US 11,834,313 B2
Lift carrier
Toshiki Kitajima, Mishima (JP); Norinao Watanabe, Susono (JP); Yutaka Nakamura, Susono (JP); Naoya Kajita, Toyota (JP); Kenji Nakano, Toyota (JP); Takafumi Sannomiya, Okazaki (JP); Yasutada Shimizu, Okazaki (JP); and Kohei Yasuda, Susono (JP)
Assigned to TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed by TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed on May 31, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/828,586.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-111593 (JP), filed on Jul. 5, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0002203 A1, Jan. 5, 2023
Int. Cl. E04H 6/36 (2006.01); B66F 7/16 (2006.01); B60S 13/02 (2006.01); B66F 7/28 (2006.01)
CPC B66F 7/16 (2013.01) [B60S 13/02 (2013.01); B66F 7/28 (2013.01); E04H 6/36 (2013.01); B66F 2700/12 (2013.01)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
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.