APPARATUS FOR THE REPARATION OF POST-COLLISION, DAMAGED OR UNDER MAINTENANCE VEHICLES

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus for the repair of post-collision or damaged vehicles or those under maintenance, which includes a lifter (1) having an upper platform (2) supported by a lifting mechanism (3) connected to a resting base (4) mounted on the ground. The lifter (1) is activated by an actuator (5) which adjusts the upper platform (2) to the desired height. Wheel resting/gripping supports (6) for the vehicle are removably fixed to the upper platform and allow the vehicle to be lifted and lowered by the lifter. Pushing and/or pulling and/or anchoring equipments (7) for the vehicle are movably mounted on a sliding element (8) which is adapted to be slideably mounted within the structure of the wheel resting/gripping supports thereby allowing the quick mounting and centering of the pushing/pulling/anchoring equipments (7) to the desired points of the vehicle under repair.

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. An apparatus for the repair of post-collision or damaged vehicles or vehicles under maintenance, said apparatus comprising: a lifter (1) including an upper platform/framework (2), a lifting mechanism (3) for lifting and lowering said upper platform/framework (2), a base (4) connected to and supporting said lifting mechanism (3), an actuator (5) for actuating said lifting mechanism (3) so as to position said upper platform/framework (2) at a desired height, and a plurality of wheel resting/gripping supports (6) each movably mounted to said upper platform/framework (2) and supporting a wheel of a vehicle mounted on said apparatus, said plurality of wheel resting/gripping supports (6) being adapted to lift and lower said vehicle together with the lifting and lowering of said upper platform/framework (2); pushing and/or pulling and/or anchoring equipments (7) for said vehicle including a pushing and/or pulling arm (7.1), an anchoring vise (7.2), an anchoring support (7.2.2), wherein said pushing and/or pulling and/or anchoring equipments (7) are mounted on an element (8) mounted for sliding movement on said wheel resting/gripping supports (6) thereby permitting the approach to, the mounting and centering of the pushing and/or pulling and/or anchoring equipments (7) at desired points of said vehicle.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said sliding element (8) extends in a longitudinal direction from at least one side of said wheel resting/gripping supports (6).

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said sliding element (8) adapted for sliding movement on said wheel resting/gripping supports (6) is formed in a plurality of segments onto which said pushing and/or pulling and/or anchoring equipments (7) are mounted.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said sliding element (8) mounted for sliding movement on said wheel resting/gripping supports (6) has a length greater than that of said wheel resting/gripping supports (6) so that element (8) can extend from both sides of said wheel resting/gripping supports (6) in correspondence of vehicle fixing and repair points.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said pushing and/or pulling and/or anchoring equipments (7) can be mounted on said sliding element (8) in any position of the connected to wheel resting/gripping supports (6) relative to the upper platform/framework (2).

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said wheel resting/gripping supports (6) are removably mounted to said upper platform/framework (2).

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein wheel resting/gripping supports (6) oppositely mounted to said upper platform/framework (2) are movably interconnected by telescoping elements (10).

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said wheel resting/gripping supports (6) are movably mounted to said upper platform/framework (2) through connecting elements (9) formed integrally with said upper platform/framework (2).

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said wheel resting/gripping supports (6) comprise a plurality of individual supports (6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4) arranged in alignment and movably mounted to said upper platform/framework (2).

21. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the pushing and/or pulling arm (7.1) includes a horizontal element (7.1.1) and a connected vertically orientable element (7.1.2), said horizontal element being longitudinally open so as to receive therein a flexible pulling element to effect pulls on the mounted vehicle using a deviation roller group (7.5).

22. The apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein said deviation roller group (7.5) includes a deviation roller (7.5.3) fixedly mounted on a telescoping support (7.5.2) adapted to slide in a jacket (7.5.1), said telescoping support (7.5.2) including a vertically arranged series of holes, said jacket (7.5.1) including a hole, wherein said longitudinally open horizontal element (7.1.1) includes longitudinally arranged holes, a pin (7.5.4) adapted to fix together said telescoping support (7.5.2), said jacket (7.5.1), and said horizontal element (7.1.1).

23. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said wheel resting/gripping supports (6) are each formed of a single plate supporting the wheel of the mounted vehicle so that the wheel is movable.

24. The apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the wheel of the mounted vehicle is supported on said single plate in a locked position.

25. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said wheel resting/gripping supports (6) are each formed having a framework-shape (6.5) so as to fit the wheel of the mounted vehicle.

Description

[0023] Further advantages and characteristics of the present invention will be better defined by means of the description of a possible embodiment thereof, given only as a non-limiting example, with the aid of the enclosed drawing tables wherein: [0024] FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of the apparatus for the reparation of damaged vehicles, according to the invention;

[0025] FIG. 2 represents a perspective view of the apparatus for the reparation of damaged vehicles with an application of a pushing and/or pulling arm and an anchoring vise, fixed on the horizontal element sliding inside the wheel resting/gripping support;

[0026] FIG. 3 represents a perspective view of the apparatus for the reparation of damaged vehicles with a typical application of the wheel resting/gripping support arranged aligned with each other on the platform/framework;

[0027] FIG. 4 represents a perspective view of the apparatus for the reparation of damaged vehicles with a particular embodiment of the wheel resting/gripping support in the form of a frame on the platform/framework;

[0028] FIG. 5 represents a perspective view of the apparatus for the reparation of damaged vehicles with a particular application of the pushing and/or pulling equipment and of the anchoring vises on the wheel resting/gripping support;

[0029] FIG. 6 represents a perspective view of the apparatus for the reparation of damaged vehicles, with a special application of a pushing and/or pulling jack on the horizontal part of the pushing and/or pulling equipment in which the horizontal part is directly fixed to the sliding element, without the use of the support shown in FIG. 2.

[0030] FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the deviation roller applied to telescopic element, sliding inside a support, applied in turn to the horizontal element of pushing and/or pulling arm by means of the pin.

[0031] FIG. 8 relates to some different elements for connecting the wheel resting/gripping support to the upper platform/framework and the possible connection elements fixed or removable supports between the same wheel resting/gripping supports.

[0032] FIG. 9 relates to the deviation roller assembly applied to the lower part of the pushing and/or pulling arm, in which it is shown the central longitudinal opening of the horizontal element, crossed by a chain that, deviated by the roller, is pivoted at one of the holes of the vertical element of pushing and/or pulling arm by means of a pin; in this figure the vertical element of the pulling arm is represented in three different positions, while also shows the vise fixed in the same side to the sliding element, which projects out of the inner side of the wheel resting/gripping support.

[0033] FIG. 10 relates to the fixing of pushing and/or pulling equipment and/or anchoring in sliding element which projects out of the inner side of the wheel resting/gripping support, in a direct traction step.

[0034] FIG. 11 relates to the pushing and/or pulling arm in a pushing configuration, in which the vertical element is hinged to the horizontal element in a middle hole, while the jack is pivoted in the vertical element by means of the pin and in the horizontal element by means of the pin, so as to obtain, by means of the jack, a pair of traction forces which tend to move the vertical element away from the horizontal member, allowing to exert a compressive force on a region of the vehicle by means of a rigid element.

[0035] FIG. 12 shows the horizontal element of pushing and/or pulling arm with the application of the vertical element in the lower part, by means of hinging on a pin located in a middle hole of the horizontal element, so as to allow to intervene in the lower internal parts of the vehicle.

[0036] FIG. 13 shows the pushing and/or pulling arm mounted in a horizontal position with the horizontal and vertical elements mutually positioned with a mutually variable angle (90 in the figure) in order to be able to intervene in the central zone of the vehicle; said figure shows two accessory elements, constituted by a vertical element, applied to a vertical element by means of an adapter support.

[0037] FIG. 14 shows the pushing and/or pulling arm mounted in a horizontal position with the horizontal and vertical elements mutually positioned with a variable angle (90 in the figure) in order to be able to intervene in the position occupied by the wheel resting/gripping support; said figure shows two accessory elements, constituted by a vertical element, applied to a vertical element by means of an adapter support.

[0038] FIG. 15 shows a plan view of the lifter lowered with the four wheel resting/gripping supports removably secured to the platform/framework, each with the sliding element mounted inside the wheel resting/gripping support.

[0039] FIG. 16 shows a plan view of a lowered lifter of the type with double lifting independent structure, which can be with embedded cylinders or scissors levers or parallelogram shape of various embodiment, in which the central part between the two structures has no impediment and leave free space in order to allow access to the lower part of the vehicle. In this configuration the platform/framework is necessarily divided into two independent parts.

[0040] In FIG. 1 is visible the equipment for the reparation of damaged vehicles according to the invention comprising the four wheel resting/gripping supports 6 fixed in a removable way to the platform/framework 2 of a lifter 1, on one of said supports being fixed pushing and/or pulling and/or anchoring equipments 7, in which the lifting/lowering movement of the upper platform/framework 2 is obtained by means of a lifting mechanism 3, which comprises, in correspondence of each of the two longitudinal sides of said upper platform/framework 2, two pairs of levers 3.1 and 3.2, mutually articulated in an intermediate section 3.4; the two parallel levers 3.2, more outer, are provided with the upper end of casters 3.6 sliding inside the upper platform/framework 2 and the lower end is hinged with a pin to the base 4, while the two parallel levers 3.1, arranged inside, are provided with the upper end of hinges, positioned at the inside of the upper structure of the upper platform/framework 2, while they are provided at the end of lower casters 3.5 sliding at the ground level along a concordant trajectory with the longitudinal axis of the resting base 4.

[0041] The entire lifting mechanism is actuated by a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator, indicated with reference numeral 5, which has the lower end articulated on the pair of levers 3.2, arranged more externally, while the upper end acts on the pair of levers 3.1, placed more internally.

[0042] Also in FIG. 1 are visible four wheel resting/gripping supports 6 which are inserted in a removable way on the same supports arranged on the structure placed on top of the platform/framework 2 of the lifter.

[0043] In FIG. 2 is shown a structure of the wheel resting/gripping support 6 which provides, together with other parts, a tubular structure 6.1, preferably having a square cross section, inside which is housed a sliding element 8, which has also a squared section. The sliding element 8 has a greater longitudinal dimension than the tubular 6.1 of the structure of the wheel resting/gripping support 6, in such a way as to be able to project from both sides; in this manner on its inner side can be fixed the anchoring vise 7.2 by means of a fixing support realized in order to maintain the vehicle anchored, while on the opposite side can be fixed the pushing and/or pulling arm 7.1 by means of the support 7.6, or directly on the sliding element 8 by means of a receptacle formed inside the horizontal structure 7.1.1 of the pushing and/or pulling arm 7.1. In practice, the sliding element 8 which can be moved inside the tubular 6.1 of the wheel resting/gripping support 6, is more easily adapted to the different lengths of the vehicles to repair since it has the possibility of being displaced in both directions, toward the inside and the outside, with respect to the longitudinal axis of the upper platform/framework 2 and is blocked at the ends of the external tubular 6.1 by means of screws with rapid fixing.

[0044] The anchoring and/or fixing vises 7.2 is provided with a pin and is connected to the sliding element 8 by means of a support 7.4, which is locked by means of a fixing clamp, realized in such a way as to allow the adjustment of the clamp in a vertical direction and which moves perpendicularly with respect to the sliding element 8, being fixed on the support 7.3, sliding parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sliding element 8. In practice this system allows to perform rapidly the centering of the vise 7.2, being able to move with three degrees of freedom and precisely, longitudinal axis x-x, thanks to the support 7.3, and perpendicular axis z-z and vertical y-y, thanks to the support 7.4, thus allowing a quick centering of the vise 7.2 with respect to the anchoring points of the vehicle.

[0045] Always in FIG. 2 is visible the pushing and/or pulling arm 7.1, which is embedded and fixed to the sliding element 8 by means of the support 7.6 so as to allow the adjustment of the pushing and/or pulling arm 7.1 both in a longitudinal and in a transversal direction with respect to the upper platform/framework 2.

[0046] The pushing and/or pulling arm 7.1 is realized in two pieces, one horizontal 7.1.1 and the other 7.1.2 orientable in the vertical level and hinged to the horizontal one by the pin 7.1.3, using one of the pairs of holes formed on the horizontal element 7.1.1. The horizontal element 7.1.1 of the pushing and/or pulling arm 7.1 is provided with a central opening, which allows the attachment of a group 7.5, composed of a deviation roller 7.5.3, a support 7.5.1 inside which slides a tubular element 7.5.2, to which is hinged the roller 7.5.3 by means of a pin. The inner tubular element 7.5.2 is provided with a series of holes to allow the adjustment of deviation roller 7.5.3 at different heights by means of the pin 7.5.4, which at the same time anchor the support 7.5.1, the sliding support 7.5.2 to the horizontal element 7.1.1 of the pushing and/or pulling arm 7.1, allowing in this way the adjustment of the deviation roller 7.5.3 both along the longitudinal and vertical axis, with respect to the horizontal element 7.1.1 pushing and/or pulling arm 7.1.

[0047] The longitudinal opening of the horizontal element 7.1.1 of the pushing and/or pulling arm 7.1 allows to position the deviation roller 7.5.3 both upward and downward in order to allow to perform the pull on the body of the vehicle downward, as shown in FIG. 9.