A three-dimensional storage yard facility for roll-on roll-off wharf commodity automobiles and a working method thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of facilities of three-dimensional yard of ro-ro terminal commodity car and its operation method, yard is composed of multiple layers of car storage layer and vehicle carrying plate buffer layer, in each layer car storage layer and vehicle carrying plate buffer layer, several longitudinal conveying lines consisting of multiple longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanisms are arranged side by side in longitudinal direction, transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism is added in longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism at both ends of longitudinal conveying line, so that car storage layer is formed into a transverse conveying line on the sea and land sides respectively, so that any two longitudinal conveying lines and the transverse conveying lines at both ends form a plane closed-loop conveying network;The application divides the collection and distribution area in the vertical direction by three-dimensional yard structure, since the conveying line arrangement structure of each layer of car storage layer is consistent, any layer of car storage layer can be configured as collection and distribution area, so that the collection and distribution can be fully compatible and share lifting mechanism, the exchange platform specially designed on the sea side makes the loading and unloading streamline point-to-point, which lays the foundation for unmanned ro-ro straddle carrier loading and unloading ship, improves the flexibility of yard and improves the efficiency of collection and distribution operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of warehousing and logistics equipment technology, specifically, it relates to a three-dimensional storage facility for automobiles at a roll-on / roll-off terminal and its operation method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the main roll-on / roll-off (Ro-Ro) terminals for automobiles in China are located in Shanghai Port, Tianjin Port, Guangzhou Port, Ningbo Port, Dalian Port, Yantai Port, and Lianyungang Port, handling over 95% of the country's automobile import and export throughput. Globally, major ports' Ro-Ro terminals for automobiles primarily utilize a ground-level storage yard model for loading and unloading. This traditional model not only requires significant land use but also impacts the efficiency of loading and unloading operations, consequently affecting the operating costs of terminal and shipping companies.

[0003] To address the severe shortage of vehicle storage capacity at ro-ro terminals due to the rapid growth in vehicle throughput, some ports have actively expanded their vehicle storage capacity, primarily through three methods: First, constructing large-scale, land-based flat-level vehicle storage yards; second, building self-propelled (including AGVs, using elevators for vertical AGV movement) automated parking systems; and third, constructing aisle-style racking warehouses. The first method, sacrificing land for storage, is clearly undesirable. The second method, self-propelled (including AGV) automated parking systems, has high construction costs, low space utilization, low loading / unloading efficiency, and high operating costs. The third method, aisle-style racking warehouses, also has high construction costs, low space utilization, and low loading / unloading efficiency. In particular, the designers of the second and third methods failed to consider the characteristics of ro-ro terminal vehicle storage yards, simply applying urban automated parking and warehouse technologies to them. This only alleviated the land occupation problem but did not solve the problem of low efficiency in traditional loading / unloading operations.

[0004] The key characteristic of roll-on / roll-off (Ro-Ro) terminals' vehicle storage yards lies in the temporary parking of vehicles during arrival and departure from the port. Arrival refers to the centralized storage of vehicles at the Ro-Ro terminal before loading onto ships. These arriving vehicles typically represent 2-3 to over a dozen manufacturers within the port's reach, with each batch consisting of a large quantity—ranging from hundreds to thousands of vehicles, all from the same brand. Departure refers to the centralized storage of vehicles (mostly imported) after unloading from ships at the Ro-Ro terminal. These departing vehicles cater to the 4S dealerships in major cities within the port's reach. Consumers are highly individualized, resulting in a diverse range of brands and models, but smaller batch sizes. A single 4S dealership typically imports only a few to dozens of vehicles at a time. Furthermore, the number of arriving vehicles at a typical Ro-Ro terminal (in China) far exceeds the number of departing vehicles. When cars are loaded onto ships at the port, they simply need to be driven one by one from the car yard into the ship's hold; while when cars are being transported out of the port, 4S stores that come to pick up the cars randomly "choose" them from the car yard before leaving.

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues, the applicant proposed a direct-in / direct-out automated vehicle storage yard device in invention patent application 202311234096.3. This device comprises a multi-layered vehicle storage area and a vehicle-carrying platform buffer layer, forming a three-dimensional structure. Each storage area and buffer layer is equipped with multiple storage conveyor lines. With the assistance of a lifting mechanism, it achieves a three-dimensional vertical circulation effect for vehicles or vehicle-carrying platforms. Vehicles are directly transported and stored on the vehicle storage conveyor lines, enabling continuous direct-in / direct-out transport, which improves vehicle storage and retrieval efficiency, increases vehicle storage density, and reduces construction and maintenance costs. However, in actual operation, the applicant found that while the direct-in / direct-out structure possesses the aforementioned significant technical advantages compared to traditional vehicle storage yards, it still suffers from problems such as insufficient compatibility between the arrival and departure areas and lack of coordination between loading and unloading, indicating potential for further efficiency improvements. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a three-dimensional automobile loading and unloading yard facility and its operation method. The three-dimensional yard structure vertically divides the yard into a loading area and a unloading area. Because the longitudinal and transverse conveyor lines of each automobile storage layer are laid out in a consistent manner, any automobile storage layer can be configured as either a loading or unloading area. This allows for complete compatibility between loading and unloading and the sharing of lifting mechanisms, improving the yard's flexibility and increasing the efficiency of loading and unloading operations. Furthermore, the specially designed automobile loading and unloading roll-on / roll-off exchange platform, which connects to the lifting mechanism on the sea side, provides the infrastructure support for unmanned roll-on / roll-off straddle carrier loading and unloading at the automobile terminal.

[0007] The present invention is implemented using the following technical solutions: This invention proposes a three-dimensional automobile storage facility at a roll-on / roll-off terminal, which consists of multiple automobile storage layers and a vehicle loading platform buffer layer below the bottom automobile storage layer. In each automobile storage layer and the vehicle loading platform buffer layer, several longitudinal conveyor lines are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction. Each automobile storage layer consists of multiple conveying units, and each conveying unit consists of multiple adjacent longitudinal conveyor lines. Each longitudinal conveyor line consists of multiple longitudinal bidirectional drive mechanisms. Each longitudinal bidirectional drive mechanism is used to drive the car platform, which can carry a vehicle, to be transported in both directions longitudinally. Each longitudinal conveyor line has a transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism installed inside the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism at both ends, forming a transverse conveyor line at the seaside end and the landside end respectively, so that any two longitudinal conveyor lines and the transverse conveyor lines at both ends form a planar closed-loop conveyor network. The transport unit is equipped with lifting mechanisms on both the sea and land sides; each lifting mechanism has exchange platforms on both sides, and the exchange platforms are at the same height as the vehicle platform buffer layer; and, The facility's car storage level is divided into a port arrival area and a port departure area from bottom to top.

[0008] The roll-on / roll-off (Ro-Ro) terminal's three-dimensional automobile storage facility proposed in this invention is constructed in front of the terminal. Its sea-side exchange platform serves as the automobile loading and unloading Ro-Ro platform, featuring a frame structure with multiple layers of automobile storage. Below the bottommost automobile storage layer is a vehicle pallet buffer layer. Both the automobile storage layer and the vehicle pallet buffer layer consist of several longitudinal conveyor lines, with multiple adjacent longitudinal conveyor lines forming a conveyor unit. Each conveyor unit is equipped with lifting mechanisms on both the sea and land sides, and each lifting mechanism has an exchange platform on both sides that connects to the vehicle pallet buffer layer. Each longitudinal conveyor line consists of multiple longitudinal bidirectional drive mechanisms, with a transverse bidirectional drive mechanism installed inside each of the longitudinal bidirectional drive mechanisms at both ends of each longitudinal conveyor line. This ensures that each automobile storage layer has a transverse conveyor line at both the sea and land ends, allowing any two longitudinal conveyor lines and the transverse conveyor lines at both ends to form a planar closed-loop conveyor network.

[0009] In this invention, because each car storage layer has the same composition structure, each car storage layer can be divided into a port arrival area or a port departure area. The port arrival area and the port departure area can be arbitrarily allocated according to the actual operation needs of the terminal. When there are many vehicles arriving at the port, most of the car storage layer can be configured as the port arrival area. When there are many vehicles departing from the port, most of the car storage layer can be configured as the port departure area. The port arrival and port departure are fully compatible and do not affect each other's operation progress, which improves the flexibility of the yard and improves the efficiency of port arrival and port departure operations.

[0010] When vehicles arrive at the port, the terminal is equipped with a port arrival area, which includes multiple vehicle storage layers. These layers can be distributed across different levels of the automated storage and retrieval yard or be several consecutive adjacent layers, hereinafter referred to as the port arrival vehicle storage layer. The target conveying unit of the port arrival vehicle storage layer conveys empty vehicle pallets to the lifting mechanism on its sea side. The lifting mechanism descends to connect with the exchange platform, and the empty vehicle pallets are conveyed to the exchange platforms on both sides. From the exchange platforms on both sides, the vehicles are conveyed to the vehicle pallet buffer layer, and then conveyed along the longitudinal conveyor line of the vehicle pallet buffer layer to the exchange platforms on both sides of the lifting mechanism on the land side. After the driver on the land side drives the vehicle onto the empty vehicle pallet, the vehicle is conveyed along with the vehicle pallet to the lifting mechanism. The lifting mechanism rises to the port arrival vehicle storage layer, and the vehicle is conveyed along with the vehicle pallet to the port arrival vehicle storage layer. Based on the four-way transmission mechanism, the vehicle is conveyed to the target longitudinal conveyor line, and then conveyed along the target longitudinal conveyor line to the target storage location.

[0011] During loading, vehicles from the target vehicle storage layer's target transport unit are transported along the car carriers via the sea-side transverse conveyor line to the four-way longitudinal and transverse transmission mechanism at the center line of the transport unit. From there, the vehicles are transported to the sea-side lifting mechanism via the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism of the four-way longitudinal and transverse transmission mechanism. Each longitudinal conveyor line of the target transport unit then sequentially transports another vehicle to the sea-side transverse conveyor line. The lifting mechanism descends to dock with the exchange platform, and the vehicles are transported along the car carriers to the exchange platform. The driver drives the vehicles off the exchange platform, or the unmanned roll-on / roll-off straddle carrier on the sea side transfers the vehicles away. After the vehicles leave, empty car carriers are transported from the exchange platform to the car carrier buffer layer for temporary storage. Alternatively, after being transported to the car carrier buffer layer, they are transported along the longitudinal conveyor line to the exchange platforms on both sides of the land-side lifting mechanism. From the land-side exchange platform, they are transported to the land-side lifting mechanism, and then from the land-side lifting mechanism, they are transported back to the target vehicle storage layer's target transport unit.

[0012] During unloading, the terminal is equipped with a port clearance area for vehicles, including multiple vehicle storage layers. These layers can be distributed across different levels of the automated storage and retrieval yard or consist of several consecutive adjacent layers, hereinafter referred to as the port clearance vehicle storage layers. The target conveying unit of the port clearance vehicle storage layer conveys empty vehicle pallets to the lifting mechanism on its land side. The lifting mechanism descends to dock with the exchange platform, conveying the empty vehicle pallets to the exchange platforms on both sides. From the exchange platforms on both sides, the vehicles are conveyed to the vehicle pallet buffer layer and then along the longitudinal conveyor line of the vehicle pallet buffer layer to the exchange platforms on both sides of the lifting mechanism on the sea side. The vehicles are driven onto the vehicle pallets by the driver or loaded onto the vehicle pallets by the unmanned roll-on / roll-off straddle carrier on the sea side. The vehicles are then conveyed along with the vehicle pallets to the lifting mechanism on the sea side. The lifting mechanism rises to the target conveying unit of the port clearance vehicle storage layer and is then conveyed via the transverse conveyor line to the target longitudinal conveyor line, and finally along the target longitudinal conveyor line to the target storage location.

[0013] During port clearance, vehicles at any position in the target vehicle storage layer's target transport unit are transported via longitudinal / lateral transport lines and then via lateral / longitudinal transport lines to the lifting mechanism on the landside. The lifting mechanism descends to dock with the exchange platform, and the vehicles are transported to the exchange platform along with the vehicle carriers. The driver then drives the vehicle away from the port or loads it into a large transport vehicle to leave the port.

[0014] Compared with existing technologies, its advantages and positive effects are: 1. The three-dimensional yard structure divides the port arrival area and port departure area vertically. The conveyor line structure of each car storage layer is consistent, so any car storage layer can be configured as either a port arrival area or a port departure area. This makes the port arrival and departure areas fully compatible and share the lifting mechanism, which greatly improves the flexibility of the yard and the efficiency of port arrival and departure operations.

[0015] 2. Finding and selecting vehicles is more convenient. Whether it is vehicles arriving at the port or vehicles leaving the port, there is a need to quickly find and retrieve vehicles in any location, and this design can precisely meet this requirement.

[0016] 3. The exchange platform on the sea side is the car loading and unloading ship roll-on / roll-off platform, which realizes direct point-to-point loading and unloading of cars from the roll-on / roll-off platform to the ship's hold or from the ship's hold to the roll-on / roll-off platform. This completely changes the inefficient and arduous situation of the existing loading and unloading ship drivers and shuttle buses running all over the yard, greatly improving the efficiency of loading and unloading ship operations and reducing the number of shuttle buses used.

[0017] 4. An additional longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism was added to the seaside exchange platform, providing infrastructure support for the subsequent upgrade of the roll-on / roll-off terminal to unmanned roll-on / roll-off transport and precise positioning of automobiles, and realizing a fully digital unmanned roll-on / roll-off terminal.

[0018] 5. Improved loading and unloading efficiency significantly reduces the time roll-on / roll-off (Ro-Ro) ships spend at berths. This reduces berth costs and shortens sailing cycles for shipping companies, thereby increasing their profitability. For terminal companies, it improves berth turnover efficiency and reduces the need for new berth construction.

[0019] 6. This invention is not only limited to solving the problem of large land occupation of automobile storage yards, but more importantly, it completely changes the traditional automobile roll-on / roll-off terminal loading and unloading operation process.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present invention, a longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism and a transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism are configured on the lifting mechanism; the exchange platforms on both sides of the lifting mechanism are each configured with a longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism and a transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism, the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism is connected to the longitudinal conveyor line of the vehicle plate buffer layer, and the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism is connected to the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism of the lifting mechanism.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present invention, the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism and the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism constitute a four-way transmission mechanism; the lifting mechanism base plate and the exchange platform docked therewith are both equipped with four-way transmission mechanisms.

[0022] A transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism is vertically arranged within a longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism, thus forming a four-way transmission mechanism. The vehicle platform on this mechanism can move both longitudinally and laterally in both directions. The longitudinal and transverse bidirectional transmission mechanisms can adopt friction wheel transmission technology, or the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism can adopt friction wheel transmission technology, while the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism adopts lifting chain transmission technology.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present invention, two longitudinal passive transmission guide rails and two transverse passive transmission guide rails are arranged at the bottom of the vehicle platform; wherein, when the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism adopts a lifting chain drive, the longitudinal passive transmission guide rail is matched with the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism; the transverse passive transmission guide rail is disconnected by the longitudinal passive transmission guide rail and is matched with the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism; when the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism adopts a lifting friction drive, the longitudinal passive transmission guide rail and the transverse passive transmission guide rail at the bottom of the vehicle platform are disconnected from each other, and the friction drive mechanism uses a friction wheel set matched with the longitudinal passive transmission guide rail and the transverse passive transmission guide rail.

[0024] Both the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism and the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism can adopt friction wheel transmission technology. Accordingly, the longitudinal passive transmission guide rail and the transverse passive transmission guide rail at the bottom of the vehicle platform are disconnected from each other to facilitate continuous transmission of the longitudinal or transverse passive transmission guide rail by the friction wheel group. Alternatively, the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism can adopt friction wheel transmission technology, and the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism can adopt lifting chain transmission technology. Accordingly, the transverse passive transmission guide rail is disconnected at the intersection of the longitudinal passive transmission guide rail and the transverse passive transmission guide rail. The longitudinal passive transmission guide rail is compatible with the friction wheel transmission technology of the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism, and the transverse passive transmission guide rail is compatible with the lifting chain transmission technology of the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism.

[0025] The friction wheel technology described herein includes, for example, a transmission mechanism consisting of multiple sets of bidirectional guided friction wheels, each set of bidirectional guided friction wheels being driven individually by a motor, or multiple sets of bidirectional guided friction wheels being driven by a single motor via a chain drive.

[0026] In some embodiments of the present invention, the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism is implemented by a lifting friction wheel group transmission mechanism. The lifting friction wheel group transmission mechanism refers to the mechanism by which the vehicle plate is disengaged from the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism when it is transported by the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism to the intersection with the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism, and the transverse friction wheel group of the lifting friction wheel group transmission mechanism drives the vehicle plate to move laterally.

[0027] In some embodiments of the present invention, the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism is implemented by a lifting chain transmission mechanism. The lifting chain transmission mechanism refers to the mechanism by which the vehicle platform is disengaged from the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism when it is transported by the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism to the intersection with the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism, and the transverse chain of the lifting chain transmission mechanism drives the vehicle platform to move laterally.

[0028] The longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism on the lifting mechanism is connected to the longitudinal conveyor line of the vehicle storage layer; in a conveying unit, the lifting mechanism is connected to the longitudinal conveyor line in the middle of the conveying unit; the vehicle plates can be bidirectionally transferred between the longitudinal conveyor line in the middle of the conveying unit and the lifting mechanism; in the conveying unit, the vehicle plates on the other longitudinal conveyor lines (excluding the middle one) are transferred to the middle longitudinal conveyor line and connected to the lifting mechanism through the lateral bidirectional transmission mechanisms at the end of their respective conveying units, and then conveyed into the lifting mechanism. The vehicle plates can be bidirectionally transferred between the longitudinal conveyor lines and the lifting mechanism in a lateral-longitudinal manner. The vehicle plates are bidirectionally transferred laterally between the lifting mechanism and the exchange platform, and bidirectionally transferred longitudinally with the vehicle plate buffer layer on the exchange platform.

[0029] In some embodiments of the present invention, at least one empty space for a vehicle platform is provided in each conveying unit so that the vehicle platforms on each longitudinal conveying line in the conveying unit can be conveyed in a planar cycle.

[0030] As mentioned above, any two longitudinal conveyor lines and the transverse conveyor lines at both ends form a planar closed-loop conveyor network. In a planar closed-loop conveyor network, there is usually at least one empty space for a vehicle board in a conveyor unit. Combined with the four-way transmission mechanism, the vehicle board can reach the end of any longitudinal conveyor line on the transverse conveyor lines at both ends, and be transported to the corresponding longitudinal conveyor line through the four-way transmission mechanism, enabling the vehicle board to be transported to any position in the planar closed-loop conveyor network.

[0031] In some embodiments of the present invention, the lifting mechanism is a double-base plate structure, and the distance between the upper base plate and the lower base plate is the same as the distance between the bottommost car storage layer and the vehicle carrier plate buffer layer.

[0032] Both the upper and lower base plates are equipped with four-way transmission mechanisms. When the upper base plate connects with the bottom car storage layer, the lower base plate connects with the car carrier plate buffer layer. This allows the lifting mechanism to transfer two car carrier plates simultaneously when working between the car storage layer and the car carrier plate buffer layer, or to transfer one car carrier plate while transferring one car, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0033] In some embodiments of the present invention, a longitudinal exchange platform for interacting with unmanned roll-on / roll-off straddle carriers is added to the exchange platform on the sea side of the facility in the longitudinal direction, and a longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism is arranged on the longitudinal exchange platform.

[0034] When the roll-on / roll-off terminal uses driverless roll-on / roll-off straddle carriers to transport vehicles between the yard and ships, a longitudinal exchange platform is added to all exchange platforms on the sea side of the automated yard facility for interaction with the driverless roll-on / roll-off straddle carriers. During loading, after the vehicle is transported laterally from the lifting mechanism to the exchange platform along with the pallet, it is transported from the exchange platform to its longitudinal exchange platform. The driverless roll-on / roll-off straddle carrier transfers the vehicle from the longitudinal exchange platform, while the empty pallet is transported from the longitudinal exchange platform to the exchange platform and then back to the pallet buffer layer. During unloading, the empty pallet is transported from the exchange platform to the longitudinal exchange platform, and the driverless roll-on / roll-off straddle carrier transfers the vehicle to the pallet. The vehicle is then transported laterally from the exchange platform to the lifting mechanism along with the pallet.

[0035] This invention also proposes an operation method for a multi-level vehicle storage facility at a roll-on / roll-off terminal, applicable to the aforementioned multi-level vehicle storage facility at a roll-on / roll-off terminal, including port entry, loading onto ships, unloading from ships, and port clearance, wherein port entry includes the following steps that are repeatedly performed: Step S11: The target conveying unit of the port vehicle storage layer conveys empty vehicle plates to the lifting mechanism on its sea side; wherein, the port vehicle storage layer is any one or more layers of a multi-layer vehicle storage layer. Step S12: The seaside lifting mechanism descends to dock with the exchange platform, transporting the empty vehicle platform to the exchange platforms on both sides. In step S13, the empty vehicle platform is transported from the two side exchange platforms to the vehicle platform buffer layer, and then transported to the two side exchange platforms of the landside lifting mechanism. Step S14: The driver drives the vehicle with the RFID electronic tag affixed into the empty vehicle platform on the landside exchange platform. Step S15: The vehicle is transported along with the vehicle carrier to the landside lifting mechanism, and the landside lifting mechanism rises to the target transport unit of the port vehicle storage layer. In step S16, the vehicle is transported along with the vehicle carrier to the target transport unit of the port vehicle storage layer, and then transported to the target location for storage via the landside transverse transport line and the longitudinal transport line. Loading involves repeating the following steps: Step S21: The vehicles of the target vehicle storage layer target conveying unit are transported along the vehicle carrier plate to the four-way longitudinal and transverse transmission mechanism of the center line of the conveying unit via the transverse conveying line on the sea side. The vehicles are then transported to the lifting mechanism on the sea side by the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism of the four-way longitudinal and transverse transmission mechanism. All longitudinal conveying lines of the target conveying unit then sequentially transport one vehicle to the transverse conveying line on the sea side. In step S22, the seaside lifting mechanism descends to dock with the exchange platform, and the vehicle is transported to the exchange platform along with the vehicle carrier plate; Step S23: After the vehicle leaves, the empty vehicle platform is transported from the exchange platform to the vehicle platform buffer layer for temporary storage, or transported to the land-side exchange platform, and from the land-side exchange platform to the land-side lifting mechanism, and then transported back to the target vehicle storage layer target transport unit by the land-side lifting mechanism; wherein, the vehicle leaves either by being driven away by the driver or by being transported away by an unmanned roll-on straddle carrier. Unloading involves repeating the following steps: Step S31: The target conveying unit of the port vehicle storage layer conveys empty vehicle panels to the lifting mechanism on its land side; wherein, the port vehicle storage layer is any one or more layers of a multi-layer vehicle storage layer. Step S32: The landside lifting mechanism descends to dock with the exchange platform, transporting the empty vehicle platform to the exchange platforms on both sides; Step S33: Empty car pallets are transported from the two side exchange platforms to the car pallet buffer layer, and then transported to the two side exchange platforms of the seaside lifting mechanism. Step S34: The vehicle with the RFID electronic tag affixed drives into the empty vehicle platform on the sea side exchange platform; wherein, the vehicle is driven in by the driver or loaded into the platform by an unmanned roll-on / roll-off straddle carrier. Step S35: The vehicle is transported along with the vehicle carrier to the seaside lifting mechanism, and the lifting mechanism rises to the target conveying unit of the port area vehicle storage layer. Step S36: The vehicle is transported along with the vehicle carrier to the target transport unit of the port vehicle storage layer, and then transported to the target location for storage via the transverse transport line on the sea side and the longitudinal transport line. Port clearance involves repeatedly performing the following steps: Step S41: At any position of the target vehicle storage layer target conveying unit, the vehicle is transported along the vehicle carrier plate to the lifting mechanism on the land side via the longitudinal / transverse conveying line and then via the transverse / longitudinal conveying line. In step S42, the landside lifting mechanism descends to dock with the exchange platform, and the vehicle is transported to the exchange platform along with the vehicle carrier plate; Step S43: The driver drives the vehicle away from the port or loads it into a large transport vehicle and leaves the port.

[0036] In some embodiments of the present invention, the method further includes: designating one side exchange platform of the sea-side lifting mechanism of the conveying unit as a loading platform, and the other side exchange platform of the sea-side lifting mechanism as an unloading platform; then, The method also includes simultaneous loading and unloading operations, which include the following steps performed repeatedly: Step S51: The target conveying unit of the car storage layer in the port area conveys a loading vehicle to the lifting mechanism on the sea side; at the same time, the car pallet buffer layer conveys an empty car pallet to the unloading platform; wherein, the empty car pallet is conveyed to the car pallet buffer layer via the car storage layer in the port exit area and the lifting mechanism on the land side. In step S52, the lifting mechanism on the sea side descends to dock with the exchange platform, and the loading vehicles are transported to the loading platform along with the vehicle carrier; at the same time, the unloading vehicles with RFID electronic tags drive into the vehicle carrier on the unloading platform. In step S53, the driver or unmanned ro-ro straddle carrier leaves the unloading platform and transfers to the loading platform to drive the loading vehicle toward the ro-ro ship; at the same time, the unloading vehicle is transported to the lifting mechanism along with the loading platform. In step S54, an empty vehicle pallet is conveyed from the vehicle pallet buffer layer to the unloading platform; at the same time, the empty vehicle pallet on the loading platform is conveyed back to the vehicle pallet buffer layer and then returned to the target conveying unit of the vehicle storage layer in the port area via the lifting mechanism on the land side. In step S55, the seaside lifting mechanism rises to the target conveying unit of the car storage layer in the port area, and the unloaded vehicles are transported to the target conveying unit of the car storage layer in the port area along with the vehicle carrier. The lifting mechanism then descends to the target conveying unit of the car storage layer in the collection area to continue picking up and loading vehicles.

[0037] Based on the above-mentioned three-dimensional automobile storage facility at the roll-on / roll-off terminal proposed in this invention, the automobile storage layer can be configured as a port loading area or a port unloading area according to needs, achieving 100% compatibility design. At the same time, the exchange platform design on both sides of the lifting mechanism can also enable simultaneous loading and unloading operations. The lifting mechanism can complete the loading and unloading of one vehicle on a ship in one lift and one drop, greatly improving the operational efficiency of the sea side of the storage yard.

[0038] In this invention, on the one hand, the facilities of traditional roll-on / roll-off (Ro-Ro) terminals for automobiles have undergone a revolutionary transformation; on the other hand, digital technologies such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and 5G communication have been applied to the layout of the added facilities and process flows. This allows each pallet or automobile within the yard facilities to select the optimal route according to several designed flow lines, making the loading and unloading process flows of this invention, such as the unmanned Ro-Ro straddle carrier docking with the exchange platform and the positioning and handling trolley process flows, smoother. Furthermore, the aforementioned digital technologies are already very mature.

[0039] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer after reading the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0040] 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.

[0041] Figure 1This is one of the schematic diagrams of the overall structure of the roll-on / roll-off terminal automobile storage facility proposed in this invention; Figure 2 This is the second schematic diagram of the overall structure of the roll-on / roll-off terminal automobile storage facility proposed in this invention. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal three-dimensional structure of the roll-on / roll-off terminal automobile storage facility proposed in this invention. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the seaside structure of the roll-on / roll-off terminal automobile storage facility proposed in this invention. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the longitudinal and transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism structure of the roll-on / roll-off terminal automobile storage facility proposed in this invention. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the seaside front view of the roll-on / roll-off terminal automobile storage facility proposed in this invention. Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the back structure of the vehicle-carrying platform in the three-dimensional vehicle storage facility at the roll-on / roll-off terminal proposed in this invention. Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the interaction structure between the vehicle-carrying platform and the friction wheel in the three-dimensional storage facility for automobiles at the roll-on / roll-off terminal proposed in this invention; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the interaction structure between the vehicle-carrying platform and the friction wheel assembly in the three-dimensional automobile storage facility at the roll-on / roll-off terminal proposed in this invention; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the interaction structure between the vehicle-carrying platform and the friction wheel assembly in the three-dimensional automobile storage facility at the roll-on / roll-off terminal proposed in this invention; Reference numerals: 11-Car storage layer, 12-Car carrier plate buffer layer, 21-Longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism, 22-Transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism, 23-Longitudinal and transverse four-way transmission mechanism, 31-Lifting mechanism, 32-Exchange platform, 33-Longitudinal exchange platform, 4-Straddle carrier, 5-Car carrier plate, 51-Longitudinal passive transmission guide rail, 52-Transverse passive transmission guide rail, 6-Friction wheel, 61-Friction wheel set.

[0042] 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

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] In specific embodiments of the present invention, such as Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the ro-ro terminal's multi-level car storage yard consists of multiple car storage layers 11 (e.g., 6 layers) and a single car pallet buffer layer 12. The multi-level storage yard is divided from bottom to top into a port arrival area (e.g., layers 1-3) and a port departure area (e.g., layers 4-6). Each car storage layer 11 and car pallet buffer layer 12 is equipped with several longitudinal conveyor lines (e.g., 56 lines).

[0047] Each longitudinal conveyor line consists of multiple longitudinal bidirectional drive mechanisms 21 (e.g., 10). Each longitudinal bidirectional drive mechanism 21 can carry a vehicle platform 5 and transport vehicles longitudinally. In each of the longitudinal bidirectional drive mechanisms 21 arranged side by side at both ends of the longitudinal conveyor line, a transverse bidirectional drive mechanism 22 is arranged, thereby forming a transverse conveyor line on the sea side and land side of the vehicle storage layer 11, so that any two longitudinal conveyor lines and the transverse conveyor lines at both ends form a planar loop network.

[0048] Multiple longitudinal conveyor lines (e.g., 7 lines) form a conveyor unit, and each car storage layer 11 consists of multiple conveyor units (e.g., 8). Each conveyor unit is equipped with a lifting mechanism 31 on both the sea side and the land side. An exchange platform 32 is configured on both sides of the lifting mechanism 31. Each exchange platform 32 is connected to a longitudinal exchange platform 33 in the longitudinal direction. The lifting mechanism 31 has three entrances and exits. The forward entrance and exit are connected to one of the longitudinal conveyor lines in the conveyor unit (e.g., line 4, which is the center line of the conveyor unit), and the two lateral entrances and exits are connected to the exchange platforms 32 on both sides.

[0049] Each conveyor unit has multiple longitudinal conveyor lines arranged from left to right on the land side as line 1, line 2, ..., line 7, with line 4 serving as the center line and connecting to the land / sea side lifting mechanism. The parking spaces on each conveyor line are arranged from land to sea as position 1, position 2, position 3, ..., position 10. The drive mechanisms for positions 1 and 10 are four-way longitudinal and transverse drive mechanisms, while the drive mechanisms for positions 2 to 9 are two-way longitudinal drive mechanisms.

[0050] Each conveyor unit (consisting of 7 lines) has the same structure. The vehicle platform 5 or vehicle at any position on any line within the conveyor unit can be connected to the seaside or landside lifting mechanism via the longitudinal conveyor line - transverse conveyor line - central longitudinal conveyor line to achieve the purpose of finding, picking, and retrieving vehicles.

[0051] The exchange platforms 32 on both sides of the lifting mechanism 31 are on the same level and connected to the vehicle plate buffer layer 12.

[0052] In this embodiment of the invention, all the car storage layers 11 are divided into a port collection area and a port discharge area in the vertical direction from bottom to top (or from top to bottom), and the conveyor line layout of the car storage layers 11 is exactly the same, so the port collection area and the port discharge area are completely compatible. Each conveyor unit in the port collection area and the port discharge area has one or more empty spaces, so that the car carriers on each longitudinal conveyor line in the conveyor unit can be circulated in a planar manner.

[0053] Specifically, the lifting mechanism 31 consists of a three-port double-layer bottom plate. Its connection point with line 4 of the car storage layer 11 conveyor unit of the automated storage and retrieval system is the main entrance / exit (e.g., port 1). On either side are two side entrances / exits (e.g., ports 2 and 3). When the lifting mechanism 31 rises and falls, ports 1, 2, and 3 of its upper and lower bottom plates can respectively connect to line 4 of the car storage layer 11 conveyor unit, line 4 of the vehicle platform buffer layer 12 conveyor unit, and the exchange platform 32. Port 1 of the upper bottom plate of the lifting mechanism 31 connects to the first-level car storage layer 11. When the conveyor unit 4 line is connected, its lower bottom plate ports 1, 2 and 3 are simultaneously connected to the conveyor unit 4 line of the vehicle plate buffer layer 12 and the exchange platform 32. The exchange platform 32 located on the left and right sides of the lifting mechanism (ports 2 and 3) has its transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism 22 connected to the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism 22 of the lifting mechanism 31, and its longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism 21 connected to the longitudinal conveyor line (such as line 3 and line 5) of the vehicle plate buffer layer 12 conveyor unit and the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism 21 on the longitudinal exchange platform 33.

[0054] Specifically, a longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism 21 and a transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism 22 are arranged at both ends of each longitudinal conveyor line to form a four-way transmission mechanism 23. The longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism 21 in the four-way transmission mechanism 23 adopts the same friction wheel group / wheel transmission mechanism as the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism 21 in the longitudinal conveyor line, while the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism 22 adopts a lifting friction wheel group / chain transmission mechanism. The double-layer bottom plate of the lifting mechanism 31 and the exchange platform 32 connected to it are both equipped with the four-way transmission mechanism 23.

[0055] Specifically, such as Figures 7 to 10 As shown, the bottom of the vehicle platform 5 is provided with two longitudinal passive drive rails 51 and two transverse passive drive rails 52, which are adapted to the four-way transmission mechanism 23; one method is: the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism 21 adopts the following... Figure 8 The friction wheel 6 shown is driven by a lifting chain drive in the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism 22. The transverse passive transmission guide rail 52 of the vehicle platform 5 is disconnected by its longitudinal passive transmission guide rail 51, allowing the friction wheel acting on the longitudinal passive transmission guide rail 51 to pass through the transverse passive transmission guide rail 52. The second method is that both the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism 21 and the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism 22 adopt the following... Figure 9 The friction wheel assembly 61 shown in the diagram transmits power, and the longitudinal passive transmission guide rail 51 and its transverse passive transmission guide rail 52 of the vehicle platform 5 are as follows: Figure 10 As shown, the longitudinal and transverse guide rails are disconnected at their intersection, allowing the friction wheel set acting on the longitudinal passive transmission guide rail 51 to pass through the transverse passive transmission guide rail 52, and allowing the friction wheel set acting on the transverse passive transmission guide rail 52 to pass through the longitudinal passive transmission guide rail 51.

[0056] Specifically, the way vehicles enter the port area and the port discharge area is exactly the same, but the direction is opposite.

[0057] When the vehicle arrives at the port, the center line (line 4) of the target vehicle storage layer 11 on the sea side transports two empty vehicle plates 5 to the upper and lower bottom plates of the lifting mechanism 31 of the transport unit. When the lifting mechanism 31 descends to the exchange platform 32, it first aligns its lower bottom plate with the exchange platform 32, and the empty vehicle plate 5 on the lower bottom plate is transported to the right exchange platform 32. The lifting mechanism 31 then descends by a double plate height to align its upper bottom plate with the exchange platform 32, and one empty vehicle plate 5 is transported to the left exchange platform 32. Empty vehicle pallets 5 on the left and right exchange platforms 32 are transported to the two exchange platforms 32 on both sides of the landside lifting mechanism 31 via the vehicle pallet buffer layer 12 conveying unit (such as line 3 and line 5). The driver drives two vehicles with RFID electronic tags into the empty vehicle pallets 5 on the left and right exchange platforms 32 of the lifting mechanism 31 of the landside target conveying unit, respectively. For example, the left exchange platform 32 first transports the vehicle with the vehicle pallet 5 into the lifting mechanism 31. The lifting mechanism 31 rises to the target vehicle storage layer 11 target conveying unit and transports the vehicle with the vehicle pallet 5 to position 1 of line 4. The lifting mechanism 31 then descends to the exchange platform 32 and transports the vehicle from the right exchange platform 32 to the lifting mechanism 31. The lifting mechanism 31 then transports the vehicle to the target vehicle storage layer 11 target conveying unit. During this period, the lifting mechanism 31 on the sea side, the exchange platforms 32 on both sides, and the vehicle plate buffer layer 12 transport the empty vehicle plate 5 to the two exchange platforms 32 on the land side. The lifting mechanism 31 on the land side then transports the vehicle to the target vehicle storage layer 11 target transport unit, and so on.

[0058] Specifically, vehicles in each conveying unit of the car storage layer 11 are brought to the port by the car carrier 5. The lifting mechanism 31 on the land side transports the vehicles to position 1 of line 4 of the target conveying unit of the target car storage layer 11. The vehicles are then transported by the car carrier through the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism 22 of the longitudinal and transverse four-way transmission mechanism 23 on the land side of lines 4, 3, 2, and 1 to position 1 of line 1. The vehicles are then transported by the car carrier from position 1 of line 1 to position 10 of line 1 (the position of the longitudinal and transverse four-way transmission mechanism 23 on the sea side) by the longitudinal conveying line 1. This cycle continues until the vehicle entry task of the target conveying unit of the target car storage layer 11 is completed.

[0059] In actual operation, since vehicles on any two longitudinal conveyor lines of each car storage layer 11 conveyor unit can circulate in a planar manner, there are multiple options for the operation process route of vehicle entry.

[0060] During loading, vehicles from the target vehicle storage layer 11 are transported row by row through the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism 22 of the longitudinal and transverse four-way transmission mechanism 23 on the sea side to position 10 of target transport unit line 4. They then enter the upper floor through port 1 of the lifting mechanism 31. The lifting mechanism 31 descends to the exchange platform 32, and the vehicles are transported along with the vehicle carrier 5 to the left or right exchange platform 32 on the sea side. After the vehicles are driven away by the driver or transferred away by the unmanned roll-on / roll-off straddle carrier 4 (specifically, on the sea side...), the vehicles are transported to the exchange platform 32. The exchange platform 32 is supplemented with a longitudinal exchange platform 33 in the longitudinal direction to facilitate the unmanned roll-on / roll-off straddle carrier 4 to unload commercial vehicles. Empty vehicle pallets 5 are transported to line 5 or line 3 of the vehicle pallet buffer layer 12, or buffered in the vehicle pallet buffer layer 12, or transported to the landside exchange platform 32 via the vehicle pallet buffer layer 12, and then enter the upper and lower floor plates of the landside elevator 31. The elevator mechanism 31 returns the empty vehicle pallets 5 to the target vehicle storage layer 11 target transport unit. This cycle continues until the loading operation is completed.

[0061] During unloading, the landside lifting mechanism 31 of the target transport unit in the car storage layer 11 of the port area continuously transports empty car pallets 5 two by two through the car pallet buffer layer 12 to the seaside exchange platform 32. The driver drives the vehicle with the RFID electronic tag onto the car pallet 5 on the exchange platform 32, or the unmanned roll-on / roll-off straddle carrier 4 is transferred to the car pallet 5 on the exchange platform 32. The vehicle enters the lifting mechanism 31 along with the car pallet 5 and is then raised to the target transport unit of the target storage layer 11. The vehicle is then transported into the target car storage layer 11 target transport unit, line 4, position 10, then line 3, position 10, line 2, position 10, and then line 1, position 10 to the target storage position of line 1, position 1. This cycle continues until the unloading operation is completed.

[0062] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, loading and unloading operations are carried out simultaneously, i.e., loading and unloading occur simultaneously. The right-side exchange platform 32 of the sea-side lifting mechanism 31 is configured as a loading platform, and the left-side exchange platform 32 of the sea-side lifting mechanism 31 is configured as an unloading platform. The sea-side lifting mechanism 31 retrieves a vehicle from position 10 of line 4 of the target conveying unit 11 in the port area and transports it to the right-side loading platform. A vehicle unloaded from the left-side unloading platform is then input into the sea-side lifting mechanism 31 and transported to position 10 of line 4 of the target conveying unit 11 in the port area. The sea-side lifting mechanism 31 then descends to the target conveying unit 4 of the port area's vehicle storage layer 11. Another loading vehicle is retrieved from position 10 of line 4. The lifting mechanism 31 descends to the exchange platform 32, and the vehicle is transported to the right loading platform along with the loading platform 5. The left unloading platform then transports another unloading vehicle into the lifting mechanism 31 and upwards to position 10 of line 4 of the target transport unit in the port area's vehicle storage layer 11. An empty loading platform 5, in cooperation with the loading platform buffer layer 12 and the land-side lifting mechanism 31, returns to the target transport unit in the land-side port area's vehicle storage layer 11 via line 3. Then, an empty loading platform 5 is retrieved from the land-side port area's vehicle storage layer 11 and transported to the sea-side unloading platform via line 5. Driver-operated or unmanned roll-on / roll-off straddle carriers are unloaded from the left unloading platform and then driven off the loading platform on the right.

[0063] During port clearance, customs inspection and customer vehicle pickup are both random. A port clearance vehicle at any position in the target vehicle storage layer 11 target conveyor unit can be circulated through any two longitudinal conveyor lines and the transverse conveyor lines at their ends to position 1 of line 4 and dock with the lifting mechanism 31 on the landside. The lifting mechanism 31 on the landside then transports the vehicle to the exchange platform 32 on the left or right side of the landside.

[0064] As mentioned above, a photovoltaic power station can be built on the roof of the storage facility.

[0065] As described above, the longitudinal direction of this invention is perpendicular to the wharf shoreline, and the transverse direction of this invention is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction on a horizontal plane.

[0066] 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. A method for operating a multi-level vehicle storage facility at a roll-on / roll-off terminal, applicable to such a facility, wherein the multi-level vehicle storage facility consists of multiple vehicle storage layers and a vehicle pallet buffer layer below the bottom vehicle storage layer. Several longitudinal conveyor lines are arranged side-by-side in each vehicle storage layer and the vehicle pallet buffer layer. Each vehicle storage layer consists of multiple conveyor units, and each conveyor unit consists of multiple adjacent longitudinal conveyor lines. Each longitudinal conveyor line consists of multiple longitudinal bidirectional drive mechanisms, each of which is used to drive the car platform to be conveyed bidirectionally in the longitudinal direction. Each longitudinal conveyor line has a transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism installed inside the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism at both ends, forming a transverse conveyor line on the sea side and the land side respectively, so that any two longitudinal conveyor lines and the transverse conveyor lines at both ends form a planar closed-loop conveyor network. The transport unit is equipped with lifting mechanisms on both the sea and land sides; each lifting mechanism has exchange platforms on both sides, and the exchange platforms are at the same height as the vehicle platform buffer layer; and, The facility’s car storage level is divided into a port arrival area and a port departure area in the vertical direction. The longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism and the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism constitute a four-way transmission mechanism. Its features are, The operation method includes port entry, loading, unloading and port clearance, wherein port entry includes the following steps that are repeatedly performed: Step S11: The target conveying unit of the port vehicle storage layer conveys empty vehicle plates to the lifting mechanism on its sea side; wherein, the port vehicle storage layer is any one or more layers of a multi-layer vehicle storage layer. Step S12: The seaside lifting mechanism descends to dock with the exchange platform, transporting the empty vehicle platform to the exchange platforms on both sides. In step S13, the empty vehicle platform is transported from the two side exchange platforms to the vehicle platform buffer layer, and then transported to the two side exchange platforms of the landside lifting mechanism. Step S14: The driver drives the vehicle onto the empty vehicle platform on the landside exchange platform. Step S15: The vehicle is transported along with the vehicle carrier to the landside lifting mechanism, and the landside lifting mechanism rises to the target transport unit of the port vehicle storage layer. In step S16, the vehicle is transported along with the vehicle carrier to the target transport unit of the port vehicle storage layer, and then transported to the target location for storage via the landside transverse transport line and the longitudinal transport line. Loading involves repeating the following steps: Step S21: The vehicles in the target vehicle storage layer target conveying unit are transported along the vehicle carrier plate to the longitudinal and transverse four-way transmission mechanism located at the center line of the conveying unit via the transverse conveying line on the sea side. The longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism of the transverse and transverse four-way transmission mechanism then transports the vehicles to the lifting mechanism on the sea side. All longitudinal conveying lines of the target conveying unit then sequentially transport one vehicle to the transverse conveying line on the sea side. In step S22, the seaside lifting mechanism descends to dock with the exchange platform, and the vehicle is transported to the exchange platform along with the vehicle carrier plate; Step S23: After the vehicle leaves, the empty vehicle platform is transported from the exchange platform to the vehicle platform buffer layer for temporary storage or transported to the land-side exchange platform, and from the land-side exchange platform to the land-side lifting mechanism, and then transported back to the target vehicle storage layer target transport unit by the land-side lifting mechanism; wherein, the vehicle leaves either by being driven away by the driver or by being transported away by an unmanned roll-on straddle carrier. Unloading involves repeating the following steps: Step S31: The target conveying unit of the port vehicle storage layer conveys empty vehicle panels to the lifting mechanism on its land side; wherein, the port vehicle storage layer is any one or more layers of a multi-layer vehicle storage layer. Step S32: The landside lifting mechanism descends to dock with the exchange platform, transporting the empty vehicle platform to the exchange platforms on both sides; Step S33: Empty car pallets are transported from the two side exchange platforms to the car pallet buffer layer, and then transported to the two side exchange platforms of the seaside lifting mechanism. Step S34: The vehicle drives into the empty vehicle platform on the sea side exchange platform; wherein the vehicle is driven in by the driver or loaded by an unmanned roll-on / roll-off straddle carrier. Step S35: The vehicle is transported along with the vehicle carrier to the seaside lifting mechanism, and the lifting mechanism rises to the target conveying unit of the port vehicle storage layer. Step S36: The vehicle is transported along with the vehicle carrier to the target transport unit of the port vehicle storage layer, and then transported to the target location for storage via the transverse transport line on the sea side and the longitudinal transport line. Port clearance involves repeatedly performing the following steps: Step S41: At any position of the target vehicle storage layer target conveying unit, the vehicle is transported along the vehicle carrier plate to the lifting mechanism on the land side via the longitudinal / transverse conveying line and then via the transverse / longitudinal conveying line. In step S42, the landside lifting mechanism descends to dock with the exchange platform, and the vehicle is transported to the exchange platform along with the vehicle carrier plate; Step S43: The driver drives the vehicle away from the port or loads it into a large transport vehicle and leaves the port.

2. The method for operating a three-dimensional automobile storage facility at a roll-on / roll-off terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: designating one side exchange platform of the sea-side lifting mechanism of the conveying unit as the loading platform, and the other side exchange platform of the sea-side lifting mechanism as the unloading platform; then, The method also includes simultaneous loading and unloading operations, which include the following steps performed repeatedly: Step S51: The target conveying unit of the car storage layer in the port area conveys a loading vehicle to the lifting mechanism on the sea side; at the same time, the car pallet buffer layer conveys an empty car pallet to the unloading platform; wherein, the empty car pallet is conveyed to the car pallet buffer layer via the car storage layer in the port exit area and the lifting mechanism on the land side. In step S52, the lifting mechanism on the sea side descends to dock with the exchange platform, and the loading vehicles are transported to the loading platform along with the vehicle carrier; at the same time, the unloading vehicles drive into the vehicle carrier on the unloading platform. In step S53, the driver or unmanned ro-ro straddle carrier leaves the unloading platform and transfers to the loading platform to drive the loading vehicle toward the ro-ro ship; at the same time, the unloading vehicle is transported to the lifting mechanism along with the loading platform. In step S54, an empty vehicle pallet is conveyed from the vehicle pallet buffer layer to the unloading platform; at the same time, the empty vehicle pallet on the loading platform is conveyed back to the vehicle pallet buffer layer and then returned to the target conveying unit of the vehicle storage layer in the port area via the lifting mechanism on the land side. In step S55, the seaside lifting mechanism rises to the target conveying unit of the car storage layer in the port area, and the unloaded vehicles are transported to the target conveying unit of the car storage layer in the port area along with the vehicle carrier. The lifting mechanism then descends to the target conveying unit of the car storage layer in the collection area to continue picking up and loading vehicles.

3. The method for operating a three-dimensional automobile storage facility at a roll-on / roll-off terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism is equipped with a longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism and a lateral bidirectional transmission mechanism; The exchange platforms on both sides of the lifting mechanism are equipped with a longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism and a transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism. The longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism is connected to the longitudinal conveyor line of the vehicle plate buffer layer, and the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism is connected to the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism of the lifting mechanism.

4. The method for operating a three-dimensional automobile storage facility at a roll-on / roll-off terminal according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism adopts friction transmission, while the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism in the longitudinal and transverse four-way transmission mechanism adopts lifting chain transmission or friction transmission.

5. The method for operating a three-dimensional automobile storage facility at a roll-on / roll-off terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each conveying unit has at least one empty space for a vehicle platform, which is used for the planar cyclic conveying of vehicle platforms on each longitudinal conveying line within the conveying unit.

6. The method for operating a three-dimensional automobile storage facility at a roll-on / roll-off terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that, Two longitudinal passive drive guide rails and two transverse passive drive guide rails are arranged at the bottom of the vehicle platform. When the lateral bidirectional transmission mechanism adopts the lifting chain drive, the longitudinal passive transmission guide rail is matched with the longitudinal bidirectional transmission mechanism; the lateral passive transmission guide rail is disconnected by the longitudinal passive transmission guide rail and matched with the lateral bidirectional transmission mechanism. When the transverse bidirectional transmission mechanism adopts the lifting friction transmission, the longitudinal passive transmission guide rail and the transverse passive transmission guide rail at the bottom of the vehicle platform are disconnected from each other. The friction transmission mechanism uses friction wheel sets to match the longitudinal passive transmission guide rail and the transverse passive transmission guide rail.

7. The method for operating a three-dimensional automobile storage facility at a roll-on / roll-off terminal according to claim 3, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism has a double-base plate structure, and the distance between the upper and lower base plates is the same as the distance between the bottom car storage layer and the vehicle carrier plate buffer layer.

8. The method for operating a three-dimensional automobile storage facility at a roll-on / roll-off terminal according to claim 3, characterized in that, The exchange platform on the sea side of the facility is equipped with an additional longitudinal exchange platform for interacting with the unmanned roll-on / roll-off straddle carrier.

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