DE20003069U1 - Automatic parking system for cars and station wagons - Google Patents

Description

DMS Technical Systems GmbH Niederwerrn, 11. 02. 2000

Automatic parking system for cars and station wagons

Description

Automatic parking systems of the usual design have a rigid structure. They are tied to a fixed concept, require a precisely coordinated building/parking garage and have a fixed procedure.

The invention specified in claims 1 to 3 aims to achieve a high degree of variability in the parking process, selection of parking positions and exiting a parking space. Depending on the capacity of a parking garage, faster exit times can be achieved by using different transport routes and more favorable parking positions in order to be able to adapt better to the external conditions.

The designs of other automatic parking garages hardly allow existing conventional parking buildings to be subsequently automated. The buildings have to adapt to the existing rigid technology. The invention described here makes it possible to retrofit existing conventional parking garages/large garages with this automation at any time, which can be very advantageous and cost-effective.

Each parking deck is densely packed with conveyor units, which are arranged above

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driven rollers in the longitudinal and transverse direction. (Drawing 1). These conveyor units form a roller carpet that consists of "rows" and "lines". Each of these conveyor units can accommodate a special pallet and forms a defined position on the parking deck. (Drawing 2).

When occupying a parking deck, it is necessary that at least one row of conveyor units, preferably one of the outermost rows, is not occupied but is only used for maneuvering. (Drawing 3). The pallets in a row can be moved sideways in whole or in part. Depending on how many loaded pallets are on this roller carpet, the other outermost row of conveyor elements or possibly an additional middle row can be kept free for the necessary maneuvering. This results in shorter routes and therefore shorter parking times. In parking garages with several parking decks, it is best to first allocate all parking positions that are easy to maneuver before maneuvering rows have to be assigned as parking positions.

The loaded pallets are also transported to and from the parking or unparking positions by these conveyor units, which form a driven roller conveyor when lined up. (Drawing 3). Lifting devices are also provided with these conveyor units to overcome floors. For example, scissor lifts or inclined lifts can be used to get from a roller conveyor on one parking level to the roller conveyor on the next parking level. Lifting devices similar to those used in storage and retrieval machines make it possible to overcome several floors at once when installed outside the parking levels. (Drawing 4).

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Parking (example):

1. Car drives into the entry station onto a pallet. The occupants get out. (Drawing 3).

2. A parking ticket is taken from a machine next to the entry station. At the same time, the computer system is informed that a parking space is imminent.

3. A motion detector confirms that the area around the vehicle is clear, the barrier is closed. The computer system enables automatic parking.

4. The pallet with the car is transported to the next conveyor unit.

5. An empty pallet is fed from below the entry station, the barrier opens for the next vehicle.

6. The pallet with the car is then moved along the following conveyor units. A built-in turning station turns the pallet by 180° (better for reversing out of a parking space).

7. Pallet reaches the transfer station to the lifting unit (here as an example an RFZ).

8. RFZ drives to the transfer station and takes over the pallet. (Drawing 4).

9. RFZ moves to longitudinal position and simultaneously lifts the pallet to a floor height opposite the exit to a row defined by the computer.

10. Pallet is pushed out from the RFZ onto the 1st row of the roller conveyor. (Drawing 3).

11. In this example, the storage capacity of a parking deck consists of 10 rows and 5 lines (Figure 1). The 1st and 10th rows are not used, for example, to form retrieval lanes. Newly arriving pallets are parked as far as possible towards the 5th row, whereby the rows in the sequence 5-6-4-7-3-8-2-9 are appropriately used.

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Removing a parking space (example):

1. A car is requested at a parking station. The card is inserted into the ATM and the fee is paid. Then the number of the parking station (here, e.g. 2) and the parking number (here

The current parking number (e.g. 11) is displayed above the parking station.

2. If the car with the retrieval number 14 is next in line to be parked, for example it is parked on parking deck 2, row 6, line 3, then the pallets in front of it in row 6 must be moved to rows 4 and 5 (if available) (drawing 3). These two rows would then have to be moved towards row 1 with rows 2 to 6 or less if only partially occupied. Or alternatively, rows 4 and 5 could be moved towards row 10 if possible if this row was kept free. Now the lane in front of the pallet with the car to be parked with the retrieval number 14 is free in the direction of the parking lot that is doing the retrieval.

3. The RFZ simultaneously transports the pallet lengthwise and lowers it before transferring it to the parking station 2.

4. The pallet is transported to the retrieval station via the conveyor units. The retrieval number 14 appears above the station.

5. Barrier opens, driver can get in and out.

6. Barrier closes, motion detector controls the area, next pallet could be transported to the station.

Claims (3)

1. Automatic parking system for cars and station wagons, consisting of a conveyor and storage facility which is made up of identical conveyor units, characterized in that these identical conveyor units have driven rollers arranged at the top in the longitudinal and transverse directions. Depending on the composition, these conveyor units can be arranged in a row to form a driven conveyor line or a type of roller carpet on which transport can take place longitudinally and transversely. 2. Automatic parking system according to claim 1, characterized in that special pallets on which cars or station wagons can be parked are transported on the conveyor units with driven rollers, each of which can accommodate a pallet. 3. Automatic parking system according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that an electronic control system controls both the storage and retrieval and also determines the parking positions by necessary longitudinal and transverse movements of the pallets on the conveyor units.