Procedure for safe access to a hazardous area in a racking system, control unit, computer program product and safety device

Abstract

With regard to safe access to a danger zone in a shelving system (1) using simple means, a method is specified, wherein the shelving system (1) has a shelving warehouse with at least one storage rack (2) and at least one storage and retrieval device (5) for operating the storage rack (2), wherein the at least one storage rack (2) has one or more compartments for a stored item (16) in one rack level or in several stacked rack levels, wherein the storage and retrieval device (5) has a lifting unit (19) arranged to be movable in the vertical direction (y). The procedure includes the following steps: 1) Requesting access to the danger area by the operating personnel, 2) Interruption of any operation of the storage rack by at least one of the rack operating devices and 3) Providing access to the danger area for operating personnel. The method is designed and developed in such a way that after requesting access to the danger zone according to step 1), at least one of the lifting units (19) is moved in the vertical direction to a lowest height and / or moved to a preferred height and secured at the preferred height in the vertical direction (y). A control unit and a computer program product for implementing the method are specified. A security device is designed accordingly.

Description

The invention relates to a method for secure access to a hazardous area in a shelving system, in particular to a storage and retrieval device in a shelving system designed as a storage and removal system.The invention further relates to a control unit and a computer program product for executing the method. The invention further relates to a securing means for secure access to a hazardous area in a rack system.Methods for secure access to a hazardous area in a shelving system, in particular to a shelving and retrieval device in a shelving system of the type in question, which is designed as a storage and removal system, have been known from practice for years. The racking systems generally have a rack storage facility with at least one storage rack and at least one rack operating device for operating the storage rack. The at least one storage rack can have one or more compartments for a storage item in a rack plane or in a plurality of rack planes lying one above the other. The at least one storage and retrieval device has a lifting unit arranged such that it can be moved in the vertical direction. The storage and retrieval device can thus transport storage goods with the lifting unit in the vertical direction and store them in storage systems or remove them from storage systems. A lifting unit can have a lifting basket with guide elements for vertical movability. The guide elements can define the degree of freedom of the lifting unit in the vertical direction and can be designed, for example, as rollers. According to another embodiment, the guide elements can be designed as linear rails. The lifting basket can have aluminium profiles with regard to favorable production and weight reduction. Alternatively or additionally, a construction with thin metal sheets, preferably metal sheets, or composite materials would be considered for the lifting basket. The lifting unit can furthermore carry at least one load-receiving means which can be moved in the horizontal direction in the lifting unit. In particular, the load-receiving means can be movable in the lifting basket. The load-receiving means can be designed as a module including the push-out drive and guide rails. Suitable load carriers for the storage goods or transport goods are all types of pallets, containers, shelves and cartons. This also includes all charge carriers which are used, for example, in the supermarket, that is to say, for example, a composite with six bottles of grill sauce which has a cardboard "tray" only on the underside and is wrapped / shrunk with film. Envelopes and / or poly bags-for example with textile goods-are also suitable as storage goods. Rack lanes are often formed between two storage racks in each case, which can be part of the hazardous area.In order to be able to carry out works for trouble removal / maintenance / repair etc., it is necessary from time to time for the hazardous area or areas to be made accessible in a safe manner to the operating personnel who are to carry out the mentioned works on parts of the shelf system. Known methods for secure access to a hazardous area in a storage system, in particular to a storage and retrieval device in a storage system designed as a storage and removal system, comprising the following method steps:1) requesting access to the hazardous area by the operating personnel,2) interrupting any servicing of the storage rack by at least one of the rack servicing devices and3) Granting access to the hazardous area for the operating personnelIn known shelving systems and storage and retrieval devices, secure access to the hazardous areas is problematic for the operating personnel in the event of a fault. One reason for this is that known shelf systems have towers in front of the storage shelves. The poles extend in the vertical direction. On the poles, the lifting units can be moved in the vertical direction, so that the rack and retrieval devices can retrieve the storage racks of the rack and retrieval system. In known shelving systems and storage and retrieval devices, these poles can block access to the lifting unit for a certain distance for the operating personnel.Moreover, the presence in the regions below the lifting units of the storage and retrieval devices is hazardous for the operating personnel, since the lifting units move in a highly automated manner. These hazardous areas are also located below storage goods and thus floating loads. In addition, the lifting units can be moved in the vertical direction to a height at which collisions with the operating personnel and thus injuries are possible.Storage and retrieval devices can have a drive device for moving the lifting unit via at least one support means extending in the vertical y direction, preferably in the vertical upward and / or downward direction. The support means can be designed, for example, as a belt or also as a cable. In known methods for safe access to a hazardous area in a racking system, the operating personnel temporarily disconnect one or more drive devices for moving the respective lifting units in the vertical y direction from the energy supply or put the lifting units into a safe state by control technology. The means by which the lifting units are held can, however, be manipulated. Thus, for example, a brake can be released so that the lifting unit crashes and, in the event of an accident, can hit operating personnel lying underneath it. The disconnection from the energy supply or fuse can take place, for example, after the operator requests access to the hazardous area, but before the operator grants access to the hazardous area. In addition, directly after granting access to the hazardous area according to step 3), the operator can manually secure one or more of the lifting units before starting any trouble removal / maintenance / repair work, etc. In order to avoid working accidents, the safety requirements with respect to methods for safe access to hazardous areas in racking systems are overall comparatively strict. In the event of a fault / defect, for example if a brake is not correctly engaged and / or slips or if a support means fails, the operating personnel can be injured. There is therefore a need for further, also redundant, safety devices.The object of the present invention is therefore to configure and further develop a method for secure access to a hazardous area in a shelving system of the type mentioned at the beginning in such a way that secure access to the parts of the shelving system, in particular to a shelving operating device in a shelving system designed as a storage and removal system, is ensured with simple means. Furthermore, a corresponding regulating unit and a computer program product for executing the method and a securing means for automatically securing a lifting unit for secure access to the hazardous area in the shelving system, in particular to the storage and retrieval device in the shelving system designed as a storage and removal system, are to be specified.According to the invention, the above object is achieved by the features of claim 1. According to this, the method in question is characterized in that after requesting access to the hazardous area according to step 1), at least one of the lifting units is moved in the vertical direction to a lowest height and / or is moved to a preferred height and secured at the preferred height in the vertical direction.The lowest position can be the lowest position in the vertical y direction, which the lifting unit of the storage and retrieval device can reach, depending on the design, in other words the lower approach dimension, or the lowest technically expedient position. It is decisive that the lifting unit is arranged close to the ground in the lowest position and can no longer crash. A disadvantage of a comparatively large lower approach dimension is that the storage capacity decreases because overall less installation space is available for rack levels, for example in the storage building. In addition, there is an increased risk that operating personnel will remain completely or partially below the lifting unit.Particular advantages result if, after the request for access to the hazardous area according to step 1), at least one of the lifting units is moved vertically to a lowest height. Thus, manual securing of the lifting unit at least in the vertical direction is no longer absolutely necessary, since the risk of operating personnel being located below an unsecured lifting unit is eliminated. A-possibly further-fall of the lifting unit is excluded.The drive device can be arranged, for example, centrally below the lifting unit. In this case, the space requirement of the drive or of a motor of the drive device is minimized in the z-direction-i.e. in the horizontal direction into the storage rack or out of the storage rack into the rack aisle. The drive is relatively easily accessible to the operating personnel with regard to works for trouble removal / maintenance / repair etc. A shaft of the motor can be disconnected from an adjacent storage and retrieval device for safety reasons and thus disconnected from the power supply. In addition, the safety can be increased by two support means being located on the left and right of the drive, respectively. However, in this variant, a relatively large lower approach dimension results. Since the drive device occupies the installation space at the foot of the mast, the lifting unit cannot be moved down completely to the ground.As a variant, the drive device can be located in the z direction out of the storage rack-that is, optionally in the rack aisle. In other words, the drive device is located behind the lifting unit. As a result, the drive device with all its components is particularly easily accessible and the lower starting dimension falls considerably. The shaft is removable from the front in terms of safety. In addition, the safety can be increased by two support means being located on the left and right of the drive, respectively. However, the space requirement in the z direction for the drive device and the motor increases. The components are located "in the way" or in the rack corridor.As a further variant, the drive device can be arranged in the z-direction in the storage rack or, in other words, in front of the lifting unit or under the storage rack. This results in a small space requirement in the z direction and a moderate lower approach dimension for the lifting unit. Safety can be increased by having two support means on the left and right of the drive, respectively. In any event, the drive device under the storage shelf is less readily accessible.According to a particularly advantageous development, the drive device can be designed as a drive console, with a view to particularly good accessibility, which can be pulled like a drawer into the rack aisle or in the direction of an access region. A particularly rigid construction is advantageous in this case.As a further variant, the drive device can be located laterally next to the lifting unit in the x direction. In this variant, there is advantageous accessibility of the drive unit and an advantageous space requirement. The drive unit has only one belt thickness / width in the x-direction, while in the variants described above, twice the belt width is required. In terms of safety, the one lateral drive device can also drive only a single lateral support means. The size of the engine is limited.Alternatively or additionally, after requesting access to the hazardous area according to step 1), at least one of the lifting units can be moved in the vertical direction to a preferred height and secured at the preferred height in the vertical direction (y).The preferred height may be, for example, an ergonomic working height or a suitable height for performing work for trouble removal / maintenance / repair, etc. For example, the operator can drive the lifting unit to the preferred height by human machine interface, HMI.According to one embodiment of the method, the operating personnel can load the lifting unit or parts of the lifting unit at the preferred height onto a maintenance trolley in order to carry out work for trouble removal / maintenance / repair etc. Particularly when there is no hall in the rack corridor, a maintenance trolley can be used as auxiliary means, with which defective parts can be picked up and new parts, for example load-handling means, can be introduced. As a result, parts can be replaced more securely, simply and thus also more quickly than in known shelving systems. Preferably, two or more maintenance trays are present in a racking system. Then, the defective part can be slid onto the first carriage, while the second carriage is already ready with the intact replacement part. This minimizes the standstill overall.According to a preferred embodiment, it is possible in the method according to the invention not to shut off all storage and retrieval devices, i.e. according to step 2) to interrupt the operation of the storage shelf by all storage and retrieval devices. This increases the availability of the overall system and can also increase the output capacity of the system, since the lifters / storage and retrieval devices have to be stopped less often.Instead, the individual storage and retrieval devices can be switched off and / or secured independently of one another. If, for example, work is to be carried out on a specific storage and retrieval device, only those storage and retrieval devices which the operating personnel actually have to pass for access to the specific storage and retrieval device or which are situated in the vicinity of the access path for the operating personnel in such a way that a risk due to their operation is actually present can be switched off. Storage and retrieval devices that are far away do not necessarily have to be switched off. For example, only such lifting units of storage and retrieval devices, after the request for access to the hazardous area according to step 1), can also be moved in the vertical direction to a lowest height and / or to a preferred height and secured at this height in the vertical y direction, which the operating personnel must pass on their way to the specific storage and retrieval device on which the work is to be carried out or in the vicinity of which the operating personnel must stop / work. Whether a storage and retrieval device is switched off can also depend on whether it is located behind a further separating protective device, for example a fence.According to an advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention, the securing of the lifting unit can be carried out manually by the operating personnel.In manually securing the lifting unit in the vertical direction, a safety chain may be used. The lifting basket of the lifting unit can be fastened by a shackle to the vertically extending safety chain. The safety chain can extend, for example, from the ground to a mast head of the mast. The chain can preferably be fastened in such a way that the operating personnel do not have to move under the lifting unit for securing and / or for unplugging the lifting unit on or from the safety chain. This securing is useful in the case that the lifting unit is disturbed / defective in such a way that it cannot be moved in the vertical direction to a lowest height and / or moved to a preferred height and secured at the preferred height in the vertical y direction as provided. If the operating personnel carry out maintenance work on this lifting unit, this additional securing means can be used at any possible height.Alternatively, the manual securing can be implemented by separating the lifting unit from the drive unit or its lifting drive shaft. Further alternatively or additionally, a safety device or a self-reinforcing safety device could be engaged, so that it secures the falling lifting unit against falling under load. Preferably, a retaining clip, activated manually and / or automatically, could produce a frictional connection to the mast in order to reliably prevent a crash.Manual securing by blocking the lifting drive shaft or else the deflection axle at the upper mast end is also conceivable, for example by means of a bolt and a perforated disk. In this case, for example, a bolt assigned to the drive unit and arranged in a rotationally fixed manner is inserted for securing into a hole of a perforated disk assigned to the lifting drive shaft, so that rotation of the lifting drive shaft and therefore movement of the lifting unit become impossible. For implementing manual securing by blocking the lifting drive shaft, a support means with corresponding safety is required. Two support means are advantageous. This type of detachment is expedient in particular when the drive device is arranged in a readily accessible position, that is to say, for example, in front of the storage rack in the rack aisle.The described variants for manually securing the lifting unit in the vertical direction can also be used for improving the assembly reliability. The rack and retrieval devices or the lifting units are mounted here using a chain hoist. For this purpose, an engine brake of a drive unit is ventilated manually. In this state, the lifting unit or its lifting basket can be pulled up and preferably secured by the chain hoist on the storage rack or on the mast. To avoid accidents in work, stringent safety regulations are useful for the assembly. The chain hoist should be additionally secured both on the storage rack or on the mast and on the lifting cage with a lock. This lock must not be removed until the transfer to the startup, even if the lifting cage is additionally secured.The described safety chain and / or the described unplugging or separating of the lifting unit from the drive unit or its lifting drive shaft can be used as an additional safety measure during assembly. This creates a redundant safety system which comprises an engine brake and additionally a safety chain and / or a disconnection or disconnection of the lifting unit from the drive unit or its lifting drive shaft or the described blocking of the lifting drive shaft. In addition, it is possible that the chain runs are removed between the assembly and the startup of the shelving system. The lifting unit or the lifting basket nevertheless remains secured.Preferably, the manual securing of the lifting unit by the operating personnel takes place directly after granting access to the hazardous area for the operating personnel according to step 3), so that during the subsequent work for fault elimination / maintenance / repair etc., the relevant lifting units or storage and retrieval devices are secured. The non-disturbed lifting units can be moved in the vertical y direction to a lowest height and / or to a preferred height and secured at the preferred height in the vertical direction. The disturbed lifting unit is additionally secured as described above. The operating personnel are thus secured and cannot be struck by a crashing lifting unit; in addition, the operating personnel can enter the redundantly secured lifting unit if required.After performing the trouble removal / maintenance / repair work, etc., the operator can remove the manual fuse again and then leave the hazardous area. Removal of the manual fuse may also be monitored to avoid damage when starting with fuse. The operation of the storage rack interrupted according to step 2) can then be continued by the rack operating devices. Preferably, the operating personnel can prompt the continued operation by means of HMI.If the securing of a lifting unit, which should be secured automatically, fails due to one of the defects, this preferably leads to an error message by the control / regulating unit. In this case, too, the lifting unit can be secured manually by a further securing measure.Preferably, the lifting unit can carry at least one load-receiving means which can be moved in the horizontal direction in the lifting unit. According to an advantageous development of the method, after the request for access to the hazardous area according to step 1), the load-receiving means can be moved in the horizontal direction into a preferred position and secured in the preferred position in the horizontal direction.The load-receiving means can be secured manually by the operating personnel in the horizontal z direction. Preferably, the securing can take place automatically, in particular before the operator is granted access to the hazardous area according to step 3). The automatic securing of the load-receiving means in the horizontal z direction can be realized, for example, by means of a safe torque off, STO. In particular, if the load-receiving means has an ejection drive acting in the horizontal z direction, which is independent of the drive device acting in the vertical y direction, an extension of the load-receiving means can be efficiently prevented by STO at the ejection drive.According to an advantageous development, it is likewise possible for the securing of the lifting unit in the vertical y direction to be carried out automatically, preferably before access to the hazardous area is granted according to step 3).An automatic securing means can be provided instead of the manual securing means. It is also conceivable that the securing can be carried out manually by the operating personnel on the one hand and automatically on the other hand, in particular in order to generate redundancies with respect to the safety systems. Different lifting units of different storage and retrieval devices can also be secured in different ways.For automatic securing of the lifting unit, a stationary securing means can preferably be extended. The stationary securing means can be assigned, for example, to the storage rack and / or a mast of the storage and retrieval device. The mast can be arranged in a known manner at a distance in front of the storage rack or arranged directly on a rack post of the rack system and / or integrated into the rack post.The stationary securing means can be a stationary maintenance support. The stationary maintenance support can be designed as an angle which can be extended by motor for automatic securing of the lifting unit-in particular of the load-receiving means. The motor-driven extension is advantageous in particular in application cases in which a plurality of lifters / storage and retrieval devices must be secured simultaneously, which would be too complicated manually and would therefore often be neglected.For automatic securing of the lifting unit, a securing means assigned to the lifting unit can be extended. The securing means which is assigned to the lifting unit can be a maintenance support which travels along. In this case, for example, a bolt moving along with the lifting unit on the lifting basket of the lifting unit can be extended for automatic securing and engage in a corresponding securing element, for example a cutout, which is located, for example, on the mast or otherwise in a suitable position stationary on the storage rack.Preferably, a brake device of the lifting unit can be used for automatically securing the lifting unit. This can preferably be the engine brake of the drive unit described above. For automatic securing of the lifting unit by means of a brake device, it is advantageous if the drive device has a second motor or a second motor brake and two support means with sufficient safety.The double design of engine brake and support means can also increase the safety during assembly. If, for example, one of the support means-for example a belt-breaks during assembly, a falling down of the lifting unit is ruled out because the other, second, redundant support means securely holds the lifting unit. In this embodiment, further or all components are preferably designed redundant, so that one component can always fail without problems.Automatic securing by means of a brake device of the lifting unit can be particularly advantageous if it is not possible to secure the lifting unit otherwise or to move the lifting unit to the lowest height. This can be the case, for example, in the event of a fault in the case of vertical movement of the lifting unit or in the event of a fault in the data transmission, for example if an energy chain for wiring the storage and retrieval device or the lifting unit has a break, or even in the case of similar rare faults. In these situations, without the use of the brake device, a manual safety chain securing or detachment would be required for being located under the load-receiving means. In these cases, the variant of automatic securing by means of a brake device is particularly advantageous.In an advantageous development, two drive devices can also be provided per lifting unit, which are located near the ground and can preferably be arranged on both sides in the x direction next to the lifting unit, that is to say in other words on the left and right next to the lifting unit. This embodiment is advantageous with regard to safety because the lifting unit can be equipped particularly favorably with two support means and / or brake devices.In the case of granting access to the hazardous area, a lockout / tagout system or a key transfer system can be used with a view to increased security.With the lockout / tagout system, the risk of work accidents can be significantly reduced. The storage and retrieval devices and / or further devices are temporarily completely disconnected from the power supply or switched into STO before granting access to the hazardous area when using the lockout / tagout system. During ongoing work for trouble removal / maintenance / repair etc., no automatic movements in the hazardous area can thus take place. Premature switching on of the storage and retrieval devices and / or further devices is likewise prevented. By means of lockout / tagout, maintenance accidents in connection with machine energy and movable machine parts can be effectively prevented. In addition, the use of a lockout / tagout system under the operator enhances the awareness of the risk of an accident.Depending on the configuration of the method and the shelving system, the danger area can be defined in various ways. Preferably, the regions below the lifting units of the storage and retrieval devices are the hazardous region over the entire height of the lifting units. Alternatively or additionally, a rack aisle between the storage racks belongs to the hazardous area.If the poles of the storage and retrieval devices for the lifting units are integrated into the storage racks and / or replace the rack supports, the poles are no longer located in the rack aisle, so that an access free from floor for the operating personnel is produced in the rack aisle. The poles are also not in the way because they are arranged laterally of the lifting units or load-receiving means.In other words, the operator can use the open-floor entrance in the middle as a safe path to specifically reach a specific storage and retrieval device for performing work for trouble removal / maintenance / repair, etc. Without the access without the floor, the operating personnel must pass all the storage and retrieval devices which are located upstream of the specific storage and retrieval device on the path of the operating personnel, for example along the rack corridor.In the case of problems with a securing means, the operating personnel would have to move under unsecured lifting units or would have to secure these lifting units individually manually beforehand. Such manual securing is possible with the means proposed here. Since, with a corresponding development of the poles, the operating personnel do not have to pass under all the lifting units mounted in front, it is not absolutely necessary in this case, similar to that described at the beginning, to secure the corresponding lifting units. It may be sufficient to secure those lifting baskets under which the personnel must stay.The entire hazardous area can be used, i.e. be bounded by separating protective devices-for example a fence. In this case, for example, the regions below the lifting units can also be single-colored. This makes it possible for the operating personnel to ensure secure access to a specific storage and retrieval device in the shelving system, while other storage and retrieval devices or even directly adjacent storage and retrieval devices remain unsecured or are even in operation and serve storage shelves.With respect to the control unit and the computer program product for carrying out the method, the object mentioned at the beginning is achieved by the features of claims 11 and 12.With respect to the securing means for automatically securing a lifting unit for secure access to the hazardous area in the shelving system, the object mentioned at the beginning is achieved by the features of claim 13.There are now various possibilities for advantageously embodying and developing the teaching of the present invention. For this purpose, reference is made on the one hand to the claims subordinate to claim 1 and on the other hand to the following explanation of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention on the basis of the drawing. In conjunction with the explanation of the preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention on the basis of the drawing, preferred embodiments and refinements of the teaching are also generally explained. The drawing shows FIG. 1 is a top view of a racking system with racking and retrieval devices according to the prior art, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an improved storage and retrieval device and a rack system with integrated poles, FIG. 3 shows a simplified block diagram of the method according to the invention, FIG. 4 is a top view of an access concept for the method according to the invention with a hazardous area in a total of fenced areas, FIG. 5 is a top view of an access concept for the method according to the invention with individually bred danger zones, FIG. 6 shows in a further perspective illustration the embodiment of the storage and retrieval device and of the shelving system from FIG. 2, FIG. 7 shows a perspective illustration of a storage rack according to the embodiment from FIG. 2, FIG. 8 shows a perspective illustration of a drive device which is arranged behind the lifting unit according to the embodiment from FIG. 2, FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a drive device according to another embodiment, which is arranged in front of the lifting unit FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a drive device according to another embodiment, which is arranged below the lifting unit, FIG. 11 is a top view of another embodiment of the racking system with a drive unit arranged laterally next to the lifting unit, FIG. 12 is a top view of another embodiment of the racking system with two drive units arranged laterally next to the lifting unit, and FIG. 13 shows a perspective illustration of a maintenance situation of the rack system.FIG. 1 shows a known shelving system 1 in a top view. The racking system 1 comprises a rack storage with two storage racks 2. in front of or next to the storage racks 2 there are illustrated, by way of example, in two rows 4 a total of ten racking and retrieval devices 5 spaced apart from the storage rack 2. Indicated at the bottom in FIG. 1 is further supplying / discharging conveying technology or shelf structures 6.FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of an improved storage and retrieval device 5 and a rack system 1 with poles 10 which are integrated into the outer rack uprights of the rack system 1. The poles 10 replace the uprights and are covered on the ground with concrete foundations 11. Thus, the rack channel 7 is free of poles.A load-receiving means 15 can be seen, with which many different conveying and / or storage goods 16-illustrated as a rectangular block by way of example in FIG. 1-can be gripped from below. This may be advantageous in particular for goods with very heterogeneous packaging, for example for supermarket goods. The load-receiving means 15 is part of the lifting unit 19 exactly like the lifting basket 18.FIG. 3 shows a simplified block diagram of the method according to the invention for secure access to a hazardous area in a storage system, in particular to a storage and retrieval device in a storage and retrieval system.According to step 1), the operating personnel first request access to the hazardous area. In step 2), any servicing of the storage rack by at least one of the rack serving devices is interrupted. According to step 3), the operator is granted access to the hazardous area.Further, after requesting access to the hazardous area according to step 1), another step takes place. Depending on the embodiment, the further step can take place temporally before or after step 2) or before or after step 3). According to the further step, at least one of the lifting units is moved in the vertical direction to a lowest height and / or moved to a preferred height and secured at the preferred height in the vertical direction.FIG. 4 shows a racking system in which the hazardous area comprises the racking lane 7 and the areas 20 under the lifting units of the racking and retrieval devices. The entire hazardous area is incinerated with the fence 21 as a whole. The entire hazardous area is accessible via a single schematically depicted door 23, in that the operating personnel pass through the described method. The arrows show the path of the operating personnel to the racking and retrieval device located on the upper left. The path of the operating personnel passes through the rack aisle, past the drive devices 25, which are arranged out of the storage rack in the z-direction and are thus located in the rack aisle 7.FIG. 5 shows a shelving system in which the hazardous area comprises only the areas 20 below the lifting units of the storage and retrieval devices. The areas 20 are individually fenced with fence 21 and each accessible through a door. The door 23 to the rack serving device located at the top left is shown schematically. The arrows show the path of the operating personnel to the racking and retrieval device located on the upper left. The rack channel 7 is free of halls between the fences 21. It is also conceivable that the entrance to the rack aisle 7 is likewise accessible through a further fence and a further door, as shown in FIG. 4.FIG. 6 shows the storage and retrieval device 5 and the storage rack 2 of the rack system 1 from FIG. 2 The ladders 24 can be seen easily. Drive devices 25 are arranged at the bottom of the poles 10. The lifting unit 19 with its lifting basket 18 and the load-receiving means 15 can be seen. At the top of the poles 10, cross-members in the form of cross-members 26 are arranged. The cross-pieces 26 connect the mast heads and further reinforce the storage rack 2.It can be seen in FIG. 7 that the outer rack supports are replaced by poles 10, while conventional rack supports are used on the inside of the storage rack 2. For manually securing the lifting unit-not shown in FIG. 7-in the vertical direction, a safety chain 27 can be seen. The lifting basket of the lifting unit can be fastened, for example, by the shackle 28 to the vertically extending safety chain 27.FIGS. 8 to 12 illustrate different variants and arrangements of drive devices 25 for the lifting unit 19. In other words, the drive device is located "behind" the lifting unit-not shown in FIG. 8. The drive devices 25 move lifting units up and down on the poles 10 via two support means 33 each extending in the vertical direction. The support means 33 are designed as belts. For this purpose, the support means 10 run via deflections 34, which are arranged substantially below the lifting unit.FIG. 9 shows a variant according to which the drive device 25 is arranged in the z direction in the storage rack 2 or, in other words, in front of the lifting unit or under the storage rack. Thus, although the drive device 25 is less easily accessible, the rack channel 7 remains free for this.In the variant according to FIG. 10, the drive device 25 is located centrally below the lifting unit. Deflections are omitted, but the lower approach dimension increases, since the lifting unit can no longer travel completely downward.FIG. 11 shows a variant with a drive device 25 located laterally next to the lifting unit in the x direction. In the embodiment according to FIG. 12, two drive devices 25 per lifting unit 19 are located next to the lifting unit 19 in the x direction. FIGS. 11 and 12 show an optimized arrangement with at least three storage and retrieval devices per storage rack in order to be able to use the rack assembly in an optimal manner and to install the storage and retrieval devices in an optimal manner. The embodiment according to FIG. 12 with two drive devices 25 is particularly suitable for automatically securing the lifting unit by brake device because of the double design of engine brake and support means.FIG. 13 shows a maintenance situation in which a maintenance carriage 44 is introduced into the rack aisle 7. The load-receiving means 15 can be removed from the lifting basket 18.With regard to further advantageous embodiments of the device according to the invention, reference is made to the general part of the description and to the appended claims in order to avoid repetitions.Finally, it should be expressly pointed out that the above-described exemplary embodiments of the device according to the invention serve merely for the discussion of the claimed teaching, but do not restrict it to the exemplary embodiments.List of reference characters1 Rack system 2 Storage rack 4 Rows 5 Rack operating device 6 Rack structures 7 Rack aisle 10 Mast 11 Concrete foundation 15 Load-receiving means 16 Storage goods 18 Lifting basket 19 Lifting unit 20 Regions 21 Fence 23 Door 24 Ladder 25 Drive device 26 Cross bar on the mast head 27 Safety chain 28 Shackles 33 Supporting means 34 Deflections 35 Maintenance carriages 1), 2), 3) Steps x, y, z Directions in the coordinate system

Claims

Method for secure access to a hazardous area in a racking system (1), in particular to a racking and retrieval device (5) in a racking system (1) designed as a storage and retrieval system, wherein the racking system has a rack storage with at least one storage rack (2) and at least one racking and retrieval device (5) for operating the storage rack (2), wherein the at least one storage rack (2) has one or more compartments for a storage item (16) in a racking plane or in a plurality of racking planes lying one above the other, wherein the racking and retrieval device (5) has a lifting unit (19) arranged movably in the vertical direction (y), comprising the following method steps: 1) requesting access to the hazardous area by the operating personnel, Interruption of any operation of the storage rack by at least one of the storage and retrieval devices and 3) granting access to the hazardous area for the operating personnel, characterized in that after requesting access to the hazardous area according to step 1), at least one of the lifting units (19) is moved in the vertical direction to a lowest height and / or is moved to a preferred height and is secured at the preferred height in the vertical direction (y).Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the securing of the lifting unit (19) is carried out manually by the operating personnel.Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the securing of the lifting unit (19) is carried out automatically, preferably before access to the hazardous area is granted according to step 3).Method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the lifting unit (19) carries at least one load-receiving means (15) which can be moved in the lifting unit (19) in the horizontal direction (z), and in that, after the request for access to the hazardous area according to step 1), the load-receiving means (15) is moved in the horizontal direction (z) into a preferred position and is secured in the preferred position in the horizontal direction (z).Method according to claim 3 or 4, characterised in that a stationary securing means is extended for automatically securing the lifting unit (19).Method according to claim 3 or 4, characterised in that a securing means associated with the lifting unit (19) is extended for automatically securing the lifting unit (19).Method according to claim 3 or 4, characterised in that a braking device of the lifting unit (19) is used for automatically securing the lifting unit (19).The method of any of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that granting access to the hazardous area comprises using a lockout / tagout system.Method according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the hazardous area comprises the areas (20) below the lifting units (19) of the storage and retrieval devices (5) and / or a rack aisle (7) between the storage racks (2).Method according to claim 9, characterised in that the entire hazardous area is used and / or the areas (20) below the lifting units of the storage and retrieval devices (5) are used individually.A control unit arranged to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.A computer program product comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method of any one of claims 1 to 10.Securing means for automatically securing a lifting unit (19) for secure access to a hazardous area in a racking system (1), in particular to a racking and retrieval device (5) in a racking system (1) designed as a storage and retrieval system, in particular for carrying out the method according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the racking system (1) has a rack storage with at least one storage rack (2) and at least one racking and retrieval device for operating the storage rack (2), wherein the at least one storage rack (2) has one or more compartments for a storage item (16) in a racking plane or in a plurality of racking planes lying one above the other, wherein the racking and retrieval device (5) has the lifting unit (19) arranged movably in the vertical direction, wherein the securing means is stationary or assigned to the lifting unit (19) or is a braking device.

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