GB2293592A

GB2293592A - Dual-level Parking Systems

Info

Publication number: GB2293592A
Application number: GB9419452A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gun Po Kenneth Cheung
Original assignee: GLORY HEAVY INDUSTRY
Current assignee: GLORY HEAVY INDUSTRY
Priority date: 1994-09-27
Filing date: 1994-09-27
Publication date: 1996-04-03
Also published as: GB9419452D0

Abstract

A parking system comprising a horizontal substantially rectangular platform 1 upon which a vehicle may be stationed and a substantially upright platform support (2a, 2b, fig. 3) on which the platform is mounted for movement between a lowered position in which a vehicle may be driven onto the platform and a raised parked position in which a further vehicle may be parked below the platform, in which system the platform has front and rear edges interconnected by side edges and a ride-on ramp 7 extends along at least a portion of the front edges of the platform and along at least an adjacent portion 9 of at least one of the side edges of the platform. Preferably the ramp extends the full length of the front and half or a third of the side edges. Wheel stops (16), a chain drive and an extended operating arm (15) are also preferably provided. <IMAGE>

Description

"Improvements in or relating to Parking Systems" This invention relates to improvements in or relating to parking systems and more particularly to an improved parking system for parking vehicles in a stacked fashion.

A known parking system enables two vehicles to be parked in a stacked fashion one above the other. The known parking system comprises an elongate rectangular platform supported horizontally on and between two spaced apart pillars extending vertically upwards from the ground. The platform is formed at a front end with a ride-on ramp which extends across the width of the platform, the rear end and the two longitudinal sides of the platform having a low wall extending therearound. Means are provided to drive the platform up and down the pillars so that, when in a lowered loading/resting position on the ground, the platform can be loaded with a vehicle by driving the vehicle onto the platform over the front end of the platform and, when in a raised parked position, the platform is sufficiently high above ground level for a further vehicle to be stationed underneath the raised platform.In this manner two vehicles can be parked in the same floor area as a single vehicle.

The prime objective of the known parking system is to save space. However, because the known parking system may only be loaded by driving a vehicle straight onto the platform over the ride-on ramp at the front end of the platform, a lengthy approach to the platform is required so that the vehicle may be properly aligned with the platform before being driven onto the platform. The platform of the known parking system is shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings. The length of the required approach varies, depending upon the widest turning circle of the vehicles to be accommodated, the length of the longest vehicle to be accommodated and the width of the platform itself.The necessity for such a relatively long approach to the platform, at least in part, reduces the space savings achieved by using the known double stacked parking system Furthermore, even when an appropriate approach to the platform is provided, the driver of the vehicle must still exercise a high level of driving skill to align the vehicle correctly with the platform before driving onto the platform.

The present invention seeks to obviate the above disadvantage and provides an improved parking system comprising a parking system comprising a horizontal substantially rectangular platform upon which a vehicle may be stationed and a substantially upright platform support on which the platform is mounted for movement between a lowered position in which a vehicle may be driven onto the platform and a raised parked position in which a further vehicle may be parked below the platform, in which system the platform has front and rear edges interconnected by side edges and a ride-on ramp extends along at least a portion of the front edge of the platform and along at least an adjacent portion of at least one of the side edges of the platform.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a platform of a known parking system; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a platform of a parking system embodying the present invention; Figure 3 is a side view of a parking system embodying the present invention, showing the platform in a parked position, with a vehicle stationed on the platform; Figure 4 is a front view of the parking system of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a plan view of the parking system of Figures 3 and 4, the vehicle not being shown.

Referring to Figures 2 to 5, a parking system embodying the present invention comprises a horizontally disposed platform 1 upon which a vehicle may be parked and a platform support 2 constituted by a pair of spaced apart pillars 2 extending vertically upwards from the ground.

The platform 1 is supported on and between the pair of pillars 2 and is moveable up and down the pillars 2 by drive means 3 to be described later. The pillars 2 are firmly mounted on the ground by elongate anchor plates 4 which extend along the ground parallel with the platform 1.

The pillars 2 may even be sunk into the ground for added stability. Stays 5 extending from the pillars 2 to the anchor plates 4 may be provided to ensure the pillars 2 remain upright even when under load.

The platform 1 has an elongate rectangular form and is of substantially the same width and length as the largest vehicle which is to be parked on the platform 1.

For example, the platform 1 shown in Figures 3 to 5 is 4.06 metres in length and 2.08 metres in width. In this embodiment, the pillars 2 are located towards the rear of the platform 1 approximately 0.9 metres from the rear edge 6 of the platform 1.

A front edge 7 of the platform 1 is formed with a ride-on ramp 8 clearly shown in Figures 3 and 5. In the preferred embodiment shown in Figures 2 to 5 the ride-on ramp 8 extends across the full width of the front edge 7 of the platform 1.

In addition to the front ride-on ramp 8 extending across the front edge 7 of the platform 1, the platform 1 in also formed with side ride-on ramps 9 extending along portions of the side 10 of the platform 1 immediately adjacent the front ride-on ramp 8.

A low retaining wall 11 extends along the unramped portions of the sides 10 of the platform 1 and across the rear edge 6 of the platform 1 as shown in Figure 2.

One of the pillars 2, herein termed the drive pillar 2a, is hollow and contains an endless chain 12 which extends along the length of the pillar 2a and which is coupled to a driving motor 3 located either at the top of the drive pillar 2a or the other pillar 2b. In the present example the driving motor 3 is located on the top of the drive pillar 2a. The driving motor 3 rotates a drive sprocket (not shown) around which the endless chain engages, the lower end of the chain running around an undriven idler sprocket. The platform 1 is provided with means for fixing the platform to a location on the endless chain 12 so that, when the driving motor 3 is actuated to rotate the drive sprocket and move the endless chain 12 around its path within the drive pillar 2a, the platform is elevated or lowered in accordance with the direction of movement of the chain 12.The platform 1, of course, also moves with respect to the other pillar 2b, herein termed the guide pillar 2b, which does not have a driving motor but which serves to guide and support the platform 1 for sliding movement along the guide pillar 2b. The platform 1 is maintained in a substantially level condition at all times during its motion by the pillars 2.

The drive pillar 2a carries a control box 13 mounted on an extension arm 14. The control box 13 comprises means for controlling the actuation of the driving motor 3 so as to elevate, lower and lock the platform 1 into whatever position is desired. The extension arm 14 is optional but, in the present example, projects from the drive pillar 2a longitudinally of the platform 1 and extends substantially parallel to the platform 1. The end of the extension arm 14 is turned downwards to a tip 15 of the arm 14 and the control box 13 is located on the tip 15 of the extension arm 14. The control box 13 is at the same height as the platform 1 when fully elevated. In the embodiment shown in Figures 3 to 5, the control box 13 is situation at a height of approximately 1.8m from ground level. This height is adequate for a typical saloon vehicle to be stationed under the elevated platform 1.

In use of the described parking system embodying the invention, the driving motor 3 is actuated to lower the platform 1 down the pillars 2 until it rests on the ground, so that a vehicle may be driven onto the platform 1 over the ramped front edge 7 thereof. The provision of the side ramps 9 immediately adjacent the front ride-on ramp 8 allows a vehicle to be driven onto the platform 1 not only from a straight ahead direction aligned with the length of the platform but also from the sides 10 of the platform 1 at an angle to the length of the platform 1 as shown in Figure 2. Thus, by providing the ride-on ramps 9 on the longitudinal edges 10 of the platform 1, the lengthy approach to the platform 1 which is required for platforms of the known parking system is rendered unnecessary, thereby saving space.Additionally, a vehicle may be more easily positioned on the platform 1 of a parking system embodying the present invention, since the ride-on ramps 9 at the sides 10 of the platform 1 allow for greater manoeuvrability of the vehicle.

Once the vehicle is properly stationed on the platform 1, the driving motor 3 is actuated to elevate the platform 1 into its parked position so that another vehicle can be parked below the platform 1.

The platform 1 shown in Figure 2 has ride-on ramps 9 extending approximately half-way along the length of both sides 10 of the platform 1 from the front edge 7 thereof.

The platform 1 shown in Figures 3 to 5 has ride-on ramps 9 extending approximately along one third of the length of both sides 10 of the platform 1 from the front edge 7 thereof. Should access to a platform 1 only need to be from one side 10 then only that one side 10 need be provided with a ride-on ramp 9. Whilst the width of the platform 1 shown in Figures 3 to 5 is approximately 2.08 metres, the provision of the ride-on ramps 9 at the longitudinal sides 10 of the platform 1 widens the platform 1 at this area from 2.08 metres to 2.37 metres.

Furthermore, the provision of the ride-on ramps 9 along portions of the sides 10 of the platform 1 means that less skill needs to be exercised by a driver of a vehicle when aligning the vehicle with the platform 1. A driver may manoeuvre the wheels of the vehicle over the ride-on ramps 9 formed on the sides 10 of the platform 1, a manoeuvre which would not be possible with the known parking systems described earlier. When correctly aligned on the platform 1 the sides 10 of the vehicle do not overhang the platform 1 in any direction, so that no interference occurs with adjacently parked vehicles, the parking building structure or the pair of pillars 2.

Wheel stoppers 16 are provided on the upper surface of the platform 1 towards the rear of the platform 1. The wheel stoppers 16 comprise chocks fixed to the platform so that a vehicle may be driven onto the platform 1 until the wheels come into contact with the wheel stoppers 16, thereby giving a physical indication of the end of the platform 1 having been reached.

A balance chain 17 is connected to the driving motor 3 and is anchored at one end to the platform 1 and, at the other end to an anchor point on the ground. When the platform 1 is elevated the chain 17 is tensioned thereby securing and stabilising the platform 1.

Preferably at least one of the pillars 2 is provided with an upper limit switch triggered by movement of the platform 1 to prevent the platform 1 being elevated beyond a predetermined height. A lower limit switch may similarly be provided to prevent the driving motor 3 from driving the platform 1 against the surface of the ground.

The dimensions of the platform 1 and the height clearance mentioned are purely exemplary, the parking system according to the present invention not being limited to particular dimensions.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A parking system comprising a horizontal substantially rectangular platform upon which a vehicle may be stationed and a substantially upright platform support on which the platform is mounted for movement between a lowered position in which a vehicle may be driven onto the platform and a raised parked position in which a further vehicle may be parked below the platform, in which system the platform has front and rear edges interconnected by side edges and a ride-on ramp extends along at least a portion of the front edge of the platform and along at least an adjacent portion of at least one of the side edges of the platform.

2. A parking system according to Claim 1, wherein the ride-on ramp extends along the full length of the front edge of the platform and along a portion of both side edges of the platform from the front edge.

3. A parking system according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the ride-on ramp extends along the or each longitudinal side for substantially one third of the overall length of the side edge.

4. A parking system according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the ride-on ramp extends along the or each longitudinal side for substantially one half of the overall length of the side edge.

5. A parking system according to any preceding claim, wherein wheel stoppers are provided on the platform to provide a physical indication of the end of the platform to a driver of a vehicle being driven onto the platform.

6. A parking system according to any preceding claim, wherein the platform support comprises a driving motor for moving the platform up or down the platform support.

7. A parking system according to Claim 6, wherein the driving motor moves the platform via an endless chain to which the platform is fixed.

8. A parking system according to any preceding claim, wherein an extension arm is provided having a control means mounted thereon to control movement of the platform.

9. A parking system according to any preceding claim, wherein the platform support comprises a pair of pillars located on either side of the platform.

10. A parking system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and shown in Figures 2 to 5

11. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.