ITMN20080017A1 - LIFTING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES. - Google Patents

Description

â € œLIFT DEVICE FOR VEHICLESâ €.

DESCRIPTION

The present invention refers to a lifting device for vehicles particularly suitable for lifting motorcycles, scooters or bicycles from the ground to the floor of a vehicle such as for example a camper.

As is known, nowadays, recreational vehicles such as campers have a compartment used as a garage designed to contain a motorbike or a scooter in order to be able to make short trips, moving freely, without necessarily having to use the camper.

Currently, there are various manual and automatic devices on the market which allow the motorcycle to be loaded and unloaded from the garage compartment, but each of these devices has encountered difficulties such as not to make the movement of the motorcycle optimal.

A first device, widely used, consists of a ramp which is composed of a shaped sheet, often in aluminum, which is placed with one side on the outer edge of the garage compartment of the camper, while the other side is supported on the ground in such a way as to create a slide for which the operation of placing the motorcycle inside the garage compartment is carried out manually by making the motorcycle climb on the ramp and pushing it up inside the compartment and then fastening it with straps and hooks so that during the handling of the camper it cannot be moved and damaged.

This operation is quite tiring, especially if the motorcycle to be placed in the garage is large and heavy enough. In fact, it is practically impossible for a single person to be able to get the bike up the ramp without problems and insert it into the garage compartment as it is very tiring and heavy to push the bike up the ramp while keeping it in balance.

As already mentioned, the aforementioned ramp, despite being an economic system, is very little functional and practical since at least two people are needed to pick up the bike. In fact, it is often necessary to have a person present inside to help so that the motorcycle does not go back and climb correctly when you put it on the ramp by hand while if you let it go up with the help of a person. he has to support the bike while the other directs it and makes it go up by carefully dosing the accelerator and brake.

This involves a fair amount of risk for the people who perform this operation.

Furthermore, it is always necessary to position the ramp first and remove it at the end of the operation with the footprint of the ramp itself inside the garage.

Often associated with the ramp, a small trolley is used which houses the front wheel of the motorcycle inside it in order to avoid the motorcycle itself from overturning, so the motorcycle is loaded by sliding the trolley inside the ramp and the trolley is guided and bound by the lateral dimension of the ramp so it is possible to load the bike without the help of a second person. This system too has highlighted some drawbacks and difficulties due to the weight of the bike and the slope of the climb as the bike still has to be pushed manually towards the garage compartment.

Currently on the market there are also semi-automatic or motorized devices.

The devices just mentioned always work with the principle of the slide which is constituted by a platform on which the motorcycle is made to climb. Once the motorcycle has been placed on the platform, it must be secured so that it does not overturn and does not slide backwards. At this point the platform is moved.

A first way to make the platform move involves the use of a rack and pinion. In detail, two racks are fixed under the platform along the side edges while the pinion with an electric motor is fixed on the upper edge of the platform in correspondence with the opening of the garage compartment. The pinion meshing on the racks will make the platform on which the bike is housed come out of the garage compartment and as soon as the platform is sufficiently released by the force of gravity it will tend to rotate and tilt automatically until it touches the ground. The rotation of the platform is however limited and managed by stops positioned above the pinion and which keep it in the guide. Vice versa to retract the platform. This system allows you to not struggle to insert the motorcycle in the garage compartment but it is decidedly inconvenient to carry the motorcycle on the platform which is inclined and fix it when it is on a slope and, moreover, can give rise to small problems and small damages. to the bike when there is the change of inclination since it happens quite abruptly.

A second way of moving the platform, in the case of motorized devices, provides for the extraction of the platform itself to be done manually. In this case, the platform slides over a roller that acts as a rotation pin and is positioned near the edge of the garage compartment. The platform is connected by means of two gas springs to a plate placed on the bottom of the garage compartment and sliding on wheels up to a stop inside two profiles to which the platform is hinged.

The operation of this system is very simple: the platform is extracted manually until the plate reaches the end of its travel. At this point, by means of a button, the gas springs are activated which will slowly release the platform by lifting it on the side inside the garage compartment in order to make it rotate on the roller fixed in the compartment of the camper. The platform will rest with the opposite end on the ground and will act as a slide for the scooter.

This device has a considerable bulk inside the garage, so it prevents and limits the possibility of putting other objects in addition to the fact that it allows you to load only small motors.

Although the devices described above are simple, they have a great limitation due to the fact that, functioning as slides, they are constrained by the inclination of the ramp with the ground. In fact, in both cases, the motorcycle must be raised and then constrained on the inclined plane formed by the same platform with the garage compartment. This detail considerably limits their use, in fact, only small motorcycles or small scooters can be loaded in the garage compartment as larger motorcycles have such a weight that it is particularly difficult to manage. Furthermore, with the aforementioned devices, two people must always be present in order to load a motorcycle in addition to the fact that one operates in an inclined position which is neither comfortable nor safe. In fact, the operations described can be carried out slowly and it is unthinkable to be able to quickly and safely load a motorcycle in the garage compartment.

There are other devices to load a motorcycle but they are positioned externally to the camper in the rear and work via pneumatic or hydraulic systems. In particular, since these devices are external and protruding as well as being bulky, they need particular approvals so they cannot be installed by normal users but only by specialized operators. Furthermore, the motorcycle is outside the camper with the risk of being damaged or stolen.

In addition to all that has been said so far, another drawback emerges from the fact that it is difficult to store other objects in the garage compartment or, if present, it is necessary to remove and put them back every time the motorcycle is moved with a considerable waste of time and effort.

The purpose of the present invention is substantially to solve the problems of the prior art by overcoming the difficulties described above by means of a lifting device for vehicles, capable of lifting a vehicle from the ground to the floor of a vehicle compartment in a simple, practical, fast way. , easy and automatic.

A second object of the present invention is to have a lifting device for vehicles capable of making it possible to fully exploit all the space available in the garage compartment of the vehicle.

A third object of the present invention is to have a vehicle lift device capable of being used by a single person without requiring physical effort on the part of the user to load and unload a vehicle from the vehicle.

Another purpose of the present invention is to have a lift device for vehicles which has a simple structure, placed inside the garage compartment, with a small footprint and which can be installed as a kit in any type of vehicle without having to intervene. on the supporting structure.

A further object of the present invention derives from the fact that the lifting device for vehicles allows a vehicle to be brought inside the garage compartment already bound in a stable and orderly manner and without interfering with other objects present inside the compartment itself. Not least object of the present invention is that of realizing a lifting device for vehicles which is simple to make and good functionality.

These objects and others besides, which will become clearer in the course of the present description, are substantially achieved by a lifting device for vehicles, as claimed hereinafter.

Further characteristics and advantages will become clearer from the detailed description of a lift device for vehicles, according to the present invention, made hereafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, provided for indicative and therefore non-limiting purposes only, in which:

Figure 1 shows, schematically and in perspective view, a lifting device for vehicles object of the present invention in a first operating condition;

Figure 2 shows schematically and in perspective view the elevator device of Figure 1 in a second operating condition;

Figure 3 schematically and in perspective view shows the device of Figure 1 in a third operating condition;

- figure 4 shows schematically and in a perspective view from above the device of figure 1 in rest condition;

Figure 5 schematically shows a front view of the device of Figure 1 in rest condition;

Figure 6 is a schematic and side view of the lifting device in question in the second operating condition.

- figure 7 is a schematic and perspective view of the lifting device according to the present invention;

figure 8 shows in detail a detail of the device of figure 1;

Figure 9 shows in detail another detail of the device of Figure 1;

- figure 10 shows in detail a further detail of the device of figure 1.

With reference to the aforementioned figures, and in particular to figure 1, the reference number 1 generally indicates a lifting device for vehicles, according to the present invention.

The lifting device for vehicles in question is particularly suitable for campers in order to be able to easily insert a vehicle such as a motorcycle or a scooter into the garage compartment without effort and without risk. In particular, the device is an autonomous system that can be set up during the construction of the camper or supplied in an assembly kit so that it can also be installed on campers already on the road. Furthermore, the device is totally independent from the functioning of the camper and any other of its organs.

The lift device is located in the compartment used as a garage, has the possibility of being connected to the electrical system of the camper through a special connection or can be used manually so it does not require any connection line to the camper.

The lifting device for vehicles 1 is substantially constituted by a movable plate 2 equipped on the front and rear sides with stop elements 3 provided to engage respectively the front 10a and rear 10b wheels of a means 10 such as a motorcycle or a scooter. The stop element 3 provided to engage the front wheel 10a is removable so as to be able to arrange and position the motorcycle more simply on the plate. The mobile plate 2 is made of aluminum or other rigid material such as, for example, a honeycomb panel which is light despite having a good load-bearing capacity.

In an embodiment as shown in Figure 2, the movable plate 2 has shapes 20 which resemble curved wings on which a plurality of uprights 4 placed perpendicular to the plate are positioned and fixed. In particular, the mobile plate 2 can assume various configurations including one that has a quadrangular portion where an upright 4 is allocated at each corner and at the front there is a rectangular portion designed to accommodate the front wheel of the motorcycle so as to make it as light as possible and as small as possible. Finally, the plate can also have lightening holes arranged on its surface or be rectangular like the one shown in figure 7.

Each upright 4 is substantially composed of a profile 40, for example, of aluminum internally hollow inside which a column 41 is housed, the lower end of which is constrained to the plate, as shown in detail in figure 10, by means of a ring nut 42 or can be fixed in another substantially known type.

The uprights 4 are arranged in pairs, two on one side of the plate 2 and two on the opposite side and mutually parallel. In the present embodiment, the uprights are four but can be six or more. The uprights 4 are connected, in the upper part, two by two to each other by means of spacer elements 5 constituted for example by profiles or tubes finned at the ends, in such a way as to be able to obtain a rigid and possibly adjustable castle. An electric, pneumatic or manual actuator 6 is positioned on each upright 4 in a direction parallel to the profile 40. The actuators 6 support the plate 2 which is designed to move from top to bottom and back, serving as a loading surface for the motorbike or scooter or other material to be loaded and introduced into the garage compartment.

Inside the profiles 40 there are the columns 41 consisting of tubulars which, once connected to the plate 2, have the function of making the actuators 6 work parallel to the uprights 4 and in the event of a collision they absorb their forces without the latter flow onto the actuators with the risk of ruining or damaging them.

According to the present embodiment, the device has a pair of telescopic guides 7 each of which is connected perpendicularly to the profile 40 of the upright so as to be parallel to the movable plate 2 at one end while at the other it is fixed inside the garage compartment as explained below.

Furthermore, the device 1 comprises a base plate 8 placed, on the bottom, inside the garage compartment which is fixed to the floor of the garage compartment of the camper by means of fastening elements 80 such as, for example, bolts. In particular, the base plate 8 has a vertical edge 81 on which the other end of the guide 7 is fixed, which is of the telescopic type as clearly shown in figure 4.

In the rest position the device is contained inside the garage compartment, as shown in figure 4, with the mobile plate 2 superimposed on the base plate 8 so as to be parallel to each other.

A variant provides that the base plate is simply composed of a pair of mutually parallel profiles each having a vertical edge 81 to which a guide 7 is engaged as shown in figure 9. In the operative position the movable plate 2 is made to slide by means of the guides 7 above the base plate until it comes out of the garage compartment, as shown in figure 2. Once the mobile plate 2 has completely come out of the garage compartment, the guides 7 are blocked by means of stops or limit switches so they can no longer slide and re-entering the garage compartment in this way, the movable plate and its contents cannot translate horizontally. At this point, the actuators 6 are operated by means of a manual pump 9 or by means of an electric motor. In this way the mobile plate will be able to descend and approach the ground until it touches it.

The pump 9, operated by the crank 90, sends oil to the actuators 6 which cause the movable plate 2 to move downwards or upwards. In particular, the oil reaches the actuators through each spacer element 5, reaching all four uprights at the same time. In this way, the movement of the stems 60 of the actuators 6 is synchronized and, consequently, the columns 41 move simultaneously, dragged by the stems as they are constrained to them.

If the pump 9 is electric instead of the crank 90 there is a motor connected to the electrical system of the camper which is activated by means of a button or a remote control.

A variant of the device in question provides that the guides 7 are also automatic and exit the garage compartment on the action of a motor with rack or an actuator.

In accordance with the present invention, the device can be equipped with a constraint element 11 provided in proximity to each upright 4 placed in correspondence with the opening of the garage compartment. The constraint element 11 consists of a cable 11a having a trapezoidal or ring shape, the ends of which are fixed to a profile 12 constrained to the internal wall of the compartment above the opening. This constraint element has the function of retaining the movable plate 2 preventing it from tilting if a motorbike heavier than that for which the plate has been foreseen is loaded. In detail, when the plate 2 re-enters each restraint element it releases from a hook 45 placed at the end of the upright 4 on the side towards the compartment as shown in figure 7 and in figure 8. On the other hand, when the plate 2 comes out of the compartment, each restraint element automatically engages creating an additional stop so as to avoid possible bending actions of the mobile plate 2.

In accordance with the present embodiment, the lifting device is designed to operate from a rest position in which the movable plate is superimposed on the base plate inside the garage compartment to a first operating position in which the plate mobile comes out of the garage compartment sliding horizontally to a second operating position in which the actuators lower the mobile plate until it touches the ground.

In addition to what has been illustrated so far, panels can be inserted between the uprights to close one or more sides of the rigid castle, for example, to protect what is contained therein or to use them as advertising vehicles. In addition, the rigid castle can also be used with other functions, for example, as a clothesline or clothes rack by inserting other spacer elements and protecting the castle with side closing panels that allow you to protect the contents. In addition, a container for objects could be inserted on the castle.

After what has been described in a predominantly structural sense, the operation of the present invention is as follows.

When a user wants to load a motorcycle in the garage compartment of a camper, all he has to do is extract the movable plate from the garage compartment by sliding it outwards through the telescopic guides, block the movement of the guides so that they cannot retract and operate the actuators by means of the pump manually or electrically so as to lower the movable plate to ground level.

At this point, the user must bring the motorcycle onto the movable plate by letting the rear wheel enter the stop element close to the garage compartment, as shown in figure 2, and, once the motorcycle has been secured by means of the other stop element, by acting on the pump that activates the actuators, raise the movable plate up to the level of the garage compartment floor as shown in figure 3. More in detail, the motorcycle enters the garage compartment first with the rear part to reduce the load to overhang on the plate in addition to the fact that in this way the handlebar remains outside the rigid frame of the uprights and spacer elements so it can also have smaller dimensions. Finally, the user must unlock the sliding guides and push the movable plate towards the inside of the garage compartment by retracting the sliding guides which will then be blocked to prevent any movement, even small ones.

To take the motorcycle outside the compartment, the user only has to carry out the operations described above in reverse order.

The present invention thus achieves the proposed aims.

The vehicle lift device in question allows you to lift a motorcycle or a scooter from the ground to the vehicle floor such as a camper in a simple, practical, fast, easy and automatic way.

In addition, the vehicle lift device makes it possible to fully exploit all the space available in the garage compartment of the vehicle.

Advantageously, the lifting device can be used by a single person without requiring physical efforts on the part of the user to load and unload the vehicle from the vehicle and without running the risk of damaging the motorcycle or making it fall as it happened with the ramps of the known technique. or to harm yourself.

In addition to what has been detected up to now, the device in question has a simple structure that is housed inside the garage compartment, with a small footprint and that can be installed as a kit in any type of vehicle without having to intervene on the supporting structure.

The elevator device according to the present invention allows the vehicle to be brought inside the already bound garage compartment in a stable and orderly manner and without interfering with any other objects present inside the compartment itself.

In particular, the device in question can also be installed in vans to be able to easily load, for example, a motorcycle and be able to carry out maintenance in a convenient and repaired way. Furthermore, the device can also be used to pick up the wheelchair of a disabled person or simply some objects without effort and in an orderly way, arranging them outside without having to carry out the same operations in a narrow and uncomfortable compartment.

Advantageously, the device in question can always be used in the garage compartment of a camper to load in an orderly, comfortable and easy way, for example, skis and boots by making the movable plate return inside the compartment and therefore without having to insert the skis and boots in bulk as often happens.

In particular, the lifting device can also be applied to the side openings of an industrial vehicle. In addition, the structure of the lift device can be set up independently of the vehicle and installed at any time desired, in addition to the fact that it takes up little space.

A further advantage of the present elevator device derives from the fact that it is very versatile and easy to use, in fact, it allows to fully exploit all the space available inside the compartment with a simple and functional structure.

Not the least advantage of the present invention is that it is remarkably easy to use, simple to make and good functionality.

Naturally, numerous modifications and variations can be made to the present invention, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept that characterizes it.

Claims (12)

CLAIMS 1. Lifting device for vehicles characterized by the fact of being substantially constituted by: - a movable plate (2) equipped on the front and rear sides with stop elements (3) designed to engage respectively a front (10a) and rear (10b) wheel of a motorcycle (10), - a plurality of uprights (4) placed perpendicularly to the movable plate (2), each of which is composed of a profile (40) which is internally hollow inside which is housed a column (41) whose lower end is bound to the plate by means of a ring nut ( 42), said uprights, in the upper part, being connected to each other, two by two, by means of spacer elements (5) so as to obtain a rigid and adjustable castle, - a plurality of actuators (6) each of which is positioned parallel to the profile (40) coupled to an upright (4) and is designed to support the mobile plate (2) which is designed to move from the top at the bottom and back serving as a loading platform for the motorcycle (10) or other material to be loaded, - a pair of extendable telescopic guides (7) each of which is connected perpendicularly to the profile (40) of the upright so as to be parallel to the mobile plate (2) at one end while at the other it is fixed to the Inside the vehicle, - a base plate (8) which is placed, on the bottom, inside the vehicle and fixed to it by means of fastening elements (80) has a vertical edge (81) on which it is fixed the other end of the guide (7), - a pump (9) arranged to operate the actuators (6), said device being arranged to operate from a rest position in which the movable plate is superimposed on the base plate inside the vehicle at a first operating position in which the plate comes out of the vehicle sliding horizontally to a second operating position in which the actuators lower the movable plate until it touches the ground. 2. Lifting device for vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the movable plate (2) has various configurations and is equipped with moldings (20) on which the uprights (4) are positioned and fixed and is made of aluminum or other rigid material or from a honeycomb panel. Vehicle lifting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the uprights (4) are arranged in pairs on one side and on the opposite side of the movable plate (2) and mutually parallel. 4. Lifting device for vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the columns (41) placed inside the profiles (40) are made up of tubulars which, once connected to the mobile plate (2), have the function of make sure that the actuators (6) work parallel to the uprights (4) and in the event of a collision absorb their forces without the latter going to pour onto the actuators themselves. 5. Lifting device for vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the guides (7) are equipped with stops or limit switches to block the horizontal translation of the mobile plate (2) so that it can no longer slide and re-enter the vehicle when It is outside to be charged and vice versa. 6. Lifting device for vehicles according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that said pump (9) is manual and therefore it is operated by means of a crank (90) or electric and therefore it is operated by means of a motor activated by a button or by a control at a distance. 7. Lifting device for vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the movement of the stems (60) of the actuators (6) is synchronized so that the columns (41) move simultaneously dragged by the stems as they are constrained to them. 8. Lifting device for vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the guides (7) are automatic and exit the vehicle on the action of a motor with rack or an actuator. 9. Lifting device for vehicles according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that it comprises a restraining element (11) located near each upright (4) placed in correspondence with the opening of the vehicle and consisting of a cable (11a) having a trapezoidal or ring shape whose ends are fixed to a profile (12) bound to the internal wall of the vehicle above the opening and designed to hold the movable plate (2) preventing it from tilting if a vehicle weighing more than the one for which the plate itself was provided, said constraint element being designed to release from a hook (45) placed at the end of the upright (4) on the side towards the vehicle when the mobile plate (2) returns to the ™ interior of the vehicle while when the plate (2) comes out of the vehicle each restraint element automatically engages creating an additional stop so as to avoid possible bending actions of the with movable plate (2). 10. Lifting device for vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that panels (4) can be inserted between the uprights to close one or more sides of the rigid structure. Vehicle lifting device according to claim 1, characterized in that a stop element (3) is removable. 12. Lifting device for vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that said base plate (8) is constituted by a pair of profiles, parallel to each other, each having a vertical edge (81) to which a guide is engaged (7).