Vehicle parking with automated guided vehicles, vertically reciprocating conveyors and safety barriers

A safety barrier assembly for a parking garage having a vertical reciprocating conveyor (VRC) and openings in floors of the parking garage for accommodating vertical movement of the VRC, the safety barrier assembly being positioned in proximity to each of the openings and comprising:

• a substantially horizontally aligned automated guided vehicle (AGV) safety beam having opposite left and right longitudinal ends, openings formed vertically through the AGV safety beam in proximity to the longitudinal ends;
• upper and lower pedestrian barriers having horizontal railings and vertical legs extending from opposite ends of the horizontal railings, the vertical legs of the upper and lower pedestrian barriers being slidable within the openings formed through the AGV safety beam, the vertical legs of the upper pedestrian barrier being longer than the vertical legs of the lower pedestrian barrier;
• left and right columns engaged with the opposite left and right longitudinal ends of the AGV safety beam and guiding vertical movement of the AGV safety beam from a lower position where the AGV safety beam is substantially adjacent to a floor of the parking garage and an upper position where the AGV safety beam is elevated from the floor;
• and
• a motor for selectively moving the AGV safety beam between the lower position and the upper position.