EP0413659B2 - Installation having movable motorised rail guided units - Google Patents

Abstract

In order, in an installation having movable motorised rail-guided units, especially for articles to be set thereon, such as parked motor vehicles, to avoid expensive line systems for the drive current of the motorised units equipped with electric drive motors, and to keep the space above the parking areas of the motorised units free, at least one bare strip conductor (60) for drive and control current of the motorised units is arranged next to one or both rails (48) of one or each of a plurality of tracks for the motorised units, and the motorised units are equipped with current collectors held in contact with said strip conductor (60). <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a system with displaceable, rail-bound driving units according to the preamble of claim 1.

It is known that a parking space can be optimally used when parking motor vehicles for parking on displaceable, rail-bound driving units, in particular parking platforms, as explained below in connection with FIG. 1 using an example. In conventional systems of this type, the drive of each parking platform has its own power supply with a flexible cable (hanging cable) hanging from the ceiling and rollers that can be moved on a rail, which leads to the drive motor through a vertical protective tube attached to the parking platform. This is a complex construction with complex electrical installation, particularly on numerous parking platforms. The protective tubes on the parking platforms are also annoying and are exposed to unsuitable parking. This is also the case if only one or some of the parking platforms of the or each track section with a drive motor and the other platforms each with a remote-controlled coupling to which a suspension cable leads , are equipped to be pulled (and pushed) from a powered platform. In this case, the static friction between the driven rollers of the driven platform and the rails, when there is no motor vehicle on them, is not sufficient for displacement, which is why, for example, a chain is provided on the floor or in a recess thereof, which is connected via a driven sprocket to the Drive equipped platform is guided.

It is also known to move parking platforms by wholly or partially housed drive devices in recesses in the floor. The possible displacement distance is relatively short, the installation in the ground, which requires a drainage gradient and drainage pipes, is complex, is usually no longer possible in an existing building and is complex in any case. Such systems also require more maintenance.

From US-A-2 598 750 a car parking facility is known in which the vehicles are brought from the entrance to the parking lot and back by means of additional means of transportation. In a preferably multi-storey car park, the vehicles are driven from a trolley to an empty parking lot, where the vehicle is driven from the trolley to the parking lot. The trolley is powered by electric motors and runs on rails. The current is drawn via a central, separate busbar. The transfer car is equipped with a control box that is operated from the operating platform. The disadvantage of this system is that supplying and removing a vehicle is quite complex.

DE-37 40 684 A1 discloses a parking system with driven parking plates that can be moved on insulated rails. The parking plate drive units are controlled and powered by a modulated DC voltage applied to the rails. This DC voltage for supplying the drive unit is modulated as a function of a coded output signal from a microprocessor. The rails of the parking panels are mechanically and electrically insulated from the floor by means of an elastic insert. The rails are designed as a cylindrical full profile, which is slightly more than half taken up by an elastic and insulating holder. The elastic insert mentioned fills the inside of an upward-facing U-profile, which is completely sunk into the concrete floor. It is therefore essential to install the known rail before the floor covering is finished and to subsequently install the floor covering (concrete covering). In the event of retrofitting, the floor must be milled in, which is associated with considerable effort.

A profile rail for small trolleys is known from DE-U 75 12 199. This has a flat central web M and two laterally drawn webs S. At their upper ends, the lateral webs S have outwardly drawn ends, the lower side of which forms a guide surface F. The trolley FW is, as it were, hooked to the rail in order to be able to overcome steep ramps or vertical sections if necessary. The wheels R are held from below against the guide surfaces F pointing upwards. They are each held by a bearing L encompassing the rail from the outside. A drive wheel A or a gear wheel Z rolls on the central web M. The FW tram has - in cross-section - three support points, namely two outer wheels (which engage the profile rail from below) and a drive wheel (which runs on the top of the rail).

By the invention, as characterized in claim 1, the object is achieved to create a system of the type mentioned, the construction and electrical installation is less expensive and has no disturbing damage-prone protective tubes or other protruding parts on the driving units.

The advantages achieved by the invention are essentially to be seen in the fact that the construction and the electrical installation of the system according to the invention is much less complex, that the driving units have no disruptive, protruding parts exposed to damage, and that the system has no parts that must be installed in recesses in the floor with drainage gradients and drainage pipes, which is usually no longer possible with existing buildings. Another advantage is the lower maintenance effort.

Particularly easy to assemble and not disruptive in the operation of the system is an embodiment of the invention, in which the rail foot of at least one rail of each track section has a lateral extension which expediently insulates from it or a plurality of mutually insulated, bare conductor tracks for drive and control current Driving units. The conductor track is expediently a conductor strip which extends continuously on the individual, butted rails of the track section and is simply fastened to the rail foot attachment by means of a continuous, self-adhesive plastic strip and is insulated from it. These and other embodiments of the invention, by means of which further objects are achieved and advantages are achieved, are specified in the dependent patent claims and are described in more detail below.

Fig. 1

einen schematischen Grundriss einer Parkieranlage bekannter Art,

Fig. 2

einen Querschnitt einer Schiene einer nach der Erfindung ausgeführten Anlage der an sich bekannterArt nach Fig. 1, mit einer Stromzuführung für Antriebs- und/oder Steuerstrom für auf ihr verschiebbare Parkplattformen (Schnitt II-II in Fig. 1),

Fig. 3

einen Schnitt einer Schiene nach Fig. 2 zusammen mit einer auf ihr rollenden Rolle einer Parkplattform und einem Stromabnehmer derselben,

Fig. 4

einen teilweisen Schnitt des Stromabnehmers nach der Linie IV-IV in Fig. 3, mit zwei Abstreifern,

Fig. 5

eine der Fig. 3 entsprechende Ansicht mit weiteren Teilen der Parkplattform, in kleinerem Massstab,

Fig. 6

eine Ansicht In Blickrichtung VI in Fig. 5 und

Fig. 7

eine Draufsicht In Blickrichtung VII in Fig. 5.

The invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of the accompanying drawings, which represent only one embodiment, using the example of a parking system according to the invention. Show it:

Fig. 1

a schematic floor plan of a parking system of known type,

Fig. 2

a cross section of a rail of a system according to the invention of the type known per se according to Fig. 1, with a power supply for drive and / or control current for displaceable on it Parking platforms (section II-II in Fig. 1),

Fig. 3

3 shows a section of a rail according to FIG. 2 together with a roller of a parking platform and a current collector of the same,

Fig. 4

3 shows a partial section of the pantograph along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3, with two wipers,

Fig. 5

3 corresponding view with other parts of the parking platform, on a smaller scale,

Fig. 6

a view in viewing direction VI in Fig. 5 and

Fig. 7

5 shows a plan view in viewing direction VII in FIG. 5.

1 has a row of ten parking spaces 1 to 10 and three parallel rows of ten parking platforms 11 to 20, 21 to 30 and 31 to 40 and one next to the last row for a total of forty motor vehicles current entry and exit 42. The parking platforms of each three rows are on one track, eg 44, displaceable in the direction of arrow 46. For this purpose, the parking platforms 11 to 40 are equipped with rollers 50 running on the rails 48 of the relevant track section and with electric drive motors. The parking spaces 1 to 10 are, as usual, so wide that the distance between motor vehicles parked next to one another is sufficient to open the vehicle doors. The parking platforms 11 to 40 are narrower for the use of the area available for the system, with them the required lateral distance is achieved by displacing the parking platform. The parking platforms 31 to 40 can be reached directly at the entrance and exit 42. For example, for parking on or moving away from the parking platform 36, the lateral distance required for opening the motor vehicle doors from the platforms 35 and 37 is achieved by the platforms 31 to 35 being covered by a longer distance and the parking platform 36 by a shorter distance, based on FIG. 1 can be moved up. Each of the other parking platforms 11 to 30 and each of the parking spaces 1 to 10 can be made accessible for entry and exit 42 by moving parking platforms of the row or rows in front of them or the rows of parking platforms lying in front of the relevant parking space by an intermediate space clear for passage. For example, a passage can be formed between the parking area 5 and the entrance and exit 42 by moving the platforms 11 to 14, 21 to 24 and 31 to 34 in FIG. 1 (with reference to the drawing) upwards. Likewise, the parking platform 26 can be made accessible from the entrance and exit 42 by moving the platforms 21 to 25 and 31 to 36 upwards by a longer distance and the platform 26 by a shorter distance in relation to FIG. 1. This applies starting from the starting position of the platforms 11 to 40 shown in FIG. 1 and analogously for other starting positions. 54 are support pillars which support a ceiling (not shown) of the installation if it is constructed underground. Since the parking platforms can be moved, the support pillars 54 do not form any obstacles.

An electronic data processing device assigns a free parking space or a free parking platform to each arriving vehicle and controls the drives or couplings of the platforms that have to be moved in order to access the assigned parking space or the assigned platform with the required lateral distance from the neighboring platforms do. This electronic data processing device is not shown and is not the subject of the invention.

If the system described in connection with FIG. 1 is designed in the usual way with hanging lines and on each platform with a vertical, almost two meter high protective tube for the downward line part for the drive current or control current of the coupling, thirty suspension lines and thirty vertical protective tubes that receive the downward line parts.

1 and 2 to 6, in addition to one or each of the two rails 48 of each track line 44, at least one bare conductor track 60 for the drive and control current of the parking platforms 11 to 20 and 21 runs in the system according to the invention, for example with parking platforms 11 to 40 to 30 and 31 to 40, respectively, and the parking platforms have current collectors 61 which are held in contact with the conductor track or tracks 60.

In addition, at least one of the rails can form a further conductor track, in particular a common return line, for drive and control current. The control current can be an alternating current, in particular pulse-coded, superimposed on the drive current. The conductor track is appropriately band-shaped.

2, the head 63 of a rail 48 is formed by an inverted U-shaped bulge of a steel sheet 64, the legs 65, 66 of which are angled outwards to form a Schlenen pass and fastened to the bottom 68 by means of screws 67 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) are. The leg or flange 66 is wider than the leg or flange 65 and carries the conductor track 60 consisting of a metal strip with an insulating intermediate layer 70 glued to the flange 66. The use of a metal strip enables a relatively large contact area with the current collector. Fastening by gluing is very simple and avoids fastening means projecting beyond the upper surface of the conductor track, so that the entire upper surface of the metal strip can be used for contact with the current collector. It is particularly expedient to glue the metal strip to the flange 66 by means of a plastic strip 70 which is self-adhesive on both sides. The metal band forming the conductor track 60 and the plastic band 70 continuously extend all the way Length of the rail track consisting of individual butted rails, i.e. across the joints. Several such conductor tracks can be arranged distributed on one and the same flange 66 or on both flanges 65 and 66, with correspondingly arranged current collectors being provided on the platforms.

The current collector 61 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has two contact pieces 73, 74 (not shown) resiliently pressed against the conductor track 60, which are arranged between two strippers 76 and 77 which are resiliently pressed against the conductor track 60 and which serve foreign objects and wipe off contaminants in both directions so that they do not prevent the current draw.

5 to 7, the drive motor is a gear motor 79/80 (motor 79, gear 80) with an output shaft 81 coaxial with the motor shaft, on which the roller 50 is seated. The gearbox is expediently a planetary gearbox with such a ratio that the platforms can be moved by hand in the event of a power failure (the gearbox is therefore not self-locking), so that the system does not fail if the power supply malfunctions or the mentioned (not shown) data processing device fails blocked, but still if it is difficult to use.

If the parking platforms are not displaceable transversely, as in FIG. 1, but longitudinally (that is to say in the direction of travel of the motor vehicle traveling to and from the platform), they must be equipped with a brake which is released when the drive is switched on. Without such a brake, a motor vehicle that starts to drive onto a platform or to leave a platform could push it away. So that the platforms can be moved by hand if necessary (in the event of a power supply or data processing device failure), these brakes can also be operated and released by hand. If the drive acts on one or more rollers of the parking platform, it is usually not enough to brake them, because the friction between rollers and rails is relatively low, at least when the platform is not under load. It is advisable to have a large-area brake with friction lining on the rail head or foot or pliers-like on the rail web or on the rough (concrete) floor of the system. The brake can also be designed as a magnetic brake. Another embodiment has one or more pairs of jaws, the jaws of which are pressed against the facing or facing away sides (web sides) of the two rails. Driving units equipped with such a brake could also supply the drive and control current in a fundamentally different manner than that shown, for example, in FIGS. 2 and 3.

5 to 7, the drive motor 79/80 with the roller 50 is accommodated in a box-like extension 84 on one of the edges perpendicular to the direction of displacement 46 of the platform, which at the same time forms a wheel deflector for the motor vehicle to be parked on the surface 85 of the platform. With this arrangement of the drive motor, the drive and control current could also be supplied in a manner which is in principle different from that shown, for example, in FIGS. 2 and 3.

A control device (not shown) contains an on / off and reversing switch for the motor 79 in order to control it in accordance with signals supplied by the data processing device.

2 to 7 it is assumed that a direct drive current and alternating control current with different pulse trains for start, stop and the two directions of rotation are supplied through the conductor track 60, and that the rails 48 serve to return the drive and control current. Means for separating direct and alternating current and for controlling by means of different pulse sequences are known.

By providing a plurality of conductor tracks 60 on one rail or arranging them on both rails of each rail track, there are numerous possibilities for supplying the drive and control current with return through one, the other or both rails, with return through a conductor, with separate supply the drive and control current or with superimposition, as mentioned.

In systems of this type, it may be desirable or necessary to automatically switch off the drive current for one or all driving units as soon as a driving unit encounters an obstacle. If, as in the exemplary embodiment of the system according to the invention described above, the driving units are parking platforms on which motor vehicles are parked for parking, a parking platform can, for example, hit a piece of luggage that has fallen onto the road from a motor vehicle parked for parking, or collide with a person who negligently entered the road. For such a safety shutdown z. B. each parking platform on the sides perpendicular to their direction of displacement one actuatable by an obstacle, z. B. in the form of the usual in motor vehicles, but differently resiliently held bumper, which triggers an electrical signal when giving in. If the signal z. B. acts on a protection provided on the parking platform to switch off the drive current for this parking platform, problems arise with the functioning of the control of the system after settling the fault, for which a programmed data processing device is usually provided. However, if the signal is transmitted to the control unit via the current collectors 61 of the parking platform and one of the conductor tracks 60 in order to interrupt the program, then the conductor track can is exposed to contamination - despite the provided wipers, the signal may only be delayed due to insufficient contact between the current collectors 61 and the conductor track 60 and in the worst case (if the contact is insufficient and the parking platform is prevented from moving on by the obstacle) will not work at all . This could result in property damage when bumping into an object, and more serious consequences when bumping into a person. These difficulties and risks are avoided in the light-electrical safety device described below.

In this safety device runs between the two parking platform rows 11 to 20 and 21 to 30 and on the left in Fig. 1 of the parking platform row 31 to 40 along the entire length of their lanes, the light beam of a light barrier that drives the drive current of the parking platforms when the light beam is interrupted switches off and interrupts the program sequence so that the system must be switched on again after the fault has been rectified to continue the program. The light beam can, for example, first run between the rows of parking platforms 11 to 20 and 21 to 30 and then be deflected by 90 ° at two mirrors and finally run on the left side of the row of parking platforms 31 to 40 in FIG. 1. Of course, two or three light barriers, each associated with a row of parking platforms, could also be provided, with the emergency stop having to be triggered when the light beam is interrupted by one of these light barriers. In principle, under certain circumstances, only the drive current for the relevant row of parking platforms could be switched off.

To interrupt the light beam, each parking platform is equipped with one or two apertures, e.g. B. in the form of flaps, each of which is movable from an inactive rest position into an effective position in which it interrupts the light beam, for. B. is pivotable. In order to move the screen into its operative position when the parking platform is pushed against an obstacle, an organ, similar to a motor vehicle bumper, extends but resiliently held on each of the sides of the parking platforms that are perpendicular to its direction of displacement, the organ of which yields when the bumper hits an obstacle moved into their impact situation. For this purpose, the diaphragm can be held in its rest position by a pawl or a bolt against the force of a spring which tends to move the diaphragm into its operative position, and the pawl or bolt can be released by the yielding movement of the organ. In another embodiment, a gear is provided which converts the yielding movement of the organ into the movement of the diaphragm, which leads to its operative position. The organ can e.g. B. also be a flap protruding in its rest position, suspended on a horizontal axis, on which a return spring acts. A diaphragm is expediently assigned to each of these organs. However, both organs could also be assigned a diaphragm together, which can be moved into their operative position both by the yielding effect of one and by the other organ. The parking platforms each have one or two customary buffers on the sides perpendicular to their direction of displacement, which ensure a minimum distance between successive parking platforms. At this distance, the mutually facing organs (of the type mentioned) of the two parking platforms should not yet touch each other. As can be seen, this light-electric safety device is not only suitable for the system according to the invention but generally for systems with driving units which are tied to a predetermined, essentially straight movement path.

Claims (11)

1. An installation with displaceable, rail-borne travelling units (11-40) for articles, such as parked motor vehicles, to be placed on the latter, having at least one set of tracks (44) for the travelling units (11-40), at least one of the rails (48) of each set of tracks (44) at the same time forming a bare strip conductor (60) for driving and control current for the travelling units, and the travelling units (11-40) being provided with current collectors (73, 74) which are kept in contact with this strip conductor (60), characterised in that the rail (48) has a U-shaped profile with outwards-bent legs (65, 66) which are for the purpose of securing to the ground (68) and at least one of which bears at least the above-mentioned strip conductor.
2. An installation in accordance with Claim 1, characterised in that the control current is an alternating current which is modulated, in particular pulse-modulated, in accordance with the control commands and is superimposed on the driving current.
3. An installation in accordance with Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that at least one rail (48) of the or each set of tracks (44) has at least one lateral lug (66) which bears the bare strip conductor (60) for driving and control current which is advantageously insulated from the latter or a plurality of bare strip conductors (60) for driving and control current which are insulated from each other.
4. An installation in accordance with Claim 3, characterised in that the lug(s) (66) is/are formed on or by a rail base (65, 66).
5. An installation in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the strip conductor is formed by a metal strip (60).
6. An installation in accordance with any one of Claims 3 to 5, characterised in that the or each strip conductor (60) extends continuously on the individual, abutting rails (48) of the set of tracks (44) and over the rail joints.
7. An installation in accordance with Claim 6, characterised in that the or each strip conductor is bonded in the form of a metal strip (60) to the lugs of the rails or to the bent leg portions (65, 66), advantageously by means of a plastics strip (70) which extends with the metal strip and is self-adhesive on both sides.
8. An installation in accordance with any one of Claim 1 to 7, characterised in that travelling units with individual drives are provided with a rail brake or a brake which acts on the base of the installation, this brake being released when the drive is switched on, being operative when the drive is switched off and also being manually actuatable and releasable.
9. An installation in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the motor (80) for travelling units with individual drives, preferably a geared motor (79/80) with a driven shaft (81) coaxial with the motor shaft, is arranged in a box-like attachment (84) on one of the edges of the travelling unit which is perpendicular to the displacement direction (46) of the travelling unit, which attachment (84) forms a wheel deflector for the motor vehicle to be parked on the parking surface (85) of the travelling units when the latter are in the form of parking platforms.
10. An installation in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the light beam of a light barrier extends on one side of the travelling units for switching off the driving current of the travelling units when the light beam is broken, in that on the side on which the light beam extends, each travelling unit is provided with a screen movable out of an at rest position into an operating position for breaking the light beam, and in that extending on each of the sides of the travelling units perpendicular to the displacement direction there is a member resiliently mounted so as to yield when it hits an obstacle and by means of the yielding movement of which the screen can be moved into the operating position.
11. An installation in accordance with Claim 10, characterised in that the light beam extends in the space between travelling units displaceable on sets of tracks extending side by side and is interrupted both in the operating position of the screen of a travelling unit displaceable on one set of tracks and also in the operating position of the screen of a travelling unit displaceable on the other set of tracks.

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