GB2339412A

GB2339412A - Vehicle turntable

Info

Publication number: GB2339412A
Application number: GB9814995A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Cocker
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-07-11
Filing date: 1998-07-11
Publication date: 2000-01-26
Anticipated expiration: 2018-07-11
Also published as: GB9814995D0; GB2339412B

Description

2339412 Vehicle Turntable The present invention relates to a turntable for

a road vehicle.

Various forms of vehicle turntable have been proposed in the past. These have however been either of complicated 5 construction, difficult to use or of limited capability.

I have now devised a vehicle turntable which is of relatively simple but reliable construction and which is easy to use in a wide variety of situations.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a vehicle turntable which includes a support mounted for rotation around a vertical axis, two pairs of elongate rollers spaced apart on the support and arranged for either pair of rollers to be engaged and rotated by the driven wheels of a vehicle, transmission means coupled to the rollers for turning the support about its vertical axis, and a remotelycontrolled brake normally locking support against turning.

In use, a vehicle may be driven onto the turntable, the brake locking the support or table against rotation, until the vehicle drive wheels are engaged with one of the two pairs of rollers. Then the vehicle driver actuates a remote control unit to release the brake, and applies power to the drive wheels of the vehicle in order to turn the table through the required angle. The driver then actuates the remote control unit again, in order to apply the brake, after which he is free to drive the vehicle off the turntable.

Preferably the brake operates on the transmission means which transmits drive from the rollers for turning the table.

Preferably the transmission means includes a clutch which can be released manually, so that the table can be turned by hand: thus, should the turntable develop a fault of any kind, so that it cannot be turned using the vehicle's power, it can instead be turned manually.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE I is a plan view of a vehicle turntable in 2 accordance with the present invention, with partly broken away to show details of the turntable; FIGURE 2 is a cross-section through the turntable of Figure 1; and FIGURE 3 consists of a sequence of views of a vehicle driving onto the turntable, turning around through 1800 and driving off again.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown a vehicle turntable which comprises a circular support or table 10 mounted for rotation around a vertical axis. The table 10 is formed with two spaced-apart slots in each of which a pair of elongate rollers 12, 14 and 16, 18 are rotatably mounter. The rollers 12,14 have gear wheels 12a,14a mounted to them, these two gear wheels being meshed with a common gear wheel 13: the rollers 16,18 have gear wheels 16a,18a mounted to them, these two gear wheels being meshed with a common gear wheel 17. Endless chains 20,22 are trained around respective toothed wheels 15, 19, which are fixed to the common gear wheels 15,17, are around respective toothed wheels (one shown at 21) which are mounted to a common shaft 24. The shaft 24 is coupled, via a clutch 26, to a gear wheel 28 meshed with a gear 30 mounted coaxially with the table 10 but itself fixed against rotation.

It will be appreciated that if a vehicle is driven onto the turntable until its drive wheels, whether these are its front wheels or rear wheels, engage with one or other pair of rollers (12,14 or 16,18), then power can be transmitted to these drive wheels to turn the two rollers of that pair, the two rollers turning in opposite directions to each other. The gear wheel common to the driven pair of rollers, i.e gear wheel 15 or 17, is correspondingly turned and the respective chain 20 or 22 transmits drive to the shaft 24. With the clutch 26 engaged, drive is transmitted to the gear 30 on the underside of the turntable, to turn the latter round on its vertical axis, until the required position is reached for the vehicle to drive off.

Figure 3 shows, at (a) to (d) the sequence of a vehicle driving forwards onto the turntable, turning the turntable through 1800, then driving off again in the opposite direction 3 to the original direction of approach.

The turntable is however provided with a brake (not shown) to prevent inadvertent turning of the table 10. The vehicle driver uses a remote control unit R firstly to release the brake to allow him to turn the table 10, and afterwards to apply the brake again to ensure that the turntable will remain stationary as he drives off the turntable. The remote control unit R may communicate with the host control system by an infra red or radio link.

The clutch 26 is normally engaged but a lever is proved so that it can be released manually, to enable the turntable to be pushed round manually should a fault develop which prevents it being turned under the power of a vehicle. The brake may act on at least one of the rollers or on the transmission system upstream of the clutch 26.

Whilst Figure 2 shows the turntable installed in a recess in the ground (the rim of the table 10 running in a peripheral groove, and the top surface of the table 10 being flush with the ground, the turntable may instead be arranged for mounting on the ground, without the need for any excavation.

4

Claims

Claims

A vehicle turntable which includes - a support mounted f or rotation around a vertical axis, two pairs of elongate rollers spaced apart on said support and arranged for either pair of rollers to be engaged and rotated by the driven wheels of a vehicle, transmission means coupled to the rollers f or turning said support about its vertical axis, and a remotelycontrolled brake normally locking said support against turning.
2) A vehicle turntable as claimed in claim 1, in which 10 said brake is arranged to operate on said transmission means to permit or prevent the transmission of drive from said rollers for turning said support.
3) A vehicle turntable as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which said transmission means includes a clutch which is manually releasable, to enable said support to be turned by hand.
4) A vehicle turntable as claimed in any preceding claim, in which said transmission means comprises gear wheels mounted to respective said rollers, a first common gear wheel meshed with both gear wheels of one pair of rollers, and a second common gear wheel meshed with both gear wheels of the other pair of rollers.
5) A vehicle turntable as claimed in claim 4, in which said transmission means further comprises chain drives coupling said common gear wheels to a common shaft which is coupled to a further hear meshed with a yet further gear mounted coaxially with said support but fixed against rotation.
6) A vehicle turntable substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.