An automated container terminal yard and its operation system

Abstract

The application discloses an automatic container wharf yard and a working system thereof, wherein the yard is arranged perpendicularly to a wharf shoreline and is provided with a yard crane; the yard crane comprises a first layer of columns, a first layer of travelling crane tracks, a first layer of land-side travelling cranes, a first layer of sea-side travelling cranes, a second layer of columns, a second layer of travelling crane tracks and a second layer of travelling cranes, and forms a high-elevation double-layer travelling crane structure; when the working efficiency of the first layer of sea-side travelling cranes cannot keep up with the loading and unloading ship efficiency of the shore-based bridge, the second layer of travelling cranes are dispatched to support the loading and unloading ship operation on the sea side; when the working efficiency of the first layer of land-side travelling cranes cannot keep up with the container receiving and sending operation efficiency, the second layer of travelling cranes are dispatched to support the container receiving and sending operation on the land side, so that the efficient operation of the wharf can be effectively ensured, and the container land occupation rate is not affected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of container terminal technology, specifically, it relates to an automated container terminal yard and its operation system. Background Technology

[0002] Container terminals are crucial hubs for sea-land logistics. With the increasing size of ships, there is an urgent need to continuously improve port loading and unloading efficiency. Automated container yards have become a widespread development trend due to their significant advantages such as high safety and reliability, high operational efficiency, high site utilization, environmental friendliness, and low labor costs. Existing automated terminal layouts mainly include two types: vertical and horizontal. In vertical terminal layouts, the container yard is arranged perpendicular to the quayline, while in horizontal terminal layouts, the container yard is arranged parallel to the quayline. However, horizontal automated terminals cannot achieve truly efficient and safe automation due to the mixing of automated horizontal transport equipment and external trucks. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automated container terminal yard. Based on a vertically laid-out yard structure, the yard cranes are transformed into an elevated double-layer structure. This not only achieves fully automated and efficient operation of the terminal but also ensures a high container occupancy rate, making it suitable for container terminals with high throughput.

[0004] The present invention is implemented using the following technical solutions:

[0005] An automated container terminal yard is proposed, wherein the yard is arranged with a structure perpendicular to the quay line and equipped with yard cranes, including:

[0006] The crane structure consists of a first layer of columns, a first layer of overhead rails, a first layer of land-side cranes, a first layer of sea-side cranes, a second layer of columns, a second layer of overhead rails, and a second layer of cranes; among which...

[0007] The first-level pillars are set on both sides of the yard, and the first-level trolley track is fixed to the top of the first-level pillars. The first-level landside trolley and the first-level seaside trolley are both straddled on the first-level trolley track and run along the first-level trolley track in a direction perpendicular to the wharf shoreline. The first-level landside trolley is assigned to interact with the landside transportation equipment on the land side of the yard, and the first-level seaside trolley is assigned to interact with the seaside transportation equipment on the sea side of the yard.

[0008] The second-level columns are set on the first-level trolley track, the second-level trolley track is fixed to the top of the second-level columns, and the second-level trolley spans the second-level trolley track and runs along the second-level trolley track in a direction perpendicular to the wharf shoreline.

[0009] The landside crane, seaside crane, and second-level crane all include tracks parallel to the wharf shoreline, and the spreader moves along the tracks in a direction parallel to the wharf wall.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present invention, adjacent storage yards share a first-layer and a second-layer of pillars, and have separate first-layer and second-layer trolley tracks.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present invention, a first avoidance sensor is installed on the landside vehicle layer and the seaside vehicle layer, which generates a first avoidance signal when a second vehicle is detected.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present invention, the second-level vehicle is equipped with a second avoidance sensor, which generates a second avoidance signal when it detects a landside vehicle on the first level or a seaside vehicle on the second level.

[0013] An automated container terminal yard operation system is proposed, comprising: a terminal operating system, an equipment management system, and an automated container terminal yard as described above; the terminal operating system is used to send unloading efficiency improvement instructions or loading efficiency improvement instructions to the equipment management system when unloading or loading operations are busy, so that the equipment management system can dispatch second-level cranes to the sea side of the yard to work together with first-level sea side cranes based on the unloading efficiency improvement instructions or loading efficiency improvement instructions; when receiving or dispatching containers is busy, the operating system can send receiving efficiency improvement instructions or dispatching efficiency improvement instructions to the equipment management system, so that the equipment management system can dispatch second-level cranes to the land side of the yard to work together with first-level land side cranes based on the receiving efficiency improvement instructions or dispatching efficiency improvement instructions.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present invention, when the terminal operating system issues the unloading efficiency improvement instruction or the loading efficiency improvement instruction to the equipment management system, it also issues loading and unloading ship avoidance rules to the equipment management system. The loading and unloading ship avoidance rules are set through the front-end equipment of the terminal operating system. When the equipment management system receives an avoidance signal initiated by the first-level seaside vehicle or the second-level vehicle, it schedules the operation of the first-level seaside vehicle and the second-level vehicle based on the loading and unloading ship avoidance rules. The ship loading / unloading avoidance rules are planned based on the vehicle's operating direction, speed, and / or operation type. Simultaneously, the terminal operating system sends the container receiving efficiency improvement command or the container dispatching efficiency improvement command to the equipment management system, and also sends the container receiving / dispatching avoidance rules to the equipment management system. These rules are set through the terminal operating system's front-end equipment. When the equipment management system receives an avoidance signal initiated by a landside vehicle on the first floor or a vehicle on the second floor, it schedules the operation of the landside vehicle on the first floor and the vehicle on the second floor based on the container receiving / dispatching avoidance rules. The container receiving / dispatching avoidance rules are planned based on the vehicle's operating direction, speed, and / or operation type.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present invention, the ship avoidance rules and / or the container avoidance rules include:

[0016] When the tasks are of different types, such as one person putting a box in and another grabbing a box, they do not give way to each other.

[0017] Do not give way when the directions of travel are different;

[0018] When the operation type is the same and the direction of operation is consistent, the first-level landside train or the first-level seaside train operates and the second-level train brakes for a specified time before continuing to operate; or the second-level train operates and the first-level landside train or the first-level seaside train brakes for a specified time before continuing to operate; or the first-level landside train or the first-level seaside train maintains its original speed while the second train decelerates; or the second train maintains its original speed while the first-level landside train or the first-level seaside train decelerates.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the advantages and positive effects of the present invention are as follows: The automated container terminal yard and its operation system proposed in this invention are equipped with yard cranes with an elevated double-layer overhead crane structure. When the operating efficiency of the first-layer sea-side cranes cannot keep up with the loading and unloading efficiency of the quay cranes, the second-layer cranes are dispatched to support the loading and unloading operations on the sea side. When the operating efficiency of the first-layer land-side cranes cannot keep up with the container receiving and dispatching operations, the second-layer cranes are dispatched to support the container receiving and dispatching operations on the land side. This can effectively ensure the efficient operation of the terminal without affecting the container land occupancy rate.

[0020] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The accompanying drawings, as part of this invention, are provided to further illustrate the invention. The illustrative embodiments and descriptions are used to explain the invention but do not constitute an undue limitation thereof. Clearly, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments; those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional view of the automated container terminal yard proposed in this invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a side view of the automated container terminal yard proposed in this invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a top view of the automated container terminal yard proposed in this invention;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a system architecture diagram of the automated container terminal yard operation system proposed in this invention;

[0026] Attached diagram labels: 10 - First floor column, 11 - First floor track, 12 - First floor landside track, 13 - First floor seaside track; 20 - Second floor column, 21 - Second floor track, 22 - Second floor track.

[0027] It should be noted that these accompanying drawings and textual descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way, but rather to illustrate the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are used to illustrate the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0029] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting this invention.

[0030] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or a connection indirectly through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0031] The automated container terminal yard proposed in this invention is arranged with a structure perpendicular to the quayline and equipped with yard cranes, such as... Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the crane consists of a first-floor column 10, a first-floor trolley track 11, a first-floor landside trolley 12, a first-floor seaside trolley 13, a second-floor column 20, a second-floor trolley track 21, and a second-floor trolley 22.

[0032] Specifically, the first-level pillars 10 are set on both sides of the yard, the first-level trolley track 11 is fixed to the top of the first-level pillars 10, the first-level landside trolley 12 and the first-level seaside trolley 13 are both straddled on the first-level trolley track 11 and run along the first-level trolley track 11 in a direction perpendicular to the wharf shoreline, and the first-level landside trolley 12 is assigned to interact with the landside transportation equipment on the land side of the yard, and the first-level seaside trolley 13 is assigned to interact with the seaside transportation equipment on the sea side of the yard.

[0033] The second-level column 20 is installed on the first-level trolley track 11. The second-level trolley track 21 is fixed to the top of the second-level column 20. The second-level trolley 22 straddles the second-level trolley track 21 and runs along the second-level trolley track 21 in a direction perpendicular to the wharf shoreline.

[0034] The landside crane 12 on the first floor, the seaside crane 13 on the first floor, and the crane 22 on the second floor all include tracks parallel to the quay shoreline, and the spreaders move along the tracks in a direction parallel to the quay wall.

[0035] The adjacent storage yards share a single-layer column 10 and a second-layer column 20, and have separate single-layer and second-layer trolley tracks 11 and 21.

[0036] First avoidance sensors are installed on the landside trolley 12 and the seaside trolley 13 of the first floor. These sensors are used to detect the second trolley 22 above the landside trolley 12 and the seaside trolley 13 during their operation. The sensors include, but are not limited to, infrared sensors, distance sensors, cameras, etc. When the second trolley 22 is detected, a first avoidance signal is generated and sent to the equipment management system.

[0037] A second avoidance sensor can be installed on the second-level vehicle 22 to detect the first landside vehicle 12 and the first seaside vehicle 13 below it, and generate a second avoidance signal when the first-level landside vehicle (12) or the second-level seaside vehicle (13) is detected, and send the second avoidance signal to the equipment management system.

[0038] The automated container terminal yard proposed in this invention adopts a vertical terminal layout, interacting with horizontal transport equipment (sea side) and container trucks (land side) through two ends. The yard cranes adopt a two-level elevated track design, with the overhead cranes carrying the spreaders running on the tracks. Each track can be equipped with one or more overhead cranes as needed. Based on this structure, the second-level crane can carry a container through the first-level crane to perform interleaving operations. Therefore, it can be dispatched to support the sea side loading and unloading operations or the land side receiving and dispatching operations as needed, which can significantly improve the operational efficiency of traditional vertical layout terminal yards.

[0039] Based on the aforementioned automated container terminal yard, this invention also proposes an automated container terminal yard operation system, such as... Figure 4 As shown, it includes:

[0040] Terminal operating system, equipment management system, and the aforementioned automated container terminal yard.

[0041] The terminal operating system is used to acquire current yard operation data, determine the current operation type and its busy level. When unloading or loading operations are busy, it sends an unloading efficiency improvement command or loading efficiency improvement command to the equipment management system, so that the equipment management system can dispatch the second-level crane 22 to the sea side of the yard to work together with the first-level sea side crane 13. When container receiving or shipping operations are busy, it sends a container receiving efficiency improvement command or container shipping efficiency improvement command to the equipment management system, so that the equipment management system can dispatch the second-level crane 22 to the land side of the yard to work together with the first-level land side crane 12. The busy level can be set with thresholds based on parameters such as the number of tasks, the number of transport equipment deployed, and the number of ships loaded / unloaded or containers received / shipped. When the threshold is exceeded, the operation is considered busy.

[0042] In some embodiments of the present invention, the terminal operating system simultaneously issues unloading efficiency improvement instructions or loading efficiency improvement instructions to the equipment management system, and also issues loading and unloading avoidance rules to the equipment management system for collision accidents involving spreader equipment during overlapping operations between the first-floor and second-floor cranes. These loading and unloading avoidance rules are set through the terminal operating system's front-end equipment, and terminal operators can modify or update them according to the actual situation and operational needs of the terminal. When the equipment management system receives an avoidance signal initiated by the first-floor seaside crane 13 or the second-floor crane 22, it schedules the operation of the first-floor seaside crane 13 and the second-floor crane 22 based on the loading and unloading avoidance rules. The ship loading and unloading avoidance rules are planned according to the direction of operation, speed of operation and / or type of operation. For example: when the types of operation are different, the first-floor seaside crane 13 and the second-floor crane 22 will not avoid each other when they overlap vertically; for example, when the directions of operation of the first-floor seaside crane 13 and the second-floor crane 22 are different, the first-floor seaside crane 13 and the second-floor crane 22 will overlap vertically but will not avoid each other; for example, when the types of operation of the first-floor seaside crane 13 and the second-floor crane 22 are the same and the directions of operation are consistent, the first-floor seaside crane 13 will maintain its current operating state and the second-floor crane 22 will brake for a specified time and then continue to operate; or, the second-floor crane 22 will maintain its operation and the first-floor seaside crane 13 will brake for a specified time and then continue to operate; or, the first-floor seaside crane 13 will maintain its original speed and the second crane 22 will decelerate; or, the second crane 22 will maintain its original speed and the first-floor seaside crane 13 will decelerate.

[0043] In some embodiments of the present invention, the terminal operating system simultaneously issues a container receiving efficiency improvement command or a container dispatching efficiency improvement command to the equipment management system, and issues container receiving and dispatching avoidance rules to the equipment management system. These rules are used to prevent collisions between spreader equipment during overlapping operations between the first-floor and second-floor cranes. These container receiving and dispatching avoidance rules are set through the terminal operating system's front-end equipment, and terminal operators can modify or update the rules based on actual terminal conditions and operational needs. When the equipment management system receives a avoidance signal initiated by the first-floor landside crane 12 or the second-floor crane 22, it schedules the operation of the first-floor landside crane 12 and the second-floor crane 22 based on the container receiving and dispatching avoidance rules. The container receiving and dispatching avoidance rules are planned according to the crane's operating direction, speed, and / or operation type. For example, when the operation types are different, the first-floor landside crane 12 and the second-floor crane 22 do not avoid each other when they overlap vertically; for example, when the first-floor landside crane 12 and the second-floor crane 22 have different operating directions, the first-floor landside crane 12 and the second-floor crane 22 do not avoid each other. Vehicles 22 overlap vertically but do not avoid each other; for example, when the first-level landside vehicle 12 and the second-level vehicle 22 have the same type of operation and the same direction of operation, the first-level landside vehicle 12 maintains its current operating state and the second-level vehicle 22 is controlled to brake for a specified time before continuing to operate; or, the second-level vehicle 22 is kept running and the first-level landside vehicle 12 brakes for a specified time before continuing to operate; or, the first-level landside vehicle 12 maintains its original speed and the second vehicle 22 decelerates; or, the second vehicle 22 maintains its original speed and the first-level landside vehicle 12 decelerates.

[0044] In some embodiments of the present invention, when the equipment management system does not receive the unloading efficiency improvement instructions, loading efficiency improvement instructions, container receiving efficiency improvement instructions and container dispatching efficiency improvement instructions issued by the terminal operating system, that is, when the terminal operation is not busy, the equipment management system can schedule the second-level crane 22 to stand by at a designated location.

[0045] It should be noted that the above description is not intended to limit the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the examples given above. Any changes, modifications, additions or substitutions made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present invention should also fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automated container terminal yard operation system, characterized in that, include: Terminal operating systems, equipment management systems, and automated container terminal yards; The automated container terminal yard is arranged with a structure perpendicular to the quay line and equipped with yard cranes. The yard cranes consist of a first-level column (10), a first-level trolley track (11), a first-level landside trolley (12), a first-level seaside trolley (13), a second-level column (20), a second-level trolley track (21), and a second-level trolley (22). The first-level column (10) is set on both sides of the yard, the first-level trolley track (11) is fixed to the top of the first-level column (10), and the first-level landside trolley (12) and the first-level seaside trolley (13) are both straddled on the first-level trolley track (11) and run along the first-level trolley track (11) in a direction perpendicular to the quay line. The landside trolley (12) is assigned to interact with the landside transport equipment on the landside of the yard, and the seaside trolley (13) is assigned to interact with the seaside transport equipment on the seaside of the yard; the second-level column (20) is set on the first-level trolley track (11), the second-level trolley track (21) is fixed to the top of the second-level column (20), and the second-level trolley (22) straddles the second-level trolley track (21) and runs along the second-level trolley track (21) in a direction perpendicular to the wharf shoreline; the landside trolley (12), the seaside trolley (13) and the second-level trolley (22) all include tracks parallel to the wharf shoreline, and the spreader moves along the tracks in a direction parallel to the wharf shoreline; The terminal operating system is used to send an unloading efficiency improvement instruction or a loading efficiency improvement instruction to the equipment management system when the unloading operation is busy or the loading operation is busy, so that the equipment management system can dispatch the second-level crane (22) to the sea side of the yard to work together with the first-level sea side crane (13) based on the unloading efficiency improvement instruction or the loading efficiency improvement instruction; when the container receiving operation is busy or the container dispatching operation is busy, it sends a container receiving efficiency improvement instruction or a container dispatching efficiency improvement instruction to the equipment management system, so that the equipment management system can dispatch the second-level crane (22) to the land side of the yard to work together with the first-level land side crane (12) based on the container receiving efficiency improvement instruction or the container dispatching efficiency improvement instruction.

2. The automated container terminal yard operation system according to claim 1, characterized in that, While the terminal operating system issues the unloading efficiency improvement command or the loading efficiency improvement command to the equipment management system, it also issues loading and unloading ship avoidance rules to the equipment management system. The loading and unloading ship avoidance rules are set through the front-end equipment of the terminal operating system. When the equipment management system receives an avoidance signal initiated by the first-level seaside vehicle (13) or the second-level vehicle (22), it schedules the operation of the first-level seaside vehicle (13) and the second-level vehicle (22) based on the loading and unloading ship avoidance rules. The loading and unloading ship avoidance rules are planned according to the vehicle's operating direction, vehicle's operating speed and / or operation type. While the terminal operating system sends the container receiving efficiency improvement instruction or the container dispatching efficiency improvement instruction to the equipment management system, it also sends the container receiving and dispatching avoidance rules to the equipment management system. The container receiving and dispatching avoidance rules are set through the front-end equipment of the terminal operating system. When the equipment management system receives an avoidance signal initiated by the first-level landside vehicle (12) or the second-level vehicle (22), it schedules the operation of the first-level landside vehicle (12) and the second-level vehicle (22) based on the container receiving and dispatching avoidance rules. The container receiving and dispatching avoidance rules are planned according to the vehicle's operating direction, vehicle's operating speed and / or operation type.

3. The automated container terminal yard operation system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The ship loading / unloading avoidance rules and / or the receiving / dispatch container avoidance rules include: Do not give way to different types of tasks; Do not give way when the directions of travel are different; When the operation type is the same and the direction of operation is consistent, the landside train (12) or the seaside train (13) on the first floor runs and the train (22) on the second floor brakes for a specified time and then continues to run; or the train (22) on the second floor runs and the landside train (12) or the seaside train (13) on the first floor brakes for a specified time and then continues to run; or the landside train (12) or the seaside train (13) on the first floor maintains its original speed and the train (22) decelerates; or the train (22) on the second floor maintains its original speed and the landside train (12) or the seaside train (13) on the first floor decelerates.

4. The automated container terminal yard operation system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Adjacent storage yards share a single-layer column (10) and a double-layer column (20), and have separate single-layer and double-layer trolley tracks (11 and 21).

5. The automated container terminal yard operation system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The landside vehicle (12) and the seaside vehicle (13) are equipped with a first avoidance sensor, which generates a first avoidance signal when a second vehicle (22) is detected.

6. The automated container terminal yard operation system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second-level vehicle (22) is equipped with a second avoidance sensor, which generates a second avoidance signal when it detects a landside vehicle (12) on the first floor or a seaside vehicle (13) on the second floor.

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