Scheidt & Bachmann "feeds" data to parking robot "Ray"

Scheidt & Bachmann and serva transport systems GmbH have eliminated the need to search for a parking space and even to park the vehicle. The Scheidt & Bachmann reservation system first allocates a space in a certain area of the car park before a robot made by serva transport systems actually parks the car in the assigned place. This service, which cuts out the often tedious process of finding a gap and manoeuvring into it, is offered to passengers at Düsseldorf Airport, Germany.

Parking robot "Ray" is currently "doing the rounds" in the PremiumPlus area of the airport's P3 multi-storey car park. "Ray's" job there is to manoeuvre the cars into their parking spaces after they have been left by passengers at one of the six handover stations. There are currently around 250 parking spaces available in this area, although not in the size usually expected. "Ray" measures the vehicles and parks them bumper-to-bumper and wing mirror-to-wing mirror in order to save space.

Scheidt & Bachmann has developed an interface that enables the entervo car park management system – including reservation module – to communicate with the parking robot. When a customer with a confirmed reservation passes the device at the entrance, a data record containing the necessary data (e.g. the passenger's flight information) is sent to the robot. Customers who have reserved a parking space for the following day are notified to the serva system via the interface. The information on the parking space is in turn supplied by serva to the Scheidt & Bachmann car park management system. The area available for reservation, and thus for allocating new spaces, varies depending on the size of the vehicles that "Ray" has parked in the PremiumPlus area over a certain period of time.

The interface transmits the data on the customer's return flight to "Ray", enabling the robot to deliver the car back to one of the handover stations in good time. As soon as the vehicle owner's flight has landed, a message is sent to "Ray" telling it to remove the vehicle from the car park and make it ready. Passengers are thus able to continue their journeys in their cars without any added waiting time.

The parking robot even works through the night, when it is busy optimising place assignments to make space for new reservations. At the same time, it sorts out the vehicles due for handover on the following day. "Ray" and the reservation system are in constant contact and exchange data all the time.

According to serva transport systems, even older car parks can be equipped with "Ray" – thus making these safer and more comfortable.

About Scheidt & Bachmann

The family-owned company with its headquarters in Moenchengladbach, Germany was founded in 1872 and is now managed in its fifth generation. In the four divisions Fare Collection systems, Signalling Systems, Petrol Station Systems and Parking and Leisure Centre Systems, Scheidt & Bachmann is setting worldwide standards. The Parking Systems division dominates the international car park market by nearly 22,000 installations; it is the system provider for more than 75 airports worldwide. Scheidt & Bachmann provides with its brand “entervo” integrated, modular general solutions consisting of up-to-date JAVA software and innovative equipment.