Patent Application
20230250665
Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to an automated vehicle parking system, and more particularly to an automated vehicle parking system that is suitable to receive and hold motor vehicles and can be used as a private or public car parking against payment and can be compatible with a network of underground tunnels.
The problem of parking of motor vehicles is becoming more and more pronounced, especially in areas where little space is available for parking motor vehicles by day or by night. Known large underground car garages have been proposed to meet the lack of space available for parking but have not overcome various working aspects of the problem. They are expensive, very difficult to assemble and operate, as well as not efficient in moving vehicles in and out of parking spaces. Additionally, these prior art systems are not scalable and hence cannot meet the demand of ever-increasing number of motor vehicles.
Moreover, these known parking structures are not designed to accommodate self-driving cars entering and exiting underground public transportation systems such as a network of tunnels proposed by the Boring Company which creates safe, fast-to-dig, and low-cost transportation, utility, and freight tunnels to solve traffic, enable rapid point-to-point transportation and transform cities.
Therefore, there is a need for an automated vehicle parking system that solves the mentioned-above shortcomings of the prior art parking systems and can be connected to a network of underground tunnels to accommodate self-driving cars entering and existing the tunnels.
The present invention provides an automated parking system for parking self-driving motor vehicles exiting or entering a tunnel connected to the system. The system includes a first frame support structure having a front frame member and a back frame member; a rotary conveyor system disposed on the first frame support structure; and a plurality of hubs pivotally connected to the rotary conveyor system; wherein the rotary conveyor system is configured to transmit rotary motion between a first shaft connecting a motor and a first chain ring and a second shaft connecting a second chain ring, a third chain ring and a fourth chain ring; wherein a plurality of teeth of the first chain ring and a plurality of teeth of the second chain ring mesh and engage with a driving chain disposed on the back frame member; wherein a plurality of teeth of the third chain ring mesh and engage with an advancing back chain disposed in a back channel of the back frame member; and wherein a plurality of teeth of the fourth chain ring mesh and engage with an advancing front chain disposed in a front channel of the front frame member.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the front frame member and the back frame member each can terminate in a pair of support legs. In some instances, each pair of support legs can be connected by a corresponding horizontal support member. Additionally, the frame support structure can include a pair of ground support members to ensure overall stability of the system. In some embodiments, the front frame member and the back frame member are connected together by one or more top frame support members. The hubs are each pivotally connected to the front advancing chain and the back advancing chain by one or more pivot members.
According to some aspects of the present invention, a plurality of hubs include at least one sensor such as proximity sensor or at least one transmitter coupled to a computing device having a processor and memory. In some instances, a plurality of hubs includes at least one IoT device in communication with a computing device. And yet in some other instances, a plurality of hubs includes at least one electric car charger to allow for car charging while a car is parked in the hub. In some instances, the system includes at least one additional parking structure disposed back-to-back in close proximity to the first parking structure to allow for scalability. The system can further include one or more bridges connecting the first parking structure and the second parking structure.
Other aspects, embodiments and features of the system and method will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying figures. The accompanying figures are for schematic purposes and are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the figures, each identical or substantially similar component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a single numeral or notation. For purposes of clarity, not every component is labeled in every figure. Nor is every component of each embodiment of the device and method shown where illustration is not necessary to allow those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the device and method.
The preceding summary, as well as the following detailed description of the disclosed system and method, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the attached drawings. It should be understood, however, that neither the system nor the method is limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
An automated parking system of the present disclosure includes a rotatable vertical structure having a plurality of hubs (i.e., parking spots), wherein each hub is equipped with at least one electric car charger and a plurality of sensors and IoT devices for guiding vehicles and managing parking spaces. The system can be underground, ground, above ground or halfway above ground and can be configured to connect to one or more tunnels such as the Boring Company tunnels, for example. The structure is designed to rotate to allow for cars to enter a hub. The system can be used for a dual purpose as parking and as highway, street, or tunnel exits. Once cars are parked in several hubs, a few hubs will remain vacant to allow cars to enter the structure from the tunnel and exit the tunnel as the rotary conveyor mechanism transports the hubs.
Referring now to the drawings in detail,
The hubs 180, shown in
As illustrated in
The system is designed to be connected to one or more underground tunnels such as the Boring Company tunnels, for example. When a self-driving electric car is exiting an underground tunnel into a hub of the parking system of the present invention, the rotary conveyor mechanism can transport the hub from the initial position on the underground level to an upper position on the ground level or in some instances to an above ground level, thereby allowing cars to enter and exit at different levels of interest. Similarly, the system can be designed to allow a car to enter the hub from the ground level and exit the hub into a tunnel from the underground level. In some instances, when a square-shaped structure is utilized, the system can be used to accommodate parallel parking allowing cars to enter the hubs from the ground level and transporting them to below ground levels, thereby expanding parking capacity in comparison with the conventional parallel parking lots.
While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description of the invention, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exists. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the invention, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
Although the invention is described herein with reference to specific embodiments, various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. Any benefits, advantages, or solutions to problems that are described herein with regard to specific embodiments are not intended to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or element of any or all the claims.
Unless stated otherwise, terms such as “first” and “second” are used to arbitrarily distinguish between the elements such terms describe. Thus, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or other prioritization of such elements.
The foregoing detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary, or the following detailed description.
