EP2077972B1

EP2077972B1 - Lifting frame for vehicle

Info

Publication number: EP2077972B1
Application number: EP07803628A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Orazio Spanesi
Original assignee: Spanesi SpA
Current assignee: Spanesi SpA
Priority date: 2006-10-31
Filing date: 2007-10-09
Publication date: 2012-06-27
Anticipated expiration: 2027-10-09
Also published as: JP2010508189A; JP5232792B2; CN101528585B; CN101528585A; ITPD20060403A1; EP2077972A1; WO2008052864A1

Abstract

Bench for measuring the geometric parameters of a damaged car, comprising first lifting means (14) for a deck (15) onto which the car is to be arranged; the first lifting means (14) are of the type to be arranged on the bottom of a pit provided in the floor of the room in which the bench works and are adapted to allow a vertical movement of the deck (15) from a position which is substantially aligned with the level of the floor (13) to a position which is raised from the floor ( 13). The bench also comprises second lifting means (20) for a platform (21) to be arranged between the bottom (11) of the pit (12) and the deck (15); the platform (21) is shaped complementarily with respect to the plan contour of the pit (12). The second lifting means (20) allow a vertical movement of the platform (21) from a lowered position within the pit (12) to a raised position so as to close the pit (12) when the deck (15) is raised.

Description

Technical field

The present invention relates to a bench for car repair.
The car bench of the invention can be used conveniently as a bench for work in a workshop and in all situations in which it is necessary to lift a car even simply to check its lower parts which are not visible or during tire replacements; for example, the invention is useful particularly but not exclusively in body shops as a bench for measuring the geometric parameters of a car affected by an accident.

Background Art

It is known that making cars to be repaired climb onto work or measurement benches is a problem.
When the cars are particularly damaged, in fact, often they can be moved only with difficulty.
The most widely used work benches (or measurement benches) include those constituted by a deck which is associated with a pantograph (or scissor-like) lifting device, whose height from the ground, when fully lowered, is in any case 40-50 centimeters.
It is therefore necessary to push the car and make it overcome this difference in height; this operation is often difficult if not impossible.
Some bench manufacturers have produced benches which can be fully tilted at one end and should facilitate the climbing of the car when it is not excessively damaged.
However, these benches are poorly suitable for use with sports cars, since such cars have lowered spoilers which can touch the floor or the bench itself while climbing.
Moreover, in the case of damaged cars, upward movement is certainly even more problematic.
Benches which are recessed in the floor are also known.
In practice, a pit is formed in the floor and a lifting device for the bench, for example an electric and hydraulic pantograph lifting unit, is arranged on the bottom of the pit
The bench is shaped complementarily to the plan profile of the pit and when it is completely lowered the surface of the bench on which the car rests is substantially aligned with the floor.
In this manner, the car is moved on to the bench without any problem in differences in height and is then lifted together with the bench.
However, this type of bench leads to an important drawback.
When the bench is lifted, the pit remains inevitably open; this situation entails danger for workers who can fall into it, as well as problems linked to objects falling into it (with possible damage to the fallen items, such as tools, trolleys, et cetera, and damage to the base of the lifting unit that is present at the bottom).
Document DE 298 12 459 U discloses a lifting platform for double-tracked vehicules that has the features of the preamble of claim 1.

Disclosure of the Invention

The aim of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks observed in known types of bench, by providing a car bench which allows easy placement of the car.
Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a car bench which allows to lift the car without particular danger for workers and for damaging tools.
Another obj ect of the present invention is to provide a car bench which is structurally simple.
This aim and these and other objects, which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a car bench, according to the present invention, that has the features set forth in claim 1.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment thereof, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a car bench according to the invention during lifting;
Figure 2 is a sectional front view of the car bench of Figure 1 when it is completely lowered;
Figure 3 is a sectional front view of the car bench of Figures 1 and 2 during lifting.

Ways of carrying out the Invention

It is noted that anything found to be already known during the patenting process is understood not to be claimed and to be the subject of a disclaimer.
With reference to the figures, a car repair bench according to the invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10.
The bench 10 comprises on the bottom 11 of a pit 12, which has a typical rectangular plan contour and is provided in a floor 13, first lifting means 14 for a deck 15 onto which the car (not shown in the figures) is to be arranged.
The first lifting means 14 allow a vertical movement of the deck 15 from a position in which it is substantially aligned with the level of the floor in which the pit is provided to a position in which it is raised from the floor.
For example, the lifting means 14 are constituted by a pantograph lifting device 16 of the electrohydraulic type which is arranged centrally with respect to the deck 15.
The plan space occupation of the pantograph lifting device 16 is smaller than the plan contour of the pit 12, forming in practice some space between the walls of the pit 12 and the lifting device 16.
The deck 15, in this embodiment, is of the type which constitutes the vehicle supporting surface of a measurement bench for body shop workers; for example, the typical structure of a deck constituted by two longitudinal tracks 17 whose width allows the optional placement of wheels and which are supported by a frame constituted by longitudinal members 18 and crossmembers 19 on which it is possible to fix centering templates and other measurement devices.
The deck 15 is substantially shaped complementarily to the plan contour of the pit 12, so that when it is completely lowered it closes the pit.
The bench further comprises, on the bottom of the pit 12, second means 20 for lifting a platform 21 which is arranged between the bottom 11 of the pit 12 and the deck 15; the platform 21 is shaped complementarily to the plan contour of the pit 12.
The second lifting means 20 allow a vertical movement of the platform 21 from a position in which it is lowered inside the pit 12 to a position in which it is substantially aligned with the level of the floor so as to close the pit.
In this embodiment, the platform 21 is constituted by metal beams 22 which have a C-shaped cross-section and are fixed monolithically to each other so as to have centrally a through opening 23 for accommodating and moving the pantograph lifting device 16.
It is evident that this platform can also be provided by means of other beams or panels or constitute a monolithic structure.
The second lifting means 20 are constituted, in this embodiment, by pneumatic springs 24, substantially of a known type, which are arranged between the bottom 11 of the pit 12 and the platform 21; in particular, in this example there are four pneumatic springs 24 arranged at the four corners of the platform 21.
The pneumatic springs 21 are of course connected to a pneumatic system (not shown in the figures), which allows their inflation and deflation.
The actuation of the pantograph lifting device 16 is controlled by an electronic control unit 25, which is available to an operator by means of controls.
For optimum operation of the bench, the first lifting means and the second lifting means must be mutually coordinated so that when the deck 15 is lifted, this is followed by a lifting of the platform 21, and so that lowering of the former is matched by a lowering of the latter.
The difference in the actuation time of the first lifting means with respect to the second lifting means (for both the lifting and lowering of the deck with respect to those of the platform) can be preset in the electronic control unit 25 (which in this case controls directly also the pneumatic system connected to the springs 24) or can be managed by a sensor system, so that the detection of a vertical movement of the deck in a given direction is matched, after a certain preset time, by the actuation of the pneumatic springs so as to provide a corresponding translational motion of the platform.
It is evident that in other embodiments the second means can be constituted by other types of translational actuator, such as for example pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders or electromechanical actuators.
Likewise, the first lifting means also can be constituted by other types of device.
In practice it has been found that the invention thus described achieves the intended aim and objects.
The present invention in fact provides a car bench which allows to lift the car easily.
This has become possible by using a bench which is recessed in a pit which is formed in the floor, with the supporting deck which is aligned with the floor during loading, thus allowing to have no height differences to be overcome by the vehicle.
The problem of the pit which is exposed once the deck with the car has been lifted has been solved in practice by introducing a platform which is lifted from the bottom of the pit to the level of the floor when the deck is raised, thus covering said pit.
The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; all the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.
In practice, the materials employed, so long as they are compatible with the specific use, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

Claims

A car bench recessed in a pit (12) comprising: first lifting means (14) for actuation of a deck (15) onto which the car is to be arranged, said first lifting means (14) being adapted to be arranged on the bottom of the pit (12) which is provided in the floor of the room in which said bench works and being adapted to allow a vertical movement of said deck (15) from a position which is substantially aligned with the level of the floor (13) in which the pit (12) is provided to a position which is raised from the floor (13), said deck (15) being substantially shaped complementarily with respect to the plan contour of the pit (12); and second lifting means (20) for actuation of a platform (21) arranged between the bottom (11) of the pit (12) and said deck (15), said platform (21) being shaped complementarily with respect to the plan contour of the pit (12), said second lifting means (20) allowing a vertical movement of said platform (21) from a lowered position within said pit (12) to a raised position so as to close said pit (12) when said deck (15) is raised, characterized in that it further comprises an electronic control unit (25) which is adapted to control the actuation of said first lifting means (14) and said second lifting means (20) and which is available to an operator by means of controls, said electronic control unit (25) providing timing coordination between said first lifting means (14) and said second lifting means (20), so that the lifting of said deck (15) is followed by a lifting of said platform (21) and a lowering of the former is matched by a lowering of the latter,
said first lifting means (14) comprising a pantograph lifting device (16) which is arranged centrally with respect to said deck (15), said platform (21) being provider centrally with a through opening (23) for accommodating and moving said pantograph lifting device (16).
The car bench according to claim 1, characterized in that said second lifting means (20) comprise pneumatic springs (24) which are arranged between the bottom (11) of the pit (12) and said platform (21).
The car bench according to claim 2, characterized in that it least four of said pneumatic springs (24) which are arranged at the four corners of said platform (21).
The car bench according to one more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said deck constitutes a measurement bench for damaged cars for use in body shops.
The car bench according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that difference in the actuation time of the first lifting means (14) with respect to the second lifting means (20), for both the lifting and lowering of the deck (15) with respect to those of the platform (21), can be preset in said electronic control unit (25) or can be managed by a sensor system, so that the detection of a vertical movement of the deck (15) in a given direction is matched, after a certain preset time, by the actuation of the second lifting means (20) so as to provide a corresponding translational motion of the platform (21).