An automated (car) parking system (APS) or Smart Parking System, uses low-cost sensors and real-time data along with applications to manage parking spaces. The system will enable drivers to identify parking spots via smartphones or electronic street panels. Like automated valet parking kiosks by CVPS, some systems provide valet parking systems along with services like valet payment kiosks and software for the valet parking operations.
An APS is built to decrease the area of space required to park cars. It is like a multi-story parking lot; an APS supports parking for multi-level car parking, these are stacked vertically to expand the number of parking spaces while reducing land use. However, the APS uses a mechanical system and transport cars to and from parking areas to reduce the space wasted in a multi-level parking lot. Though it is like a multi-story parking area that is stacked vertically, an APS is more of an automatic storage and retrieval system for cars. A paternoster is one of the most common and oldest types of APS. Other technologies employed in this system include Elevated, Rotary, Modular, Multi-Level Floor Parking, Multi-Level Circulation Automated Parking System.
The main benefits of APS are augmented safety, reduced parking violations saves time, effort, and fuel, and increased efficiency in terms of saving space. It is also environment friendly as it would help in reducing pollution since on average a person spends almost half an hour finding a parking space. Along with that, the chances of accidents are also reduced. Here the main aim of the system is to eliminate the concept of manual parking and its risks.
Further, there are mainly two types of APS:
- Fully automated parking system
The fully automated parking system is one of the kinds of automatic parking systems that are like robotic valet car parking. The driver takes the vehicle to APS at the entrance. Then all the passengers leave the car as the driver pays at the local automated terminal and get the code or ticket.
After all passengers exit the entrance area, the mechanical system elevates and moves the car to the pre-determined space which was saved in the system. As new improvements are made the system now acquires the size and other measurements of the vehicle and allocates the location to fit it in the most optimal parking space available.
For picking up the vehicle the driver just needs to insert the ticket into an automatic terminal. Then the APS directs the car to be mechanically lifted and transported to the exit area.
- Semi-automated car parking system
The semi-automated car parking system also uses a mechanical system to move a car to the parking space. But unlike that of an automated car parking system, this one requires the driver to take the car in the system and assist it in its operations while parking the car.
Space and cost are the key differentiating factors between the fully automated and semi-automated APS. The parking spaces with larger capacity, which can support more than 100 cars, are usually fully automated.
