An automated ship loading operation scheduling method

Abstract

The application relates to an automatic ship loading operation scheduling method, which comprises the following steps: operation setting and preparation; self-checking and preheating of a ship loader; hatch positioning scanning; ship loader operation scheduling; and ship loader operation. After receiving a material dropping point operation plan, each ship loader is operated to a designated material dropping point through hatch changing and ship moving, and then material dropping operation is started. When all the material dropping point loading plans are completed, the ship loader ends the operation and returns to the original position. The method comprehensively considers various conditions and performs overall scheduling on the ship loading operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to engineering machinery, and more specifically, to an automated method for scheduling ship loading operations. Background Technology

[0002] Ship loaders are large-scale bulk material handling machines used for loading bulk materials onto ships at bulk terminals. A typical ship loader consists of a boom conveyor, tail car, traveling mechanism, gantry, pitching mechanism, and slewing mechanism. Large-scale port bulk material loading equipment plays a vital role in the rapid, stable, efficient, and continuous development of industries such as energy, power, metallurgy, and ports, especially in large-scale bulk material distribution centers.

[0003] Existing automated operations mostly rely on traditional control systems such as PLCs to control individual mechanical structures, such as movement and pitch, according to pre-set instructions. This approach cannot provide fully automated scheduling and control for the entire loading operation. On-site operations still require manual command and operation to determine factors such as the type and size of the vessel, the quantity of cargo loaded, and the tide levels. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, the purpose of this invention is to provide a fully automated scheduling method for ship loading operations. The entire operation process requires no human intervention and is completed autonomously by the system according to various digital models. The digital and intelligent technology of this function should be able to completely replace the operation functions that originally required human intervention, such as ship loader drivers and ship loader operators.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] An automated ship loading operation scheduling method includes:

[0007] Operation setup and preparation: Before the operation begins, select the planned cargo load for each compartment;

[0008] Ship loader self-inspection and preheating;

[0009] Hatch location scanning: The lateral scanning radar of the ship loader is used to scan the berth to confirm the relative position of each hatch and the height of the hatch coaming. If no hatch is found after scanning or the number of hatches is inconsistent with the parameter settings, an error will be reported and manually processed. Otherwise, the operation requirements will be calculated based on the height of the hatch coaming and the distance between the hatch and the ship loader. If the operation requirements are not met, an error will be reported.

[0010] Ship loader operation scheduling: Allocate loading hatches for each ship loader according to the planned loading volume of each hold, calculate the number and location of material drop points for each hold based on the length and location of each hatch, and calculate the operation plan for each material drop point based on the planned loading volume of each hold;

[0011] Ship loader operation: After receiving the unloading point operation plan, each ship loader moves to the designated unloading point through a cabin-changing and machine-moving operation to start the unloading operation. When all unloading points have completed the loading plan, the ship loader ends the operation and returns to its position.

[0012] The operation setup and preparation also includes confirming the following: confirming that the turnbuckles of the moving trolley are loose, confirming that the cargo ship hatch is open, preparing for the operation, and starting the fully automated operation after the operator confirms that the input or selection data is correct and all operation conditions are met.

[0013] The self-inspection and preheating of the ship loader includes: starting the ship loader to preheat the equipment, starting each conveyor belt, checking whether the equipment is operating normally, confirming that the large and small pitches are raised to the highest position, retracting the telescopic boom, and confirming that the safety hook at the top of the large pitch is raised.

[0014] The hatch positioning scan also includes: selecting the ship loader according to the berth, confirming the size and pitch to the highest point, scanning the ship loader as it moves to the berth, and scanning the non-scanning ship loader as it moves outside the berth. The ship loader moves at a constant speed to the end of the berth. The AI ​​analyzer records radar / BeiDou / encoder data, and the AI ​​analyzer models and calculates the hatch position and height.

[0015] The specific scheduling of ship loader operations includes: automatically planning the number and location of material drop points based on the coordinate dimensions of the hatch; automatically calculating the material drop points for each hatch based on the hatch length; automatically calculating the center position of the material drop points based on the number and the length and width of the hatch; if the center position of the material drop points exceeds the farthest distance of the large pitch telescopic boom in the width direction of the ship, the farthest distance will be taken as the material drop point; after determining the number of material drop points, decomposing and calculating the loading plan for each material drop point in each round based on the planned cargo load of each hatch, and issuing it to the ship loader for operation.

[0016] The ship loader operation specifically includes: after receiving the unloading point operation plan, each ship loader moves to the designated unloading point through a bin-changing and machine-moving operation to start the unloading operation. During the operation, the lateral and longitudinal radars continuously monitor the relative position of the unloading point. If a lateral deviation is encountered, the telescopic boom is adjusted; if a longitudinal deviation is encountered, an in-bin machine-moving operation is performed. After the loading plan for each unloading point is completed, the ship loader performs a bin-changing and machine-moving operation to execute the next loading plan. When the loading plans for all unloading points are completed, the ship loader ends the operation and returns to its position.

[0017] The aircraft relocation and cabin change includes:

[0018] Close the discharge valve and empty the conveyor belt according to the calculated duration;

[0019] Stop the conveyor belt and / or retract the telescopic boom, and raise the pitch control to its highest position;

[0020] The mobile cart separates;

[0021] The pitch should be raised to its highest point;

[0022] The trolley moves to the material unloading point;

[0023] Set the large pitch position to an operating angle of 0-8 degrees, and the small pitch position to the elevated track;

[0024] The moving trolley is locked and fixed to the small pitch alignment rail clamp;

[0025] The telescopic arm extends to the material drop point, ready to release the material.

[0026] In-cabin aircraft relocation includes:

[0027] Close the discharge valve and empty the conveyor belt according to the calculated duration;

[0028] Stop the conveyor belt and / or retract the telescopic boom;

[0029] The mobile cart separates;

[0030] The pitch should be raised to its highest point;

[0031] The trolley moves to the material unloading point;

[0032] The small tilting and tilting motion was placed on the elevated track;

[0033] The moving trolley is locked and fixed to the small pitch alignment rail clamp;

[0034] The telescopic arm extends to the material drop point, ready to release the material.

[0035] The unloading operation includes:

[0036] Confirm that the large pitch is at the working angle, the telescopic boom is in the designated position, and the small pitch is aligned with the trolley.

[0037] The cantilever belt conveyor, overhead conveyor, inclined bridge, tunnel, or discharge valve are opened sequentially for loading.

[0038] The current load is calculated in real time based on the data from the inclined bridge belt scale;

[0039] The telescopic boom is controlled to move back and forth to achieve balanced loading onto the ship;

[0040] Dynamically adjust the pitch angle according to the cabin height;

[0041] Once the planned loading volume is achieved, the aircraft will be moved or the operation will be terminated.

[0042] The completion of the assignment includes:

[0043] Close the discharge valve and empty the conveyor belt according to the calculated duration;

[0044] Stop the conveyor belt and / or retract the telescopic boom, and raise the pitch control to its highest position;

[0045] The mobile cart separates;

[0046] The pitch should be raised to its highest point;

[0047] The mobile trolley moves to the reset position;

[0048] The ship loader trolley moves to the reset position.

[0049] The present invention has the following advantages due to the adoption of the above technical solutions:

[0050] This invention comprehensively utilizes existing sensors and control systems in ship loader systems to achieve a fully automated scheduling method for ship loading operations. The entire operation process requires no human intervention and is completed autonomously by the system according to various digital models. The digital and intelligent technology of this function should be able to completely replace the operations that previously required human intervention, such as those performed by ship loader drivers and operators. Attached Figure Description

[0051] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same parts. In the drawings:

[0052] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an automated ship loading operation scheduling method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of hatch positioning scanning of an automated ship loading operation scheduling method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of ship loader operation scheduling according to an embodiment of the automated ship loading operation scheduling method of this application;

[0055] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a cargo hold transfer and relocation method for an automated ship loading operation scheduling method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the in-cabin movement of an automated ship loading operation scheduling method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the unloading operation of the automated ship loading operation scheduling method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the end of an automated ship loading operation scheduling method according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0059] Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the invention and to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0060] Currently, the informatization and automation levels of bulk cargo terminal loading systems are low. Loading operations require drivers, signalmen, and central control dispatchers, with a large amount of work still needing to be done manually. All operation scheduling requires communication through multiple layers such as central control dispatch → work area → work team → work post via walkie-talkies, which is inefficient. Moreover, operation scheduling and control rely on manual estimation and measurement, lacking precise digital management. In addition, the working environment at bulk cargo terminals is poor, each operation takes a long time, requiring multiple work teams to rotate shifts, and epidemic prevention management is difficult when working with foreign vessels.

[0061] This invention comprehensively utilizes existing sensors and control systems in ship loader systems to achieve a fully automated scheduling method for ship loading operations. The entire operation process requires no human intervention and is completed autonomously by the system according to various digital models. The digital and intelligent technology of this function should be able to completely replace the operations that previously required human intervention, such as those performed by ship loader drivers and operators.

[0062] like Figure 1 As shown, the automated ship loading operation scheduling method provided by the present invention includes the following steps:

[0063] Assignment setup and preparation

[0064] Before starting the operation, the operator selects or enters the following information through the human-machine interface:

[0065] 1. Vessel name and berth number;

[0066] 2. Planned cargo load for each compartment;

[0067] 3. Discharge valve number / New 4 belt conveyor feeding;

[0068] In addition, operators confirm the following via walkie-talkie or video surveillance:

[0069] 1. Confirm that the bolts on the moving trolley's turnbuckle are loose;

[0070] 2. Confirm that the cargo ship's hatches are open and prepare for operations;

[0071] After confirming that the input or selection data is correct and all operating conditions are met, the operator presses the "Start" button to enter the fully automated operation process.

[0072] Ship loader self-check and preheating

[0073] 1. The ship loader is started to preheat the equipment, and all conveyor belts are started to run;

[0074] 2. Check that all equipment is operating normally;

[0075] 3. Confirm that the pitch and telescopic booms are raised to their highest positions and then retracted.

[0076] 4. Confirm that the safety hook at the top of the pitch control is raised.

[0077] Hatch positioning scan (e.g.) Figure 2 (As shown)

[0078] This stage utilizes the ship loader's lateral scanning radar to scan the berth and confirm the relative positions of each hatch and the height of the hatch coamings. The steps are as follows:

[0079] 1. Select the ship loader according to the berth;

[0080] 2. Confirm that the pitch and sag are at their highest points;

[0081] 3. The scanning ship loader moves to the berth, while the non-scanning ship loader moves outside the berth;

[0082] 4. The ship loader travels at a constant speed to the end of the berth, where the AI ​​analyzer records radar / BeiDou / encoder data;

[0083] 5. The AI ​​analyzer models and calculates the hatch position and height.

[0084] If no hatch is found after scanning or the number of hatches is inconsistent with the parameter settings, an error will be reported and manual processing will be required.

[0085] Calculate whether the operation requirements are met based on the height of the hatch coaming and the distance between the hatch and the loader (the hatch must be higher than the hatch coaming when the maximum pitch angle is 8 degrees).

[0086] If the operating conditions are not met, an error will be reported.

[0087] Ship loader operation scheduling (e.g.) Figure 3 (As shown)

[0088] 1. Allocate loading hatches for each ship loader according to the planned loading capacity of each hold;

[0089] 2. Calculate the number and location of material drop points in each hatch based on the length and location of each hatch;

[0090] 3. Calculate the loading amount for each unloading point based on the planned loading amount for each compartment.

[0091] The ship loader's operation scheduling logic automatically plans the number and location of material drop points based on the hatch's coordinate dimensions. There are generally 1-3 drop points per hatch, automatically calculated based on the hatch length. The center position of the drop points is automatically calculated based on the quantity and the hatch's length and width. If the center position exceeds the maximum distance of the large pitch + telescopic boom in the sea-to-land (ship width) direction, only that maximum distance will be used as the drop point.

[0092] After determining the number of material drop points, the loading plan for each drop point in each round is calculated based on the planned loading volume of each hold and then assigned to the two ship loaders for operation.

[0093] Ship loader operation

[0094] After receiving the unloading point operation plan, each ship loader moves to the designated unloading point through a compartment relocation operation and begins unloading operations. During the operation, the lateral and longitudinal radars continuously monitor the relative position of the unloading point. If there is a lateral (breadth direction) deviation, the telescopic boom will be adjusted; if there is a longitudinal (length direction) deviation, an in-hull relocation operation will be performed.

[0095] After each loading point is completed, the ship loader performs a transfer operation to move the machine to the next loading point. Once all loading points are completed, the ship loader finishes its operation and returns to its original position.

[0096] The following is the control logic for changing cabins and moving machines, moving machines within the cabin, unloading operations, and ending operations:

[0097] Changing cabins and moving aircraft (such as) Figure 4 (As shown)

[0098] Close the discharge valve and empty the conveyor belt according to the calculated duration;

[0099] Stop the conveyor belt / telescopic boom retraction, and raise the large pitch to its highest position;

[0100] The mobile cart separates;

[0101] The pitch should be raised to its highest point;

[0102] The trolley moves to the material unloading point;

[0103] Set the large pitch position to an operating angle of 0-8 degrees, and the small pitch position to the elevated track;

[0104] The moving trolley is locked and fixed to the small pitch alignment rail clamp;

[0105] The telescopic arm extends to the material drop point, ready to release the material.

[0106] In-cabin aircraft movement (same as cabin change, except without large pitch operations) (e.g.) Figure 5 (As shown)

[0107] Close the discharge valve and empty the conveyor belt according to the calculated duration;

[0108] Stop the conveyor belt / telescopic boom retraction;

[0109] The mobile cart separates;

[0110] The pitch should be raised to its highest point;

[0111] The trolley moves to the material unloading point;

[0112] The small tilting and tilting motion was placed on the elevated track;

[0113] The moving trolley is locked and fixed to the small pitch alignment rail clamp;

[0114] The telescopic arm extends to the material drop point, ready to release the material.

[0115] Unloading operations (such as...) Figure 6 (As shown)

[0116] Confirm that the large pitch is at the working angle, the telescopic boom is in the designated position, and the small pitch is aligned with the trolley.

[0117] Open the cantilever belt conveyor / elevated / skew bridge / tunnel / drop valve in sequence to load materials;

[0118] The current load is calculated in real time based on the data from the inclined bridge belt scale;

[0119] The telescopic boom is controlled to move back and forth to achieve balanced loading onto the ship;

[0120] Dynamically adjust the pitch angle according to the cabin height;

[0121] Once the planned loading volume is achieved, the aircraft will be moved or the operation will be terminated.

[0122] End of assignment (e.g.) Figure 7 (As shown)

[0123] Close the discharge valve and empty the conveyor belt according to the calculated duration;

[0124] Stop the conveyor belt / telescopic boom retraction, and raise the large pitch to its highest position;

[0125] The mobile cart separates;

[0126] The pitch should be raised to its highest point;

[0127] The mobile trolley moves to the reset position;

[0128] The ship loader trolley moves to the reset position.

[0129] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automated ship loading operation scheduling method, characterized in that, include: Operation setup and preparation: Before the operation begins, select the planned cargo load for each compartment; Ship loader self-inspection and preheating; Hatch positioning scan: The lateral scanning radar of the ship loader is used to scan the berth to confirm the relative position of each hatch and the height of the hatch coaming. If no hatch is found after scanning or the number of hatches is inconsistent with the parameter settings, an error will be reported and manually processed. Otherwise, the operation requirements will be calculated based on the height of the hatch coaming and the distance between the hatch and the ship loader. If the operation requirements are not met, an error will be reported. Ship loader operation scheduling: Allocate loading hatches for each ship loader according to the planned loading volume of each hold, calculate the number and location of material drop points for each hold based on the length and location of each hatch, and calculate the operation plan for each material drop point based on the planned loading volume of each hold; Ship loader operation: After receiving the unloading point operation plan, each ship loader moves to the designated unloading point through a cabin-changing and machine-moving operation to start the unloading operation. When the loading plan for all unloading points is completed, the ship loader ends the operation and returns to its position. The operation setup and preparation also include confirming the following: confirming that the turnbuckles of the moving trolley are loosened, confirming that the cargo ship hatch is open, preparing for the operation, and after the operator confirms that the input or selection data is correct and all operation conditions are met, starting the fully automated operation. The self-inspection and preheating of the ship loader includes: starting the ship loader to preheat the equipment, starting each conveyor belt to run, checking whether the equipment is operating normally, confirming that the large and small pitches are raised to the highest point, retracting the telescopic arm, and confirming that the safety hook at the top of the large pitch is raised. The specific scheduling of the ship loader operation includes: automatically planning the number and location of material drop points based on the coordinate dimensions of the hatch; automatically calculating the material drop points for each hatch based on the hatch length; automatically calculating the center position of the material drop points based on the number and the length and width of the hatch; if the center position of the material drop points exceeds the farthest distance of the large pitch telescopic boom in the width direction of the ship, the farthest distance will be taken as the material drop point; after determining the number of material drop points, decompose and calculate the loading plan for each material drop point in each round based on the planned cargo load of each hatch, and issue it to the ship loader for operation; The unloading operation includes: Confirm that the large pitch is at the working angle, the telescopic boom is in the designated position, and the small pitch is aligned with the trolley. The cantilever belt conveyor, overhead conveyor, inclined bridge, tunnel, or discharge valve are opened sequentially for loading. The current load is calculated in real time based on the data from the inclined bridge belt scale; Controlling the telescopic boom to move back and forth achieves balanced loading onto the ship; Dynamically adjust the pitch angle according to the cabin height; Once the planned loading volume is achieved, the aircraft will be moved or the operation will be completed. The termination of the task includes: Close the discharge valve and empty the conveyor belt according to the calculated duration; Stop the conveyor belt and / or retract the telescopic boom, and raise the pitch control to its highest position; The mobile cart separates; The pitch should be raised to its highest point; The mobile trolley moves to the reset position; The ship loader trolley moves to the reset position; The ship loader operation specifically includes: after receiving the unloading point operation plan, each ship loader moves to the designated unloading point through a bin-changing and machine-moving operation and begins unloading operations. During the operation, the lateral and longitudinal radars continuously monitor the relative position of the unloading point. If a lateral deviation is encountered, the telescopic boom is adjusted; if a longitudinal deviation is encountered, an in-bin machine-moving operation is performed. After the loading plan for each unloading point is completed, the ship loader performs a bin-changing and machine-moving operation to execute the next loading plan. When the loading plans for all unloading points are completed, the ship loader ends the operation and returns to its position. The cabin relocation and aircraft moving operation includes: Close the discharge valve and empty the conveyor belt according to the calculated duration; Stop the conveyor belt and / or retract the telescopic boom, and raise the pitch control to its highest position; The mobile cart separates; The pitch should be raised to its highest point; The trolley moves to the material unloading point; Set the large pitch position to an operating angle of 0-8 degrees, and the small pitch position to the elevated track; The moving trolley is locked and fixed to the small pitch alignment rail clamp; The telescopic arm extends to the material drop point, ready to release the material. The in-cabin aircraft relocation operation includes: Close the discharge valve and empty the conveyor belt according to the calculated duration; Stop the conveyor belt and / or retract the telescopic boom; The mobile cart separates; The pitch should be raised to its highest point; The trolley moves to the material unloading point; The small tilting and tilting motion was placed on the elevated track; The moving trolley is locked and fixed to the small pitch alignment rail clamp; The telescopic arm extends to the material drop point, ready to release the material.

2. The automated ship loading operation scheduling method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hatch positioning scan also includes: selecting a ship loader according to the berth, confirming that the pitch is raised to the highest position, scanning the ship loader as it moves to the beginning of the berth, and scanning the non-scanning ship loader as it moves outside the berth. The ship loader moves at a constant speed to the end of the berth. The AI ​​analyzer records radar / BeiDou / encoder data, and the AI ​​analyzer models and calculates the hatch position and height.

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