Variable area protection for general cargo warehouses

Abstract

The invention relates to an area protection system (1) for a general cargo warehouse (2), wherein the general cargo warehouse (2) comprises a safety area (3) for storing general cargo (4), and wherein at least two transport devices (5) for moving general cargo (4) into and / or out of the safety area (3) are arranged along the first extension x at a minimum distance a from each other, and a method for doing so. The invention is based on the objective of creating a solution that makes it possible to secure an area by means of a very small number of light sources and at the same time to make the secured area passable at a plurality of different points for the passage of transport trolleys (10) and / or general cargo (4). This is solved by the fact that the first extension x is at least partially secured by means of at least two opposing laser scanners (6) for the purpose of personal safety with an optical barrier (7), wherein the laser scanners (6) can be controlled in such a way that, depending on control commands for at least one transport device (5), a recess (8) in the optical barrier (7) can be temporarily generated in the area of ​​the first transport device (5-1) and / or the area of ​​the second transport device (5-2) for the transport of unit loads (4), and a method for this.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an area security system for a general cargo warehouse, wherein the general cargo warehouse comprises a security area for storing general cargo, wherein the security area has a first extension x and a second extension y, and wherein at least two transport devices for moving general cargo into and / or out of the security area are arranged along the extension of the first extension x at a minimum distance a from each other.

[0002] Furthermore, the invention relates to a computer-implemented method for the safety monitoring of a general cargo warehouse, wherein the general cargo warehouse comprises a safety area for storing general cargo, wherein the safety area has a first extension x and a second extension y, and wherein at least two transport devices for moving general cargo into and / or out of the safety area are arranged along the extension of the first extension x at a minimum distance a from each other and are controlled by a control device by means of control commands.

[0003] For example, in substrate processing machines, such as sheet-fed printing presses, roll-to-roll printing presses, post-processing equipment for handling and processing printed substrates, but also in many other applications, individual items, such as pallets loaded and / or unloaded with individual parts, containers such as individual parts stacked in wire mesh boxes, or printed or unprinted substrate rolls, are temporarily stored in an intermediate storage area for subsequent processing steps or are kept in a buffer storage area arranged in front of a processing device.To ensure a high degree of automation, general cargo such as pallets, wire mesh containers, or even cylindrical packages like substrate rolls is typically moved into and / or out of these general cargo warehouses as needed using permanently installed transport equipment such as plate conveyors, rail-guided transport trolleys, or cranes. Since these transport devices, unlike, for example, self-driving transport vehicles such as AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles), i.e., self-driving vehicles like unmanned industrial trucks equipped with scanners to prevent collisions with objects or people, are not secured by technically complex sensors and autonomous control systems, there is a corresponding need to safeguard relevant areas, particularly with regard to personnel safety.

[0004] Since in general cargo storage facilities, such as those used in printing plants for roll storage, the goods must be arranged and stored in a space-saving manner, with only small gaps between them, there is an inherent risk that people, such as operating personnel, could be crushed by automatically transported goods. Therefore, such general cargo storage facilities must have appropriate safety barriers. In the simplest case, this can be a fence, preventing unauthorized access or ensuring that opening access points such as doors interrupts the automatic transport of goods and / or the automatic operation of transport devices.

[0005] Since such mechanical safeguards are generally an obstacle to the transport of transport equipment and / or general cargo, and safety-secured gates would be required for this purpose, area safeguards are also known from the prior art. These safeguards have optical safeguards in the form of light grids or light beams in at least one area, usually the area for the supply and / or removal of transport equipment and / or general cargo. These safeguards are activated by a control device when a transport device and / or general cargo is to be conveyed through them, while at the same time the automatic movement of transport trolleys and / or general cargo is prevented if an unauthorized passage by a person is detected.

[0006] However, the area protection systems known from the prior art have the disadvantage that only a single spatially defined area can be secured by means of optical protection, so that if a general cargo warehouse can be supplied and / or disposed of at several points, a large number of such light curtains are required, which on the one hand causes high costs and on the other hand, due to the large number of installed light sources and light sensors, causes a high susceptibility to malfunctions and a high maintenance effort.

[0007] The invention is therefore based on the objective of creating a solution that makes it possible to secure an area using a very small number of light sources and at the same time to make the secured area passable for the passage of transport vehicles and / or general cargo at a number of different points.

[0008] The object is achieved according to the invention in that the first extension x is at least partially secured with an optical barrier by means of at least two opposing laser scanners for the purpose of personal safety, wherein the laser scanners can be controlled in such a way that, depending on control commands for at least one transport device, a recess in the optical barrier can be temporarily created in the area of ​​the first transport device and / or the area of ​​the second transport device for the transport of individual items.

[0009] The problem is further solved by a computer-implemented method in which the first extension x is at least partially secured with an optical barrier by means of at least two opposing laser scanners for the purpose of personal safety, wherein the at least two laser scanners are controlled by the control device in such a way that, depending on control commands for at least one transport device, a recess is temporarily created in the optical barrier in the area of ​​the first transport device and / or the area of ​​the second transport device for the transport of individual items.

[0010] Such a device and method offer the advantage that a small number of light sources or sensors can be used to make multiple different points passable for transport trolleys and / or individual items, without compromising the level of personal safety. This reduces investment costs for safety equipment, and the small number of light sources and sensors also lowers the risk of technical failure and the maintenance and cleaning required for safe operation. Furthermore, no mechanical modification of the safety gates is necessary if the dimensions of the transported items change.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the at least one recess created in the optical barrier has a definable and / or variable width b, or its width b is changed depending on the package being transported. This embodiment has the advantage that the width b of the recesses can be adapted to the transport vehicle and / or package being conveyed through the optical barrier. This prevents an unnecessarily large gap from forming between the package and the optical barrier in the case of narrow packages, thus preventing a person from walking alongside the package and thereby penetrating the optical barrier undetected and entering the safety zone unlawfully.

[0012] According to a further embodiment, the contour of at least one recess is modifiable, or rather, its contour is modified depending on the package being transported. This embodiment has the advantage that the contour of the recesses can be adapted to the transport vehicle and / or package being conveyed through the optical barrier. This prevents, for example, an unnecessarily large gap from forming between the package and the optical barrier, at least partially, in the case of cylindrical packages. This, in turn, prevents a person from walking alongside the package and thus penetrating the optical barrier undetected, thereby entering the safety zone in an unauthorized manner.

[0013] According to a further embodiment, the unit load storage system is designed as a roller storage system, and the unit load is a substrate roll. This design offers the advantage that the roller storage system of a printing plant or printing press can be configured with great flexibility regarding feeding options, since the feeding of the substrate rolls is no longer limited to just one or a few appropriately secured points for the rolls to pass into the safety area. Therefore, in the case of a multi-row arrangement of storage locations, the feeding and / or removal of new rolls and / or leftover rolls can take place at any location without additional technical effort, and without requiring transport perpendicular to the feed paths within the safety area.

[0014] According to a further embodiment, the unit load storage of a printing press, in particular the roll changer of a rotary printing press, is located upstream.

[0015] Such a design has the advantage that the roll supply area upstream of the roll changer can be designed very variably with regard to the feeding options, since the feeding of the substrate rolls is no longer limited to just one or a few appropriately secured points for the roll passages into the safety area, so that in the case of a multi-row arrangement of the storage places, the feeding or removal of the new rolls and / or the remaining rolls can take place at any location without additional technical effort, without transport perpendicular to the feeding paths within the safety area being necessary.

[0016] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims and the following description. Various exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to the drawings, without being limited thereto. These show: Fig. 1 An exemplary unit load storage system designed as a roller storage system with a plurality of unit loads to be fed in, designed as substrate rollers Fig. 2 An example of a unit load storage system designed as a roller bearing with a unit load to be fed in at a first position Fig. 3 An example of a unit load storage system designed as a roller bearing, with a unit load to be fed in at a second position that differs from the first. Fig. 4 An example of an opening contour adapted to the outer shape of the package

[0017] Fig. Figure 1 shows a top view of an example of a general cargo storage system designed as a roller bearing. Figure 2. Although the Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3 to Fig. 4. If all examples refer to a substrate roll, such as a roll of paper to be printed, as the unit of goods 4, then this form of unit of goods 4 is purely exemplary. A unit of goods 4 is therefore not limited to a substrate roll, but can be applied to all commercially handled unit of goods 4, such as pallets, wire mesh boxes, containers, especially large containers for fluids or solids.

[0018] Fig. Figure 1 shows a top view of a general cargo warehouse 2 with a first extension x and a second extension y for holding a plurality of general cargoes 4, namely in the example shown for holding a maximum of nine general cargoes 4, which is why the in Fig. Figure 1 shows a general cargo warehouse 2 with nine storage locations 9. An unoccupied storage location 9 is represented as a rectangle with a dashed line, whereas an occupied storage location 9 is represented as a general cargo item 4 stored therein, using a substrate roll as an example.

[0019] The general cargo storage area 2 is supplied by means of a feeding device 11, which is shown by way of example as a rail embedded in the floor or placed on it, although the feeding device 11 can also have other designs such as a plate belt or a conveyor belt or a crane track.

[0020] At the in Fig. In the example shown in 1, one or more transport trolleys 10 can be moved by means of the feeding device 11, which for example are equipped with a [missing information] in the feeding device 11 and in Fig. 1. The chain conveyor system, not shown, is driven.

[0021] The feed device 11 exhibits the following characteristics in Fig. In the example shown in Figure 1, three turntables 12 are shown, with which a transport carriage 10 can be deflected from the first direction of the feeding device 11 into a second direction of the transport devices 5 and vice versa, by positioning a transport carriage 10 on a turntable 12 and rotating the corresponding turntable 12 accordingly.

[0022] At the in Fig. In the example shown in Figure 1, the general cargo storage facility 2 comprises a total of three transport devices 5, each spaced a distance apart from each other, namely a first transport device 5-1, a second transport device 5-2 and a third transport device 5-3, all of which are arranged essentially perpendicular to the feed device 11.

[0023] The transport devices 5 are preferably designed with the same technical operating principle as the feeding device 11, i.e. for example as a rail system with transport chains arranged therein for driving the corresponding transport carriages 10.

[0024] At the in Fig. In the example shown in Figure 1, three storage locations 9 are arranged one after the other along the extension of the first transport device 5-1, namely storage locations 9-1.1, 9-1.2 and 9-1.3, which can be loaded and unloaded via the first transport device 5-1 using transport trolleys 10. In the example shown in Figure 1, storage locations 9-1.1, 9-1.2 and 9-1.3 can be loaded and unloaded via the first transport device 5-1 using transport trolleys 10. Fig. In the example shown, storage location 9-1.1 is occupied by a first unit of goods 4-1, and storage location 9-1.2 is occupied by a second unit of goods 4-2. Storage location 9-1.3 is still free; a transport trolley 10 is parked there.

[0025] At the in Fig. In the example shown in Figure 1, three storage locations 9 are arranged one after the other along the extension of the second transport device 5-2, namely storage locations 9-2.1, 9-2.2 and 9-2.3, which can be loaded and unloaded via the second transport device 5-2 using transport trolleys 10. In the example shown in Figure 1, storage locations 9-2.1, 9-2.2 and 9-2.3 can be loaded and unloaded via the second transport device 5-2 using transport trolleys 10. Fig. In the example shown, storage location 9-2.1 is occupied by a third item 4-3. Storage locations 9-2.2 and 9-2.3 are still free.

[0026] At the in Fig. In the example shown in Figure 1, three storage locations 9 are arranged one after the other along the extension of the third transport device 5-3, namely storage locations 9-3.1, 9-3.2 and 9-3.3, which can be loaded and unloaded via the third transport device 5-3 using transport trolleys 10. In the example shown in Figure 1, storage locations 9-3.1, 9-3.2 and 9-3.3 can be loaded and unloaded via the third transport device 5-3 using transport trolleys 10. Fig. In the example shown, storage location 9-3.1 is occupied by a fourth item 4-4. Storage locations 9-3.2 and 9-3.3 are still free.

[0027] Such a design for a general cargo warehouse 2 offers the advantage that no transport of the general cargo within the safety area 3 is required in the extension of the feeding device 11, which is why this configuration is very space-saving.

[0028] Storage locations 9 can be assigned and vacated depending on various criteria, which is managed using separate logistics software. This software controls the process using a system that is... Fig. 1 control device not shown the unloaded and / or loaded transport trolleys 10 with general cargo, so that the movement of the transport trolleys 10 is automated.

[0029] Since the automated loading and unloading of the general cargo warehouse 2 poses a risk to persons inside, the general cargo warehouse 2 is secured against unauthorized access by means of at least one area control system 1. In the case of the Fig. In the example shown, the unit load storage area 2 is secured in the area adjacent to the feeding device 11 by means of an area protection device 1, which is described in more detail below, since in the Fig. In the example shown, only in this area can unit loads 4 be conveyed into and out of unit load storage 2. The remaining three sides of unit load storage 2 are not accessible. Fig. 1. The example shown is secured against unauthorized entry by means of mechanical access control devices 13 such as permanently installed barriers or fences.

[0030] Although that in Fig. While the example shown in Figure 1 illustrates the protection of only one side of the general cargo storage area 2 with an area protection device 1, it is also possible to protect more than one side of the general cargo storage area 2 using an area protection device 1. This is particularly useful if, for example, the supply of general cargo items 4 to the roller storage area 2 and / or the removal of general cargo items 4 from the general cargo storage area 2 takes place on multiple sides of the general cargo storage area 2.

[0031] The in Fig. The area protection 1 shown comprises two laser scanners 6, with one laser scanner 6 being arranged at each end of the area to be protected.

[0032] Although in the Fig. In the example shown, only one area protection 1 is shown, which includes two laser scanners 6. However, depending on the length of the area to be protected, it is also possible to use more than two laser scanners 6.

[0033] The first laser scanner 6-1 and the second laser scanner 6-2 build a [system / unit] in [the following context]. Fig. 1. Vertical optical barrier 7 shown as a bullet point line, as is also the case, for example, in Fig. 4 is shown.

[0034] If this optical barrier 7 is entered or crossed by an object or person, this intrusion of an object or person is detected by at least one of the two laser scanners 6, so that any automated movement of a transport cart 10 located in the safety area 3 is stopped and further movement of an unloaded or loaded transport cart 10 is only possible after release by the operating personnel.

[0035] At the in Fig. In the state shown in Figure 1, the optical barrier 7 is continuous because the unit load 4-5 is still outside the safety area 3, the sixth unit load 4-6 is still on the feed device 11 and therefore cannot yet be brought into the unit load storage 2, since for this the sixth unit load 4-6 must first be brought into the correct position by a turntable 12.

[0036] However, since the area protection 1 reacts to any intrusion of an object or person by switching off the automatic movement of the loaded and / or unloaded transport trolleys 10, a corresponding partial and temporary interruption of the optical barrier 7 is therefore necessary to introduce or remove a piece of goods 4 into the piece goods storage area 2 in order to avoid an unintentional shutdown of the automated movements of the loaded and / or unloaded transport trolleys 10.

[0037] Fig. Figure 2 shows a state in which the fifth piece of goods 4-5 is conveyed from the second turntable 12-2 along the second transport device 5-2 into the piece goods storage area 2 and thus into the safety area 3 by means of a transport trolley 10 not shown.

[0038] To prevent the automated movement of the corresponding transport trolleys 10 or other transport devices 5 from stopping, at least within the safety zone 3, when the fifth item 4-5 comes into contact with the optical barrier 7, the following is carried out in the Fig. In the example shown in Figure 2, at least one of the two laser scanners 6 is controlled, depending on the control commands for the second transport device 5-2, such that a recess 8 is created in the optical barrier 7 in the area of ​​the second transport device 5-2. The area of ​​the recess 8 is therefore not monitored by the optical barrier 7 in the sense of an area protection 1, so that in the case of the Fig. In the example shown in Figure 2, the fifth item 4-5 can be moved into the safety area 3 using the second transport device 5-2, without interrupting an automated movement of a transport device 5 or a transport trolley 10 in the safety area 3.

[0039] For the introduction of the fifth item 4-5 into security area 3, at least one of the two laser scanners 6 is activated by the Fig. The control device 2 (not shown) is controlled depending on the control commands for the second transport device 5-2. This means that the recess 8 is only created in the optical barrier 7 in the area of ​​the second transport device 5-2, in order to prevent undetected passage of the optical barrier 7 by operating personnel at a location other than the area of ​​the second transport device 5-2. Furthermore, the interruption of the optical barrier 7 is possible due to the dependency of the control commands for the second transport device 5-2, such that the recess 8 in the optical barrier 7, and thus in the area protection 1, is only created when the passage of the fifth item 4-5 through the optical barrier 7 is imminent, and that the recess 8 disappears again, preferably immediately after the fifth item 4-5 has crossed the area of ​​the optical barrier 7.This prevents a person from running in front of the fifth item 4-5 or running immediately after the fifth item 4-5 without being detected by area protection 1.

[0040] In an advantageous embodiment of the control device, the dimensions of the individual items 4 to be transported, such as width (i.e., the dimension perpendicular to the direction of movement), length (i.e., the dimension extending along the direction of movement), and height, are available. In this case, the width b of the respective recess 8 can also be changed depending on the item 4 to be transported. This has the advantage that it prevents a person from walking alongside the item 4 being transported (as viewed in the direction of movement) and thus entering the safety zone 3 undetected by the area protection 1.

[0041] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the contour of the respective item 4 is also stored in the control device, so that the contour of a respective recess 8 can be adapted or changed depending on the item 4 to be transported or depending on the contour of the item 4 to be transported. Thus, for example, with items 4 that have a large cylindrical cross-section, it can be prevented that persons walking alongside the item in a stooped position are not detected by the area protection system.

[0042] Fig. 3 shows that in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. The general cargo warehouse 2 shown at a time when the fifth general cargo item 4-5 was moved to storage location 9-2.2 and was in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 The sixth piece of goods 4-6, still located on the feed device 11, is moved into the safety area 3 by means of the third transport device 5-3.

[0043] To prevent the automated movement of the corresponding transport trolleys 10 or other transport devices 5 from stopping, at least within the safety zone 3, when the sixth item 4-6 comes into contact with the optical barrier 7, the following is carried out in the Fig. In the example shown in Figure 3, at least one of the two laser scanners 6 is controlled, depending on the control commands for the third transport device 5-3, such that a recess 8 is created in the optical barrier 7 in the area of ​​the third transport device 5-3. The area of ​​the recess 8 is therefore not monitored by the optical barrier 7 in the sense of an area protection 1, so that in the case of the Fig. In the example shown in Figure 3, the sixth item 4-6 can be moved into the safety area 3 using the third transport device 5-3, without interrupting an automated movement of a transport device 5 or a transport trolley 10 in the safety area 3.

[0044] For the introduction of the sixth item 4-6 into security area 3, at least one of the two laser scanners 6 is activated by the Fig. The control device (not shown) is activated depending on the control commands for the third transport device 5-3. This means that the recess 8 is only created in the optical barrier 7 in the area of ​​the third transport device 5-3, in order to prevent undetected passage of the optical barrier 7 by operating personnel at any point other than in the area of ​​the third transport device 5-3. Furthermore, the interruption of the optical barrier 7 is possible due to the dependency of the control commands for the third transport device 5-3, such that the recess 8 in the optical barrier 7, and thus in the area protection 1, is only created when the passage of the sixth item 4-6 through the optical barrier 7 is imminent, and that the recess 8 disappears again, preferably immediately after the sixth item 4-6 has crossed the area of ​​the optical barrier 7.This prevents a person from running in front of the sixth item 4-6 or from running immediately after the sixth item 4-6 without being detected by area protection 1.

[0045] Although in the Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 only show exemplary cases in which only the second transport device 5-2 or only the third transport device 5-3 and thus sequentially transport items 4 into the safety area 3, it is of course also possible to create a plurality of recesses 8 on several of the transport devices 5 simultaneously for introducing and / or removing a plurality of items 4 and / or transport trolleys 10 in the optical barrier 7.Depending on the shape and / or dimensions of the individual items 4 and / or the transport trolleys 10 or the design of the transport devices 5 and / or the distances a between the transport devices 5, it may be necessary to place at least one additional laser scanner 6 to prevent an optical barrier 7 from being created in the shadow of, in particular, an individual item 4, in order to avoid corresponding gaps with regard to personal safety.

[0046] Fig. Figure 4 shows a view in the direction of view of the second transport device 5-2 in a situation according to Fig. 2, that is, Fig. Figure 4 shows the exemplary situation when the fifth item 4-5 passes through the optical barrier 7 on the second transport device 5-2 using a transport trolley 10. Fig. The example shown in Figure 4 is generated by the first laser scanner 6-1 and the second laser scanner 6-2. Here, the fifth item 4-5 is designed as a cylindrical substrate roll with a diameter d.

[0047] As explained above, in an advantageous embodiment of the control device, the dimensions of the individual items 4 to be transported, such as width (i.e., the dimension perpendicular to the direction of movement), length (i.e., the dimension extending along the direction of movement), and height and / or diameter (d) and / or the contour of the relevant cross-section, are available. In this case, the width (b) of the respective recess (8) and / or the contour of the respective recess (8) can be changed depending on the item 4 to be transported. This has the advantage of preventing a person from walking alongside the item 4 being transported (as viewed in the direction of movement) and thus entering the safety zone (3) undetected by the area protection (1).

[0048] Fig.Figure 4 shows, using the example of a piece of general cargo 4-5 with a circular cross-section and a diameter d, that the width b of the recess 8 as well as the contour of the recess 8 in the optical barrier 7 are adapted to the diameter d and the contour of the piece of general cargo 4 in such a way that there are no unmonitored areas in which a person could gain unauthorized access to the security area 3 of the general cargo warehouse 2. Reference symbol list 1. Area protection 2 general cargo warehouses 3 Security area 4 pieces of cargo 5 Transport device 6 laser scanners 7 optical barrier 8 recess 9 storage space 10 transport trolleys 11 Feeding device 12 turntable 13 Access control x first extension y second extension a minimum distance b Wide recess d diameter

Claims

Area protection (1) for a general cargo warehouse (2), wherein the general cargo warehouse (2) comprises a safety area (3) for storing general cargo (4), wherein the safety area (3) has a first extension x and a second extension y, and wherein at least two transport devices (5) for moving general cargo (4) into and / or out of the safety area (3) are arranged along the extension of the first extension x at a minimum distance a from each other, characterized in that the first extension x is at least partially secured by means of at least two opposing laser scanners (6) with an optical barrier (7) for the purpose of personal safety, wherein the laser scanners (6) can be controlled in such a way thatthat, depending on control commands for at least one transport device (5), a recess (8) can be temporarily created in the optical barrier (7) in the area of ​​the first transport device (5-1) and / or the area of ​​the second transport device (5-2) for the transport of unit loads (4). Area protection (1) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one recess (8) created in the optical barrier (7) has a definable and / or variable width b. Area protection (1) according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the contour of the at least one recess (8) is changeable. Area protection (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the unit load storage (2) is designed as a roller storage and that the unit load (4) is a substrate roll. Area protection (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the unit load storage (2) of a printing press is located upstream. Computer-implemented method for the safety monitoring of a general cargo warehouse (2), wherein the general cargo warehouse (2) comprises a safety area (3) for storing general cargo (4), wherein the safety area (3) has a first extension x and a second extension y, and wherein at least two transport devices (5) for moving general cargo (4) into and / or out of the safety area (3) are arranged along the extension of the first extension x at a minimum distance a from each other and are controlled by a control device by means of control commands, characterized in that the first extension x is at least partially secured by an optical barrier (7) by means of at least two opposing laser scanners (6) for the purpose of personnel safety, wherein the at least two laser scanners (6) are controlled by the control device in such a manner,that, depending on control commands for at least one transport device (5), a recess (8) is temporarily created in the optical barrier (7) in the area of ​​the first transport device (5-1) and / or the area of ​​the second transport device (5-2) for the transport of unit loads (4). Method according to claim 6, characterized in that the width b of the at least one recess (8) is changed depending on the unit load (4) to be transported. Method according to one of claims 6 to 7, characterized in that the contour of the at least one recess (8) is changed depending on the unit load (4) to be transported. Method according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the unit load storage (2) is designed as a roller storage and that a substrate roll is used as the unit load (4). Method according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the unit load storage (2) is used to supply a printing press.

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