Carriage for handling vehicles

A method of actuating a pair of carriages for handling a vehicle in an automated parking system in which said pair of carriages are adapted to insert themselves at least partially under said vehicle (400) and in which each carriage (100) of said pair comprises rotating clamp elements (3, 4, 6, 7) which in turn comprise a pair of counter-rotating arms on a pair of sides of said carriage (100), the pair of counter-rotating arms being rotatable with respect to a vertical axis (Z) orthogonal to both a longitudinal axis (X) and a transverse axis (Y), said method comprising:

• an approaching step wherein said vehicle (400) is approached by a pair of vehicle-handling carriages (100) along a direction substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis (X) of the vehicle (400) itself, wherein, in said approach, a first carriage (100) closer to said vehicle and a second carriage (100) farther from said vehicle and independent of said first carriage (100) are identified;
• an actuating step to actuate said rotating clamp elements (3, 4, 6, 7) of said second carriage, and wherein said actuating step comprises opening the arms (7, 6) longitudinally farther from a destination point of said second carriage (100);
• a stopping step to stop said second carriage (100)
• when said arms longitudinally farther with respect to said destination point of said second carriage (100) come into contact with the wheels (53, 53′) of an axle of the vehicle (400) which is closer to said second carriage;
• a pursuing step to pursue the travel of said first carriage (100) under said vehicle (400), the step comprising opening said pair of arms longitudinally farther with respect to the destination point of said first carriage (100) when the latter is at an intermediate position between the first and the second axles of the vehicle (400);
• and
• an operating step to operate a pair of transverse pushers (205, 206) which are transversely extensible and move along an axis parallel to or coincident with said transverse axis (Y) and are independent with respect to said rotating clamp elements;
• wherein in a first retracted position the transverse pushers (205, 206) do not interact with the wheels (53) of said vehicle and a second extended position in which said transverse pushers (205, 206) come into contact with at least one vehicle wheel,
• wherein said transverse pushers (205, 206) are arranged on the left side and on the right side of said carriage and simultaneously move in a symmetrical extension,
• wherein said transverse pushers (205, 206) comprise a pantograph for longitudinally aligning said vehicle (400) along said longitudinal axis (X), and
• wherein operation of said transverse pushers (205, 206) comprises their symmetrical operation with respect to said longitudinal axis (X), and comprises a movement along said axis parallel to or coincident with said transverse axis (Y), from the first retracted position in which said transverse pushers (205,206) do not interact with the wheels of said vehicle to the second extended position, in which said transverse pushers (205,206) interact with at least one wheel (53) of said vehicle,
• and wherein said activating step to activate said transverse pushers (205, 206) comprises a guiding step to guide an actuating belt or chain by rotating sprocket wheels which are engaged thereon, wherein said actuating belt or chain engages gears that transversally extend said transverse pushers (205, 206) and wherein said actuating step to actuate said transverse pushers comprises the actuation of a worm screw guiding the extension of said pantograph (205).

A method of actuating a pair of carriages for handling a vehicle in an automated parking system in which said pair of carriages are adapted to insert themselves at least partially under said vehicle (400) and in which each carriage (100) of said pair comprises rotating clamp elements (3, 4, 6, 7) which in turn comprise a pair of counter-rotating arms on a pair of sides of said carriage (100), said method comprising:

• an approaching step wherein said vehicle (400) is approached by a pair of vehicle-handling carriages (100) along a direction substantially coincident with a longitudinal axis (X) of the vehicle (400) itself, wherein, in said approach, a first carriage (100) closer to said vehicle and a second carriage (100) farther from said vehicle and independent of said first carriage (100) are identified;
• an actuating step to actuate said rotating clamp elements (3, 4, 6, 7) of said second carriage, and wherein said actuating step comprises opening the arms (7, 6) longitudinally farther from a destination point of said second carriage (100);
• a stopping step to stop said second carriage (100) when said arms longitudinally farther with respect to said destination point of said second carriage (100) come into contact with the wheels (53, 53′) of an axle of the vehicle (400) which is closer to said second carriage;
• a pursuing step to pursue the travel of said first carriage (100) under said vehicle (400), the step comprising opening said pair of arms longitudinally farther with respect to the destination point of said first carriage (100) when the latter is at an intermediate position between the first and the second axles of the vehicle (400);
• and
• an operating step to operate a pair of transverse pushers, independent with respect to said rotating clamp elements and installed on board said first and said second carriages (400), in which step the longitudinal axis of the vehicle (400) is aligned with a movement axis (X) of at least one of said first or second carriage (400),
• wherein the operation of said pair of transverse pushers (205, 206) comprises their symmetrical operation with respect to said movement axis (X), and comprises a movement along an axis parallel to or coincident with said transverse axis (Y), from a first retracted position in which said transverse pushers (205, 206) do not interact with the wheels of said vehicle to a second extended position, in which said transverse pushers (205, 206) interact with at least one wheel (53) of said vehicle, and
• wherein said activating step to activate said transverse pushers (205, 206) comprises a guiding step to guide an actuating belt or chain by rotating sprocket wheels which are engaged thereon, wherein said actuating belt or chain engages gears that transversally extend said transverse pushers (205, 206) and wherein said actuating step to actuate said transverse pushers comprises the actuation of a worm screw guiding the extension of said pantograph (205).