Material or article handling – Apparatus particularly adapted for charging or discharging a... – Carrier-facility-site relationship
Patent
1995-05-26
1997-10-07
Keenan, James W.
Material or article handling
Apparatus particularly adapted for charging or discharging a...
Carrier-facility-site relationship
E04H 612
Patent
active
056740409
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cylinder-shaped parking garage having a central cylindrical inner shaft and a plurality of parking levels that have parking spaces arranged in a radial pattern.
2. Description of Prior Art
Such parking garages are known from the references D0306058 and PCT/IT91/00027. The parking garage disclosed in PCT/IT91/00027 has a rotating tower with four elevators. The elevators can move independently along the rotating tower. However, the angles between the elevators are fixed. Such parking garage has four important disadvantages.
1. If the rotating tower becomes disabled, the entire garage is blocked.
2. The throughput capability for vehicles is limited, because only one vehicle at a time can enter or exit.
3. To increase the throughput capabilities it is necessary to select a diameter of the parking garage so that the simultaneous use of all elevators is possible.
3.1 However, a large diameter does not optimally utilize the available, and usually expensive, site.
3.2 Further, simultaneous service of several vehicles is still unlikely.
4. Prescribed maintenance of the rotating tower decisively hampers the operation of the parking garage and can therefore become very expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one object of this invention to overcome the above-described disadvantages.
This can be achieved in a parking garage of the above-mentioned type having a stationary central column disposed in the center of a cylindrical inner shaft. At least two car conveying devices are maintained about the central column, and are rotatable about the central column. Each car conveying device has an elevator-like platform that is displaceable in the vertical direction. The several car conveying devices can turn around the center axis simultaneously and to a large degree independently of each other. The only limitation is that the car conveying devices cannot pass each other. Each of the car conveying devices is provided with an elevator and drive elements. Thus, the danger that the entire parking garage is put out of service by a defect in the rotating tower is eliminated.
The throughput capability, according to one preferred embodiment of this invention, is decisively greater because it is almost always possible to use all car conveying devices simultaneously for serving vehicles, especially when the operations are assisted by a computer.
Further, the optimal adaptation of the size of the parking garage to the site is possible, and the performance of scheduled service work on the entire system is possible without problems.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One preferred embodiment according to this invention will be explained in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a parking garage with a central column and two independent car conveying devices, according to one preferred embodiment of this invention; and
FIG. 2 shows another cross-sectional view of the parking garage with the central column and two independent car conveying devices.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
One preferred embodiment of this invention for a cylinder-shaped parking garage 1 having a plurality of parking levels 14 includes four car conveying devices 4. The weight of each car conveying device 4 rests on its own axial segmental bearing 7 and the vertical orientation of the car conveying device 4 is assured by vertical segmental bearings 6. Each car conveying device 4 has its own arresting flange 15 which prevents the car conveying device 4 from jumping out of the axial segmental bearing 7. The rotary drive is provided by two servo motors 12 that are positioned on support surfaces 11 to prevent torsional stresses. The drive transmission takes place with the help of gear wheels, wherein complementary stationary gears are disposed in the inner shaft. The cars are transferred on their own wheels from and onto the elevator by the traction device. The electronic control system is assisted by a computer.
The operations in the pa
REFERENCES:
patent: 4039089 (1977-08-01), Kochanneck
patent: 4976580 (1990-12-01), Knakrick
patent: 5478182 (1995-12-01), Hildebrand et al.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 14, No. 285 (M-0987) 20 Jun. 1990 & JP,A,20 088 853 (Furukawa) 29 Mar. 1990.
LandOfFree
Automatic multistorey carpark does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Automatic multistorey carpark, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Automatic multistorey carpark will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2352218