Guide to the Classification of Automated Parking Systems

Maihaisheng Industrial classifies its products based on mainstream global multi-level parking systems, providing detailed descriptions of each system’s structural features, key specifications, advantages and disadvantages, and suitable sites. It distinguishes between residential, commercial, municipal, and special-site applications to facilitate project implementation and product selection.

I.Eight Mainstream Models of National Standard Mechanical Parking Garages (Including Site Adaptation)

1.Puzzle Parking System (PSH)

Operating Principle: Vehicle-carrying platforms are raised, lowered, and shifted laterally in a multi-tiered arrangement, with vehicles stored and retrieved by rotating through available spaces.

Number of Levels: Typically 2–6 levels; up to 7 levels in some configurations

Advantages and Disadvantages: Technologically mature, low cost, and low failure rate; access requires the rotation of vacant spaces, and access speed at higher levels is generally moderate.

Suitable Locations

Residential communities (above-ground/underground garages; the most popular choice)

Standard office buildings, small-to-medium-sized shopping malls, and hotels

Hospitals, schools, and garages within industrial parks

Areas with regular layouts and sufficient length and width, where there are no strict requirements for minimizing the footprint

2.Simple Parking System (PJS)

Operating Principle: Each unit operates independently with vertical and horizontal movements; primarily two-tier configurations with no need for overall repositioning.

Number of Levels: Primarily two levels; some configurations can accommodate three levels

Advantages: Quick installation, small footprint, and lowest cost; vehicles on the upper level must wait for those on the lower level to be moved out first, making large-scale, contiguous deployment impractical

Suitable Locations

Private garages, villa courtyards, and small-scale parking expansion within organizations

Partial vacancies in basements; parking spaces attached to street-front retail stores

Retrofitting scattered parking spaces in older residential communities; small, fragmented areas with limited space; not suitable for large-scale commercial use.

3.Rotary Parking System (PCX)

Operating Principle: Vehicle platforms circulate in a vertical loop, with fixed entry and exit points.

Capacity: A single unit can accommodate 10–20 vehicles

Advantages and Disadvantages: Minimal footprint and extremely high vertical space utilization; continuous operation generates noise, and queues may form during peak hours

Suitable Locations

Narrow, elongated street-facing lots; corner plots within road right-of-way boundaries

Parking spaces for scenic areas, pedestrian streets, small commercial districts, and gas stations

Areas in city centers where land is at a premium and horizontal space is severely limited

Temporary or permanent parking spots near plazas and parks; characterized by an exceptionally low failure rate

4.Plane Moving Parking System (PPY)

Operating Principle: Elevators work in conjunction with laterally moving trolleys to transport and park vehicles horizontally across different floors.

Number of Levels: Multi-level vertical layout with large storage capacity per facility

Advantages and Disadvantages: Fast access and retrieval speeds; high vehicle throughput capacity; high investment costs; requires high precision in civil engineering work

Suitable Locations

Large shopping malls, mixed-use complexes, and convention centers

Airports, high-speed rail stations, and major passenger transportation hubs

High-end business clusters and clusters of super-tall office buildings

Public construction projects with high average daily vehicle traffic and high demands for access and retrieval efficiency, characterized by a high degree of automation.

5.Aisle Stacking System (PXD)

Operating Principle: Utilizes stacker cranes that travel along aisles to lift, move laterally, and extend/retract vehicles for storage and retrieval, similar to a multi-level warehouse model.

Scale: Large-scale intelligent parking garages with a capacity of 100 vehicles or more.

Advantages and Disadvantages: Highest space utilization in the industry, comprehensive safety protections, and fully automated operation; highest construction costs, longest construction cycles, and highest O&M costs.

Suitable Locations

Large-scale underground smart parking garages, urban public multi-story parking structures

High-end business parks, large-scale parking facilities for government and corporate complexes

Large-scale parking complexes with integrated underground space development and unified planning

Locations with high requirements for smart technology, confidentiality, and management standards

6.Tower Parking System (PCS)

Operating Principle: Dedicated vehicle elevators transport vehicles vertically to parking spaces on both sides of the tower, maximizing vertical space utilization.

Number of Floors: Up to 20 floors or more

Advantages and Disadvantages: Minimal horizontal footprint, extremely tall structures; high technical barriers, expensive equipment, and strict fire safety requirements

Suitable Locations

Core urban commercial districts, parking facilities for super-tall landmark buildings

Standalone parking structures on small plots of land where exceptionally tall vertical construction is permitted

Densely populated downtown areas, parking expansion projects for urban renewal

7.Vehicle-Specific Lifts (PQS/PST)

Operating Principle: A purely vertical lifting platform designed solely for vehicle transport; it does not have parking functionality and is classified as garage auxiliary equipment.

Features: High load capacity and smooth operation; not intended for use as a standalone parking facility.

Suitable Applications

Vertical vehicle transport corridors in multi-story and underground parking garages

Vehicle transport between floors in industrial plants and logistics warehouses

Internal floor-to-floor transfers within large machinery garages, and entrances/exits with limited ramp space

 II.Additional Classification by Site Configuration & System Selection Recommendations

1.Above-Ground Sites

Open, flat areas: Prioritize the Puzzle Parking System, Rotary Parking System, and Plane Moving Parking System

Long, narrow areas: Prefer the Rotary Parking System

Scattered small parking spaces: Select the Simple Parking System

2.Underground Sites

Standard Basements (typical ceiling height): Puzzle Parking System, Plane Moving Parking System

Large, Unified Underground Spaces: Aisle Stacking System, Puzzle Parking System

Multi-Story Underground Garages (where ramps are impractical): Combined with vehicle-specific elevators

3.Semi-Underground / Backfilled Sites

Prioritize the Puzzle Parking System and Simple Parking System, as their low equipment height makes them suitable for backfilled and semi-buried civil engineering structures.