Carlo Gavazzi offers new vehicle detection systems for car parks

Controls and automation company Carlo Gavazzi has launched two new systems for detecting cars in open car parks. The first option uses a rugged magnetic sensor mounted in the ground of each parking bay, entirely unobtrusive to the user.

Two different technologies are available to transmit the data. The first is based upon the long-range wireless protocol LoRaWAN, the other uses narrow band (NB-IoT) technology. Each sensor uses minimum power from its in-built lithium battery which can last up to 10 years.

The second option uses camera-based technology to monitor multiple bays, each IP (internet protocol) camera can detect on average of up to 40 bays and the centralised hub can manage up to eight cameras. Only the numerical occupancy data is collected and relayed to the car park system, meaning no sensitive data can be accessed, making it fully compliant with GDPR.

Both systems require a centralised hub to collect the data before it is transmitted to the car park control system where the information is collated and used by the system to display the precise information on signage throughout the car park, allowing the user to easily find standard spaces, disabled spaces and electric vehicle (EV) chargepoint locations.

The colour of the LED indicator can be changed to indicate a reserved space, or temporarily change the use of a section of the car park for a particular event or occasion.

Strategically located alpha-numeric displays can then guide the driver to the nearest available space following the shortest route.

The car park guidance system is designed to be scalable and suited for both indoor and outdoor use.

The system provides a GUI (graphical user interface) management tool via the built-in web server. Displaying the status of each space, virtual space availability and bar graphs to show the situation of each level or area and provide statistical data and trends. All data is fully exportable to Excel and the system can be accessed from a PC for real-time monitoring, control and statistics.