Vehicle parking apparatus and method for its operation

Vehicle parking apparatus for use in a multi-story car park having a plurality of stories and parking boxes (11) provided in rows in said stories, the apparatus comprising at least one lift platform (12) movable between said stories, a plurality of pallets (13) each adapted to carry a vehicle to be parked, said lift platform (12) being adapted to carry at least one of said pallets, pallet drive means (32) provided on said lift platform for shifting a pallet in a direction of travel from said lift platform into a parking box and for shifting a pallet (13) in a parking box (11) in a direction opposite to said direction of travel onto said lift platform (12), each said pallet (13) comprising first and second wheel supporting beams (14) for wheels of said vehicle, each wheel supporting beam extending parallel to said direction of travel, having front and rear ends and a substantially inverted U-shape and forming a wheel carrying top surface, first and second side flanks with respective first and second lower longitudinal edges and respective outwardly directed angled flanges (15) at each of said first and second longitudinal edges, the apparatus further comprising a plurality of plates (16) connecting said first and second longitudinal edges at intervals along each wheel carrying beam and cooperating therewith to form box sections, wheel means (17) at each of said front and rear ends permitting rolling of said pallet in said direction of travel and in said direction opposite thereto, and front and rear cross-beams (18, 19) secured to said wheel carrying top surfaces of said first and second wheel supporting beams and connecting them together at a desired lateral spacing from each other, said wheel supporting beams (14) each having a length between said front and rear ends corresponding to a maximum wheel base of a vehicle to be carried, said lateral spacing corresponding to a track width of a vehicle to be carried and said front cross-beam (18) forming an abutment for front wheels of a vehicle on said pallet and said rear cross-beam (18) forming an abutment for rear wheels of a vehicle on said pallet.