Parking system an electro-mechanical marvel

Interior of the automated car park at Ibn Battuta Gate.

The first multi-storey, automated car park has been launched at the new Ibn Battuta Gate development by Asteco.

The technology developed by US-based Robotic Parking, a world leader in the field, and has been brought to the region by the MAG group, a leading UAE company. The parking technology (RPT) strictly uses electro-mechanics, with no hydraulics or pneumatics applied at all. It embraces mechanical elements in use for over a century, combined with the latest automation technology as perfected by automotive assembly lines at GM and Ford, for example.

The uniqueness of the system and its advancement compared to former technologies in the field of automated parking lies in the arrangement of the system components, its modularity and flexibility, and in the use, integration and application of the latest software platforms. RPT utilises the proven automation platform called Cimplicity from General Electric, which is in use among major automation projects around the globe, including NASA facilities.

Every

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single component used is off-the-shelf and of the highest quality the market offers. For example, the servo motors provide a historical lifetime of 25 years, while the selected gearboxes have a first maintenance requirement after 20 years of operation.

SPACE-SAVING

This technology allows for two to three times the number of cars to be parked in the same space and/or volume of a conventional garage. Moreover, there are no technical height limitations for the system to work. The user of a typical conventional garage will most likely get tired of curving ramps well before the top level.

RPT provides absolute security for patrons and their vehicles. Since it is composed of completely modular elements, it provides a great degree of architectural freedom for both the façade design and the arrangement of the system to accommodate the parameters of the site.

For example, the entry/exit stations (EES) can be arranged at grade level, while the actual storage space can be located either above or below that entry level at any height, connected only by vertical lift shafts with a footprint of about 8 x 20 feet each.

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Also, irregular shaped lots or lots with small footprints can be used for implementation of this technology. Lots that only could be used for surface parking with an attendant, and which could not even be used for structured parking before, can now be utilized with RPT.

Another design feature of RPT is that the EES of the facility can be located at any height in the facility, and on opposite sides and different heights, thereby providing a very high degree of flexibility for planners.

THROUGHPUT

The throughput capabilities (the number of vehicles processed in a certain timeframe) of the technology are only limited by the number of EES that can be located physically at the entry level(s). Typical dwell times (which may vary depending on users) are between 20 and 40 seconds. This results in a throughput capability of one EES of a total of 40 to 50 vehicles every hour.

The basic layout of the system design requires a typical slab or mat foundation (which is mostly possible due to the low required soil pressure of 30 to 50 PSI), a steel structure and the machines riding on the supporting steel beams provided. The steel structure represents a kind of erector set with the needed amount of levels (not floors because there are no ceilings; it is an open-rack structure) composed by columns, beams and sufficient bracing to meet all requirements relating to winds and earthquakes.

HIGHLY ADAPTIVE

This structure also supports horizontal and vertical loads of the roof and the façade. Therefore the roof and façade do not need separate super structures, and can be attached to the actual steel structure with respective vibration and sound-absorbing anchors with a span of eight-feet only. The bracing and columns are very adaptive for heavy wind as well.

In case of a mixed-use development, it is recommended that the supporting structures for the building and the parking facility themselves be separated in order to avoid any sound or vibration elements intruding into the actual building, be it an office, apartment or retail/entertainment space.

As the system provides for a closed façade and roof to blend architecturally into the neighborhood and protect the vehicles, there is a practical need for a fire-fighting system installation like a sprinkler system.

Lighting can be limited for maintenance purpose, and no mechanical ventilation is necessary since no engines run inside the facility. Natural ventilation is provided by the installation of louvres in the roof.

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