Automatic Car Parking Lift Demo Model

Urban parking is a geometry problem: land is scarce and cars are not getting smaller, so cities increasingly stack vehicles with automated parking lifts. The engineering behind those systems — a lift mechanism that carries a tonne safely, sensors that know a car is correctly positioned, and a controller that sequences the whole cycle without human error — is excellent final-year material, but students rarely get to build it because the real machines are industrial-scale. The gap is a bench-scale model that demonstrates the complete loop honestly: presence sensing, lift actuation, end-of-travel safety, and automatic sequencing. This project builds it: a two-level steel/wood frame, a platform driven by a lead-screw or rack-and-pinion lift mechanism with a DC gear motor, IR sensors confirming the car is on the platform and in position, limit switches at both travel ends, and an Arduino running the park/retrieve state machine with LCD status.

1. The model car is driven onto the platform; the IR presence sensors confirm it is fully and centrally positioned.
2. The student presses PARK; the Arduino verifies the sensors, then drives the gear motor to raise the platform.
3. The platform travels until the top limit switch trips; the motor stops and the state latches as PARKED on the LCD.
4. The car sits on the upper deck, freeing the ground position — the demo shows a second car using the lower bay.
5. On RETRIEVE, the Arduino re-verifies the bay is clear, lowers the platform to the bottom limit switch, and releases.
6. The E-stop, if pressed at any point, halts the motor instantly; the cycle resumes only after a manual reset and state re-check.

Tech stack:

• Arduino-class microcontroller
• DC gear motor with lead-screw / rack-and-pinion lift mechanism
• IR proximity sensors (car presence and position)
• Limit switches (top and bottom of travel)
• Latching emergency-stop button
• 16x2 LCD status display
• Motor driver module with current-limited supply
• Steel/wood two-level frame, model cars
• Arduino IDE (C/C++ firmware)

• [Motorized platform lift] DC gear-motor driven lead-screw/rack lift raises the platform between ground and upper deck with smooth, controlled travel.
• [IR car-presence sensing] IR sensors confirm a car is fully on the platform before the lift moves — the lift never travels with a half-positioned car.
• [Limit-switch travel safety] Top and bottom limit switches stop the motor at the travel ends; the firmware also enforces a software travel timeout as a second layer.
• [Automatic park/retrieve cycle] One button starts the park sequence (detect → lift → confirm parked); another retrieves — a full state machine, not just up/down buttons.
• [LCD status display] Shows the current state (IDLE / CAR DETECTED / LIFTING / PARKED / RETRIEVING) so the examiner can follow the logic live.
• [Emergency stop] A mushroom/latching E-stop cuts motor drive immediately and requires a deliberate reset — real machine-safety practice at model scale.
• [Adjustable deck spacing] The frame allows the upper-deck height to be set at build, so the student can discuss the geometry trade-off (clearance vs lift time).

• Working parking-lift model (frame, platform, lift mechanism, sensors, electronics)
• Complete firmware source code (state machine, safety interlocks, LCD)
• Fabrication and assembly documentation with frame drawings
• Wiring and motor-driver documentation
• Test procedure (cycle timing, load check within design envelope)
• Component list with ratings
• Project report PDF (mechanism design, sensor logic, methodology, test results)
• PPT presentation for final review
• Viva Q&A preparation document (lead-screw mechanics, state machines, machine safety)
• Setup and demonstration guide

• This is a scale demonstration model, not a vehicle lift: the design payload is a few kilograms of model car, and it must never be presented as capable of lifting real vehicles.
• Lift speed and cycle time are design outcomes of the motor and screw pitch chosen — measured by the student, not claimed at build.
• The IR sensors work in indoor lighting; strong direct sunlight can affect readings, which the demo setup notes acknowledge.
• The frame is a light student build; stability depends on correct assembly and the specified base/anchoring in the documentation.
• Real automated parking adds payment, access control and multi-bay management — this model demonstrates the single-bay lift cycle, and the report scopes it as such.