Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66F—HOISTING, LIFTING, HAULING OR PUSHING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. DEVICES WHICH APPLY A LIFTING OR PUSHING FORCE DIRECTLY TO THE SURFACE OF A LOAD
  • B66F5/00—Mobile jacks of the garage type mounted on wheels or rollers
  • B66F5/04—Mobile jacks of the garage type mounted on wheels or rollers with fluid-pressure-operated lifting gear
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66F—HOISTING, LIFTING, HAULING OR PUSHING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. DEVICES WHICH APPLY A LIFTING OR PUSHING FORCE DIRECTLY TO THE SURFACE OF A LOAD
  • B66F3/00—Devices, e.g. jacks, adapted for uninterrupted lifting of loads
  • B66F3/24—Devices, e.g. jacks, adapted for uninterrupted lifting of loads fluid-pressure operated
  • B66F3/245—Devices, e.g. jacks, adapted for uninterrupted lifting of loads fluid-pressure operated comprising toggle levers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66F—HOISTING, LIFTING, HAULING OR PUSHING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. DEVICES WHICH APPLY A LIFTING OR PUSHING FORCE DIRECTLY TO THE SURFACE OF A LOAD
  • B66F3/00—Devices, e.g. jacks, adapted for uninterrupted lifting of loads
  • B66F3/24—Devices, e.g. jacks, adapted for uninterrupted lifting of loads fluid-pressure operated
  • B66F3/25—Constructional features
  • B66F3/26—Adaptations or arrangements of pistons

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a hydraulically operated car jack according to the preamble of claim 1.
• This car jack comprises a lifting support pivotable about a horizontal axis, which can be moved from a lower starting position to an upwardly pivoted lifting position for lifting a vehicle, and a support area arranged on the lifting support, in particular a support plate for supporting a part of a vehicle to be lifted, such as the body, chassis, or frame structure of the vehicle.
• the car jack comprises a hydraulic cylinder with a cylinder housing and a piston slidably mounted therein and connected to a piston rod, wherein the hydraulic cylinder or the piston rod is operatively connected to the lifting support such that actuation of the hydraulic cylinder, i.e., a displacement of the piston and thus of the piston rod relative to the cylinder housing, causes a pivoting movement of the lifting support.
• the jack includes a pump unit hydraulically connected to the hydraulic cylinder for actuating the hydraulic cylinder, as well as at least one roller element, for example a pair of rollers or a roller, over which the jack can be driven or rolled to a work location desired for lifting a vehicle.
• Hydraulically operated jacks of this type are commonly used for the controlled raising and lowering of vehicles, such as cars or motorhomes. They are used in both private and commercial settings, particularly for changing vehicle wheels.
• trolley jack which, thanks to several wheels, some of which can swivel around a vertical axis, offers increased maneuverability.
• trolley jacks typically feature an elongated operating lever that, in addition to serving as a steering lever, can also act as a pump lever to operate a hydraulic cylinder and the associated lifting support of the trolley jack.
• Such a hydraulic trolley jack is, for example, available from... DE 10 2019 121 343 B3 known.
• a hydraulically operated trolley jack is known in which the operating lever can also be pivoted to one side about a vertical pivot axis to enable its use even in confined spaces.
• the entire trolley jack undergoes a lateral balancing movement during the lifting motion. During this movement, the trolley jack rolls to one side on its rollers. This lateral forward or backward movement of the jack can compromise safety when lifting a vehicle.
• a lifting device for vehicles which does not have a rolling element for rolling the device, but rather a rigid base structure which, when lifting a vehicle, rests on the The ground is resting on it. Moving the lifting device to a different location is therefore very difficult.
• a mobile lifting platform for raising motor vehicles which has rollers at one end of a base frame, allowing it to be rolled to a desired work location. The other end of the base frame rests on the ground when a motor vehicle is being lifted.
• the object of the present invention is to create a structurally simple hydraulically operated jack of the type mentioned above, which is easy to handle despite its compact design and offers increased safety.
• the solution according to the invention provides that the hydraulic cylinder is rigidly and immovably connected to the base structure of the jack by means of its cylinder housing.
• the cylinder housing is fixed and positionally stable, meaning it cannot be rotated, pivoted, or translationally displaced on the base structure. This results in a particularly simple design that requires no means for a movable or pivotable mounting of the hydraulic cylinder.
• the jack has a rigid base structure that rests on the ground at the work site when lifting and lowering a vehicle, lateral movements of the jack relative to the ground are prevented during the execution of a lifting movement. Movement is reliably prevented in all directions.
• the rigid base structure of the jack remains stationary on the ground throughout the entire lifting process. This offers a significant advantage, as the elimination of lateral balancing movement results in considerably greater safety when lifting a vehicle.
• the jack according to the invention is inexpensive to manufacture due to its simple design and is easy to handle. Furthermore, it is characterized by a very compact design, which has a particularly low profile in the lowered starting position, so that the jack can also be used on very low-slung vehicles. Despite this, the jack can still achieve considerable lifting heights.
• the lifting support has a support area located at an end of the support that is remote from or facing away from the support plate, and which can be moved along a guide track on or against the floor structure, wherein the jack has at least one connecting strut that is pivotably articulated on one side to a first pivot point located on the floor structure and directly or indirectly rigidly connected to it, and on the other side to a second pivot point located in a central area of the lifting support between the support plate and the support area, and directly or indirectly rigidly connected to it.
• a horizontal axis is located in the support area of the lifting support, about which the lifting support can be pivoted up and down.
• the first pivot point of the connecting strut can advantageously be arranged on a pivot element that is integrally formed with the cylinder housing or on a pivot element that is firmly connected to the cylinder housing.
• the linkage of a first element to a second element means that the two elements are connected to each other in a hinged manner, whereby the hinged connection can be made directly or indirectly via interposed elements.
• the at least one roller element is arranged and mounted on the support area of the lifting leg, and if, in the lower starting position of the lifting leg, it projects laterally beyond the floor structure in the direction of the guide track.
• the at least one roller element can be brought into contact with the ground when the jack is lifted at the end opposite the roller element, preferably using a handle provided for this purpose.
• This allows the jack, raised on one side, to be easily moved and rolled to a work location desired for lifting a vehicle.
• the at least one roller element loses contact with the ground, so that the jack rests immobile on the ground via its rigid base structure.
• the at least one roller element rolls along the top surface of the floor structure when the lifting support is swung into a lifting position, with the top surface of the floor structure thus forming a straight guide path for the support area of the lifting support.
• the at least one roller element can perform two functions simultaneously: firstly, by enabling the jack to roll to the desired work location before lifting a vehicle, and secondly, during operation of the jack, by guiding the support area of the lifting support along the guide path formed by the top surface of the floor structure.
• the forces from the raised vehicle onto the The lifting support transfers the support forces exerted by the support leg to the ground via the floor structure. Lateral forces acting during the lifting process can also be absorbed by the guide rail.
• the longitudinal direction of the hydraulic cylinder defined by the longitudinal direction of the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder, is aligned along the straight guide path for the support area of the lifting leg or parallel to this guide path.
• the hydraulic cylinder extends parallel to the top surface of the floor structure, so that the piston rod can be extended and retracted parallel to the top surface of the floor structure.
• the hydraulic cylinder is thus arranged horizontally and remains unchanged in this horizontal orientation even during the lifting process.
• the hydraulic cylinder is designed to be double-acting and the free end of the piston rod is articulated to the support area of the lifting support, preferably to the axis of the at least one roller element.
• the lifting support can be raised from the lower starting position to an upwardly pivoted lifting position by inserting the piston rod into the cylinder housing, and lowered from an upwardly pivoted lifting position to the lower starting position by extending the piston rod out of the cylinder housing.
• shut-off valve or safety valve is integrated into the hydraulic cylinder or into a valve block connected to it, preventing the piston rod from extending unintentionally from the hydraulic cylinder. This prevents unintended Lowering the lifting support from an upwardly pivoted lifting position to the lower starting position is prevented.
• a locking element is arranged on the support area of the lifting support, preferably in the region of the axis of the at least one roller element.
• This locking element can interact positively with locking detents or with a rack and pinion structure formed on the base structure. In this way, additional mechanical safety against unintentional lowering of the lifting support is achieved.
• the locking element is spring-loaded and pressed against the locking detents or the rack structure, and if it can be disengaged from the locking detents or the rack structure by a release element, preferably a Bowden cable or an electromagnetic actuator, to allow the lifting support to pivot down into its starting position.
• the locking element can preferably be formed by a spring-loaded pawl.
• the lifting support is formed by two lifting arms located on either side of the hydraulic cylinder, which are rigidly connected to each other and thus cannot be moved relative to each other, and can therefore only be moved together.
• the hydraulic cylinder is thus located between the two lifting arms.
• the jack also has two connecting struts located on both sides next to the hydraulic cylinder, each of which is attached on one side to a first pivot point located on the floor structure and thus directly or indirectly firmly connected to it. and, on the other hand, are pivotally articulated at a second pivot point located on one of the two lifting arms and thus directly or indirectly connected to it.
• a particularly compact design of the jack can be achieved by forming the base structure with a plate that provides a common or separate guide track for each roller element on its upper surface.
• the jack comprises a parallel arm or two parallel arms, each assigned to a lifting arm, which is/are articulated on the one hand in the region of its free end to the piston rod and on the other hand to the support plate, such that the parallel arm or parallel arms together with the lifting support or with the two lifting arms forming the lifting support form a parallelogram arrangement in a manner known per se and thus hold the support plate parallel to the floor structure, preferably horizontally, at every lifting height.
• the jack comprises an electric motor that drives the pump unit for actuating the hydraulic cylinder.
• the jack has a control unit electrically connected to the electric motor, which allows the electric motor to be controlled for actuating the jack.
• the control unit in turn, can advantageously be connected to a control panel comprising operating elements such as switches, via which the jack can be operated manually.
• At least one battery preferably replaceable, can be arranged on the jack to supply energy to the electric motor.
• the pump unit is formed by a reversing unit driven by an electric motor. This eliminates the need for directional control valves for the hydraulic cylinder. It is especially beneficial if the reversing unit is located directly next to the hydraulic cylinder and connected wirelessly, i.e., without hoses or pipes, directly to the hydraulic cylinder or to a valve block connected to the hydraulic cylinder. This eliminates the need for additional hydraulic lines, which pose a risk of damage or leaks, and results in a particularly compact, simple, and safe design.
• control unit is connected to a receiver, via which the jack can be operated remotely using a wired or wireless control unit.
• the present invention further relates to an arrangement of two or more jacks of the type mentioned above, in which the control units of the individual jacks are connected to each other via cable or wirelessly, in particular via radio or WLAN.
• the control units of the jacks can thus communicate with each other.
• control unit of one of the jacks which acts as the master jack, is connected to a receiver via which all jacks can be operated remotely, either wired or wirelessly, using a control unit.
• the other jacks then function as slave jacks.
• the control unit of the master jack is connected to at least one tilt sensor, which can be detachably attached to a vehicle to be lifted. All jacks, interconnected by control technology, are controlled via the master jack's control unit using data from the at least one tilt sensor to achieve the desired alignment or leveling of the vehicle.
• the at least one tilt sensor provides data on the vehicle's current tilt to the master jack's control unit, which then derives corresponding data for controlling the other jacks to achieve the desired alignment or leveling of the vehicle.
• the master jack's control unit can advantageously be connected to two tilt sensors, which can be detachably attached to a vehicle to be lifted at an angle of preferably 90° to each other.
• a method that can be advantageously applied in this context is described, for example, in the patent. DE 10 2019 002 237 B4 described.
• the hydraulically operated jack 1 shown in the figures is used for selectively raising and lowering a section of a vehicle, such as a passenger car or motorhome. Depending on its size, it can also be used for larger vehicles such as buses or trucks.
• the jack 1 comprises a lifting support 3 that pivots about a horizontal axis 2 and is raised from a lower starting position A by means of a hydraulic cylinder 4 ( Figure 5 ) into an upper lifting position H ( Figures 1 to 4 ) can be swivelled upwards.
• a support plate 5 is articulated, which forms the contact point for the part of the vehicle to be lifted, which is, for example, a part of the chassis or a part of the frame structure of the vehicle.
• the jack 1 is equipped with a hydraulically connected pump unit 6 to actuate the hydraulic cylinder 4 and thus also the lifting support 3 connected to it.
• this pump unit is a reversing unit driven by an electric motor 7 connected to a control unit (not shown in detail).
• a control unit (not shown in detail).
• the lifting support 3 can be raised to the lifting position H or lowered to the starting position A.
• a non-reversible hydraulic unit can be used, which is connected to corresponding control valves that can also be actuated by the control unit.
• the lifting support 3 consists of two lifting arms 3a, which are arranged on either side of the hydraulic cylinder 4 and each of which comprises a lower sub-arm 3b and an upper sub-arm 3c.
• the two sub-arms 3b and 3c which are approximately the same length, are arranged laterally offset from each other and are connected to each other in a rotationally fixed manner at their center by a connecting element 3d which has an approximately semicircular cross-section.
• a support area 8 is formed at the lower end of the lifting support 3 in the lifting position H, which is opposite the support plate 5.
• a roller element 9, formed here by two rollers 9a, is mounted in this support area 8.
• the two rollers 9a, or rather the roller element 9 formed by them, is mounted on the axis 2 that rigidly connects the two lifting arms 3a and simultaneously forms the horizontal axis 2 about which the lifting support 3 can pivot.
• the jack 1 comprises a rigid base structure 10, which here is formed by an elongated base plate 10a.
• the base structure 10 of the jack 1 lies flat on the surface U at the work site. This ensures that, due to the frictional forces acting between the base structure 10 and the surface U during use, lateral movement of the jack 1 relative to the surface in all directions is reliably prevented.
• a suitably roughened surface structure on the underside of the base structure 10 can further increase the frictional forces preventing lateral movement of the jack 1 and thus also the operational safety of the jack 1.
• the base structure 10 of the jack 1 remains stationary on the surface U throughout the entire lifting process.
• a housing 11 On the upper side of the base plate 10a, which forms the rigid base structure 10, is a housing 11 containing, among other things, the pump unit 6 and the electric motor 7, as well as a control unit for the electric motor 7 and a replaceable battery for supplying power to the electric motor 7 and the control unit.
• the entire jack 1 thus forms a self-contained unit that can be operated without any additional energy connections such as hydraulic, pneumatic, or electrical lines.
• the double-acting hydraulic cylinder 4 with its cylinder housing, is rigidly and immovably mounted on the top of the base plate 10a.
• the base of the cylinder housing opposite the piston rod 12 and containing the two pressure ports of the hydraulic cylinder 4 and a safety valve, extends into the housing 11.
• the base of the hydraulic cylinder 4 lies directly adjacent to the reversing unit forming the pump unit 6, which is connected directly to the pressure ports of the hydraulic cylinder 4 or to a valve block of the hydraulic cylinder 4 without any intervening hoses or pipes.
• two guide tracks 13 are formed on the upper surface, in and on each of which a roller 9a of the roller element 9 can roll.
• the two guide tracks 13 are separated from each other by an intermediate ladder-shaped rack structure 14.
• the rollers 9a of the roller element 9 are guided in and on the two guide tracks 13.
• the rollers 9a also support the support area 8 of the lifting support 3, so that the weight forces acting when lifting a vehicle are absorbed by the ground U via the rollers 9a of the roller element 9 and the base structure 10.
• the two lifting arms 3a are rigidly connected to each other by the axis 2, which is arranged in the section of the lower partial arms 3b that forms the support area 8.
• first pivot point 15 for each connecting strut 16.
• Two connecting struts 16 are provided, each pivotally connected at one end to one of the two first pivot points 15 and at the other end via a second pivot point 17 to an approximately central region of the two lifting arms 3a.
• the two second pivot points 17 lie on an axis 18, via which the two lifting arms 3a are also connected to each other.
• the axis 18 is surrounded on both sides by one of the two connecting elements 3d, each of which connects the two partial arms 3b and 3c of the two lifting arms 3a.
• the piston rod 12 of the hydraulic cylinder 4 extends parallel to the two guide tracks 13.
• the free end of the piston rod 12 is articulated to the axis 2 by means of a bearing bushing 19 formed thereon; the two rollers 9a are also mounted on this axis.
• the lifting support is located 3 in the lower starting position A ( Figure 5
• the support area 8 of the lifting support 3 With the rollers 9a rolling on the guide tracks 13, increasingly approaches the housing of the hydraulic cylinder 4.
• Due to the leverage effect of the two connecting struts 16 the lifting support 3 is increasingly raised towards the upper lifting position H.
• the support plate 5 performs a lifting movement that is at least almost perfectly vertical.
• the support plate 5 remains in its horizontal orientation throughout the entire lifting movement.
• the parallel arms 20 are articulated to the piston rod 12 at a distance from the axis 2 in the region of the free end of the piston rod 12, and at the same distance from the bearing of the support plate 5 on the lifting support 3, they are articulated to the support plate 5.
• the two parallel arms 20, together with the two lifting arms 3a form a parallelogram arrangement that keeps the support plate 5 aligned parallel to the base plate 10a at every lifting height.
• a pivotably mounted locking element 21 is arranged at the free end of the piston rod 12.
• it is designed as a pawl with a locking lug 22, which is positively pressed into the gaps 14a of the rack structure 14 by a spring element (not shown), such as a torsion spring, in order to block unintentional movement of the support area 8 away from the housing of the hydraulic cylinder and thus unintentional lowering of the lifting support 3.
• the locking element 21 can also be arranged on the support area 8 of the lifting support 3.
• a release element (not shown here) is also provided, by which the locking lug 22 can be pivoted out of the gaps in the rack structure 14 against the spring force, thus allowing unblocked movement of the support area 8 in the direction that lowers the lifting support 3.
• the release element can, for example, be formed mechanically by a Bowden cable guided from the housing 11 via the axis 18 or preferably by an electromagnetic actuator.
• the two rollers 9a extend beyond the end of the base plate 10a, where they are freely rotatable. In this way, the rollers 9a can be brought into contact with the ground U by lifting the opposite side of the jack 1, preferably via a handle 23 arranged on the base plate 10a or on the housing 11, so that the jack, raised on one side, can be easily moved and rolled to a work location desired for lifting a vehicle.

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• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Geology (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Vehicle Cleaning, Maintenance, Repair, Refitting, And Outriggers (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

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Citations (12)

• 2024
  • 2024-04-15 DE DE102024110558.5A patent/DE102024110558A1/de active Pending
• 2025
  • 2025-04-15 US US19/179,101 patent/US20260028209A1/en active Pending
  • 2025-04-15 EP EP25170812.9A patent/EP4640619A1/fr active Pending

Patent Citations (12)

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