A highly efficient container port land area system and its operation method

Abstract

The present invention provides a highly efficient container port land area system. In the terminal front area C, a third-class track is installed inside or outside the span of the crane, parallel to the crane track. A plurality of second-class tracks are arranged on the ground of the yard B. A first-class track is installed on one side of the second-class track. A driving area is provided where the first-class track intersects with the second-class track and the third-class track. A gantry crane is installed on the other side of the second-class track. A container gantry crane is installed in each row of stacking area for operation. The present invention is connected to the quay crane, rail vehicle, gantry crane signal, and first-class track respectively through a dispatching center. The dispatching center draws a real-time position distribution map of the rail vehicle, obtains the status of the rail vehicle based on the pressure sensor, and realizes automatic or semi-automatic container loading and unloading operations with a clear division of labor. The rail vehicle is equipped with an anti-collision device to further ensure the safety of container loading and unloading operations.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of container port logistics, and in particular relates to an efficient container port land area system and an operation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Container ports are hubs for intermodal transport, serving as buffer zones for containerized cargo as it switches between transport modes and as points of cargo exchange. Therefore, they play a crucial role in the entire container transportation process. They generally consist of water areas such as harbor basins, anchorages, approach channels, and berths, as well as land areas such as freight stations, storage yards, dock fronts, and office and living areas.

[0003] The wharf front refers to the area between the berth shoreline and the container yard, typically equipped with multiple shore-side container loading and unloading bridges (quay cranes, also known as shore-side container cranes). When designing the landside container port, there are two common approaches to arranging the wharf front area below the quay cranes.

[0004] First, traditional terminals, especially smaller ones, typically have truck lanes beneath quay cranes for the passage of container trucks (or container trucks). The quay crane operator unloads containers from the vessel and places them onto container trucks, which then transport them to a storage yard or directly to customers.

[0005] Secondly, for modern terminals with automatic or semi-automatic operations, especially large terminals, there is generally a container tractor channel under the quay crane, on which horizontal transport vehicles such as automatic guided vehicles (AGVs), artificial intelligence transport robots (ARTs), unmanned container transport vehicles (AIGTs), intelligent mobile transport flatbed vehicles (IMVs), etc. run to transport containers unloaded from the quay crane to the rear yard.

[0006] However, for small terminals, on the one hand, terminal space is already small, and container trucks have high requirements for the area of ​​the operating site. Therefore, the existence of truck lanes greatly reduces the utilization rate of terminal space. On the other hand, when there are multiple container trucks on the truck lane, they need to avoid and wait for each other, which also greatly reduces the efficiency of container loading and unloading. For modern terminals with automatic or semi-automatic operations, automated guided horizontal transport vehicles are prone to congestion between multiple transport vehicles during transportation. The more transport vehicles there are, the greater the chance of congestion. On the one hand, this will greatly affect the efficiency of container loading and unloading. On the other hand, in order to reduce the occurrence of congestion and the waiting time caused by congestion, it is necessary to widen the container tractor lanes, increase the number and accuracy of the transport vehicle positioning sensors, and optimize the automatic navigation driving algorithm. This will greatly increase the cost of the entire horizontal transport vehicle automatic operation system. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide an efficient container port land area system and its operation method, so as to solve the problems in the prior art of insufficient terminal space utilization, insufficient container loading and unloading efficiency, and high cost of the transport vehicle operation system.

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an efficient container port land area system, comprising a sea area A, a shoreline in front of the sea area A, a yard B in front of the shoreline, and a terminal front area C between the shoreline and the yard B. The terminal front area C is provided with at least one quay crane, which spans the sea area A and the terminal front area C. The terminal front area C is provided with a third type of track parallel to the bridge crane track inside or outside the bridge crane span. A plurality of second type of tracks are arranged on the ground of the yard B. A first type of track is provided on one side of the second type of track. The first type of track and the second type of track are parallel to each other. The first and second category tracks and the third category track do not overlap or intersect, and a driving area is set up near the first and second category tracks and near the first and third category tracks. A crane is set up in the driving area. Through the operation of the crane, the containers on the rail vehicles on the first, second and third category tracks are lifted to the vehicle on another track. The first category track extends beyond the width w of the yard B, thereby dividing the yard B into multiple rectangular stacking areas. A gantry crane is set up on the other side of the second category track, and a container gantry crane is set up in each row of stacking area for operation.

[0009] Preferably, the third type of track is arranged at the front end of the quay crane for transferring containers on the quay crane, the first type of track is arranged at the end of the third type of track for transferring containers on the third type of track, and multiple second type of tracks are arranged in parallel for transferring containers on the first type of track and the stacking area.

[0010] Preferably, driving areas are respectively set at the intersections of the first type of track, the second type of track and the third type of track.

[0011] Preferably, at least one rail vehicle for transporting containers is provided running on the second type of track, and the container moves along the first type of track. The container on the rail vehicle running on the first type of track is transferred three-dimensionally through the driving area and enters the track of another container yard B to realize the transfer of containers between the stacking areas in the yard B.

[0012] Preferably, it also includes a dispatching center, which is connected to the quay crane, rail vehicle and gantry crane signals.

[0013] Preferably, the rail vehicle is provided with an anti-collision device.

[0014] Preferably, a positioning module and a rail vehicle communication module are provided on the rail vehicle, and the positioning module and the rail vehicle communication module are connected to the dispatching center by signal.

[0015] Preferably, a pressure sensor and a first-type track communication module are provided on the first-type track, and the pressure sensor and the first-type track communication module are connected to the dispatching center signal.

[0016] Preferably, each row of stacking areas is provided with at least one gantry crane, and the gantry crane moves in a direction parallel to the shoreline.

[0017] The present invention further provides an operation method of an efficient container port land area system, which is implemented based on the above-mentioned efficient container port land area system and includes the following steps:

[0018] S1: The dispatching center controls the quay cranes to transfer containers from the cargo ship to the third-category track, and the rail vehicles on the third-category track transfer the containers to the driving area;

[0019] S2: The dispatching center controls the empty rail vehicles on the first type of track and transfers the containers to the rail vehicles on the second type of track in the corresponding area through driving;

[0020] S3: The dispatching center controls the gantry crane on the second type of track to move the gantry crane to unload the containers on the second type of track from the rail vehicle and stack them on the stack, or unload the containers from the stack and load them onto the rail vehicle;

[0021] S4: After each second-class track completes its own container loading and unloading task, the dispatching center assigns it a new container loading and unloading task. The rail vehicles continue to follow the method of steps S1-S3 based on the data feedback obtained by the dispatching center, assign tasks and complete their own new container loading and unloading.

[0022] The present invention has at least the following beneficial technical effects:

[0023] (1) The present invention cleverly arranges the land portion of the container port so that three of the four sides of the yard can be used as operating areas, such as for loading and unloading or loading and unloading of containers, thereby greatly improving the efficiency of the operation.

[0024] (2) The present invention uses a rail vehicle and an innovative track layout. Compared with the intelligent horizontal transport vehicles used in automated terminals in the prior art, such as AGV, ART, AIGT, IMV, etc., the rail vehicle of the present invention has simple functions, is easy to implement, and does not require various complex visual sensors, and is significantly cheaper. The new track layout of the present invention divides the original large yard into a series of stacking areas. On the one hand, it increases the number of rail vehicle paths that containers can choose, and on the other hand, the stacking is more conducive to finding a specific container in the stack, thereby greatly improving the overall loading and unloading efficiency of the container.

[0025] (3) The present invention innovatively adopts a three-dimensional operation method of a crane to transfer containers from one track to another by hoisting. The existing port container operation by car is replaced by rail vehicles. Therefore, the three-dimensional operation of the crane solves the problem of rail vehicles having difficulty turning and changing heights. The crane and the track are seamlessly connected to realize the operation of container yards with different terminal elevations; it can also realize rail operation of container yards with non-parallel site angles; it can also realize the transportation of containers to container processing centers with different angles and heights. By arranging at least one gantry crane in each row of stacking area, containers are unloaded from rail vehicles and stacked on the stack, or unloaded from the stack and loaded on rail vehicles.

[0026] (4) The present invention is connected to the quay crane, rail vehicles, gantry crane signals, and the first type of rail through a dispatching center. The dispatching center draws a real-time position distribution map of the rail vehicles, and the rail vehicle status is obtained based on the pressure sensor, thereby realizing automatic or semi-automatic container loading and unloading operations with a clear division of labor. The rail vehicles are equipped with anti-collision devices to further ensure the safety of container loading and unloading operations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic top view of the layout of a highly efficient container port land area system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 It is a schematic side view of the layout of a highly efficient container port land area system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Description of the marks in the figure:

[0030] 1. Cargo ship; 2. Shoreline; 3. Quay crane; 4. Container; 5. Category 1 track; 6. Category 2 track; 7. Gantry crane; 8. Container truck; 9. Category 3 track; 10. Driving area; 11. Rail vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. The following embodiments are implemented based on the technical solutions of the present invention, and provide detailed implementation methods and specific operating procedures. However, the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0032] Example 1

[0033] like Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown in a preferred embodiment, the efficient container port land system of the present invention comprises a sea area A, a shoreline 2 in front of the sea area A, a storage yard B in front of the shoreline 2, and a dock front area C between the shoreline 2 and the storage yard B. The dock front area C is provided with at least one quay crane 3 ( Figure 1In the figure, there are six quay cranes 3. The quay cranes 3 span the sea area A and the terminal front area C, and are used to load containers 4 onto or unload containers 4 from cargo ships 1. In the terminal front area C, third-class tracks 9 are installed inside or outside the crane span, parallel to the crane tracks. Multiple second-class tracks 6 are arranged on the ground of the yard B. The second-class tracks 6 and the third-class tracks 9 can be parallel or at an angle, and the track elevations can be the same or different. A first-class track 5 is installed on one side of the second-class track 6, at an angle or perpendicular to the second-class track 6 and the third-class track 9. The first-class track 5 does not overlap or intersect with the second-class track 6 and the third-class track 9. A driving area 10 is located near the first and second track 5, 6, and near the third track 9. Within driving area 10, a crane is installed. The driving area can be segmented or unsegmented. Through the crane's operation, containers 4 are lifted from rail vehicles 11 on the first, second, and third track 5, 6, and 9 to vehicles 11 on another track, achieving cross-track operations. The first track 5 extends beyond the width w of yard B, thereby dividing yard B into multiple rectangular stacking areas. Gantry cranes 7 are located on the other side of the second track 6, and each row of stacking areas has its own container gantry crane 7 for operation. A represents the sea area; B represents the yard; C represents the front area of ​​the terminal; D represents the outer edge of yard B; E represents the outer edge of yard B; F represents the outer edge of yard B; and W represents the width of yard B.

[0034] The third-class track 9 is arranged at the front end of the quay crane 3 for transferring containers 4 on the quay crane 3. The first-class track 5 is arranged at the end of the third-class track 9 for transferring containers 4 on the third-class track 9. Multiple second-class tracks 6 are arranged in parallel for transferring the first-class track 5 and containers 4 in the stacking area.

[0035] The first-class track 5 connects containers 4 carried by rail vehicles 11 running on the non-intersecting second-class track 6 and third-class track 9 through driving. Driving areas 10 are set up in the areas where the first-class track 5, second-class track 6, and third-class track 9 intersect, allowing containers 4 to move three-dimensionally between the non-intersecting tracks, thereby enabling containers 4 to enter all areas of the terminal. Driving areas 10 can span both the first-class track 5 and second-class track 6, or both the first-class track 5 and third-class track 9. Alternatively, driving areas 10 can be set up at the intersections of the first-class track 5, second-class track 6, and third-class track 9. Depending on the site conditions of the terminal area, the first-class track 5, second-class track 6, and third-class track 9 can each connect to their own processing areas.

[0036] At least one rail vehicle 11 for transporting the container 4 is provided to run on the second type track 6 ( Figure 1(There are five in the figure) Containers 4 travel along the first-class tracks 5, and containers 4 on rail vehicles 11 running on the first-class tracks 5 are transferred by the driving area 10. The driving area can change the direction of travel at the intersection of the transverse and longitudinal tracks, that is, originally traveling along the transverse track, to travel along the longitudinal track; or originally traveling along the longitudinal track, to travel along the transverse track. Of course, it is also possible to continue traveling in the original direction without changing direction and simply enter the tracks of another container yard B to transfer containers 4 between stacking areas in yard B. This type of rail vehicle 11 that can travel on the first-class tracks 5, the second-class tracks 6, and the third-class tracks 9 is a prior art and can be directly purchased on the market.

[0037] Furthermore, the efficient container port land system of the present invention also includes a dispatching center, which is signal-connected to the quay crane 3, rail vehicle 11 and gantry crane 7. The dispatching center is used to control the operation of the quay crane 3, rail vehicle 11 and gantry crane 7 to realize automatic or semi-automatic container 4 loading and unloading operations.

[0038] Preferably, the rail vehicle 11 is provided with an anti-collision device, which is preferably a sensor combined with a braking device to prevent collisions between two or more rail vehicles 11, so as to further ensure the safety of container loading and unloading operations.

[0039] Preferably, the rail vehicle 11 is provided with a positioning module and a rail vehicle communication module, which are connected to the dispatching center by signal, wherein the positioning module is a GPS positioning module or a Beidou positioning module, which can obtain the location information of the rail vehicle 11 and send it to the dispatching center in real time through the rail vehicle communication module, so that the dispatching center can draw a real-time location distribution map of the rail vehicle 11.

[0040] Preferably, the first-class track 5 is equipped with a pressure sensor and a first-class track communication module. The positioning module and the rail vehicle communication module are signal-connected to the dispatch center. The pressure sensor can sense in real time which positions on the first-class track 5 contain rail vehicles 11, and based on the pressure (i.e., the weight of the rail vehicle 11), determine whether the rail vehicle 11 is unloaded (i.e., not loaded with a container, in which case the pressure exerted on the track is approximately equal to the weight of the rail vehicle 11 itself) or loaded (i.e., loaded with a container, in which case the pressure exerted on the track is greater than or equal to the sum of the weight of the rail vehicle 11 itself and the weight of an empty container 4). In this way, the position information of the rail vehicles 11 is obtained by the pressure sensor on the first-class track 5 and transmitted to the dispatch center in real time via the first-class track communication module. This allows the dispatch center to draw a real-time position distribution map of the rail vehicles 11 and also determine whether each rail vehicle 11 is unloaded or loaded.

[0041] Each row of stacking area ( Figure 1 There is at least one gantry crane 7 ( Figure 1 For aesthetic reasons, only two gantry cranes 7 are shown. A gantry crane is a commonly used container yard crane used to unload containers 4 from rail vehicles 11 and stack them on stacks, or to unload containers 4 from stacks and load them on rail vehicles 11. It can move in a direction parallel to the shoreline 2 (i.e., the length direction of the yard B) or at a certain angle.

[0042] Preferably, each stacking area is provided with at least one gantry crane 7 , which only moves in its respective stacking area, only loads and unloads containers 4 in its stacking area, and performs container loading and unloading operations of the container truck 8 .

[0043] Compared to the prior art, this embodiment, due to the aforementioned ingenious layout of the land portion of the container port, allows three of the four perimeter edges (C, D, E, F) of yard B (D, E, F) to be used as operational areas. For example, containers 4 can be loaded and unloaded using container trucks 8 and cranes (not shown), or loaded and unloaded using forklifts (not shown), thereby significantly improving operational efficiency at the container terminal. Prior art typically designates either area C or area E as the loading and unloading area for container trucks 8. Narrow areas like these can easily lead to congestion and low loading and unloading efficiency. Spacious areas like these can result in low space utilization.

[0044] In addition, the present embodiment adopts an innovative layout of the second type of track 6 and the first type of track 5 plus a vehicle. Compared with the intelligent horizontal transport vehicles used in the automated terminal in the prior art, such as AGV, ART, AIGT, IMV, etc., the rail vehicles 11 running on the first type of track 5, the second type of track 6, and the third type of track 9 of the present embodiment are simple in function, easy to locate, easy to control, easy to implement, and do not need to use various complex visual sensors, and the cost is significantly low. The new track layout of the present embodiment divides the original large yard into arranged stacking areas, and connects them in series through the rail vehicles 11. On the one hand, it increases the number of paths that can be selected by the second type of track 6, and on the other hand, the arranged stacks are more conducive to finding specific containers 4 in the stack, especially the container 4 in the middle of the stack and on the lower layer, thereby greatly improving the overall loading and unloading efficiency of the container 4.

[0045] Example 2

[0046] A second embodiment of the present invention provides an operating method for a container port land area system with high efficiency, comprising the following steps:

[0047] S1: The dispatching center controls the quay crane 3 to transfer the container 4 on the cargo ship 1 to the third-category track 9 via the quay crane 3. The rail vehicle 11 on the third-category track 9 then transfers the container 4 to the driving area 10.

[0048] S2: The dispatching center controls the empty rail vehicle 11 on the first type track 5 to transfer the container 4 to the rail vehicle 11 on the second type track 6 in the corresponding area by driving;

[0049] S3: The dispatching center controls the gantry crane 7 on the second-type track 6 to move the gantry crane 7 to unload the container 4 on the second-type track 6 from the rail vehicle 11 and stack it on the stack, or unload the container 4 from the stack and load it onto the rail vehicle 11;

[0050] S4: After each second-class track 6 completes its own container 4 loading and unloading task, the dispatching center assigns it a new container 4 loading and unloading task. The rail vehicles 11 continue to follow the method of steps S1-S3 based on the data feedback obtained by the dispatching center, assign tasks and complete their own new container 4 loading and unloading.

[0051] The above describes in detail the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that numerous modifications and variations based on the concepts of the present invention are possible by those skilled in the art without inventive effort. Therefore, any technical solution that can be derived by those skilled in the art through logical analysis, reasoning, or limited experimentation based on the concepts of the present invention and the prior art should be within the scope of protection defined by the claims.

Claims

1. An efficient container port land area system, characterized by: The invention comprises a sea area A, a shoreline (2) in front of the sea area A, a storage yard B in front of the shoreline (2), and a dock front area C between the shoreline (2) and the storage yard B. The dock front area C is provided with at least one quay crane (3). The quay crane (3) spans the sea area A and the dock front area C. The dock front area C is provided with a third type track (9) parallel to the bridge crane track inside or outside the bridge crane span. A plurality of second type tracks (6) are arranged on the ground of the storage yard B. A first type track (5) is provided on one side of the second type track (6). The first type track (5) does not overlap or intersect with the second type track (6) and the third type track (9). The first type track (5) is parallel to the second type track (6). A driving area (10) is provided near the first type track (6) and near the first type track (5) and the third type track (9). A driving crane is provided in the driving area (10). Through the driving crane operation, the container (4) on the rail vehicle (11) on the first type track (5), the second type track (6) and the third type track (9) is lifted to the vehicle (11) on another track. The first type track (5) extends beyond the width w of the yard B, thereby dividing the yard B into a plurality of rectangular stacking areas. A gantry crane (7) is provided on the other side of the second type track (6), and a container gantry crane (7) is provided in each row of the stacking area for operation. The driving area (10) is set across the first type track (5) and the second type track (6) at the same time, or across the first type track (5) and the third type track (9) at the same time; The third type of track (9) is arranged at the front end of the quay crane (3) and is used for transferring containers (4) on the quay crane (3); the first type of track (5) is arranged at the end of the third type of track (9) and is used for transferring containers (4) on the third type of track (9); and a plurality of second type of tracks (6) are arranged in parallel and are used for transferring containers (4) on the first type of track (5) and the stacking area.

2. The highly efficient container port land area system according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one rail vehicle (11) for transporting containers (4) is provided and runs on a second type of track (6). The container (4) runs along a first type of track (5). The container (4) on the rail vehicle (11) running on the first type of track (5) is transferred three-dimensionally through a driving area (10) and enters the track of another container yard B, so as to realize the transfer of the container (4) between stacking areas of the yard B.

3. The efficient container port land area system according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a dispatching center, which is connected to the quay crane (3), the rail vehicle (11) and the gantry crane (7) by signal.

4. The efficient container port land area system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rail vehicle (11) is provided with an anti-collision device.

5. The efficient container port land area system according to claim 4, characterized in that: A positioning module and a rail vehicle communication module are provided on the rail vehicle (11), and the positioning module and the rail vehicle communication module are connected to the dispatching center signal.

6. The efficient container port land area system according to claim 4, characterized in that: A pressure sensor and a first-type track communication module are provided on the first-type track (5), and the pressure sensor and the first-type track communication module are connected to the dispatching center signal.

7. The efficient container port land area system according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one gantry crane (7) is provided in each row of stacking areas, and the gantry crane (7) moves in a direction parallel to the shoreline (2) or at a certain angle.

8. A method for operating an efficient container port land area system, implemented based on the efficient container port land area system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The steps include: S1: The dispatching center controls the quay crane (3), and transfers the container (4) on the cargo ship (1) to the third-class track (9) through the quay crane (3), and then transfers the container (4) to the driving area (10) through the rail vehicle (11) on the third-class track (9); S2: The dispatching center controls the empty rail vehicle (11) on the first type of track (5) to transfer the container (4) to the rail vehicle (11) on the second type of track (6) in the corresponding area by driving; S3: The dispatching center controls the gantry crane (7) on the second type track (6) to move the gantry crane (7) to unload the container (4) on the second type track (6) from the rail vehicle (11) and stack it on the stack, or unload the container (4) from the stack and load it onto the rail vehicle (11); S4: After each second-class track (6) completes its container (4) loading and unloading task, the dispatching center assigns it a new container (4) loading and unloading task, and the rail vehicle (11) continues to follow the method of steps S1-S3 based on the data feedback obtained by the dispatching center, assigns tasks and completes its new container (4) loading and unloading.

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