The present invention relates to a steerable carriage for moving a wheeled object according to the preamble of claim 1. The wheeled object is primarily intended to be a vehicle, such as a passenger car or another motor vehicle.
WO8911983 discloses a steerable carriage for transferring a wheeled object such as a passenger car. The carriage is particularly intended for moving motor vehicles indoors, such as on car sale premises, in factories, or similar. The carriage for this purpose comprises at least one engagement device that can be inserted under a front part of the chassis of the vehicle. The engagement device can thereafter engage with and elevate at least one wheel of the vehicle off the ground. When the carriage is moved, a propulsion force can be transferred from the carriage to the vehicle via the engagement device.
The engagement device has a support device with an upper support surface for supporting the wheel. The support surface slopes upward from the ground, such that the wheel can be easily rolled onto the support surface. Behind the support device, an actuating device is provided, which is movable with respect to the support device such as to cause the wheel to roll forward onto the support device and be held by the support device and the actuating device. When the wheel is elevated off ground, it is prevented from rolling backward off the engagement device by the actuating device. It is further prevented from rolling forward by means of an upwardly projecting part located in front of the support surface.
For passenger cars, there is a trend toward increased wheel diameter. However, the stability of a car during transfer using a carriage such as described above, in particular as the carriage is accelerated, decreases with increased wheel diameter. This increases the risk that the car rolls off the carriage during transfer, and it is therefore crucial that the carriage is provided with a means that prevents the vehicle from rolling off the carriage, such as the projecting part described above. However, modern passenger cars are often made with low chassis in order to improve driving characteristics and reduce air resistance. The part of the carriage that is moved in under the front part of the chassis must therefore be made low, which reduces the possibilities to include parts projecting from the engagement device.
It is a primary objective of the present invention to achieve a steerable carriage for moving a wheeled object which overcomes the above mentioned problem and which is in at least some aspect improved with respect to previously known carriages. In particular, it is an objective to achieve such a carriage which can be used to move vehicles with low chassis without risking that the vehicle rolls off the carriage.
At least the primary objective is achieved by means of the initially defined steerable carriage, which is characterised in that the support device comprises:
When the engagement device is rolled in under the wheeled object, the stopping member is in its folded position. The total height of the engagement device as it is being rolled under the wheeled object is thereby kept relatively low, which facilitates entry of the engagement device under wheeled objects, such as passenger cars, having low chassis. As the actuating device initiates rolling of the wheel forward onto the support device, the stopping member is moved into its stopping position. Further forward motion of the wheel, such that the wheel rolls off the support device, is thereby prevented. The carriage in this way combines a low height allowing it to be rolled in under the chassis of the wheeled object with means preventing the wheel from rolling off the carriage during transfer. The engagement device is primarily intended for engagement with a steerable wheel of the wheeled object, such as a front wheel of a passenger car. Other wheels of the wheeled object, e.g. the rear wheels of a passenger car, can remain on the ground and are thereby free to roll during transfer.
The stopping member is movable with respect to the activation member and other parts of the support device. Thus, in the folded position, the stopping member is in a different position relative to the activation member than in the stopping position.
According to one embodiment, in the folded position, the stopping member is positioned below a level of an upper surface of the chassis, and, in the stopping position, the stopping member projects above the upper surface. The stopping member is thereby protected as the engagement device is rolled in under the wheeled object. The upper surface of the chassis is herein to be understood as the upper surface of the chassis at a rear portion of the carriage, configured to be moved in under the wheeled object.
According to one embodiment, the stopping member is configured to make contact with a fixed frame member of the chassis in the stopping position, thereby preventing further movement of the stopping member. The stopping member is thereby efficiently stopped in the stopping position.
According to one embodiment, the activation member and the stopping member are mechanically linked so as to transfer a force applied by the wheel on the activation member to the stopping member. Mechanical linking is a robust way to achieve that the force applied to the activation member is transferred to the stopping member, moving it into its stopping position.
According to one embodiment, the stopping member is pivotably supported on the chassis and the support device comprises at least one lever which is pivotably supported on the chassis between the activation member and the stopping member, and which is adapted to transfer the force applied on the activation member to the stopping member. Sufficient height in the stopping position can thereby easily be achieved.
According to one embodiment, the stopping member comprises a stopping bar configured to make contact with the wheel, said stopping bar extending in parallel with or essentially in parallel with an axis of rotation of the wheel, and at least one pivot arm supporting the stopping bar, said pivot arm being pivotably supported on the chassis in front of the stopping bar. The stopping bar efficiently stops movement when in the stopping position and the pivot arm allows the stopping member to be easily moved between the folded position and the stopping position. By essentially in parallel is herein intended ±10°. Preferably, the stopping member comprises two pivot arms, one on each side of the stopping bar, to provide increased stability. The pivot arms may also be connected by e.g. a piece of sheet metal for increased stability and for force transfer from the lever.
According to one embodiment, the stopping member is movable between the folded position and the stopping position via an intermediate position assumed just before the wheel is elevated off ground, wherein the stopping member is configured such that, in the intermediate position, an intersection between on one hand an imaginary plane extending in parallel with the axis of rotation of the wheel along the pivot arm, and on the other hand a vertical plane through a centre of the wheel and parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheel, is located above the axis of rotation of the wheel. The length of the pivot arm is adjusted to achieve this effect. This prevents the stopping member from being pressed by the wheel into the folded position as the weight of the wheel is transferred onto the support device.
According to one embodiment, the stopping member comprises an adjustment member, by means of which an inclination of the pivot arm in the stopping position can be adjusted. The adjustment member may comprise a plate configured to make contact with a frame member of the chassis in the stopping position, wherein the angle between the plate and the pivot arm as seen in a side view can be varied by fixing the adjustment member to the pivot arm in one of at least two predetermined positions. The adjustment member allows adjustment of the engagement device to accommodate different wheel sizes.
According to one embodiment, the activation member comprises an activation bar extending in parallel with or essentially in parallel with an axis of rotation of the wheel. The activation bar can preferably be rotationally journalled in order to facilitate rolling of the wheel onto the support device. By essentially in parallel is herein intended ±10°.
According to one embodiment, the support device on each side of the activation bar further comprises at least one support bar extending in parallel with or essentially in parallel with the activation bar, wherein the support bars are configured to support the wheel and together define an inclined plane sloping upwardly in the forward direction. The inclined plane formed by the support bars facilitates rolling the wheel on and off the support device and reduces the power consumption needed to roll the wheel onto the support device. By using support bars, a more stable support can be achieved than by using a planar inclined surface, since two points of contact can be provided. Not all support bars need to carry weight when the wheel is held by the support device and the actuating device. By essentially in parallel is herein intended ±10°.
According to one embodiment, the support bars are rotationally journalled in the chassis. Rolling onto the support device is thereby facilitated.
According to one embodiment, the carriage comprises two engagement devices for simultaneous engagement with two wheels of a vehicle. This is useful for transfer of e.g. passenger cars.
Other advantageous features as well as advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description.
The invention will in the following be further described by means of example with reference to the appended drawings, wherein
A carriage 1 according to an embodiment of the invention is schematically shown in
The shown carriage 1 is primarily intended for moving of vehicles having two front wheels, such as a passenger car. The carriage 1 has for this purpose two engagement devices, generally denoted as 3, provided on a chassis 4 of the carriage 1. Each engagement device 3 is configured to engage with and elevate a front wheel 5 of the vehicle 2 off the ground such as schematically shown in
Each engagement device 3 comprises a support device 12 and an actuating device 13, both mounted on the chassis 4. The actuating device 13 is movable with respect to the support device 12 by means of a power member (not shown) such as to cause the wheel 5 of the vehicle 2 to roll forward onto the support device 12 and be held by the support device 12 and the actuating device 13. The actuating device 13 is pivotably mounted on the chassis 4 and comprises an axle on which a roller 14 is rotatably mounted, such that the roller 14 is freely rotatable around a longitudinal axis of the axle. In the shown embodiment, the actuating device 13 further comprises a projecting locking member 15, which is mounted on the axle and which is rotatable around the longitudinal axis of the axle by means of the power member. This can be achieved either by providing a rotatable axle, or by providing means for rotating the locking member 15 about the axle. The actuating device 13 is thereby on one hand pivotable in a horizontal plane by means of the power member, and on the other hand rotatable about its own longitudinal axis, also by means of the power member. The power member may preferably be connected to the motor of the carriage 1.
In the folded position, the actuating device 13 extends in a direction transverse to an axis of rotation R of the wheel 5, as can be seen in
In the intermediate position, the actuating device 13 has been pivoted forward in the horizontal plane by means of the power member so as to engage with the wheel 5 and push it forward toward the support device 12 such as shown in
In the stopping position, the actuating device 13 extends in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation R of the wheel 5 and the wheel 5 is held by the actuating device 13 and the support device 12 such as shown in
The support device 12 comprises a forward, uppermost support bar 16 and a rear, lowermost support bar 17 which are freely rotatable around their longitudinal axes and which extend in parallel to the axis of rotation R of the wheel 5. The support bars 16, 17 together define an inclined plane that slopes upward in the forward direction so that the wheel 5 can easily be rolled onto the support device 12.
The support device 12 also comprises a stopping member 18 which is movable between the folded position and the stopping position. In the stopping position, a stopping bar 19 is configured to make contact with the wheel 5 and thereby stop forward motion of the latter. In the folded position, the stopping member 18 is entirely positioned below a level of an upper surface 20 of the chassis 4 at the rear portion of the carriage 1, configured to be moved in under the vehicle 2. The stopping bar 19 is held by two pivot arms 21 in the form of brackets pivotably supported on the chassis 4 in front of the stopping bar. One of the pivot arms is supported on the protective plate 30 of the chassis 4. The stopping member 18 is thereby pivotable about a pivot axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheel 5. Between the pivot arms 21, a piece of sheet metal 22 extends.
The support device 12 further comprises an activation member 23 comprising an activation bar located between the stopping member 18 and the actuating device 13 and between the support bars 16, 17. The activation member 23 is pivotably supported on the chassis 4 by means of brackets 24 such that it is pivotable about an axis that coincides with the longitudinal axis of the forward, uppermost support bar 16, i.e. in front of the activation member 23 itself. The activation member 23 is configured to cause the stopping member 18 to move from the folded position to the stopping position when the wheel 5 is rolled onto the support device 12. For this purpose, the activation member 23 and the stopping member 18 are mechanically linked by means of a lever 25. The lever 25 is formed from bent and cut sheet metal which is configured to be pivotable together with the activation member 23 about the same axis. A spacer 26 is provided on the lever 25, which spacer 26 is in contact with the piece of sheet metal 22 of the stopping member 18 when the stopping member 18 is in the folded position.
When the wheel 5 is rolled onto the activation member, the lever 25 is pivoted about the longitudinal axis of the forward, uppermost support bar 16. It thereby contacts the piece of sheet metal 22 of the stopping member 18 and actuates an upward/forward motion of the stopping bar 19. The force applied by the wheel 5 on the activation member 23 is thereby transferred to the stopping member 18 and the stopping member 18 is moved from the folded position via the intermediate position and into the stopping position.
The stopping member 18 has a stopping plate 27 configured to make contact with a vertical portion of a fixed frame member 28 of the chassis 4 in the stopping position, thereby preventing further movement of the stopping member 18.
The intermediate position is assumed just before the wheel 5 is elevated off ground. The actuating device 13 is in contact with the wheel 5 and is just about to roll it off the ground and onto the activation member 23. If an imaginary plane P1 is defined extending in parallel with the axis of rotation of the wheel R and along the pivot arms 21 of the stopping member 18, and a vertical plane P2 is defined through a centre of the wheel 5 and parallel to the axis of rotation R of the wheel 5, an intersection between these planes P1, P2 is located above the axis of rotation R of the wheel 5 as shown in
The support device 12 is adjustable such that two different stopping positions can be achieved, adapted for different diameters of the wheel 5 as shown in
The invention is of course not in any way restricted to the embodiments described above, but many possibilities to modifications thereof would be apparent to a person with skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1651473-9 | Nov 2016 | SE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/SE2017/051078 | 11/1/2017 | WO | 00 |