A method and device for simultaneous operation of double-track cranes in an operation yard

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for simultaneous operation of dual track cranes in a container terminal operation yard, and the method comprises the following steps: for different working conditions, when the track crane dispatching system determines and detects that two track cranes have the conditions for simultaneous operation of AGV, tasks are assigned to the two track cranes for execution; the track crane control system performs system processing according to the process according to the tasks assigned by the track crane dispatching system and different working conditions. The present invention also discloses a device for simultaneous operation of dual track cranes in a container terminal operation yard. The method and device for simultaneous operation of dual track cranes in a container terminal operation yard enable the two track cranes to simultaneously participate in the operation of the sea-side automated horizontal transport machinery, reduce their waiting time, and improve the yard operation efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of rail crane operation, and more particularly to a method and device for simultaneous operation of two rail cranes in an operation yard at a container terminal. Background Art

[0002] For existing automated container terminal operation yards, automated rail cranes operate the container horizontal transport equipment at both ends of the yard. For the safety of automated operations, the operating areas of automated horizontal transport machinery (AGV, IGV, unmanned container trucks, etc.) and traditional manned container trucks are physically separated. Automated horizontal transport machinery operates in a closed area, mainly for loading and unloading operations, while container trucks operate in an open area with access to the terminal gate, mainly for loading, lifting, moving containers and traditional loading and unloading operations. The schematic diagram of a single yard for automated container terminal operations is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 Area B is the truck interaction area, area C is the container storage area, and area D is the AGV / IGV interaction area. The two ends of the yard are called the sea side and the land side respectively. A yard usually deploys two rail cranes. The two rail cranes are usually of the same or similar models and cannot cross each other. One rail crane is on the sea side of the yard to carry out the yard loading and unloading operations for the automated horizontal transport machinery that loads and unloads containers and moves containers between yards. This rail crane is called the sea side rail crane ( Figure 1 The other rail crane is located on the land side of the yard, and it is used to load, unload, load, lift and move container trucks into and out of the yard. This rail crane is called the land side rail crane ( Figure 1 For container handling within a single yard, both rail cranes can operate. When both rail cranes are in good condition, for container loading and unloading in the yard, each rail crane operates the horizontal transport machinery at its corresponding end (referring to AGV, IGV, unmanned container truck, traditional manned container truck and other machinery capable of transporting containers); when any rail crane fails, it can be parked at the maintenance position at both ends (the seaside rail crane is parked at the seaside maintenance position ( Figure 1 Middle E area), the landside track is suspended at the landside end maintenance position ( Figure 1 However, when the sea-side rail crane is busy and the land-side rail crane is relatively idle, the existing automated terminal is limited by factors such as the anti-collision and avoidance requirements of the rail crane, the complexity of the design of the automation equipment control system, and the complexity of the design of the automation equipment scheduling system. If the automated container terminal end operation yard does not realize the function of two rail cranes operating the sea-side automated horizontal transport machinery at the same time, the land-side rail crane cannot participate in the sea-side automated horizontal transport machinery operation with the sea-side rail crane at the same time to reduce its waiting time, and cannot fully utilize the operating capacity of the land-side rail crane when it is idle to improve the operating efficiency on the sea side, resulting in a waste of rail crane equipment capacity. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and device for simultaneous operation of two rail cranes in a container terminal end operation yard. For the automated container terminal end operation yard, the method realizes the function of two rail cranes operating on the sea side at the same time. When the sea side rail crane is busy and the land side rail crane is relatively idle, the operating capacity of the land side rail crane is fully utilized, so that the two rail cranes can participate in the operation of the sea side automated horizontal transport machinery at the same time, reducing their waiting time and improving the yard operation efficiency.

[0004] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] As one aspect of the present invention, a method for simultaneous operation of dual rail cranes in a container terminal operation yard is provided, comprising the following steps:

[0006] S1. Based on different working conditions, the rail crane dispatching system determines and detects that two rail cranes are capable of operating AGVs simultaneously and assigns tasks to the two rail cranes for execution;

[0007] S2. The rail crane control system performs system processing according to the tasks assigned by the rail crane scheduling system and different working conditions.

[0008] As a method for simultaneous operation of dual rail cranes in a container terminal operation yard according to the above aspect of the present invention, S1 includes the following steps:

[0009] S11. Obtain AGV mission and location information, estimate the time it takes for the AGV to reach the yard, and configure the AGV threshold;

[0010] S12. Determine whether conditions for simultaneous operation are met based on the pending AGV tasks that have arrived or are about to arrive at the yard, the idle status of the two rail cranes, and the presence of pending AGV tasks that are both loading or unloading tasks;

[0011] S13. Prioritize selecting two tasks from the AGVs that have arrived and start simultaneous operations. If there are less than two tasks, the one with the shorter estimated arrival time at the yard is selected first.

[0012] As a method for simultaneous operation of two rail cranes in a container terminal operation yard according to the above aspect of the present invention, the AGV threshold in S11 is a configurable value, and the default value is half of the average time it takes for the rail crane to complete a container entry or exit task in the yard.

[0013] As a method for simultaneous operation of dual rail cranes in a container terminal operation yard according to the above aspect of the present invention, S12 includes the following steps:

[0014] S121. If there are pending AGV tasks that have arrived or are about to arrive at the yard, both rail cranes are idle, and there are AGV tasks that are both loading or unloading containers, then the conditions for simultaneous operations are determined to be met.

[0015] S122. If the situation in S121 does not occur, it is determined that the conditions for simultaneous operation are not met.

[0016] As a method for simultaneous operation of dual rail cranes in a container terminal operation yard according to the above aspect of the present invention, S2 includes the following steps:

[0017] S21. When an AGV delivers two containers to the storage yard, the system will process them according to the procedures.

[0018] S22. When an AGV collects two containers from the storage yard, it will be processed according to the system process;

[0019] S23. When two AGVs each deliver a container to the yard, the system processes it according to the process;

[0020] S24. When two AGVs each receive a box from the yard, they process it according to the system flow.

[0021] As a method for simultaneous operation of dual rail cranes in a container terminal operation yard according to the above aspect of the present invention, S21 includes the following steps:

[0022] S211. The rail crane dispatch system receives a task for an AGV to load two containers onto a single vehicle. The AGV is traveling toward or has arrived at the interactive lane. If both rail cranes are idle, the system initiates simultaneous operation mode.

[0023] S212. The rail crane dispatching system assigns tasks to the dual rail crane according to the rail crane operation box allocation rules, and adds a simultaneous operation mode flag to the task;

[0024] S213. The rail crane control system identifies the simultaneous operation mode based on the two tasks received in S211 and S212;

[0025] S214. The rail crane control system first moves the sea-side rail crane to the maintenance position, then moves the land-side rail crane to the AGV to grab a container and place it at the destination location in the yard, and finally the sea-side rail crane grabs another container and brings it into the yard.

[0026] As a method for simultaneous operation of dual rail cranes in a container terminal operation yard according to the above aspect of the present invention, S22 includes the following steps:

[0027] S221. The rail crane dispatch system receives a task for an AGV to collect two containers from a single vehicle. The AGV is traveling to or has arrived at the interactive lane. If both rail cranes are idle, the system initiates simultaneous operation mode.

[0028] S222. The rail crane dispatching system assigns tasks to the dual rail cranes according to the rail crane operation box allocation rules and adds a simultaneous operation mode flag to the tasks;

[0029] S223. The rail crane control system identifies the simultaneous operation mode based on the two tasks received in S221 and S222;

[0030] S224. The rail crane control system first instructs the seaside rail crane to grab a container from the storage yard and place it on the AGV, then maneuver to the maintenance position. Simultaneously, the landside rail crane is instructed to grab another container and park in advance at a location on the seaside near the AGV interaction area to wait. After the seaside rail crane has completed its maneuver, it will drive to the AGV and place the container.

[0031] As a method for simultaneous operation of dual rail cranes in a container terminal operation yard according to the above aspect of the present invention, S23 includes the following steps:

[0032] S231. The rail crane dispatch system receives a task for two AGVs to deliver one container to the storage yard. The AGVs are heading to or have arrived at the lane in the interactive area. If both rail cranes are idle, the system initiates simultaneous operation mode.

[0033] S232. The rail crane dispatching system assigns tasks to the dual rail crane according to the rail crane operation box allocation rules and adds a simultaneous operation mode flag to the task;

[0034] S233. The rail crane control system identifies the simultaneous operation mode based on the two tasks received in S231 and S232;

[0035] S234. The rail crane control system first moves the sea-side rail crane to the maintenance position, then moves the land-side rail crane to the AGV to grab the container and place it at the destination location in the yard, and finally the sea-side rail crane grabs the container on another AGV and brings it to the yard.

[0036] As a method for simultaneous operation of dual rail cranes in a container terminal operation yard according to the above aspect of the present invention, S24 includes the following steps:

[0037] S241. The rail crane dispatch system receives a task for two AGVs to each collect a container from the yard. The AGVs are heading to or have arrived at the lane in the interactive area. If both rail cranes are idle, the system initiates simultaneous operation mode.

[0038] S242. The rail crane dispatching system assigns tasks to the dual rail crane according to the rail crane operation box allocation rules and adds a simultaneous operation mode flag to the task;

[0039] S243. The rail crane control system identifies the simultaneous operation mode based on the two tasks received in S241 and S242;

[0040] S244. The rail crane control system first lets the sea-side rail crane grab a box and place it on an AGV, then avoid to the maintenance position. At the same time, it lets the land-side rail crane grab another box and stop in advance at a position on the sea side near the AGV interaction area to wait. After the sea-side rail crane completes the avoidance, it drives to another AGV to place the box.

[0041] As another aspect of the present invention, a device for simultaneous operation of two rail cranes in a container terminal operation yard is provided, including a rail crane scheduling system, which is responsible for selecting tasks from the container entry and exit tasks in the operation yard and assigning the tasks to the two rail cranes for execution; and / or a rail crane control system, which is responsible for controlling the rail crane to execute specific instructions such as grabbing, releasing boxes and moving when receiving container entry, exit or turning tasks in the yard.

[0042] As a device for simultaneous operation of two rail cranes in a container terminal operation yard according to the above aspect of the present invention, the rail crane scheduling system includes:

[0043] Yard container loading task, responsible for delivering containers from other yards or unloading ships into the yard; and / or

[0044] Yard unloading tasks, responsible for collecting containers from the yard for loading onto ships or delivering them to other yards; and / or

[0045] Yard turning task, when the task box is pressed by other boxes when the yard is unloading boxes, the derivative task generated by moving other boxes to other locations in the yard first.

[0046] As a simultaneous operation device of a double-track crane in a container terminal operation yard as described above, the yard container entry task includes AGV unloading the ship, and the AGV unloading the ship and delivering the containers into the yard; and / or moving the containers between yards, and the AGV collects the containers from other yards in the terminal and then delivers the containers into the current yard.

[0047] As a simultaneous operation device of a double-track crane in a container terminal end operation yard as the above-mentioned aspect of the present invention, the yard unloading task includes AGV loading, AGV collecting containers from the yard and then loading them on the ship; and / or moving containers between yards, AGV collecting containers from the current yard and then sending the containers to other yards in the terminal.

[0048] By adopting the above technical solution, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0049] The present invention provides a method and device for simultaneous operation of two rail cranes in a container terminal end operation yard. For the automated container terminal end operation yard, when the sea-side rail crane is busy and the land-side rail crane is relatively idle, the operation capacity of the land-side rail crane is fully utilized, and the two rail cranes are allowed to simultaneously operate the sea-side automated horizontal transportation equipment. Compared with the existing technical solution in which a single rail crane operates on the sea side, the operation time of the sea-side rail crane will be longer than the time it spends waiting at the maintenance position for the land-side rail crane to grab or release the box in the sea-side interaction area. However, because the land-side rail crane also participates in the operation of the sea-side automated horizontal transportation equipment at the same time, the total operation time of the two boxes will be reduced in the end, thereby improving the yard's entry and exit efficiency, reducing the waiting time of the sea-side automated horizontal transportation equipment, and improving the yard's operation efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] Other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0051] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the automated container terminal operation yard;

[0052] Figure 2 This is a flow chart of a method for simultaneous operation of dual-track cranes in a container terminal operation yard according to the present invention;

[0053] Figure 3 It is the method used by the rail crane dispatching system to decide whether two rail cranes can operate AGVs at the same time;

[0054] Figure 4a An AGV with two containers on one vehicle is heading to or has arrived at the AGV interaction area in the yard;

[0055] Figure 4b The sea-side rail crane moves to the maintenance position to make room for the land-side rail crane to operate the AGV;

[0056] Figure 4c After the AGV arrives at the interactive area, the landside rail crane grabs the assigned container, then moves to the yard operation position and places the container;

[0057] Figure 4d After the landside rail crane moves and vacates the operating space, the seaside rail crane starts to grab the allocated container and also moves to the yard operating position to complete the container placement.

[0058] Figure 5a An AGV with two containers on one vehicle is collecting containers from the yard and is heading to or has arrived at the AGV interaction area in the yard;

[0059] Figure 5b The seaside rail crane grabs the assigned work box from the yard and then moves it to the AGV interaction area. After the AGV arrives at the interaction area, the box is placed on the AGV;

[0060] Figure 5c The landside rail crane also grabs the container from the yard, moves to the AGV interaction area, and stops at a position near the AGV interaction area on the sea side to wait;

[0061] Figure 5d The seaside track is used to place the container onto the AGV, which is then moved to the maintenance location. The landside track is then used to place the container onto the AGV.

[0062] Figure 6a Two AGVs are delivering one box each and are heading to or have arrived at the AGV interaction area in the yard;

[0063] Figure 6b The sea-side rail crane moves to the maintenance position to make room for the land-side rail crane to operate the AGV;

[0064] Figure 6c After the AGV arrives at the interactive area, the landside rail crane grabs the assigned container, moves it to the yard operation position, and then places the container;

[0065] Figure 6d After the landside rail crane moves and vacates the operating space, the seaside rail crane starts to grab the allocated container and also moves to the yard operating position to complete the container placement.

[0066] Figure 7a Two vehicles each collect a container from the yard and are heading to or have arrived at the AGV interaction area in the yard;

[0067] Figure 7b The seaside rail crane grabs the allocated boxes from the yard and then moves them to the AGV interaction area. After the AGV arrives at the interaction area, the boxes are placed on the AGV.

[0068] Figure 7c The landside rail crane also grabs the container from the yard and moves it to the AGV interaction area;

[0069] Figure 7d The seaside track drops the box onto the AGV, moves it to the maintenance position, and then the landside track drops the box onto another AGV. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] The technical solution of the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings of the specification. The detailed features and advantages of the present invention are described in detail in the specific implementation mode. The content is sufficient to enable any technical personnel in this field to understand the technical content of the present invention and implement it accordingly. According to the description, claims and drawings disclosed in this specification, those skilled in the art can easily understand the relevant purposes and advantages of the present invention.

[0071] The present invention provides a device for simultaneous operation of two rail cranes at a container terminal yard, including a rail crane dispatching system and / or a rail crane control system. The rail crane dispatching system selects tasks from among those currently waiting for yard container loading and unloading and assigns them to the rail cranes. Upon receiving a yard loading, unloading, or turnover task, the rail crane control system controls the rail cranes to execute specific instructions, such as grabbing, releasing, and moving the containers.

[0072] The rail crane dispatching system includes:

[0073] Yard container loading task, responsible for delivering containers from other yards or unloading ships into the yard; and / or

[0074] Yard unloading tasks, responsible for collecting containers from the yard for loading onto ships or delivering them to other yards; and / or

[0075] Yard turning task, when the task box is pressed by other boxes when the yard is unloading boxes, the derivative task generated by moving other boxes to other locations in the yard first.

[0076] Among them, the yard container loading tasks include:

[0077] 1) AGV unloading: AGV unloads the ship and delivers the containers to the yard.

[0078] 2) Moving containers between yards: The AGV collects containers from other yards within the terminal and then delivers them to the current yard.

[0079] Yard unloading tasks include:

[0080] 1) AGV loading: AGV collects containers from the yard and then loads them onto the ship.

[0081] 2) Moving containers between yards: The AGV collects containers from the current yard and then delivers them to other yards within the terminal.

[0082] Yard tumbling tasks: These are derived tasks that arise when unloading containers from the yard because the task container is pressed against other containers and must first be moved to another location in the yard. Before assigning an unloading task to a rail-mounted crane, the dispatcher first determines whether tumbling is required. If tumbling is required, the crane is assigned to the task first. If multiple tumblings are required, the cranes are assigned tasks one by one, and the unloading is completed after the tasks are completed.

[0083] In a specific embodiment, the present invention provides a method for simultaneous operation of dual-track cranes in a container terminal operation yard, comprising the following steps: Figure 2 As shown:

[0084] S1. For different working conditions, the rail crane dispatching system assigns tasks to the two rail cranes when it detects that the two rail cranes are capable of operating AGVs simultaneously. The operation of the AGVs is precisely controlled by the dispatching system. AGV tasks are dispatched by the dispatching system, which can obtain the AGV's location information with an accuracy of 2-10 cm per second. The time it takes for the AGV to reach its next destination can be estimated with an accuracy of seconds. The dispatching system can decide in advance whether the two rail cranes will operate the AGVs simultaneously before the AGVs arrive at the yard. After receiving the task, the rail crane can pre-emptively move or operate to save time. For yard container loading tasks, the rail crane can move to the yard AGV interaction area in advance to wait for the AGV to arrive. For yard container unloading tasks, the crane can grab the container at the yard and then move to the yard AGV interaction area to wait for the AGV to arrive, which will improve yard operation efficiency.

[0085] S1 includes the following steps: Figure 3 As shown:

[0086] S11. Obtain AGV task and location information, estimate the time it takes for the AGV to reach the yard, and configure the AGV threshold. The AGV threshold in S11 is a configurable value. The default value is half of the average time it takes for a rail crane to complete a container loading or unloading task in the yard.

[0087] S12. Determine whether conditions for simultaneous operation are met based on the pending AGV tasks that have arrived or are about to arrive at the yard, the idle status of the two rail cranes, and the presence of pending AGV tasks that are both loading or unloading tasks;

[0088] S12 includes the following steps:

[0089] S121. If there are pending AGV tasks that have arrived or are about to arrive at the yard, both rail cranes are idle, and there are AGV tasks that are both loading or unloading containers, then the conditions for simultaneous operations are determined to be met.

[0090] S122. If the situation in S121 does not occur, it is determined that the conditions for simultaneous operation are not met.

[0091] S13. Prioritize selecting two tasks from the AGVs that have arrived and start simultaneous operations. If there are less than two tasks, the one with the shorter estimated arrival time at the yard is selected first.

[0092] S2. The rail crane control system performs system processing according to the tasks assigned by the rail crane scheduling system and different working conditions.

[0093] S2 includes the following steps:

[0094] S21. When an AGV delivers two containers to the storage yard, the system will process them according to the procedures.

[0095] Wherein S21 comprises the following steps:

[0096] S211. The rail crane dispatch system receives a task for an AGV to load two containers onto a single vehicle. The AGV is traveling toward or has arrived at the interactive lane. If both rail cranes are idle, the system initiates simultaneous operation mode.

[0097] S212. The rail crane dispatching system assigns tasks to the dual rail crane according to the rail crane operation box allocation rules, and adds a simultaneous operation mode flag to the task;

[0098] S213. The rail crane control system identifies the simultaneous operation mode based on the two tasks received in S211 and S212;

[0099] S214. The rail crane control system first moves the sea-side rail crane to the maintenance position, allowing the land-side rail crane to have enough operating space to grab the box for the AGV. Then, the land-side rail crane is moved onto the AGV to grab the box and place it at the destination location in the yard. Finally, the sea-side rail crane grabs another box and brings it into the yard.

[0100] S21 The specific process is as follows Figure 4a 、 Figure 4b 、 Figure 4c and Figure 4d As shown, in Figure 4a 、 Figure 4b 、 Figure 4c and Figure 4d In the diagram, L represents the land-side rail crane and H represents the sea-side rail crane. The diagrams in the remaining chapters are the same and will not be repeated here. Figure 4a This is a screenshot of the AGV interaction area showing that a vehicle carrying two boxes (box A and box B) is heading to or has arrived at the storage yard. Figure 4b The seaside rail crane H is shown moving to the maintenance position to make room for the landside rail crane L to operate the AGV. Figure 4c The figure shows that after the AGV arrives at the interactive area, the landside track crane L grabs the assigned container (container A), then moves to the yard operation position and places the container; Figure 4d It shows that after the land-side rail crane L moves and vacates the operating space, the sea-side rail crane H starts to grab the allocated container and also moves to the yard operating position, and then completes the container placement (container B).

[0101] S22. When an AGV collects two containers from the storage yard, it will be processed according to the system process;

[0102] S22 includes the following steps:

[0103] S221. The rail crane dispatch system receives a task for an AGV to collect two containers from a single vehicle. The AGV is traveling to or has arrived at the interactive lane. If both rail cranes are idle, the system initiates simultaneous operation mode.

[0104] S222. The rail crane dispatching system assigns tasks to the dual rail cranes according to the rail crane operation box allocation rules and adds a simultaneous operation mode flag to the tasks;

[0105] S223. The rail crane control system identifies the simultaneous operation mode based on the two tasks received in S221 and S222;

[0106] S224. The rail crane control system first instructs the seaside rail crane to grab a container from the storage yard and place it on the AGV, then maneuver to the maintenance position. Simultaneously, the landside rail crane is instructed to grab another container and park in advance at a location on the seaside near the AGV interaction area to wait. After the seaside rail crane has completed its maneuver, it will drive to the AGV and place the container.

[0107] S22 The specific process is as follows Figure 5a 、 Figure 5b 、 Figure 5c and Figure 5d As shown, Figure 5a It shows an AGV with two containers (Container A and Container B) picking up containers from the yard and is heading to or has arrived at the AGV interaction area in the yard; Figure 5b The seaside rail crane H grabs the assigned work box (box B) from the yard and moves it to the AGV interaction area. After the AGV arrives at the interaction area, box B is placed on the AGV; Figure 5c It shows that the landside rail crane L also grabs container A from the yard, then moves to the AGV interaction area, and stops at a position near the AGV interaction area on the sea side to wait; Figure 5d It shows that after the sea-side rail crane H places box B on the AGV, it moves to the maintenance position, and the land-side rail crane places box A on the AGV.

[0108] S23. When two AGVs each deliver a container to the yard, the system processes it according to the process;

[0109] S23 includes the following steps:

[0110] S231. The rail crane dispatch system receives a task for two AGVs to deliver one container to the storage yard. The AGVs are heading to or have arrived at the lane in the interactive area. If both rail cranes are idle, the system initiates simultaneous operation mode.

[0111] S232. The rail crane dispatching system assigns tasks to the dual rail crane according to the rail crane operation box allocation rules and adds a simultaneous operation mode flag to the task;

[0112] S233. The rail crane control system identifies the simultaneous operation mode based on the two tasks received in S231 and S232;

[0113] S234. The rail crane control system first moves the sea-side rail crane to the maintenance position, allowing the land-side rail crane to have enough operating space to grab the box from the AGV. Then, the land-side rail crane moves to the AGV, grabs the box and places it at the destination location in the yard. Finally, the sea-side rail crane grabs the box from another AGV and brings it to the yard.

[0114] The specific process of S23 is as follows Figure 6a 、 Figure 6b 、 Figure 6c and Figure 6d As shown, Figure 6a It shows two AGVs each delivering one box, box A and box B, and they are heading to or have arrived at the AGV interaction area in the yard; Figure 6b The seaside rail crane H is moved to the maintenance position to make room for the landside rail crane L to operate the AGV. Figure 6c It shows that after the AGV arrives at the interactive area, the landside track crane L grabs the assigned container A, moves it to the yard operation position, and then puts down container A; Figure 6d It shows that after the land-side rail crane L moves and vacates the working space, the sea-side rail crane H starts to grab the allocated container B, and also moves to the yard working position, and then completes the placement of container B.

[0115] S24. When two AGVs each receive a box from the yard, they process it according to the system flow.

[0116] S24 includes the following specific steps:

[0117] S241. The rail crane dispatch system receives a task for two AGVs to each collect a container from the yard. The AGVs are heading to or have arrived at the lane in the interactive area. If both rail cranes are idle, the system initiates simultaneous operation mode.

[0118] S242. The rail crane dispatching system assigns tasks to the dual rail crane according to the rail crane operation box allocation rules and adds a simultaneous operation mode flag to the task;

[0119] S243. The rail crane control system identifies the simultaneous operation mode based on the two tasks received in S241 and S242;

[0120] S244. The rail crane control system first lets the sea-side rail crane grab a box and place it on an AGV, then avoid to the maintenance position. At the same time, it lets the land-side rail crane grab another box and stop in advance at a position on the sea side near the AGV interaction area to wait. After the sea-side rail crane completes the avoidance, it drives to another AGV to place the box.

[0121] S24 specific process is as follows Figure 7a 、 Figure 7b 、 Figure 7c and Figure 7d As shown, Figure 7aIt shows that two vehicles each collected a box from the yard, namely box A and box B, and are heading to or have arrived at the AGV interaction area in the yard; Figure 7b The seaside rail crane H grabs the assigned box B from the yard and then moves it to the AGV interaction area. After the AGV arrives at the interaction area, it places box B on the AGV; Figure 7c It shows that the landside rail crane L also synchronously grabs box A from the yard and then moves to the AGV interaction area; Figure 7d It shows that the seaside track lifts H to place box B onto the AGV, moves it to the maintenance position, and then the landside track places box B onto another AGV.

[0122] The specific rules for allocating the rail crane operation box in S212, S222, S232, and S242 are as follows:

[0123] 1) When two or more AGVs arrive at the interactive area, it is preferred that two AGVs with two boxes be operated simultaneously by two rail cranes.

[0124] 2) Assign the cranes based on the container's location in the yard. The container's location in the yard is the destination for incoming containers and the starting point for outgoing containers. The crane selects the container for the seaside crane: if two containers have different locations in the yard, the container with the location closer to the seaside is selected. If they have the same location but different columns, either container is selected. If both location and column are the same, the container with the higher level is selected. The crane selects the container for the landside crane: the other container is assigned to the landside crane.

[0125] In addition, the application scenarios of the present invention are as follows: when the yard is not carrying out operations such as loading and unloading of container trucks, loading and unloading of containers, picking up containers, and moving containers between yards, the land-side rail crane is in an idle state. At this time, two rail cranes can operate the sea-side AGV at the same time; if the AGV interaction area uses a bracket as a buffer for storing containers, in this technical solution, the bracket can be treated as an AGV that has arrived at the interaction area, so the rail crane can operate simultaneously between the brackets or between the bracket and the AGV.

[0126] When the rail crane can only grab one box per lift, the working conditions that support simultaneous operation include:

[0127] 1) AGV delivers two boxes to the yard: Two rail cranes each grab a box from the AGV and then place the boxes in the yard.

[0128] 2) AGV collects two boxes from the yard: Two rail cranes each grab a box from the yard and put it on the same AGV.

[0129] 3) Two AGVs each deliver a box to the yard: Two rail cranes each grab a box from an AGV and place the box in the yard.

[0130] 4) Two AGVs each collect a box from the yard: Two rail cranes each grab a box from the yard and place it on different AGVs.

[0131] When the rail crane can grab two boxes per lift, the working conditions that support simultaneous operation include:

[0132] 1) Two AGVs, each delivering one or two boxes to the yard: Two rail cranes each grab one or two boxes from an AGV and then place the boxes in the yard.

[0133] 2) Two AGVs, each receiving one or two boxes from the yard: Two rail cranes each grab one or two boxes from the yard and place them on different AGVs.

[0134] The solutions for these two working conditions are almost the same as those for working conditions 3) and 4) when each rail crane can only grab one box. The only difference is that it supports two boxes per crane. Therefore, they will not be described separately in the following text. Only the case where each rail crane can only grab one box will be explained.

[0135] Finally, it should be pointed out that although the present invention has been described with reference to the current specific embodiments, ordinary technicians in this technical field should realize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention. Various equivalent changes or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention. Therefore, as long as the changes and modifications to the above embodiments are within the scope of the essential spirit of the present invention, they will fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for simultaneous operation of double rail cranes at a container terminal operation yard, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1. According to different working conditions, when the rail crane dispatching system determines and detects that two rail cranes have the conditions to operate AGVs at the same time, it assigns tasks to the two rail cranes for execution; S2. The rail crane control system performs system processing according to the tasks assigned by the rail crane dispatching system and different working conditions. The S2 includes the following steps: When S21.AGV delivers two boxes to the yard, the system processes according to the following process, including the following steps: S211. The rail crane dispatching system receives a task for an AGV to load two boxes into a vehicle, and the AGV is heading to or has arrived at the lane of the interactive area. When it is determined that both rail cranes are idle, the simultaneous operation mode is started; S212. The rail crane dispatching system assigns tasks to the dual rail cranes according to the rail crane operation box assignment rules, and adds a simultaneous operation mode flag to the tasks; S213. The rail crane control system identifies the simultaneous operation mode according to the two tasks received in S211 and S212; S214. The rail crane control system first moves the sea-side rail crane to the maintenance position, then lets the land-side rail crane go to the AGV to grab a box and put it in the destination position in the yard, and finally the sea-side rail crane grabs another box and puts it into the yard; When S22.AGV collects two containers from the yard, the system processes them according to the following process, including the following steps: S221. The rail crane dispatching system receives a task for an AGV to collect two boxes on one vehicle, and the AGV is heading to or has arrived at the lane of the interactive area. When it is determined that both rail cranes are idle, the simultaneous operation mode is started; S222. The rail crane dispatching system assigns tasks to the dual rail cranes according to the rail crane operation box assignment rules, and adds a simultaneous operation mode flag to the tasks; S223. The rail crane control system identifies the simultaneous operation mode according to the two tasks received in S221 and S222; S224. The rail crane control system first lets the sea-side rail crane grab a container from the yard and place it on the AGV, then evade to the maintenance position, and at the same time lets the land-side rail crane grab another container and stop in advance at a position near the sea-side AGV interaction area to wait, and after the sea-side rail crane has completed the evasion, it drives to the AGV to place the container; S23. When two AGVs deliver a box to the yard, the system processes according to the following process, including the following steps: S231. The rail crane dispatching system receives a task from two AGVs to deliver one box to the yard, and the AGVs are heading to or have arrived at the lane of the interactive area. When it is determined that both rail cranes are idle, the simultaneous operation mode is started; S232. The rail crane dispatching system assigns tasks to the dual rail cranes according to the rail crane operation box assignment rules, and adds a simultaneous operation mode flag to the tasks; S233. The rail crane control system identifies the simultaneous operation mode according to the two tasks received in S231 and S232; S234. The rail crane control system first moves the sea-side rail crane to the maintenance position, then lets the land-side rail crane go to the AGV to grab the box and put it to the destination location in the yard, and finally the sea-side rail crane grabs the box on another AGV and puts it into the yard; S24. When two AGVs each receive a box from the yard, the system processes according to the following process, including the steps: S241. The rail crane dispatching system receives a task from two AGVs to collect a box from the yard, and the AGVs are heading to or have arrived at the lane of the interactive area. When it is determined that both rail cranes are idle, the simultaneous operation mode is started; S242. The rail crane dispatching system assigns tasks to the dual rail cranes according to the rail crane operation box assignment rules, and adds a simultaneous operation mode flag to the tasks; S243. The rail crane control system identifies the simultaneous operation mode according to the two tasks received in S241 and S242; S244. The rail crane control system first lets the sea-side rail crane grab a box and place it on an AGV, then avoids to the maintenance position. At the same time, it lets the land-side rail crane grab another box and stop in advance at a position on the sea side close to the AGV interaction area to wait. After the sea-side rail crane completes the avoidance, it drives to another AGV to place the box.

2. A method for simultaneous operation of double rail cranes at a container terminal operation yard as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The S1 comprises the following steps: S11. Obtain AGV task and location information, estimate the time it takes for the AGV to reach the yard, and configure the AGV threshold; S12. Determine whether the conditions for simultaneous operation are met based on the AGV tasks that have arrived or are about to arrive at the yard, the idle status of the two rail cranes, and the existence of the AGV tasks that are both box loading or box unloading tasks; S13. Prioritize selecting two tasks from the AGVs that have arrived to start simultaneous operations. If there are less than two tasks, the one with the shortest estimated arrival time at the yard is selected first.

3. A method for simultaneous operation of double rail cranes at a container terminal operation yard as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The AGV threshold in S11 is a configurable value, and the default value is half of the average time it takes for the rail crane to complete a container loading or unloading task in the yard.

4. A method for simultaneous operation of double rail cranes at a container terminal operation yard as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The S12 comprises the following steps: S121. If there are AGV tasks waiting to be operated that have arrived or are about to arrive at the yard, both rail cranes are idle, and there are AGV tasks that are both box loading or box unloading tasks, it is determined that the conditions for simultaneous operation are met; S122. If the situation in S121 does not occur, it is determined that the conditions for simultaneous operation are not met.

5. A device for simultaneous operation of double rail cranes at a container terminal operation yard, characterized in that: It includes the rail crane dispatching system, which is responsible for selecting tasks from the yard loading and unloading tasks to be operated, and assigning the tasks to the dual rail cranes for execution; the rail crane control system is responsible for controlling the rail crane to execute specific instructions for grabbing, releasing and moving boxes when receiving yard loading, unloading or turning tasks. The dual-track crane simultaneous operation device for the container terminal operation yard implements the dual-track crane simultaneous operation method for the container terminal operation yard as described in any one of claims 1-4.

6. A container terminal operation yard dual-track crane simultaneous operation device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: The rail crane dispatching system comprises: Yard container entry task, responsible for delivering containers from other yards or unloading ships into the yard; Yard unloading task, responsible for collecting containers from the yard for loading onto ships or delivering them to other yards; Yard turning task, when the task box is pressed by other boxes when the yard is unloading boxes, the derivative task generated by moving other boxes to other locations in the yard first.

7. A container terminal operation yard dual-track crane simultaneous operation device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: The container loading task includes AGV unloading from ship, AGV unloading from ship and delivering containers to the yard; moving containers between yards, AGV receiving containers from other yards in the terminal and then delivering the containers to the current yard.

8. A container terminal operation yard dual-track crane simultaneous operation device as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that: The yard unloading tasks include AGV loading, that is, AGV collects containers from the yard and then loads them onto the ship; moving containers between yards, that is, AGV collects containers from the current yard and then delivers them to other yards in the terminal.

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