Parking structure

Abstract

The invention provides a parking structure for accommodating a plurality of vehicles in individual parking spaces, the parking structure comprising a parking tower including an entry/exit and a plurality of parking stories having parking spaces, a rotary platform for receiving each vehicle, a lifting platform for carrying the vehicles up and/or down from the entry/exit of the parking tower to the stories and from the stories back to the entry/exit of the tower, and a carriage assembly for transferring the vehicles between the rotary platform and the lifting platform and between the lifting platform and the stories.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A parking structure for receiving a plurality of vehicles capable of being accommodated in individual parking spaces, the parking structure comprising: 
 a parking tower including an entry/exit and a plurality of parking stories, each story having at least one parking space,    a rotary platform adjacent the entry/exit of the parking tower for receiving a vehicle and rotating the same, for placing the vehicle in a position for entering the parking tower or for exiting the parking tower,    a lifting platform in the tower, for carrying the vehicles from the entry/exit of the parking tower to a desired one of the stories of the tower, and from the desired story back to the entry/exit of the tower, and    a transfer carriage assembly movable between a position in said rotary platform for taking a vehicle from the platform and a position in said lifting platform for carrying the vehicle in the lifting platform up or down to the desired story, and movable from the position in the lifting platform to a position in the parking story for leaving the vehicle in the desired parking space, and movable back from the position in the parking story to the position in the lifting platform for carrying the vehicle back to the entry/exit of the tower, and movable from the position in the lifting platform to the position in the rotary platform for leaving the vehicle in the rotary platform.    
     
     
         2 . The parking structure of  claim 1 , wherein the rotary platform comprises two side circular sectors and a central sector comprising a central plate movable between an upper position close to the two side sectors, and a lower position below and spaced apart from the two side sectors, the central plate including a pair of longitudinal rails.  
     
     
         3 . The parking structure of  claim 2 , wherein the rotary platform is mounted in a rotary frame including stabilizing wheels, driving wheels actuated by hydraulic motors, and driven wheels connected by means of Cardan joints to the driving wheels, said side sectors of the rotary platform including centering wheels horizontally arranged and running on a cylindrical wall of a cavity wherein said rotary platform is rotatably mounted.  
     
     
         4 . The parking structure of  claim 1 , wherein the lifting platform comprises a frame having a pair of opposite sides forming corresponding rails for receiving the carriage assembly.  
     
     
         5 . The parking structure of  claim 4 , wherein the transfer carriage assembly comprises a lower carriage and an upper carriage, the lower carriage transversely moving on the lifting platform and including wheels for running onto said rails of the frame of the lifting platform, the lower carriage including a pair of longitudinal beams capable of being aligned with the longitudinal rails of the central plate, the upper carriage including wheels supported and running onto rails defined by said beams of the lower carriage.  
     
     
         6 . The parking structure of  claim 5 , wherein the transfer carriage assembly is provided with driving means for moving the upper carriage longitudinally along said beams of the lower carriage, along said rails of the central plate and along said parking space, between said positions in the rotary platform, in the lifting platform and in the at least one parking space, and for moving the lower carriage along said rails of the lifting platform, and lifting means for moving the upper carriage up and down.  
     
     
         7 . The parking structure of  claim 6 , wherein the lifting means of the upper carriage comprises at least two pivoting arms and at least one hydraulic cylinder connected to the pivoting arms, each arm being pivotally connected to the upper carriage and including one of said wheels of the upper carriage.  
     
     
         8 . The parking structure of  claim 1 , wherein each parking space comprises a vehicle-supporting frame.  
     
     
         9 . The parking structure of  claim 1 , wherein the lifting platform runs up and down guided into a supporting tower and the lifting platform is connected to at least one driving hydraulic cylinder by means of resisting cables connected to the supporting tower and to a transverse top beam mounted at an upper end of the hydraulic cylinder.  
     
     
         10 . The parking structure of  claim 1 , wherein each parking story has a plurality of parking spaces.  
     
     
         11 . The parking structure of  claim 2 , wherein each side sector of the rotary platform has a plurality of horizontal fingers extending towards the central sector for receiving the respective wheels of a vehicle, the fingers defining corresponding inter-digital spaces.  
     
     
         12 . The parking structure of claims  7  and  11 , wherein the upper carriage has a plurality of horizontal fingers extending at each side of the carriage and being arranged for being capable of passing through corresponding ones of said inter-digital spaces of the fingers of the side sectors of the rotary platform, for lifting the vehicle in the upper carriage for transferring the vehicle from the rotary platform to the lifting platform.  
     
     
         13 . The parking structure of claims  8  and  12 , wherein the vehicle supporting frame includes a plurality of horizontal fingers extending at each side of the supporting frame for receiving corresponding wheels of a vehicle, the fingers defining inter-digital spaces, and the fingers of the upper carriage being arranged for being capable of passing through corresponding ones of said inter-digital spaces of the fingers of the vehicle supporting frames, for leaving the vehicle onto the vehicle supporting frame.  
     
     
         14 . A parking structure for accommodating a plurality of vehicles in individual parking spaces, the parking structure comprising: 
 a parking tower including an entry/exit and a plurality of parking stories having parking spaces,    a rotary platform for receiving each vehicle entering and exiting the parking tower,    a lifting platform for carrying the vehicles up and/or down from the entry/exit of the parking tower to the stories and from the stories back to the entry/exit of the tower, and    a transfer carriage assembly for transferring the vehicles between the stories and the lifting platform and between the lifting platform and the rotary platform.