ES2940309T3 - Vehicle and Passenger Elevator System - Google Patents

Abstract

The passenger and vehicle elevator system (10) includes a plurality of elevator cabins (12, 14, 16) arranged substantially equidistant and equiangular from a central axis of the building (B). Each elevator car (12) includes a housing and at least one door (54). The housing has a floor, a roof and at least one side wall. A linear translation platform (50) is mounted on the floor of each of the housings. The linear translation platform is adapted to automatically transport the vehicle (V) and at least one passenger through at least one door (54). Additionally, the vehicle (V) can rotate within the housing by driven rotation of the platform (50) or floor, allowing for selective angular positioning of the vehicle (V) relative to the housing. (Automatic translation with Google Translate, without legal value)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Vehicle and Passenger Elevator System

technical field

The present invention relates to elevators, and in particular to a vehicle and passenger elevator system for transporting a vehicle and at least one passenger within a multi-story building.

Background in the art

The increasing cost of urban land, coupled with the need to provide high-density affordable housing, as well as low-cost commercial or professional office space, presents a number of problems in the development of building complexes, particularly that include parking facilities. of motorized vehicles. Specifically, the need to develop affordable, high-density buildings, such as apartment or condominium complexes, has presented a problem in providing adequate space to park personal motor vehicles in the vicinity of the apartment or condominium building(s) without encountering the prohibitive cost of parking. erecting buildings with garage facilities directly above, or more commonly, directly below, the floors or levels of the building that are dedicated to multiple dwelling units.

National and local regulatory requirements regarding fire resistance ratings of structures with garages directly below residential dwelling units are cost prohibitive with respect to the provision of affordable buildings in many urban areas. In addition, the irregular shape of the land parcels generally available for high-density buildings in highly developed urban areas also presents a problem with regard to the placement of suitable parking spaces for personal motor vehicles, which are very close to the housing unit. of the vehicle owner.

One solution to the aforementioned problems is the development of multi-story motor vehicle garages directly adjacent to or within the buildings that include the dwelling units that will be occupied by persons who normally park their vehicles in the garage. Multi-story garages are desirable in areas where the cost of land requires maximum utilization of land area for profitable or salable building space. However, multi-story garages can prove inconvenient for many building occupants if parking is required on a higher level of the garage and a path between an upper level dwelling unit and the garage requires travel between the ground level and the lower level. above the garage, as well as moving between the ground level and an upper level dwelling or other occupiable unit in the building or buildings adjacent to the garage.

Multi-story garages have been built where connecting bridges or walkways between parking decks and the upper floors of adjacent buildings have required stairways interconnecting the walkways or bridges with the parking decks, since the decks and respective floors of the building have not been placed at the same height. Such provisions have been unsatisfactory for the elderly and disabled, as well as for moving large items and furniture between the garage and the dwelling units on the nearest adjacent floors.

Other considerations that must be taken into account in the development of high-density buildings with adjacent multi-story garages relate to the placement of the garage with respect to the dwelling units while maintaining adequate open space between them to meet regulatory requirements. and aesthetic desires of the building's occupants.

Clearly, it would be desirable to be able to provide the same access between a building dwelling unit on an upper floor or level and a parking space in the garage above that is provided to persons occupying a lower floor dwelling unit and parking lot. at the corresponding ground level. Consideration should be given not only to the desirability of walking on a substantially level path between a dwelling unit and the parking space for the personal vehicles of the building occupants, but also with respect to activities such as garbage disposal, delivery and collection of mail and the ease of moving personal effects and furniture in and out of a housing unit. In addition, it would also be desirable to be able to maximize space for both parking and residential or office spaces in such an arrangement.

Therefore, a vehicle and passenger elevator system that solves the aforementioned problems is desired.

DE19842298A1 describes pallets (1) having axle pair support profiles to be lowered in a transfer case (2) to a track surface level but then raised by the handler (3) to move them to a park storage box. The track surface in the transfer box (2) has indentations that fit the pallet but at a height less than the height of the pallet foot, and the handler (3) has a vehicle carrier between the transfer and parking boxes designed as a full or beam forklift with box-facing drop-down end ramps. The conveyor moves towards the parking boxes and can rotate around its vertical axis. Under the track and to the sides, the conveyor has chain load carriers that can move longitudinally of the vehicle relative to the conveyor track surface, and the side of the conveyor facing the roller system can be folded down or turn. Empty pallets can be moved to a storage compartment arranged below the level of the conveyor or in the transfer case.

Document WO2006039830A1 discloses an automated device for parking private vehicles, comprising a removable modular construction consisting of one or more automatic parking ramps on which the driver leaves his vehicle, the vehicle then being positioned, mechanically centered, grabbed and electronically measured, automatically, so that the vehicle can be moved by computer and stored compactly. Said device essentially consists of a push system (tractor, 40) that moves on a rail (tractor rail, 42), grabs the vehicles by the wheels by means of forks with specific rollers (45), pulls them on the platform elevator (31) in centered position. position on the rollers, moves the platform vertically, rotates the platform on its vertical axis and pushes the vehicle onto the parking platform (8). Upon request, the vehicles are put back on the tail lift, transported to the exit ramp and handed over to the user. The entire device consists of a reduced number of moving components so that the construction and use of such a device are simple and inexpensive. The device uses the basic shapes of modern vehicles combined with the method and a computerized allocation of places that allows to considerably reduce the space required, as well as the costs of construction and use.

The document EP0445712A1 describes a circular and non-circular underground parking place where vehicle parking areas are obtained and arranged in the form of a radio, or parts thereof, in several underground floors (14) the vehicles are fed to said areas ( 15) by a forklift (11) that moves vertically from the ground floor to the lower floor and simultaneously rotates on a vertical axis together with the entire load-bearing column (16), to reach all parking areas; on the ground floor, the forklift (11) is an element of continuity with an entrance area (10) and an exit area (12); the forklift (11) consists of a platform (19) on which an upper plane (20) moves in two opposite directions, said plane has two pairs of chains (24) next to each other equipped with staves (26) for car support and hitch lists (27) to prevent slipping; the ends of said plane are equipped with means (31) that engage with corresponding means in ground areas and underground spaces; said areas and spaces are also equipped with pairs of chains (24) side by side and staves (26) for car support; First motor means (23) are mounted to move the table in both directions with respect to the platform (19) and second motor means (25) to rotate the chains (24) of the table (20) and the chains (24). of the parking area (15) or underground space to which the plan is temporarily connected.

Disclosure of the invention

The present disclosure provides a vehicle and passenger elevator system as detailed in claim 1 and a method of parking a motor vehicle using said vehicle and passenger elevator system as detailed in claim 13. Advantageous features are provided in dependent claims.

The vehicle and passenger elevator system transports a vehicle containing at least one passenger to a desired parking location within a multi-story building. The passenger and vehicle elevator system includes a plurality of elevator cars arranged at substantially the same distance from a central shaft of the building. Each elevator car includes a housing and at least one door. The elevator car housing has a floor, a ceiling and at least one side wall. The elevator car is sized and configured to carry a vehicle and at least one passenger. Preferably, the information related to the parking location is read from the vehicle by an external sensor, such as an RFID sensor, a barcode reader or the like.

A linear translation platform is mounted on the floor of each of the elevator car accommodations. The linear translation platform is adapted to automatically transport the vehicle and at least one passenger through at least one door. In addition, the vehicle can be rotated within the housing by powered rotation of the platform or rotation of the ground, allowing selective angular positioning of the vehicle with respect to the housing. The elevator car ascends and descends within a corresponding elevator shaft in a manner similar to that of a conventional elevator.

These and other features of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following descriptive memory and drawings.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of an exemplary single story of a multi-story building utilizing a vehicular and passenger elevator system in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2A is a schematic sectional side view of a single elevator car of the vehicle and passenger elevator system according to the present invention.

Figure 2B is a schematic top view of the individual elevator car of Figure 2A.

Figure 3A is a schematic top view of the environment, partly in section, illustrating a vehicle approaching a single elevator of the vehicle and passenger elevator system according to the present invention.

Figure 3B is a schematic top view of the environment, partly in section, illustrating the extension of a platform of the elevator of Figure 3A to bring the vehicle into the elevator.

Figure 3C is a schematic top view of the environment, partly in section, illustrating the vehicle transported within the elevator of Figure 3A.

Like reference characters indicate corresponding features consistently throughout the accompanying drawings.

Best mode(s) for carrying out the invention

Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary floor plan of a single story of a multi-story building B utilizing the vehicle and passenger elevator system 10. In the exemplary floor plan of Figure 1, three separate elevators 12 are shown, 14, 16 positioned about a central axis A of building B. It will be understood that each elevator 12, 14, 16 includes an elevator car that can be selectively raised or lowered within a cylindrical elevator shaft by conventional elevator machinery, which not shown in drawings for clarity. It is to be understood that the cylindrical elevator shaft is shown for exemplary purposes only, and that the outline and relative dimensions of both the elevator shaft and the associated elevator car may vary as desired. Each elevator car includes at least one inner set of doors (or a single door) that opens and closes selectively, and each floor of the multi-storey building includes at least one set of outer doors (or a single door), and preferably two angularly offset sets of exterior doors, corresponding to each elevator 12, 14 and 16. It is to be understood that any desired number of elevators may be used, and their positioning relative to a building floor may be varied. In the exemplary configuration of Figure 1, in which the three elevators 12, 14, 16 are positioned so that their centers are equidistant from axis A, the elevators 12, 14, 16 are arranged as an equilateral triangle, with each of the elevators 12, 14, 16 serve one of the regions 18, 20, 22. For the circular arrangement of the floor plan shown in the example of Figure 1, each of the regions 18, 20, 22 encompasses approximately 120° of arc, and each region 28, 20, 22 is separated from the adjacent region(s) by exemplary stairwells S or the like.

In the exemplary configuration of Figure 1, each of the regions 18, 20, 22 bisects in two (as indicated by the radial dashed lines in Figure 1), such that region 18 is divided into subregions 24, 26; region 20 is divided into subregions 28, 30; and region 22 is divided into subregions 24-34. Each of the 24-34 sub-regions represents an individual living or office space. Thus, in this exemplary arrangement, each of the three regions 18, 20, 22 contains two individual office or living spaces. As shown, there are two assigned parking spaces for each subregion 24-34. Subregion 24 includes a pair of parking spaces 36; subregion 26 includes a pair of parking spaces 38; subregion 28 includes a pair of parking spaces 40; subregion 30 includes a pair of parking spaces 42; subregion 32 includes a pair of parking spaces 44; and subregion 34 includes a pair of parking spaces 46. Office space or rooms for each subregion may be arranged radially outward from the corresponding parking spaces for the subregion.

Each of the elevators 12, 14, and 16 function identically. In Figures 2A and 2B, a single elevator car 12 is illustrated. In order for elevator car 12 to provide access to either of two pairs of parking spaces 36, 38 in sector 18 (in the configuration of Figure 1 ), the interior elevator car doors 54 of the elevator 12 may comprise an assembly spanning 180° of the elevator car and the elevator 12 may be equipped with a rotary platform for selecting the sub-region 24 for accessing the parking spaces 36 or the subregion 26 to access the parking spaces 38, or the interior doors 54 of the elevator car can comprise two sets side by side, each of which extends 90° and the floor of the elevator car is rotatable to select either sub-region 24 or sub-region 26. Preferably, sub-region 24 has a set of exterior doors 56 that open when subregion 24 is selected, and subregion 26 has another set of exterior doors 56 that open when subregion 26 is selected. In the exemplary circular configuration of the elevators illustrated in Figures 1 and 2B, interior doors 54 and Exterior doors 56 must open and close along an arcuate or circumferential path, rather than the conventional straight path of conventional elevator doors.

As shown in Figure 2A, the vehicle V is placed on a platform 50 within the elevator 12, and the platform 50 is mounted on a controllable rotary bracket 52. This rotary bracket drives the rotation of the platform 50. This rotation not only allows selection of any of four parking spaces within a particular region, but also allows vehicle V to first enter the front end of elevator 12 and then turn inside the elevator to also exit the front end of elevator 12 first Such turntables and drive systems are well known, and any suitable type of controllable turntable support 52 can be used. Such a turntable is manufactured by PALIS Global Parking Technologies GmbH of Gersthofen, Germany. Another such support is the Turntable 505, manufactured by Otto Wohr GmbH of Fiolzheim, Germany. Other examples of such vehicle turntables are shown in US Patent No. 4,264,257, issued to Saurwein, and US Patent Application Publication No. US 2005/0095092 A1, de Segal et al.

In addition to the rotation of the platform 50 by the rotary support 52, the platform 50 is also preferably horizontally translatable. Figure 3A illustrates a vehicle V first approaching the doors 54 of the elevator 12. In Figure 3B, the doors 54 have been opened circumferentially, as described above, and the platform 50 translates linearly under the vehicle V and is raised to transport vehicle V. Once platform 50 is fully positioned under vehicle V and raised to support the vehicle, platform 50 is moved back to lift 12, as shown in Figure 3C, and vehicle V can be taken to the desired floor.

It is to be understood that any suitable type of powered platform may be used. Said carriages and translation supports are well known. Such a powered platform is manufactured by PALlS Global Parking Technologies GmbH of Gersthofen, Germany. Other examples of other systems of this type are shown in PCT Application Publication No. WO 2004/045932 A1, to Zangerle et al., and US Patent No. 4,768,914, issued to Sing.

It is to be understood that the system 10 can be used in combination with any suitable type of multi-story building. In use, the vehicle V enters a ground floor, underground floor or lobby level and proceeds to one of the elevators 12, 14, 16, positioning the vehicle as shown in Figure 3A. Preferably, at the entrance, the vehicle passes a sensor 70, as shown in Figure 3A. Sensor 70 may be a barcode reader, RFID sensor, or the like, which exchanges signals 72 with a matching vehicle-mounted tag or device V to identify the vehicle, including data identifying the vehicle's assigned floor and the parking space. In response to the identification of the private vehicle V and its assigned floor and parking space, the vehicle V proceeds to the appropriate entrance or staging area opposite the corresponding one of the elevators 12, 14, 16 for the private parking space.

Once in the appropriate holding area, the driver turns off the ignition of vehicle V and preferably remains within vehicle V. The elevator doors 54 associated with the particular layover area are opened and the automatically controlled ride platform or trolley 50 moves out from the elevator. Platform 50 moves under vehicle V, lifts vehicle V, and withdraws back into the elevator with vehicle V remaining on platform 50. Elevator doors 54 are then closed and the elevator ascends to the appropriate floor or level.

Once at the appropriate floor or level, the elevator doors 54 open and the movable platform laterally extends out and deposits the vehicle V in its assigned parking space. The laterally moving platform is then withdrawn from under the vehicle V, returns to the elevator, the elevator doors 54 are closed, and the elevator is then ready to move the next vehicle. When the driver of vehicle V wishes to leave building B, the driver points to the appropriate elevator and the process is reversed.

As noted above, since at least two parking spaces are preferably associated with each office or residential unit, system 10 not only lifts vehicle V from the entry level to the appropriate floor of building B, but is also able to move vehicle V to the correct parking space. This is accomplished by using the turntable 52 to rotate the platform 50. Alternatively, the platform 50 can be equipped with its own turntable, rather than mounted on it. During the ascent from the entry level, the platform 50 can be rotated, if necessary, so that the vehicle V is placed in the correct parking space. During the descent back to street level, the platform 50 is rotated so that when the elevator doors 54 are opened, the platform 50 moves the vehicle V out into the exit area. Preferably, the exit area is separated from the layover or loading area so that vehicles can exit the building without interfering with the progression of other vehicles entering the building and waiting in the holding area. It is to be understood that although two exemplary parking spaces are shown for each office or residential unit, any desired number of parking spaces may be assigned.

Since the vehicle V is transported vertically with one or more passengers inside the elevator, and since the vehicles are parked inside the building at a level coextensive with an office or a residence, it is desirable to avoid having the vehicle's engine running in the elevator. or in the parking area. Thus, once the vehicle V initially enters the loading or staging area, a carbon monoxide detector 74 will register whether the vehicle's engine is running and a positive response from the carbon monoxide detector 74 will prevent loading the vehicle on the lift. . For example, the doors 54 may remain closed until the sensor 74 measures a zero or minimum level of carbon monoxide. If the vehicle's engine is turned off upon entering the elevator, but the engine is started afterwards, one or more carbon monoxide sensors 76 within the elevator will stop the elevator's ascent and return the elevator to the entry level. It is to be understood that any suitable type of sensors may be used to ensure that the vehicle is not in operation. Additional sensors can be used to measure vehicle dimensions, movement or the like, such as laser sensors, for example.

To prevent injury to the vehicle operator and/or passengers, suitable motion detectors or optical sensors 78 may be provided within the elevator to detect the opening of the vehicle door or trunk, which can be used as a basis for stopping the ascent. or elevator descent. In addition, conventional smoke, heat or fire detectors can also be mounted inside the elevator.

Although the elevators 12, 14, 16 may vary in number, size, and general configuration, each elevator must be large enough to accommodate, for example, a vehicle approximately twenty feet long and two feet wide. Likewise, each elevator must be capable of accommodating the weight of a motor vehicle and its passengers, preferably being able to transport loads of up to approximately 3500 kg.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but rather encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (15)

1. A vehicle and passenger elevator system (10), comprising: an elevator car (12, 14, 16) having a housing and at least one door (54) for closing an opening, the housing having a floor, a ceiling and at least one side wall, the housing being configured to transport a vehicle (V) and at least one passenger; a floor-mounted linear translation platform (50) being operable to travel in and out of the elevator car (12, 14, 16), the linear translation platform (50) being configured to translate linearly under the vehicle and rise to transport the vehicle (V) and the at least one passenger through the at least one door (54); means for selectively rotating the vehicle (V) to provide access to one of a plurality of adjacent parking spaces (36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46); and means for selectively raising and lowering the elevator car (12, 14, 16). The vehicle and passenger elevator system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the housing is substantially cylindrical. The vehicle and passenger elevator system (10) according to claim 2, wherein at least one door (54) is arched. The vehicle and passenger elevator system (10) according to claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor (70) configured to read parking information from the vehicle (V). The vehicle and passenger elevator system (10) according to claim 4, wherein at least one sensor (70) comprises an RFID reader or a barcode reader. The vehicle and passenger elevator system (10) according to claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor (74, 76) for detecting whether the vehicle is in operation. The vehicle and passenger elevator system (10) according to claim 6, further comprising means for preventing the vehicle from entering the housing if the at least one sensor (74, 76) detects that the vehicle is in operation. The vehicle and passenger elevator system (10) according to claim 7, further comprising means for preventing the elevator car (12, 14, 16) from parking the vehicle within the building responsive to the at least one sensor (74, 76). The vehicle and passenger elevator system (10) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein at least one sensor (74, 76) comprises: a first carbon monoxide sensor (74) mounted on the exterior of the housing; and The means for preventing the vehicle (V) from entering the accommodation operates when the first carbon monoxide sensor (74) detects levels of carbon monoxide indicating that the engine of the vehicle (V) is running. The vehicle and passenger elevator system (10) as recited in claim 9 when dependent on claim 8, wherein at least one sensor (74, 76) further comprises: a second carbon monoxide sensor (76) mounted within the housing; and The means for preventing the elevator car (12, 14, 16) from parking the vehicle (V) inside the building is operational when the second carbon monoxide sensor (76) detects levels of carbon monoxide indicating that the engine of the vehicle (V) is working. The vehicle and passenger elevator system (10) according to claim 1, further comprising: a motion sensor (78) mounted within the housing; and Means for preventing the elevator car (12, 14, 16) from parking the vehicle (V) inside the building are operative when the movement sensor (78) detects movement inside the accommodation. The vehicle and passenger elevator system (10) according to claim 1, further comprising a subregion (24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34) with at least one parking space (36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46), said subregion (24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34) having a subregion gate (56) for closing said subregion (24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34). A method for parking a motor vehicle (V) using a vehicle and passenger elevator system (10) according to any of claims 6 to 10; understanding the method: determining whether an engine of the motor vehicle (V) is running with the sensor (74) of the vehicle and passenger elevator system (10); loading the motor vehicle (V) in the elevator car (12, 14, 16) with the platform (50) of the vehicle and passenger elevator system (10) when it is determined by the sensor (74) that the motor of the motor the vehicle (V) is not running; and denying the load of the motor vehicle (V) in the elevator car (12, 14, 16) when the sensor (74) determines that the motor of the motor vehicle (V) is running. A method of parking a motor vehicle (V) according to claim 13, further comprising; determining if an engine of the motorized vehicle (V) is running by means of one or more sensors (76) inside the elevator car (12, 14, 16) when it is in the elevator car (12, 14, 16) of the vehicle and passenger elevator system (10); returning the motor vehicle (V) to an entrance area if it is determined that the engine of the motor vehicle (V) is running or becomes operational while in the elevator car (12, 14, 16); delivering the motor vehicle (V) to an assigned parking space (36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46) when the engine of the motor vehicle (V) is in an inoperative state; and parking the motorized vehicle (V) in the assigned parking space (36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46) when the engine of the motorized vehicle (V) maintains the inoperative state. 15. A multi-storey building comprising: individual homes and/or offices, each with its respective parking space (36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46); and the vehicle and passenger elevator system (10) of any of claims 1 to 12.