US20030035707A1

US20030035707A1 - Parking structure

Info

Publication number: US20030035707A1
Application number: US09/928,510
Authority: US
Inventors: Norberto Volpe; Nora Volpe
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-08-14
Filing date: 2001-08-14
Publication date: 2003-02-20

Abstract

The invention provides a parking structure for accommodating a plurality of vehicles in individual parking spaces, the parking structure comprising a parking tower including an entry/exit and a plurality of parking stories having parking spaces, a rotary platform for receiving each vehicle, a lifting platform for carrying the vehicles up and/or down from the entry/exit of the parking tower to the stories and from the stories back to the entry/exit of the tower, and a carriage assembly for transferring the vehicles between the rotary platform and the lifting platform and between the lifting platform and the stories.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an arrangement for carrying vehicles and parking the same in a parking structure and, more particularly, the invention refers to a parking structure wherein a plurality of vehicles, such as cars, trucks, etc., are handled, preferably automatically, for parking purposes into a parking building comprising a plurality of stories either upper stories or underground parking spaces, wherein the drivers may leave the vehicles at an entry/exit of the building and the vehicles are taken to and accommodated into a corresponding parking space.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Due to the increasing number of vehicles, particularly in large cities, towns and urban centers, it is a concern for most town councils to find the best solutions to the problem of so many vehicles parked in public streets. It is well known that in these towns the availability of spaces to provide outdoor parking lots is scant because the available space is generally used for construction of buildings either for offices or homes.

In addition to typical outdoor parking lots there are also known the parking buildings comprising a plurality of stories with parking spaces in each story, at which stories the vehicles are driven through ramps by their drivers or driver personnel in the parking building. While the spaces for parking in these buildings are economical as compared to a parking lot, there still is a lot of volume and space in the building that is not used for parking but it is necessary for the construction of the ramps generally two-way ramps necessary for the vehicles going up and going down.

There are also other structures for parking vehicles wherein a deep underground construction similar to a lifter is installed whereby a car enters the lifters, with a driver within the vehicle and when the lifter reaches the desired story the driver brings the vehicle to the desired parking space. This system is not only used in underground structures but also in upper parking structures.

It would be therefore convenient to have a new system for parking vehicles wherein the vehicles can be accommodated automatically without the need of a driver and the structure is compact enough to save the available lot space and volume for obtaining the most number of vehicles parked in the structure, even in narrow lots not exceeding the 8-10 meters wide.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a parking structure for accommodating a plurality of vehicles in individual parking spaces, the parking structure comprising a parking tower including an entry/exit and a plurality of parking stories having parking spaces, a rotary platform for receiving each vehicle, a lifting platform for carrying the vehicles up and/or down from the entry/exit of the parking tower to the stories and from the stories back to the entry/exit of the tower, and a transfer carriage assembly for transferring the vehicles between the rotary platform and the lifting platform and between the lifting platform and the stories.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a parking structure for receiving a plurality of vehicles capable of being accommodated in individual parking spaces, the parking structure comprising a parking tower including an entry/exit and a plurality of parking stories, each story having at least one parking space, a rotary platform adjacent the entry/exit of the parking tower for receiving a vehicle and rotating the same for placing the vehicle in a position for entering the parking tower or for exiting the parking tower, a lifting platform in the tower for carrying the vehicles from the entry/exit of the parking tower to a desired one of the stories of the tower, and from the desired story back to the entry/exit of the tower, and a transfer carriage assembly movable between a position in said rotary platform for taking a vehicle from the platform and a position in said lifting platform for carrying the vehicle in the lifting platform up or down to the desire story, and movable from the position in the lifting platform to a position in the parking story for leaving the vehicle in the desired parking space, and movable back from the position in the parking story, at the parking space, to the position in the lifting platform for carrying the vehicle back to the entry of the tower, and movable from the position in the lifting platform to the position in the rotary platform for leaving the vehicle in the rotary platform.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be better understood when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example in the following drawings wherein: [0011]
FIG. 1 shows a top plan view of the parking structure of the invention, at a level where the rotary platform and the entry/exit are arranged, with the transfer carriage assembly, the lifting platform for carrying the vehicles up and down, three parking spaces and a vehicle being illustrated; [0012]
FIG. 2 shows a top plan view of the parking structure of the invention, at a level of one of the stories, with three parking spaces at one side, at three parking spaces at the other side of the lifting platform being illustrated; [0013]
FIG. 3 shows a side elevational view of the parking structure of the invention, with a supporting tower for the lifting platform and the lifting means for moving the platform up and down being depicted; [0014]
FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the rotary platform, the carriage assembly and lifting platform of the invention, with parts of the structure removed for clarity purposes and a vehicle onto the rotary platform being illustrated before entering the lifting platform; [0015]
FIG. 5 shows a perspective view similar to the one of FIG. 4, with the carriage assembly in another operative position; [0016]
FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the carriage assembly, lifting platform and parking spaces of the invention, with parts of the structure removed for clarity purposes and a vehicle onto the carriage assembly being illustrated before entering a parking space; [0017]
FIG. 7 shows a perspective view similar to the one of FIG. 6, with the vehicle in the parking space; and [0018]
FIG. 8 shows a bottom plan view of the rotary platform of the invention.[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Now referring in detail to the drawings it may be seen from FIGS. [0020] 1-3 that the parking structure of the invention comprises a rotary platform 1 arranged in front of, or at the entry/exit of, a parking structure including a lifting platform 2 for carrying the vehicles 5 up and down from a level at which platform 1 is located to at least a desired parking space 4 in a desired story. Platform 2 is mounted in a supporting tower 3 and is guided thereon to run up and down between a plurality of stories wherein the at least one parking space is arranged. Each story includes preferably a plurality of parking spaces, and vehicle 5 is illustrated in one of them in FIG. 1. Other vehicles 5 a and 5 b are illustrated in FIG. 2 in one of the upper stories. The inventive parking structure may be made of any suitable material such concrete, metallic or pre-molded materials.
Rotary platform [0021] 1 comprises at least three sections, two side circular sectors 6, 7, and a central sector 8 diametrically extending in said platform and comprising a central plate 9 movable between an upper position, FIG. 4, closer to the two side sectors, and a lower position, FIG. 5, below and spaced apart from the two side sectors. At the lower position illustrated in FIG. 4, a transfer carriage assembly 10, comprising a lower carriage 17 and an upper carriage 18 mounted onto the lower carriage, is capable of cooperating with the central section of the rotary platform to lift the vehicle in order to take it and bring it into lifting platform 2.
Once a vehicle to be parked in the structure of the invention is placed onto rotary platform [0022] 1 in the direction shown in FIGS. 4, 5, plate 9 is moved down to the position shown in FIG. 5 and the vehicle remains supported by a plurality of horizontal fingers 15 and 15′ extending from side sectors 6, 7, towards central sector 8. Then, upper carriage 18 moves onto plate 9 and is moved up until the wheels of the vehicle are supported by horizontal fingers 24, 24′, extending at both sides of carriage 18. Carriage 18 moves back onto lower carriage 17 and lifting platform 2 moves up to the desired story, with lower carriage 17 moving transversely along platform 2 to the desired parking space in the story. Then, upper carriage 18 moves onto the story and leaves the vehicle in the parking space. This operation will be better described later.
As it was stated above, the level at the rotary platform includes parking spaces only at one side of supporting [0023] tower 3, however in the upper levels, FIG. 3, the parking spaces are preferably arranged at both sides of tower 3. While in the practice is possible to arrange a plurality of parking stories up and down of the level wherein the rotary platform is arranged, generally at the street level, the structure of the present invention is preferably applicable to rising constructions instead of underground constructions. FIG. 3 illustrates three parking stories, the ground level N1, and two upper stories N2 and N3, with stories N2 and N3 including parking spaces 4 at each side of tower 3. As it was mentioned before, the number of stories will depend of the available space, particular government regulations, applications, etc.
Even tough FIG. 2 illustrates three parking spaces at each side of [0024] tower 3, more or less parking spaces may be provided with the lifting platform adapted to the extension of the spaces or more than one tower 3 may be provided with the necessary means for allowing lifting platform 2 to cover all the parking spaces. In addition, another row of parking spaces may be arranged behind the row illustrated at each side of tower 3 to increase the number of parking spaces. If a vehicle must be removed from such another row with the front row being fully occupied, the system will operate by clearing or disoccupying the front row, namely by means of a “clearance” operation.
The up and down movement of [0025] platform 2 is provided by driving hydraulic means, more particularly a hydraulic cylinder 11 is connected to steel wires, or resisting cables 12, which in turn are connected, at one end to the ground or any part of the structure or supporting tower, and at another end to the lifting platform via rolling means in a top transverse beam 13 connected at a top or upper end of cylinder 11, as it is clearly illustrated in FIG. 3. The capacity of cylinders 11 for moving platform 2 is duplicated thank to this arrangement as well as the transmission relationship given by cables 12 and beam 13 reduces the force necessary for driving cylinders 11 to a value that is about the half value of the one that would be necessary with a conventional system; in addition, this construction also increases the effective velocity of platform 2 when moving up and down.
Making reference to more details of the use and the construction of the structure of the invention, [0026] side sectors 6, 7, includes edges 14 from which a plurality of first set of fingers 15 and second set of two fingers 15′ extend towards the central sector of platform 1. Fingers 15 are adapted to support the rear wheels of the vehicle and a couple of fingers 15′ are adapted to receive and preferably nest the leading wheels of the vehicle. Pivoting plates 9′ may be also placed associated to fingers 15′, and connected to hydraulic mechanisms (not illustrated) for pivoting the plates between a rising position for defining a stop for the forward movement of the vehicle and a horizontal position for permitting the movement of the vehicle. Plate 9 includes a pair of rails 16 for permitting, when in the lower position shown in FIG. 5, carriage 18 running over the rails and entering and/or exiting the rotary platform.
[0027] Lifting platform 2 comprises a substantially rectangular frame having a pair of opposite sides forming corresponding rails 19 for receiving wheels 20 of lower carriage 17. More particularly, carriage 17 has a pair of longitudinal beams 21 including wheels 20 running along the tracks defined by rails 19 of platform 2, wherein carriage 17 can move from one end to the opposite one in platform 2. In addition, beams 21 serve as rails for receiving and guiding wheels 22 of carriage 18, wherein beams 21 are capable of being aligned with longitudinal rails 16 of central plate 9.
Carriage assembly is provided with lifting means for moving [0028] carriage 18 up and down between a lower position shown in FIG. 4 and an upper position shown in FIG. 5. This lifting means comprises two pairs of pivoting arms 23 and at least one hydraulic cylinder 30 connected to the pivoting arms for moving the arms around a connection, at an end of the arms, in the upper carriage. Each arm also has an opposite end including one of wheels 22.
[0029] Wheels 20 and 22 may be of the type including motor means incorporated therein, that is auto motion wheels, very well known for any person skilled in the art. Thus, the transfer carriage assembly is provided with driving means for moving the upper carriage longitudinally along beams 21 of lower carriage 17, along rails 16 of central plate 9 and along the parking spaces, and for moving the lower carriage along rails 19 of the lifting platform.
Like [0030] fingers 15, 15′ of sectors 6, 7, fingers 24, 24′ of upper carriage 18 are arranged in two sets of fingers, namely a first set of fingers 24 and a second set or couple of fingers 24′. For lifting the vehicle as shown in FIG. 5, fingers 15, 15′ define inter digital spaces and fingers 24, 24′ are so arranged that each finger 24, 24′ passes through a corresponding inter digital space between two adjacent fingers 15, 15′. When the vehicle is lifted, carriage 18 moves back to the lifting platform carrying the vehicle. For achieving a correct operation of all the fingers, carriage 18 must be correctly aligned with sectors 6, 7 and, hence, with fingers 15, 15′. Thus, a pair of intermediate rails 25 are provided with ends having cavities for receiving corresponding pins 26 and 27 extending from rails 16 and 21, respectively, thus guarantying the alignment of rails 21 and 16 for a correct longitudinal movement of carriage 18 into and out of rotary platform and into and out of lifting platform 2.
FIGS. 6, 7 show a sequence of movements wherein the vehicle is being transferred from lifting [0031] platform 2 into a parking space. The parking space comprises a vehicle supporting frame 4 including a pair of rails 29 and a plurality of horizontal fingers 28, 28′, extending at each side of the supporting frame for receiving corresponding wheels of the vehicle. Like fingers 15, 15′ and 24, 24′, fingers 28, 28′ comprise a first set of fingers 28 for receiving and supporting the rear wheels of the vehicle and a second set, namely a pair fingers 28′, for receiving and supporting the leading wheels of the vehicle. Also, fingers 28, 28′ define inter-digital spaces, and the fingers of upper carriage 18 are so arranged for being capable of passing through corresponding ones of said inter-digital spaces of fingers 28, 28′ of vehicle supporting frames 4, for leaving the vehicle onto the vehicle supporting frame. Like in the transfer from the rotary platform to lifting platform 2, the transfer of the vehicle from lifting platform 2 to the vehicle supporting frame must be safe and, rails 29 and 21 must be perfectly aligned, which alignment is achieved by the coupling of pins 27′ into cavities provided in rails 29. While the vehicle supporting frames have been illustrated as integral frames, rails 29 may be fixed to the floor of the story and fingers 28, 28′ may be independently mounted and fixed in the story floor.
[0032] Rotary platform 2 is mounted within a cylindrical cavity, indicated by reference number 31 in FIG. 8, made in the floor of the construction, at the entry and exit of the parking structure. The rotary platform is mounted in a rotary square frame 32 including a set of driving wheels 33 actuated by hydraulic motors 34, and driven wheels 35 connected, by means of Cardan joints, to the driving wheels. Stabilizing wheels 37 are also provided at the sides of square frame 32 for stabilizing the support and rotation of the platform. Side sectors 6, 7 include perimetral centering wheels 38 that are horizontally arranged and run on a cylindrical wall 39 of cavity 31 whereby the platform is prevented from entering into contact with the wall during rotation.
When operating the structure and system of the invention, a vehicle is entered and placed onto rotary platform [0033] 1, in an entering position, with its forward movement restricted by stopping plates 9′ as shown in FIG. 4, and pins 26 retracted into rails 16. Plate 9 is moved down until reaching the alignment position wherein rails 16 and 25 are aligned and plates 9′ are moved to their horizontal position for permitting the movement of the vehicle. Each leading wheel of the vehicle is nested between the pair of fingers 24′ without the vehicle running the risk of moving.
Transfer carriage assembly [0034] 17-18 is moved until beams 21 are aligned with intermediate rails 25 with pins 27 retracted into rails or beams 21. Then, pins 26 and 27 are actuated in order to extend out of their respective rails 16, 21 into corresponding cavities in rails 25 in order to guarantee the stable alignment of rails 16, 21, and 25. Upper carriage 18 is then moved along rails 21, 25 and 16 and into rotary platform 1, onto plate 9. When carriage 18 is in plate 9, cylinder 30 is actuated to move pivoting arms and lift carriage 18 to the upper position in order that fingers 24, 24′ pass through the inter digital gaps or spaces defined between the corresponding fingers 15, 15′, thus lifting the vehicle as shown in FIG. 5. With the carriage in the upper position, the driving mechanisms are actuated for moving carriage 18 back to lower carriage 17 and once carriage 18 is entirely on carriage 17 arms 23 are lowered back to the position of FIG. 4 and pins 27, and preferably also pins 26, are retracted for disengagement from rails 25.
Subsequently, lifting [0035] mechanisms 11, 12, 13 are actuated for moving lifting platform 2 up, or down if the construction is an underground one, until reaching the desired parking story having at least one empty parking space for the vehicle. Once in the story level, transfer carriage assembly 17/18 is moved transversely along rails 19 and is stopped at a position in front of the empty space 4, with pins 27′ retracted until rails 21 and 29 are aligned. When rails 21 and 29 are aligned as shown in FIGS. 6, 7, pins 27′ are extended out of rails 21 and into corresponding cavities in rails 29 to guarantee the aligned coupling between rails 21 and 29. Then, in this position, cylinder 30 is actuated again to move carriage 18 up and carriage 18 is moved along rails 21 and 29 and into frame 4 with arms 23 passing through a central portion of frame 4 without interfering with fingers 28, 28′. Once carriage 18 is onto frame 4, with fingers 24′ above fingers 28′ and fingers 24 above fingers 28, carriage 18 is moved down permitting fingers 24′ and 24 passing down through the inter digital spaces defined between fingers 28′ and 28, thus leaving the vehicle supported onto frame 4, with the rear wheels onto fingers 28 and the leading wheels onto fingers 28′, as shown in FIG. 7. Then, carriage 18 is moved back onto carriage 17, pins 27′ are retracted, lifting platform 2 is moved up or down to the level of rotary platform 1, and carriage assembly 17/18 is aligned again with central section 8 and plate 9 for a subsequent operation of parking a new vehicle. Alternatively, once carriage assembly 17/18 has left the vehicle in a parking space 4, the carriage assembly may be moved to another story to remove a car that is being claimed at the entrance of the parking building by a driver that needs the car. All the information about the condition of the parking stories and spaces may be controlled by a central computer, a P.L.C., etc., which in turn may operate all the system.
Once the vehicle removed from a parking space has been left onto the rotary platform, this platform is rotated with the mechanisms shown in FIG. 8 in order to place the vehicle with the front thereof looking towards the exit of the parking building. The rotary platform may be rotated along the desired angular degrees to place the vehicle oriented in a position for comfortably going out of the parking building along any desired direction through the front and/or the rear part of the building, or through any side thereof. [0036]
While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. [0037]

Claims

We claim:

1. A parking structure for receiving a plurality of vehicles capable of being accommodated in individual parking spaces, the parking structure comprising:

a parking tower including an entry/exit and a plurality of parking stories, each story having at least one parking space,

a rotary platform adjacent the entry/exit of the parking tower for receiving a vehicle and rotating the same, for placing the vehicle in a position for entering the parking tower or for exiting the parking tower,

a lifting platform in the tower, for carrying the vehicles from the entry/exit of the parking tower to a desired one of the stories of the tower, and from the desired story back to the entry/exit of the tower, and

a transfer carriage assembly movable between a position in said rotary platform for taking a vehicle from the platform and a position in said lifting platform for carrying the vehicle in the lifting platform up or down to the desired story, and movable from the position in the lifting platform to a position in the parking story for leaving the vehicle in the desired parking space, and movable back from the position in the parking story to the position in the lifting platform for carrying the vehicle back to the entry/exit of the tower, and movable from the position in the lifting platform to the position in the rotary platform for leaving the vehicle in the rotary platform.

2. The parking structure of claim 1, wherein the rotary platform comprises two side circular sectors and a central sector comprising a central plate movable between an upper position close to the two side sectors, and a lower position below and spaced apart from the two side sectors, the central plate including a pair of longitudinal rails.

3. The parking structure of claim 2, wherein the rotary platform is mounted in a rotary frame including stabilizing wheels, driving wheels actuated by hydraulic motors, and driven wheels connected by means of Cardan joints to the driving wheels, said side sectors of the rotary platform including centering wheels horizontally arranged and running on a cylindrical wall of a cavity wherein said rotary platform is rotatably mounted.

4. The parking structure of claim 1, wherein the lifting platform comprises a frame having a pair of opposite sides forming corresponding rails for receiving the carriage assembly.

5. The parking structure of claim 4, wherein the transfer carriage assembly comprises a lower carriage and an upper carriage, the lower carriage transversely moving on the lifting platform and including wheels for running onto said rails of the frame of the lifting platform, the lower carriage including a pair of longitudinal beams capable of being aligned with the longitudinal rails of the central plate, the upper carriage including wheels supported and running onto rails defined by said beams of the lower carriage.

6. The parking structure of claim 5, wherein the transfer carriage assembly is provided with driving means for moving the upper carriage longitudinally along said beams of the lower carriage, along said rails of the central plate and along said parking space, between said positions in the rotary platform, in the lifting platform and in the at least one parking space, and for moving the lower carriage along said rails of the lifting platform, and lifting means for moving the upper carriage up and down.

7. The parking structure of claim 6, wherein the lifting means of the upper carriage comprises at least two pivoting arms and at least one hydraulic cylinder connected to the pivoting arms, each arm being pivotally connected to the upper carriage and including one of said wheels of the upper carriage.

8. The parking structure of claim 1, wherein each parking space comprises a vehicle-supporting frame.

9. The parking structure of claim 1, wherein the lifting platform runs up and down guided into a supporting tower and the lifting platform is connected to at least one driving hydraulic cylinder by means of resisting cables connected to the supporting tower and to a transverse top beam mounted at an upper end of the hydraulic cylinder.

10. The parking structure of claim 1, wherein each parking story has a plurality of parking spaces.

11. The parking structure of claim 2, wherein each side sector of the rotary platform has a plurality of horizontal fingers extending towards the central sector for receiving the respective wheels of a vehicle, the fingers defining corresponding inter-digital spaces.

12. The parking structure of claims 7 and 11, wherein the upper carriage has a plurality of horizontal fingers extending at each side of the carriage and being arranged for being capable of passing through corresponding ones of said inter-digital spaces of the fingers of the side sectors of the rotary platform, for lifting the vehicle in the upper carriage for transferring the vehicle from the rotary platform to the lifting platform.

13. The parking structure of claims 8 and 12, wherein the vehicle supporting frame includes a plurality of horizontal fingers extending at each side of the supporting frame for receiving corresponding wheels of a vehicle, the fingers defining inter-digital spaces, and the fingers of the upper carriage being arranged for being capable of passing through corresponding ones of said inter-digital spaces of the fingers of the vehicle supporting frames, for leaving the vehicle onto the vehicle supporting frame.

14. A parking structure for accommodating a plurality of vehicles in individual parking spaces, the parking structure comprising:

a parking tower including an entry/exit and a plurality of parking stories having parking spaces,

a rotary platform for receiving each vehicle entering and exiting the parking tower,

a lifting platform for carrying the vehicles up and/or down from the entry/exit of the parking tower to the stories and from the stories back to the entry/exit of the tower, and

a transfer carriage assembly for transferring the vehicles between the stories and the lifting platform and between the lifting platform and the rotary platform.