A simulation–optimization-based planning and control system for operations of fully automated parking systems

Fully Automated Parking Systems (FAPSs) are new-generation car parking systems where sensor technology is used, and the parking process is carried out with the help of automated carriers (lifts, conveyors, robots). As they offer effective, economical, and environmentally friendly solutions, FAPSs are seen as the future of parking systems and becoming more prevalent daily. However, the number of studies on operational planning and control problems is still limited. The software for planning and executing operations in FAPSs generally utilizes simple dispatching/heuristic rules like "first-come-first-served" and "nearest available slot." However, formulating and solving operational problems in FAPSs as optimization problems instead of using basic dispatching/heuristic rules can considerably improve performance. In this paper, a dynamic and proactive planning system is proposed to handle and solve operational planning and control problems of FAPSs. A new simulation–optimization-based allocation procedure is developed to improve the operational efficiency of FAPSs. Finally, the applicability and performance of the new procedure are tested on a real case. The proposed approach is compared with the classical (rule-based) approach via a simulation study. In addition to the performance evaluation of the proposed approach, some important findings of the research are also presented in this paper.