DE20013746U1 - Installation cassette for an underfloor lifting platform for motor vehicles and a lifting platform installed in such an installation cassette - Google Patents

Description

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09.August 2000

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DESCRIPTION

Installation cassette for an underfloor lifting platform for motor vehicles as well as a

built-in lifting platform

TECHNICAL AREA

The invention relates to a built-in cassette for an underfloor lifting platform and to a lifting platform built into such a built-in cassette.

Such a lifting platform is used, for example, to lift motor vehicles in motor vehicle repair workshops. Above ground or the workshop floor, only the lifting cylinders required to lift the motor vehicle are present. The remaining system components of the lifting platform are located underground.

The recessed installation of underfloor lifts has many advantages. When the lift is not in use, there are no obstructive parts of the lift above ground. Their use allows practically unobstructed access to the vehicle from above, below and from the sides of the vehicle due to the presence of only one or more lifting cylinders. Due to the high functional reliability of such underfloor lifts, their operation is very economical. The disadvantage is the considerable effort involved in installing such underfloor lifts. The necessary foundation work, combined with longer assembly times, disrupts the economic operation of repair workshops.

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STATE OF THE ART

There are known underfloor vehicle lifting platforms that are used in so-called installation cassettes. On the one hand, these installation cassettes serve as so-called lost formwork, so that the installation of the actual lifting platform is limited to excavating the earth and then filling it with concrete. On the other hand, the lost formwork serves as packaging for the actual lifting platform. This offers the possibility of pre-assembling the lifting platform in the manufacturing plant so that it is largely ready for use, so that assembly times on site are favorable.

These previously known installation cassettes consist of a surrounding steel frame made of profile iron, onto which the lifting cylinders are screwed. Steel sheets are welded to the bottom and all four sides and to the floor as formwork against the ground, so that a protected cavity consisting of these steel sheets is created for the actual lifting platform. The disadvantage of these installation cassettes is their susceptibility to corrosion. Since the installation cassettes are used in the ground and thus in a more or less damp environment, the risk of rusting through is not small. Leaks in the steel sheets lead to groundwater accidentally penetrating the cassette or to contamination of the groundwater by oil from the hydraulic system of the lifting platform leaking out.

Attempts have also been made to use hot-dip galvanized steel for the installation cassette. The corrosion protection provided by this is low, as galvanized steel and concrete react aggressively with each other.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Based on this previously known state of the art, the invention is based on the object of specifying an economically advantageous inground lifting platform with regard to its initial assembly and also its operation.

This invention is given for the installation cassette in which the underfloor lifting platform is used by the features of the main claim. An underfloor lifting platform installed in such an installation cassette is the subject of the independent claim 25. Further developments of the invention are the subject of subclaims.

The invention is characterized for the installation cassette firmly attached to a surrounding foundation frame in that tension members are attached to the foundation frame, via which the vertical working loads of the piston-cylinder units of the underfloor lifting platform can be introduced into the foundation frame. The cassette is attached with its base area to load transfer members, which in turn are attached to the tension members. The installation cassette is fastened to the foundation frame and to the load transfer members in a tension-resistant manner. The cassette consists of corrosion-resistant plastic material, which can be reinforced in particular with glass fibers.

The tension members can be arranged inside or - as shown in the drawing as an example - outside the installation cassette. In the latter case in particular, the tension members are designed to be corrosion-resistant, in particular with a corrosion-resistant coating. The tension members can be provided with a corrosion-resistant coating or arranged in a corrosion-resistant hose. The coating of the

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Tension members can also be made of the same plastic material as the installation cassette.

There can be recesses in the base of the cassette so that the piston rods of the piston-cylinder units of the lifting platform cannot rest directly on the plastic material of the base, but rather that these piston rods penetrate the cassette and can rest on the load transfer elements located below these recesses. In general, the plastic material of the cassette will not be able to absorb the high pressure forces in the area of the piston rod that occur when the lifting platform is in operation without causing damage. However, it is also possible not to provide the recesses and to support the piston rods on the base of the cassette. In order to distribute the high pressure forces that occur when the in-ground lifting platform is in operation over a large base area of the cassette, washers made of pressure-resistant material, such as steel plates, can be arranged under the lower, free end of the piston rod.

When the lifting platform is in operation, the tension members are subjected to tensile stress, which leads to changes in the length of the tension members. In order to ensure that the entire structure is leak-tight even in this operating state, the cassette can be glued to the load transfer members in the floor area and to the foundation frame in the upper edge area, in each case in the direction of the tension members.

To increase the buckling resistance of the installation cassette, reinforcing ribs can be provided on its side walls. These reinforcing ribs can be wall areas that are molded into the side walls of the cassette in a bead-like manner or can be formed out of the wall.

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The tension members can be easily screwed to the foundation frame, which may be designed as a U-profile, for example.

In order to enable readjustment or adjustment of the actual lifting platform in the installation cassette and to be able to deal with the experience that installation cassettes cannot be installed with millimetre precision during the shell construction phase in the course of excavation and foundation work in the ground, it can be provided that the upper sleeve-like cylinder guides of the piston-cylinder units can be positioned and fastened on the foundation frame so that they can be adjusted in height and/or laterally. In addition, it can be provided that these sleeve-like cylinder guides are supported on an inner assembly frame and that the assembly frame is in turn supported on the foundation frame so that it can be adjusted in height and/or laterally.

A strip running along the top can be attached to the foundation frame and/or the assembly frame. It enables the floor adjacent to the lifting platform or the installation cassette to be connected at an exact height.

The plastic installation cassette can be made up of several shell parts. In particular, it has proven advantageous to make the cassette up of two shell halves. These two shell halves can be shaped so that they can each be manufactured in a single mold. The shell parts can be firmly connected to one another, for example, by means of an adhesive bond. This adhesive bond can be provided in overlapping areas of the shell parts.

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The upper edge of the cassette can be designed as a collar bent outwards so that there is sufficient surface area to tightly connect the cassette to the foundation frame, for example by gluing.

Further features and advantages of the invention result from the features specified in the claims and from the following exemplary embodiments. 10

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention is described and explained in more detail below with reference to the embodiment shown in the drawing.

Fig. 1 is a side view of one of the two larger side surfaces of a built-in cassette according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a representation according to Fig. 1 with a view of a

the two narrower outer sides of the installation cassette, 25

Fig. 3 is a view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking into the cassette,

Fig. 4 is a section through the cassette of Fig. 1 along the line 4-4,

Fig. 5 is a section through the cassette of Fig. 1 along the line 5-5,

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Fig. 6 is a schematic representation of the

Installation cassette according to Fig. 1 of the in-ground lifting platform, with dash-dotted representation of the plastic cassette,
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Fig. 7 is a partial sectional view of an underfloor lifting platform according to the invention positioned on a height-adjustable mounting frame,

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the mounting frame of Fig. 7.

WAYS TO CARRY OUT THE INVENTION

A built-in cassette 10 (Fig. 1) as part of a built-in underfloor lifting platform 12 (Fig. 6) has a foundation frame 14 with which it is anchored in the ground, such as the floor of a motor vehicle workshop.

The foundation frame 14 consists of a circumferential U-profile 16 that is open to the outside. In the present case, two longer and two shorter U-profiles 16.1 and 16.2 are rigidly and firmly joined together to form a rectangular frame. A cassette 20 made of glass fiber reinforced plastic with its circumferential collar 22 that protrudes to the outside is glued to the lower flanges 18 of the four U-profiles 16. A U-profile is ^any profile that has a roughly U-shaped bent profile.

Tie rods 24 are also attached, for example screwed, to the lower flanges 18. These tie rods 24, which are located in the corner areas of the two longer U-profiles 35

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16.1 are positioned, carry two cross beams 26 at their lower end. The left cross beam in Fig. 1 is carried by the two tension rods 24 on the left in Fig. 1, located in the left end area of the two longer U-profiles 16.1, while the right cross beam 26 is carried by the tension rods 24 on the right in Fig. 1, positioned in the right end area of the two longer U-profiles 16.1. The cassette 20, which is hollow on the inside, has its lower end attached to the two cross beams 26 by means of an adhesive 28 (Fig. 7). Over the height, in the vicinity of the tension rods 24, there are bulges 30 on the cassette 20, which represent lateral guides for the tension rods 24. The cassette 20 is therefore glued tensile-resistant both at the bottom to the cross beam 26 and at the top to the foundation frame 14.

In the present case, the tie rods 24 are protected in a hose 32 outside the installation cassette 10 (Fig. 7). Moisture present in the ground cannot therefore reach the tie rods 24. Instead of the hoses 32, the tie rods 24 can also be equipped with a corrosion-resistant covering (coating). It would also be possible to tightly cover the tie rods 24 with plastic material, such as in particular the plastic material from which the cassette 20 is made, and to firmly connect them to the cassette 20. These connections could be provided at least in the area of the bulges 30 or also over the entire height of the cassette 20.

In the present case, the cassette 20 consists of two shell parts 20.1 and 20.2 (Fig. 3 to 5). The two

Shell parts are identically designed so that they can be manufactured on the same mold. The two shell parts 20.1, 20.2 end in their common contact surface either with a groove in the axis of symmetry 3 35

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lying abutment surface 34 or overlap the axis of symmetry 3 6 with a bent overlap 40. Circumferentially, the overlap 40 is only present in half the area of the common contact surface between the two shell parts 20.1, 20.2 in order to enable - as already explained above - the production of the two shell parts on a single mold. For this reason, for example, in the base area, which can be seen in Fig. 3, the overlap 40 is present in the left part on the shell part 20.2 and in the right area on the shell part 20.1. For the same reasons, as Figures 4 and 5 show, the lateral, vertical overlap is present in the left area on the shell part 20.2, while the right, vertical overlap 40 is present on the other shell part 20.1.

For reasons of strength, such as to increase its buckling resistance, the cassette 20 is profiled. In its lower side area, which adjoins the base 42, the cassette 20 has a flat, longer side wall 16.1a (Fig. 1, 5). A reinforcing rib 44 running essentially horizontally adjoins it at the top. Its width hl (Fig. 7), which runs parallel to the alignment of the tie rods 24, is smaller than the corresponding width h2 of the two additional reinforcing ribs 46, 48, which in the present case are arranged at a parallel distance to the lower reinforcing rib 44. An uppermost reinforcing rib 50 is also arranged at a parallel distance to the other reinforcing ribs and has the cross-sectional dimensions of the lowest reinforcing rib 44.

The side surfaces in the areas between the reinforcing ribs 44, 46, 48, 50 are curved outwards. The 35

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The three lower fields 51 in Fig. 1 have an outer contour which can be seen in Fig. 4 and 7. The wall there is curved in the horizontal and vertical direction. In the middle height range, which is shown in cross section in Fig. 4, the cassette 20 has the contour 16.1b. In the uppermost field 52, the cassette 20 is also curved outwards from both main axes, similar to how it is designed in the fields 51. The uppermost field 52 then goes over upwards into the circumferential collar 22, by means of which the cassette 20 is glued to the lower flange 18 of the circumferential U-profile 16.

In its two opposite narrow sides, the cassette 20 has an outwardly curved front surface 54 with the central overlap 40.

The base 42 of the cassette 20 has a hole 56 in each of its left and right side areas. One of the two cross members 26 is located exactly under the two holes 56. The holes 56 are provided in such a way that a lifting platform 12 seated in the installation cassette 10 with its two lower piston rods 60 of its two cylinders 62 in the example case is located exactly in the area of these holes 56. The piston rods 60 are therefore supported vertically on the cross members 26. Loads which occur during operation of the underfloor lifting platform 12 in connection with the lifting of a motor vehicle are guided via the two piston rods 60 directly to the two cross members 26, from there into the tension rods 24 and finally into the foundation frame 14. The cassette 20, which is attached to the cross members 26 and to the foundation frame 14 and is glued in this case, also follows the change in length of the tie rods 24 that occurs in this context. If the cassette 20 is alternatively or additionally also attached to its

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entire height is attached to the tie rods 24, the stresses caused by the change in length of the tie rods 24 are introduced into the cassette not only at the upper and lower ends but distributed over their height.

The structural components of the lifting platform are inserted from above into the installation cassette 10 (of which the cassette 20 is shown in dash-dotted lines in Fig. 6).

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In the present example, the underfloor lifting platform 12 has two cylinders 62 as shown in Fig. 6, which can be extended and lowered upwards and downwards (double arrow 66) via piston rods 60. The piston rods 60 are supported, as already explained, directly on the two cross members 26.

In their upper area, the two cylinders 62 are each held by a cylinder guide 68. This cylinder guide 68 has a sleeve body 70, which surrounds the cylinder 62 with play, and an upper ring-shaped front plate 72. The sleeve body 70 and the front plate 72 are connected to one another in a rigid manner. By means of the front plate 72, a piston-cylinder unit 76 consisting of the cylinder 62 and the piston rod 60 is supported on the foundation frame 14 and thus in this case on the upper flange 80 of the U-profile 16 (Fig. 6). By means of adjusting screws 82, the front plate 72 and thus the cylinder guide 68 can be aligned so that the longitudinal axis 84 of the respective cylinder 62 is aligned exactly vertically.

The front plate 72 of each cylinder guide 68 leaves space in terms of layout for an upward wall-like strip 86, which is attached to the outer edge of the upper flange 80 of the U-profiles 16. The strip 86 is the lateral

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Stop for the side floor covering to be connected as flush as possible with the front plate 72.

The cylinders 62 are pushed up and lowered by means of a hydraulic unit 64. By means of appropriate valve circuits, oil from the oil tank 88, which like the entire hydraulic unit 64 is arranged in the area of the installation cassette 10 and is thus recessed, can be introduced into the cylinders 62 via lines 90 or - when the cylinders 62 are lowered - can be led out and back into the oil tank 88.

The two cylinders 62 are connected in a positively guided manner in the lower area via sleeves 92 and via a coupling rod 94 inserted into the ends of the two sleeves 92. A positively guided synchronization of the two cylinders 62 can be achieved via the sleeves 92 and the coupling rod 94.

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Fig. 7 shows a lifting platform 12.2 in which, in contrast to the lifting platform 12 described above, its cylinder guides 68 are not supported directly on the U-profiles 16 of the foundation frame 14, but also on a mounting frame 96. In the present case, the mounting frame 96 consists of angle profiles 98 that are rigidly attached to one another. These angle profiles 98 have several elongated holes 100 all around, which correspond to bore holes 102 in the web 104 of the U-profiles 16. The mounting frames 96 can be attached to the U-profiles 16 at variable heights using a screw connection 106. This makes it possible to adjust or align the height of the piston-cylinder units 76. In addition, adjusting screws 82 (Fig. 6) could also be provided in this case in order to be able to finely adjust the piston-cylinder units 76 relative to the mounting frame 96.

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A strip 86.2 is attached all the way around the mounting frame 96, which has the function of the strip 86 already mentioned above. This strip 86.2 has the shape of an approximately T-05 shaped wall 86.3 in the area of the two narrow end walls. With these two T-shaped end walls 86.3, the mounting frame 96 ends on the inside of the two shorter U-profiles 16.2 of the foundation frame.

Claims (25)

1. Installation cassette ( 20 ) for a motor vehicle underfloor lifting platform ( 12 ) which is firmly attached to a surrounding foundation frame ( 14 ), wherein the hydraulically driven piston-cylinder units ( 76 ) provided for the lifting platform ( 12 ) transfer their vertical working loads via the floor area of the cassette ( 20 ), characterized in that - the tension members ( 24 ) are attached to the foundation frame ( 14 ), - in the bottom area of the cassette ( 20 ) the free end areas of the tension members ( 24 ) are connected to one another by load transmission members ( 26 ) in such a way that - the vertical working loads of the piston-cylinder units ( 76 ) can be introduced into the foundation frame ( 14 ) via the tension members ( 24 ), - the cassette ( 20 ) is fastened to the foundation frame ( 14 ) and to the load transmission members ( 26 ) in a tension-resistant manner, - the cassette ( 20 ) is made of corrosion-resistant plastic material. 2. Installation cassette according to claim 1, characterized in that - the plastic is reinforced with glass fibre. 3. Installation cassette according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the tension members ( 24 ) are corrosion-resistant, in particular they are coated. 4. Installation cassette according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the covering of the tension members is made of the same material as the cassette. 5. Installation cassette according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - pressure-resistant load distribution plates are provided in the base ( 42 ) and/or on the base ( 42 ) of the cassette ( 20 ) as vertical supports for the piston-cylinder units ( 76 ). 6. Installation cassette according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - recesses ( 56 ) are provided in the bottom ( 42 ) of the cassette ( 20 ) such that - the piston-cylinder units ( 76 ) penetrate the recesses ( 56 ) and can be supported on the load transmission members ( 26 ) present below the recesses ( 56 ). 7. Installation cassette according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the cassette ( 20 ) is glued in its base area to the load transmission members ( 26 ) in the direction of the tension members ( 24 ) in a tensile manner. 8. Installation cassette according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the cassette is glued in its upper edge area ( 22 ) to the foundation frame ( 14 ) in a tension-resistant manner in the direction of the tension members ( 24 ). 9. Installation cassette according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - reinforcing ribs ( 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 ) are provided on the side walls of the cassette ( 20 ). 10. Installation cassette according to claim 9, characterized in that - bead-like reinforcing ribs ( 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 ) are formed in the side walls of the cassette ( 20 ). 11. Installation cassette according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the foundation frame ( 14 ) has a U-profile ( 16 ) as a supporting element. 12. Installation cassette according to claim 11, characterized in that - the tension members ( 24 ) are screwed to a flange ( 18 ) of the U-profile ( 16 ) in a hanging manner. 13. Installation cassette according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the inner surface of the foundation frame ( 16 ) is approximately flush with the inner surface of the cassette ( 20 ). 14. Installation cassette according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - a mounting frame ( 96 ) for supporting the piston-cylinder units ( 76 ) is attached to the foundation frame ( 14 ). 15. Installation cassette according to claim 14, characterized in that - the mounting frame ( 96 ) is attached to the foundation frame ( 14 ) in a height-adjustable manner. 16. Installation cassette according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that - the mounting frame ( 96 ) is laterally adjustable and attached to the foundation frame ( 14 ). 17. Installation cassette according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - a circumferential strip ( 86 ) is attached to the foundation frame ( 14 ) and/or to the mounting frame ( 96 ). 18. Installation cassette according to claim 17, characterized in that - the bar ( 86 ) is a flat steel and is welded to the top of the foundation frame ( 14 ) and/or to the top of the mounting frame ( 96 ). 19. Installation cassette according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the cassette ( 20 ) is composed of several shell parts ( 20.1 , 20.2 ). 20. Installation cassette according to claim 19, characterized in that - the cassette ( 20 ) is composed of two shell halves ( 20.1 , 20.2 ). 21. Installation cassette according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that - the shell parts or shell halves ( 20.1 , 20.2 ) are glued together. 22. Installation cassette according to claim 21, characterized in that - in the area of the bonding there is a material overlap ( 40 ) of the shell parts or shell halves ( 20.1 , 20.2 ). 23. Installation cassette according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the upper edge ( 22 ) of the cassette ( 20 ) is provided as an outwardly bent collar, - the collar is attached to the foundation frame ( 14 ), in particular by gluing. 24. Installation cassette according to claim 23, characterized in that - the collar ( 22 ) is penetrated by the tension members ( 24 ). 25. Underfloor lifting platform ( 12 ) for motor vehicles, installed in - a built-in cassette ( 20 ) according to one of the preceding claims.