GB2381255A - Rack and pinion drives for underfloor passenger lifts - Google Patents

Rack and pinion drives for underfloor passenger lifts Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2381255A
GB2381255A GB0125495A GB0125495A GB2381255A GB 2381255 A GB2381255 A GB 2381255A GB 0125495 A GB0125495 A GB 0125495A GB 0125495 A GB0125495 A GB 0125495A GB 2381255 A GB2381255 A GB 2381255A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
rack
pinion
motor
teeth
lift
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB0125495A
Other versions
GB0125495D0 (en
GB2381255B (en
Inventor
Adam Beck
Dennis John Wheatcroft
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Passenger Lift Services Ltd
Original Assignee
Passenger Lift Services Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Passenger Lift Services Ltd filed Critical Passenger Lift Services Ltd
Priority to GB0125495A priority Critical patent/GB2381255B/en
Publication of GB0125495D0 publication Critical patent/GB0125495D0/en
Publication of GB2381255A publication Critical patent/GB2381255A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2381255B publication Critical patent/GB2381255B/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61G—TRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES, OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES
    • A61G3/00—Ambulance aspects of vehicles; Vehicles with special provisions for transporting patients or disabled persons, or their personal conveyances, e.g. for facilitating access of, or for loading, wheelchairs
    • A61G3/02—Loading or unloading personal conveyances; Facilitating access of patients or disabled persons to, or exit from, vehicles
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61G—TRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES, OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES
    • A61G3/00—Ambulance aspects of vehicles; Vehicles with special provisions for transporting patients or disabled persons, or their personal conveyances, e.g. for facilitating access of, or for loading, wheelchairs
    • A61G3/02—Loading or unloading personal conveyances; Facilitating access of patients or disabled persons to, or exit from, vehicles
    • A61G3/06—Transfer using ramps, lifts or the like
    • A61G3/062—Transfer using ramps, lifts or the like using lifts connected to the vehicle
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61G—TRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES, OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES
    • A61G3/00—Ambulance aspects of vehicles; Vehicles with special provisions for transporting patients or disabled persons, or their personal conveyances, e.g. for facilitating access of, or for loading, wheelchairs
    • A61G3/02—Loading or unloading personal conveyances; Facilitating access of patients or disabled persons to, or exit from, vehicles
    • A61G3/06—Transfer using ramps, lifts or the like
    • A61G3/067—Transfer using ramps, lifts or the like with compartment for horizontally storing the ramp or lift
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60P—VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS
    • B60P1/00—Vehicles predominantly for transporting loads and modified to facilitate loading, consolidating the load, or unloading
    • B60P1/44—Vehicles predominantly for transporting loads and modified to facilitate loading, consolidating the load, or unloading having a loading platform thereon raising the load to the level of the load-transporting element
    • B60P1/4471—General means for controlling movements of the loading platform, e.g. hydraulic systems

Landscapes

  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Types And Forms Of Lifts (AREA)

Abstract

An underfloor lift suitable for use in a passenger vehicle such as an ambulance, comprising a carriage and load carrying platform arranged to be stowed in a box under the floor of the vehicle and raised into position by a hydraulic motor and rack and pinion drive. The motor is pivotally mounted on a structural member of the carriage, in order to prevent the teeth of the rack becoming displaced from those of the pinion. The invention aims to provide a long lasting and reliable rack and pinion mechanism for this type of lift. The motor 1 comprises a motor unit 10 having a drive wheel 11 and a pinion wheel 12. A pivoting attachment 13 comprises a substantially annular portion 14 which can be pivotally secured to the carriage 15 of the lift 16 by bolts or rivets 17. The teeth of the pinion wheel 12 are in meshing engagement with the teeth 19 of the rack 20.

Description

<Desc/Clms Page number 1>
IMPROVEMENTS IN RACK AND PINION DRIVES This invention relates to improvements in rack and pinion drives, and in particular, though not exclusively, to rack and pinion drives for use in connection with underfloor lifts (as herein defined).
Throughout this specification and claims, the term"underfloor lift"is used to denote a lift which is mounted below the floor of a passenger vehicle (such as an ambulance) and which can be deployed from a stowed condition to an operative condition in order to facilitate the transfer of passengers into and out of the vehicle. A particular example of such a lift is described in our published Patent Application No. GB-A-2296003.
The said GB-A-2296003 describes an underfloor lift comprising a stowage box which is mounted beneath the vehicle floor. A carriage is arranged to move in and out of the box, being stowed protectively when within the box and being presented for use when out of the box. A load-carrying platform is mounted on the carriage, the platform including lifting arms which can raise and lower the platform relative to the carriage, the box and the vehicle floor. The carriage becomes stowed in the box together with the arms and the platform itself.
It is known for the carriage to be driven into and out of the stowage box by means of a rack and pinion drive and the said GB-A-2296003 discloses a rack and pinion drive wherein the drive is powered by means of a hydraulic motor.
However, it has been found that currently-used rack and pinion drives for such lifts tend to disengage over time, due to wear and tear of the lifts and/or to misuse. The rack and pinion drive disengages because the rack becomes deformed in use and the teeth of the pinion no longer engage
<Desc/Clms Page number 2>
correctly with the teeth of the rack. Consequently the underfloor lift cannot be moved inwardly and outwardly of the stowage box by means of the drive and must therefore be operated manually until the problem can be fixed. Such manual operation requires considerable physical effort and may, moreover, cause further deformation of the rack.
The present invention aims to ameliorate this problem. The applicants have found, according to the present invention, that consistent and efficient engagement of the teeth of the pinion with those of the rack can be achieved by pivotal mounting of the motor which drives the pinion.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an underfloor lift (as hereinbefore defined) in which the carriage is moved relative to the stowage box by means of a rack and pinion drive, and in which a motor to drive the pinion is pivotally mounted on a structural member of the carriage.
The pivoting action of said motor provides substantially continuous positive meshing engagement of the teeth of the pinion and the teeth of the rack, irrespective of any undulations or other deformation of the rack.
The motor may be mounted so as to be pivotally biased by gravity to provide said meshing engagement. Alternatively, the teeth of the pinion may be pivotally biased against the teeth of the rack by means of one or more springs.
The motor may be electrically operated. Alternatively, the motor may be hydraulically operated.
The motor is preferably so mounted that, in use, it pivots about an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rack.
<Desc/Clms Page number 3>
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be illustrated, merely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the drawings (wherein like numerals denote like parts): Figure 1 is a side view of a rack and pinion drive in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a front view of the drive of Figure 1.
Referring to Figure 1, the motor 1 comprises a motor unit 10 having a drive wheel 11 and a pinion wheel 12. A pivoting attachment 13 comprises a substantially annular portion 14 which can be pivotally secured to the carriage 15 of the lift 16 by bolts or rivets 17. The teeth 18 of the pinion wheel 12 are in meshing engagement with the teeth 19 of the rack 20 (as shown in Figure 2).
In use, the motor unit 10 can pivot about attachment 13, thereby keeping the pinion wheel teeth 18 in substantially continuous positive meshing engagement with the teeth 19 of the rack 20. Motion of the pinion drives the carriage 15 into and out of the stowage box 30.
Referring to Figure 2, the movement of the motor unit 10 relative to the rack 20 is about the axis AA', this axis being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rack 20.
The drive of the present invention is particularly suitable for use in the underfloor lifts of our co-pending applications GB 0028199.8 and GB 0109224.6, as well as the lifts of our published UK applications GB-A-2357074 and GB-A-2296003.

Claims (7)

  1. CLAIMS 1. An underfloor lift (as hereinbefore defined) in which the carriage is moved relative to the stowage box by means of a rack and pinion drive, and in which a motor to drive the pinion is pivotally mounted on a structural member of the carriage.
  2. 2. A lift according to Claim 1, in which the motor is pivotally biased by gravity to provide substantially continuous positive meshing engagement of the teeth of the pinion and the teeth of the rack.
  3. 3. A lift according to Claim 1, in which the teeth of the pinion are pivotally biased against the teeth of the rack by means of one or more springs.
  4. 4. A lift according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the motor is so mounted that, in use, it pivots about an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rack.
  5. 5. A lift according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, in which the motor is electrically operated.
  6. 6. A lift according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, in which the motor is hydraulically operated.
  7. 7. An underfloor lift, substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
GB0125495A 2001-10-24 2001-10-24 Improvements in rack and pinion drives Expired - Fee Related GB2381255B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0125495A GB2381255B (en) 2001-10-24 2001-10-24 Improvements in rack and pinion drives

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0125495A GB2381255B (en) 2001-10-24 2001-10-24 Improvements in rack and pinion drives

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB0125495D0 GB0125495D0 (en) 2001-12-12
GB2381255A true GB2381255A (en) 2003-04-30
GB2381255B GB2381255B (en) 2004-06-23

Family

ID=9924414

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB0125495A Expired - Fee Related GB2381255B (en) 2001-10-24 2001-10-24 Improvements in rack and pinion drives

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2381255B (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2003103558A1 (en) * 2002-06-11 2003-12-18 Fine Products, S.A. Vehicle access ramp

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1994027546A1 (en) * 1993-05-26 1994-12-08 Ricon Corporation Vehicle lifts
GB2296003A (en) * 1994-12-17 1996-06-19 Passenger Lift Serv Ltd Uderfloor Passenger Lift

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1994027546A1 (en) * 1993-05-26 1994-12-08 Ricon Corporation Vehicle lifts
GB2296003A (en) * 1994-12-17 1996-06-19 Passenger Lift Serv Ltd Uderfloor Passenger Lift

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2003103558A1 (en) * 2002-06-11 2003-12-18 Fine Products, S.A. Vehicle access ramp
ES2200691A1 (en) * 2002-06-11 2004-03-01 Fine Productos S A Vehicle access ramp

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB0125495D0 (en) 2001-12-12
GB2381255B (en) 2004-06-23

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee

Effective date: 20191024