Lift carrier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11834313-B2
Application number	US-202217828586-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2022
Priority date	Jul 5, 2021
Publication date	Dec 5, 2023
Grant date	Dec 5, 2023

Abstract

A carrier body of a lift carrier includes: a pair of wheel support mechanisms that supports a first wheel of a vehicle to be transported; a frame-shaped structure connected to the wheel support mechanisms; and one or more lifting units that lift or lower the pair of wheel support mechanisms. The frame-shaped structure includes a frame portion and an upper plate and is open on a lower side of the carrier body. Each of the lifting units includes a wheel support and an air spring. The air spring is interposed between the wheel support and an upper plate. As the air spring expands, the wheel support is rotated about one end of the wheel support rotatably supported by the frame portion, and is deployed out of the frame-shaped structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lift carrier including a carrier body that lifts, from a road surface, a vehicle to be transported and supports the vehicle, the carrier body comprising
a pair of wheel support mechanisms that supports a first wheel, the first wheel being two wheels of the vehicle that are right and left wheels of the vehicle;
a frame structure connected to the pair of wheel support mechanisms; and
one or more lifting units that lift or lower the pair of wheel support mechanisms via the frame structure, wherein:
the frame structure includes:
a frame portion; and
an upper plate located on an upper side of the carrier body and covering the frame portion, the frame structure being open on a lower side of the carrier body; each of the one or more lifting units includes
a wheel support including:
a bottom wall;
a side wall;
a wheel axle of a second wheel;
a wheel axle support member that supports the wheel axle, the wheel axle support member has a U-shape including an upper wall, a side wall, and a bottom wall, as viewed in a sectional view perpendicular to the wheel axle, the upper wall being in contact with an upper surface of a wheel fastening wall, the side wall being in contact with an outer side surface of the wheel fastening wall, and the bottom wall being in contact with a bottom surface of the wheel fastening wall;
a wheel unit fastened to the wheel fastening wall by a fastener, the fastener includes a first fastener that fastens at least one of the upper wall and the bottom wall of the wheel axle support member to the wheel fastening wall, and a second fastener that fastens the side wall of the wheel axle support member to the wheel fastening wall, the wheel fastening wall being a part of the side wall of the wheel support, the wheel fastening wall is in a shape of a rectangular parallelepiped extending in a direction of the wheel axle, the wheel unit including the second wheel, the second wheel being connected to the side wall of the wheel support, the second wheel being one or more wheels of the carrier body;
one end rotatably supported by the frame portion; and
another end to which the second wheel is connected, the wheel support being configured to be housed, together with the second wheel, inside the frame structure, and

an air spring that is interposed between the wheel support and the upper plate and that expands and contracts according to a pressure of compressed air supplied to the air spring, one end of the air spring is fixed to the bottom wall of the wheel support, the air spring is surrounded by the side wall of the wheel support; and

as the air spring expands, the wheel support is rotated about the one end and is, together with the second wheel, deployed out of the frame structure.

2. The lift carrier according to claim 1 , wherein:
the one or more lifting units are a pair of lifting units corresponding to the pair of wheel support mechanisms and arranged next to each other in a lateral direction of the carrier body; and
the frame structure includes a reinforcing member extending in a longitudinal direction of the carrier body between the pair of lifting units and connecting a front part of the frame portion and a rear part of the frame portion in the longitudinal direction.

3. The lift carrier according to claim 1 , wherein the first fastener fastens the upper wall of the wheel axle support member to the wheel fastening wall.

4. The lift carrier according to claim 1 , wherein the wheel support further includes a stopper that is located at the one end of the wheel support rotatably supported by the frame portion, and the stopper engages with the frame portion when a rotation angle of the wheel support with respect to the frame structure reaches a predetermined angle as the air spring expands.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kitajima Toshiki
• Watanabe Norinao
• Nakamura Yutaka
• Kajita Naoya
• Nakano Kenji
• Sannomiya Takafumi
• Shimizu Yasutada
• Yasuda Kohei

Classifications

• B66F7/16 Primary

  by one or more hydraulic or pneumatic jacks · CPC title

• B60S13/02

  Turntables; Traversers (incorporated in vehicle-storing garages E04H {; rotary display stands A47F5/02}) · CPC title

• B66F7/28

  Constructional details, e.g. end stops, pivoting supporting members, sliding runners adjustable to load dimensions · CPC title

• E04H6/36

  characterised by use of freely-movable dollies · CPC title

• B66F2700/12

  Lifting platforms for vehicles or motorcycles or similar lifting apparatus · CPC title