Of the 51,365 mechanical parking lots (573,314 spaces) installed nationwide as of December 31, 2012, the cumulative installation volume of vertical circulation parking lots was 2,767 (47,185 spaces), accounting for about 18.5% of the total. In terms of new installations in the past year, out of a total of 887 units (21,676 faces), 129 units (1,327 faces) were vertical circulation systems, accounting for about 14%. Experts believe that the installation rate of vertical circulation mechanical parking lots will increase further in the future, given the ease of use and maintenance.

Changgong Parking Industry (CEO Lee Sang-up, www.juchagi.com, hereinafter referred to as Changgong), which has specialized in producing mini-rotary multistory parking lots since its establishment in 1989, is also looking ahead to a positive future with the features of the 'Changgong Sky Parking' model and the large RV-type parking lot (SKY-VL) that entered the market in 2010.

"Not only is the mini-rotary type highly efficient, but it is also easy to operate and does not require a separate manager, so it is very popular with building owners in terms of saving labor costs," said Changgong Lee. "We are currently expanding the parking lot market with the large RV-type parking model, which was developed by securing structural stability in response to the trend of larger vehicles." Lee predicts that the mechanical parking lot market will be bifurcated into two types, mini-rotary and elevator, and is planning to expand the mini-rotary market even in the midst of the current stagnant demand for parking lots.

Compared to other companies, Changgong's sky parking products boast unrivaled high quality in terms of bell tower and frame, drive motor, drive method, and built-in turntable. In particular, the wheel of the bell tower is not a fixed half-moon type, but a structure that rotates while being firmly supported in the center of the frame, and the main chain is attached to this wheel, and the wheel and main chain idle around the bell tower axis. Therefore, the driving efficiency is high and the noise is low, which minimizes power consumption and extends the life of the main chain.

In addition, the main chain connection drive method, in which the main chain is driven by a small drive sprocket, is the most suitable drive method for mini-rotary parking lots, as the machine operation is quiet, power consumption is low, and a simple structure can be obtained, according to Lee Jong-won, head of the company's sales department.

"While other companies' products use a large drive sprocket drive method by directly driving the main chain to the support wheel, we have realized a simple and efficient drive system by using a small drive sprocket developed by ourselves to connect the main chain to drive the main chain," he said.

 

High quality and robustness by adopting the main chain connection drive method

In addition, for the built-in turntable type, which has seen an explosion in demand in recent years, we use a patented drive method that converts rotational motion into up and down tilting motion using a lead screw in the lifting method for turning the vehicle, which is a lifting method developed by ourselves, so it is possible to install a high-performance built-in parking lot with a very simple structure.

In terms of drive motors, some large-capacity models are equipped with two in the front and back of the parking lot to distribute the power applied to the drive motor and drive shaft to prevent accidents such as drive shaft or drive chain breakage. "In general, in the case of a rotary type, more load is applied to the back of the parking lot due to the partial load of the loaded vehicle engine, but the actual drive motor drives the front of the drive shaft, so the amount of partial load the drive shaft receives is too large," Lee said. "If only one drive motor is installed, the front of the machine will receive excessive power deflection, which will put tremendous strain on the drive part."

In addition, the frame of the parking lot uses a total of four rows of vertical members (M-shaped steel), which requires a lot of materials and a lot of manufacturing processes, resulting in high manufacturing costs, but the high strength results in a solid and stable structure.

Changgong's mini-roundabout installed at the Hoseo Building in Dangsan-dong, Seoul (pictured) is another site that utilizes all of the aforementioned features, and is unique in that the architects of Dongwoo Architects & Engineers participated in the design of the parking garage. The 17-meter-high, 16-car parking garage is open 24 hours a day, and users can enter and exit the garage by simply entering their vehicle number and pressing the entry button after parking.

The acceptable vehicle specifications are 1,850 kg or less in gross weight, 5,190 mm in length, and 1,850 mm in width, and reverse parking is prohibited for forward parking only. Currently, the site is operated for a fee, which is 1,500 won for the first 30 minutes and 500 won for each additional 10 minutes, and a lost parking ticket costs 10,000 won.

Currently, Changgong is the only company in the vertical circulation system that directly operates maintenance services. For the mini-rotary type, the cost is higher than other methods at about 20,000 won per pallet, and Changgong's maintenance service is provided to a total of 300 sites. Currently, the installation cost of the mini-rotor type is in the range of 600~650 million won per pallet. For the built-in turntable type, the installation is slightly more expensive at 750~800 million won.

 

Different interpretations of laws and ordinances, adding to industry confusion

The vertical circulation system is not affected by the construction economy as much as the elevator system or other methods, and mini-rotary systems are mostly adopted in remodeling and expansion projects, and in recent years, the demand for urban living houses, which the government has encouraged to be built, has soared.

However, as the problem of lack of parking lots for urban living houses has been highlighted, local governments have applied ordinances to strengthen parking standards, and the demand for vertical circulation systems has slowed down somewhat. "Suwon City regulates the installation ratio of mechanical parking machines to 30% or less of the total number of parking spaces, while Incheon Bupyeong-gu does not allow vertical circulation systems that do not have turntables and only permits those with turntables, and Gwacheon City permits only elevator systems," Lee said. "Not only do the ordinances differ by local government, but the interpretation of the ordinance or law by the staff in charge of the ward office also differs, adding to the confusion of companies due to unclear standards."

In addition, the amendment and promulgation of the Parking Lot Act on March 23 last year has disrupted the supply of large RV parking lots that Changgong has developed ambitiously and is on the market. Article 16.5 (Safety Standards for Mechanical Parking Devices) of the Enforcement Rules of the Parking Lot Act states that "the size of a parking space in a large mechanical parking lot shall be 2.3 meters or more in width, 1.9 meters or more in height, and 5.3 meters or more in length." However, in the case of vehicles with sharp corners (Rodius), the upper corner of the mini-rotor type (a.k.a. corner cutout), which was previously sloped, must be made into a 90-degree right-angle shape in order to be inspected due to the possibility of complaints when parking. 

"Because of this, large models that have already been certified are not being inspected, and the possibility of specifying the product itself is increasing," said Lee. "This interpretation is too arbitrary and needs to be carefully reconsidered by the ministry."