GB2162503A

GB2162503A - Multi-storey car park

Info

Publication number: GB2162503A
Application number: GB08519194A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Shiro Sugiki; Kurao Saito
Original assignee: Hitachi Ltd
Current assignee: Hitachi Ltd
Priority date: 1984-07-31
Filing date: 1985-07-30
Publication date: 1986-02-05
Also published as: KR860001267A; JPS6138073A; GB8519194D0; GB2162503B; JPH066834B2; KR900006056B1

Abstract

A multi-storey car park comprises a storage area with shelves 11 for vehicles served by stacker cranes 5, entrances whereby the vehicles may enter the storage area, e.g. on lifts, exits provided downstream of the entrances at a predetermined distance therefrom in the same direction as the vehicles take when entering the car park, and a space provided between the entrances and the exits, and connected to the entrances and the exists. A passage 25 for vehicle passengers may be provided in this space, arranged at right angles to said direction. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Three-dimensional parking lot FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a three-dimensional parking lot for road vehicles such as passenger cars, and more particularly to a threedimensional parking lot using stacker cranes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART The three-dimensional parking lot using stacker cranes is described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 141178/76. The conventional parking lot is provided with a shelf having a plurality of storage shelves on both sides of a running way of the stacker cranes, an entrance on one end of the running way, and an exit on the other end. The entrance and the exit are arranged at a lower end of an elevation area of the stacker crane. There is provided in the vicinity of the entrance an empty pallet depalletizer for supplying an empty pallet to the entrance. There is provided in the vicinity of the exit an empty pallet stacker for recovering an empty pallet at the exit. These are formed as one set, and a plurality of the sets are juxtaposed.

A vehicle is mounted on the pallet in the entrance, and passengers get off the vehicle.

The vehicle mounting pallet is stored by the stacker crane through a conveyor. In taking the vehicle out of a shed, the vehicle mounted on the pallet is put on a conveyor on the exit side by the stacker crane, and is fed to the exit by the conveyor. Then, the passengers get on the vehicle and leave the parking lot.

In this constitution of the prior art parking lot, there is a possibility that a vehicle advancing to the entrance crosses passengers who have got off a vehicle in the vicinity of the entrance, which will cause danger of the passengers. Similarly, in the vicinity of the exit, there is a possibility that passengers walking toward the exit cross a vehicle leaving the exit, which will also cause danger.

Further, as the entrance and the exit are provided at the end of the running way of the stacker crane, a running length of the stacker crane is increased to render a time required for entering and leaving the shed long.

Additionally, there must be provided an admission passage for a vehicle as entering and a leaving passage for a vehicle as leaving at the end of the running way of the stacker crane. Accordingly, a requisite area is rendered large.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No.

154903/81 discloses a warehouse which includes shelves and a stacker crane on the second and higher floors, and a load disposing area at a lowermost portion of the shelves.

The load disposing area in connected to the first floor by a load lifting and conveying means, which is provided under the shelves.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to prevent danger at the entrances and exits.

According to the present invention, a threedimensional parking lot comprises shelves provided with a plurality of storage shelves for vehicles along running ways of the stacker cranes, entrances for receiving the vehicles, exits provided downstream of the entrances at a predetermined distance therefrom in a direction where the vehicles desiring to enter the parking lot advance toward the entrances, and a passage for passengers of the vehicles provided between the entrances and the exits, and connected to the entrances and the exits, the passage being perpendicular to the stacker cranes and the shelves, and also perpendicular to the running direction of the stacker cranes.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the three-dimensional parking lot of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross section taken along the line A-A in Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a cross section taken along the line B-B in Fig. 1; Figure 4 is a plan view of arrangement of shelves, stacker cranes, entrances, exits, roadways and footways; Figure 5 is a cross section taken along the line C-C in Fig. 1; Figure 6 is a plan view of the entrance and the exit; Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view of an area near the entrance and the exit; Figure 8 is a plan view of another arrangement of the entrances and the exits; Figure 9 is a plan view of still another arrangement of the entrances and the exits;; Figure 10 is a vertical sectional view of the three-dimensional parking lot of another embodiment according to the present invention; and Figure Ii is a cross section taken along the line D-D in Fig. 10.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVEN TION In the following, there will be described a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to Figs. 1 to 7. Reference numeral 1 designates a three-dimensional parking lot having a vehicle entrance and exit area 2 on the first floor and a vehicle storage area 3 on the second and higherr floors.

Reference numeral 5 designates stacker cranes designed to run on rails 6 provided on a floor 9 of the second floor. As is known, the stacker cranes 5 are provided with lifts 7 designed to be elevated or lowered by hoisting gears. The lifts 7 are provided with forks 8 projecting to shelves 10 and 11 on the right and left-hand sides of the rails 6. Each of the shelves 10 and 11 includes storage shelves of thirteen rows by seven steps as shown. The stacker cranes 5 and the shelves 10 and 11 are designed in such a manner that vehicles 20 mounted on pallets are stored in a lateral direction (parallel to the rails 6). As shown in the drawings, the stacker crane 5 and the shelves 10 and 11 on both sides of the stacker crane 5 are formed to be one set, and there are laterally arranged or juxtaposed three sets of the stacker crane and the shelves.

Lifts 1 5 for vehicle entrance are provided at a lower portion in the fifth row of the shelves 11 (as counted from the right-hand side in Fig. 2 and so forth). The vehicles 20 are mounted on the lifts 1 5 in the first floor 2, and are elevated to the first step 5A of the shelves 11. Lifts 1 6 for vehicle exit are provided at a lower portion in the eighth row of the shelves 11. The vehicles are mounted on the lifts 1 6 at the first step 8A of the shelves 11, and are lowered to the first floor 2. As shown in Fig. 7, there are not provided storage shelves at the first steps 5A and 8A in the first and eighth rows of the shelves 11.

The lifts 1 5 and 1 6 are provided in the fifth and eighth rows of each set of the shelves 11.

The lifts 15 and 16 are of a pantograph type to be hydraulically operated. There are defined spaces permitting insertion of the forks 8 between loading surfaces of the lifts 1 5 and 1 6 and the pallets.

Referring to Fig. 3, horizontal alternate long and short dash lines show the rails 6 of the stacker cranes 5. There are provided columns 21 under the rails 6 for supporting the storage area 3 (floor 9). Areas between the columns 21, and particularly under the first row to the second row of the shelves 11 are provided for admission passages 22 for vehicles. Entrance control gates 23 are provided between each of the admission passages 22 and the lifts 1 5. The vehicles 20 pass through the gates 23 and are placed on the lifts 1 5 of the entrance 12. Then, passengers get off the vehicles 20, and go along a footway 25 to a destination. The footway 25 is provided under the fifth row of the shelves at a right angle to a running direction of the stacker cranes 5.Both ends 25a of the footway 25 are connected at both sides of the three-dimensional parking lot 1 to a building or the like including the three-dimensional parking lot.

The footway 25 is connected to waiting rooms 26 where passengers wait to leave the parking lot. The waiting rooms 26 are provided under the shelves 10 of adjacent set and the running ways of the stacker cranes 5.

The vehicles 20 lowered to the first floor 2 by the lifts 1 6 run along leaving passages 27 extending from a front side of the vehicles in the sheds, and turn to the left to reach a main leaving passage 28, then coming to a public way 29 or the like. The leaving passages 27 are mainly provided under the ninth row of the shelves 11, and the main leaving passage 28 is provided under the tenth row of the shelves 11 at a right angle to the running direction of the stacker cranes 5.

Each of the admission passage 22 is connected to the public way 29 or the like via a main admission passage 30 provided at a right angle to an exterior of the parking lot 1.

There are provided indicators 35 for indicating that the vehicles are "full" or "empty" and the like at an upper portion of the entrance of each of the admission passages 22. There are also provided devices for checking a height of the vehicles at the upper portion of the entrance.

Referring to Fig. 6, there are provided a mirror and an indicator on a wall 36 before the lift 1 5 for vehicle entrance, so as to give passengers' attention as of a vehicle stop position or upon getting off the vehicles.

There is provided an elevating fence 37 designed to surround the lift 1 5 upon elevation and lowering on the side of the lift 1 5.

The fence 37 is suspended from a ceiling portion of the first floor, and is adapted to be elevated and lowered along a frame 38. There is further provided outside the fence 37 a terminal equipment 41 of a control device for giving an entrance command and a magnetic card, etc. as a parking card.

There is provided in the waiting room 26 a terminal equipment 42 of a control device for giving a leaving command by insertion of the magnetic card. When the vehicle is lowered according to the leaving command, a door 45 of the waiting room 26 is opened, and the fence 37 is elevated. The fence 37 and the frame 38 are similar to those of the entrance.

An entrance 46 around the lift 1 5 and an exit 47 around the lift 1 6 are surrounded by a wall (or a wire net) 48 for safety, and there is defined a required space between the wall 48 and the pallet so as for the passengers to easily get on and off the vehicle and load a baggage into a trunk room. The rear wall 48 of the exit 47 is provided under the seventh row of the shelves. The fence 37 and the door 45 are provided on the right-hand side of the running direction because the vehicle is mostly of a type that a steering wheel is mounted on a right-hand side thereof. However, if the vehicle is mostly of a type that the steering wheel is mounted on a left-hand side thereof, the fence 37 and the door 45 are provided on the left-hand side.

There is provided a wall 50 or a fence between the columns 21 in the running direction of the stacker cranes 5, so as to form passages and chambers.

A space under the eleventh to thirteenth rows of the shelves is provided for a chamber 51 where a transformer, a control device for the stacker cranes 5 and the lifts 1 5 and 16, and a fire equipment are installed.

The other space on the first floor is provided for a hydraulic chamber of the lifts 1 5 and 16.

There will now be described an entrance procedure of the vehicles with the abovementioned arrangement. The vehicle on the main admission passage 30 enters the admission passage 20 in an advance direction accordance to a command of the indicator 35. If entrance is not permitted, the gate 23 continues to be lowered, and therefore the vehicle is stopped on the admission passage 20 as shown. When entrance is permitted, the lift 15 mounting the pallet 55 thereon is lowered.

Under such condition, the fence 37 and the gate 23 are elevated to allow the vehicle to advance and stop on the pallet 55. Then, the gate 23 is closed. When the passengers get off the vehicle, and give an entrance command to the terminal equipment 41 and take the magnetic card, the fence 37 is lowered, and the lift 1 5 is elevated. The passengers go along the footway 25 to the destination.

The lift 1 5 for vehicle entrance is stopped at the first step 5A of the shelves 11. The stacker crane 5 is operated to move the fork 8 and the lift 7 in a known manner, and receive the vehicle 20 together with the pallet 55.

Then, the stacker crane 5 carries out running and elevation/lowering to place the vehicle 20 with the pallet 55 on a predetermined storage shelf.

After the vehicle 20 is placed on the storage shelf, the stacker crane 5 takes the pallet out of an empty shelf to put the same on the lift 1 5. The lift 1 5 is lowered for preparation of a vehicle entrance.

In case of leaving the parking lot, the passengers come from a communication gate 25a along the footway 25 to the waiting room 26 at the previous row, and insert the magnetic card into the terminal equipment 42 to give a leaving command.

The stacker crane 5 given the leaving command receives the vehicle 20 with the pallet 55 from the storage shelf as indicated, and is stopped at the eighth row to place the vehicle on the lift 1 6 at the first step 8A of the shelves 11. After the fork 8 is retracted, the lift 1 6 is lowered. Then, the door 45 and the fence 37 of the waiting room 26 are opened to permit the passengers to get on the vehicle. Then, the vehicle 20 is advanced to leave the parking lot via the leaving passages 27 and 28.

As the lift 1 6 is elevated again, the stacker crane 5 moves an empty pallet to an empty shelf or the lift 1 5 as elevated.

In this manner, the entrance 46 and the exit 47 are independently provided, and the exit 47 is arranged downstream of the entrance 46 with respect to the running direction of the vehicle. Further, the footway is provided between the entrance 46 and the exit 47, and these are provided under the running way of the stacker crane. With this arrangement, it is possible to prevent crossing of entering vehicles, leaving vehicles and passengers to ensure great safety.

Further, as the lift 1 5 for entrance and the lift 1 6 for exit may be provided near a central area of the running direction of the stacker crane, a vehicle entering time and leaving time may be shortened. As the stacker crane 5 has to only run at the distance of eight rows to the farthest storage shelf so that the vehicles may enter or leave the parking lot, the distance of five rows may be reduced as compared with the case that the entrance and the exit are provided at end portions of the shelves 10 and 11.

Furthermore, the admission passages 22 may be provided on the first floor, an admission passage outside the three-dimensional parking lot may be made small, thereby permitting a site to be effectively utilized.

As the footway 25 is provided in a transverse direction, a building cost may be made less expensive.

Although the main admission passage 30 may be provided in the vicinity of the gate 23, the large space between the passage 30 and the gate 23 as shown permits the vehicle to be easily advanced to the pallet 55 of the lift 1 5. Further, as the admission passages 22 may be utilized as a waiting area, stoppage of the vehicles on the main admission passage 30 may be prevented, resulting in a speedy entrance procedure.

As the entrance 46 and the exit 47 are provided in each set of the stacker crane 5 and the shelves 10 and 11 irrespective of the fact that many sets of the stacker crane 5 and the shelves 10 and 11 are provided laterally, it is possible to prevent crossing in the quite same manner as with the case of a single set.

The waiting room 26 may be provided under the seventh row. The lift 1 6 for exit may be provided under the shelves 1 0. The stacker crane 5 may be of a suspended type.

Although the admission passages 22, the leaving passages 23 and the footway 25 are provided on the same plane in the abovementioned embodiment, they are not necessarily provided on the same plane.

In a modified embodiment as shown in Fig.

8, the lifts 1 5 for entrance are provided in the second and third columns of the shelves. In this embodiment, because the lifts 1 5 are arranged adjacent to each other, it is necessary to enlarge a width of the shelves in a columnar direction or make the vehicles to alternatively enter the lifts 15, so as not to interfere with opening and closing operations of doors of the vehicles during entering. With this arrangement according to the previous embodiment as shown in Fig. 2, as the lifts 15 are provided in every other column, the width of the shelves may be made small, and the vehicles may be allowed to simultaneously enter the lifts.

Although the lifts 1 5 and 1 6 are provided in the entrance 46 and the exit 47 according to the above-mentioned embodiments, the lifts 1 5 and 16 may be provided with a conveyor for conveying a vehicle mounting pallet in a running direction of the stacker crane, and the entrance 46 and the exit 47 may be provided in the fourth and ninth rows, respectively.

Further, the entrance 46 and the exit 47 may be provided with another conveyor connected to the afore-mentioned conveyor. Thusly, the entrance, the exit and the lifts may be arranged in a separate position. With this arrangement, it is possible to secure safety because the lifts are not provided in the entrance and the exit.

Furthermore, the entrance 5A and the exit 8A in the shelves may be provided with a support device for supporting the vehicle mounting pallet to define a temporary storage space for the pallet. The support device is retractively moved inwardly.

In another way, a conveyor may be provided in the six and seventh rows on the first step of the shelves 11, and is adapted to be connected to the conveyor for the lifts to define a temporary storage space for the vehicle mounting pallet.

The doors of the entrance 46 and the exit 47 for allowing passengers and vehicles to pass therethrough may be a rotating door.

In the afore-mentioned embodiments, the admission passages 22 are not connected with the footway 25. However, in the case that a part of the passengers gets off the vehicles at the admission passages 22 for example, there may be provided a passage leading the passengers along the side of the fence 37 to the footway 25. Similarly, when the passengers get on the vehicles at the leaving passages 27, there may be provided a passage connecting the waiting room 26 with the leaving passage 27.

There may be provided a plurality of footways 25 as separated for entering passengers and leaving passengers.

In a modified embodiment as shown in Fig.

9, the vehicles 20 are adapted to be stored in a direction perpendicular to a running direction of the stacker cranes 5. The admission passages 22 of the vehicles 20 are provided basically at a right angle to the running direction of the stacker cranes 5. In entering each of the entrances, the vehicles 20 are required to be steered. To the contrary, with the arrangement as shown in Fig. 2, the vehicles may easily enter a center of the entrance straightly.

If a set of the combined stacker crane 5 and shelves is provided, the admission passages 22, leaving passages 27 and footway 25 may be more freely arranged. Further, it is not necessary to provide the entrances, exits and footway on the same floor according to the relation with a building or the like.

Although the first floor is allocated to the entrance and exit, and the second floor is allocated to the storage area 3 in the aforementioned embodiment, the entrance and exit may be provided on the first floor, and the storage area 3 may be provided in the basement.

The stacker cranes may be provided on the aboveground floors and the underground floors, and a lift which is movable between the first basement and the second aboveground floor may be provided.

Although the above-mentioned embodiment employs the pallets, it is possible to obviate the pallets by using various known means as proposed.

The present invention is employable for a parking lot for temporarily storing vehicles to be exported until a carrying vessel arrives in port.

In this case, drivers are transported from the vessel to the three-dimensional parking lot by a compact bus. To this end, the compact bus may be driven into the footway 25 in the embodiment as shown in Fig. 3. After loading a vehicle, the drivers who are professionals will go along the admission passages to the next vehicle to be loaded.

To accelerate a leaving operation, the stacker cranes and the lifts for leaving may be designed so as to handle a plurality of vehicles at the same time.

The vehicles may include a bicycle and a truck carrying a load.

Referring to Figs. 10 and 11 which show another embodiment, the entrances and exits are provided on the same level as of the running ways of the stacker cranes, while the footway is provided under the running ways.

The entrances and exits are connected with the footway via stairs. In the drawings, the entrances 46, exits 47, admission passages 22 and leaving passages 27 are provided at the level of the storage shelves on the first step of the shelves 10 and 11. The rails 6 of the stacker cranes 5 are arranged under the level of the storage shelves on the first step.

The shelves 10 and 11 on the first step except a set of the shelves 10 on the lower side as viewed in the drawing are formed as a floor GL for entrance and exit rather than the storage shelves. A level of the floor GL is designed to be a level required for entering and leaving. The floor GL is provided with a ceiling on its upper surface. There are provided walls 70 between the floor and the running ways of the stacker cranes 5, so as to prevent contact of men or vehicles with the stacker cranes 5. Bottom portions of the entrances 46 and exits 47 are designed in such that pallets are exchanged by the forks of the stacker cranes 5. The entrances 46 and exits 47 are provided with doors on left-hand sides thereof which are adapted to be opened upon exchanging of the vehicles to/from the stacker cranes. As a left door of the vehicle may not be opened in the entrances 46 and exits 47, areas where passengers may get off and on are provided on the way of the admission passages 22 and leaving passages 27.

This embodiment is mostly adaptable to a right-hand steering wheel vehicle. however, if a left-hand steering wheel vehicle is adapted, the vehicle may be entered from the left-hand side as viewed in the drawing.

The exits 47 are provided in the tenth row.

The footway 25b is provided under the running ways of the stacker cranes 5. The footway 25b is connected to the entrances 46 and exits 47 via stairs 71. The footway 25b is arranged at a right angle to the running direction of the stacker cranes 5.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional parking lot comprising: stacker cranes adapted to run, and elevate and lower lifts; shelves provided with a plurality of storage shelves for vehicles along running ways of said stacker cranes; entrances for receiving said vehicles, and exits provided downstream of said entrances at a predetermined distance therefrom in a direction where said vehicles desiring to enter said parking lot advance toward said entrances; admission passages for said vehicles provided upstream of said entrances in the running direction of said vehicles, and leaving passages for said vehicles provided downstream of said exits in the running direction of said vehicles; and a passage for passengers of said vehicles provided between said entrances and said exits, and connected to said entrances and said exits, said passage being perpendicular to said stacker cranes and said shelves, and also perpendicular to the running direction of said stacker cranes.

2. The three-dimensional parking lot as defined in claim 1 wherein said entrances, said exits and admission passages and said leaving passages are provided in said shelves.

3. A three-dimensional parking lot comprising: stacker cranes adapted to run, and elevate and lower lifts; shelves provided with a plurality of storage shelves for vehicles along running ways of said stacker cranes; a floor provided perpendicularly to said stacker cranes and said shelves; entrances provided on said floor, and exits provided on said floor downstream of said entrances in a direction where said vehicles desiring to enter said parking lot advance toward said entrances; lifts for entrance and lifts for exit adapted to elevate and lower said vehicles at a position between an area where said lifts of said stacker cranes in said shelves are elevated and lowered and said entrances or said exits;; admission passages for said vehicles provided on said floor upstream of said entrances in the running direction of said vehicles, and leaving passages for said vehicles provided on said floor downstream of said exits in the running direction of said vehicles; and a passage provided on said floor between said lifts for entrance and said lifts for exit, and connected to said entrances and said exits, said passage being perpendicular to the running ways of said stacker cranes.

4. The three-dimensional parking lot as defined in claim 3, wherein said admission passages and said leaving passages are arranged along the running direction of said stacker cranes, and a longitudinal direction of said vehicles stored in said storage shelves is parallel to said running ways of said stacker cranes.

5. The three-dimensional parking lot as defined in claim 4, wherein said entrances and said exits are arranged perpendicularly to said shelves.

6. The three-dimensional parking lot as defined in claim 5, wherein at least one of said entrances and said exits is provided at a position inside of an end of said shelves in the running direction of said stacker cranes by such a distance as corresponding to at least one of said storage shelves.

7. The three-dimensional parking lot as defined in claim 6, wherein said at least one is said entrances, and a length of said admission passages connected to said entrances parallel to said running ways of said stacker cranes is in correspondance with a length of a plurality of said vehicles.

8. The three-dimensional parking lot as defined in claim 6, wherein at least one of said admission passages and said leaving passages is parallel to said running ways of said stacker cranes in the vicinity of said entrances and said exits connected to said admission passages and said leaving passages, and is perpendicular to said running ways in the area of a distance from said entrances and said exits.

9. The three-dimensional parking lot as defined in claim 8, wherein said at least one is said leaving passages.

10. The three-dimensional parking lot as defined in claim 9, wherein said entrances are provided at a position inside of an end of said shelves in the running direction of said stacker cranes by such a distance as corresponding to a plurality of said storage shelves, and a length of said admission passages connected to said entrances parallel to said running ways of said stacker cranes is in correspondance with a length of a plurality of said vehicles.

11. The three-dimensional parking lot as defined in claim 5, wherein said entrances and said exits are provided at a position inside of an end of said shelves in the running direction of said stacker cranes by such a distance as corresponding to at least one of said storage shelves.

12. The three-dimensional parking lot as defined in claim 3, wherein said floor is provided under said running ways and said shelves, and a height from said floor to said running ways and said shelves is greater than a height of said vehicles and said passengers.

1 3. The three-dimensional parking lot as defined in claim 3, wherein said entrances and said exits are provided with respective peripheral walls, and said walls of said entrances and said exits are provided with gates on the admission passages side and the leaving passages side, respectively, for allowing said vehicles to pass therethrough, and with doors for said passengers on a driver's seat side of said vehicles which will mostly utilize said three-dimensional parking lot, and spaces are defined between said walls on said doors side and said vehicles for allowing said passengers to open a vehicular door on the driver's seat and get on and off said vehicles.

14. The three-dimensional parking lot as defined in claim 13, wherein spaces are defined between an opposite side to the driver's seat side of said vehicles and said walls for allowing said passengers to open said vehicular door on the opposite side to the driver's seat side and get on and off said vehicles, said spaces being connected to said doors of said walls via a rear space of said vehicles.

1 5. The three-dimensional parking lot as defined in claim 3, wherein said shelves are provided on both sides of said running ways to form a set of said shelves, and a plurality of said sets are juxtaposed, said entrances and said exits being provided on one of said shelves forming said set, said one of said shelves being identical with each other in every set.

1 6. A three-dimensional parking structure constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.