Coordinated management system and method for container truck gate-in operation of automated port

Abstract

The application provides a container truck gate entry operation coordination management system of an automated wharf, which comprises a TOS software module, a vehicle dispatching software module, gate equipment and a rail-mounted gantry crane; the gate equipment comprises first, second and third passage gates; the first passage gate is provided with a vehicle ID information and container ID information collecting device, and the second passage gate is provided with a driver identity information collecting device; a wharf driving buffer zone is located in a driving area between the second passage gate and the third passage gate; and a driving operation interaction zone is a driving area located behind the third passage gate, that is, a driving operation interaction zone which can be reached by the container truck only after passing through the third passage gate. The application further provides a container truck gate entry operation coordination management method of an automated wharf, which is applied to the container truck gate entry operation coordination management system of the automated wharf. The application improves the container truck gate entry operation coordination management efficiency of the automated wharf.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of terminal dispatching and control, and in particular to a container truck gate operation coordination management system and method for an automated terminal. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of my country's economy, labor costs have gradually exceeded machinery costs, and manual operations are subject to many uncontrollable safety issues. Therefore, terminal companies have begun to seek a solution that is safer, more reliable, and reduces costs and increases efficiency. This is to achieve unmanned and automated operations in container truck (container truck) operating areas, thereby reducing the risks brought by human errors and the company's labor costs.

[0003] Traditional terminals lack control over the number of vehicles entering and leaving the gate, and lack vehicle instruction status management. Manual operations are used after entering the gate, making it difficult for vehicles to receive reasonable operation scheduling management. This can lead to traffic jams at the gate, chaotic queues of container trucks, and other problems. Vehicles that enter the gate first may not necessarily receive a higher priority in the operation sequence. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, it is necessary to address the above-mentioned problems and propose a coordinated management system and method for container truck entry operations at an automated terminal to overcome the shortcomings of the above-mentioned background technology and solve the following technical problems:

[0005] How to improve the efficiency of managing container trucks entering the gate and coordinating operations with rail cranes and insulated vehicles (IGVs) after entering the gate, and reduce the risk of scheduling anomalies, by using automated terminal gates, terminal driving buffer zones, driving operation interaction zones, TOS software modules, and vehicle scheduling software modules.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] The present invention proposes a container truck gate operation coordination and management system for an automated terminal. The system is applicable to an automated terminal equipped with a terminal driving buffer zone and a driving operation interaction zone. The system is used to dispatch and manage the gate entry and post-entry driving operations of multiple container trucks, as well as the driving operations of multiple IGVs located in the driving operation interaction zone. The system comprises a TOS software module, a vehicle dispatching software module, gate equipment, and a track crane.

[0008] The gate equipment includes a first gate, a second gate, and a third gate, all of which are located at the entrance of the automated terminal. The first gate is equipped with a device for collecting vehicle ID information and container ID information, and the second gate is equipped with a device for collecting driver identity information. The terminal driving buffer zone is located in the driving area between the second and third gates. The driving operation interaction zone is located after the third gate, i.e., the driving operation interaction zone that container trucks must pass through after passing through the third gate to reach.

[0009] The vehicle ID information and container ID information collection device is used to collect the vehicle ID information and container ID information of the container truck passing through the first access gate, and send the collected information to the TOS software module;

[0010] The driver identity information collection device is used to collect the identity information of drivers passing through the second pass gate and send the collected information to the TOS software module;

[0011] The TOS software module is used to compare vehicle ID information, container ID information, and driver identity information to allow the opening of each lane gate. It is used to prompt drivers to drive to the terminal driving buffer zone or driving operation interaction zone through the wireless transmission network based on the vehicle limit and actual vehicle count in the driving operation interaction zone. It is also used to interact with the vehicle dispatch software module regarding container truck dispatch information.

[0012] The vehicle dispatching software module is used to manage the dispatching of container trucks passing through the third access gate and entering the driving operation interaction area, and to dispatch work tasks to the calculation queue, and to coordinate the order of work tasks of rail cranes, IGV vehicles, and container trucks.

[0013] Furthermore, the vehicle ID information and container ID information collection device is a visual recognition device for license plates and container numbers.

[0014] Furthermore, the driver identity information collection device is a driver face recognition device.

[0015] Furthermore, the container truck information transmitted by the TOS software module to the vehicle dispatching software module includes the time when the container truck passes through the third access gate.

[0016] Furthermore, the container truck information transmitted by the TOS software module to the vehicle dispatching software module also includes the vehicle ID information and container ID information of the container truck passing through the third access gate.

[0017] Furthermore, the calculation queue of the vehicle scheduling software module is the container truck operation order coordinated according to the passage time, task priority and operation position of the container truck through the third access gate.

[0018] Furthermore, the order of arranging the operating tasks of the rail crane, IGV vehicle and container truck is coordinated by the vehicle scheduling software module based on the current position information of the rail crane, the vehicle position information of all container trucks in the driving operation interaction area and the vehicle position information of the IGV vehicle in the driving operation interaction area.

[0019] The present invention further provides a method for coordinating and managing container truck gate entry operations at an automated terminal, which is applied to the coordinated management system for container truck gate entry operations at an automated terminal as described in any one of the above items. The method comprises the following steps S1-S6:

[0020] S1, collecting vehicle ID information and container ID information of container trucks passing through the first access gate;

[0021] S2, collecting the identity information of the driver of the container truck passing through the second access gate, and determining whether the release conditions are met. If yes, the second access gate is controlled to release the container truck; otherwise, the container truck is denied to pass through the second access gate;

[0022] S3: Determine whether the vehicle operation interaction zone has reached the maximum number of container trucks. If so, notify the driver of the container truck passing through the second access gate to drive the vehicle to the terminal driving buffer zone. Otherwise, control the third access gate to release the vehicle.

[0023] S4, when a new container truck enters the driving operation interaction area or a container truck leaves the gate after completing the operation, the total number of container trucks in the driving operation interaction area is updated;

[0024] S5: The vehicle ID information, container ID information, vehicle operation position information, and task priority information of the container truck in the driving operation interaction area are used as the coordination factors for the operation coordination in the driving operation interaction area. The vehicle operation position information of the IGV vehicle and the positioning information of the rail crane in the driving operation interaction area are also used as the coordination factors for the operation coordination in the driving operation interaction area.

[0025] S6, allocates the operation path according to the coordination factors obtained in S5 and the operation tasks.

[0026] Furthermore, the operation tasks in S6 include a single container pickup and delivery task (WI) of a single container truck, tasks to be performed by a rail crane, loading tasks of an IGV vehicle, unloading tasks of an IGV vehicle, and container transfer tasks of an IGV vehicle;

[0027] In S6, the vehicle dispatching software module compiles an operation plan for the driving operation interaction zone based on the service time of a single container truck, the task requirements of the container truck, the time when the container truck passes through the third access gate, the task priority information, and the estimated time for the container truck to reach the operation destination known to the vehicle dispatching software module.

[0028] Furthermore, in S6, when multiple container trucks need to operate at the same bay within the driving operation interaction area and the container trucks have the same task priority, the following coordination management strategy is implemented: if the first container truck that passes through the third gate first arrives at the operation bay first, the vehicle scheduling software module preferentially outputs the single container pickup and delivery task of the first container truck; if the second container truck that passes through the third gate later arrives at the operation location before the first container truck that passes through the third gate first, the vehicle scheduling software module outputs the single container pickup and delivery task of the single container truck and does not output the single container pickup and delivery task of the container truck corresponding to the container truck under the rail crane;

[0029] In S6, the license plate recognition system of the rail crane recognizes the license plate of the container truck under the rail crane. If the recognized license plate does not match the license plate corresponding to the single container truck's single delivery task, the vehicle dispatch software module determines that the task is abnormal and then executes the following process based on the waiting time t1 of the first container truck and the waiting time t2 of the second container truck:

[0030] When the waiting time t1 is less than the promised service time and the waiting time t2 is less than the promised service time, it is determined that there is redundancy in the task time of the first container truck, and then the vehicle scheduling software module outputs an instruction to execute the vehicle switching operation; when the waiting time t1 is greater than the promised service time and the waiting time t2 is less than the promised service time, it is determined that there is no redundancy in the task time of the first container truck, and then the vehicle scheduling software module outputs that it will wait for the first container truck to arrive at the working position again, and remotely transmits an abnormal prompt to the driver; when the waiting time t1 is greater than the promised service time and the waiting time t2 is greater than the promised service time, it is determined that there is no redundancy in the task time of the first container truck and the second container truck, and if the difference between the waiting time t1 and the waiting time t2 is less than a threshold time, the vehicle scheduling software module will automatically execute the vehicle switching operation; if the difference between the waiting time t1 and the waiting time t2 is greater than the threshold time, the vehicle scheduling software module outputs that it will wait for the first container truck to arrive at the working position again, and remotely transmits an abnormal prompt to the driver.

[0031] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0032] The present invention improves the efficiency of managing container trucks entering the gate and coordinating operations with rail cranes and IGV vehicles after entering the gate, and reduces the risk of scheduling anomalies by automating the terminal gate, terminal driving buffer zone, driving operation interaction zone, TOS software module and vehicle scheduling software module. The present invention uses automated terminal gates and terminal driving buffer zones to quickly and accurately collect information on incoming container trucks, accurately determine whether container trucks are permitted to enter the gate, plan the next route of the container trucks in advance, and provide a buffer zone for container trucks that cannot enter the gate, thereby avoiding congestion of the driving channel. This effectively improves the efficiency of container truck entry management and timely limits the number of vehicles entering the gate. The TOS software module collects and verifies various data on incoming container trucks, ensuring that there are no abnormalities in the tasks of container trucks entering the driving operation interaction zone, thereby reducing the risk of scheduling anomalies. The vehicle scheduling software module outputs a more reasonable interaction zone operation task sequence based on a comprehensive calculation of the container truck entry time, operation location, interaction zone task priority, and container truck task promised service time, thereby reducing the adverse effects of abnormal factors on operations. The vehicle scheduling software module dynamically optimizes the operation sequence of queued container trucks based on the number of the incoming container trucks under the rail crane, thereby avoiding the situation where container trucks cannot reach the operation location according to the entry order due to special circumstances, or where container trucks cut in line, resulting in task disorder. This ensures the dynamic and stable operation of the interaction zone, thereby improving the operation efficiency of the interaction zone. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 This is a workflow diagram of a method for coordinating and managing container truck entry operations at an automated terminal according to embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a specific control flow chart related to a container truck gate operation coordination and management system for an automated terminal according to embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 This is a list of parameters related to the control process of a container truck gate operation coordination and management system for an automated terminal according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] To make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the present invention will be further clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] It should be understood that the directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", and "right" are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0038] Terms such as "first," "second," "third," and "fourth" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the quantity of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the definition of "first," "second," "third," and "fourth" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features.

[0039] Example 1

[0040] This embodiment provides a container truck gate entry operation coordination and management system for an automated terminal. The system is applicable to an automated terminal equipped with a terminal driving buffer zone and a driving operation interaction zone. The system is used to schedule and manage the entry and post-entry driving operations of multiple container trucks, as well as the driving operations of multiple insulated vehicles (IGVs) located in the driving operation interaction zone. The system includes a TOS software module, a vehicle scheduling software module, gate equipment, and a rail crane.

[0041] The gate equipment includes a first gate, a second gate, and a third gate, all of which are located at the entrance of the automated terminal. The first gate is equipped with a device for collecting vehicle ID information and container ID information, and the second gate is equipped with a device for collecting driver identity information. The terminal driving buffer zone is located in the driving area between the second and third gates. The driving operation interaction zone is located after the third gate, i.e., the driving operation interaction zone that container trucks must pass through after passing through the third gate to reach.

[0042] The vehicle ID information and container ID information collection device is used to collect the vehicle ID information and container ID information of the container truck passing through the first access gate, and send the collected information to the TOS software module;

[0043] The driver identity information collection device is used to collect the identity information of drivers passing through the second pass gate and send the collected information to the TOS software module;

[0044] The TOS software module is used to compare vehicle ID information, container ID information, and driver identity information to allow the opening of each lane gate. It is used to prompt drivers to drive to the terminal driving buffer zone or driving operation interaction zone through the wireless transmission network based on the vehicle limit and actual vehicle count in the driving operation interaction zone. It is also used to interact with the vehicle dispatch software module regarding container truck dispatch information.

[0045] The vehicle dispatching software module is used to manage the dispatching of container trucks passing through the third access gate and entering the driving operation interaction area, and to dispatch work tasks to the calculation queue, and to coordinate the order of work tasks of rail cranes, IGV vehicles, and container trucks.

[0046] Furthermore, the vehicle ID information and container ID information collection device is a visual recognition device for license plates and container numbers.

[0047] Furthermore, the driver identity information collection device is a driver face recognition device.

[0048] Furthermore, the container truck information transmitted by the TOS software module to the vehicle dispatching software module includes the time when the container truck passes through the third access gate.

[0049] Furthermore, the container truck information transmitted by the TOS software module to the vehicle dispatching software module also includes the vehicle ID information and container ID information of the container truck passing through the third access gate.

[0050] Furthermore, the calculation queue of the vehicle scheduling software module is the container truck operation order coordinated according to the passage time, task priority and operation position of the container truck through the third access gate.

[0051] Furthermore, the order of arranging the operating tasks of the rail crane, IGV vehicle and container truck is coordinated by the vehicle scheduling software module based on the current position information of the rail crane, the vehicle position information of all container trucks in the driving operation interaction area and the vehicle position information of the IGV vehicle in the driving operation interaction area.

[0052] This embodiment further proposes a method for coordinating and managing container truck gate entry operations at an automated terminal, which is applied to the coordinated management system for container truck gate entry operations at an automated terminal as described in any of the above items. The method includes the following steps S1-S6 (the execution order of S1-S6 is as follows: Figure 1 shown):

[0053] S1, collecting vehicle ID information and container ID information of container trucks passing through the first access gate; specifically, the first access gate is an information collection gate, without a gate machine, and all container trucks can pass through;

[0054] S2, collecting the identity information of the driver of the container truck passing through the second access gate, and determining whether the release conditions are met. If yes, the second access gate is controlled to release the container truck; otherwise, the container truck is denied to pass through the second access gate;

[0055] S3: Determine whether the vehicle operation interaction zone has reached the maximum number of container trucks. If so, notify the driver of the container truck passing through the second access gate to drive the vehicle to the terminal driving buffer zone. Otherwise, control the third access gate to release the vehicle.

[0056] S4: When a new container truck enters the driving operation interaction area (i.e., a new container truck passes through the third access gate) or a container truck that has completed its operation exits the gate, the total number of container trucks in the driving operation interaction area is updated;

[0057] S5: The vehicle ID information, container ID information, vehicle operation position information, and task priority information of the container truck in the driving operation interaction area are used as the coordination factors for the operation coordination in the driving operation interaction area. The vehicle operation position information of the IGV vehicle and the positioning information of the rail crane in the driving operation interaction area are also used as the coordination factors for the operation coordination in the driving operation interaction area.

[0058] S6, allocates the operation path according to the coordination factors obtained in S5 and the operation tasks.

[0059] Furthermore, the operation tasks in S6 include a single container pickup and delivery task (WI) of a single container truck, tasks to be performed by a rail crane, loading tasks of an IGV vehicle, unloading tasks of an IGV vehicle, and container transfer tasks of an IGV vehicle;

[0060] In S6, the vehicle dispatching software module compiles an operation plan for the driving operation interaction zone based on the service time of a single container truck, the task requirements of the container truck, the time when the container truck passes through the third access gate, the task priority information, and the estimated time for the container truck to reach the operation destination known to the vehicle dispatching software module.

[0061] Specifically, in S4, the total quantity information is the judgment condition for TOS (i.e., TOS software module) to determine whether the vehicle can enter the third pass gate, and is not used as a coordinating factor for the coordination of operations in the driving operation interaction area; in S6, the task priority information is used as a coordinating factor, which will affect the arrangement of the task operation sequence in the driving operation interaction area.

[0062] Furthermore, in S6, when multiple container trucks need to work at the same bay within the driving operation interaction area and the container trucks have the same task priority, the following coordination management strategy is implemented: if the first container truck A that passes through the third gate first arrives at the operation bay first, the vehicle scheduling software module preferentially outputs the single container truck receiving and delivering task WI of the first container truck A; if the second container truck B that passes through the third gate later arrives at the operation location before the first container truck A that passes through the third gate first, the vehicle scheduling software module outputs the single container truck receiving and delivering task WI and does not output the single container truck receiving and delivering task WI of the container truck under the corresponding rail crane;

[0063] In S6, the license plate recognition system of the rail crane recognizes the license plate of the container truck under the rail crane. If the recognized license plate does not match the license plate of the single container truck receiving and delivering task WI, the vehicle dispatching software module determines that the task is abnormal and then executes the following process based on the waiting time t1 of the first container truck A and the waiting time t2 of the second container truck B:

[0064] When the waiting time t1 is less than the promised service time and the waiting time t2 is less than the promised service time, it is determined that there is redundancy in the task time of the first container truck A, and then the vehicle scheduling software module outputs an instruction to execute the vehicle switching operation; when the waiting time t1 is greater than the promised service time and the waiting time t2 is less than the promised service time, it is determined that there is no redundancy in the task time of the first container truck A, and then the vehicle scheduling software module outputs that it will wait for the first container truck A to arrive at the working position again, and remotely transmits an abnormal prompt to the driver; when the waiting time t1 is greater than the promised service time and the waiting time t2 is greater than the promised service time, it is determined that there is no redundancy in the task time of the first container truck A and the second container truck B, and if the waiting time t1-waiting time t2 is less than a threshold time, the vehicle scheduling software module will automatically execute the vehicle switching operation; if the waiting time t1-waiting time t2 is greater than the threshold time, the vehicle scheduling software module outputs that it will wait for the first container truck A to arrive at the working position again, and remotely transmits an abnormal prompt to the driver.

[0065] Example 2

[0066] Example 2 is a specific implementation plan for program control that is further optimized in Example 1;

[0067] like Figure 2 、 Figure 3As shown, a container truck (i.e., a container truck) passes through the first-level gate (i.e., the first access gate) to collect vehicle and container information. When passing through the second-level gate (i.e., the second access gate), the driver undergoes facial recognition. The collected facial information is compared with the backend facial database, and the driver's identity information is then retrieved. The driver's identity information is sent to the TOS (i.e., the TOS software module) through an interface. The TOS determines whether the system has the driver's appointment information. If so, it generates container inspection information and enters the buffer zone (i.e., the terminal driving buffer zone). Otherwise, the vehicle status changes to waiting to exit the third-level gate (i.e., the third access gate). After the container inspection information is generated and submitted and saved by the inspector, a vehicle instruction is generated on the TOS instruction monitoring interface. The TOS system can manually set a limit on the total number of entry instructions and judge the number of instructions when a vehicle enters the gate. If the total number of vehicle instructions currently entering the gate exceeds the instruction limit, the system will push a reminder to the driver to enter the buffer zone and wait through the LED screen and WeChat public account. If the current total number of vehicle instructions does not exceed the instruction limit, the TOS system will push a reminder to the driver to enter the third-level gate and enter the interactive area (i.e., the driving operation interactive area) to operate through the LED screen and WeChat public account. After the vehicle passes the third-level gate, the TOS system will simultaneously add the vehicle's instruction to the calculation queue of the scheduling system and calculate the operation order of the instruction based on factors such as entry time, operation priority, and operation location.

[0068] The dispatching system (i.e., the vehicle dispatching software module) calculates the interactive area tasks in real time based on manually set parameters and fixed algorithms, and intelligently dispatches interactive area yard container truck tasks to ensure the efficiency of interactive area container truck operations. The specific process is: when the container truck passes through the three-level gate and enters the interactive area, the dispatching system puts the container truck task into the calculation round and arranges the operation sequence for the container truck task. The dispatching system generates rail crane tasks for the container truck that is most suitable for the operation based on information such as the current position of the rail crane, the positions of all container trucks in the interactive area, the IGV position, and the task priority. In the dispatching system, WORK INSTRUCTION (WI) represents a single box delivery task of a single container truck, WORK QUEUE (WQ) represents the set of all interactive area tasks of a single container truck, and ASC Order represents the task that the rail crane needs to perform.

[0069] In addition to the container pickup and delivery tasks for external container trucks, the interactive area yard also includes the loading, unloading, and container transfer tasks of IGVs (integrated vehicle vehicles). IGV loading tasks in the interactive area take precedence over other tasks, regardless of time, job priority, or location. During each scheduling cycle, the scheduling system outputs a list of all container trucks and IGVs operating in the interactive area yard. Each record in the list includes the work order (WI), the planned start time of the WI, and the ASC (track-mounted crane / track-mounted crane) operating the WI.

[0070] For the tasks of a container truck, for example, the WQ to be operated by container truck 111 has 4 WIs. According to the calculation rules of the scheduling system, assuming that the calculated execution order is WI_A, WI_B, WI_C, and WI_D, then WI_A and WI_B are container return tasks, WI_C and WI_D are container pick-up tasks, and WI_A and WI_C are front containers. When the container truck enters the gate, the dispatcher calculates the container truck task requirements based on the single vehicle time set in the scheduling rules, and combines the time when the container truck enters the third-level gate and the estimated time it takes for the container truck to reach the destination to arrange the interactive area yard operation plan. Assuming that the gate entry time is 10:00, the expected service time for a single vehicle is 20 minutes, the promised service time is 30 minutes, and the estimated time it takes for the container truck to reach the destination is 2 minutes, the output operation plan may be:

[0071] (WI_A, 10:05, ASC1)

[0072] (WI_B, 10:07, ASC2)

[0073] (WI_C, 10:16, ASC1)

[0074] (WI_D, 10:18, ASC2)

[0075] It should be noted that the actual job plan may be affected by many factors, such as scheduling strategy, task priority, on-site conditions, etc., so the above table is only a possible example output.

[0076] When the previous WI of a single container truck is not completed, even if the next WI is executed by a different ASC, an ASCOrder (rail crane task) cannot be generated, but the rail crane can move to the operating position in advance.

[0077] The example in the previous section is continued as follows. Figure 3 As shown:

[0078] According to the current WI execution status of the container truck, tasks are dispatched. Assume that the current time is t.

[0079] 1) When t < 10:05 (the scheduled start time of WI_A):

[0080] Calculate the estimated arrival time of the truck at WI_A, recorded as ETA_Truck111(WI_A):

[0081] ETA_Truck111(WI_A) = 10:00 + estimated time for the truck to reach the destination (gate to WI_A bay) = 10:02;

[0082] In the following cases, an ASC Order of WI_A needs to be generated for ASC1:

[0083] i. If the current time is later than ETA_Truck111 (WI_A), it means that according to the estimated time, the container truck will arrive at the WI_A bay at the current time. At this time, as long as ASC1 is currently not assigned and there are no other tasks with earlier scheduled start times, an ASC Order for WI_A will be directly generated.

[0084] ii. If the current time is later than 10:05 (the scheduled start time of WI_A), then as long as ASC1 currently has no tasks and no other tasks with earlier scheduled start times, ASCOrder for WI_A is directly generated.

[0085] 2) When WI_A's ASC Order has been generated but not completed:

[0086] Because WI_B is assigned to another ASC2 job, it is possible to have ASC2 move the vehicle to WI_B's bay in advance to wait for the container truck to arrive. The method to determine whether a vehicle move task is required is:

[0087] i. The predecessor task (such as WI_A) is in progress but not completed.

[0088] ii. The previous task and the task (such as WI_B) are not the same ASC operation,

[0089] iii. It is estimated that the time it takes for the ASC (such as ASC2) to move to the task's bay is close to the time it is expected that the container truck will move to the task's bay after completing the previous task (for example, only 1 minute earlier).

[0090] When a car move task is generated for ASC2 and ASC2 is completed, if WI_A is still not completed, and there are other WQ tasks scheduled for ASC2 and the scheduled start time is approaching, ASC2 will complete the other tasks first and then move the car to WI_A's bay.

[0091] 3) When WI_A is completed:

[0092] Calculate the estimated arrival time of the truck at WI_B, recorded as ETA_Truck111(WI_B):

[0093] ETA_Truck111(WI_B) = completion time of WI_A + estimated time taken by the truck to reach the destination (from WI_A bay to WI_B bay);

[0094] The method of generating the ASC Order of WI_B for ASC2 is similar to the method of generating the ASC_Order of WI_A in 1), and will not be repeated here.

[0095] 4) The logic for dispatching subsequent tasks is similar to the aforementioned logic and will not be elaborated on here.

[0096] The interactive area is subject to more interference from human factors, so the dispatching system has multiple dispatching strategies to deal with unexpected situations on site. When multiple container trucks need to work at the same bay, the task priority of the container trucks is the same. Under normal circumstances, the container truck that enters the gate first (recorded as container truck A) will arrive at the working bay first, so the dispatching system will give priority to outputting the WI of container truck A. If the container truck that enters the gate later (recorded as container truck B) arrives at the working position before the container truck A that enters the gate first, the WI output by the dispatching system will not be the WI of the container truck under the track. The identification system of the track crane will perform license plate recognition on the container truck under the track. If the recognized license plate does not match the license plate given by the WI, the dispatching system will consider the task abnormal and will have the following three processing methods based on the waiting time t1 of container truck A and the waiting time t2 of container truck B:

[0097] 1) t1 < promised service time and t2 < promised service time, there is redundancy in the task time of container truck A, and the dispatching system automatically performs the vehicle switching operation:

[0098] i. Terminate the ASC_Order of container truck A.

[0099] ii. Change WI_A to WI_B and output.

[0100] iii. Generate ASC_Order for container truck B and perform the operation.

[0101] iii.WI_A performs delayed processing.

[0102] 2) If t1 > promised service time and t2 < promised service time, there is no redundant time for truck A's task. The dispatch system will wait for truck A to arrive at the work location again and pop up an exception prompt to the remote control driver. The remote control driver can perform the following operations:

[0103] i. If truck A is already queued behind truck B, use the loudspeaker to remotely notify the driver on the track to move ahead and then operate truck A;

[0104] ii. If container truck A has not yet reached the track, the vehicle swap operation can be performed manually, completing the operation of container truck B first, and then operating container truck A.

[0105] iii. If the remote control driver does not perform any operation, the dispatch system will automatically perform the vehicle change operation after waiting for 5 minutes.

[0106] 3) t1 > promised service time and t2 > promised service time. There is no redundancy in the task times of container truck A and container truck B. Since the priority of a container truck task is automatically increased by 1 every 5 minutes that it exceeds the promised service time, if t1 - t2 < 5 minutes, the scheduling system tasks WI_A and WI_B have the same priority, and the vehicle swap operation will be automatically executed. If t1 - t2 > 5 minutes, the scheduling system will execute according to processing method 2).

[0107] Task priority is determined by setting a number from 1 to 99. The operator can set the priority based on the urgency of the task. If the WI exceeds the promised service time, the system will automatically increase the task priority. Truck collection operations in the interactive area are divided into interactive area box pick-up and return operations and connection operations, and the two have different priority settings.

[0108] 1) Trucks picking up and returning containers in the interactive area (i.e., not working in the internal yard) are required to pick up or return containers in the interactive area. If the task priority WI_A > WI_B is set, the dispatcher will prioritize generating rail-mounted crane tasks for WI_A. Even if truck B arrives at the work location before truck A, the rail-mounted crane will still wait for tasks from truck A unless the remote operator intervenes.

[0109] 2) Connected operations: Container trucks need to pick up or return containers from the inner yard. Containers are not placed in the interactive area yard, and the IGVs are responsible for transshipment. In this case, the truck's pickup and return tasks consist of two WIs: WI_A1 and WI_A2. WI_A1 is the IGV's task of picking up and returning containers from the inner yard; WI_A2 is the truck's task of picking up and returning containers from the interactive area. Setting priorities for each WI ensures that they do not affect each other's operation order.

[0110] i. When a container truck picks up a container, the priority of WI_A1 is manually increased. The dispatch system will prioritize the IGV to collect the container in the inner yard, then take it to the destination bay on the automated side of the interactive area. Once the IGV arrives, WI_A1 is completed. WI_A2's priority is not increased due to the completion of WI_A1; the container truck still needs to queue.

[0111] ii. When a container truck picks up a container, manually raise the priority of WI_A2. Since WI_A2 is suspended until WI_A1 completes, setting the priority of WI_A2 before WI_A1 completes is invalid and will not prioritize container truck A over other container trucks. If WI_A1 completes, WI_A2 will be unsuspended and reactivated. The previous priority setting will be advanced, and container truck A's task will be prioritized.

[0112] iii. When the container truck returns the container, the priority of WI_A1 is manually increased. The dispatching system will give priority to arranging the IGV to go to the destination bay on the automated side of the interactive area to wait, but the rail crane will not operate WI_A2 in advance. After the WI_A2 operation is completed, the IGV can go to the inner yard to operate first.

[0113] The container truck returns the container and the priority of WI_A2 is manually increased. The dispatching system will give priority to arranging the IGV to go to the destination bay on the automated side of the interactive area to wait. The rail crane will operate the container truck A in advance. After the operation is completed, the IGV needs to queue up to go to the inner yard.

[0114] The above-described embodiments merely illustrate several implementations of the present invention, and while their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make numerous variations and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A container truck entry gate operation coordination and management system for an automated terminal, which is applied to an automated terminal with a terminal driving buffer zone and a yard driving operation interaction zone. It is used to dispatch and manage the entry and driving operations of multiple container trucks after entering the gate, and also to dispatch and manage the driving operations of multiple IGV vehicles located in the yard driving operation interaction zone. The automated terminal also has an interactive area yard and an inner yard. It is characterized by: The automated terminal's container truck entry gate operation coordination and management system includes: TOS software module, vehicle scheduling software module, gate equipment and rail crane; The gate equipment includes a first gate, a second gate, and a third gate, all of which are located at the entrance of the automated terminal. The first gate is equipped with a vehicle ID information and container ID information collection device, and the second gate is equipped with a driver identity information collection device. The terminal driving buffer zone is located in the driving area between the second and third gates. The yard driving operation interaction area is located in the driving area after the third gate, that is, the yard driving operation interaction area that container trucks must pass through after the third gate to reach. The vehicle ID information and container ID information collection device is used to collect the vehicle ID information and container ID information of the container truck passing through the first access gate, and send the collected information to the TOS software module; The driver identity information collection device is used to collect the identity information of drivers passing through the second pass gate and send the collected information to the TOS software module; The TOS software module is used to compare vehicle ID information, container ID information, and driver identity information to allow the opening of each lane gate. It is used to prompt drivers to drive to the terminal driving buffer zone or the yard driving operation interaction zone through the wireless transmission network based on the vehicle limit and actual vehicle count in the yard driving operation interaction zone. It is also used to interact with the vehicle dispatch software module for container truck dispatch information. The vehicle dispatching software module is used to manage the calculation queue and dispatch work tasks for container trucks that pass through the third access gate and enter the yard's traffic operation interface area. It also coordinates the order of work tasks for rail cranes, insulated vehicles (IGVs), and container trucks. The vehicle dispatching software module compiles the operation plan for the yard's traffic operation interface area based on the service time of individual container trucks, the task requirements of the container trucks, the time when the container trucks pass through the third access gate, and the estimated time it takes for the container trucks to reach the operation destination. The vehicle ID information and container ID information collection device is a visual recognition device for license plates and container numbers; The driver identity information collection device is a driver face recognition device; The container truck information transmitted by the TOS software module to the vehicle dispatch software module includes the time when the container truck passes through the third access gate; The container truck information transmitted by the TOS software module to the vehicle dispatching software module also includes the vehicle ID information and container ID information of the container truck passing through the third access gate; The calculation queue of the vehicle dispatching software module is the operation order of container trucks based on the time it takes for container trucks to pass through the third gate, task priority, and operation location; The order of arranging the operating tasks of the rail crane, IGV vehicle and container truck is coordinated by the vehicle scheduling software module based on the current position information of the rail crane, the vehicle position information of all container trucks in the yard driving operation interaction area, and the vehicle position information of the IGV vehicle in the yard driving operation interaction area; When a container truck passes through the first gate, vehicle and container information is collected. When passing through the second gate, the driver undergoes facial recognition. The collected facial information is compared with the background facial database to obtain the driver's identity information. The driver's identity information is sent to the TOS software module through the interface. The TOS software module determines whether the system has the driver's appointment information. If so, it generates container inspection information and enters the terminal driving buffer zone. Otherwise, the vehicle status changes to waiting to exit the third gate. After the vehicle passes the third gate, the TOS software module will simultaneously add the container truck's instructions to the calculation queue of the vehicle scheduling software module, and calculate the operation order of the instructions based on factors such as entry time, operation priority, and operation location.

2. A method for coordinating and managing container truck gate entry operations at an automated terminal, applied to the automated terminal container truck gate entry operation coordination and management system according to claim 1, the method comprising the following steps S1-S6: S1, collecting vehicle ID information and container ID information of container trucks passing through the first access gate; S2, collecting the identity information of the driver of the container truck passing through the second access gate, and determining whether the release conditions are met. If yes, the second access gate is controlled to release the container truck; otherwise, the container truck is denied to pass through the second access gate; S3: Determine whether the yard vehicle operation interaction area has reached the maximum number of container trucks. If so, notify the driver of the container truck passing through the second access gate to drive the vehicle to the terminal vehicle buffer zone. Otherwise, control the third access gate to release the vehicle. S4, when a new container truck enters the yard's vehicle operation interaction area or a container truck leaves the gate after completing an operation, the total number of container trucks in the yard's vehicle operation interaction area is updated; S5: The vehicle ID information, container ID information, vehicle operation position information, and task priority information of the container trucks in the yard driving operation interaction area are used as the overall coordination factors for the operation coordination in the yard driving operation interaction area. The vehicle operation position information of the IGV vehicles and the positioning information of the rail cranes in the yard driving operation interaction area are also used as the overall coordination factors for the operation coordination in the yard driving operation interaction area. S6, allocating the operation path according to the coordination factors obtained in S5 and the operation tasks; The operation tasks in S6 include a single container pickup and delivery task (WI) of a single container truck, tasks to be performed by a rail crane, loading tasks of IGV vehicles, unloading tasks of IGV vehicles, and container transfer tasks of IGV vehicles; In S6, when multiple container trucks need to work at the same bay within the yard's vehicle operation interaction area, and the container trucks have the same task priority, the following coordination management strategy is implemented: if the first container truck (A) that passes through the third gate first arrives at the working bay first, the vehicle scheduling software module will prioritize outputting a single container pickup and delivery task (WI) for the first container truck (A); if the second container truck (B) that passes through the third gate later arrives at the working location before the first container truck (A) that passes through the third gate first, the vehicle scheduling software module will output a single container pickup and delivery task (WI) for the single container truck and will not output a single container pickup and delivery task (WI) for the container truck corresponding to the container truck under the rail crane; In S6, the license plate recognition system of the rail crane recognizes the license plate of the container truck under the rail crane. If the recognized license plate does not match the license plate of the single container truck for the single delivery task (WI), the vehicle dispatching software module determines that the task is abnormal and then executes the following process based on the waiting time t1 of the first container truck (A) and the waiting time t2 of the second container truck (B): When the waiting time t1 is less than the promised service time and the waiting time t2 is less than the promised service time, it is determined that the task time of the first container truck (A) is redundant, and then the vehicle scheduling software module outputs an instruction to execute a vehicle switching operation; when the waiting time t1 is greater than the promised service time and the waiting time t2 is less than the promised service time, it is determined that the task time of the first container truck (A) is no longer redundant, and then the vehicle scheduling software module outputs that it will wait for the first container truck (A) to arrive at the working position again, and remotely transmits an abnormal prompt to the driver; when the waiting time t1 is greater than the promised service time and the waiting time t2 is greater than the promised service time, it is determined that the task times of the first container truck (A) and the second container truck (B) are no longer redundant, and if the difference between the waiting time t1 and the waiting time t2 is less than a threshold time, the vehicle scheduling software module will automatically execute a vehicle switching operation; if the difference between the waiting time t1 and the waiting time t2 is greater than the threshold time, the vehicle scheduling software module outputs that it will wait for the first container truck (A) to arrive at the working position again, and remotely transmits an abnormal prompt to the driver.

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