Carriage for the horizontal transfer of motor vehicles in automatic mechanical car parks

A system for moving motor vehicles within a building having a plurality of parking bays, the system comprising:

• an entrance bay having a platform adapted to receive one of the motor vehicles;
• and
• a carriage adapted to move each of the motor vehicles from the entrance bay to a parking bay,
• said carriage including,
• a first frame adapted to support a front portion of a motor vehicle and move the supported motor vehicle horizontally through the platform and vertically above the platform,
• a second frame separate from the first frame and adapted to support a rear portion of the motor vehicle and, together with the first frame, to move the supported motor vehicle horizontally through the platform and vertically above the platform,
• means for centering each of the motor vehicles with respect to a longitudinal axis of the platform prior to moving the respective motor vehicle from the entrance bay to the parking bay,
• first and second geared racks coupled to the first frame, said first and second geared racks moving in opposite directions substantially perpendicularly with respect to a longitudinal axis of the first frame,
• third and fourth geared racks coupled to the second frame, said third and fourth geared racks moving in opposite directions substantially perpendicularly with respect to a longitudinal axis of the second frame, and
• at least two wheel supports coupled to each of the first through fourth geared racks,
• wherein said wheel supports are adapted to move vertically with a respective one of said first and second frames to lift the motor vehicle.