GB2030550A

GB2030550A - Motor vehicle parking structure

Info

Publication number: GB2030550A
Application number: GB7926614A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: PING KUEN AV D; PUI WAI CHAN D
Current assignee: PING KUEN AV D; PUI WAI CHAN D
Priority date: 1978-09-13
Filing date: 1979-07-31
Publication date: 1980-04-10
Also published as: GB2030550B

Abstract

A motor vehicle parking structure is provided having a substantially horizontal support surface 1 rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to a plane containing the surface 1. A plurality of motor vehicles can be parked together radially with respect to the rotational axis of the surface 1 in respective parking spaces 4, and the surface 1 is rotatably driven, e.g. through a gear wheel 9 and gear ring 10, to bring a selected parking space into line with an entrance/exit lift 5 and /or 7 to permit a vehicle to be entered on or removed from the support surface 1. A plurality of support surfaces 1 may be provided at different levels in the structure. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Motor vehicle parking structure This invention relates to a motor vehicle parking structure for parking a plurality of motor vehicles such as passenger and/or commercial goods vehicles, in single- or multi-storey fashion.

Multi-storey car parks for parking private passenger vehicles are known which usually incorporate ramps for the vehicles to drive up or down to transfer from one storey to another.

The provision of such ramps is expensive, wasteful of space thus restricting the number of vehicles which can be parked, and results in a car park which is not usually able to accomodate heavy commercial goods or public service passenger vehicles. Such goods or larger public service passenger vehicles require larger turning areas and larger parking spaces than the smaller private passenger vehicles and therefore cannot negotiate the transfer ramps provided for private passenger vehicles. It has generally not been economically feasible to provide multi-storey car parks with ramps capable of handling heavy commercial goods and public service passenger vehicles with the result that these vehicles have not been able to use existing multi-storey car parks which have generally been restricted to private passenger vehicles.

There is thus a need for a motor vehicle parking structure which does not require large turning areas and which does not depend on ramps fortransferring vehicles between parking levels, so that both heavy commercial goods/public service vehicles and private passenger vehicles can be accomodated in the same structure if desired.

Accordingly the present invention provides a motor vehicle parking structure having a substantially horizontal support surface rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to a plane containing the surface, on which surface a plurality of motor vehicles can be parked together radially with respect to the rotational axis in respective parking spaces, the surface being rotatable, selectively to bring each parking space into line with at least one entrance/exit means to permit a vehicle to be entered on or removed from the respective parking space on the support surface.

Preferably the support surface is annular in plan with the entrance/exit means provided in the central opening of the surface. Advantageously a further entrance/exit means is provided at the outer periphery of the annular support surface. Conveniently a plurality of such support surfaces may be provided in vertically spaced stacked array one above the other. The or each entrance/exit means conveniently is a lift. The or each support surface may be rotatably mounted on rails via wheels or rollers and driven by an electric motor via gearing.

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a partially sectioned plan view from above of a single storey motor vehicle parking structure of the invention; Figure 2 is a partialiy sectioned view taken on the line A-A of Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a front elevation view of a multi-storey parking structure of the invention.

A motor vehicle parking structure according to the invention as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, has a substantially horizontal support surface 1 rotatable about an axis 2 substantially perpendicularto a plane containing the surface 1. A plurality of motor vehicles 3, preferably heavy commercial goods or public service passenger vehicles, can be parked together radially with respect to the rotational axis 2 in respective parking spaces 4 on the surface 1. This support surface 1 is rotatable selectively to bring each parking space 4 into line with at least one entrance/exit means to permit a vehicle to be entered on or removed from the respective parking space on the surface 1.

Preferably, as shown in the single-storey embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the support surface 1 is annular in plan with an entrance/exit means in the form of a lift 5 provided in a central opening 6 of the surface 1. Advantageously a further entrance/exit means in the form of a lift 7 is provided at the outer periphery of the surface 1. In this way vehicles can be entered on the support surface by one lift only such as lift 5 and removed therefrom by the other lift such as lift 7.

Alternatively, if the support surface is a continuous disc-like surface without a central opening 6, a single entrance/exit means can be provided at the outer periphery of the surface 1 such as the lift 7.

The support surface 1 is rotatably mounted in any convenient manner, such as on rails 8 via wheels or rollers (not shown). This surface 1 is rotatably driven in any convenient way such as by an electric motor (not shown) via gear wheel 9 and meshing gear ring 10 on the surface 1. Alternatively (not shown) the gear ring 10 may be provided on the internal edge of the central opening 6 on the support surface 1 and the meshing wheel 9 can be provided inside or adjacent the opening 6. Such a parking structure may be housed in any convenient form of building such as the reinforced concrete structure 11 and provided with a passenger lift 12 if desired. Alternatively (not shown) the passenger lift 12 may also be provided in the central opening 6.

As shown in Figure 3, a plurality of such support surfaces 1 may be provided in vertically spaced stacked array one above the other to provide a multi-storeyvehicle parking structure. In the latter example annular support surfaces 1 are stacked with their central openings 6 in register and the lifts 5 and 7 are arranged to communicate with all the surfaces 1.

1. A motor vehicle parking structure having a substantially horizontal support surface rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to a plane containing the surface, on which surface a plurality of motor vehicles can be parked together radially with respect to the rotational axis in respective parking spaces, the surface being rotatable, selectively to bring each parking space into line with at least one

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Motor vehicle parking structure This invention relates to a motor vehicle parking structure for parking a plurality of motor vehicles such as passenger and/or commercial goods vehicles, in single- or multi-storey fashion. Multi-storey car parks for parking private passenger vehicles are known which usually incorporate ramps for the vehicles to drive up or down to transfer from one storey to another. The provision of such ramps is expensive, wasteful of space thus restricting the number of vehicles which can be parked, and results in a car park which is not usually able to accomodate heavy commercial goods or public service passenger vehicles. Such goods or larger public service passenger vehicles require larger turning areas and larger parking spaces than the smaller private passenger vehicles and therefore cannot negotiate the transfer ramps provided for private passenger vehicles. It has generally not been economically feasible to provide multi-storey car parks with ramps capable of handling heavy commercial goods and public service passenger vehicles with the result that these vehicles have not been able to use existing multi-storey car parks which have generally been restricted to private passenger vehicles. There is thus a need for a motor vehicle parking structure which does not require large turning areas and which does not depend on ramps fortransferring vehicles between parking levels, so that both heavy commercial goods/public service vehicles and private passenger vehicles can be accomodated in the same structure if desired. Accordingly the present invention provides a motor vehicle parking structure having a substantially horizontal support surface rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to a plane containing the surface, on which surface a plurality of motor vehicles can be parked together radially with respect to the rotational axis in respective parking spaces, the surface being rotatable, selectively to bring each parking space into line with at least one entrance/exit means to permit a vehicle to be entered on or removed from the respective parking space on the support surface. Preferably the support surface is annular in plan with the entrance/exit means provided in the central opening of the surface. Advantageously a further entrance/exit means is provided at the outer periphery of the annular support surface. Conveniently a plurality of such support surfaces may be provided in vertically spaced stacked array one above the other. The or each entrance/exit means conveniently is a lift. The or each support surface may be rotatably mounted on rails via wheels or rollers and driven by an electric motor via gearing. For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a partially sectioned plan view from above of a single storey motor vehicle parking structure of the invention; Figure 2 is a partialiy sectioned view taken on the line A-A of Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a front elevation view of a multi-storey parking structure of the invention. A motor vehicle parking structure according to the invention as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, has a substantially horizontal support surface 1 rotatable about an axis 2 substantially perpendicularto a plane containing the surface 1. A plurality of motor vehicles 3, preferably heavy commercial goods or public service passenger vehicles, can be parked together radially with respect to the rotational axis 2 in respective parking spaces 4 on the surface 1. This support surface 1 is rotatable selectively to bring each parking space 4 into line with at least one entrance/exit means to permit a vehicle to be entered on or removed from the respective parking space on the surface 1. Preferably, as shown in the single-storey embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the support surface 1 is annular in plan with an entrance/exit means in the form of a lift 5 provided in a central opening 6 of the surface 1. Advantageously a further entrance/exit means in the form of a lift 7 is provided at the outer periphery of the surface 1. In this way vehicles can be entered on the support surface by one lift only such as lift 5 and removed therefrom by the other lift such as lift 7. Alternatively, if the support surface is a continuous disc-like surface without a central opening 6, a single entrance/exit means can be provided at the outer periphery of the surface 1 such as the lift 7. The support surface 1 is rotatably mounted in any convenient manner, such as on rails 8 via wheels or rollers (not shown). This surface 1 is rotatably driven in any convenient way such as by an electric motor (not shown) via gear wheel 9 and meshing gear ring 10 on the surface 1. Alternatively (not shown) the gear ring 10 may be provided on the internal edge of the central opening 6 on the support surface 1 and the meshing wheel 9 can be provided inside or adjacent the opening 6. Such a parking structure may be housed in any convenient form of building such as the reinforced concrete structure 11 and provided with a passenger lift 12 if desired. Alternatively (not shown) the passenger lift 12 may also be provided in the central opening 6. As shown in Figure 3, a plurality of such support surfaces 1 may be provided in vertically spaced stacked array one above the other to provide a multi-storeyvehicle parking structure. In the latter example annular support surfaces 1 are stacked with their central openings 6 in register and the lifts 5 and 7 are arranged to communicate with all the surfaces 1. CLAIMS

1. A motor vehicle parking structure having a substantially horizontal support surface rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to a plane containing the surface, on which surface a plurality of motor vehicles can be parked together radially with respect to the rotational axis in respective parking spaces, the surface being rotatable, selectively to bring each parking space into line with at least one entrance/exit means to permit a vehicle to be entered on or removed from the respective parking space on the support surface.

2. A structure according to claim 1, in which the support surface is annular in plan with the entrance/exit means provided in the central opening in the surface.

3. A structure according to claim 2, including a further entrance/exit means at the outer periphery of the annular support surface.

4. A structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the or each support surface is rotatably mounted on rails via wheels or rollers.

5. A structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the or each support surface is drivable by an electric motorvia a gearwheel connected to the motor and a gear ring connected to the surface and meshing with the gear wheel.

6. A structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the or each entrance/exit means is a lift.

7. A structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, including a plurality of support surfaces in vertically spaced stacked array one above the other.

8. A motor vehicle parking structure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.