The present invention relates to an improved lift for motor vehicles.

Parallelogram and pantograph vehicle lifts are known comprising a pair of longitudinal members resting on the floor, a pair of horizontal runways raisable relative to the longitudinal members to lift the vehicle positioned on them, and with raising devices or uprights, pivoted in the manner of a parallelogram or pantograph to the runways and to the longitudinal members and operated by generally hydraulic systems to raise the runways.

These known types of lifts have been widely used essentially for their ease of installation, their robustness and their operational reliability.

In particular, known lifts include those in which each runway is provided with a single raising device. For example, lifts of this type are described for example in JP H1 1 130383, DE 29916254, CN 201442827, WO 2012/150770, CN 103964338 and CN 2786086. In these lifts the runways are particularly short (of about 2 metres), this being necessary to ensure its balanced raising by a single device. Inevitably these lifts do not lift the vehicle wheels, but only its body.

In addition, known vehicle lifts include those in which each raising device comprises:

- first and second main arms of equal length hinged together at one end, and hinged at their other end respectively to the floor and to the runway about two vertically superposed transverse axes,

- first auxiliary arms hinged to second auxiliary arms and to the first main arms, - second auxiliary arms hinged to the first auxiliary arms at one end and to the second main arms at an intermediate portion, and slidingly engaged at the other end along a guide provided in the corresponding runway,

- an actuator positioned between the main arms and the secondary arms or auxiliary arms.

In general, the runways of these known lifts are shaped with an inverted U cross-section such that when the lift is completely lowered they define with the floor, or with longitudinal members positioned on the floor, longitudinal spaces intended to house the folded raising devices. However, the structural, functional and performance requirements of the vehicle lift mean that the overall dimensions of the raising devices cannot be reduced beyond certain values, such that the minimum height of the lowered lift cannot be easily less than 200 mm, which can be incompatible with certain requirements of the user.

To eliminate or at least reduce this drawback, so-called "sunken" lifts have been proposed, which rest lowerly on the bottom of longitudinal cavities provided in the floor and intended to house the runways and the folded raising devices when the lift is lowered. The solution has certainly solved the problem of the minimum overall dimensions of a lift but has required complicated work of rearranging the room in which the lift is to be installed, and at the same time has restricted the position of the lift within the room itself.

An object of the invention is to provide a vehicle lift which, when in its lowered condition, presents a particularly low height, and in any event less than that of traditional lifts.

INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6) Another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle lift which presents a particularly low height, even if provided with an auxiliary raising device in each runway.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle lift which does not require particular installation work, while at the same time in no way restricting the installation position of the lift in the room for which it is intended.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle lift which is particularly stable, such as to compensate deformations and misalignments and to avoid internal overloading of the various structural components.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle lift which can assume a deformed geometry and/or can absorb unbalanced loads while always ensuring its stability under raised conditions and without generating structural overloads.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lift which is easily accessible, both longitudinally and transversely, to the operators who are required to work below the raised lift.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lift with two longitudinal half parts without transverse mechanical connections between them.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lift of alterative characterisation, in both constructional and functional terms, compared with traditional lifts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lift of easy, quick and low- cost construction.

These objects are attained, according to the invention, by a vehicle lift with the characteristics indicated in claim 1.

INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6) The present invention is further clarified hereinafter in terms of a preferred embodiment thereof, described by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle lift according to the invention in the raised condition,

Figure 2 is a front view of a component of the lift of Figure 1 ,

Figure 3 is a lateral view of a vehicle lift according to the invention in the lowered condition,

Figure 4 shows it at the commencement of raising,

Figure 5 shows it during raising at a point subsequent to that of Figure 4, Figure 6 shows it in the raised condition

Figure 7 shows an enlarged detail of Figure 3,

Figure 8 shows the same enlarged detail as Figure 4,

Figure 9 shows the same enlarged detail as Figure 5,

Figure 10 shows the same enlarged detail as Figure 6.

As can be seen from the figures, the vehicle lift 1 according to the invention comprises substantially a pair of runways raisable relative to the floor 3 by raising devices indicated overall by 4.

In particular, each raising device 4 comprises a first main arm 6, which is hinged at its upper end about a first pin 7 to a second main arm 8, and is hinged at its lower end to a hinge bracket 12 fixed to the floor 3 of the installation room.

The second main arm 8 has the same length as the first main arm 6 and, as stated, has its lower end hinged to it and its upper end hinged to the runway 2.

INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6) Each raising device 4 also comprises a first auxiliary arm 20 which, at its lower end, is provided with rollers or slide blocks 22 slidable on the floor 3 or on a base longitudinal member 23 fixed to the floor 3, and at its upper end is hinged to a second auxiliary arm 24 about a second pin 25. Preferably, the rollers or slide blocks 22 are slidable along guides, not shown, anchored to the floor 3 or fixed to the base longitudinal member 23.

In addition, the first auxiliary arm 20 is hinged to the first main arm 6 about a third pin 26 interposed between the two ends of the arm 20, in a position such that the distance between the axis of rotation of the roller 22 or of articulation of the slide block, should this replace the roller, and the axis of the third pin 26 is equal to the distance between this latter and the axis of the hinge bracket 12.

The second auxiliary arm 24 has its lower end, as already stated, hinged to the first auxiliary arm 20 about the second pin 25, and its upper end hinged to the second main arm 8 about a fourth pin 28 interposed between its two ends.

Appropriately, those portions of the main arms 6, 8 and of the auxiliary arms 20, 24 which are hinged together, define an articulated parallelogram. In particular, the distance between the axis of the fourth pin 28 and the axis of the first pin 7 is equal to the distance between the axis of the third pin 26 and the axis of the second pin 25.

Each raising device 4 also comprises an actuator 30 which has one end hinged about a fifth pin 31 to the first main arm 6, in proximity to the floor 3. Preferably, the end of the actuator 30 is fixed to a plate 33 which is hinged to the hinge bracket 12.

INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6) The other end of the actuator 30 is hinged to a lever 40 about a sixth pin 42.

The lever 40 is also hinged to the second main arm 8 about a seventh pin 44 and, moreover, at the opposite end to that of the sixth pin 42, is provided with slide rollers 45. These can advantageously be positioned on several axes, to create a multiple support during movement.

Appropriately, to optimize the lever system, the lever 40 has a shape such that the axis of the seventh pin 44 is positioned outside the plane containing the axis of the sixth pin 42 and the axis of the rollers 45.

The seventh pin 44 is interposed between the fourth pin 28 and the end of the second main arm 8 hinged to the runway 2.

Preferably, the actuator 30 is a hydraulic cylinder-piston unit comprising a cylinder 32, hinged to the first main arm 6 about the fifth pin 31 , and a piston rod 34 hinged to the lever 40 about the sixth pin 42.

The actuators 30 of the raising devices 4 associated with the same runway 2 are suitably controlled such as to ensure their simultaneous and equal activation, in order to guarantee that the runway undergoes only translatory motion in its rising and descent movements.

In greater detail, for this purpose, the cylinders 32 of the actuators 30 are fed by a hydraulic circuit, not shown, by means of a flow divider controlled such as to ensure simultaneous and equal movement of the piston rods 34 within the respective cylinders 32. These could moreover be controlled just as effectively by an electronic balancing system.

In any event, the actuators 30, and their control, are of known type and as such will not be further discussed. However, by way of example, reference

INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6) can be made to that described in invention patent application VE2007A000059 filed on 20 August 2007 in the name of the same applicant.

Advantageously, both the first main arm 6 and the second main arm 8, and the first auxiliary arms 20 and the second auxiliary arms 24 can consist of two identical plates facing each other, connected together spaced apart by transverse plates. In this manner, each arm defines between two facing plates a space suitable for housing the respective actuator 30.

Each runway 2 consists of a metal plate bent to inverted U-shape with lateral flanges 52 of a height such as to define, with the central web 50 and with the floor 3, a space which when the lift is lowered, completely houses the raising devices 4 (see Figures 3 and 7). In other terms, the height of the lateral flanges 52 of each runway 2 is defined such as to be substantially equal to or slightly greater than that of the raising device 4 when in its folded condition.

The vehicle lift according to the invention operates in the following manner:

with the lift in the lowered condition (see Figures 3 and 7), the actuators 30 are in their minimum elongation condition. In particular, in this condition, the main arms 6, 8, the auxiliary arms 20, 24, and the lever 40, are all substantially coplanar and parallel to the floor. In this manner, the vehicle (not shown in the drawings) can be made to rise onto the runways 2.

When the actuators 30 are activated, their initial elongation causes the respective lever 40 to rotate about the seventh pin 44, such as to bring the rollers 45 into contact with a support plate 47 provided in the first auxiliary arm 20.

INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6) Then gradually as the actuators 30 extend, the rollers 45 rotate on the support plate 47, while the respective levers 40 continue to rotate about their pins 44, in this manner causing the runways 2 to rise (see Figures 4, 5, 8 and 9), until the rotation of the levers 40 is prevented by their striking against corresponding fixed portions 49 of the respective second main arm 8.

From that moment, the continuing elongation of the actuators 30 causes the following events to take place:

- the main arms 6, 8 are made to rotate such as to increase the angle formed between them; in particular, the elongation of the actuator 30 causes the second main arm 8 to withdraw from the first main arm 6, via the lever 40,

- the arms 20, 24 are also made to rotate such as to increase the angle between them; in particular, the rotation of the second main arm 8 causes the second auxiliary arm 24 to rotate and withdraw from the first auxiliary arm 20, which is also raised by the effect of the raising of the first main arm 6, to which it is hinged about the third pin 26.

Moreover, while the second auxiliary arm 24 rotates relative to the first auxiliary arm 20, the lower end of this, provided with rollers or slide blocks 22, slides on the floor 3, or on suitable guides, approaching the hinge bracket 12.

The result is that the runways 2 move upwards relative to the floor 3 with substantially translatory movement. The presence of a suitable controller for the actuators 30 ensures synchronism of movement between the raising devices 4 which act on that runway, and on those which act on the other runways.

In the embodiment described and represented herein, it has been seen that:

INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6) - the first main arm 6 is hinged to the floor 3 at the hinge bracket 12,

- the first auxiliary arm 20 is provided with rollers or slide blocks 22 for its sliding along the floor 3,

- the actuator 30 has an end hinged to the first main arm 3 in proximity to the floor 3, and

- the second main arm 8 is hinged to the runway 2; however the present invention can also comprise an embodiment inverse of the preceding, in which:

- the first main arm 6 is hinged to the runway 2,

- the first auxiliary arm 20 presents rollers or slide blocks 22 for its sliding on suitable guides defined in the runway 2,

- the actuator 30 has an end hinged to the runway 2, and

- the second main arm 8 is hinged to the floor 3.

In a modified embodiment not shown in the drawings, the actuator 30 and the main arm 6 are hinged to longitudinal members resting on and/or hinged to the floor 3.

From the aforegoing, it is apparent that the vehicle lift according to the invention is more advantageous than traditional lifts, in that, when in its lowered condition, the lift has a particularly small height of about 50 mm, or even less, depending on the lifting capacity and on the equipment installed, such as rotary plates, auxiliary raiser and rear oscillating plates, and moreover enables the lower edge of the lateral flanges 52 of the runways 2 to reach substantially into contact with the floor, so completely isolating the raising devices from the outside when the lift is lowered.

INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6) Moreover, the vehicle lift according to the invention is advantageous both because it is particularly stable and because the absence of mechanical connections between the runways enables the operators to have free access to below the raised lift.

INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6)