What is automated parking? In situations where you want to provide greater security for people parking in a large property or utilize available space for parking to its fullest, an automated parking system is an effective solution. It can greatly increase the vehicle capacity of a plot of land when compared to parking lots and parking garages. Furthermore, cars held within it cannot be easily accessed or broken into by trespassers. Read on to learn how fully automated car parking systems work.
Fully Automated Parking System Defined
When exploring what automated parking is, it’s important to distinguish between semi- and fully automatic car parking systems. Both have moving platforms that carry cars to different positions. The difference is that fully automated parking systems do not need anyone to park a car within them first before activating. The owner of the vehicle only needs to interact with the system through a terminal located at the parking area’s entrance. From there, the system moves the car inside its storage section and finds a suitable space for it.
How the System Stores and Retrieves Vehicles
The fully automated parking system accomplishes its duties through a moving platform or platforms. The actual structure of parking systems for cars can vary. Some are arranged as large shelves into which vehicles are moved, while others use a rotating configuration of platforms.
The former has a platform that can move in all directions, whether forward and backward, left and right, or up and down. This platform allows the system to store and retrieve a car from anywhere within the shelves. The latter arrangement utilizes platforms that travel along a more fixed circuit. It cycles cars around to move in order to move new ones into itself or bring out vehicles that the owner has requested for retrieval.
User Interaction With the System
User interaction with a fully automated parking system is easy to understand. At the front entrance of the parking area, the system can provide a code or ticket to the driver when they are stowing their vehicle within through its built-in interface. When the person comes back for their car, they simply input the code or give the system their ticket to communicate with it to bring the car back out.
Now that you understand how automated car parking systems work and can answer the question of what is automated parking, you may want to implement one for your building. If so, contact Harding Steel to get started on the process of constructing an automated parking system that will work well for your property.