Automated vehicle parking system

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an automated vehicle parking system. The automated vehicle parking system includes at least one parking facility structure including a plurality of vehicle storage cells, a vehicle entrance/exit arrangement, and a vehicle transporting mechanism. The vehicle transporting mechanism transports one or more vehicles between the entrance/exit arrangement and the at least one parking facility. The vehicle transporting mechanism is operable to redistribute the one or more vehicles between the storage cells within the at least one parking facility structure so that the one or more vehicles are more rapidly accessible when they are required to be delivered to the entrance/exit arrangement for collection thereat.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An automated vehicle parking system, including at least one parking facility structure including a plurality of vehicle storage cells, a vehicle entrance/exit arrangement, and a vehicle transporting mechanism for transporting in operation one or more vehicles between the entrance/exit arrangement and the at least one parking facility, wherein
 the vehicle transporting mechanism is operable to redistribute the one or more vehicles between the storage cells within the at least one parking facility structure so that the one or more vehicles are more rapidly accessible when they are required to be delivered to the entrance/exit arrangement for collection thereat.   
     
     
         2 . The automated vehicle parking system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein redistribution of the one or more vehicles is executed based upon user-entered information indicative of one or more estimated times of collection of the one or more vehicles. 
     
     
         3 . The automated vehicle parking system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein redistribution of the one or more vehicles is executed based upon a predictive model provided with identification information for identifying the one or more vehicles. 
     
     
         4 . The automated vehicle parking system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the system is associated with an airport facility, and redistribution of the one or more vehicles is executed based upon flight information pertaining to the airport facility, wherein the one or more vehicles are redistributed on behalf of one or more users passing through the airport facility. 
     
     
         5 . The automated vehicle parking system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein redistribution of the one or more vehicles is executed for reducing a waiting time experienced by one or more users when retrieving one or more vehicles from the system. 
     
     
         6 . The automated vehicle parking system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a sub-set of users of the system are provided with a privileged status, and redistribution of the one or more vehicles is executed, at least in part, as a function of the privileged status to reduce waiting times of the users having the privileged status relative to other users of the system. 
     
     
         7 . The automated vehicle parking system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the system is operable to provide one or more communications to one or more users of the system indicative of when their one or more vehicles stored in the system are estimated to be available at the entrance/exit arrangement. 
     
     
         8 . A method of operating an automated vehicle parking system, wherein the system includes at least one parking facility structure including a plurality of vehicle storage cells, a vehicle entrance/exit arrangement, and a vehicle transporting mechanism for transporting in operation one or more vehicles between the entrance/exit arrangement and the at least one parking facility, wherein the method includes:
 using the vehicle transporting mechanism to redistribute the one or more vehicles between the storage cells within the at least one parking facility structure so that the one or more vehicles are more rapidly accessible when they are required to be delivered to the entrance/exit arrangement for collection thereat.   
     
     
         9 . The method as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the method includes redistributing the one or more vehicles based upon user-entered information indicative of one or more estimated times of collection of the one or more vehicles. 
     
     
         10 . The method as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the method includes redistributing the one or more vehicles based upon a predictive model provided with identification information for identifying the one or more vehicles. 
     
     
         11 . The method as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the system is associated with an airport facility, and the method includes redistributing the one or more vehicles based upon flight information pertaining to the airport facility, wherein the one or more vehicles are redistributed on behalf of one or more users passing through the airport facility. 
     
     
         12 . The method as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the method includes redistributing the one or more vehicles for reducing a waiting time experienced by one or more users when retrieving one or more vehicles from the system. 
     
     
         13 . The method as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the method includes providing a sub-set of users of the system with a privileged status, and redistributing the one or more vehicles, at least in part, as a function of the privileged status to reduce waiting times of the users having the privileged status relative to other users of the system. 
     
     
         14 . The method as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the method includes operating the system to provide one or more communications to one or more users of the system indicative of when their one or more vehicles stored in the system are estimated to be available at the entrance/exit arrangement. 
     
     
         15 . A software product recorded on machine-readable data storage media, wherein the software product is executable upon computing hardware for implementing the method as claimed in  claim 8 .