GB2060754A

GB2060754A - A cover for a servicing hole in an automotive service station

Info

Publication number: GB2060754A
Application number: GB7943350A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: RHEIN BAYERN FAHRZEUGBAU GmbH; Rhein-Bayern Fahrzeugbau & Co KG GmbH
Current assignee: RHEIN BAYERN FAHRZEUGBAU GmbH; Rhein-Bayern Fahrzeugbau & Co KG GmbH
Priority date: 1979-10-16
Filing date: 1979-12-17
Publication date: 1981-05-07
Also published as: ATA721779A; SE432626B; IT7983501A0; AT376746B; NL7909053A; IT1126166B; FR2467943A1; JPS5664069A; CH644426A5; DE2941755C2; GB2060754B; SE7910173L; DE2941755A1; BE880563A; FR2467943B1

Abstract

A band 18 of pivotably connected support members 20, the ends of which are supported on the longitudinal hole edges, is displaceable longitudinally in opposite directions by at least one motor drive to open and close the servicing hole 10. During the opening movement, the band 18 is moved downwardly at one end of the hole. In order to avoid a broadening of this region of the hole 10, the support members 20 are telescopic and are compressed to a reduced length in this region. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A cover for a servicing hole in an automotive service station German Patent No. 26 46 395 shows a cover for servicing holes in automotive service stations, comprising a band of parallel support members pivotably connected with one another and supported at their ends on horizontal guide rails arranged along the upper longitudinal edges of the hole, the band of support members being longitudinally displaceable by a driving motor.

The support members of this known structure are necessarily longer than the width of the servicing hole. Therefore the hole must be broadened at one end for the vertical run of the support members. This can be accomplished easily when new holes are built. In contrast to that, the known cover arrangement cannot be used for existing holes having parallel side surfaces and therefore being of constant width over the entire length of the hole, without considerable rebuilding of the hole.

What is desired is a cover arrangement which can be easily installed in servicing holes having a constant width over their entire length and which is adaptable to holes of different widths.

The present invention provides a cover for a serving hole in an automotive service station, comprising a band of parallel support members pivotably connected with one another and supported at their ends on horizontal guide rails arranged along the upper longitudinal edges of the hole, the band of support members being longitudinally displaceable, the support members being of telescopic construction; driving means for displacing the band of support members; and vertical guide surfaces for the ends of the support members, provided at opposite sides of the hole adjacent one end of the hole, the vertical guide surfaces having a reduced spacing with respect to the spacing between vertical surfaces of the guide rails.

In one embodiment of the invention, at each end of each support member a partially protruding roller is rotatably arranged and each support member consists of a middle portion and a pair of end portions, inserted from opposite ends into the middle portion, and a compression spring is arranged between the end portions, urging them outwardly into contact with the vertical surfaces of the guide rails or the vertical guide surfaces.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partially cut-away perspective view of a cover of a servicing hole; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a support member in the cover, illustrating its telescopic construction; Figure 3 is a section taken along line A-A of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a section taken along line B-B of Figure 1; and Figure 5 is a front view in the direction of arrow C in Figure 1.

A servicing hole 10 (Figure 1) is of constant width 1 2 over the entire length (Figure 3). At both upper longitudinal edges of the hole 10 guide rails 14, 1 6 of L-shape cross-section are mounted; in contrast to what is shown in the drawings, the rails are preferably flush with the floor of the service station.A band 18 made up of a plurality of pivotably connected elongate support members 20 forms the arrangement for covering the servicing hole 1 0. The support members 20 extend across the hole and are supported on the horizontal surfaces of the guide rails 14, 1 6. Each support member 20 is a telescoping member having a middle portion 22 of a box beam section with open ends and a pair of end portions 24, 26 inserted into the middle portion from opposite ends respectively, partly protruding therefrom. The middle portion 22 forms a guide for reciprocating relative displacement of the end portions 24, 26.

The end portions 24, 26 have abutments at their facing ends for a compression spring 28. The end portions 24, 26 are open at their outer ends, and a roller 30 partly protruding from the outer end of each end portion 24, 26 is rotatably supported on an axle fastened between an upper and a lower wall of the end portion, so that the roller 30 rotates about a vertical axis when the support members 20 are moved horizontally along the guide rails 14, 16.

Vertical guide surfaces 32 in the form of thin planar plates are arranged adjacent the side surfaces of the hole 10 at one end of the hole. The spacing 12 between the vertical guide surfaces 32 for the band of support members is less than the spacing 11 between the vertical flanges of the guide rails 14, 1 6. Thus the support members 20 are telescopically extended when they are positioned on the guide rails 14, 16 and their rollers 30 contact the vertical flanges, and when the support members 20 are positioned between the pair of vertical guide surfaces 32 they are telescopically compressed.

Connection ramps 34 are provided between each horizontal guide rail 14 or 16 and the respective vertical guide surface 32. Each connection ramp 34 consists of a bent, curved, or linear inclined L-bar 36 (Figure 4) spaced from the guide rail 14 or 16 by an insert 38. The vertical flange of the L-bar 36 provides a continuous transition between the guide rail 14 or 1 6 and the guide surface 32. At the end of the ramp 34 a support roller 40 is rotatably arranged between the pair of plates forming the vertical guide surfaces 32. The circumference of the support roller 40 is substantially flush with the horizontal flanges of the L-bars 36.When therefore the band 1 8 is moved in the opening direction (arrow 42) the support members 20 slide along the pair of guide rails 1 4, 1 6, then when they move into the region of the ramps 34 they are gradually compressed to a length substantially corresponding to the spacing 1 2 so that they fit between the vertical guide surfaces 32. The support members leave the ramps 34, move about the roller 40, and are deflected to the vertical direction. Then they slide downwards in their telescopically compressed state, whereby their ends contact the vertical guide surfaces 32, and then they are wound on a winding drum 44 rotably supported between extensions of the plates forming the vertical guide surfaces 32. The winding drum 44 is situated below the roller 40 and above the floor of the hole 10 and is drivingly connected with an electric motor. The other end of the cover band 18 is connected via a pair of chains 46 and pulleys 48 with a second drive mechanism (not shown) provided at the opposite end of the hole 10, in order to unwind the band from the drum 44 and move the band forwards in the direction indicated by arrow 50 to close the hole.

According to a different construction, instead of providing two separate drives, both ends of the cover band 1 8 can be connected by chains or other flexible elongate members to form an endless arrangement running about a plurality of pulleys. This endless arrangement can be driven by a single reversible motor operatively connected to the chains.

Claims

1. A cover for a servicing hole in an automotive service station, comprising a band of parallel support members pivotably connected with one another and supported at their ends on horizontal guide rails arranged along the upper longitudinal edges of the hole, the band of support members being longitudinally displaceable, the support members being of telescopic construction; driving means for displacing the band of support members; and vertical guide surfaces for the ends of the support members, provided at opposite sides of the hole adjacent one end of the hole, the vertical guide surfaces having a reduced spacing with respect to the spacing between vertical surfaces ofthe guide rails.

2. A cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein at each end of each support member a partially protruding roller is rotatably arranged.

3. A cover as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein each support member consists of a middle portion and a pair of end portions inserted from opposite into the middle portion, 9 compression spring between the end portions urging them outwardly into contact with the vertical surfaces of the guide rails or the vertical guide surfaces.

4. A cover as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, including a connecting ramp between the horizontal guide rail and the vertical guide surface at each side of the servicing hole, the spacing between the opposed connecting ramps continuously decreasing from the spacing between the vertical surfaces of the guide rails to the spacing between the vertical guide surfaces.

5. A cover as claimed in claim 4, wherein each connecting ramp comprises a bent or inclined member of L-shaped cross-section.

6. A cover as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the vertical guide surfaces comprise planar plates.

7. A cover as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein each end of the band of support members is connected to a respective drive motor.

8. A cover as claimed in claim 7, wherein at the said one end of the hole a winding drum is arranged for the band of supporting members.

9. A cover as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein flexible elongate members are connected to each end of the band of supporting members to form an endless arrangement guided by pulleys, the flexible members being operatively connected to a reversible drive.

10. A cover for a servicing hole in an automotive service station, substantially as described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.