Leetonia, Ohio (October 30, 1997): Robotic Parking Systems today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has awarded the company a patent on its new Modular Automated Parking System (MAPS).

The patent provides Robotic Parking with ownership rights to a new automated parking technology that simultaneously parks and retrieves multiple vehicles on one or more contiguous garage floors. It covers the methods in which cars are moved using lifts, pallets and sensing devices.

"With our new system, fast, reliable and safe automated parking has now become a reality," says Gerhard Haag, the company’s president and chief executive officer.

System Description

MAPS increases parking space availability by doubling the number of parking spaces of typical ramp style parking garages. It also prevents cars from being damaged while parked, and eliminates the risk of personal injury and theft. The system 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 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, where it arrives in a forward drive position.

"Recovery time for a vehicle is as fast as one minute," says Haag, who adds that the modular aspect of the system allows Robotic Parking to customize the number and location of entrance and exit bays for maximum accessibility and convenience.

The new system combines flexible transfer, an advanced assembly line transport technology used in the automobile industry, with a fuzzy logic application that helps optimize the movement of the carriers and lifts. A Windows NT computer, which is installed on-site and can be accessed from any remote location, monitors the entire system. Using a Man Machine Interface (MMI), it shows real time vehicle movements on-screen for rapid fault detection and diagnostics.

MAPS can be built up to twenty stories high, above ground, underground or both, and within any facade or architectural design. It can also be modified and added to after installation, or even relocated.

Development Background

Early generation mechanical parking structures using stacker crane systems, hydraulics and pneumatics, were first introduced in Europe and Asia in the late 1950’s as a solution for areas with large parking requirements but limited space. Internationally renowned Krupp Manufacturing in Germany, became the world leader in mechanical parking structure design and development.

According to Haag, who holds an advanced degree in engineering, and is the former owner and president of Krupp Manufacturing’s steel division in Stuttgart, the basic mechanical parking system design principles were sound, but lacked the technology to make them price competitive and fast. "Our goal was to develop a fast, flexible system that eliminated the need for hydraulics and pneumatics," says Haag, who spent several years refining the mechanical parking concept with state-of-the-art electronics and robotics.

Contact Information

Robotic Parking was established in 1994 to provide a cost-effective solution for overcrowded parking facilities with a need for convenient, safe parking.

For a free brochure on Robotic Parking’s new Modular Automated Parking System, contact Robotic Parking at
1-888-ROBOPARK (1-888-762-6727);
E-mail: RoboPark@juno.com;
Address: 280 Walnut St., Leetonia, OH 44431;