Underground automatic parking system for vehicles

An underground automatic parking system for vehicles which comprises a vertical well means, said vertical well means being longitudinally divided into two elongated vertical side parking compartments comprising a plurality of parking levels having two parking spaces each, and a central vertical elevator shaft extending between said parking compartments throughout the height of said well means and having an eccess opening at ground level;

• an elevator means arranged within said elevator shaft;
• a hoist means engaged to said elevator means in order to move the same between an upward position and a downward position within said elevator shaft;
• a movable supporting slide means in each parking space, said slide means comprising a rectangular frame supported by two side headers, said side headers having a triangular form with horizontal, vertical and inclined members, said inclined member of said headers comprising a flange having upper and lower inclined plane cam surfaces engageable by cam means arranged in said elevator;
• a corresponding plurality of vehicle carrying platforms, said platforms being supported on the rectangular frames of said supporting slide means;
• a pair of horizontal track means arranged along the edges of each parking level of said well means;
• a plurality of rollers pivotally engaged to each of said headers of the supporting slide means and arranged in rolling relationship with said track means such that the slide means may be horizontally displaced between a retracted position within a parking space and an extended position within said elevator shaft;
• cam means at each end of said elevator means arranged in a position such that said cam means will be capable of engaging said lower inclined plane cam surface of one of said flanges during the ascending movement of the elevator means, in order to displace a corresponding slide means from its retracted to its extended position;
• cam releasing means in said cam means to release said lower inclined plane cam surface of said flange during the ascending movement of the elevator means when said slide means reaches its extended position, said cam releasing means being capable of catching said upper inclined plane cam surface of said one flange during the descending movement of the elevator means to cause engagement of said cam means on said upper surface in order to displace said corresponding slide means from its extended position to its retracted position;
• slide retention means capable of maintaining said slide means in its retracted position fully clearing said elevator shaft and of releasing said supporting slide means and displacing the same a short distance towards said elevator shaft so as to intercept the path of one of said cam means of the elevator means during movement thereof;
• a vertically movable cover at the access opening of said elevator shaft;
• cover lifing means in said elevator means for catching said cover and lifting it to a suitable height above the ground level to permit free access of a vehicle into the elevator means;
• and sequence programming logic means to sequentially effect all the actions of the elevator means and the slide retention means to properly operate the parking system.