Renovated elevator parking system and method for renovating existing elevator parking system

Abstract

To provide a renovated elevator-type parking device capable of increasing the number of high-roof cars to be housed and also preventing or minimizing damage to a vehicle or a parking device due to opening of a hatchback door during parking, and to provide a renovation method of an existing elevator-type parking device.SOLUTION: In a renovation method of an existing elevator-type parking device 10, the top stage storage shelf of the existing elevator-type parking device 10 is removed and a storage shelf one stage below the top stage is set as a storage shelf for high-roof cars, photoelectric switches 30, 31 emitting lights 30a, 30b, 31a, 31b to respective height limits of a high-roof car 1B and a normal car 1A are attached to at least four corners of a cage 14, a safety roof 40 covering the entire upper surface of a pallet 12 above the height limit of the high-roof car 1B is attached, and when the photoelectric switches 30, 31 detect interception of the lights 30a, 30b, 31a, 31b, loading and unloading operation is stopped.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a renovated elevator-type parking system that simultaneously increases the number of high-roof vehicles that can be accommodated and adds safety devices, and to a method for renovating an existing elevator-type parking system. [Background technology]

[0002] An elevator-type parking system is a mechanical parking system that raises and lowers a vehicle along a shaft and stores the vehicle in a storage shelf adjacent to the shaft. Such an elevator-type parking system is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. When constructing an elevator parking system, it is planned to maximize the number of cars that can be accommodated while minimizing the installation height. For this reason, it is common for elevator parking systems to have a minimum gap between the elevator car and the storage shelves during construction, and to impose height restrictions on parked vehicles.

[0003] Furthermore, among elevator-type parking systems, there is a mixed-type system that is equipped with storage shelves for both high-roof vehicles and standard-sized vehicles. A mixed-type elevator-type parking system is disclosed in Patent Document 2, for example. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-172836 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-025540 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As mentioned above, new elevator parking systems are constructed with a minimum gap between the car elevator and the storage shelves to minimize the installation height and maximize the number of vehicles that can be accommodated. For example, some elevator parking systems have a gap of only 50 mm between the car elevator and the parking space on the top storage shelf. Therefore, in order to avoid collisions between the equipment on the car and the lifting device, the car cannot be provided with equipment of such a height that it would collide with the lifting device when the car is at the height of the highest storage shelf, which is the top of the hoistway. Therefore, in newly installed elevator-type parking systems, it is not possible to install a vehicle height detection device in the cage, so instead, a vehicle height detection device is installed at the entrance and exit, and a vehicle height limit is posted to address the issue.

[0006] Meanwhile, in recent years, vehicles have been sold that allow users to remotely control the vehicle, such as by starting the air conditioner or opening the doors, using an application downloaded to a mobile device such as a smartphone or a remote controller. In such vehicles, users have sometimes mistakenly operated the application or remote controller outside the parking device, causing the hatchback door of the vehicle to open while parked inside the parking device. However, the newly installed elevator-type parking system does not have a vehicle height detection device in the cage, so it cannot detect an abnormality even if the hatchback door is opened on the cage or in the storage shelf. As a result, if the open hatchback door is left protruding above the height limit while entering or exiting the parking system, there is a risk that the hatchback door will hit the surrounding area and cause damage to the vehicle or the parking system. For this reason, users of elevator-type parking systems and management companies have been calling for renovation work to install a safety device to prevent accidents caused by the hatchback door being opened.

[0007] On the other hand, when constructing a new mixed-use elevator-type parking system, the installation ratio of storage shelves for high-roof vehicles, mid-roof vehicles, and standard-sized vehicles is decided at the time of construction planning, taking into consideration car trends and user demographics. However, because car trends and user demographics are constantly changing, after many years of operation of the parking system, the ratio of installed storage shelves for high-roof vehicles, mid-roof vehicles, and standard-sized vehicles often no longer matches the ratio of storage shelves required. For this reason, in recent years, there has been an increasing demand for increased capacity for high-roof vehicles even if it means reducing the total number of vehicles that can be accommodated when renovating existing elevator-type parking systems.

[0008] The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned problems. That is, the object of the present invention is to provide a renovated elevator-type parking system and a method for renovating an existing elevator-type parking system that can increase the number of high-roof vehicles that can be accommodated and prevent or minimize damage to the vehicle or parking system caused by the hatchback door opening while parking. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] According to the present invention, an elevator type parking device after renovation from an existing elevator type parking device, an existing elevator-type parking device including a plurality of pallets for placing vehicles, a cage for raising and lowering the pallets along an elevator shaft, and a plurality of storage shelves adjacent to the elevator shaft for storing the vehicles; a photoelectric switch provided at at least four corners of the cage, the photoelectric switch having a light projector for projecting light onto the height limit of each of high-roof vehicles and standard-sized vehicles and a light receiver for receiving the light; a safety roof having legs extending upward from the four corners of the cage and covering the entire upper surface of the pallet above the height limit of the high-roof vehicle; a control device that stops the operation of the elevator-type parking device after repair when a detection signal indicating that the light has been blocked is input from the photoelectric switch; The uppermost storage shelf in the existing elevator-type parking device has been removed, A modified elevator-type parking system is provided in which the storage shelf one level below the top shelf is a storage shelf for high-roof vehicles.

[0010] Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a method for renovating an existing elevator-type parking system that includes a plurality of pallets for placing vehicles, a cage for raising and lowering the pallets along an elevator shaft, a plurality of storage shelves adjacent to the elevator shaft for storing vehicles, and a control device for controlling the entry and exit operations of the vehicles, the method comprising: (S1) The top storage shelf of the existing elevator-type parking device is removed and the storage shelf one level below the top shelf is used as a storage shelf for high-roof vehicles. (S2) Photoelectric switches that project light at the respective height limits for high-roof vehicles and standard-sized vehicles are attached to at least four corners of the cage, (S3) attaching a safety roof that covers the entire top surface of the pallet above the restricted height of the high-roof vehicle; (S4) A method for modifying an existing elevator-type parking device is provided, in which the entering and leaving operation is stopped when the photoelectric switch detects that the light is interrupted. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, the top storage shelf of an existing elevator-type parking system is eliminated and the storage shelf one level below is used as a storage shelf for high-roof vehicles, thereby increasing the number of high-roof vehicles that can be accommodated. Furthermore, by eliminating the top storage shelf, a safety device that is taller than the height limit for high-roof vehicles can be installed on the cage, making it possible to attach a safety roof to the cage as a safety device.

[0012] Furthermore, the safety roof of the present invention covers the entire top surface of the pallet placed on the cage, thereby physically protecting users, maintenance personnel, workers, or vehicles at the entrance from falling objects in the elevator shaft if the hatchback door of a vehicle already stored on the storage shelf is accidentally opened by operating a remote control or other device from outside the storage facility.

[0013] Furthermore, by eliminating the top storage shelf, the cage can be equipped with a safety device that is higher than the height limit for high-roof vehicles, allowing a photoelectric switch to be installed as a safety device at a position on the cage that is higher than the height limit for high-roof vehicles. This allows for an abnormality to be detected before the vehicle moves between the cage and the storage shelf, even if the hatchback door is opened while the vehicle is stored on the cage or on the storage shelf. Therefore, an abnormality occurring on the cage or on the storage shelf can be detected and the vehicle's movement can be stopped at the time of detection, preventing the vehicle from moving toward the entrance / exit gate while the hatchback door is banging against various parts of the parking device. This prevents or minimizes damage to the vehicle and the parking device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is an overall configuration diagram of an existing elevator-type parking system before renovation. [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are side and front views of a cage after modification according to the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cage after modification according to the present invention. [Figure 4] 2(A) and 2(B) are views taken along arrows AA and BB in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an elevator-type parking system after repair using the repair method of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, common parts in the drawings are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an existing elevator-type parking device 10 before renovation. In this diagram, an existing elevator-type parking device 10 (hereinafter referred to as parking device 10) comprises a pallet 12, a cage 14, and storage shelves 16. The parking device 10 shown in Figure 1 has 54 vehicle-specific storage shelves 16A (for standard vehicles 1A) and 16 vehicle-specific storage shelves 16B (for high-roof vehicles 1B). Therefore, the parking device can accommodate 54 standard vehicles 1A and 16 high-roof vehicles 1B, for a total of 70 vehicles.

[0017] In this example, the vehicles 1 are of two types (a standard vehicle 1A and a high-roof vehicle 1B) with different vehicle heights. The standard vehicle 1A is, for example, a standard passenger vehicle with a vehicle height of 1550 mm or less, and the high-roof vehicle 1B is, for example, a passenger vehicle with a vehicle height of 2050 mm or less. The vehicle 1 is not limited to this example, and may be one of three types of vehicles including a mid-roof vehicle with a vehicle height of 1800 mm or less, or may be two or more other types of vehicles. Hereinafter, in this example, unless otherwise specified, the vehicle 1 refers to both the standard vehicle 1A and the high-roof vehicle 1B.

[0018] The pallet 12 carries the vehicle 1 thereon and is raised and lowered along the hoistway 3 by a cage 14 . The pallet 12 is a common pallet compatible with each vehicle type (standard-sized vehicle 1A and high-roof vehicle 1B).

[0019] The cage 14 carries the vehicle 1 on the pallet 12 and moves up and down the vertical elevator shaft 3. The cage 14 is suspended from above and moves up and down by a cage lifting device 15 (for example, a cage lifting device).

[0020] A plurality of storage shelves 16 are arranged adjacent to the elevator shaft 3 and spaced apart in the vertical direction. In this example, the storage shelves 16 are provided on both sides of the elevator shaft 3 in the width direction of the car 1, but they may be provided on only one side. Hereinafter, "width direction" means the width direction of the car 1 unless otherwise specified.

[0021] In this example, the storage shelves 16 are two types of vehicle-specific storage shelves 16A and 16B provided for each vehicle type. Note that there may be three or more types of vehicle-specific storage shelves. Hereinafter, in this example, unless otherwise specified, the storage shelf 16 refers to both the vehicle-specific storage shelves 16A and 16B.

[0022] As described above, in the existing parking device 10, in order to keep the installation height down and maximize the number of vehicles that can be accommodated, the gap between the top storage shelf 16 and the car lifting device 15 is set to a minimum, and the storage shelves 16 are installed as close together as possible. Therefore, the existing parking device 10 is configured so that when the cage 14 rises to the side of the top storage shelf 16 of the existing parking device 10, the cage lifting device 15 is so close to the vehicle 1 that it is positioned just above the roof of the passenger car 1A loaded in the cage 14.

[0023] A traverse rotation device (not shown) is installed on the cage and moves the pallet 12 horizontally between the cage 14 and the storage shelf 16. Hereinafter, "traverse" refers to moving the pallet 12 horizontally in the width direction.

[0024] A swivel device (not shown) is installed in a pit at the bottom of the elevator shaft 3, and both the lateral swivel device and the pallet 12 are placed on it, allowing both to rotate horizontally. The swivel device may also be installed on the cage.

[0025] The existing elevator-type parking system 10 shown in Figure 1 is a bottom-entry type in which the entrance / exit gate 4 is located at the lowest end of the elevator shaft 3. In this example, a vehicle 1 enters the parking lot directly onto a pallet 12 at the entrance / exit gate 4, and leaves the parking lot from this pallet 12. The existing parking device 10 used in the present invention is not limited to a bottom entry type elevator type parking device, but may be a middle entry type or a top entry type.

[0026] In this example, the pallet 12 has a pair of wheels at each end in the longitudinal direction (four in total). The storage shelf 16 has a pair of shelf rails 17 that support the wheels, and supports and stores the pallet 12 thereon. The pair of shelf rails 17 are positioned parallel to each other with a gap between them.

[0027] The control device 20 is a control device that controls normal operations of the parking device 10, such as entering and leaving the parking device.

[0028] Next, the tools used in the method for renovating the existing parking device 10 will be described. FIG. 2 shows (A) a side view and (B) a front view of a cage 14 after modification according to the present invention.

[0029] First, we will explain the existing facilities for the cage 14. This figure shows an example of a cage 14 in which the pallet 12 rotates horizontally by 90 degrees at the entrance / exit 4, and the vehicle 1 gets on and off the pallet from the side of the cage 14 (a 90-degree boarding elevator-type parking device).

[0030] The cage 14 shown in this figure has a traverse rail 14 a, a traverse rotation device 14 b, a lifting floor 14 e, and a wire rope 11.

[0031] The lateral rails 14a extend in the width direction at both longitudinal ends of the cage 14 and guide the lateral movement of the pallet 12 carrying the vehicle 1. The lateral rails 14a fit onto wheels 13a provided at both longitudinal ends of the pallet 12. The wheels 13a of the pallet 12 are flanged wheels with flanges on both sides, which prevent the wheels from coming off the lateral rails 14a and shelf rails 17 and guide the lateral movement of the pallet 12 supported by the wheels 13a along the lateral rails 14a and shelf rails 17.

[0032] The pallet 12 has, at its widthwise end, an engagement groove 13b extending in the longitudinal direction of the pallet 12. The engagement groove 13b is a U-shaped member that is open downward. The lateral rotation device 14b has a support rotation member 14c that can raise and lower the pallet 12 while it is loaded with it, and can also rotate horizontally around a vertical rotation axis. The lateral rotation device 14b in the example shown in the figure can raise and lower the pallet 12 by approximately 300 mm. An engagement roller 14d that extends upward and engages with the engagement groove 13b of the pallet 12 is attached to the tip of the support rotation member 14c.

[0033] When the engagement roller 14d is engaged with the engagement groove 13b of the pallet 12, the engagement roller 14d is driven to rotate horizontally, whereby the wheels 13a of the pallet 12 are guided by the lateral rail 14a and the shelf rail 17, and the pallet 12 can be moved horizontally between the storage shelf 16 adjacent to the elevator shaft 3. That is, by horizontally rotating the support rotation member 14c with the wheels 13a of the pallet 12 and the lateral rails 14a engaged, the pallet 12 can be moved laterally along the lateral rails 14a.

[0034] Meanwhile, when the lateral rotation device 14b lifts the pallet 12 until the wheels 13a of the pallet 12 are disengaged from the lateral rails 14a, the support rotation member 14c is rotated around a vertical axis, thereby allowing the pallet 12 to rotate horizontally.

[0035] The lifting floor 14e of the cage 14 rises to the height of the upper surface of the pallet 12 when the pallet 12 rotates horizontally by 90° at the loading / unloading entrance 4. The cage 14 is suspended by wire ropes 11 connected to the four corners of the frame 14f. A cage lifting device 15 lifts and lowers the wire ropes 11, causing the cage 14 to rise and fall.

[0036] Next, the photoelectric switches 30, 31 and the safety roof 40 to be added to the existing parking device 10 by the repair method of the present invention will be described. The safety roof 40 has legs 40a extending upward from the four corners of the cage 14 and a top plate 40b that covers the entire upper surface of the pallet 12 placed on the cage 14. This physically prevents the hatchback doors 2A, 2B from protruding above the restricted height on the cage, so that even if the cage 14 is raised up to the side of the top storage shelf 16, the hatchback doors 2A, 2B can be prevented from colliding with the cage lifting device 15.

[0037] The legs 40a of the safety roof 40 are provided so as to be fixable to the four corners of the frame 14f of the cage 14. The fixing method may be with connectors such as bolts and nuts, or by welding. By fixing the legs 40a of the safety roof 40 directly to the frame 14f of the cage 14, it becomes possible to input the detection signals of the lights 30a, 30b, 31a, and 31b into the control device 20 simply by wiring, and the photoelectric switches 30 and 31 and the safety roof 40 can be added with a simpler configuration.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 2(A), the legs 40a are preferably erected so that the upper side is inclined toward the center of the cage 14 in the longitudinal direction. Generally, the weight of a vehicle 1 is not uniform in the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, depending on where on the pallet 12 the vehicle 1 is parked, the weight on the car varies. Furthermore, in high-rise elevator-type parking systems, the wire rope 11 may be longer than 100 meters. The longer the wire rope 11, the greater the variation in its elongation rate. As a result, the car 14 may tilt forward or backward, or one of its four corners may sink. Because the longitudinal length of the car 14 is longer than its width, this phenomenon is particularly evident in the longitudinal tilt of the car 14. Because the installation of the safety roof 40 increases the maximum height of the equipment mounted on the car 14 compared to before the renovation, if the legs 40a extend vertically, the equipment mounted on the car 14 (the safety roof 40) after the renovation is more likely to come into contact with the inner wall of the elevator shaft 3 than the equipment before the renovation.

[0039] Therefore, the safety roof 40 of the present invention is configured so that the upper side of the legs 40a is inclined toward the longitudinal center of the cage 14, and both longitudinal ends of the top plate 40b are positioned inside the longitudinal ends of the cage 14, thereby preventing the load on the cage 14 from interfering with the inner wall of the elevator shaft 3. Naturally, the legs 40a of the safety roof 40 may be provided vertically and straight, without being inclined.

[0040] As described above, the cage 14 in this figure lifts the pallet 12 with the lateral rotation device 14b at the loading / unloading entrance 4 and rotates horizontally by 90°. Therefore, the safety roof 40 is provided at a height such that the roof of the vehicle 1 does not come into contact with the top plate 40b even when the pallet 12 carrying the high-roof vehicle 1B is lifted by the lateral rotation device 14b. For example, the height of the safety roof 40 may be set so that the underside of the top plate 40b is located 2500 mm above the top surface of the pallet 12 loaded on the cage 14.

[0041] The photoelectric switches 30 and 31 have a light projector that projects light 30a, 30b, 31a, and 31b and a light receiver that receives the light 30a, 30b, 31a, and 31b, and output a detection signal to the control device 20 when the light 30a, 30b, 31a, and 31b received by the light receiver is blocked. The photoelectric switches 30, 31 include a photoelectric switch 30 for a standard vehicle that detects the opening of the hatchback door 2A of the standard vehicle 1A, and a photoelectric switch 31 for a high roof vehicle that detects the opening of the hatchback door 2B of the high roof vehicle 1B.

[0042] The photoelectric switch 30 for standard vehicles and the photoelectric switch 31 for high roof vehicles are arranged to project light 30a, 30b, 31a, 31b along the respective height restrictions of the standard vehicle 1A and the high roof vehicle 1B. In Fig. 2, the light 30a, 30b projected by the photoelectric switch 30 for standard vehicles is indicated by a dashed line, and the light 31a, 31b projected by the photoelectric switch 31 for high roof vehicles is indicated by a dashed line. For example, when hatchback door 2B of high-roof vehicle 1B is opened, hatchback door 2B, which protrudes above the height limit of high-roof vehicle 1B, blocks lights 31a and 31b. When the light receiver detects this blocking of lights 31a and 31b, photoelectric switch 31 for high-roof vehicles outputs a detection signal to control device 20. Note that in Figure 2(A), hatchback door 2B of high-roof vehicle 1B is not fully opened until it is horizontal because, when hatchback door 2B is opened in hoistway 3, the rear end of hatchback door 2B hits the wall of hoistway 3 before it is fully open, preventing it from opening any further.

[0043] It is preferable that the safety roof 40 and the photoelectric switches 30, 31 of the present invention are configured as one unit. For example, it is preferable that the photoelectric switches 30, 31 are attached to the legs 40a of the safety roof 40. This allows the photoelectric switches 30, 31 to be attached together at the renovation work site simply by attaching the safety roof 40 to the cage 14 and connecting the wiring, allowing the work to proceed efficiently.

[0044] FIG. 3 is a plan view of cage 14 after modification in accordance with the present invention. The safety roof 40 may be, for example, a flat plate fixed to a cross beam to cover the entire top surface of the pallet 12. However, the shape of the safety roof 40 is not limited to this, as long as it covers the entire top surface of the pallet 12. For example, the safety roof 40 may be a metal plate with corrugated projections and depressions. Alternatively, the top plate 40b may be curved or sloped so that the height of the center of the cage 14 in the longitudinal direction is higher than the longitudinal ends.

[0045] It is also possible that an erroneous operation of an application or remote controller outside the parking device 10 could cause the hatchback door of a vehicle 1 already stored on the storage shelf 16 to open, causing an object to fall into the hoistway 3. Even in such a case, the safety roof 40 covers the entire top surface of the pallet 12, preventing users, maintenance personnel, and workers entering and leaving the parking device from being injured by an object falling from the stored vehicle 1. It is also possible to prevent a vehicle 1 ascending or descending in the hoistway 3 or a vehicle 1 at the entrance / exit 4 from being damaged by a falling object.

[0046] Furthermore, some high-rise elevator-type parking systems have hoistways 3 that are longer than 100 m. Because the entrance / exit gate 4 is located at the bottom of the hoistway 3, if a user looks up while entering or exiting the parking system without the safety roof 40, they can see the hoistway 3 and storage shelves 16 extending overhead all the way to the top. Some users may feel uneasy seeing the stacked storage shelves 16 that they can see far into the distance overhead. However, in the elevator-type parking system 100 renovated according to the present invention, the safety roof 40 prevents users from seeing the elevator shaft 3 and storage shelves 16, thereby reducing the anxiety felt by users.

[0047] Fig. 4(A) is a view taken along the line AA in Fig. 2(A), and Fig. 4(B) is a view taken along the line BB in Fig. 2(A). In this figure, too, the light beams 30a and 30b projected by the photoelectric switch 30 for standard vehicles are indicated by dashed dotted lines, and the light beams 31a and 31b projected by the photoelectric switch 31 for high-roof vehicles are indicated by dashed two-dotted lines. The photoelectric switch 30 for standard vehicles and the photoelectric switch 31 for high-roof vehicles may both project light 30a, 31a in the longitudinal direction from the four corners of the cage 14. This makes it possible to quickly detect the opening of the hatchback doors 2A, 2B of the vehicle 1 before loading it into the cage 14 when the vehicle 1 is removed, even if the hatchback doors 2A, 2B are opened while the vehicle 1 is stored on the storage shelf 16. This makes it possible to minimize damage to the vehicle 1 and the elevator-type parking device 100. In addition, photoelectric switches 30, 31 that project light longitudinally from the four corners of the cage 14 are provided, so that it is possible to confirm along the entire length of the vehicle 1 that there are no parts that protrude beyond the restricted height before moving from the cage 14 to the storage shelf 16.

[0048] 4(A), the standard-car photoelectric switches 30 are provided at the four corners of the cage 14, and project light 30b diagonally. This allows the safety roof 40 to be attached to a 180-degree boarding elevator-type parking device where passengers board and disembark from the longitudinal ends of the cage 14, just as it does to an elevator-type parking device where passengers board and disembark from the widthwise ends of the cage 14. In other words, because the standard-car photoelectric switches 30 are not located in the center of the cage 14 in the width direction, high-roof vehicles 1B can be driven in and out without worrying about bumping into the standard-car photoelectric switches 30.

[0049] Note that if storage shelves 16 are provided only on one side of the width of the elevator shaft 3, only one light 30b extending diagonally is required. For example, in the parking device 100 in FIG. 4(A) that has storage shelves 16 only on the upper side of the cage 14, if the front of the vehicle 1 is always stored facing the weight side on the left side of the figure, light 30b extending from the lower left to the upper right of the figure is sufficient. If the two lights 30b extending diagonally are unable to detect the protrusion of the hatchback door 2A when the pallet 12 is stopped on the cage, the pallet 12 will only move laterally upward in the figure, and so the light 30b extending diagonally from the upper left to the lower right of the figure will not function.

[0050] As shown in Figure 4(B), the photoelectric switches 31 for high roof vehicles are also provided at the four corners of the cage 14 and at the widthwise center of the longitudinal ends of the cage 14. The photoelectric switches 31 for high roof vehicles provided at the widthwise center of the longitudinal ends of the cage 14 may be attached to the top plate 40b of the safety roof 40 as shown in Figure 2(A) or to the legs 40a. The photoelectric switch 31 for high roof vehicles, which is provided at the center of the width of the longitudinal end of the cage 14, projects light 31b in the longitudinal direction, thereby enabling the opening of the hatchback door 2B of the high roof vehicle 1B on the cage to be detected quickly.

[0051] In other words, the width of high-roof vehicle 1B is necessarily shorter than the widthwise distance of high-roof vehicle photoelectric switches 31 located at the four corners of cage 14, so when viewed from above, the closer to the longitudinal ends of cage 14, the less likely light is to reach vehicle 1B. For example, an open hatchback door 2B may protrude above the restricted height between two intersecting beams of light without blocking the light. As a result, hatchback door 2B of high-roof vehicle 1B may come into contact with top panel 40b or the inner wall of elevator shaft 3 even though high-roof vehicle photoelectric switches 31 are not responding.

[0052] For standard-sized car 1A, there is a large margin of distance to top plate 40b, and there is also room for pallet 12 in the front-to-rear direction, so even when hatchback door 2A opens, there is little concern that hatchback door 2A will hit top plate 40b or the inner wall of elevator shaft 3. Even when pallet 12 begins to move sideways, light 30b extending diagonally can detect standard-sized car 1A before it reaches storage shelf 16A, so parking device 10 can be stopped before hatchback door 2A hits the upper storage shelf 16. Therefore, because interference between parking device 10 and standard-sized car 1A can be avoided, in the case of standard-sized car 1A, it is not a problem if there is no light extending longitudinally in the center of cage 14 in the width direction.

[0053] In contrast, in the case of a high-roof vehicle 1B, the overall length of the vehicle is long, and therefore the hatchback door 2B is located further back, increasing the possibility that it will not be detected by the diagonally extending light.Since the hatchback door 2B is located near the longitudinal end of the cage 14, there is less time between when the diagonally extending light can be detected and when the hatchback door 2B hits the upper pallet 12. Furthermore, if the hatchback door 2B is opened on the cage when the vehicle is being taken out, the abnormality cannot be detected while the high-roof vehicle 1B is on the cage. As a result, when the pallet 12 is turned horizontally by 90 degrees at the entrance / exit 4, the hatchback door 2B will lift and rotate the pallet 12 while hitting the top plate 40b or the cage 14, which will increase the damage to the vehicle 1B and the parking device 10.

[0054] Therefore, in the modification method of the present invention, the high-roof vehicle photoelectric switch 31 can detect the opening of the hatchback door 2B of the high-roof vehicle 1B more quickly and accurately by projecting light 31b extending longitudinally at the center of the width of the cage 14. As a result, the elevator-type parking device 100 after modification of the present invention can minimize damage to the vehicle 1B and the parking device 100.

[0055] Furthermore, because there is a time lag between when the photoelectric switches 30, 31 output a detection signal and when the parking device 100 brakes, photoelectric switches 30, 31 that project light 30a, 31a in the longitudinal direction from the four corners of the cage 14 alone cannot avoid interference between the upper pallet 12 and the hatchback doors 2A, 2B when moving the pallet 12 from the cage 14 to the storage shelf 16. However, if there is a photoelectric switch 30 for standard vehicles that projects light 30b diagonally from the four corners of the cage 14 or a photoelectric switch 31 for high-roof vehicles that projects light 31b extending longitudinally from the center of the width of the cage 14, it is possible to detect the opening of the hatchback doors 2A, 2B before or immediately after the pallet 12 begins to move laterally. Therefore, by equipping the renovated elevator-type parking device 100 with these photoelectric switches 30, 31, it is possible to prevent the hatchback doors 2A, 2B from colliding with the upper pallet 12 and being damaged when moving from the cage 14 to the storage shelf 16.

[0056] In addition, as long as the cage 14 is equipped with a photoelectric switch 30 for standard vehicles that projects light 30b diagonally from the four corners of the cage 14 and a photoelectric switch 31 for high-roof vehicles that projects light 31b extending longitudinally at the center of the width of the cage 14, it is not necessary to have photoelectric switches 30, 31 that project light longitudinally from the four corners of the cage 14.

[0057] Next, a method for renovating an existing parking device 10 according to the present invention will be described. First, when renovating the existing elevator-type parking device 10 explained in FIG. 1, the safety roof 40 and the photoelectric switches 30 and 31 are prepared.

[0058] Next, the shelf rails 17 of the top storage shelf 16C of the existing parking device 10 are removed, and the storage shelf 16D one level below the top (the second storage shelf 16D from the top) is registered in the control device 20 as a storage shelf 16B for high-roof vehicles.

[0059] The cage 14 is also fitted with the safety roof 40 and photoelectric switches 30, 31 described above. It is preferable that the photoelectric switch 30 for standard vehicles and the photoelectric switch 31 for high roof vehicles are attached in advance to the legs 40a of the safety roof 40 at positions that will be the height limit for the standard vehicles 1A and high roof vehicles 1B when the safety roof 40 is attached to the cage 14. In this way, the photoelectric switches 30, 31 can be automatically attached to the required locations, such as the four corners of the cage 14, simply by fixing the legs 40a of the safety roof 40 to the four corners of the cage 14. This allows the installation work for the safety roof 40 and the photoelectric switches 30, 31 to be performed all at once, which simplifies the work on site and shortens the construction period. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the safety roof 40 and the photoelectric switches 30, 31 may be separately installed on-site during renovation.

[0060] Furthermore, the control device 20 is configured to stop operation of the renovated elevator-type parking device 100 when a detection signal is input from the photoelectric switches 30, 31. This allows the existing elevator-type parking device 10 to be renovated so that operation of the elevator-type parking device 100 is stopped when the opening of the hatchback doors 2A, 2B is detected, thereby preventing or minimizing damage. Therefore, by recovering the existing elevator-type parking device 10 using the renovation method of the present invention, the safety measures of the renovated elevator-type parking device 100 can be further strengthened. Of course, during this modification, the number of high-roof vehicles 1B that can be accommodated can be increased by removing every other storage shelf 16A for ordinary vehicles, not just the top shelf.

[0061] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the elevator-type parking system 100 after repair using the repair method according to the present invention. Using the above-mentioned renovation method, the top storage shelf 16D of the renovated elevator-type parking device 100 (the second shelf from the top in the existing elevator-type parking device 10) has been converted into a storage shelf 16B for high-roof vehicles.

[0062] The renovated cage 14 is equipped with photoelectric switches 30, 31 at its four corners at the height restrictions for standard vehicles 1A and high-roof vehicles 1B, each equipped with a projector that projects light 30a, 30b, 31a, 31b and a receiver that receives the light 30a, 30b, 31a, 31b. Of these photoelectric switches 30, 31, the photoelectric switch 30 for standard vehicles has two types of light: light 30a that extends longitudinally from the four corners of the cage 14, and light 30b that extends diagonally.

[0063] The light of the photoelectric switch 31 for high roof vehicles includes a light 31a extending in the longitudinal direction at the widthwise end of the cage 14 and a light 31b extending in the longitudinal direction at the widthwise center.

[0064] The renovated cage 14 also has a safety roof 40. The legs 40a of the safety roof 40 are fixed to the four corners of the cage 14. It is preferable that the legs 40a of the safety roof 40 are fixed outside the wire ropes 11 in the width direction of the cage 14. This prevents the safety roof 40 and photoelectric switches 30, 31 added during renovation from interfering with the entry and exit of the vehicle 1, even if the existing elevator-type parking device 10 is a type in which passengers board and exit from the longitudinal ends of the cage 14 when entering and exiting the parking facility.

[0065] Furthermore, because the top plate 40b of the safety roof 40 covers the entire upper surface of the pallet 12, it is possible to prevent objects falling from the elevator shaft 3 from colliding with the pallet 12 or the vehicle 1 or people on the pallet. Furthermore, the top plate 40b of the safety roof 40 can hide the elevator shaft 3 and storage shelves 16 extending above from users at the loading / unloading entrance 4, eliminating users' concerns about falling objects.

[0066] Furthermore, the second-highest storage shelf 16 in the existing elevator-type parking system 10 is registered in the control device 20 as a storage shelf 16B for high-roof vehicles, so the space where the top shelf of the existing elevator-type parking system 10 was located can be effectively utilized without becoming dead space. In other words, to prevent the safety roof 40 and photoelectric switches 30, 31 from colliding with the car lifting device 15 from below when they are attached to the cage 14, the top shelf of the existing elevator-type parking system 10 must be made unusable. Of course, it is possible to simply set the control device 20 to not use the top shelf, but in that case the top shelf 16 would become dead space. On the other hand, as mentioned above, in recent years, in addition to measures to facilitate the opening of the hatchback doors 2A, 2B, there has been a growing demand for renovations to increase the number of high-roof vehicles 1B that can be accommodated, even if this means reducing the number of vehicles that can be accommodated. Therefore, the renovation method of the present invention can not only meet these two demands at the same time, but also prevent the space that was previously the top level of the existing elevator-type parking system 10 from becoming dead space.

[0067] According to the present invention described above, the top storage shelf 16C of the existing elevator-type parking system 10 is eliminated and the next lower storage shelf 16D is used as storage shelf 16B for high-roof vehicles, thereby increasing the number of high-roof vehicles 1B that can be accommodated. Furthermore, by eliminating the top storage shelf 16C, a safety device that is taller than the height limit of high-roof vehicles 1B can be mounted on the cage 14, making it possible to attach a safety roof 40 to the cage 14 as a safety device.

[0068] Furthermore, the safety roof 40 of the present invention covers the entire upper surface of the pallet 12 placed on the cage 14. This makes it possible to physically protect users, maintenance personnel, workers, or the vehicle 1 at the loading / unloading entrance 4 from objects falling down the elevator shaft 3 if the hatchback door of a vehicle 1 already stored on the storage shelf 16 is opened by erroneous operation of a remote controller or the like from outside the storage facility.

[0069] Furthermore, by eliminating the top storage shelf 16C, a safety device higher than the height limit of high-roof vehicles 1B can be mounted on the cage 14, and therefore the photoelectric switch 31 can be provided as a safety device at a position on the cage 14 higher than the height limit of high-roof vehicles 1B. As a result, even if the hatchback doors 2A, 2B open while the vehicle 1 is stored on the cage or on the storage shelf 16, an abnormality can be detected before the vehicle 1 moves between the cage 14 and the storage shelf 16. Therefore, an abnormality occurring on the cage or on the storage shelf 16 can be detected, and the movement of the vehicle 1 can be stopped at the time of detection, preventing a situation in which the hatchback doors 2A, 2B hit various parts of the parking apparatus 100 while the vehicle 1 is moved to the entrance / exit gate 4. This prevents or minimizes damage to the vehicle 1 and the parking apparatus 100.

[0070] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1 vehicle, 1A Ordinary car, 1B high roof car, 2A Hatchback door of a standard car, 2B high roof car hatchback door, 3 elevator shafts, 4 entrance and exit gates, 10 Existing elevator-type parking equipment, 11 wire rope, 12 pallets, 13a wheels, 13b Engagement groove, 14 cages, 14a Traverse rail, 14b Traverse swivel device, 14c supporting rotating member; 14d engaging roller; 14e Liftable floor, 14f frame, 15 cage lifting device, 16 storage shelves, 16A Storage shelf for passenger cars, 16B High roof vehicle storage shelf, 16C The top storage shelf in an existing elevator-type parking system; 16D The second-highest storage shelf in an existing elevator-type parking system, 17 shelf rails, 20 control device, 30 Photoelectric switches for passenger cars, 30a Lights of photoelectric switches for passenger cars extending longitudinally from the four corners of the cage; 30b Lights of photoelectric switches for standard cars extending diagonally from the four corners of the cage, 31 Photoelectric switch for high roof vehicles, 31a Lights of photoelectric switches for high roof vehicles extending longitudinally from the four corners of the cage; 31b A light for a photoelectric switch for a high roof vehicle extending longitudinally through the center of the width of the cage; 40 Safety roof, 40a legs, 40b top plate, 100 Elevator-type parking system after renovation

Claims

1. An elevator-type parking device after renovation that has been renovated from an existing elevator-type parking device, an existing elevator-type parking device including a plurality of pallets for placing vehicles, a cage for raising and lowering the pallets along an elevator shaft, and a plurality of storage shelves adjacent to the elevator shaft for storing the vehicles; a photoelectric switch provided at at least four corners of the cage, the photoelectric switch having a light projector for projecting light onto the height limit of each of high-roof vehicles and standard-sized vehicles and a light receiver for receiving the light; a safety roof having legs extending upward from the four corners of the cage and covering the entire upper surface of the pallet above the height limit of the high-roof vehicle; a control device that stops the operation of the elevator-type parking device after repair when a detection signal indicating that the light has been blocked is input from the photoelectric switch; The uppermost storage shelf in the existing elevator-type parking device has been removed, The renovated elevator-type parking device, wherein the storage shelf one level below the top shelf is a storage shelf for high-roof vehicles.

2. 2. The elevator-type parking system after renovation according to claim 1, wherein the upper side of the legs is inclined toward the center of the longitudinal direction of the cage.

3. 2. The elevator-type parking system after renovation according to claim 1, wherein the photoelectric switches for standard-sized cars are provided only at the four corners of the cage.

4. 2. The elevator-type parking system after renovation according to claim 1, wherein the photoelectric switch for standard-sized cars projects light from the four corners of the cage diagonally.

5. 2. The elevator-type parking system after repair according to claim 1, wherein the photoelectric switch for a high-roof vehicle projects light longitudinally onto a central portion of the cage in the width direction.

6. 2. The elevator-type parking system after renovation according to claim 1, wherein the photoelectric switch projects light from four corners of the cage in the longitudinal direction.

7. A method for renovating an existing elevator-type parking system that includes a plurality of pallets for placing vehicles, a cage that raises and lowers the pallets along an elevator shaft, a plurality of storage shelves adjacent to the elevator shaft and each storing a vehicle, and a control device that controls the entry and exit operations of the vehicles, (S1) The top storage shelf of the existing elevator-type parking device is removed and the storage shelf one level below the top shelf is used as a storage shelf for high-roof vehicles. (S2) Photoelectric switches that project light to the respective height limits for high-roof vehicles and standard-sized vehicles are attached to at least four corners of the cage; (S3) attaching a safety roof that covers the entire upper surface of the pallet above the restricted height of the high-roof vehicle; (S4) A method for modifying an existing elevator-type parking device, in which the entering and leaving operation is stopped when the photoelectric switch detects that the light is blocked.

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