EP3244004B1 - Guarantee of workplace safety when using drilling machines with drilling mast - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a solution for ensuring occupational safety in drilling equipment equipped with a drilling mast. It relates to the protection of persons, in particular, from contact with parts moving on and / or within the drilling mast. The preferred field of application of the invention is the implementation of a corresponding protection for top hammer drilling machines and down-hole drilling machines, without, however, the invention being restricted to this. In this respect, the invention relates generally to drilling devices which have a drilling mast in or on which rods or pipes are guided with a drilling head arranged at their end, the drilling head being able to be designed very differently depending on the intended use. The drilling mast is arranged, for example, on the boom of an excavator (or crane), which is used for positioning and aligning the drilling mast and thus the drilling tool. It is also common to arrange the drilling mast on a mount that is not self-propelled but can be moved by means of a suitable vehicle, with structures for positioning and aligning the drilling mast.

Drilling equipment with a drilling mast, such as in particular drilling equipment of the aforementioned type, namely top hammer drilling equipment and downhole drilling equipment, is used, for example, to drill holes in rocks or rocks, for example for blasting in quarries or to produce supply shafts. Depending on the drilling principle used, a rotation about their longitudinal or central axis or / and - as in the case of the hammer drill - perform an up and down movement due to a periodic loading with a preferably hydraulically generated one, depending on the drilling principle used, within the drilling mast or on the drilling mast Force. In addition to the drill pipe or the pipes used for drilling, a number of other moving parts are often arranged on a corresponding drilling mast, such as a storage magazine for automatic tracking of rods or pipes for extending the drilling tool.

In some cases, accidents at work have occurred in the past if people in the vicinity of the drilling machine accidentally came into contact with the moving parts of the drilling machine due to inattentiveness or if body parts got between these moving parts. Such accidents generally lead to at least considerable personal injury, but can also lead to the death of affected people. For this reason, legal regulations have recently been issued which are intended to increase occupational safety in the area of appropriate drilling equipment and thus to significantly reduce the risk of accidents.

In practice, passive safety measures are used to implement these regulations. It is known from the prior art, for example, as provided in accordance with the industrial standard DIN EN 16228-1, to arrange the moving parts of the drilling rig rigidly or, if necessary, also to arrange movable cage structures for service purposes, which prevent people from inadvertently coming into contact with these moving parts Protect drilling rigs. However, the use of appropriate cage designs has a number of disadvantages. It is initially to be regarded as a disadvantage that the entire drilling mast of corresponding drilling devices has a significantly higher weight when equipped with such a cage construction. This increases the energy consumption when positioning the drilling tool, but also during the drilling process itself, which at the same time reduces the efficiency of the devices. Another disadvantage is the considerably poorer accessibility of individual machine parts when carrying out service and maintenance measures or when changing the drilling tool (changing the drilling head or parts of the drill pipe). Furthermore, it is to be regarded as disadvantageous that the drilling of soil in the immediate vicinity of walls or rock or rock elevations is made difficult or even impossible due to the enlargement of the diameter of the drilling mast resulting from the arrangement of the cage. In addition, it can damage the drill pipe, for example, when it breaks Cages come, so that their replacement is required, which entails corresponding costs.

The already mentioned regulations for improving the occupational safety of the drilling devices in question explicitly provide for the possibility of active, sensory protection. With this in mind, GB 2 479 749 A1 describes a safety device for drilling rigs equipped with a drilling mast, in which an optically based, namely an opto-electronic system is used to detect a person staying in the effective range of the drilling mast and thus in the danger zone. According to a preferred embodiment, this is a lidar system working with laser light. If a person is detected in the danger zone using this optical system, the protective device generates a switch-off signal which disables the drilling device.

However, such solutions have so far not been used in practice. This is certainly not only due to costs, it is also very difficult to provide sensor-based solutions that also work reliably in the naturally very robust working environment of the corresponding drilling equipment. One of the main obstacles here has been the dust that arises during the drilling process, in particular with hammer drills.

Through the EP 2 952 671 A1 describes a safety system for drilling equipment in which people working on or in the immediate vicinity of a drilling equipment are each equipped with a plurality of signal transmitters arranged on clothing, a protective helmet or the like. According to the publication, this can also be radiation sources emitting radar radiation. A receiver on the machine base of the drilling rig and on the drilling mast detects the entry of a person equipped with corresponding signal transmitters into a danger area around the drilling rig defined by the detection range set for the receivers, and the drilling rig is decommissioned if necessary. With the help of several of In cooperation with a further receiver arranged on a barrier built around the drilling device, a radiation source to be carried and coupled to one another is ensured that only signal transmitters can stay in the work area surrounded by the barrier and also due to the absence of a transmission signal a defect or by dropping a radiation source carried by one of the people in the work area can be reacted to accordingly. However, due to the requirement that all persons working on the drilling rig be equipped with multiple radiation sources, this system is comparatively complex.

The object of the invention is to avoid the aforementioned disadvantages and to overcome the problems indicated. For this purpose, an alternative solution is to be specified which can be implemented with little effort, but which also guarantees a high degree of reliability and thus safe occupational safety even under the harsh operating conditions of the drilling equipment. For this purpose, a method and a device suitable for carrying out the method are to be provided.

The object is achieved by a method having the features of patent claim 1. A device that accomplishes the task and is suitable for carrying out the method is characterized by the features of the first claim. Advantageous training and further education are given by the respective subclaims.

According to the method proposed to achieve the object, the protection of persons from contact with parts moving on and / and within the drilling mast of a generic drilling device is ensured in that the moving parts to be secured with regard to avoiding contact in the event of an intrusion Subject or object are put out of operation in a scanning field spanned by several sensors around the drilling mast. This scanning field is using several radar sensors clamped, which are arranged on the drill to be secured. For this purpose, radar sensors are used, which are designed to emit radar radiation and to receive radar radiation reflected from a subject or object located in the scanning field. These radar sensors are arranged on the drilling device, preferably on the drilling mast, and are oriented in such a way that the radar radiation emitted by them is so observed that their respective main beam lobe does not cover the drilling surface or parts of the drilling mast.

In connection with the above explanations, the following explanations and the patent claims, it should be pointed out here that the terms scanning field, sensor field and sensory (scanning) field are used synonymously in this context, that is to say they are based on the same understanding in terms of content and technology. According to this understanding, a distinction is made between the lobe-like radiation field (but also the overall radiation field, with regard to the possible inclusion of any radiation side lobes), which relates to the spatial spread of the radar beams emitted by a single radar sensor, i.e. the electromagnetic waves emitted by the respective radar sensor, relates. In contrast, the sensor field or scanning field refers to the spatial area which, by superimposing the radiation fields (without or with consideration of the radiation side lobes already mentioned) of all respectively activated radar sensors, is to be detected for the intrusion or the entry of a subject or object, in order, if necessary, to automatically deactivate moving objects To effect parts of the drill.

As can be seen above, an essential feature of the proposed solution is the use of radar sensors to generate the sensory field. In experiments, optical sensors have proven to be unsuitable for this purpose for the reason already mentioned that strong dust formation occurs during drilling. This also applies to the use of appropriate infrared-based sensors. But also the use of ultrasonic sensors has so far proven to be impractical. The way they function is also impaired or disturbed too much by the formation of dust.

It is essential to use the radar sensors to span a scanning field around the drilling mast in such a way that at least none of the main radiation lobes of the radar beams emitted by the radar sensors sweep over the drilling surface or parts of the drilling mast. The latter is important insofar as it has been shown that otherwise reflections of the radar beams occur on the drilling surface and / or on the drilling mast, which falsify the result of the evaluation of radar beams possibly arriving at the radar sensors. Accordingly, radar beams arriving at the radar sensors should only be detected if they are reflected by an obstacle in the vicinity of the drilling mast, namely in particular a person or a body part of a person. Otherwise, radar beams reflected by the drilling surface or directly or indirectly by the drilling mast itself and consequently received by the radar sensors arranged on the drilling rig could result in the moving parts of the drilling mast or the drilling rig being repeatedly put out of operation without the existence of an actual danger, and thus that Drill can not be used appropriately. With a view to avoid sweeping over the drilling surface, in particular the ground when vertical bores are drilled into the subsoil, the radar sensors are therefore preferably on the drilling mast, but not - as is obvious - when their radiation fields are aligned along the drilling mast in the direction of the drilling surface, mounted on the end of the drilling mast facing away from the drilling surface. Rather, in the case of their preferred direct arrangement on the drilling mast, the radar sensors are arranged on the end of the drilling mast facing the drilling surface.

According to a basic process design, the aforementioned condition, according to which at least the main radiation lobes of the emitted radar beams neither sweep over the drilling surface nor parts of the drilling mast, by achieving that the radiation axes of the radar beams emitted by the radar sensors and generating the scanning field are aligned in a radially projecting manner with respect to the longitudinal axis of the drilling tool. Compliance with the conditions mentioned is achieved by a corresponding arrangement of the radar sensors on the drilling mast or the drilling device or / and by their corresponding alignment and, if appropriate, moreover by a corresponding selection of the radar sensors with regard to the opening angle of the radar beams emitted by them. According to this embodiment, the radar sensors are arranged on the drilling mast of the drilling device at a distance based on the average height of a person from the end facing the drilling surface. In this respect, a distance between 0.50 m and 1.50 m, preferably between 0.80 m and 1.50 m, is conceivable.

A special case of the process design explained above is given when the drilling mast of the drilling device, for example for producing a bottom hole, is at least substantially vertically aligned. In this case, the radiation axes of the radar beams emitted by the radar sensors and generating the scanning field are preferably aligned essentially horizontally, as already explained, by appropriate arrangement and / or alignment of the sensors themselves.

A further possibility of complying with the boundary conditions mentioned above with regard to avoiding undesired reflections is to align the radiation axes of the radar beams emitted by the radar sensors in the opposite direction to the drilling direction in such a way that they run parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drilling tool or an imaginary one around this longitudinal axis. span the conically opening envelope surface. The radiation axes of the emitted radar beams are accordingly aligned in such a way that they run counter to the drilling direction and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drilling mast or at an angle with respect to this longitudinal axis on its side facing away from the drilling surface. The radar sensors are also in this Case on the end of the drilling mast facing the drilling surface, that is to say arranged on the side of the drilling head, and at the smallest possible distance therefrom, so that their radiation fields run as far as possible along the entire axial extension of the drilling mast, with an arrangement of the radar sensors also in this connection at a distance of 0.50 m to 1.50 m from the drilling surface (from the surface into which the hole is to be drilled). According to this method design, it is provided that the radiation axes of the radar beams emitted by the radar sensors are aligned at least in the case of a horizontal alignment of the drilling mast to produce a horizontal bore in the manner described above.

It should be noted that in this context the drilling tool is understood to mean the drilling head and the boring bars connected or connected to it, or the drilling pipes connected or connected to it, at the end of which the drilling head is arranged.

If you now consider the most common cases of use of drilling rigs with a drilling mast, namely their use to make a vertical hole (e.g. in the floor) or their use to make a horizontal hole (e.g. in a wall), this can be observed The occupational health and safety procedure for decommissioning the moving parts, in the event that a person or a body part of a person gets into a sensor field or scanning field generated around the drilling mast, can be configured as follows.

If a vertical drilling is made, i.e. the drilling mast is aligned vertically, the radar beams spanning the sensor field are arranged at the appropriate height (as already stated, based on the height of a person) so that their radiation axes are horizontally outwards in relation to the drilling mast run directed. Deviating from this, the drill is used to make a horizontal hole an alignment of the radiation axes opposite to the drilling surface and, as already shown as a basic design option, parallel to its longitudinal axis or slightly towards the longitudinal axis, that is to say inclined away from it.

It can be provided that within an angular range between a vertical alignment of the longitudinal axis of the drilling tool and a defined angle of inclination against this vertical, the radiation axes of the emitted radar radiation in the manner described first, i.e. radially to the drilling mast, and when this specified angle is exceeded up to a horizontal alignment of the longitudinal axis of the drilling tool or the drilling mast, the radiation axes are aligned according to the second possibility explained. In a development of the method, this can be achieved in that the respective orientation of the drilling mast, i.e. its respective angle with respect to the vertical or the horizontal direction, is detected by means of a movement or inclination sensor and, depending on this, a switchover between the two variants of the orientation of the Radar beams are automated.

The angle to be set for switching between the two explained variants of the beam alignment is, in view of the fact that, in particular when a vertical hole is drilled, the drilling surface (in this case the drilling base or the floor) must be avoided, especially depending on the opening angle of the radar sensors emitted radar radiation and the range of the beams. If, in the case of radar sensors of shorter range and in the event of an inclination of the drilling mast, the radiation axis of the emitted beams only touches the drilling surface due to the short radiation range, this is unproblematic with a view to avoiding undesired reflections. However, if the radar beams have a relatively large opening angle and at the same time a long range, a switch to the other operating mode, with radiation axes running in the axial direction of the drilling mast, should take place sooner. so already at an angle smaller than the vertical. Realistically, the angle to be set for the switchover should preferably be between 15 ° and 25 ° relative to the vertical. However, this is a question of the opening angle and range of the radar sensors as well as the configuration in individual cases, always taking into account the premise that at least the main radiation lobes of the emitted beams do not sweep over the drilling surface; Switching could be provided.

At this point, it should also be additionally noted that preferably it is also possible to avoid sweeping over the drilling surface due to the radiation side lobes which can generally be found in the radiation pattern of a radar sensor. In any case, this applies when the intensity of these radiation side lobes is not so low compared to that of the main radiation lobe that a falsification of the detection result by reflected portions of the radiation side lobes is not to be expected.

There are different possibilities for realizing the two basic variants for the alignment of the radar beams spanning the sensor field explained above. A respective alignment of the radar beams or their main axes can be achieved by an appropriate arrangement of the radar sensors on the drilling device and / or by a corresponding alignment of the radar sensors themselves arranged on the drilling device. In the context of the proposed solution, the arrangement of the radar sensors should preferably be based on their arrangement directly on the drilling mast.

With regard to the possibility of changing the alignment of the radiation axes depending on the alignment of the drilling mast, there are also different possibilities for this. One is to use two different ones for the two different alignment variants that are basically provided Arrange sensor groups on the drilling mast. Accordingly, a first sensor group in the case of the alignment of the drilling mast or the longitudinal axis of the drilling tool in the vertical direction could be used to generate a sensor field by means of radiation axes oriented radially to the drilling mast. A further, i.e. second sensor group, on the other hand, could be used to generate a sensor field by means of radar beams, the radiation axes of which in the opposite direction to the drilling surface and in the axial direction with respect to the drilling mast, namely parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drilling tool or preferably at a slight angle of inclination of removing the longitudinal axis are aligned.

Another possibility is to use only one sensor group, the sensors being arranged on the drilling mast in such a way that they themselves can be aligned differently or moved into different positions. This can preferably be done automatically by means of actuators to be controlled accordingly.

With regard to the different alignment of the radiation axes of the radar beams each generating the sensor field as a function of the alignment of the drilling mast, the following should be noted at this point. In principle, the solution presented could meet the occupational safety requirements in the event of a horizontal alignment of the drilling mast (for example for the purpose of drilling a horizontal hole in a wall) as well as in the case of vertical drilling by means of a radial alignment of the radiation axes of the sensor field, which is relative to the longitudinal axis of the drilling tool Radar beams can be reached. However, in this case, in order to secure the drilling mast and the parts moving on or in it, radar sensors would have to be arranged preferably at several locations of the drilling mast over the entire axial extent of the drilling mast, in which the main axes of the radar beams emitted by them are radially aligned accordingly.

On the other hand, it is also conceivable to ensure occupational safety in accordance with the basic principle of the solution (decommissioning of moving parts in the event of a subject or object penetrating the sensory scanning field) in the case of a vertical alignment of the drilling mast by means of radar sensors arranged on the mast base (at the end on the drill head side), in which the main axes or radiation axes of the radar beams emitted by them are oriented in the opposite direction to the drilling surface and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drilling tool or slightly inclined away from it. However, the use of radially radiating radar sensors, which are preferably attached to the drilling mast at a height which is based on the average human body height (slightly below the waist to about chest height, that is to say preferably about 80 cm to 150 cm), offers a number of advantages . This enables them to cover a larger danger area around the drilling mast or to better adjust the size of this danger area. With their help, it is also fundamentally easier to avoid possible reflections of the radar beams on the drilling mast itself.

A device which accomplishes the task and is suitable for carrying out the method is characterized in that a plurality of radar sensors spanning a sensory scanning field are arranged on the drilling rig, preferably on its drilling mast, which are designed both to emit radar radiation and to emit radiated radiation subject or object located in the scanning field to receive reflected radar radiation. The radar sensors in question are arranged and aligned and, if necessary, selected with regard to the opening angle of the radar beams emitted by them, so that at least none of the main radiation lobes of the radar beams emitted by the radar sensors sweeps over the drilling surface or parts of the drilling mast.

According to a possible embodiment of the device, it has a first group of radar sensors for this purpose, in which the radiation axis of the radar beams emitted by them radially from the longitudinal axis of the drilling tool is aligned away. In addition or alternatively, a second sensor group can be provided which, in contrast, is arranged and / or aligned such that the main axis or radiation axis of the radar beams emitted by them runs in the opposite direction to the drilling direction and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drilling tool or slightly inclined away from this longitudinal axis. In the case of an arrangement that enables both variants of the alignment of the radiation axis of the radar sensors, the drilling device can advantageously be developed in such a way that depending on the angle of inclination of the drilling mast - if two sensor groups are provided - one or the other sensor group is automatically activated or that the sensors themselves can be automatically aligned differently depending on the angle of inclination of the drilling mast.

To implement the last-mentioned further development (with at least two sensor groups or with sensors that can be aligned variably), the drilling device has at least one inclination or motion sensor. Furthermore, in this case the processing unit provided anyway (in terms of its hardware and software equipment) is designed such that it is suitable for evaluating the sensor signals of the at least one inclination or motion sensor. The processing unit must also switch the drilling device depending on the angle of inclination of the drilling mast against the vertical determined by the sensor signals by aligning all or part of the radar sensors with the aid of an actuator or by activating part of the radar sensors and deactivating another part of the radar sensors to cause the previously explained operating modes of the drilling device which differ with regard to the alignment of the radiation axes of the emitted radar beams.

According to a practice-relevant development of the invention, this can also be equipped with a so-called override function. This function enables an operator of the drilling machine to automatically stop or shut down the moving parts of the drilling machine to prevent when a subject or object (in particular object, but exceptionally also a subject) is in the sensor field or gets into it, provided the operator recognizes that there is no actual danger. This can be useful, for example, if an object is blown into the sensor field by wind, for which the occupational safety measures do not have to apply. In the case of the implementation of such a function, the moving parts of the drilling device would be put out of operation after a detection of an object in the sensor field with a slight delay (approx. 0.5 seconds - 1 second) and an alarm signal would be triggered first, after the operator had perceived it activate the override function, i.e. could interrupt the automated decommissioning of the moving parts.

The solution according to the invention also offers the possibility of a more flexible handling compared to the prior art with mechanical protection (cage) when introducing a vertical hole in the immediate vicinity of a wall or a horizontal hole near the floor. Thus, it can be provided that individual radar sensors near the wall (vertical drilling) or near the ground (horizontal drilling) can be temporarily deactivated or - if equipped with a quick assembly / disassembly device - can be removed from the drilling rig.

Fig. 1:

einen Teil eines Bohrmastes mit daran angeordneten, radial abstrahlenden Radarsensoren,

Fig. 2:

eine räumliche Darstellung des in der Fig. 1 gezeigten Teils eines Bohrmastes,

Fig. 3:

eine Aufsicht auf den Bohrmast gemäß Fig. 1,

Fig. 4:

den Teil eines Bohrmastes mit im Wesentlichen entgegen der Bohrrichtung abstrahlenden Radarsensoren,

Fig. 5:

ein Schema zur Erläuterung der in den Figuren 1 bis 4 schematisch dargestellten Abstrahlfelder der Radarsensoren.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are to be given below with reference to drawings. Show in detail:

Fig. 1:

part of a drilling mast with radially radiating radar sensors arranged thereon,

Fig. 2:

a spatial representation of the in the Fig. 1 shown part of a drilling mast,

Fig. 3:

a supervision of the drilling mast according to Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 4:

the part of a drilling mast with radar sensors emitting essentially counter to the drilling direction,

Fig. 5:

a scheme to explain the in the Figures 1 to 4 schematically represented radiation fields of the radar sensors.

Fig. 1 shows the part of a drilling mast 1 of a possible embodiment of the invention with several radar sensors 2 ₁ - 2 _n radiating in the radial direction r with respect to the drilling mast 1 in a schematic, area-projected representation. Not all details of the drilling device or its drilling mast 1 are shown in the illustration. Thus, for example, the actual drilling device and other parts moving on or within the drilling mast 1 are not shown in this illustration, since the drawing is intended in particular to illustrate the arrangement of the radar sensors 2 ₁ - 2 _n and the alignment of their radiation fields.

In this illustration, the drilling tool could be covered, for example, by the support foot belonging to the drilling mast 1 with a claw 7 which is pressed into the drilling surface 4 and anchored here to a certain extent, that is to say it is arranged behind the support foot shown in relation to the plane of the drawing. The drilling mast 1, which is only shown in sections, can be mounted, for example, on a boom (not shown) of an excavator (also not shown), by means of which the drilling mast 1 can be moved to position the drilling tool guided on it.

The radar sensors 2 ₁ - 2 _n are in the in the Fig. 1 shown embodiment arranged and aligned in such a way that its radiation axes 6 (shown here are only the radiation edges 11, 11 'enclosing the main radiation lobes 8 - for the radiation axes 6 and the main radiation lobes 8 see Fig. 5 ) radially r with respect to the axial extension of the drilling mast 1 or with respect to the longitudinal axis 5 indicated by the dash-dot line. This type of alignment, which is preferably provided for the application of making a vertical bore (drilling direction b corresponds to the vertical v) by means of the drilling tool (not shown) held on the drilling mast 1, ensures that at least the main radiation lobes 8 (see again Fig. 5 ) - Depending on the opening angle 10 of the emitted radiation, possibly also the radiation side lobes 9, 9 '- do not paint over the drilling surface 4, namely, for example, the ground into which the vertical bore is to be made. Rather, the radar beams in an imaginary extension will only touch the ground at a large distance from the drilling mast 1 and will be reflected here, this being theoretical insofar as the beams reach the corresponding point of contact with the ground due to the finite range of the radar sensors 2 ₁ - 2 _n preferably not reach at all. This ensures that there is no falsification when evaluating the sensor signal for the presence of objects within the sensor field. With regard to the axial extension of the drilling mast 1, the radar sensors 2 ₁ - 2 _n spanning the sensor field are arranged on the drilling mast 1 at a height that is based on the average height of a person, that is to say in any case below this average height.

The Fig. 2 shows the device with the sensor field generated by the radar sensors 2 ₁ - 2 _n again with spatial representation of a portion of the in the Fig. 1 shown part of the drilling mast 1. The Fig. 3 clarifies the situation using a section of a view of the drilling mast 1. In both figures, the corresponding parts of the drilling mast 1 and the radar sensors 2 ₁ - 2 _{n are shown} taking into account a uniform scale.
The Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of the device according to the invention, in which either instead of or cumulatively to the radar sensors 2 ₁ - 2 _n according to the Figures 1 to 3 provided radar sensors 3 ₁ - 3 _n are arranged and aligned in such a way that a sensor field is spanned by this, which is enclosed by an imaginary envelope surface that opens conically on the side opposite the drilling side. By arranging, aligning and selecting the radar sensors 3 ₁ - 3 _n with regard to the opening angle 10 (see Fig. 4 combined with Fig. 5 ) of the radiation emitted by them is achieved that the main radiation lobes 8 of the radar beams emitting Radar sensors 3 ₁ - 3 _n do not paint over parts of drilling mast 1 at any point. Rather, the beams run in such a way that they are directed counter to the drilling direction b and only intersect the longitudinal axis 5 of the drilling mast 1 or the imaginary extension of its outer peripheral surface above its axial end.

The in the Fig. 4 Shown embodiment with radar sensors 3 ₁ - 3 _n radiating in the axial direction with respect to the drilling mast 1 is preferably provided for use in the production of horizontal bores, for example in masonry. The range of the radar sensors 3 ₁ - 3 _n arranged at the foot end of the drilling mast 1 in the vicinity of the drilling head 12 shown here, driven over boring bars or drilling tubes, is in any case dimensioned such that the sensor field spanned by them extends over the entire axial length of the drilling mast 1 extends. If a person accidentally gets into this sensor field, this is detected by the radar sensors 3 ₁ - 3 _n as a result of the reflections that occur, and an evaluation circuit or evaluation unit (not shown) causes the moving parts of the drilling device to be activated with the help of appropriately controlled (also not shown) actuators are taken out of operation or shut down.

The Fig. 5 is the explanation of the description of the invention and the claims as well as that of the other figures with regard to the spread of the radar sensors 2 ₁ - 2 _n ; 3 ₁ - 3 _n serve the underlying understanding of radar radiation emitted. This understanding assumes that for radar sensors 2 ₁ - 2 _n ; 3 ₁ - 3 _n emitted radar radiation generally shows a radiation image with a main radiation lobe 8 and secondary radiation lobes 9, 9 ′. The radiation profiles shown in the other figures relate to the main radiation lobe 8, represent ₁ - 2 _n for a respective radar sensor; 3 ₁ - 3 _n thus each represent two radiation edges 11, 11 'of the radiation field of the radar radiation, which laterally surround the main beam lobe 8, whereby, as explained, a sweep of the The drilling surface 4 and the drilling mast 1 through this main radiation lobe 8 should be avoided by appropriate alignment of the radiation axis 6 shown in dashed lines in the middle. The angle enclosed by the radiation edges 11, 11 'represents the opening angle 10. The representations and the explanations given for this are based on an essentially symmetrical radiation image with an essentially symmetrical main beam lobe 8, in the center of which the radiation axis 6 runs. As already stated, the figure shows a surface-projected representation of a radiation field. In fact, of course, this expands spatially, whereby an essentially symmetrical field is also assumed in this respect. The (imaginary) radiation edges 11, 11 'of the radiation field lie on the lateral surface of an (imaginary) truncated cone, the radiation axis 6 coincides with the central axis of this truncated cone.

In the figures, it is also assumed that the intensity of the radiation side lobes 9, 9 'is significantly lower than the intensity of the main radiation lobe 8, so that the influence of the radiation side lobes 9, 9' can be neglected. If this depends on the type of radar sensors used 2 ₁ - 2 _n ; 3 ₁ - 3 _{n would} not be the case, the explanations given would be on the total radiation field of a respective radar sensor 2 ₁ - 2 _n ; 3 ₁ - 3 _n with main radiation lobe 8 and radiation side lobes 9, 9 '. The in the drawings for a radar sensor 2 ₁ - 2 _n ; 3 ₁ - 3 _n indicated or imagined radiation edges 11, 11 'would enclose the radiation field with main radiation lobe 8 and secondary radiation lobes 9, 9'.

Claims (7)

1. Method for ensuring occupational safety on drilling rigs having a drilling mast (1), namely for protecting persons from contact with parts moving on or/and inside the drilling mast (1), by disabling the moving parts to be protected as regards the avoidance of contact if a subject or an object enters a sensory scanning field, wherein radar sensors (2₁-2_n; 3₁-3_n) are used to form the sensory scanning field, characterized

   - in that use is made of radar sensors (2₁-2_n; 3₁-3_n) which are designed to emit radar radiation and to receive radar radiation reflected by a subject or an object in the scanning field, and

   - in that these radar sensors (2₁-2_n; 3₁-3_n) are arranged on the drilling rig to be protected, and

   - in that the scanning field is formed by virtue of the fact that,

   (i.) in the case of a vertical orientation of the drilling mast (1) in order to produce vertical drilling, radar sensors (2₁-2_n) emit radar beams in a manner rising in the radial direction (r) with respect to the longitudinal axis (5) of the drilling mast (1) or radar sensors (3₁-3_n) emit radar beams in a direction opposite the drilling direction (b) along the drilling mast (1),

   (ii.) in the case of a horizontal orientation of the drilling mast (1) in order to produce horizontal drilling, radar sensors (3₁-3_n) emit radar beams in a direction opposite the drilling direction (b) along the drilling mast (1).
2. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that, in a first operating mode of the drilling rig in which its drilling mast (1) has a vertical orientation or an orientation inclined by up to a defined angle with respect to the vertical (v), the radar sensors (2₁-2_n) emit radar beams in a manner rising in the radial direction (r) with respect to the longitudinal axis (5) of the drilling mast (1), and in that, in a second operating mode of the drilling rig in which its drilling mast (1) has an orientation with an inclination going beyond the above-mentioned defined angle with respect to the vertical (v) as far as the horizontal, radar sensors (3₁-3_n) emit radar beams in a direction opposite the drilling direction (b) along the drilling mast (1).
3. Method according to Claim 2, characterized in that the orientation of the drilling mast (1) with regard to its inclination with respect to the vertical (v) is detected by means of at least one inclination or motion sensor, the sensor signal from which is evaluated by a processing unit in order to activate the operating mode to be respectively selected on the basis thereof.
4. Apparatus for ensuring occupational safety on drilling rigs having a drilling mast (1), namely for protecting persons from contact with parts moving on or/and inside the drilling mast (1), by disabling the moving parts to be protected as regards the avoidance of contact if a subject or an object enters a sensory scanning field by means of actuators which are provided on the drilling rig for this purpose and are actuated by a processing unit designed to evaluate sensor signals, characterized in that, in order to generate the sensory scanning field, a plurality of radar sensors (2₁-2_n; 3₁-3_n) which are designed both to emit radar radiation and to receive radar radiation reflected by a subject or an object in the scanning field are arranged on the drilling rig, namely radar sensors (2₁-2_n) which emit radar beams in a manner rising in the radial direction (r) with respect to the longitudinal axis (5) of the drilling mast (1) or/and radar sensors (3₁-3_n) which emit radar beams in a direction opposite the drilling direction (b) along the drilling mast (1).
5. Apparatus according to Claim 4, characterized in that the radar sensors (2₁-2_n; 3₁-3_n) for generating the sensory scanning field are arranged on the drilling mast (1) of the drilling rig.
6. Apparatus according to Claim 5, characterized in that the radar sensors (2₁-2_n; 3₁-3_n) are arranged at that end of the drilling mast (1) which faces the drilling surface (4).
7. Apparatus according to one of Claims 4 to 6, having radar sensors (2₁-2_n) which are used in a first operating mode of the drilling rig and emit radar beams in a radial manner with respect to the drilling mast (1), and having radar sensors (3₁-3_n) which are used in a second operating mode of the drilling rig and emit radar beams along the drilling mast (1), characterized in that the apparatus has at least one inclination or motion sensor designed to detect the orientation of the drilling mast (1), and in that the processing unit is designed to evaluate sensor signals from the at least one inclination or motion sensor and to change the drilling rig between the above-mentioned operating modes of the drilling rig on the basis of the inclination angle of its drilling mast (1) with respect to the vertical (v), which is determined in the process, by orienting all or some of the radar sensors (2₁-2_n; 3₁-3_n) with the aid of an actuator or by activating some of the radar sensors (2₁-2_n; 3₁-3_n) and deactivating others of the radar sensors (2₁-2_n; 3₁-3_n) .

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