Bicycle parking device

Abstract

To provide a bicycle parking device capable of reducing contact noise or the like generated when an automatic lifting mechanism is operated and an empty mounting table is automatically returned from a lowered position to a lifted position.SOLUTION: An engaging member 52 capable of being engaged with and disengaged from the lower fixing part is provided on a mounting table 22, and the engaging member 52 is energized in an engaging direction 56 to be engaged with the lower fixing part by a first energizing member 55, and can fix the mounting table 22 at a lowering position by being engaged with the lower fixing part. An automatic lifting mechanism has an automatic release device for releasing the engaging member 52 from the lower fixing part so as to automatically release the fixing of the mounting table 22 by releasing the bicycle from the mounting table 22 in the lowering position, and a release state maintenance device 78 for maintaining the engaging member 52 released from the lower fixing part in the releasing position E is provided on the mounting table 22. A release state release device 88 is provided for releasing the state in which the engaging member 52 is maintained at the release position E by the release state maintenance device 78 when the empty mounting table 22 is lowered to the lowering position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 19

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bicycle parking device having an automatic lifting function that automatically lifts the vacant rack when a bicycle is removed from the rack. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as shown in Figures 35 to 37, this type of bicycle parking device includes, for example, a support post 301 erected on the floor, a platform 302 (rack) that is supported and guided by the support post 301 and can be raised and lowered between a lowered position A and an raised position B, a lifting spring 303 that applies a lifting force to the platform 302, and an automatic lifting mechanism 305 that automatically lifts the empty platform 302 from the lowered position A to the raised position B when a bicycle 304 is removed from the platform 302 at the lowered position A.

[0003] The platform 302 has a mounting portion 306 on which a bicycle 304 can be placed. As shown in Figures 38 and 39, a lower fixing portion 307 corresponding to the lowered position A and an upper fixing portion 308 corresponding to the raised position B are provided on the support 301.

[0004] Platform 302 is provided with an engaging member 309 that can be engaged with and disengaged from lower fixing portion 307 and upper fixing portion 308. As shown in Figure 38, engaging member 309 with lower fixing portion 307 fixes platform 302 at lowered position A. Also, as shown by the imaginary line in Figure 39, engaging member 309 with upper fixing portion 308 fixes platform 302 at raised position B. Engaging member 309 is biased by biasing spring 310 in engaging direction 311 in which it engages with lower and upper fixing portions 307, 308.

[0005] The automatic lifting mechanism 305 has an automatic release device 312 that, when in lowered position A, disengages the engaging member 309 from the lower fixing part 307 and automatically releases the fixing of the platform 302 when the bicycle 304 is removed from the platform 302. As shown in Figure 40, the automatic release device 312 has an erection / tilting body 313 that is attached to the platform 302 so that it can be erected and tilted, and an erection position biasing spring 314 that biases the erection / tilting body 313 to an erect position.

[0006] According to this, as shown in Figures 36 and 37, when the platform 302 carrying the bicycle 304 descends from the raised position B to the lowered position A and the upright tilting body 313 is maintained in an upright position, as shown in Figure 38, the engaging member 309 is urged in the engaging direction 311 by the biasing spring 310 and engages with the lower fixed part 307, and the platform 302 is fixed at the lowered position A.

[0007] Thereafter, when bicycle 304 is removed from platform 302 at lowered position A, front wheel 304a of bicycle 304 comes into contact with upright tilting body 313 and pushes it backward, causing upright tilting body 313 to switch from an upright position (see solid line) to a backward tilted position (see imaginary line) as shown in Fig. 40, and engaging member 309 disengages from lower fixing part 307 against the biasing force of biasing spring 310, automatically releasing the fixation of platform 302. As a result, platform 302, which has been emptied after bicycle 304 was removed, automatically rises from lowered position A and returns to raised position B as shown in Fig. 35.

[0008] The bicycle parking device 317 as described above is described in, for example, Patent Document 1 below. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2019-183535 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] However, in the conventional type described above, as shown in FIG. 35, when automatic lifting mechanism 305 is activated, bicycle 304 is removed and empty platform 302 automatically rises from lowered position A and returns to raised position B. At this time, the force of upright position biasing spring 314 causes upright tilting body 313 to return from a backward tilted position (see phantom line in FIG. 40) to an upright position (see solid line in FIG. 40), and engaging member 309 moves in engagement direction 311 (see FIG. 38) due to the force of biasing spring 310.

[0011] 35, when the platform 302 is raised from the lowered position A to the raised position B, the tip of the engaging member 309 that has moved in the engaging direction 311 may come into sliding contact with the support column 301, or may collide with the upper fixed part 308 (see FIG. 39) from below and rise above the upper fixed part 308. This may cause a loud contact noise.

[0012] The present invention aims to provide a bicycle parking device that can reduce contact noise and the like that occurs when the automatic lifting mechanism is activated and the empty platform automatically returns from the lowered position to the raised position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] In order to achieve the above object, the first invention provides a support pillar erected on an installation surface, a platform that is supported and guided by a support and can be raised and lowered between a lowered position and an raised position; and an automatic lifting mechanism that automatically lifts the vacant rack from the lowered position to the raised position when a bicycle is removed from the rack in the lowered position, The carrier has a carrier portion on which a bicycle can be placed, a lower fixing portion and an upper fixing portion located above the lower fixing portion are provided on the support; The platform is provided with engaging members that can be engaged with and disengaged from the lower and upper fixed portions, the engaging member is biased by the first biasing member in an engaging direction to engage with the lower and upper fixing portions, and can fix the platform in a lowered position by engaging with the lower fixing portion; The automatic lifting mechanism has an automatic release device that, when in the lowered position, disengages the engaging member from the lower fixing part and automatically releases the fixing of the rack when the bicycle is removed from the rack; The automatic release device is provided on the platform, A detached state maintaining device is provided on the platform, The disconnection state maintaining device When the platform is released by the automatic release device, During the period from when the empty platform rises from the lowered position to when it reaches the upper position to when it falls from the upper position to when it reaches the lowered position, The engaging member disengaged from the lower fixing part is maintained in the disengaged position. death, A disengagement state release device is provided which releases the state in which the engaging member is maintained in the disengaged position by the disengagement state maintaining device when the empty platform descends from the raised position to the lowered position. And, The disengagement position is a position where the engaging member disengages from the lower fixing part and the upper fixing part. It is something.

[0014] When a bicycle is to be removed from the storage area, the carrier carrying the bicycle is lowered from the raised position to the lowered position. At the lowered position, the engaging member is biased in the engaging direction by the first biasing member, engaging with the lower fixing portion and fixing the carrier in the lowered position.

[0015] When the bicycle is removed from the rack, the automatic release device is activated to disengage the engaging member from the lower fixing part, automatically releasing the rack from its locked position. Once the bicycle is removed and the rack is empty, it automatically rises from its lowered position and returns to its raised position.

[0016] At this time, the disengagement state maintaining device is activated to maintain the engaging member in the disengaged position, preventing the tip of the engaging member from contacting the support column or colliding with the upper fixed part from below when the platform is raised from the lowered position to the raised position. In this way, the engaging member passes from below the upper fixed part to above without colliding with the upper fixed part, which slows the lifting speed of the platform and reduces the contact noise and other issues that occur when the automatic lifting mechanism is activated and the empty platform automatically returns from the lowered position to the raised position.

[0017] After the bicycle is removed from the carrier as described above and the empty carrier automatically rises from the lowered position and returns to the upper position, when the empty carrier is lowered from the upper position to the lowered position to store the bicycle, the disengagement release device is activated and the engaging member is released from the state in which it was maintained in the disengaged position. As a result, in the lowered position, the engaging member is biased in the engagement direction by the first biasing member and engages with the lower fixing part, fixing the empty carrier in the lowered position.

[0019] Also, When the empty platform is lowered from the raised position to the lowered position, the engaging member is maintained in the detached position by the detached state maintaining device, so there is no need for the user to manually operate the engaging member to move it in the detached direction, thereby reducing the need for the user to perform tedious manual operations.

[0020] This 2 In the bicycle parking device of the invention, the automatic release device has a swinging member that can swing in the direction of loading and unloading the bicycle, and a first interlocking mechanism that interlocks the swinging member with the engaging member, The swinging member swings when a bicycle coming in or out of the storage comes into contact with it.

[0021] According to this, when the bicycle is removed from the rack in the lowered position, the bicycle abuts against the swinging member of the automatic release device, causing the swinging member to swing in the direction of removing the bicycle, and the engaging member is thereby linked to the swinging member via the first linkage mechanism and disengaged from the lower fixed portion.

[0022] This 3 In the bicycle parking device of the invention, the detached state maintaining device has a hook that can be engaged with and disengaged from the engaging member, and a second biasing member that biases the hook in a direction that engages with the engaging member, When the platform is released from the lowered position by the automatic release device, the hook engages with the engaging member to maintain the engaging member in the disengaged position.

[0023] When the bicycle is removed and the platform automatically rises from the lowered position and returns to the raised position, the hook of the disengagement maintaining device engages with the engaging member, maintaining the engaging member in the disengaged position. This prevents the tip of the engaging member from hitting the support post or colliding with the upper fixed part from below when the platform is rising from the lowered position to the raised position.

[0024] This 4 shots In the bicycle parking device of the present invention, the release device has a rocking piece provided on the platform and an operating piece provided below the platform, When the empty platform descends from the raised position to the lowered position, the swinging piece abuts against the operating piece from above and swings in one direction, causing the hook to disengage from the engaging member against the biasing force of the second biasing member.

[0025] According to this, when the bicycle is removed and the empty platform automatically returns from the lowered position to the raised position, the hook of the detached state maintaining device remains engaged with the engaging member, so the engaging member is maintained in the detached position.

[0026] When the empty platform subsequently descends from the raised position to the lowered position, the swinging piece abuts against the operating piece from above and swings to one side, causing the hook to disengage from the engaging member against the biasing force of the second biasing member, releasing the engaging member from its disengaged position and causing it to move in the engaging direction due to the biasing force of the first biasing member and engage with the lower fixed part, thereby fixing the empty platform in the lowered position.

[0027] This 5 shots The bicycle parking device in the past has a lifting force applying device attached to the support pole that applies a lifting force to the platform, The lifting force applying device has a long leaf spring connected to the platform and a rotatable drum that winds up the leaf spring, An adjustable rotary damper is installed on the support to adjust the winding speed of the leaf spring. The rotating shaft of the drum and the rotating shaft of the adjustable rotary damper are linked via gears, The adjustable rotary damper allows adjustment of the braking torque generated when the drum winds up the leaf spring.

[0028] When the bicycle carrying platform is lowered to the lowered position and the bicycle is removed from the platform, the automatic release device is activated to automatically release the platform from the lowered position. At this time, the lifting force application device applies a lifting force to the platform, which is now empty after the bicycle has been removed, automatically lifting the empty platform from the lowered position and returning it to the upper position.

[0029] By adjusting the braking torque generated by the adjustable rotary damper of the lifting force application device, the lifting speed when the empty platform automatically returns from the lowered position to the raised position can be adjusted, and even if the leaf spring deteriorates over time, the lifting speed of the empty platform can be easily maintained at an optimal lifting speed.

[0030] This 6 shots The bicycle parking device in the past has a stopper device on the loading section of the platform that prevents the bicycle from going too far in the direction of entering the parking space. The stopper device has a stopper plate and a support plate, the stopper plate is deformable between an upright position and an inclined position inclined from the upright position toward the storing direction and supported by the support plate, and is biased so as to return from the inclined position to the upright position; When a bicycle is placed on the rack, the wheels of the bicycle come into contact with the stopper plate of the stopper device, causing the stopper plate to deform from an upright position to an inclined position.

[0031] When a bicycle is placed on an empty rack, the wheels of the bicycle come into contact with the stopper plate of the stopper device, causing the stopper plate to deform from an upright position to an inclined position, allowing even bicycles with small wheels to be placed in the correct position on the rack. [Effects of the Invention]

[0032] As described above, according to the present invention, when the bicycle is removed and the empty carrier automatically rises from the lowered position to the raised position, the disengagement maintaining device operates to maintain the engaging member in the disengaged position, preventing the tip of the engaging member from contacting the support pole or colliding with the upper fixed part from below. In this way, the engaging member passes from below the upper fixed part to above without colliding with the upper fixed part, which slows the rate at which the carrier rises and reduces the noise generated when the automatic lifting mechanism operates and the empty carrier automatically returns from the lowered position to the raised position.

[0033] Furthermore, after the empty carrier automatically rises from the lowered position and returns to the upper position, when the empty carrier is lowered from the upper position to the lowered position to store a bicycle, the disengagement release device is activated to release the engaging member from the disengaged position. As a result, in the lowered position, the engaging member is biased in the engagement direction by the first biasing member and engages with the lower fixing part, fixing the empty carrier in the lowered position. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram of a bicycle parking facility according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram of the second bicycle parking device of the bicycle parking facility, showing a bicycle loaded on the rack in the lowered position. [Figure 3] This is a diagram of the second bicycle parking device, showing the rack with the bicycles mounted on it raised to the raised position. [Figure 4] 10 is a diagram of the second bicycle parking device in the same example, showing the empty platform in the lowered position. [Figure 5] 10 is a diagram of the second bicycle parking device in the same manner, showing the empty platform in the raised position. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram of the lifting force application device of the second bicycle parking device. [Figure 7] 7 is a view taken along the arrow XX in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the platform of the second bicycle parking device in accordance with the first embodiment, showing the state in which the first engagement member has protruded to the engagement position. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the platform of the second bicycle parking device according to the first embodiment, showing the first engagement member protruding to the engagement position. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the platform of the second bicycle parking device. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged bottom view of the platform of the second bicycle parking device of the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the manual release device of the platform of the second bicycle parking device. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the platform of the second bicycle parking device according to the first embodiment, showing the state in which the first engagement member has retracted to the first disengagement position. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the automatic lifting mechanism of the platform of the second bicycle parking device. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the platform of the second bicycle parking device of the first embodiment, showing the state in which the first engagement member has retracted to the second disengagement position. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the platform of the second bicycle parking device according to the first embodiment, showing the state in which the first engagement member has retracted to the second disengagement position. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the platform of the second bicycle parking device in the same example, showing the state in which the second engagement member is engaged with the second lower fixing portion in the lowered position A. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the platform of the second bicycle parking device in the same example, showing the second engagement member engaging with the second lower fixing portion in the lowered position A. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the platform of the second bicycle parking device of the same, showing the operation when the state in which the first engagement member is maintained in the disengaged position is released by the disengaged state release device. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a plan view of the lower lock base of the lower lifting device of the second bicycle parking device. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the platform of the second bicycle parking device in the same example, showing the state in which the second engagement member is disengaged from the second lower fixing portion at the lowered position A. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the platform of the second bicycle parking device in the same example, showing the second engagement member disengaged from the second lower fixing portion at lowered position A. [Figure 23]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a fixing / releasing device for a platform of the second bicycle parking device. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation when a bicycle is parked on an empty rack in the second bicycle parking device, showing the empty rack in the raised position. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation when a bicycle is parked on an empty rack in the second bicycle parking device, showing the state when the empty rack is lowered from the raised position to the lowered position. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation when a bicycle is parked on an empty rack in the second bicycle parking device, showing the state when a bicycle is loaded on the empty rack. [Figure 27] This is a schematic diagram explaining the operation when a stored bicycle is removed from the rack of the second bicycle parking device, showing the state when the rack with the bicycle loaded on it is lowered from the raised position to the lowered position. [Figure 28] This is a schematic diagram explaining the operation when a stored bicycle is removed from the rack of the second bicycle parking device, showing the rack in the lowered position immediately after the bicycle is removed from the rack. [Figure 29] 10 is a partially cutaway enlarged view of a platform of a second bicycle parking apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, showing an empty state with no bicycles stored therein. FIG. [Figure 30] FIG. 10 is an enlarged cutaway view of the platform of the second bicycle parking device, showing the state in which a bicycle is stored. [Figure 31] FIG. 10 is a side view of a stopper device provided on the platform of the second bicycle parking device. [Figure 32] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a stopper device provided on the platform of the second bicycle parking device. [Figure 33] 32 is a view taken along the arrow XX in FIG. 31. [Figure 34] FIG. 11 is a side view of a stopper device provided on a platform of a second bicycle parking apparatus in a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 35] 1 is a diagram of a conventional bicycle parking device showing an empty rack. [Figure 36] This is a diagram of the bicycle parking device, showing the rack with the bicycle mounted on it raised to the raised position. [Figure 37] This is a diagram of the bicycle parking device, showing the rack with the bicycle loaded on it lowered to the lowered position. [Figure 38] FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the platform of the bicycle parking device, showing the engagement member engaging with the lower fixing portion. [Figure 39] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the upper part of the support pole of the bicycle parking device. [Figure 40] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the automatic release device of the bicycle parking device platform. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0036] (First embodiment) In the first embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a bicycle parking facility capable of storing bicycles 2 in two levels, an upper level and an lower level, and the bicycle parking facility 1 has a first bicycle parking device 3 that stores bicycles 2 in the lower level and a plurality of second bicycle parking devices 4 (an example of a bicycle parking device) that store bicycles 2 in the upper level.

[0037] If the direction 5 in which the bicycles 2 enter the parking lot is defined as the front, the direction 6 in which they leave the parking lot is defined as the rear, and the direction perpendicular to these directions 5, 6 in which they leave the parking lot is defined as the left-right direction, the first bicycle parking device 3 has a pair of front and rear slide rails 10 that are laid on an installation surface 8 such as a floor and extend in the left-right direction, and a number of slide racks 11 that are supported and guided by the slide rails 10 and can move freely. The bicycles 2 can be loaded and unloaded using these slide racks 11.

[0038] As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the second bicycle parking device 4 includes a support pillar 21 erected on the installation surface 8, a platform 22 supported and guided by the support pillar 21 and capable of freely rising and falling between a lowered position A and an upper position B, a lower lifting device 23 arranged below the platform 22 and supported and guided by the support pillar 21 and capable of freely rising and falling, a first lifting force application device 24 (an example of a lifting force application device) that applies a lifting force to the platform 22 to lift the platform 22, a second lifting force application device 25 that applies a lifting force to the lower lifting device 23 to lift the lower lifting device 23, and an automatic lifting mechanism 26 that automatically lifts the empty platform 22 from the lowered position A to the upper position B by removing the bicycle 2 from the platform 22 at the lowered position A.

[0039] The platform 22 has a support frame 29 (an example of a mounting portion) on which the bicycle 2 can be mounted, and an upper lifting device 30. The support frame 29 is attached to the upper lifting device 30.

[0040] The upper lifting device 30 includes a main body 33 that is substantially rectangular in shape in plan view, and a plurality of guide rollers 34 that slide vertically along the support columns 21.

[0041] The lower lifting device 23 has a main body 36 that is approximately square frame-shaped when viewed from above, a plurality of guide rollers 37 that slide vertically along the support 21, and a lower lock table 38 provided at the rear of the main body 36.

[0042] 6 and 7, the first lifting force application device 24 and the second lifting force application device 25 are provided at the upper end of the support column 21. The first lifting force application device 24 has a long, plate-shaped first constant force spring 39 (an example of a plate spring) connected to the upper lifting device 30 of the platform 22, and a rotatable first drum 40 (an example of a drum) that winds up the first constant force spring 39.

[0043] The second lifting force applying device 25 has two long, plate-shaped second constant force springs 42 (an example of plate springs) connected to the lower lifting device 23, and two rotatable second drums 43 that wind up the second constant force springs 42. The first and second drums 40, 43 are each provided inside the support 21 via a rotating shaft 44. Note that the number of second constant force springs 42 and second drums 43 may each be a plurality other than two, or may be a single.

[0044] 6, 8, and 9, the support pillar 21 is provided with a first lower fixing portion 46 (an example of a lower fixing portion) corresponding to the lowered position A, a second lower fixing portion 47 located below the first lower fixing portion 46, and an upper fixing portion 49 located above the first lower fixing portion 46 and corresponding to the raised position B. The first and second lower fixing portions 46, 47 and the upper fixing portion 49 are protrusions that protrude from the surface of the support pillar 21, and the first and second lower fixing portions 46, 47 have inclined surfaces 46a, 47a that slope obliquely upward, respectively, and the upper fixing portion 49 has an inclined surface 49a that slopes obliquely downward.

[0045] A first engaging member 52 (an example of an engaging member) that can be engaged with and disengaged from the first lower fixing portion 46 and the upper fixing portion 49 is provided at the front end of the support frame 29 of the platform 22. The first engaging member 52 can fix the platform 22 in the lowered position A by engaging with the first lower fixing portion 46 from below as shown by the imaginary line (A) in Fig. 9, and also prevents the platform 22 from descending when it engages with the upper fixing portion 49 from above as shown by the imaginary line (B) in Fig. 9.

[0046] As shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, the first engaging member 52 is biased by a first coil spring 55 (an example of a first biasing member) in an engaging direction 56 (forward) in which the first engaging member 52 engages with the first lower fixing portion 46 and the upper fixing portion 49.

[0047] The platform 22 is provided with a manual release device 58 that manually releases the fixation of the platform 22 by disengaging the first engaging member 52 from the first lower fixing portion 46 and the upper fixing portion 49 .

[0048] 2 and 10 to 12, the manual release device 58 has an operating lever 59 and a second interlocking mechanism 60 that interlocks the operating lever 59 with the first engagement member 52. The operating lever 59 is capable of swinging back and forth around a support shaft 61 that is inserted in the left-right direction, and is provided at the rear end of the support frame 29 of the platform 22.

[0049] The second interlocking mechanism 60 has a swing arm 62 that can swing freely integrally with the operating lever 59 via a support shaft 61, and an interlocking shaft 63 that can move freely back and forth and is connected between the swing arm 62 and the first engagement member 52. The interlocking shaft 63 has the first coil spring 55 inserted therethrough.

[0050] When the operating lever 59 is not operated, the first engaging member 52 is urged in the engaging direction 56 by the first coil spring 55 and protrudes to the engaged position C. Furthermore, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 2, by operating the operating lever 59 and swinging it rearward, the interlocking shaft 63 moves rearward, and as shown in FIG. 13, the first engaging member 52 moves in the disengaging direction 57 (rearward) against the urging force of the first coil spring 55 and retracts to the first disengaging position D where it disengages from the first lower fixing portion 46 and the upper fixing portion 49.

[0051] As shown in Figure 4, the automatic lifting mechanism 26 has an automatic release device 67 that automatically releases the fixation of the platform 22 by disengaging the first engagement member 52 from the first lower fixing portion 46 when the bicycle 2 is removed from the platform 22 at the lowered position A.

[0052] The automatic release device 67 is provided on the platform 22 and has a swing pedal 68 (an example of a swing member) that can swing freely in the loading / unloading directions 5, 6 (front-to-back direction) of the bicycle 2, and a first interlocking mechanism 69 that interlocks the swing pedal 68 with the first engagement member 52.

[0053] As shown in Figures 8, 14, and 15, the swing pedal 68 is attached to the support frame 29 of the platform 22 via a support shaft 70 inserted in the left-right direction, and when the front wheel 13 of the bicycle 2 being loaded or unloaded comes into contact with it, it can swing back and forth around the support shaft 70 between a forward leaning position (see phantom line in Figure 8) and a backward leaning position (see solid line in Figure 15), and is biased to an upright position (see solid line in Figure 14) by a spring 71.

[0054] The first interlocking mechanism 69 shares the interlocking shaft 63 with the second interlocking mechanism 60 , and has a connecting member 73 that connects the interlocking shaft 63 to the swing pedal 68 . 8 to 11, when the rocking pedal 68 is in an upright position, the first engagement member 52 is urged in the engagement direction 56 by the first coil spring 55 and protrudes to the engagement position C. Similarly, when the rocking pedal 68 is in a forward tilted position, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 8, the interlocking shaft 63 simply moves forward, and the first engagement member 52 is urged in the engagement direction 56 by the first coil spring 55 and remains protruded to the engagement position C.

[0055] Also, as shown in Figures 15 and 16, when the rocking pedal 68 is in a rearward tilted position, the interlocking shaft 63 moves rearward, and the first engagement member 52 moves in the detachment direction 57 against the biasing force of the first coil spring 55, and retracts to a second detachment position E (an example of a detachment position) where it detaches from the first lower fixing portion 46 and the upper fixing portion 49.

[0056] Furthermore, the second disengagement position E (see Figure 16) is set further rearward than the first disengagement position D (see Figure 13), and as shown in Figure 19, the stroke S2 ​​from the engagement position C to the second disengagement position E is longer than the stroke S1 from the engagement position C to the first disengagement position D.

[0057] When the platform 22 is released by the automatic release device 67, the platform 22 is provided with a detached state maintaining device 78 that maintains the first engagement member 52, which has been detached from the first lower fixing portion 46, in the second detached position E.

[0058] As shown in Figures 9, 11, 13, and 16, the detachment state maintaining device 78 has a hook 79 that can be engaged and disengaged with the rear end 52a of the first engaging member 52, and a second coil spring 81 (an example of a second biasing member) that biases the hook 79 in a direction 80 (e.g., upward) in which it engages with the rear end 52a of the first engaging member 52. A mounting frame 83 is attached to the underside of the front end of the support frame 29 of the platform 22. The hook 79 is rotatable up and down about a support shaft 82 inserted in the left-right direction, is attached to the mounting frame 83 via the support shaft 82, and has a protrusion 84 protruding forward at its tip. The second coil spring 81 has a lower end connected to the mounting frame 83 and an upper end connected to the hook 79.

[0059] As shown in Figures 15 and 16, when the platform 22 is released from its fixed position by the automatic release device 67 at the lowered position A, the hook 79 engages with the rear end 52a of the first engagement member 52, maintaining the first engagement member 52 at the second disengagement position E.

[0060] A disengagement state release device 88 is provided which releases the state in which the first engagement member 52 is maintained at the second disengagement position E by the disengagement state maintenance device 78 when the empty platform 22 descends from the raised position B to the lowered position A.

[0061] The detached state release device 88 has a swing piece 89 provided on the platform 22 as shown in Figures 9, 11, 13, and 16, and an operating piece 90 provided below the platform 22, i.e., on the lower lifting device 23, as shown in Figures 17 to 19.

[0062] A pair of left and right mounting plates 92 protruding downward are provided at the front end of the support frame 29 of the platform 22. The swinging piece 89 is a cylindrical member having a hollow structure, with one end open and the other end 89a closed like a flat plate, and is capable of swinging up and down about a support shaft 93 inserted between the mounting plates 92, and is provided between the mounting plates 92 via the support shaft 93. The operating piece 90 is an elastically deformable member made of a thin metal plate bent into a C shape, and is attached to the lower lock base 38 of the lower lifting device 23.

[0063] The protrusion 84 of the hook 79 of the detached state maintaining device 78 is inserted into the swinging piece 89 of the detached state releasing device 88 through an opening at one end of the swinging piece 89. When the empty platform 22 descends from the raised position B to the lowered position A, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 19 , the other end 89 a of the swinging piece 89 abuts against the operating piece 90 from above, causing the swinging piece 89 to swing in one direction 94, and the hook 79 swings downward against the biasing force of the second coil spring 81, thereby disengaging from the rear end 52 a of the first engaging member 52. As a result, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 19 , the first engaging member 52 protrudes from the second disengagement position E in the engagement direction 56 due to the biasing force of the first coil spring 55.

[0064] 18, 20, and 22, the lower lifting device 23 is provided with a fixing device 97 that fixes the lower lifting device 23 to the lower end of the support column 21. The fixing device 97 has a second engaging member 98 that is provided inside the lower lock base 38 of the lower lifting device 23 and is capable of moving forward and backward, and a third coil spring 100 that biases the second engaging member 98 in an engaging direction 99 (forward).

[0065] As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the second engagement member 98 can fix the lower lifting device 23 to the lower end of the support column 21 by engaging with the second lower fixing portion 47 from below.

[0066] 18 and 20, an upper elongated hole 117 that penetrates vertically and is long in the front-to-rear direction is formed in the ceiling of the lower lock base 38. In addition, an upper round hole 118 that penetrates vertically is formed in the ceiling of the second engagement member 98. The upper round hole 118 overlaps directly below the upper elongated hole 117.

[0067] 17, 18, and 21 to 23, the platform 22 is provided with an anchoring release device 102 for releasing the anchoring of the lower lifting device 23 by the anchoring device 97. The anchoring release device 102 has a rotating platform 103 rotatably provided on the support frame 29 of the platform 22, and a third interlocking mechanism 104 that interlocks the rotating platform 103 with the second engaging member 98 of the anchoring device 97.

[0068] The rotating support body 103 is a bent member having a front extension portion 103a and a rear extension portion 103b, and is attached to the support frame 29 via a support shaft 105. By rotating in the forward and backward directions around the support shaft 105, it can be switched between a first position 119 and a second position 120.

[0069] The first posture 119 is a posture in which the front extension 103a faces obliquely upward and the rear extension 103b lies sideways, and the second posture 120 is a posture in which the front extension 103a lies sideways and the rear extension 103b faces obliquely upward.

[0070] The third interlocking mechanism 104 has an arm 106 attached to the rotating support body 103, a slide member 108 provided at the front end of the support frame 29 of the support base 22, an interlocking shaft 109 connected between the arm 106 and the slide member 108, an interlocking pin 110 provided on the slide member 108, and a fourth coil spring 111 that urges the slide member 108 in the engagement direction 99 (forward).

[0071] 10 and 11, the first engagement member 52 and the slide member 108 are disposed adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. As shown in Figures 18, 20, and 22, the interlocking pin 110 protrudes downward from the slide member 108, and the lower end of the interlocking pin 110 is inserted from above into the upper long hole 117 of the lower lock base 38 and the upper round hole 118 of the second engagement member 98.

[0072] 17 and 18, when the platform 22 is lowered to the lowered position A but no bicycle 2 is mounted on it and the platform 22 is empty, the slide member 108 is urged to move in the engagement direction 99 (forward) by the fourth coil spring 111, so that the rotating platform 103 is switched to the first position 119, the interlocking pin 110 moves in the engagement direction 99 together with the slide member 108, and the second engagement member 98 moves in the engagement direction 99 in conjunction with the interlocking pin 110 and protrudes, engaging with the second lower fixing part 47 from below. This fixes the lower lifting device 23 to the lower end of the support column 21.

[0073] 21 and 22, when a bicycle 2 is stored and mounted on the platform 22 that has been lowered to the lowered position A, the rotatable platform 103 is pushed by the front wheel 13 of the bicycle 2 and rotates, switching from the first position 119 to the second position 120. As a result, the arm 106 rotates together with the rotatable platform 103, the interlocking shaft 109 is pulled rearward, and the slide member 108 moves rearward (in the opposite direction to the engagement direction 99) against the biasing force of the fourth coil spring 111.

[0074] As a result, the interlocking pin 110 moves rearward together with the slide member 108, and the second engaging member 98 moves in the detaching direction 101 in conjunction with the interlocking pin 110, retracts, and detaches from the second lower fixing portion 47. This releases the fixation of the lower lifting device 23.

[0075] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, an adjustable rotary damper 123 is provided at the upper end of the support 21 to adjust the winding speed when the first constant force spring 39 of the first lifting force application device 24 is wound around the first drum 40.

[0076] One gear 124 is provided on the rotary shaft 44 of the first drum 40, and the other gear 125 is provided on the rotary shaft 123a of the adjustable rotary damper 123, and the one gear 124 and the other gear 125 are in mesh with each other.

[0077] The adjustable rotary damper 123 is a rotational damper that has a rotor and silicone oil inside the main body case 123b and uses the braking force generated by the viscous resistance of the silicone oil, and by turning the knob 123c, it is possible to adjust the braking torque generated when the first drum 40 winds up the first constant force spring 39, and it is also a unidirectional rotary damper that incorporates a one-way clutch. As a result, the adjustable rotary damper 123 generates braking torque for rotation in one direction, but does not generate braking torque for rotation in the opposite direction as the one-way clutch spins freely.

[0078] As shown in Figures 1 to 6, an upper stopper 127 is provided on the upper part of the support column 21, and the upper end of the upper lifting device 30 of the platform 22 abuts against the upper stopper 127 from below, causing the platform 22 to stop at the raised position B.

[0079] The operation of the above configuration will now be described.

[0080] After a bicycle 2 is removed from the platform 22 of the second bicycle parking device 4, the empty platform 22 is automatically raised from the lowered position A to the raised position B by the automatic raising mechanism 26, as shown in Fig. 5. At this time, as shown in Fig. 24, the hook 79 of the detached state maintaining device 78 for the empty platform 22 engages with the rear end 52a of the first engagement member 52, and the first engagement member 52 is maintained at the second detached position E and detached from the upper fixing part 49.

[0081] Furthermore, the second engaging member 98 of the fixing device 97 of the lower lock table 38 engages with the second lower fixing portion 47 , whereby the lower lifting device 23 is fixed to the lower end of the support column 21 .

[0082] The procedure for parking the bicycle 2 in the second bicycle parking device 4 will be described below.

[0083] First, as shown in Fig. 4, the empty platform 22 is manually lowered from the raised position B to the lowered position A. At this time, as shown in Fig. 24, the first engaging member 52 is maintained at the second disengaged position E and is disengaged from the upper fixing part 49, so that the empty platform 22 can be easily lowered to the lowered position A.

[0084] 19, at the lowered position A, the other end 89a of the swinging piece 89 of the release device 88 for the empty platform 22 abuts against the operating piece 90 of the lower lock base 38 from above, causing the swinging piece 89 to swing in one direction 94, and the hook 79 to swing downward and disengage from the rear end 52a of the first engaging member 52. As a result, as shown in FIG. 25, the first engaging member 52 moves from the second disengagement position E in the engaging direction 56 due to the biasing force of the first coil spring 55, and protrudes to the engaging position C to engage with the first lower fixing portion 46. As a result, the empty platform 22 is fixed at the lowered position A.

[0085] In addition, the operating piece 90 is pushed and deformed by the other end 89a of the descending swing piece 89, so that at the descending position A, the other end 89a of the swing piece 89 passes from above to below the operating piece 90.

[0086] Next, as shown in Figure 2, bicycle 2 is loaded onto an empty platform 22 in lowered position A. At this time, first, the front wheel 13 of bicycle 2 pushes forward the swing pedal 68 of the automatic release device 67, causing the swing pedal 68 to swing in the loading direction 5 (forward) and change from an upright position to a forward-leaning position, as shown by the phantom line in Figure 25. The interlocking shaft 63 moves forward in conjunction with the swing pedal 68, but the first engagement member 52 protrudes to engagement position C, as shown by the solid line in Figure 25, and remains engaged with the first lower fixing part 46.

[0087] Immediately thereafter, the front wheel 13 of the bicycle 2 passes from rear to front above the rocker pedal 68 in the forward tilted position, and as a result, the rocker pedal 68 returns from the forward tilted position to an upright position due to the biasing force of the spring 71 (see FIG. 14) between the front wheel 13 and rear wheel 14 of the bicycle 2, as shown by the solid lines in FIG. 2 and FIG. 25. Even in the upright position, the first engagement member 52 continues to protrude to engagement position C and remains engaged with the first lower fixing part 46, as shown in FIG.

[0088] Then, as shown in Figure 17, the front wheel 13 of the bicycle 2 pushes the rotating support body 103 of the lock release device 102 forward, causing the rotating support body 103 to rotate and switch from the first position 119 (virtual line) to the second position 120 (solid line) as shown in Figure 21.

[0089] 21 and 22, the arm 106 rotates together with the rotating mount 103, the interlocking shaft 109 is pulled rearward, the slide member 108 moves rearward against the biasing force of the fourth coil spring 111, the interlocking pin 110 moves rearward together with the slide member 108, and in conjunction with the interlocking pin 110, the second engaging member 98 moves in the detaching direction 101 and retracts, and disengages from the second lower fixing part 47. This releases the lower lifting device 23 from its fixed position.

[0090] After mounting the bicycle 2 on the support frame 29 of the platform 22 in this manner as shown in Figure 2, the user operates the operating lever 59 of the manual release device 58 to swing it rearward, as shown in Figure 26. This causes the swing arm 62 to swing together with the operating lever 59, moves the interlocking shaft 63 rearward, and moves the first engagement member 52 in the disengagement direction 57 against the biasing force of the first coil spring 55, retracts to the first disengagement position D, and disengages from the first lower fixing part 46. This releases the fixation of the platform 22 in the lowered position A.

[0091] At this time, since the first disengagement position D is set forward of the second disengagement position E, even if the first engaging member 52 retreats to the first disengagement position D and disengages from the first lower fixing portion 46, the hook 79 does not engage with the rear end 52a of the first engaging member 52, and the first engaging member 52 is not maintained in either the first or second disengagement position D, E.

[0092] With the lower lifting device 23 and the platform 22 thus released, the user lifts the platform 22 from the lowered position A to the raised position B as shown in Figure 3. At this time, the first and second drums 40, 43 of the first and second lifting force applying devices 24, 25 rotate in one direction, winding up the first and second constant force springs 39, 42, and applying a lifting force to the platform 22 and the lower lifting device 23. Therefore, the platform 22 can be lifted with a slight force, and the lower lifting device 23 rises together with the platform 22.

[0093] When the user lifts the platform 22 in this manner, the first engaging member 52 moves from the first disengagement position D in the engagement direction 56 due to the biasing force of the first coil spring 55, and protrudes to the engagement position C, as shown in FIG. 9.

[0094] Just before the platform 22 reaches the raised position B, the first engagement member 52 rises while sliding against the inclined surface 49a of the upper fixing portion 49 from below, so that it first retreats from the engagement position C in the disengagement direction 57, and when it passes above the upper fixing portion 49, it moves in the engagement direction 56 as shown by the imaginary line (b) in Figure 9 and protrudes to the engagement position C.

[0095] When the platform 22 carrying the bicycle 2 is raised to the raised position B in this manner, the bicycle 2 is completely stored as shown in FIG.

[0096] At this time, if the bicycle 2 is below a predetermined weight, the lifting force of the first and second constant force springs 39, 42 is sufficient, and as shown in Figure 6, the first engagement member 52 stops slightly above the upper fixing part 49 at raised position B. However, if the bicycle 2 exceeds the predetermined weight, the weight of the bicycle 2 will cause the platform 22 to move slightly downward from raised position B, resisting the lifting force of the first and second constant force springs 39, 42. However, because the first engagement member 52 engages with the upper fixing part 49 from above, the platform 22 is fixed, preventing the platform 22 from accidentally moving downward from raised position B to lower position A.

[0097] Next, the procedure for removing a stored bicycle 2 will be described.

[0098] First, the user operates the operating lever 59 of the manual release device 58 to swing it rearward as shown by the imaginary line in Fig. 3, causing the first engagement member 52 to retract from the engagement position C to the first disengagement position D as shown in Fig. 13. This disengages the first engagement member 52 from the upper fixing part 49, and the user can manually lower the platform 22 from the raised position B (see Fig. 3) to the lowered position A (see Fig. 2). At this time, the lower lifting device 23 descends together with the platform 22.

[0099] When the platform 22 carrying the bicycle 2 is being lowered in this manner, as shown in Figure 13, the hook 79 does not engage with the rear end 52a of the first engagement member 52, so the first engagement member 52 is not maintained in either the first or second disengagement position D, E. When the user releases the operating lever 59, the first engagement member 52 moves from the first disengagement position D in the engagement direction 56 due to the biasing force of the first coil spring 55, and protrudes to the engagement position C.

[0100] Just before the platform 22 carrying the bicycle 2 reaches the lowered position A, the first engagement member 52 descends while sliding against the inclined surface 46a of the first lower fixed part 46 from above, so that it temporarily retracts from the engagement position C in the disengagement direction 57, and once it passes below the first lower fixed part 46, it moves in the engagement direction 56 and protrudes to the engagement position C. As a result, as shown in Figure 27, when the platform 22 carrying the bicycle 2 reaches the lowered position A, the first engagement member 52 automatically engages with the first lower fixed part 46 from below, fixing the platform 22 carrying the bicycle 2 at the lowered position A, and the lower lifting device 23 reaches the lower end of the support pole 21.

[0101] The user then moves the bicycle 2 backward and lowers it from the platform 22 onto the installation surface 8. At this time, the front wheel 13 of the bicycle 2 first pushes the rotating carrier 103 of the lock-release device 102 backward, causing the rotating carrier 103 to rotate as shown by the solid line in FIG. 17 and switch from the second position 120 to the first position 119.

[0102] As a result, the arm 106 rotates together with the rotating carrier 103, the interlocking shaft 109 is pushed forward, the slide member 108 moves forward, the interlocking pin 110 moves forward together with the slide member 108, and in conjunction with the interlocking pin 110, the second engaging member 98 moves in the engaging direction 99 and protrudes, as shown in Fig. 18, and engages with the second lower fixing part 47 from below. As a result, the lower lifting device 23 is fixed to the lower end of the support column 21.

[0103] Next, as shown in FIG. 15, the front wheel 13 of the bicycle 2 pushes the swing pedal 68 of the automatic release device 67 backward, causing the swing pedal 68 to swing in the exit direction 6 (rearward) and change from an upright position to a backward tilted position.

[0104] As a result, the interlocking shaft 63 moves rearward in conjunction with the rocking pedal 68, and as shown in Figure 16, the first engagement member 52 moves from the engagement position C in the disengagement direction 57 against the biasing force of the first coil spring 55, and retracts to the second disengagement position E.

[0105] As a result, as shown in Figure 28, the first engagement member 52 disengages from the first lower fixing portion 46, the platform 22 is automatically released from its fixed position at the lowered position A, and the hook 79 of the detached state maintaining device 78 engages with the rear end 52a of the first engagement member 52, maintaining the first engagement member 52 at the second detached position E.

[0106] Immediately thereafter, the front wheel 13 of the bicycle 2 passes from front to rear over the rocking pedal 68, which is in a backward tilted position, and as shown by the imaginary line in Figure 28, the rocking pedal 68 returns from the backward tilted position to an upright position due to the biasing force of the spring 71 (see Figure 14). However, since the hook 79 remains engaged with the first engagement member 52, the first engagement member 52 continues to be maintained in the second disengagement position E, and the platform 22, which has been emptied after the bicycle 2 has been removed, remains in an unlocked state.

[0107] At this time, as shown in Figure 28, the lower lifting device 23 is fixed to the lower end of the support pole 21, and the first drum 40 of the first lifting force applying device 24 rotates in one direction, winding up the first constant force spring 39 and applying a lifting force to the empty platform 22. As a result, as shown in Figure 5, the empty platform 22 automatically rises from lowered position A to raised position B, leaving the lower lifting device 23 at the lower end of the support pole 21. This completes the removal of the bicycle 2 from the storage facility.

[0108] When the bicycle 2 is removed as described above and the empty platform 22 automatically rises from the lowered position A and returns to the raised position B, as shown in Figure 28, the hook 79 remains engaged with the rear end 52a of the first engagement member 52, and the first engagement member 52 is maintained in the second disengagement position E, thereby preventing the tip of the first engagement member 52 from abutting against the support 21 or colliding with the upper fixing part 49 (see Figures 6 and 24) from below. In this way, the first engagement member 52 passes from below to above the upper fixing portion 49 without colliding with the upper fixing portion 49 (see Figure 24), so the speed at which the platform 22 rises can be slowed down, and contact noises and the like that are generated when the automatic rising mechanism 26 is activated and the empty platform 22 automatically returns from the lowered position A (see Figure 4) to the raised position B (see Figure 5) can be reduced.

[0109] Furthermore, when the platform 22, which has been lowered to the lowered position A when the bicycle 2 is removed, is released from its fixed position by the automatic release device 67, as shown in Figures 16 and 28, the detached state maintaining device 78 maintains the first engagement member 52 in the second detached position E until the platform 22, which has been emptied after the bicycle 2 has been removed, automatically rises from the lowered position A (see Figure 4) and returns to the upper position B (see Figure 5), and then the empty platform 22 descends from the upper position B (see Figure 5) to reach the lowered position A (see Figure 4) in order to store the bicycle 2.

[0110] As a result, when the empty platform 22 is lowered from the raised position B to the lowered position A during storage, the first engagement member 52 is maintained in the second disengagement position E by the disengagement state maintaining device 78, so the user does not need to operate the operating lever 59 of the manual release device 58 to move the first engagement member 52 in the disengagement direction 57, thereby reducing the need for the user to perform tedious manual operations.

[0111] Also, as shown in FIG. 7, by turning the knob 123c of the adjustable rotary damper 123, the braking torque generated when the first drum 40 of the first lifting force application device 24 winds up the first constant force spring 39 can be adjusted.

[0112] This allows the automatic lifting mechanism 26 to adjust the lifting speed of the empty carrier 22 when it automatically returns from the lowered position A (see Figure 4) to the raised position B (see Figure 5) when the bicycle 2 is removed from the storage area, and even if the first constant force spring 39 deteriorates over time, the lifting speed of the empty carrier 22 can be easily maintained at an optimal lifting speed.

[0113] Furthermore, when the empty carrier 22 is lowered from the raised position B (see FIG. 5) to the lowered position A (see FIG. 4) to store the bicycle 2, the first constant force spring 39 of the first lifting force applying device 24 is pulled out from the first drum 40, but at this time, the one-way clutch built into the adjustable rotary damper 123 rotates freely, so no braking torque is generated from the adjustable rotary damper 123. This allows the user to manually lower the empty carrier 22 from the raised position B to the lowered position A easily with little force.

[0114] (Second embodiment) In the second embodiment, as shown in Figures 29 and 30, a stopper device 131 is provided at the front end (i.e., the end on the storage direction 5 side) of the support frame 29 of the platform 22 to prevent the bicycle 2 mounted on the support frame 29 of the platform 22 from moving too far forward (i.e., in the storage direction 5).

[0115] In FIG. 30, the front wheel 13 of the bicycle 2 is shown with a small diameter drawn in solid lines, and with a large diameter drawn in imaginary lines.

[0116] 31 to 33, the stopper device 131 has a bottom plate 132 attached to the bottom of the support frame 29 with bolts, nuts (not shown), etc., a stopper plate 133 rising from the rear end of the bottom plate 132, and a support plate 134 inclined upward from the front end of the bottom plate 132 toward the stopper plate 133. The stopper plate 133 has a pair of left and right guide pieces 135 cut and raised rearward (i.e., in the unloading direction 6).

[0117] The stopper device 131 is made of a leaf spring material, and the stopper plate 133 is elastically deformable between an upright position 136 (see solid lines in Figures 29 and 31) and an inclined position 137 (see virtual lines in Figures 30 and 31) in which the stopper plate 133 is inclined forward from the upright position 136 (i.e., in the storage direction 5) and supported by the support plate 134, and is biased to return from the inclined position 137 to the upright position 136.

[0118] As shown in Figures 29 and 30, the stopper device 131 is positioned forward of the rotating carrier 103, and when the bicycle 2 is stored on the support frame 29, the front wheel 13 (an example of a wheel) of the bicycle 2 is placed between the rotating carrier 103 and the stopper device 131.

[0119] 29, 30, and 33, a pair of left and right stay members 139 that prevent the bicycle 2 mounted on the support frame 29 from tipping over to the left or right are provided on the platform 22. The front ends of both stay members 139 are attached to the upper end of the main body 33 of the upper lifting device 30 of the platform 22, and the rear ends are attached to the support frame 29, with the stay members 139 slanting upward from the rear ends to the front ends.

[0120] The operation of the above configuration will now be described.

[0121] As shown in Figure 29, when the empty platform 22 is lowered from the raised position B to the lowered position A and the bicycle 2 is stored on the empty platform 22 at the lowered position A, the front wheel 13 of the bicycle 2 is guided between the two stay members 139 and pushes the rotating platform 103 of the lock release device 102 forward, causing the rotating platform 103 to rotate and switch from the first position 119 (see Figure 29) to the second position 120 (see Figure 30), and immediately thereafter, the front wheel 13 of the bicycle 2 is guided between the two guide pieces 135 of the stopper device 131 and comes into contact with the stopper plate 133, causing the stopper plate 133 to change from the upright position 136 to the inclined position 137.

[0122] At this time, as shown by the imaginary lines in FIGS. 30 and 31, the support plate 134 supports the stopper plate 133 from the front, so that the stopper plate 133 does not fall forward.

[0123] As a result, as shown in Figure 30, the front wheel 13 of the bicycle 2 is placed between the rotating carrier 103 and the stopper device 131, and the bicycle 2 is placed in the correct position on the carrier 22. At this time, the stopper plate 133 is biased to return from the inclined position 137 to the upright position 136, so the front wheel 13 is pushed backward by the stopper plate 133. As a result, as shown by the solid line in Figure 30, even when a bicycle 2 with a small diameter front wheel 13 is stored, the front wheel 13 is reliably positioned on the forward extension 103a of the rotating carrier 103, and the rotating carrier 103 is reliably switched to the second position 120.

[0124] Furthermore, since the front wheel 13 abuts against the stopper plate 133, the front wheel 13 is prevented from going too far forward (i.e., in the storing direction 5), so that the center 15 (i.e., hub portion) of the small-diameter front wheel 13 of the stored bicycle 2 is positioned above the stay member 139, as shown by the solid line in Figure 30, which prevents the spokes 16 of the front wheel 13 from coming into contact with the stay member 139, as shown in Figure 33.

[0125] Furthermore, because the spokes 16 are arranged so that they spread out to both the left and right of the bicycle 2 the closer they are to the center 15 of the front wheel 13, if the position of the center 15 of the front wheel 13 approaches the position of the stay member 139, there is a risk that the spokes 16 of the front wheel 13 will interfere with the stay member 139. However, as shown by the solid line in Figure 30, a predetermined vertical distance 140 is maintained between the position of the center 15 of the small-diameter front wheel 13 and the position of the stay member 139, so it is possible to prevent the spokes 16 of the front wheel 13 from interfering with the stay member 139, as described above.

[0126] Furthermore, after storing the bicycle 2, when the bicycle 2 is removed from the platform 22 at the lowered position A, the front wheel 13 of the bicycle 2 moves away from the stopper plate 133 of the stopper device 131, and the stopper plate 133 returns from the inclined position 137 to the upright position 136.

[0127] (Third embodiment) In the second embodiment described above, when manufacturing the stopper device 131, the bottom plate 132, the stopper plate 133, and the support plate 134 are integrally formed by bending a leaf spring material, but in the third embodiment described below, the bottom plate 132 and the stopper plate 133 may be manufactured separately and then joined together, as shown in FIG.

[0128] The stopper plate 133 has a main body plate portion 133a on which a guide piece 135 is formed, and a leaf spring portion 133b curved in an L-shape. The lower portion of the main body plate portion 133a is joined to one end of the leaf spring portion 133b by a connector such as a screw 142, and the other end of the leaf spring portion 133b is joined to the bottom plate 132 by a connector such as a screw 143.

[0129] In this case, the leaf spring portion 133b is made of spring material, and the portions other than the leaf spring portion 133b are made of ordinary steel plate material or the like, rather than spring material.

[0130] This makes it possible to obtain the same effects as those of the second embodiment.

[0131] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, when stopper device 131 is manufactured, bottom plate 132, stopper plate 133, and support plate 134 are integrally formed by bending a leaf spring material, but stopper device 131 may not use a leaf spring material. In this case, bottom plate 132 and stopper plate 133 may be manufactured separately, stopper plate 133 may be attached to bottom plate 132 via a hinge or the like, and a spring may be provided between stopper plate 133 and support plate 134, so that stopper plate 133 can swing about the hinge to be deformed between upright position 136 and inclined position 137, and may be biased by the spring to return from inclined position 137 to upright position 136.

[0132] In each of the above embodiments, a bicycle parking facility 1 having a first bicycle parking device 3 and a second bicycle parking device 4 has been described, but the bicycle parking facility 1 may not have a first bicycle parking device 3 and may only have a second bicycle parking device 4.

[0133] In each of the above embodiments, the bicycle 2 is loaded onto the platform 22 with the front wheel 13 first and removed with the rear wheel 14 first, but the bicycle 2 may also be reversed, with the rear wheel 14 first loaded onto the platform 22 and the front wheel 13 first removed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0134] 2. Bicycles 4. Second Bicycle Parking Device (Bicycle Parking Device) 5. Entry direction 6 Exit direction 8 Installation surface 13 Front wheel (wheel) 21 Post 22 Platform 24 First lifting force adding device (lifting force adding device) 26 Automatic lift mechanism 29 Support frame (mounting part) 39 First constant force spring (leaf spring) 40 First Drum (Drum) 44 Rotation axis 46 1st lower fixing part (lower fixing part) 49 Upper fixing part 52 first engaging member (engaging member) 55 First coil spring (first biasing member) 56 Engagement direction 58 Manual release device 59 Operating lever 60 Second interlocking mechanism 67 Automatic release device 68 Swing pedal (swing member) 69 1st interlocking mechanism 78 Detachment Maintenance Device 79 Hook 80 Engagement direction 81 second coil spring (second biasing member) 88 Detachment Release Device 89 Swing piece 90 Actuating piece 94 one direction 123 Adjustable rotary damper 123a Rotation axis 124,125 gears 131 Stopper device 133 Stopper plate 134 Support Plate 136 Standing posture 137 Tilt posture A lowered position B. Raised position E Second release position (release position)

Claims

1. A support pillar erected on the installation surface; a platform supported and guided by a support pillar and capable of freely moving up and down between a lowered position and an elevated position; and an automatic lifting mechanism that automatically lifts the vacant rack from the lowered position to the raised position when a bicycle is removed from the rack in the lowered position, The carrier has a carrier portion on which a bicycle can be placed, a lower fixing portion and an upper fixing portion located above the lower fixing portion are provided on the support; The platform is provided with engaging members that can be engaged with and disengaged from the lower and upper fixed portions, the engaging member is biased by a first biasing member in an engaging direction to engage with the lower and upper fixing portions, and can fix the platform in a lowered position by engaging with the lower fixing portion; The automatic lifting mechanism has an automatic release device that, when in the lowered position, disengages the engaging member from the lower fixing part and automatically releases the fixing of the rack when the bicycle is removed from the rack; The automatic release device is provided on the platform, A detached state maintaining device is provided on the platform, When the platform is released by the automatic release device, the detached state maintaining device maintains the engaging member, which has been detached from the lower fixing part, in the detached position from the empty platform until the platform is lowered from the elevated position to the elevated position, and a disengagement state release device that releases the state in which the engaging member is maintained at the disengaged position by the disengagement state maintaining device when the empty platform descends from the raised position to the lowered position; A bicycle parking device characterized in that the disengagement position is a position where the engagement member disengages from the lower fixing portion and the upper fixing portion.

2. The automatic release device has a swinging member that can swing freely in the direction of loading and unloading the bicycle, and a first interlocking mechanism that links the swinging member with the engaging member, 2. The bicycle parking device according to claim 1, wherein the swinging member swings when a bicycle entering or leaving the parking device abuts against the swinging member.

3. The detached state maintaining device has a hook that can be engaged and disengaged with the engaging member, and a second biasing member that biases the hook in a direction in which it engages with the engaging member, 2. The bicycle parking device according to claim 1, wherein when the platform is released from the lowered position by the automatic release device, the hook engages with the engaging member to maintain the engaging member in the disengaged position.

4. The detached state release device has a swing piece provided on the platform and an operating piece provided below the platform, A bicycle parking device as described in claim 3, characterized in that when the empty platform descends from the raised position to the lowered position, the swinging piece abuts against the operating piece from above and swings in one direction, and the hook disengages from the engaging member against the biasing force of the second biasing member.

5. A lifting force applying device that applies a lifting force to the platform to lift the platform is provided on the support, The lifting force applying device has a long leaf spring connected to the platform and a rotatable drum that winds up the leaf spring, An adjustable rotary damper is installed on the support to adjust the winding speed of the leaf spring. The rotating shaft of the drum and the rotating shaft of the adjustable rotary damper are linked via gears, 2. The bicycle parking device according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable rotary damper can adjust the braking torque generated when the drum winds up the leaf spring.

6. A stopper device is provided on the loading section to prevent the bicycle loaded on the loading section from going too far in the direction of storage, The stopper device has a stopper plate and a support plate, the stopper plate is deformable between an upright position and an inclined position inclined from the upright position toward the storing direction and supported by the support plate, and is biased so as to return from the inclined position to the upright position; 2. The bicycle parking device according to claim 1, wherein when a bicycle is parked on the rack, the wheels of the bicycle come into contact with the stopper plate of the stopper device, causing the stopper plate to deform from an upright position to an inclined position.

Images