Liftable lifting mechanism and vehicle carrying equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a lifting mechanism capable of ascending and descending and vehicle carrying equipment, the lifting mechanism comprises a base plate, a supporting arm and a lifting assembly, the supporting arm is used for supporting wheels, the supporting arm is connected with the base plate, and the lifting assembly comprises a supporting wheel, a supporting piece and a driving part; the supporting wheel is rotationally connected with the supporting piece, and the driving component is connected with the supporting piece and used for driving the supporting piece to move in the direction away from or close to the base plate. According to the lifting mechanism capable of ascending and descending and the vehicle carrying equipment, the driving component directly drives the base plate to ascend and descend relative to the supporting wheels, so that the weight cannot be transmitted to the vehicle frame, the gravity of the vehicle can be directly borne through the supporting wheels, and the situation that the vehicle frame is subjected to the over-high rigidity requirement on the vehicle frame is avoided on the basis that the bearing capacity of the lifting mechanism is met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure pertains to the field of vehicle handling equipment, and in particular to a liftable lifting mechanism and vehicle handling equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Automated parking equipment is used in multi-level parking garages to automatically move vehicles to parking spaces or to the entrance / exit after removing them from parking spaces. Vehicle handling equipment is used to move loaded vehicles to predetermined locations.

[0003] Existing vehicle handling equipment typically uses a lifting mechanism mounted on the vehicle frame to lift the vehicle by raising and lowering it relative to the frame. However, due to the large mass of vehicles, the rigidity requirements of the frame are high, which affects the load-bearing capacity of the vehicle handling equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above, it is necessary to provide a liftable lifting mechanism and vehicle handling equipment, which aims to reduce the rigidity requirements of the vehicle frame.

[0005] Therefore, this disclosure provides a liftable lifting mechanism, which includes a base plate, a support arm for lifting a wheel, and a lifting assembly. The support arm is connected to the base plate, and the lifting assembly includes a support wheel, a support member, and a drive component.

[0006] The support wheel is rotatably connected to the support member, and the drive component is connected to the support member for driving the support member to move in a direction away from or towards the substrate.

[0007] According to the liftable lifting mechanism, the driving component includes a first link, a second link, and a sliding plate;

[0008] The two ends of the first connecting rod are respectively hinged to the base plate and the support member, and the two ends of the second connecting rod are respectively hinged to the support member and the sliding plate;

[0009] The sliding plate is movably connected to the base plate and is used to drive the support member to move in a direction away from or towards the base plate via the first link and the second link.

[0010] According to the liftable lifting mechanism, the lifting assembly further includes a lifting motor and a lead screw, the lead screw being rotatably connected to the base plate, the slide plate being threadedly connected to the lead screw, and the lifting motor being connected to the lead screw.

[0011] According to the liftable lifting mechanism, a pair of support arms are provided on each side of the base plate, and one end of the support arm is rotatably connected to the base plate.

[0012] The lifting mechanism also includes a clamping arm motor, which is connected to the support arm and is used to drive the clamping arm to rotate and clamp the wheel.

[0013] According to the liftable lifting mechanism, the lifting mechanism also includes a worm gear disposed at the end of the clamping arm and a worm shaft rotatably connected to the base plate, and the clamping arm motor drives the clamping arm to rotate through the worm shaft and the worm gear.

[0014] In addition, this disclosure also provides a vehicle handling device, which includes a seat, a frame, a steering wheel, and a lifting mechanism. The steering wheel is connected to the seat, the frame is vertically connected to the seat, and the lifting mechanism is connected to the frame for lifting the wheels to transport the vehicle.

[0015] According to the vehicle handling equipment, the frame includes a first sub-frame and a second sub-frame, the first sub-frame is vertically connected to the seat, the second sub-frame is hinged to the first sub-frame, and each of the first and second sub-frames is connected to a lifting mechanism.

[0016] According to the vehicle handling equipment, the lifting mechanism is movably connected to the first sub-frame or the second sub-frame for adjusting the distance between the two lifting mechanisms.

[0017] According to the vehicle handling equipment, the support component of the lifting mechanism connected to the first sub-frame includes:

[0018] The outer ring is hinged to the first and second connecting rods;

[0019] A turntable is rotatably connected to the outer ring, and the support wheel is rotatably connected to the turntable;

[0020] A steering gear, rotatably connected to and meshing with the turntable, is used to steer the support wheel by driving the turntable.

[0021] According to the vehicle handling equipment, in a pair of support arms of the lifting mechanism connected to the first sub-frame, the support arm closer to the seat is fixedly connected to the base plate and perpendicular to the length direction of the base plate, while the other support arm is rotatably connected to the base plate.

[0022] Compared to existing technologies, the aforementioned liftable lifting mechanism and vehicle handling equipment directly drive the base plate to move up and down relative to the support wheels through the drive components. This avoids transferring the weight to the vehicle frame and allows the vehicle's weight to be directly borne by the support wheels. This approach avoids placing excessively high rigidity requirements on the vehicle frame while meeting the load-bearing capacity requirements of the lifting mechanism. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the implementation methods will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a vehicle handling equipment.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the lifting mechanism that connects to the first subframe.

[0026] Figure 3 It is a structural diagram of the support arm, worm gear, worm, and clamping arm motor.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure when the clamping arm rotates to an angle perpendicular to the first subframe.

[0028] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the support component of the lifting mechanism that connects to the first subframe.

[0029] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting mechanism connected to the first subframe in the extended support wheel state.

[0030] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of the lifting mechanism that connects to the second subframe.

[0031] Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of the first and second subframes in their unfolded state.

[0032] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting mechanism of the first and second subframes in the extended state.

[0033] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of the first and second subframes in the folded state.

[0034] Figure 11 This is a structural diagram of the first subframe 12 and the second subframe 13 in a steering state.

[0035] Explanation of key component symbols:

[0036] 10-Seat; 11-Steering wheel; 12-First subframe; 13-Second subframe;

[0037] 20-Lifting mechanism; 21-Base plate; 22-Support arm; 221-Worm gear; 222-Worm; 223-Clamping arm motor; 23-Lifting motor; 231-Lead screw; 24-Slide plate; 25-First connecting rod; 251-Second connecting rod; 26-Outer ring; 261-Turntable; 262-Steering gear; 27-Support wheel; 28-Rotating shaft.

[0038] The following detailed embodiments will further illustrate this disclosure in conjunction with the above-described drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0039] To better understand the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this disclosure, the disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this disclosure; the described embodiments are merely a part of the embodiments of this disclosure, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this disclosure without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0040] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this disclosure.

[0041] In various embodiments, for ease of description and not limitation of this disclosure, the term "connection" used in the patent application specification and claims is not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "below," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship also changes accordingly.

[0042] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of vehicle handling equipment. (For example...) Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle handling equipment is used to move under the vehicle to lift it, thereby completing the function of transporting the vehicle. Specifically, the vehicle handling equipment includes a seat 10, a frame, a steering wheel 11, and a lifting mechanism 20. The seat 10 and the frame are used to connect the lifting mechanism 20, which is used to carry the vehicle and then move with the seat 10 and the frame.

[0043] In this embodiment, the steering wheel 11 is connected to the seat 10, the frame is movably connected to the seat 10, and the lifting mechanism 20 is connected to the frame, used to lift the wheels to transport the vehicle. The steering wheel 11 is a component with its own steering and power, used to cooperate with the lifting mechanism 20 to complete the walking function of the vehicle transport equipment. The frame is movably connected to the seat 10. Specifically, the frame includes a first sub-frame 12 and a second sub-frame 13. The first sub-frame 12 is movably connected to the seat 10, and the second sub-frame 13 is hinged to the first sub-frame 12. Each of the first sub-frame 12 and the second sub-frame 13 is connected to a lifting mechanism 20. When working, the first sub-frame 12 and the second sub-frame 13 unfold, each lifting the front and rear wheels of the vehicle through the lifting mechanism 20; when not working, the first sub-frame 12 and the second sub-frame 13 can be flipped and folded together, reducing the space occupied by the vehicle transport equipment.

[0044] The structure connecting the first subframe 12 and the second subframe 13 can be the same, or it can be added or removed according to actual needs. In this embodiment, the first subframe 12, based on the second subframe 13, adds a steering function to cooperate with the walking and steering of the vehicle handling equipment.

[0045] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the lifting mechanism 20 that connects to the first sub-frame 12. Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the support arm 22, worm gear 221, worm 222, and clamping arm motor 223. (See diagram for details.) Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the lifting mechanism 20 is a liftable lifting mechanism 20, including a base plate 21, a support arm 22 for lifting the wheel, and a lifting assembly. The base plate 21 is used to install other components of the lifting mechanism 20, the support arm 22 is used to lift the wheel, and the lifting assembly is used to lift the support arm 22, thereby lifting the vehicle off the ground or releasing the vehicle.

[0046] Specifically, the base plate 21 is generally flat and connects to either the first sub-frame 12 or the second sub-frame 13. The base plate 21 of the lifting mechanism 20 located on the first sub-frame 12 is connected to the first sub-frame 12, and the base plate 21 of the second sub-frame 13 is connected to the second sub-frame 13. In this embodiment, in order to accommodate the handling operations of vehicles with different wheelbases, at least one of the base plate 21 located on the first sub-frame 12 and the base plate 21 located on the second sub-frame 13 is movably connected, thereby adjusting the distance between the two lifting mechanisms 20 to meet the handling operations of vehicles with different wheelbases. As an example, the base plate 21 of the lifting mechanism 20 located on the first sub-frame 12 is fixedly connected to the first sub-frame 12, and the base plate 21 of the lifting mechanism 20 located on the second sub-frame 13 is movably connected to the second sub-frame 13 via a slide rail-slider mechanism. Based on this, the second sub-frame 13 can also be connected to a power mechanism that drives the base plate 21 to move, such as a motor-screw mechanism, telescopic motor, cylinder or hydraulic cylinder, to drive the base plate 21 to move along the length of the second sub-frame 13 and adjust the distance between the two lifting mechanisms 20.

[0047] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram of the support arm 22, worm gear 221, worm 222, and clamping arm motor 223. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure with the clamping arm rotated to an angle perpendicular to the first subframe 12. (See diagram below.) Figure 2-4 As shown, the support arm 22 is connected to the base plate 21. Each lifting mechanism 20 has four support arms 22. Two support arms 22 are provided on each side of the base plate 21. The support arms 22 on the same side are used to clamp the wheel.

[0048] In this embodiment, two of the two support arms 22 of the lifting mechanism 20 connected to the first sub-frame 12, near the seat 10, are fixedly connected to the base plate 21 and perpendicular to the length direction of the base plate 21. The other two support arms 22 are rotatably connected to the base plate 21. All four support arms 22 of the lifting mechanism 20 connected to the second sub-frame 13 are rotatably connected to the base plate 21. In order to drive the support arms 22 to rotate, the lifting mechanism 20 further includes a worm gear 221 disposed at the end of the clamping arm and a worm 222 rotatably connected to the base plate 21. The clamping arm motor 223 drives the clamping arm to rotate through the worm 222 and the worm gear 221.

[0049] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the support component of the lifting mechanism 20 connected to the first sub-frame 12. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting mechanism 20 connected to the first subframe 12 with the support wheel 27 extended. (See diagram below.) Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, the lifting mechanism 20 also includes a lifting assembly, which includes a support wheel 27, a support member, and a driving component, for driving the support member to move away from or towards the base plate 21, that is, driving the support member and the support wheel 27 to move up and down.

[0050] Specifically, in Figure 5 and 6 In the illustrated embodiment, the support member of the lifting mechanism 20 connected to the first subframe 12 includes an outer ring 26, a turntable 261, and a steering gear 262. The outer ring 26 is generally annular in shape and has annular internal teeth inside.

[0051] The driving components include a first connecting rod 25, a second connecting rod 251, and a sliding plate 24. One end of the outer ring 26 is connected to the base plate 21 via the first connecting rod 25. There can be one or more first connecting rods 25, one end of which is hinged to the outer wall of the outer ring 26, and the other end is hinged to the base plate 21. The other end of the outer ring 26 is connected to the sliding plate 24 via one or more second connecting rods 251. Specifically, one end of the second connecting rod 251 is hinged to the outer ring 26, and the other end is hinged to the sliding plate 24. The sliding plate 24 can be movably connected to the base plate 21 via a slider-rail, guide wheel, or other means. A lifting motor 23 is connected to the base plate 21, and its output shaft is connected to a lead screw 231 via a sprocket and chain structure. The lead screw 231 is rotatably connected to the base plate 21 and is threadedly connected to the sliding plate 24.

[0052] A turntable 261 is located inside an outer ring 26 and rotatably connected to the outer ring 26, allowing it to rotate relative to the outer ring 26 within the outer ring 26. In this embodiment, the turntable 261 has internal teeth arranged circumferentially along a ring. A steering gear 262 is rotatably connected to the turntable 261 and meshes with the internal teeth of the outer ring 26, used to drive the support wheels 27 to rotate by driving the turntable 261. There are two support wheels 27, rotatably connected to the turntable 261 via a rotating shaft.

[0053] When lifting is required, the lifting motor 23 drives the base plate 21 to move via the lead screw 231. The base plate 21 rotates via the second connecting rod 251 and the first connecting rod 25, thereby driving the outer ring 26 to move up and down, thus adjusting the distance between the support wheel 27 and the base plate 21, and realizing the lifting and lowering movement of the support wheel 27. In addition, the turntable 261 can also be driven to rotate via the drive gear, and the support wheel 27 can follow the rotation of the turntable 261 to adjust the angle of the support wheel 27.

[0054] When steering is required, the angle of the support wheel 27 can be adjusted by rotating the turntable 261 of the lifting mechanism 20 connected to the second sub-frame 13 as the center, the steering wheel 11 connected to the seat 10 as the power source, and the lifting mechanism 20 connected to the first sub-frame 12 as the rotating mechanism 20, thereby realizing the steering movement of the vehicle handling mechanism.

[0055] Figure 7This is a structural diagram of the lifting mechanism 20 that connects to the second subframe 13. (See diagram below.) Figure 7 As shown, the difference between this lifting mechanism 20 and the lifting mechanism 20 connected to the first sub-frame 12 is that the support member of this lifting mechanism 20 is a rotating shaft 28, and a pair of support wheels 27 are rotatably connected to the rotating shaft 28. The first link 25 and the second link 251 are respectively hinged to the rotating shaft 28. During operation, the slide plate 24 drives the rotating shaft 28 to move relative to the base plate 21 in a direction closer to or farther from the base plate 21 through the first link 25 and the second link 251, thereby driving the support wheels 27 to move up and down.

[0056] Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of the first subframe 12 and the second subframe 13 in their unfolded state. Figure 8 As shown, in the initial working state, the support wheels of both lifting mechanisms 20 are in the retracted state. At this time, the height of the two lifting mechanisms 20 and the frame is low, making it easy to move them under the vehicle.

[0057] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting mechanism 20 of the first subframe 12 and the second subframe 13 in the extended state. Figure 9 As shown, when the vehicle moves under the vehicle, at least one of the two lifting mechanisms 20 moves along the length of the frame to a distance that adapts to the wheelbase of the vehicle. Then, the support wheels 27 of the two lifting mechanisms 20 extend after the support arms 22 clamp the wheels. The weight of the vehicle is directly transmitted to the support wheels 27 through the support arms 22, without needing to be transmitted through the first subframe 12 and the second subframe 13. Thus, there are no additional requirements for the rigidity of the first subframe 12 and the second subframe 13, which only serve the function of installing the lifting mechanisms 20.

[0058] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of the first subframe 12 and the second subframe 13 in their folded state. Figure 10 As shown, when it is necessary to reduce the space occupied by the vehicle handling equipment, the second sub-frame 13 can be flipped onto the first sub-frame 12 relative to the first sub-frame 12, thereby reducing the space occupied by the vehicle handling equipment.

[0059] Figure 11 This is a structural diagram of the first subframe 12 and the second subframe 13 in a steering state. (See diagram below.) Figure 11 As shown, when a turn is required, after the steering wheel 11 turns, the support wheel 27 of the first sub-frame 12 turns at a certain angle. By controlling the turning angle of the steering wheel 11 and the support wheel 27 of the first sub-frame 12, the rotation axis of the steering wheel 11, the rotation axis of the support wheel 27 of the first sub-frame 12, and the rotation axis of the support wheel 27 of the second sub-frame 13 converge at point O. In this way, the vehicle handling equipment can turn with point O as the turning center.

[0060] The aforementioned liftable lifting mechanism 20 and vehicle handling equipment directly drive the base plate 21 to move up and down relative to the support wheel 27 via the drive component, so that the weight is not transmitted to the frame, but the weight of the vehicle can be directly borne by the support wheel 27. While meeting the load-bearing capacity of the lifting mechanism 20, excessive rigidity requirements are avoided on the frame.

[0061] Furthermore, the folding of the first sub-frame 12 and the second sub-frame 13 can reduce the space occupied by the vehicle handling equipment, facilitating the transportation and storage of the vehicle handling device. Moreover, since the lifting mechanism 20 is only connected to the frame, modular production and installation of the frame and the lifting mechanism 20 can be achieved, reducing the cost of the vehicle handling device.

[0062] Moreover, the aforementioned vehicle handling equipment uses the lifting and lowering movement of the support wheels 27 to realize the lifting action of the lifting mechanism 20, which can effectively increase the ground clearance when handling vehicles, while maintaining the overall flat design of the vehicle handling equipment and reducing the overall height of the vehicle handling equipment.

[0063] In the several specific embodiments provided in this disclosure, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this disclosure is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that this disclosure can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be embraced within this disclosure. Furthermore, it is clear that the word "comprising" does not exclude other units or steps, and the singular does not exclude the plural. Terms such as "first," "second," etc., are used to denote names and do not indicate any particular order.

[0064] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this disclosure and are not intended to limit it. Although this disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the above preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions to the technical solutions of this disclosure should not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A liftable lifting mechanism, characterized in that, It includes a base plate, a support arm for supporting a wheel, and a lifting assembly. The support arm is connected to the base plate, and the lifting assembly includes a support wheel, a support member, and a drive component. The support wheel is rotatably connected to the support member, and the drive component is connected to the support member for driving the support member to move in a direction away from or towards the substrate.

2. The lifting mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The drive component includes a first link, a second link, and a sliding plate; The two ends of the first connecting rod are respectively hinged to the base plate and the support member, and the two ends of the second connecting rod are respectively hinged to the support member and the sliding plate; The sliding plate is movably connected to the base plate and is used to drive the support member to move in a direction away from or towards the base plate via the first link and the second link.

3. The liftable lifting mechanism as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The lifting assembly also includes a lifting motor and a lead screw, the lead screw being rotatably connected to the base plate, the slide plate being threadedly connected to the lead screw, and the lifting motor being connected to the lead screw.

4. The liftable lifting mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A pair of support arms are provided on each side of the substrate, and one end of each support arm is rotatably connected to the substrate. The lifting mechanism also includes a clamping arm motor, which is connected to the support arm and is used to drive the clamping arm to rotate and clamp the wheel.

5. The liftable lifting mechanism as described in claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes a worm gear disposed at the end of the clamping arm and a worm rotatably connected to the substrate, and the clamping arm motor drives the clamping arm to rotate through the worm and the worm gear.

6. A vehicle handling device, characterized in that, The vehicle includes a seat, a frame, a steering wheel, and a lifting mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-5, wherein the steering wheel is connected to the seat, the frame is vertically and flexibly connected to the seat, and the lifting mechanism is connected to the frame for lifting the wheels and transporting the vehicle.

7. The vehicle handling equipment as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The frame includes a first subframe and a second subframe. The first subframe is vertically connected to the seat, and the second subframe is hinged to the first subframe. Each of the first and second subframes is connected to a lifting mechanism.

8. The vehicle handling equipment as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism is movably connected to the first subframe or the second subframe, and is used to adjust the distance between the two lifting mechanisms.

9. The vehicle handling equipment as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The support components of the lifting mechanism connecting the first subframe include: The outer ring is hinged to the first and second connecting rods; A turntable is rotatably connected to the outer ring, and the support wheel is rotatably connected to the turntable; A steering gear, rotatably connected to and meshing with the turntable, is used to steer the support wheel by driving the turntable.

10. The vehicle handling equipment as described in claim 7, characterized in that, Of the pair of support arms of the lifting mechanism connecting the first sub-frame, the support arm closer to the seat is fixedly connected to the base plate and perpendicular to the length direction of the base plate, while the other support arm is rotatably connected to the base plate.

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