the vehicle profile may be periodically pushed or pulled to the elevator server 602 in order to distribute, synchronize, and update global data. In this manner, one instance of the elevator server 602 may serve as the global elevator server 603 for another instance of the elevator server 602, sharing the vehicle profile configuration among each other in a peer-to-peer manner. The interaction and data sharing of network devices, such as the elevator server 602 and the global elevator server 603, may use other data sharing techniques, such as blockchain and other distributed ledger techniques, to provide a powerful distributed database of vehicle profiles and vehicle data that may provide greater accuracy and accessibility and more reliable access to various vehicle profiles based on the model number of the vehicle, vehicle identification number, serial number, or other unique identifiers that may be assigned to the vehicle when the vehicle is customized beyond the manufacturer's stock state.

The user device 600 may also be used to create or update a vehicle profile, which may then be stored on the lift server 602 and propagated to the global lift server 603 for future use. The vehicle profiles on the elevator server 602 and the global elevator server 603 may be used to cause the smart elevator 604 to automatically configure one or more features (e.g., the adapter 506, the extension arm 500, the short arm 308, the long arm 406, etc.) to pre-configure a location for the vehicle profile. This may greatly reduce the time and effort required to manually position these features by hand or even with the control suspension 150, as multiple features may be automatically moved to their final positions accurately at the same time.

Positioning camera 606 may include one or more image or video capture devices positioned to view and receive image data from one or more visual aspects of smart lift 604, which may include views located under a vehicle on smart lift 604, above a vehicle on smart lift 604, and on any side of a vehicle on smart lift 604, and which may be viewed by user device 600, which may assist a user of user device 600 in creating and updating a vehicle profile and confirming proper positioning of various lifting features after their automatic positioning based on the selected vehicle profile.

Fig. 39 illustrates an exemplary set of features and processes that may be obtained by the user device 600. These features may include, for example, viewing 608 a camera feed of images, video, and other data from the positioning camera 606 and automatically converting 610 the image and video data from the positioning camera 606 as needed. For example, some of the visual data provided by the positioning camera 606 may have special features, such as a fisheye view, an inverted view, a zoomed-in view, or a low-light view of certain aspects of the vehicle on the smart lift. The automatic conversion 610 of image data for these features may include smoothing or stretching the image to account for pixelation of the fisheye view, rotated view, smoothly scaled view, or adjusting the brightness and contrast of the low-light view, and may also include cropping the view to remove extraneous images, or visually highlighting areas within the view based on image identification (e.g., identifying lift points based on a visual database of lift points) or visual identifiers (e.g., identifiable QR codes on the underside of the adapter).

Direct and manual intelligent lift control 612 may also be available through user equipment 600, which user equipment 600 may include an interface similar to suspension control device 150, or may even be through a visual graphical skin to match suspension control device 150 or other common control devices, and may allow a user to select and move various lift features in one or more dimensions. For example, a user may select a lift arm to rotate based on touching a rotating arrow button graphic on a display of the user device 600, or may select a lift arm to extend based on a straight arrow button graphic on a display of the device 600. During smart lift control 612, the user may view smart lift 604 in person as smart lift 604 moves to a desired location, or may view 608 camera feeds from positioning camera 606 as smart lift 604 moves to a desired location.

The user device 600 may also allow the user to make various profile management 614 controls, including creating a new vehicle profile, updating an existing vehicle profile, browsing and selecting 616 a vehicle profile from a vehicle database on the lift server 602, or checking a vehicle profile of the global lift server 603. For example, when a vehicle needs to be placed on the smart lift 604, the user may first browse 616 the vehicle database to determine if a vehicle profile exists. If no profile exists, the user can manually control 612 the smart lift to properly position the arm and adapter at the lift point under the vehicle, while also viewing 608 the camera feed to ensure proper placement. Once proper positioning of the elevator feature is achieved, the user may use the profile management 614 feature to save the elevator configuration and positioning data to the vehicle database for future selection. The configurations saved in the vehicle database may be organized to be viewable through more generic identifiers such as model and year, more specific identifiers such as vehicle identification numbers or uniquely assigned identifiers or serial numbers to allow for configurations for vehicles that have been modified beyond their inventory manufacturer status. In a subsequent visit, when the same vehicle needs to be placed on the smart lift 604, the user may browse 616 the vehicle database, identify the currently available vehicle profile, and select that vehicle profile to cause the smart lift 604 to automatically move its features to the appropriate configuration previously identified.

The user device 600 may also allow the user to place the smart lift into the lift learning mode 618. In elevator learning mode 618, smart elevator 604 may view one or more sides of the vehicle using positioning camera 606, which may include one or more statically positioned or automatically moving cameras, and identify one or more safe lifting points on the vehicle based on image recognition (e.g., capturing image data and programmatically comparing it to an image data database for similarity) or visual identifiers (e.g., bar codes, QR codes, or other intentional visual markers). Once a safe lift point is identified, smart lift 604 may then again use one or more of image recognition or visual identifier recognition to determine that a set of lift adapters has been properly positioned, thereby automatically positioning the lift features in the appropriate configuration for the identified lift point. After the appropriate configuration is automatically implemented in the learn mode 618, the user device may be used with its profile management 614 features to save the new configuration to the vehicle profile database.

Fig. 39 illustrates a set of steps that an intelligent lift system 601 may perform in response to a user's use of the user equipment 600 or the control suspension 150. When the smart lift system 601 receives an indication from the user that it is teaching a new vehicle profile through the profile management 614 features, the lift server 602 may cause the smart lift 604 to automatically move 620 all of its movable features to a neutral or initial position. The elevator server 602 may then receive 622, via the user device 600, a plurality of manual inputs to the movable features of the smart elevator 604. In response to the received 622 input, the smart lift 604 will move to the desired location and display 626 one or more images from the positioning camera 606 to assist the user in determining the location. When the elevator server 602 receives 628 confirmation from the user that the movable elevator feature is in the desired position, the elevator server 602 will determine the desired position based on one or more of the received 622 input, mechanical or electrical feedback from the movable feature or sensor, visual data from the positioning camera 606, or other information sources, and then save 630 that position to one or more databases or repositories of the elevator server 602 or global elevator server 603.

Fig. 40 shows a set of steps that the smart lift system 601 may perform in response to a user using the apparatus 600 or controlling the suspension 150 to indicate that they have browsed 616 and selected a vehicle profile from a vehicle profile database. When the elevator server 602 receives 632 the profile selection, the elevator server 602 will cause the smart elevator 604 to move 634 its movable features to an initial or neutral position. The lift server 602 will cause the smart lift 604 to move 636 its movable features to its preset position based on the selected vehicle profile and then display 638 one or more images or videos from the positioning camera 606. When elevator server 602 receives 640 confirmation that the movable feature is in the desired position, elevator server 602 may save 642 or update data related to the vehicle profile to confirm that the profile is accurate in its current use, or to indicate that some manual adjustment is required, and that the profile may need to be updated, or that a particular vehicle may need a unique vehicle profile. Other features and methods of the disclosed intelligent lift system 601 will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the disclosure herein.

Miscellaneous item VIII

It should be appreciated that any one or more of the teachings, expressions, embodiments, examples, etc. described herein may be combined with any one or more of the other teachings, expressions, embodiments, examples, etc. described herein. Therefore, the teachings, expressions, embodiments, examples, etc. described below should not be viewed in isolation from each other. Given the teachings of the present invention, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate the various suitable ways in which the teachings of the present invention may be combined. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, further modifications to the methods and systems described herein may be accomplished by appropriate modifications by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. Several such potential modifications have been mentioned, and others will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the examples, embodiments, geometries, materials, dimensions, ratios, steps, etc., discussed above are illustrative and not required. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be considered in terms of the following claims and is understood not to be limited to the details of structure and operation shown and described in the specification and drawings.

Claims

1. An intelligent lift system comprising:

(a) a plurality of movable lifting features operable to move proximate to and engage a set of vehicle lifting points to lift the vehicle;

(b) a lift controller configured to control the plurality of movable lift features;

(c) a user device in communication with the lift controller, the user device comprising a display and a user interface, wherein the user device is configured to receive input from a user through the user interface; and

(d) a positioning camera having a field of view and positioned such that at least one of the plurality of movable lift features is within its field of view and communicatively coupled with the user device to display image data captured by the positioning camera via the display;

wherein the lift controller is configured to:

(i) receiving a vehicle profile selection from a user device, wherein the vehicle profile selection is associated with a vehicle type;

(ii) determining a preset position for each of a plurality of movable lift features based on the vehicle profile selection;

(iii) moving the plurality of movable lifting features such that each of the plurality of movable lifting features is in a preset position of the feature; and

(iv) a confirmation is received from the user device indicating that the image data from the positioning camera has been reviewed for proper positioning of the plurality of movable lift features relative to the set of vehicle lift points.

2. The intelligent lift system of claim 1, wherein the user device is configured to:

(a) displaying a list of vehicle profiles on a display;

(b) receiving input from a user through a user interface, wherein the input identifies a selected vehicle profile from a list of vehicle profiles; and

(c) the selected vehicle profile is provided to the lift controller.

3. The intelligent lift system of claim 2, wherein the user device is further configured to:

(a) receiving a training mode input and, in response, moving each of a plurality of movable lifting features to an initial position;

(b) receiving a set of manual inputs configured to cause the plurality of movable lifting features to move to a training position;

(c) displaying image data of at least one of the plurality of movable lifting features located at the training position from the positioning camera; and

(d) a location confirmation is received from the user and, in response, a profile training dataset is created based on the training location and at least one of the set of manual inputs.

4. The smart lift system of claim 3, further comprising a vehicle profile database comprising a list of vehicle profiles, wherein the user device is further configured to provide the profile training data set to the vehicle profile database.

5. The smart lift system of claim 4, wherein the vehicle profile database is configured to (a) determine a vehicle profile based on the profile training data set, and (b) add the vehicle profile to a list of vehicle profiles.

6. The intelligent lift system of claim 1 wherein:

the plurality of movable lifting features comprises a lifting base comprising an arm housing, a first arm having a first adapter, and a second arm having a second adapter;

the first and second arms rotatably connected to an arm housing; and is

The lift base is operable to rotate the first and second arms and move each of the first and second adapters in two dimensions.

7. The intelligent lift system of claim 6 wherein:

the first arm further comprises a linear actuator and a movable arm portion, wherein the movable arm portion has a longitudinal axis, an

The linear actuator is operable to extend or retract the movable arm portion along its longitudinal axis.

8. The intelligent lift system of claim 6 wherein:

the first adapter further comprises a motor, a telescopic base and a telescopic brake lever, and

The motor is operable to rotate at least a portion of the telescoping base about the telescoping brake lever and thereby extend or retract the telescoping base with one degree of freedom into the first adapter.

9. The intelligent lift system of claim 6 wherein

The arm housing includes a motor operable to rotate the worm drive, and

rotation of the worm drive causes rotation of at least one of the first and second arms.

10. The smart lift system of claim 9, wherein the first arm and the second arm each include a clutch configured to selectively engage one or both of the first arm and the second arm with the worm drive.

11. The intelligent lift system of claim 6 wherein:

(a) the arm housing includes a housing bracket;

(b) the first arm includes a sliding bracket;

(c) a link rotatably connected to the housing bracket at a first point;

(d) the link is rotatably connected to the sliding bracket at a second point such that the second point is also slidable along the sliding bracket;

(e) a push rod rotatably connected to the linear actuator at a third point;

(f) the linear actuator is rotatably connected to the arm housing at a fourth point; and is

(g) The linear actuator is operable to extend and retract the push rod and rotate the first arm in a first direction and a second direction, respectively.

12. The intelligent lift system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of movable elevator features comprises:

(a) a lifting column capable of moving the lifting base in a first dimension;

(b) a rotary lifting arm capable of rotating the adapter through at least a second dimension, wherein the second dimension is different from the first dimension;

(c) an extension lift arm capable of extending and retracting the adapter; and

(d) a telescoping base of the adapter capable of extending the adapter in a first dimension.

13. The intelligent lift system of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of movable lift features comprises an electric motor operable to move the lift feature, and wherein the lift controller is configured to:

(a) simultaneously moving each of the plurality of movable lifting features to an initial position; then the

(b) Simultaneously moving each of the plurality of movable lifting features to a preset position.

14. The intelligent lifting system of claim 1, wherein the lifting controller is configured to limit movement of at least one of the plurality of movable lifting features based on an electrical feedback signal from an electric motor operable to move the at least one movable feature.

15. The smart lift system of claim 1, wherein the user device is a smart phone.

16. A vehicle lift comprising:

(a) a lift column operable to move the lift base along the y-axis;

(b) the lifting base comprising an arm housing;

(c) a first arm rotatably connected to the arm housing, the first arm comprising a first adapter, a first moving portion, and a first motor, wherein the first motor is operable to extend and retract the first moving portion; and

(d) a second arm rotatably connected to the arm housing, the second arm comprising a second adapter, a second moving portion, and a second motor, wherein the second motor is operable to extend and retract the second moving portion;

wherein the arm housing comprises a set of motors operable to rotate the first arm and the second arm and to rotate the first adapter and the second adapter within a plane defined by an x-axis and a z-axis, wherein the x-axis and the z-axis are perpendicular to each other and both perpendicular to the y-axis; and is

Wherein the first motor, the second motor, and the set of motors are operable simultaneously.

17. A method for operating a vehicle lift, wherein the vehicle lift includes a plurality of movable lifting features and an actuator configured to cause each of the plurality of lifting features to selectively move in at least two dimensions, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) Receiving a vehicle profile selection from a user device, wherein the user device is in communication with a lift;

(b) selecting a retrieved vehicle profile based on the vehicle profile, wherein the vehicle profile includes a plurality of parameters; and

(c) after retrieving the vehicle profile, automatically controlling starting, stopping, and moving directions of the plurality of movable lifting features to effect positioning of the plurality of movable lifting features based on parameters of the vehicle profile, including movement of at least one of the plurality of movable lifting features in at least two dimensions.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of movable lifting features comprises one or more of:

(a) a lifting column capable of moving the lifting base in a first dimension;

(c) an extension lift arm capable of extending and retracting the adapter; and

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the rotating lifting arm is further capable of moving the adapter through a third dimension different from the first dimension and the second dimension.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the user equipment is selected from the group consisting of:

(a) a computer;

(b) a smart phone; and

(c) controlling the suspension device.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the first and second light sources are selected from the group consisting of,

further comprising, prior to the step of receiving a vehicle profile selection, displaying a list of vehicle profiles on the user device,

wherein the vehicle profile selection is in a vehicle profile list.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the list of vehicle profiles comprises:

at least one locally stored vehicle profile in an electronic memory associated with an elevator server in the vicinity of the vehicle elevator, an

At least one remotely stored vehicle profile in electronic memory associated with a global lift server remote from the vehicle lift.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of automatically controlling the start, stop, and direction of movement of the plurality of movable lifting features to move the plurality of movable lifting features to an initial position prior to the step of automatically controlling.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein a first movable lifting feature of the plurality of movable lifting features is driven by a motor, the method further comprising:

Determining a stopping point for movement of the first movable lifting feature based on feedback from the motor, an

The first movable lifting feature is stopped at a stopping point.

25. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

displaying, by the user device, image data from the positioning camera after automatically controlling starting, stopping, and moving directions of the plurality of movable lifting features to effect positioning of the plurality of movable lifting features according to parameters selected by the vehicle profile, wherein the positioning camera is positioned such that at least one of the plurality of movable lifting features is within a field of view of the positioning camera.

26. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of: prior to receiving the selected vehicle profile, image data of a vehicle associated with the selected vehicle profile is captured using a positioning camera and the selected vehicle profile is created using the set of image data.

27. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of: prior to receiving the selected vehicle profile:

receiving a training input, wherein the training input positions the plurality of movable lifting features in a predetermined configuration relative to the vehicle, and

The selected vehicle profile is created using the set of training inputs, wherein the selected vehicle profile is associated with at least one attribute of the vehicle.