Tampa, Florida (October 23, 1997): Robotic Parking Systems, with offices in Florida and Ohio, has developed a revolutionary new technology that dramatically reduces the time it takes for vehicles to be parked and retrieved in an automated parking facility. It allows multiple vehicles to be moved on pallets and lifts independently and simultaneously, significantly increasing the speed of vehicle movement through the parking structure.

"Robotic Parking is the only automated parking system manufacturer in the world with a technology that allows multiple vehicles to move independently on pallets throughout the parking structure at the same time," says Gerhard Haag, the company’s president and chief executive officer. "It’s going to have a big impact in the field of automated parking, particularly in the U.S., because it successfully addresses the need for automated parking systems to move vehicles more quickly and efficiently.

The new technology combines flexible transfer, an advanced assembly line transport technology used in the automobile manufacturing industry, with a fuzzy logic application that helps optimize the movement of the carriers and lifts.

"By separating the x, y and z internal movements of the system into different self-driven operating shuttles and carriers, we were able to increase the efficiency and speed of vehicle movement by as much as 300% compared to former technologies," says Haag.

Mechanical parking was first introduced in Europe and Asia during the late 1950’s as a parking solution for areas with large parking requirements but limited space. These early systems relied heavily on stacker cranes, hydraulics and pneumatics to move and position cars. Germany’s Krupp Manufacturing led the world in mechanical parking structure design and development into the 1980’s. According to Haag, a former owner and president of Krupp’s steel division in South Germany, "the early mechanical parking design principals were sound, but lacked the technology to make them both fast and efficient."

Haag spent several years researching and evolving a more advanced automated parking process that increased the speed of vehicle throughput through the use of state-of-the-art computers and electronics. The new technology was developed for Robotic Parking’s Modular Automated Parking System (MAPS).

MAPS is a self-regulating system that automatically parks and retrieves cars in multi-level parking garages. It works by driving a car onto a pallet in a bay that is similar in appearance and size to a single car residential garage. After the driver leaves the vehicle, the car is then automatically moved by pallet through the garage to an open parking space. Using a designated ticketing machine, the driver can signal the system at any time to return the vehicle back to the bay in a forward drive position.

MAPS is controlled by a custom-programmed Windows NT computer, which is installed on-site and can be accessed from any remote location. The computer shows real time vehicle movements on-screen via a sophisticated Man Machine Interface (MMI). The on-screen images are used for rapid fault detection and diagnostics, another industry first.

The system can be built within any facade or architectural design up to twenty stories high, above ground, underground or both. It can also be modified, added to or relocated after installation. "MAPS is both fast and reliable," says Haag. "It brings automated parking into the 21st Century."

For more information contact Robotic Parking at 1-888-ROBOPARK (1-888-762-6727); E-mail: RoboPark@juno.com;
full-scale demonstration facility
Address: 280 Walnut St., Leetonia, OH 44431;