Safety Devices & Security

Accidents are caused by a variety of reasons, and personal safety begins in the early planning stage of a car park by:

Reducing the number of possible causes
Avoiding the incidence of multiple errors and circumstances

Of great danger within the concept of human/car in conventional parking structures and human/car/machine in mechanical systems, is the speed with which each section moves in relation to each other, at the same time and in the same place. Safety in this sense means to estimate the speed of different elements of the concept, and separate them by time and location.

In spiral car parks the danger from movements are reduced:

In the lobby area

  by speed limit of 4 mph (6 km/h) and by separated drive lanes without crossings
     
In the chambers
  each location - automatic shutters and doors
   
  by time difference - the TENDER has access to the automatic shutters of the entry chamber, but the central computer will not activate these until the pressure sensors in the entry chamber indicate to the computer that only the vehicle remains and that the customer has departed and left the ticket dispensing area.
     
In the car storage area


  by separation - strict separation of storage and transport areas, to deny human contact with any area other than entrance and exit chambers.

It is extremely difficult for any human to enter the car storage area, and thus security is high, and safety guaranteed for human life. Under normal running conditions injuries cannot happen to life forms (drivers, children, animals) if entry is denied to the inner complex.

However, unauthorized persons, who intentionally intrude the inner part of the unit (i.e. burglars) would have a tough time, even if one succeeds to enter the inner unit, perhaps by hiding in the trunk of a car. Permanent 24-hour surveillance by video of the lobby by guards in the control center, and (as an option) in high risk neighborhoods, even with heat seeking sensors adjusted to the temperature of the human body. Also computerized motion control units, utilizing the unit's video system, minimizes the theft of property. The spiraling TENDER would be a permanent life threat to any intruder, and as difficult as it is to enter the interior unit, it is equally as difficult to leave it again. An intruder would be locked in - not a pleasant idea, for sure. Therefore a car is parked in system GRANDO® as secure as in a bank safe.

GRANDO® - Parking As Safe As in a Bank Safe

Personal Safety

For the customer's convenience, the "servant" (TENDER) parks his/her car with a minimum of preliminary procedures, stores it safely, and returns it quickly and efficiently. TV monitoring of the whole storage procedure is for his/her peace of mind, comfort and entertainment.

The customer is never completely alone:

Intercom units in the ticket dispensers and check-out units will provide advice and help if needed.

The Lobby - the only place where the customer is able to move within the building, is under constant video remote (or in high risk neighborhoods even direct) surveillance by efficient security personnel round the clock, for safety and protection against robbery, rape and theft. It is well illuminated, visible to the outside, and well frequented. The customer will feel secure and be safe.

Operational Safety

Each GRANDO® unit is customized, has its own parameters (site, access roads, size, occupancy and frequency, customer demand etc.), and therefore conventional types as a reference are of limited value only.
Function tests of plants in this size range cannot be achieved exclusively with prototypes and test runs, as in car design. Planning and construction (as in the fields of Industrial Plants or Space Technology) are computer simulated and based upon:

Definition of the target and concept
Computer assisted analysis of the whole system; all its parts and its compatibility.

The reliability of spiral park houses is based upon the simplicity of the construction methods and parts of the TENDER:

All parts moving under load are concentrated on the TENDER.
In the car storage area there are only fixtures - no moving parts (no wear and tear).

The TENDER utilizes only proven, industrial standard parts, with no Pioneering Technology being used or to be developed.

It has to be this way. Utilization of standard industrial parts from well known German companies like SIEMENS, SEW EURODRIVE, and custom and labor intensive parts from our partners and licensees in Korea and China, saves costs in production and maintenance. What moves, wears out and has to be replaced some day.

GRANDO® design guarantees quick and cheap routine replacement of parts. All important parts have multiple back-up systems, and nothing short of a major failure or catastrophe can interrupt its "round the clock" service.

And what the owner or his insurance company will especially like:

NO FAILURE OF ANY SINGLE PART OR GROUP OF PARTS CAN
BRING THE UNIT TO A COMPLETE STOP, OR STAND-STILL!