GB2237799A

GB2237799A - Vehicle parking apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2237799A
Application number: GB9022341A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hideo Saito; Hideo Fujishiro
Original assignee: TOKO REHOME KK
Current assignee: TOKO REHOME KK
Priority date: 1989-10-23
Filing date: 1990-10-15
Publication date: 1991-05-15
Anticipated expiration: 2010-10-15
Also published as: JPH0768791B2; KR910008244A; GB2237799B; JPH03137364A; KR950003809B1; GB9022341D0

Abstract

A vehicle parking apparatus of circulatory, vertically-accommodating type having a supporting structure and a number of cages (25) which are movably supported by said supporting structure for accommodating respective vehicles characterized by further comprising: guide rails (5) supported by the supporting structure to lie in vertical planes respectively near front and rear ends of the cages; spoke-like arms (9) extending radially outward in a vertical plane from a common center at substantially the central part of each guide rail and being rotatable about that center, a guide mechanism (10) for each cage comprising, in mutually pivotally coupled state, a first guide freely movable along and guidable by each arm and a second guide freely movable along and guidable by each guide rail near that arm and fixed at an end part thereof to one end of a horizontal support rod for suspendingly supporting a respective one of the cages. <IMAGE>

Description

VEHICLE PARKING APPARATUS OF CIRCULATORY, VERTICALLY-ACCOMMODATING TYPE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to vehicle parking apparatuses of the circulatory, vertically-accommodating or multilevel tiered type. More particularly the invention concerns a vehicle parking apparatus of this type in which cages accommodating respective automotive vehicles can be circulated by rotation even on land lots (plots) of small ground area.

In recent years, the scarcity of automotive vehicle parking space in urban centers has become a problem. As one measure for solving this problem, vehicle parking apparatuses of the circulatory vertically-accommodating or tiered type adapted to accommoaate a large number of automotive vehicles within plots of small area are being built at various urban places. In a typical known apparatus of this character, a plurality of cages for accommodating respective vehicles are suspended at their upper parts from the outer extremities of arms of a rotor which is rotatable about a horizontal axis. By rotating this rotor, the cages are moved in circulatory movement.

In the design of an apparatus of this type, the following problems have been encountered. The number of vehicles that can be accommodated is generally determined by the diameter of the rotor. Therefore, in order to increase the number of accommodatable vehicles, the diameter must be increased. At the same time, however, the power required for driving the rotor must also be increased. In the case where the plot area is limited, only a limited number of vehicles can be parked at any one time.

Accordingly, a vertically-accomm,odating parking apparatus having an elevator device in which chains are so coupled as to tier a plurality of cages in the vertical direction has been proposed. In this apparatus, the cages are moved along a closed circulatory path comprising ascending and descending path parts joined at their upper and lower ends by semicircular parts. By the use of this parking apparatus, the number of vehicles that can be parked relative to the plot ground area can be increased.

In a parking apparatus of this type incorporating a chain elevator device, however, there is a possibility of accidents such as dropping of cages due to breakage of a chain. Accordingly each cage must be provided with a safety device for preventing the cage from dropping because of such accidents. Thus the construction of the apparatus becomes complicated, and the cost also rises considerably.

SUte'9RY OF THE lrS7ElXlIO8 Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a parking apparatus of circulatory verticallyparking type in which the above described problems encountered in the prior art are solved and which requires a small ground area for installation and has a simple construction and a high safety characteristic.

According to this invention there is provided a vehicle parking apparatus of the instant type which is characterized by a circulatory guide rails supported by a supporting structure to lie in vertical planes respectively near front and rear ends of a plural number of cages; the same plural number of spoke-like arms extending radially outward in a vertical plane from a common center at substantially the central part of each of the guide rails and being rotatable about that center, the arms constituting a stellate rotor disposed in a vertical plane between each guide rail and said cages; a guide mechanism comprising, in mutually pivotally coupled state, a first guide freely movable along and guidable by each of the arms and a second guide freely movable along and guidable by each guide rail near said arm and fixed at an end part thereof to one end of a horizontal support rod for suspendingly supporting a respective one of the cages; and a driving system comprising motive power driving means of reversible type, chains or the like flexible power transmitting means passed around the outer extremities of the arms of each rotor and driven by the driving means to rotate the rotors in either of two directions, and control means for controlling the twodirectional operation of the driving means.

The nature, utility, and further features of this invention will be more clearly apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, briefly described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings: FIG. 1 is an end elevation of one example of practice of the vehicle parking apparatus of circulatory, vertically-acco:T'odating type according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the same vehicle parking apparatus; FIG. 3 is a side view of one example of a guide mechanism in the same apparatus; and FIG. 4 is a view in the direction indicated by arrows IV-IV in FIG. 5 of the same guide mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the example shown therein of the parking apparatus according to this invention has a base 1 of oblong rectangular shape in plan view. The longitudinal or elongation direction of this base 1 is in the left-right direction as viewed in FIG. 2. The left and right ends of the base 1 as viewed in FIG. 2, and of the entire apparatus as well as its parts, will be referred to herein as the front and rear ends.

On the base 1 at the four corners thereof, the lower ends of four vertically erected columns 2, 2, ... are fixedly anchored. The upper ends of these columns 2, 2, ... are connected by four horizontal upper beams 3a, 3a, ... forming a rectangular figure. Two of these beams 3a, 3a, ... are opposite longitudinal beams, and two are opposite cross beams. Cross beams 3b, 3b and 3c, 3c similarly connect the columns 2, 2, ... at height positions spaced approximately by one third of the column height between the upper and lower ends of the columns.

The entire structure is a rigid frame 4 in the shape of a rectangular parallelepipeds.

On the inner sides 4a of the front columns 2, 2 and separated slightly therefrom and from the front cross beams 3a, 3b, and 3c, a front guide rail 5 is fixedly supported on the frame 4. This guide rail 5 is in the form of a closed figure comprising two vertical straight parts spaced apart and semicircular upper and lower parts joining the upper and lower ends the vertical straight parts. The guide rail 5 of elongated rings shape is fabricated by forming a flat plate. Its width is substantially equal to the distance between the two front columns 2, 2. Its height is substantially equal to the distance between the front upper cross beam 3a and the front lower cross beam 3c.

On the inner sides 4b of the rear columns 2, 2, a rear guide rail 5 identical to the front guide rail 5 described above is similarly supported on the frame 4 in a state of opposition to the above described front guide rail 5.

The front and rear middle cross beams 3b, 3b at their middle parts respectively support bearings 7, 7. A horizontal rotatable shaft 6 is rotatably supported at its front and rear ends by these bearings 7, 7. A rotating plate 8 is fixed to each end of the rotatable shaft 6. With each rotating plate 8 as a central hub, five spokes or arms 9, 9, ... of equal length are fixed thereto and extend radially outward therefrom. The length of each of these arms 9, 9, ... is set at a value substantially equal to one half the length in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) of the guide rail 5.

Each arm 9 and the guide rail 5 is coupled by a guide mechanism 10 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Each guide mechanism 10 comprises a first guide 10A and a second guide lOB. Of these two guides, the first guide lOA has four guide rollers 11, 11, ... of grooved or sheave form rotatably supported in two spaced-apart rows of two rollers each in a manner to clamp the corresponding arm 9 from opposite sides. These guide rollers 11, 11, ... are rotatably fitted on respective bushings 13, 13, clamped between and supported by two support plates 12, 12 of rectangular shape. Each guide roller 11 is provided around its peripheral cylindrical surface with a rectangular-section groove lla of a width suitable for smooth engagement with the thickness of the arm 9.Thus the opposite side edge parts of the arm 9 are engaged by the grooves lia, lla, ... of the opposite rows of the guide rollers 11. By this construction and arrangement, the first guide 10A can move along the arm 9 in the longitudinal direction thereof while clamping this arm 9 from opposite sides.

On the other hand, the second guide lOB has three guide rollers 14, 14, ... rotatably fitted on bushings 16, 16, ... each fixed at its one end to one corner of a single triangular support plate 15. Each guide roller 14 is provided around its peripheral cylindrical surface with a rectangular-section groove 14a of a width suitable for smooth engagement with the plate thickness of the guide rail 5. The opposite side edge parts of the guide rail 5 are engaged by the grooves 14a, 14a, ... of two guide rollers 14, 14 on one side and of one guide roller 14 on the opposite side. Thus the second guide lOB can move along the closed-circuit guide rail 5 in a state of clamping this guide rail 5.

Furthermore, the first and second guides lOA and lOB are pivotally coupled by a short coupling shaft 17 between one support plate 12 of the first guide 10A and the support plate 15 of the second guide 10B. Therefore each guide mechanism 10 comprising these first and second guides 10A and 10B is always disposed at the intersection of the corresponding arm 9 and the guide rail 5. In concert with the rotation of its arm 9, each guide mechanism 10 moves relative to and along its arm 9 in the longitudinal direction thereof.

The rear guide rail 5 and the rear arms 9 are coupled in exactly the same manner as described above by respective guide mechanisms 10. The arms 9 at the front and those at the rear are in in-phase alignment as viewed in the front-rear direction. Therefore each guide mechanism 10 at the front is aligned with a counterpart guide mechanism 10 at the rear and is connected thereto by a support rod 24 as described hereinafter. Each support rod 24 is fixed at its ends to the inner support plates 12 of these guide mechanisms 10 coaxially with the above mentioned short coupling shafts 17.

On the upper part of the frame 4, driving devices 18, 18 are mounted and coupled to a single driving shaft 19 extending horizontally in the front-rear direction at a position midway between the left and right columns 2, 2. Thus the driving devices 18, 18 operate synchronously in rotation. These driving devices 18, 18, which are for driving the arms 9 in rotation, are capable of driving the driving shaft 19 in either of opposite rotational directions. To each end of the driving shaft 19 are fixed in tandem a pair of sprockets 20 and 21 of the same diameter. Two chains 22 and 23 are passed in opposite directions around each pair of sprockets 20 and 21 in a manner to connect these sprockets 20 and 21 and the outer extremities of the arms 9, 9 ....

Referring to FIG. 1, the chain 22 for rotating the arms 9, 9, ... in the counterclockwise direction as viewed therein is fixed at its one end to the outer extremity of one arm 9E and then passed successively around the outer ends of the arms 9D, 9C, 9B, and 9A in the counterclockwise direction and finally around the sprocket 20 to be led to a tensioning device (not shown).

On the other hand, the chain 23 for rotating the arms 9 in the clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1 is fixed at its one end to the outer end of the arm 9A and then passed successively around the outer ends of the arms 9B, 9C, 9D, and 9A in the clockwise direction and finally around the sprocket 21 to be led to a tensioning device (not shown).

Therefore, when the driving devices 18 are rotated in the clockwise direction (referred to herein as the regular direction), the chain 23 is wound and rotates the arms 9 in the clockwise direction. Conversely, reverse rotation of the driving devices 18 causes the chain 22 to be wound and rotate the arms 9 in the counterclockwise direction. For the sake of safety in the above described operation, the parts of the chains 22 and 23 thus taken up are passed through tensioning devices (not shown) and accommodated in a specific place. At the same time, the driving devices 18, 18 are provided with devices (not shown) for preventing excessive winding.

The above described driving power transmitting mechanism is provided for front and rear ends of the parking apparatus. As mentioned briefly hereinbefore, the front and rear groups of arms 9 are in in-phase alignment and rotate in synchronism in mutually opposed positions. The guide mechanisms 10 of these front and rear groups of arms 9 are also in in-phase alignment and rotate in synchronism. Each pair of opposed front and rear guide mechanisms 10, 10 is connected by a horizontal support rod 24. Each support rod 24 is made of a round steel bar of high rigidity.

From each support rod 24 is suspended a cage 25 extending in the front-rear direction over a distance just short of the ends of the support rods 24. Thus five cages 25 are thus suspended from respective support rods 24. Each cage 25 has an interior volume of ample size for accommodating one automotive vehicle 26. Thus the rotatable assembly of the front and rear arms 9, the shaft 6, the support rods 24, and the cages 25 resembles a Ferris wheel rotatable about the horizontal shaft 6, which is supported by the rigid frame 4. Each cage 25 is open at one or both of its front and rear ends, whereby, when that cage is at its lowermost position, an automotive vehicle can enter or exit from the cage. Each cage 25 is of such a construction having ample rigidity that its entire structure will not undergo torsional or deflective deformation during operation.On the other hand, for reducing the weight of each cage 25, a light yet strong material such as expanded metal is used in the construction of its floor.

Thus each cage 25 is suspended fro its respective front and rear arms 9, 9 by way of its guide mechanisms 10, 10. For this reason, the position of the points of suspension of each cage 25 can shift along its arms 9, 9 at the same time that it moves along the closed-circuit guide rails 5, 5. Therefore, even when a pair of front and rear arms 9, 9 is in a horizontal state, the rotational moment can be reduced to substantially one half, whereby the load on the driving devices 18, 18 can be considerably decreased.

The example of the parking apparatus of the above described construction according to this invention is operated in the following manner. As described above, five cages 25, 25, ... are provided in the instant example.

The state as shown in FIG. 1 wherein the cages are at the positions A, B, C, D, and E, and moreover all chains 22 and 23 are not wound up, will be taken as the basic positional state. As mentioned hereinabove, when a cage 25 is the lowermost position C, a vehicle can enter that cage from the outside or a vehicle formerly in the cage can be driven out of the cage. A switch box 27 for controlling the operation of driving devices 18, 18, and therefore the rotation of the arms 9, is mounted on a column 2 on one side of the vehicle entrance-exit.

Furthermore, a limit switch device (not shown) is provided for stopping each cage 25 accurately at the position C.

It will be assumed that all cages 25, 25, ... are in the basic positional state. Then, in order to load an empty cage 25 at the position A with a vehicle 26, the arms 9A are rotated clockwise to shift the cage 25 at the position A to the lowermost position C. The vehicle 26 is then driven into this cage 25, and the arms 9A are rotated in the counterclockwise direction to return the cage 25 thus loaded with the vehicle at the position C to the position C.

In the case where an empty cage 25 at the position E is to be loaded with a vehicle 26, the arms 9E are rotated in the counterclockwise direction opposite that described above. The cage 25 at the position E is thereby shifted to the position C and then loaded with the vehicle 26. The arms 9E are then rotated clockwise to return the cage 25 thus loaded at the position C to the position E. In order to prevent the cage 25 from moving past the return position a or E to rise upward, known devices for preventing excessive winding or limit switches (not shown) are provided.

As will have been apparent from the foregoing description, the present invention provides a vehicle parking apparatus of circulatory, verticallyaccommodating type of a novel construction which requires only a minimum ground space and is therefore economical, and which is simple yet is highly safe.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A vehicle parking apparatus of circulatory, vertically-accommodating type having a supporting structure and a plural number of cages which are movably supported by said supporting structure for accommodating respective vehicles and have entrance-exit openings for loading-unloading vehicles, and which are successively movable upward and downward in a circulatory path to and from respective accommodation positions, characterized by further comprising: circulatory guide rails supported by said supporting structure to lie in vertical planes respectively near front and rear ends of said cages; said plural number of spoke-like arms extending radially outward in a vertical plane from a common center at substantially the central part of each of said guide rails and being rotatable about said center, said arms constituting a stellate rotor disposed in a vertical plane between each guide rail and said cages; a guide mechanism comprising, in mutually pivotally coupled state, a first guide freely movable along and guidable by each of said arms and a second guide freely movable along and guidable by each guide rail near said arm and fixed at an end part thereof to one end of a horizontal support rod for suspendingly supporting a respective one of said cages; and a driving system comprising motive power driving means of reversible type, chains or the like flexible power transmitting means passed around the outer extremities of said arms of each rotor and driven by said driving means to rotate said rotors in either of two directions, and control means for controlling the twodirectional operation of the driving means.

2. A vehicle parking apparatus according to Claim 1 in which each guide rail has a guide path for guiding said second guides of the respective guide mechanisms, said guide path being a closed figure comprising two vertical straight parts in opposed spaced-apart disposition and opposed upper and lower parts of semicircular shape respectively joining the upper and lower ends of said vertical straight parts, and in which said supporting structure is in the form of a rectangular parallelepipeds comprising a rectangular base, four upright columns fixed at the lower ends thereof respectively to the four corners of the base, two longitudinal beams joining the upper ends of respective pairs of said columns, upper cross beams joining the upper ends of respective columns, middle cross beams joining intermediate parts of said columns and rotatably supporting respective front and rear ends of a rotatable shaft fixed to and joining hubs of said rotors, and lower cross beams joining lower parts of said columns, the spacing between said vertical straight parts of each guide rail being substantially equal to the spacing between the nearest two columns, the height of each guide rail being substantially equal to the distance between each upper cross beam and the lower cross beam therebelow.

3. A vehicle parking apparatus according to Claim 1 in which the length of each arm is substantially one half of the vertical height of each guide rail.

4. A vehicle parking apparatus according to Claim 1 in which said first guide of each guide mechanism comprises a first support frame and at least four first guide rollers of the form of grooved wheels rotatably supported by said first support frame and disposed to clamp the respective arm from opposite sides thereof thereby to roll therealong, and in which said second guide comprises a second support frame and at least three second guide rollers of the form of grooved wheels rotatably supported by said second support frame and disposed to clamp the respective guide rail from opposite sides thereof thereby to roll therealong.