The present invention refers to a retractable loading/unloading gangway for transporting motor vehicles. As ' known, the optimum load of motor vehicles on transporting trucks such as trailers constantly requires the seach for the minimum space that can be occupied and the best housing of motor vehicles themselves . For such purpose, the prior art proposes loading gangways composed of a plurality of moving cross members sliding on support guides that can be extended to create a passage board to allow loading or unloading the motor vehicle on the trailer, to be then retracted to minimise the occupied space and to allow exploiting the free space that is created under the motor vehicle: in known gangways like the above-described ones, moving cross members are however mutually connected and spaced by flexible ribbons, that are scarcely reliable especially under frost or snow situations. Moreover, known retractable gangways composed of connected cross members, as described above, have relatively reduced tire-bearing surfaces, generating non-neglectable deformations on the tire carcass when passing on the gangway during the motor vehicle loading and unloading operations.

Therefore, object of the present invention is solving the above prior art problems, by providing a retractable loading/unloading gangway for transporting motor vehicles that can be retracted and minimised to allow exploiting the space that is created under the motor vehicle, in which every moving loading cross member is articulated to a following and adjacent moving cross member through rigid connecting tongues, thereby resulting more reliable than prior art retractable gangways.

Moreover, an object of the present invention is providing a retractable loading/unloading gangway for transporting motor vehicles that has a greater tire bearing surface, that induces lower deformation on the tire carcass when passing on the motor vehicle gangway.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention, as will result from the following description, are obtained with a retractable loading/unloading gangway for transporting motor vehicles as described in Claim 1. Preferred embodiments and non-trivial variations of the present invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims .

It will be immediately obvious that numerous variations and modifications (for example related to shape, sizes, arrangements and parts with equivalent functionality) can be made to what is described, without departing from the scope of the invention, as claimed in the dependent claims.

The present invention will be better described by some preferred embodiments thereof, provided as a non-limiting example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the retractable loading/unloading gangway according to the present invention in an extended loading/unloading position thereof;

FIG. 2 shows a detailed perspective view of some elements of the retractable loading/unloading gangway according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the retractable loading/unloading gangway according to the present invention in a partially extended position thereof; FIG. 4 shows a perspective detailed view of other components of the retractable loading/unloading gangway according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective detailed view of further components of the retractable loading/unloading gangway according to the present invention; and - FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the retractable loading/unloading gangway according to the present invention in a rectracted position thereof.

With reference to the Figures, it is possible to note that a preferred embodiment of the retractable loading/unloading gangway 20 for transporting motor vehicles according to the present invention comprises a plurality of moving loading cross members 4, 5 longitudinally sliding along supporting guides 2, 3 of a supporting frame 1 between a retracted position with minumum encumbrance (as shown, for example, in FIG. 6) and an extended loading position (as shown, for example, in FIG. 1) and vice versa, advantageously each one of such moving loading cross members 4 being articulated to a following and adjacent moving loading cross member 5 through at least one rigid connecting tongue 9.

As can be seen below in more detail, the gangway 20 as described above in its extended position allows the passage of the motor vehicle tire till its loading position, after which it is linearly retracted and compacted in order to free space below the motor vehicle itself. In particular, therefore, the gangway 20 according to the present invention is composed of moving rigid loading cross members 4, 5 mutually articulated in order to allow a certain mutual angular movement (as can be noted, for example, in FIG. 3) , but without them being able to be freed one from the others due to the action of the rigid connecting tongues 9. The moving loading cross members 4, 5 are then supported at least by the two lateral supporting guides 2, 3 that allow their sliding between a retracted position with minimum encumbrance and the extended loading position, and vice versa, and are the longitudinal carrier structure of the gangway 20.

The arrangement of the articulation between a cross member 4 and a following cross member 5 through the rigid connecting tongues 9 allows the assembling without the help of tools or plastic deformations, but simply by inserting the various cross members 4, 5 mutually fastened along the two longitudinal guides 2, 3, preferably through respective slots 21, suitable sized and arranged at the end of each cross member 4, 5. In particular, as can be noted in FIG. 2, each rigid connecting tongue 9 of a cross member 4 engages a respective slot 8 of a following cross member 5, such slot 8 being suitably equipped with at least one abutment 8a that prevents the rigid connecting tongue 9 from accidentally going out of it through an insertion opening 8b of the tongue 9 itself inside such slot 8: always to prevent the rigid connecting tongue 9 from accidentally going out of its own slot 8, the end of such rigid connecting tongue 9 can be equipped with at least one "T"-shaped abutment 9a. Similarly, as can be noted in FIG. 3, the same type of connection occurs between the moving cross members 4, 5 also on their own lower sides. Obviously, the articulation made by the tongue 9 and the slot 8 can be repeated more than once between the various cross members 4, 5. Normally, two articulations are made between two cross members 4, 5, but they can be more than two. Advantageously, the length of the gangway 20 according to the present invention can be modified at will depending on the number of cross members 4, 5, mutually articulated and modularly alternated.

Obviously, each moving loading cross member 4, 5 is structurally adapted to support the motor vehicle load and is of the transversally carrier type, discharging the forces on the side guides 2, 3.

The plurality of moving loading cross members 4, 5 comprise a particular first end cross member 10 connected to the supporting frame 1 and a second end cross member 11 connected to at least one terminal cross member 7 of the gangway 20: preferably, as can be noted in particular in FIG. 4, the first end cross member 10 is connected to the supporting frame 1 through first pins 12 that engage respective first slots 14 of the cross member 10 itself, each first pin 12 being equipped with a stop 13 that prevents the pin 12 from accidentally going out of its own slot 14. In parallel, as can be noted in particular in FIG. 5, the second end cross member 11 is connected to the terminal cross member 7 through second pins 17 that engage respective second slots 16 of the cross member 11, each second pin 17 being equipped with a stop 18 that prevents the pin 17 itself from accidentally going out of its own slot 16. To avoid vibrations and rattling of moving cross members 4, 5 during an on-road running, it is possible to provide that, between the supporting frame 1 and the first end cross member 10, first elastic, rubber anti-vibration elements 15 are interposed, preferably fastened to the supporting frame 1 itself, and between the terminal cross member 7 and the second end cross member 11 second elastic, rubber anti-vibration elements 10 are interposed, preferably secured to the terminal cross member 7 itself.

The terminal cross member 7 is moved along a respective side sliding guide 24 of the supporting frame 1, for example by a linear actuator 6 or manually, in order to slide the moving loading cross members 4, 5 along the supporting guides 2, 3 according to a first direction (as shown, for example, by arrow E in FIG. 6) to take the gangway 1 from its retracted position with minimum encumbrance to its extended loading position, or according to a second direction (as shown, for example, by arrow R in FIG. 1) to take the gangway 1 from its extended loading position to its retracted position with minimum encumbrance. Preferably, the same side supporting guides 2, 3 are sliding inside the supporting frame 1 under the action of the movement of the terminal cross member 7, an end of each of such supporting guides 2, 3 being connected to such terminal cross member 7.

By taking the terminal cross member 7 to move according to the direction of arrow E, namely moving the terminal cross member 7 away from the supporting frame 1, the sliding side supporting guides 2, 3 are extracted from the supporting frame 1 and the various moving loading cross members 4, 5, mutually articulated through the rigid connecting tongues 9, are deployed, increasing the angle between the cross members 4, 5 and a vertical transverse plane, in order to make a board for passing the motor vehicle. Obviously, by taking the terminal cross member 7 to move according to the direction of arrow R, namely by approaching the terminal cross member 7 to the supporting frame 1, the sliding side supporting guides 2, 3 are taken again inside the supporting frame 1 and the various moving loading cross members 4, 5 are bent, decreasing the angle between the cross members 4, 5 and taking the gangway to its retracted position with minimum encumbrance.

Preferably, the upper surface of each moving loading cross member 4, 5 can be equipped with an indentation adapted to provide a greater adherence for motor vehicle tires and/or with through holes 23 that perform the double function of lightening and allowing dumping water, snow or mud through the gangway 1.