A vehicle transport apparatus is formed by a first robot and a second robot that enter underneath a vehicle, lift up wheels of the vehicle, and travel. The first robot and the second robot each include a distance sensor that detects a distance between the corresponding robot and an object near the corresponding robot, and a robot computing section that controls a travel operation and a loading operation of the corresponding robot. When the vehicle is to be lowered in a parking region, the robot computing section adjusts a parking position of the vehicle based on information detected by the distance sensor.

A parking robot for a transportation vehicle having a holding device for firmly holding a wheel of the transportation vehicle and housing at least one drive installation on two opposite sides. The drive installation has a height-adjustable running gear having at least one parking robot wheel and adjusts the holding device relative to the at least one parking robot wheel between a lowered and a raised position. The parking robot autonomously moves to a receiving position on the wheel of the transportation vehicle, in which receiving position the holding device firmly holds the wheel, and by adjusting the holding device to the raised position by the running gear, raises the firmly held wheel of the transportation vehicle relative to the respective parking robot wheels.

A parking robot system for a transportation vehicle having wheels and a method for operating a parking robot system. The parking robot system includes a main robot and secondary robots and a method for operating a parking robot system. The secondary robots each have a pair of wheel support arms and each move up autonomously, with the wheel support arms folded in, from outside next to one of the wheels of the transportation vehicle. The secondary robots each lift up the respective wheel by folding out the respective pair of wheel support arms. The main robot accompanies the secondary robot with the lifted up transportation vehicle during travel to a prescribed target position.

Systems, apparatus and methods for a motor vehicle parking robot. The parking robot includes a pair of wheel support arms and a retracted wheel retention arm configured laterally from the outside of the parking robot and configured to lift a wheel of a vehicle by extending the pair of wheel support arms and affix the wheel in place on the parking robot by extending the wheel retention arms.

A parking robot for a transportation vehicle and a method for operating a parking robot. The parking robot has a pair of wheel bearing arms which use a crank element to indirectly mount rotatably about a respective rotation axis. The parking robot autonomously moves from the outside to a receiving position beside a wheel of a wheel axle of the transportation vehicle in which the respective wheel bearing arms are parallel with the wheel axle and one of the wheel bearing arms in a vehicle longitudinal direction is positioned in front of the wheel and the other wheel bearing arm in the vehicle longitudinal direction is positioned behind the wheel. The parking robot raises the wheel of the transportation vehicle by rotating the respective wheel bearing arm about the respective rotation axis in a predefined rotation direction, wherein the respective rotation directions of the respective wheel bearing arms are mutually opposed.

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.

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.

An object of the instant application is to provide a vehicle that can minimize parking space and a parking facility that can efficiently park a large number of vehicles in a predetermined parking space. The vehicle 1 includes a bottom flap 7 arranged on a bottom surface of a vehicle body and vertically rotatable around a lower rear end of the vehicle body, a rear flap 8, and geared motors 9, 11 for respectively rotating the bottom flap 7 and the rear flap 8. The parking facility 20 for a vehicle 1 is configured to include an erecting mechanism (a rotating member 22, an electric motor 23, and a link mechanism 24) for erecting the vehicle 1 upright with a rear surface facing down, and a transfer mechanism (belt conveyor) 25 for transferring the vehicle 1 erected by the erecting mechanism to a predetermined position.