GB1369900A - Automatic automobile parking facility - Google Patents

Abstract

1369900 Mechanical garage; swinging arm apparatus; counterbalancing H P MEYER and H H JOSEPH 13 Nov 1972 52232/72 Headings B8E B8H and B8B A mechanical garage 10, Figs. 1, 2, has a plurality of levels 10a-10c each provided with storage areas 14 arranged at co-ordinate points. Vehicles 24 are transported to and from storage positions in lift carriages 22 by an extendable boom 20 mounted on a raisable mast 18 positioned in a central shaft 12. With the boom 20 contracted to be within the shaft 12 the mast is raised or lowered to the desired level by a ram 100, Fig. 14. A desired switch 106 in the mast 18 is energized to co-operate with a contact ring 108 thus causing the ram 100 to be stopped and causing the corresponding piston cylinder device 114, 112 to be actuated to project a pin 119 into the corresponding recess 110 in the mast 18 to hold it at the selected level while permitting limited vertical movement. To set the angle #, Fig. 1, for the boom to reach the desired coordinates a motor 128, Fig. 14, drives a gear 132 vertically movable relative to the mast 18 but held to rotate therewith by keys 135 in slots 140 until an energized switch 142 is contacted by a contact arm 144 to stop the motor 128. To reach the desired co-ordinate position the boom 20 is extended by a motor 148, Fig. 11, driving a ball nut device 154 and ball screws 162, 164 to extend the boom. The motor 128 drives through a pinion 150 and through a similar pinion 152 correspondingly projects a counterweight 26, Fig. 3, to keep the boom balanced. The lift carriage 22 is automatically latched to and released from a skid 34 by cam apertured latches. The carriage 22 is secured to the boom 20 by a bar 30, Fig. 3, attached by a self-aligning bearing to a plate 28 and the bar 30 can be turned by a motor 32 to align the carriage with a storage area 14 when the boom end is at the selected co-ordinate. The plate 28 is movably secured to a carriage 46 in turn mounted to move on rails 50 so that operation of drive motors 60, 62 under the control of mercury switches 54, 58 positions the plate 28 so that the skid 34 and vehicle 24 are balanced thereon.