A parking robot for a transportation vehicle having at least two wheel axles and a method for operating a parking robot. The parking robot includes a main robot part and a secondary robot part which each have a pair of wheel support arms on two opposite sides. The two-part parking robot then moves under the transportation vehicle with respective folded-in wheel support arms and disconnects the secondary robot part from the main robot part to position the main robot part and the secondary robot part each in a region of one of the wheel axles beneath the transportation vehicle and to lift up respective wheels of the respective wheel axle of the transportation vehicle by folding out the respective pairs of wheel support arms.

An AGV comb-type transfer robot, comprising: a lifting frame (2), comb teeth being mounted on the lifting frame (2); and a traveling frame (1), a comb tooth lifting apparatus (15) being mounted on the traveling frame (1), and a traveling drive mechanism (13) and a central control system being mounted in the traveling frame (1). The comb tooth lifting apparatus (15) comprises a lifting drive motor (151) and a gear set (152) in transmission connection with the motor (151). The traveling drive mechanism (13) comprises a traveling drive motor and a traveling wheel set mounted in the traveling frame (1). The present invention also relates to a method for storing and retrieving a vehicle using the robot. The transfer efficiency and intelligent level of the robot are high.

The disclosure relates to a conveyor for moving four-wheel vehicles. The conveyor includes a chassis having stowable extensions movable between a position in which the extensions make it possible to move the chassis under the vehicle and a position in which the extensions make contact with the treads of the wheels. The chassis is telescopic and includes two segments that each have a pair of arms. At least one of the arm pairs is hinged so as to enable movement between a position perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the chassis with an extension at least equal to the track width of the vehicle and a folded-up position that is to occupy a width less than the distance between the inner flanks of the wheels of the vehicle. The segments are movable between a position where the arms are not in contact with the wheels and a position where each arm makes contact with the tread of one of the wheels so as to raise or lower the vehicle.

A method for loading a four-wheeled vehicle using a transporter comprising wedging arms that are arranged so as to be positioned on either side of the tread of a wheel of the vehicle to be loaded, and wheel clamping detection means, the method comprising the following steps: a step of moving the transporter until a wedging arm comes into contact with the tread of a tire, a step of moving the transporter along the longitudinal axis of the transporter for a predetermined distance or until a predetermined force is detected, a step of stopping the transporter from moving and generating a signal representative of the mobility state of the vehicle: moving or stationary.

Transferring carriage (100) of vehicles for automatic mechanic parking systems comprising at least a frame (1); means of handling of said carriage (100), and at least a device (13) of centering, raising and keeping up of the wheel (32) of a vehicle, said device (13) comprising at least a couple of clamp elements (17) and at least a movable support (14): each couple of clamp elements (17) being supported by said movable support (14); said movable support (14) being transversally translatable for positioning said clamp elements (17) of a same couple in proximity of a wheel (32) of an axle of a vehicle such that the centering, raising and keeping up of the two wheels (32) of an axle of a vehicle is achieved by means of a single transversal movement towards outside of the carriage of said at least one movable support (14) and of the couple of clamp elements (17) integral therewith.

Transferring carriage (100) of vehicles for automatic mechanic parking systems comprising at least a frame (1); means of handling of said carriage (100); and at least a device (13) of centering, raising and keeping up of the wheel (32) of a vehicle, said device (13) comprising at least a couple of clamp elements (17) and at least a movable support (14); each couple of clamp elements (17) being supported by said movable support (14); said movable support (14) being transversally translatable for positioning said clamp elements (17) of a same couple in proximity of a wheel (32) of an axle of a vehicle such that the centering, raising and keeping up of the two wheels (32) of an axle of a vehicle is achieved by means of a single transversal movement towards outside of the carriage of said at least one movable support (14) and of the couple of clamp elements (17) integral therewith.

An automated parking system has a parking entrance unit, a vehicle transport shuttle, shuttle trail means, plurality of parking locations and a controller. The controller is adapted to establish communication with an autonomous vehicle (AV) to be parked in the parking system, to receive signal from the AV indicating that the AV is ready to be controlled by the controller, to receive signal indicating that the parking system is ready to receive and park the AV, to control the movement of the AV toward the vehicle transport shuttle, to control the movement of the vehicle transport shuttle toward a designated parking location and to control the movement of the AV toward the designated parking location.

A carriage for handling a vehicle in an automatic parking system includes a frame axially movable along a first longitudinal axis, rotating clamps, each including a pair of counter-rotating arms rotating with respect to a vertical axis orthogonal to both the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis. The carriage includes a transverse-centering unit with transverse pushers, transversely extensible, moving along an axis parallel to the transverse axis and independent of the rotating clamps. In a first retracted position they do not interact with the vehicle wheels. When extended, they come into contact with at least one vehicle wheel. The extensible transverse pushers are on left and right sides of the carriage, and simultaneously move in a symmetrical extension, being operated by a respective motor positioned laterally of the longitudinal axis of the carriage. The extensible transverse pushers include a pantograph for longitudinally aligning the vehicle along the longitudinal axis.

An automated parking system has a parking entrance unit, a vehicle transport shuttle, shuttle trail means, plurality of parking locations and a controller. The controller is adapted to establish communication with an autonomous vehicle (AV) to be parked in the parking system, to receive signal from the AV indicating that the AV is ready to be controlled by the controller, to receive signal indicating that the parking system is ready to receive and park the AV, to control the movement of the AV toward the vehicle transport shuttle, to control the movement of the vehicle transport shuttle toward a designated parking location and to control the movement of the AV toward the designated parking location.

A sliding platform system for moving a vehicle parked on a platform, the sliding platform system including at least one rail and at least one vehicle platform slidably movable upon the at least one rail, a chain drive assembly comprising a chain, motor and sprockets, a chain guide channel positioned adjacent the at least one rail, and at least one latching mechanism mounted to the platform and slidably engaged in the chain guide channel, wherein the chain drive assembly is operably coupled to the latching mechanism and wherein a portion of the chain is positioned in the chain guide channel, wherein the chain guide channel includes at least one detent operable to engage the latching mechanism when the latching mechanism is positioned in alignment with the detent and to disengage the chain from a chain engagement element in the latching mechanism. The chain drive assembly is operable to move one or more platforms along the rail to pre-selected positions. The system may include a latch set device operable to move the latch mechanism to an engaged state with the chain.