Roto-translating Trolley for Parking Cars in Garages

This patent application concerns a roto-translating trolley for garaging cars.

This invention aims at better exploiting the space in a conventional rectangular garage whose length is greater than that of an average sized car, but not sufficient to hold two aligned cars.

The invention in question originated from the observation that the width of a standard garage is generally greater than the length of the smaller and more economical cars so that theoretically two cars could be garaged, one (the shorter) positioned transversally, i.e. perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the garage and the second parallel to the axis. The idea is not practicable however since the space for manoeuvres in a garage certainly does not permit parking a car in an orthogonal direction to the garage entrance door.

Accordingly the trolley according to the invention was designed; said trolley not only translates along a track but also rotates around a vertical axis so that the car on the trolley may be rotated and moved along the above track.

/10400 PC17IT96/00172

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By using the trolley according to the invention, it is possible to park two cars in the same garage, one positioned transversally and abutting against the bottom wall of the garage and the second positioned with the front of the car against the side of the first car.

In order to achieve this, the first car is driven into the garage and parked over the trolley; the driver then gets out of the car, turns the trolley 90° and pushes it to the back of the garage so as to place the first car against the back wall of the garage and leaving enough space to garage a second car perpendicular to the first.

The trolley according to the invention consists of a centre roto- translating platform to which two bridge runners are fixed on the side, the same being equipped with spherical wheels resting on the floor which allow the same to perform without resistance the rotation or translation movement of the centre platform.

Said platform rotates freely around a vertical pin projecting from an element sliding along a track, and which is fixed to the garage floor at the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the latter.

A box intersected by the pivoting pin of the platform is mounted above the sliding element; said box houses the mechanical components which ensure translation of the platform only when the same is in a perfectly orthogonal position with respect to the runner of the sliding element.

The box also houses mechanical means to stop to platform during its translation as well as mechanical means to ensure an end of stroke stop after each 90° rotation of the platform which is followed by translation of the platform.

All the mechanisms housed in the above box aim at facilitating and optimising the manoeuvres of the trolley according to the invention in its embodiment whereby the trolley is operated manually in the sense that the person parking the cars in the garage moves the trolley by hand.

All the mechanisms would however be unnecessary in the motor-driven version of the trolley with fully automatic operation.

For major clarity, the description continues with reference to the enclosed drawings which are intended purely for purposes of illustration and not in a limiting whereby a schematic diagram of the manually operated version of the trolley is given in that this is the most economic version to construct in that it requires no costly actuators or power supply and programming systems to drive the roto-translating platform.

The trolley according to the invention may however be equipped with standard automation means such as electric, hydraulic or pneumatic actuators for the motor-driven movement of the roto-translating platform. Fig. 1 is an axonometric representation of the trolley according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section of fig. 1 with transverse plane II-II. Fig. 3 is an axonometric representation of the trolley with an exploded view of all the construction components of the trolley according to the invention.

With reference to the above figures, the trolley in question includes a centre platform (17) which laterally supports two bridge runners (18) equipped with end ramps (18a), which are

able to slide on the floor by means of spherical wheels not shown in the enclosed drawings.

Said platform (17) rotates about a pivoting pin (15a) projecting from an element (2) which slides along track (1) fixed solidly to the floor.

Said track (1) has a centre sliding track housing element (2) which features a thinner middle section designed to form a lowered housing (2a) that houses an overlying pair of identical ratchet gears (4) each of which has a centre slot (4a) and an end hole (4b) at which they are pivoted to the same pin (5) fixed to element (2).

Said ratchet gears (4) being fitted with an external tooth (4c) at the end opposite to hole (4b) which is designed to hook the head of two lists (3) fitted above the longitudinal edges of track (1).

The element (2) being fitted with a straight slot (2b) intersected by pin (15a) which is one of a set of five pins shown as (15) in fig. 3; all the pins in this set (15) are fixed by means of nuts (19) on platform (17) which has five holes (17a) for this purpose. A circular box (7) is fitted above the element (2); the bottom (7a) of said circular box (7) being equipped with a centre hole (7b) for pin (15a).

Said box (7) houses a link block track (10) shut by a circular plate (16) having five through holes for the set of pins (15). More precisely, the box (7) has an elongated window (7d) on its lid (7c) with perimeter step (7e) on which the circular plate (16) rests and slides.

The plate of the link block (10) fixed to the interior of the box (7) consists of a disk having an annular groove (10a) and a set of

three aligned diameter slots, of which the first (10b) is central, the second (10c) originates from groove (10a) and goes towards the centre and the third (10d) originates from groove (10a) but goes to the exterior. As previously mentioned, the circular plate (16) is connected to the overlying platform (17) by means of the above mentioned set (15) of five different length pins.

In particular, the length of the centre pin (15a) is such to intersect the circular plate (16), the slot (10b) of the link block plate (10), the hole (7b) of the bottom (7a) of box (7), the slanted slots (4a) of the ratchet gears (4) and the rectilinear slot (2b) of element (2) as shown in fig. 2.

The first opposing pair of pins (15c) intersect only platform (17) and the underlying circular plate (16) without extending into the box (7).

The second opposing pair of pins (15b) - which are staggered by 90° with respect to the first pair of pins (15c) - extends into the interior of box (7) and terminates in the annular groove (10a) of the link block plate (10). The rotations of platform (17) are guided by these two pins

(15b) which are in turn guided by the annular groove (10a) of the link block plate (10).

These same two pins (15b) also stop the rotation of platform (17) after each 90° rotation which is followed by translation of the platform.

One of these pins (15b) is in fact designed to be hooked - during its rotation in groove (10a) - by a ratchet (12) oscillating around a pin (11) and featuring an attachment (12a) projecting

into the annular groove (10a) at a point in front of the diameter slot (10c).

Said ratchet (12) is fitted on link block plate (10) and is subject to the action of a small return spring (13) which places it in rest position when the intercepted pin (15b) moves into the facing slot (10c) as soon as the translation stroke of the platform (17) starts and pulls the underlying circular plate (16) integrally with said platform. The return of ratchet (12) to its rest position stops the platform (17) from turning in contrary direction so that it is impossible to turn the platform (17) backwards after completing the 90° rotation required to turn the car parked on the bridge runners (18) in orthogonal direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the garage. During the first section of rectilinear stroke of the platform (17)

- as soon as it rotates 90° - the underlying plate (16) is made to slide in the prolonged window (7d) of the box (7) lid; at the same time the pins (15b) move forward to the end of the stroke inside the diameter slots (10c and 10d) while pin (15a) slides inside the centre diameter slot (10b). Only when the circular plate (16) has completed its translation inside its sliding housing, does the stroke of the element (2) start, integrally with platform (17) along track (1). Finally, a pair of opposing parking blocks (8) is housed inside box (7), each of which consists of a jaw (8a) having a centre notch (8b) which is subjected to the thrust of two springs (9) positioned between each jaw and the wall of the box (7). During their rotation in the annular groove (10a), said pins (15b) are hooked elastically to said parking blocks (8) in whose

middle notch (8b) the pins (15b) press fit automatically, consequently stopping the platform (17) in rest position, namely with the bridge runners (18) positioned parallel to the track (1). A brief description is now given of the manoeuvres required to operate the trolley manually starting with the situation whereby the first car to be parked has been driven into the garage and stopped above the bridge runners (18), positioned parallely towards track (1 ). The first step is to rotate the platform (17) around its pivoting pin (15a) by pushing one of the sides of the car so as to release the opposing pair of pins (15b) from the parking blocks (8). After rotating exactly 90°, one of the pins (15b) is hooked and stopped by notch (12). At this point it is necessary to push the car so that the platform

(17) translates along track (1) so as to position one side of the car against the bottom wall of the garage. As previously mentioned, the first section of the translation stroke of the platform (17) coincides with the sliding of the circular plate (16) in the prolonged window (7d) on lid (7c) of the box (7).

In this regard, during the brief translation stroke of the circular plate (16) in the prolonged window (7d), the pivoting pin (15a) slides in the rectilinear slot (2b) of the element (2) and in the slanted slots (4a) of the pair of ratchet gears (4), therefore determining the latter to shut with scissors action and consequently releasing their teeth (4c) from the end of the lists (3).

Thanks to the release of the teeth (4c) the element (2) can slide integrally with the platform (17) along track (1). This means that said ratchet gears (4) operated by the same pivoting pin (15a) allow element (2) to translate integrally with platform (17) only when the side runners (18) have rotated and are perfectly perpendicular to the direction of track (1). To remove the first car from the garage it is necessary to translate platform (17) in contrary direction along track (1) and then rotate platform (17) by another 90°. This second 90° rotation of the platform (17) may be performed only in the direction of the first 90° rotation in that notch (12) - by interfering with one of the pairs of pins (15b) - prevents the contrary rotation of the latter in the annular groove (10a), as described above. This means that the car parked nosewards above the bridge runners (18), after being rotated twice by 90°, will be positioned facing the exit, with its nose towards the garage door.