U.S. patent application number 11/596118 was filed with the patent office on 2008-02-14 for cargo storage device.
Invention is credited to Toshihiro Abe.
Application Number | 20080034674 11/596118 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35394205 |
Filed Date | 2008-02-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080034674 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Abe; Toshihiro |
February 14, 2008 |
Cargo Storage Device
Abstract
A cargo storage device, comprising lift parts (4) and (4') for
raising in which a plurality of load carrying horizontal frames (6,
. . . ) and (6', . . . ) are disposed at roughly equal intervals, a
lift part (5) for lowering formed adjacent to and parallel with the
lift parts for raising, and upright columnar support members (7)
and (7') horizontally swingably supporting the horizontal frames
(6, . . . ) and (6', . . . ) between these lift parts which are
stored in a vertically installed housing (1). The support members
(7) and (7') comprise movable parts formed by stacking,
independently of each other, a plurality of cylindrical units
swingable by 180.degree. horizontally and fixed parts having
support shaft bodies supporting the cylindrical units and forming a
rotating axis for swinging the support members horizontally. The
horizontal frames (6, . . . ) and (6', . . . ) are mounted on the
movable parts through curved installation members to reduce a load
between the load carrying horizontal frames and the support members
so as to eliminate the possibility of trouble.
Inventors: |
Abe; Toshihiro;
(Hanamaki-shi, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WENDEROTH, LIND & PONACK, L.L.P.
2033 K STREET N. W.
SUITE 800
WASHINGTON
DC
20006-1021
US
|
Family ID: |
35394205 |
Appl. No.: |
11/596118 |
Filed: |
May 13, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
May 13, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP05/08790 |
371 Date: |
November 9, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/30 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04H 6/183 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
052/030 |
International
Class: |
E04H 6/18 20060101
E04H006/18 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 14, 2004 |
JP |
2004-145113 |
Claims
1. A cargo housing unit characterized in that, in a cargo housing
unit comprising, within an upright housing, a lift part for raising
having a plurality of cargo-mounting horizontal base stands
disposed at approximately uniform distances, a lift part for
lowering adjacent thereto keeping parallelism therewith and upright
columnar supporting members which support the aforementioned
horizontal base stands in a horizontally rotatable fashion between
the said two parts, the aforementioned supporting members are
formed of a mobile part consisting of a plurality of cylindrical
units stacked each independently from the others in a rotatable
fashion by 180 degrees within a horizontal plane and a stationary
part consisting of a supporting axial body which supports each of
the cylindrical units and serves as the axis of rotation when the
same is under rotation within a horizontal plane, the
aforementioned horizontal base stand being connected to the said
mobile part with intervention of a connection member having a
curved surface.
2. The cargo housing unit described in claim 1 wherein the mobile
part is supported by a stopper and a flange-formed plate fixed to
the supporting axial body of the stationary part.
3. The cargo housing unit described in claim 1 which is provided
with the mechanism for causing falling of the cargo-mounting
horizontal base stand from the lift part for lowering by the tare
weight and with the mechanism for buffering the falling velocity
thereof by utilizing the kinetic energy of falling thereof.
4. The cargo housing unit described in claim 1 which is a parking
tower of automobiles.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a unit for housing a cargo
such as vehicles including passenger cars and trucks as well as
freight carriers such as forklifts and handcarts, and particularly
relates to a parking tower.
BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY
[0002] In recent years, in order to save the occupied areas of
parking lots, multistory parking spaces have been installed, and a
parking tower is one of them.
[0003] The mainstream parking towers have been constituted of a
housing capable of housing a number of vehicles, and a base stand
movable up and down. They transport a vehicle received in the base
stand at an entrance on the ground to a housing rack of the housing
so as to house it therein, and discharge the vehicle to the exit on
the ground from the housing rack in the reverse steps as
necessary.
[0004] However, such a type of parking tower has to transfer a
vehicle to a predetermined housing rack from the entrance when
housing the vehicle, and has to transfer a vehicle to the exit from
the housing rack when discharging it, and therefore, it takes time.
In addition, since the orientation of the vehicle is the same when
the vehicle is received and when it is discharged, the vehicle has
to be reversed either when received or when discharged, and
therefore, there is the disadvantage that the operation takes too
much time and labor.
[0005] In order to overcome such a disadvantage, the present
inventor has previously proposed a cargo housing unit for
vertically holding a plurality of cargo housing bodies at columns
which are vertically provided, characterized by including reversing
means which laterally rotates a cargo housing body arbitrarily
taken out from a row of a plurality of vertically housed housing
bodies to reverse their orientations, endless drive means which is
disposed in the vertical direction along the above-described
columns, provided with housing body holding parts for holding the
above-described reversed cargo housing body at predetermined
spaces, and causes the cargo housing body to fall by the tare
weight in a state holding the cargo housing body, and braking means
which converts a rotational force of the above-described endless
drive means into accumulation energy and applies a braking force to
the endless drive means (JP3276695B).
[0006] FIG. 8 is a front view of this unit, FIG. 9 is a perspective
view of a main part of this unit, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional
view of the cargo housing body holding part of this unit.
[0007] The unit vertically houses a plurality of vehicles C, . . .
and includes a pair of columns 101,101' provided side by side on
the ground to be opposed to each other, a plurality of vehicle
mounting bases 102, . . . ,102', . . . as cargo housing bodies
rising and lowering along the columns 101,101', a raising drive
mechanism 103 which raises the vehicle mounting bases 102,102', . .
. , a chain 104 as endless drive means, a braking mechanism 105 as
braking means which converts the rotational force of the chain 104
into accumulation energy and applies a braking force to the chain
104, and a frame 106 provided with an exit and an entrance of the
vehicle at the same side.
[0008] A pair of columns 101,101' are vertically provided at a
distance longer than the width of each of the vehicle mounting
bases 102,102' from each other, and the respective columns 101,101'
are formed by cylindrical outer columns 107,107', and cylindrical
inner columns 108,108' which are located at the inner sides of the
outer columns 107,107', and are vertically provided with respective
base portions buried under the ground.
[0009] When the vehicle C is received into the predetermined
vehicle mounting base 102 from the entrance of the cargo housing
unit, and subsequently, the operation part switch is turned on, a
power motor 109 of the raising drive mechanism is driven, a chain
112 wound on a chain wheel 111 starts to run via a rotary shaft
110, and the vehicle mounting base 102 is pushed upward along a
lifting vertical groove 114 of the column 101 by the action of a
lift plate 113, as a result of which, a stopper 115 is pushed to
open.
[0010] Subsequently, when the vehicle mounting base 102 reaches an
upper floor and the raising drive mechanism is stopped by the
operation switch, a bearing 116 of the vehicle mounting base 102
becomes engaged with a stopper 115 at a communication part 117a of
an inclined groove 117 of that floor. At this time, since the
holding mechanism works to inhibit rotation of the vehicle mounting
base 102, the vehicle C stops at this floor and is housed.
[0011] Next, in order to discharge the thus housed vehicle C, a
power supply is connected to a cell motor (not shown) of the
holding mechanism mounted to a predetermined vehicle mounting base
102 by the operation switch to rotate the cell motor. Thereby, an
arm (not shown) moves to the cell motor side, the holding mechanism
is released, the bearing 116 of the vehicle mounting base 102 rolls
down on a tip end surface 115b of the inclined stopper 115 by the
tare weight of the vehicle C and the vehicle mounting base 102, and
is received in the inclined groove 117. Namely, the bearing 116
rolls down along the inclined groove 117, and is received in a
vertical groove for falling which is located on a substantial back
side of the lifting vertical groove. Thereby, the vehicle mounting
base 102 on which the vehicle C is mounted rotates by substantially
180.degree. along the periphery of the column 101, and therefore,
the vehicle C is disposed to be oriented with its front facing the
exit.
[0012] Next, with the raising and lowering plate of the vehicle
mounting base 102 engaged with and held by a hook part 118 of the
chain 112, the vehicle mounting base 102 with the vehicle C mounted
thereon falls by the tare weight, and reaches the lowest floor. On
this occasion, the falling state is detected stepwise by a sensor
119, and the vehicle mounting base 102 is braked stepwise by an
electromagnetic clutch linked to the sensor 119, and quietly gets
down on the ground enabling the vehicle C to be discharged with its
front facing forward.
[0013] The cargo housing unit has the advantages of being capable
of housing a vehicle in a short time and discharging the vehicle in
a short time, and having no need to carrying in and out a vehicle
by reversing it, but rotation of the vehicle and the vehicle
mounting base has to be performed by only one arm. Therefore, the
total mass of the vehicle mounting base and the vehicle mounted
thereon is exerted on the arm base part, which causes the risk of
breakage, and the rotation is performed by rolling into the
inclined groove, which brings about the disadvantage to readily
cause breaking.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0014] The present invention has been completed under such
circumstances and has an object to provide a cargo housing unit
which is improved to reduce the load between cargo-mounting
horizontal base stands and supporting members, so as to be freed
from the troubles due to failure.
[0015] As a result of the repeated studies on enhancement of the
function of the cargo housing unit, the present inventor has found
out that a support column of a cargo-mounting horizontal base stand
is constructed of a combination of a stationary part and a rotary
part, and mounting of the horizontal base stand to the support
column is performed with a cylindrical unit fixed via a mounting
member having an arc-wise cross section, thereby strengthening a
mounting portion of the horizontal base stand, and mounting can be
made by horizontal translation to reduce the burden of the mass,
whereby the above-described object can be achieved, and the
inventor has completed the present invention based on this
knowledge.
[0016] Namely, the present invention provides a cargo housing unit
characterized in that, in a cargo housing unit comprising, within
an upright housing, a lift part for raising having a plurality of
cargo-mounting horizontal base stands disposed at approximately
uniform distances, a lift part for lowering adjacent thereto
keeping parallelism therewith and upright columnar supporting
members which support the aforementioned horizontal base stands in
a horizontally rotatable fashion between the two parts, the
aforementioned supporting members are formed of a mobile part
consisting of a plurality of cylindrical units stacked each
independently from the others in a rotatable fashion by 180 degrees
within a horizontal plane and a stationary part consisting of a
supporting axial body which supports each of the cylindrical units
and serves as the axis of rotation when the same is under rotation
within a horizontal plane, the aforementioned horizontal base stand
being connected to the aforementioned mobile part with intervention
of a connection member having a curved surface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0017] FIG. 1 is a front view of a parking tower of one example of
the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the ground floor of the parking
tower in FIG. 1.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of an upright supporting
column in the parking tower in FIG. 1.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a cylindrical unit in
the parking tower in FIG. 1.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a vertical cross sectional view of a cylindrical
unit in the parking tower in FIG. 1.
[0022] FIG. 6 is a plan view of a flange-formed plate in the
parking tower in FIG. 1.
[0023] FIG. 7 is an explanatory illustration of the mechanism
performing the horizontal rotating movement by a single motor in
the parking tower in FIG. 1.
[0024] FIG. 8 is a front view of a conventional cargo housing
unit.
[0025] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a main part of the cargo
housing unit in FIG. 8.
[0026] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a cargo housing body
holding part of the cargo housing unit in FIG. 8.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0027] Next, with reference to the attached drawings, the best mode
for carrying out the present invention will be described for a
parking tower having a vehicle as a cargo as an example.
[0028] FIG. 1 is a front view with the front surface cut off to
show an internal structure of a parking tower, and FIG. 2 is a plan
view of the ground floor of the same parking tower.
[0029] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the parking tower consists of an
above-ground part A and an underground part B. The above-ground
part A has a housing 1 constituting an entire superstructure, and
the front face of the ground floor of this housing 1 is opened to
form entrances 2,2' and an exit 3.
[0030] The above-ground part A is divided into two lift parts 4,4'
for raising, and one lift part 5 for lowering, and the lift parts
4,4' for raising are provided with a plurality of vehicle mounting
bases or, namely, cargo-mounting horizontal base stands 6, . . .
6', . . . disposed at approximately uniform distances in the
vertical direction for housing a vehicle C, and two upright columns
or, namely, upright columnar supporting members 7,7' for supporting
them.
[0031] Meanwhile, in the underground part B, the drive mechanism
for raising the vehicle mounting bases 6, . . . 6', . . . of the
above-described lift parts 4,4' for raising, for example, hydraulic
cylinders 8,8' and a control mechanism 10 which converts kinetic
energy into electric energy and accumulates the electric energy,
and applies a buffering force for braking at the time of lowering
predetermined vehicle mounting bases 6,6' via a chain 9 provided at
the lift part 5 for lowering are housed.
[0032] FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing one example of
the structure of the above-described upright supporting column 7
which is constructed by a stationary part constituted of a
stationary axial body 11 and a mobile part constituted of a
plurality of cylindrical units 12, . . . which are mounted around
it to be risible and horizontally rotatable by 180.degree..
Flange-formed plates 13, . . . for temporarily supporting the
adjacent cylindrical units 12 directly over them, and stoppers 14,
. . . are fixedly provided at the stationary axial body 11, and the
respective cylindrical units 12, . . . are provided with drive
motors 15, . . . for rotating for performing the horizontal
rotational movement, and gears 15', . . . for rotating which are
meshed with drive shaft gears thereof.
[0033] Next, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an internal
structure of the individual cylindrical unit 12, and FIG. 5 is a
vertical sectional view. The cylindrical unit 12 is constructed of
an outer cylinder 16, two pairs of channels with C-shaped sections
(hereinafter, abbreviated as C-shaped channels) 17 and 18, and 17'
and 18' which are fixed to the outer cylinder 16, and an outer
cylinder receiving plate 19 which is fitted into one pair of them,
and mounted in an upwardly movable fashion with stability.
[0034] The above-described outer cylinder receiving plate 19 is a
semi-cylindrical curved plate, has the vehicle mounting base 6
integrally fixed to its lower portion, is inserted into openings
17a and 18a of the C-shaped channels 17 and 18, and is kept in a
stable and risible state by four pairs of parallel double rollers
20, . . . and eight vertical rollers 21, . . . mounted to the outer
cylinder receiving plate 19.
[0035] A stopper pushing-up member 22 which is provided at the
outer cylinder 16, when the outer cylinder receiving plate 19
rises, pushes from below the stopper 14, which is always biased
with a spring so that its upper portion opens outward with a
support point 14a as a center, to recess its upper end portion,
which is protruded outward, to inside, so that it does not
interfere with rising of the outer cylinder receiving plate 19.
[0036] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the flange-formed plate 13 fixedly
provided at the stationary supporting column 11 for supporting the
cylindrical unit 12. The flange-formed plate 13 is provided with
notch portions 13a,13a' and 13b,13b' corresponding to the C-shaped
channels 17,18 and 17',18' and 13b,13b' are notched deeper than
13a,13a' by the amount required for giving a space for allowing it
to pass the upper end portion of the stopper 14 which is recessed
inward by the stopper pushing-up member 22.
[0037] When a vehicle is housed in the parking tower constructed as
above, the vehicle is mounted on the vehicle mounting base 6 on the
ground floor in FIG. 1 by causing the vehicle to proceed in the
direction as it faces, namely, toward the back of the housing
space, and thereafter, the lift part 4 for raising is started to
operate by pressing a switch on a control panel (not shown)
provided in the vicinity of the entrance of the parking tower. By
this operation, the pushing-up member 22 slides upward by the
hydraulic cylinder 8, and the stopper 14 is pulled into the stopper
passing notch portions 13b,13b' of the flange-formed plate 13
against the spring by which it is biased, and the outer cylinder
receiving plates 19, . . . rise with the vehicle mounting bases 6
without an obstacle. Rising of the outer cylinder receiving plates
19, . . . continues in sequence to the position where the vehicle
mounting base is not present because it moves to the lift for
lowering from the lift for raising, for example, the position of
the fourth floor in FIG. 1, and when it reaches the position, it
automatically stops to finish the housing operation.
[0038] Next, when the vehicle housed in the parking tower is
discharged, a command is sent to the floor in which the vehicle to
be discharged is housed by pressing the switch of the
above-described control panel, the drive motor 15 for rotating of
that floor is actuated to start horizontal rotation of the
cylindrical unit 12 in which the predetermined vehicle mounting
base 6 is fixedly provided via the gear 15' for rotation.
[0039] The horizontal rotation of the cylindrical unit 12 is
performed in the state in which it is supported on the
flange-formed plate 13 with only the inner roller, in contact with
the flange-formed plate 13, of the parallel double roller 20, and
the outer roller is not supported, and therefore, when it rotates
by 180 degrees and reaches the position of the lift part 5 for
lowering, the outer cylinder receiving plate 19 is outside the
support range of the stopper 14, whereby the support is released,
and it falls by the tare weight along the C-shaped channel for
lowering while causing the chain 9 engaged with it to perform
circulatory rotation. The falling state is detected by a sensor
(not shown) with time, and stepwise braking is performed for the
falling by an electromagnetic clutch actuating in response to the
detection signal of the sensor, braking is performed by a load
occurring to a generator 23 for rotation of the chain 9, and the
falling gradually stops by a buffering action.
[0040] Further, the chain 9 moves from above to below with the tare
weight falling of the vehicle mounting base 6 and this movement
rotates a chain wheel (not shown) connected to gears 24,25 to
actuate the generator 23 directly connected to the chain wheel,
whereby kinetic energy of falling is converted into electric energy
which can be accumulated in an capacitor 26. The thus accumulated
electric energy is fed back as the power for the drive motors 15, .
. . for horizontal rotation and the others.
[0041] In this manner, the vehicle on the vehicle mounting base 6
which reaches the ground floor is oriented to face forward with
respect to the exit, and therefore, it can go out by causing it to
proceed as it faces. Accordingly, it is not necessary to reverse
the vehicle carefully with one's nerves overstrained as in the case
of the conventional tower parking, along with saving of time.
[0042] The vehicle mounting base 6 on the ground floor after the
vehicle left it rotates around the supporting column in the reverse
direction from the direction on the other floors by the drive motor
and the reverse gear, and moves to the first floor of the lift part
for raising. When, for example, the third floor of the lift part
for raising is vacant, and the vehicle mounting base in the vacant
space on the ground floor is pushed up to the second floor by the
hydraulic cylinder 8, the vehicle mounting base on the second floor
is pushed up to the third floor in a linkage motion with this, and
the vacant space is automatically filled.
[0043] In the above parking tower, the horizontal rotating movement
of the vehicle mounting base 6 of each of the cylindrical units is
performed by the drive motor 15 for horizontal rotation
individually provided at each of the units, but it can be performed
by using a single drive motor in common.
[0044] FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing one example of the
mechanism which allows the respective cylindrical units to perform
the horizontal rotating movement by using such a single drive motor
wherein codirectional rotary gear pairs 27, . . . are placed on
each of the cylindrical units 12, . . . instead of drive motors, an
input gear 27a of each of the gear pairs is connected to a drive
shaft 29 of a drive motor 28 by each of magnet connectors 30, . . .
and, by meshing it with the output gear 27b on the cylindrical unit
on the required floor, the cylindrical unit is caused to perform
the horizontal rotating movement.
[0045] In the case of using this mechanism, only horizontal
rotation on the ground floor is preferably performed in the reverse
direction from the horizontal rotation on the other floors via the
reverse gear.
[0046] In the cargo housing unit of the present invention, electric
energy generated in the other generating mechanism can be used as
the energy necessary for buffering lowering speed of the lift part
for lowering.
[0047] The present invention is described thus far with the example
of the parking tower in the case where cargoes are vehicles, but
the present invention can be used for housing a wide variety of
cargoes such as furniture, machines, instruments, foodstuffs and
the like.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0048] According to the present invention, in the case of being
used as, for example, a parking tower, a.discharging operation can
be performed by utilizing falling by the tare weight of the
horizontal base stand with a vehicle mounted thereon, and
therefore, it can be performed in a short time. Even if the vehicle
to be carried in is housed in the proceeding direction as such, it
is reversed in the direction facing the exit when it is discharged,
and therefore, time for carrying in and out can be shortened. In
addition, the rotational energy of the chain at the time of falling
is converted into electric energy, and can be utilized as a power
source of the motor, and therefore, there is provided the advantage
of being capable of saving energy cost. Accordingly, the present
invention is useful as the unit for efficiently housing various
kinds of cargoes in a small site, especially, a parking tower.
* * * * *