Path Planning Method for a Horizontal Transportation Robot to Automatically Adjust the Door of a Cold Box

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the technical field of intelligent equipment for container terminals, and specifically relates to a path planning method for an automated cold box door adjustment by a horizontal transport robot, comprising the following steps: S1: Set up a cold box door adjustment area in the horizontal transport scheduling system that meets the requirements of the current cold box door adjustment operation; S2: Dispatch the cold box door adjustment instructions in the TOS to the ART participating in the cold box door adjustment operation; S3: After receiving the instructions, the horizontal transport scheduling system will automatically plan a reasonable cold box door adjustment path and dispatch it to the ART for execution. This method can improve the degree of automation of container terminals with a horizontal layout in the yard, reduce labor costs, improve operation efficiency, and solve the increasing cold box operation pressure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of intelligent equipment for container terminals, and particularly relates to a path planning method for a horizontal transport robot to automatically adjust the door of a reefer container. Background Art

[0002] A reefer container is a special container with good heat insulation and the ability to maintain a certain low temperature requirement, suitable for the transportation and storage of various perishable foods. On both sides of the reefer container body, one side is the container door, and the other side is the reefer motor. The door side is the same as that of a general container, both being the entrances and exits for loading and unloading goods. The motor on the other side is used to connect the power supply for refrigeration and observe the status of the reefer container in the reefer yard and on the ship. On a container ship, generally only one side of each loading bay has a reefer power supply, so there are requirements for the orientation of the container door of the loaded reefer container.

[0003] In recent years, the volume of container transportation has been increasing continuously, and the volume of transportation of various goods has been rising. Among them, the volume of goods with special requirements for storage temperature, such as fruits, meats, and medicines, has been increasing year by year. Therefore, container terminals are currently facing a huge pressure for the collection, transportation, and distribution of reefer containers. In addition, whether it is a traditional manual container terminal or an automated container terminal, there are situations where the orientation of the reefer motor in the port for collection is different from the required orientation of the reefer motor for loading, and there is also a need to adjust the orientation of the reefer container door when the pressure of the on-site stored reefer containers is too high and a need for site sorting operations for centralized stacking. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the orientation of the motor (container door) of the on-site reefer containers, and this operating condition is called the reefer container door adjustment operation.

[0004] The traditional method for adjusting the reefer container door is that after a tractor-trailer collects containers in the yard, it goes to the mobile crane operating site to use a reach stacker to adjust the door orientation and then returns to the yard to deliver the containers. This method has low efficiency, requires manual participation, has high labor costs, and cannot achieve automated operations, which does not meet the production needs of automated terminals. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a path planning method for a horizontal transport robot to automatically adjust the reefer container door to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A path planning method for a horizontal transport robot to automatically adjust the reefer container door, comprising the following steps:

[0007] S1: Set a reefer container door adjustment area that meets the requirements of the current reefer container door adjustment operation in the horizontal transport scheduling system;

[0008] S2: Dispatch the reefer container door adjustment instruction in the TOS to the ART participating in the reefer container door adjustment operation;

[0009] S3: After the ART receives the instruction, the horizontal transportation scheduling system will automatically plan a reasonable path for adjusting the container door of the reefer container and dispatch it to the ART for execution;

[0010] In the operation of adjusting the container door of the reefer container, the ART needs to send the container in the reverse direction to achieve the purpose of reversing the container door. In the reverse state, the ART can still normally execute the process of alignment - locking - operation with the ARMG (Automated Rail - Mounted Gantry Crane).

[0011] Preferably, the S1 includes the following steps:

[0012] S11. Determine whether it is an in - yard or cross - yard container door adjustment. For cross - yard reefer container door adjustment, the area between the cross - yards and its automated lanes need to be locked;

[0013] S12. After the area for reefer container door adjustment is set up, the horizontal transportation scheduling system will automatically dispatch the temporarily parked vehicles interfering with the operation in this area to other areas for temporary parking.

[0014] Preferably, the S3 includes the following steps: S31. Determine whether it is an in - yard or cross - yard container door adjustment. In the operation of cross - yard reefer container door adjustment, the horizontal transportation scheduling system will plan a figure - of - eight route; in the operation of in - yard reefer container door adjustment, the horizontal transportation scheduling system will plan a double - figure - of - eight route;

[0015] S32. After the instruction for reefer container door adjustment is completed, the ART automatically parks temporarily after executing the turning path, and the reefer container door adjustment ends.

[0016] Preferably, the area for reefer container door adjustment is divided into two types: in - yard and cross - yard. For cross - yard reefer container door adjustment, the area between the cross - yards and its automated lanes are required; for in - yard reefer container door adjustment, the operation yard and its adjacent 3 yards and their automated lanes are required.

[0017] Preferably, after the operation area for reefer container door adjustment is demarcated, this area will automatically prohibit the ART without the task of reefer container door adjustment from generating a path to this area.

[0018] Preferably, after the operation area for reefer container door adjustment is demarcated, if there are temporarily parked vehicles in this area that affect the reefer container door adjustment, the horizontal transportation scheduling system will automatically send a path for these vehicles to park temporarily in other idle areas.

[0019] Compared with the method in the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0020] This method can improve the degree of automation of the operation in the automated container terminal with a horizontal layout of the yard, reduce the labor cost, improve the operation efficiency, and solve the increasing operation pressure of reefer containers. Description of the Drawings

[0021] Figure 1 It is the operation flow chart for demarcating the operation area in the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 It is the operation flow chart for executing instructions in the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 It is the operation flow chart for dispatching instructions in the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 It is the overall flow chart of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 It is the schematic diagram of the operation for adjusting the box door of the cross - field cold box in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 It is the schematic diagram of the operation for adjusting the box door of the same - field cold box in the embodiment of the present invention. Specific embodiments

[0027] It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other.

[0028] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus cannot be understood as a limitation to the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first", "second", etc. may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise stated, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more.

[0029] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixedly connected", "fixedly joined" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above - mentioned terms in the present invention can be understood through specific situations.

[0030] The following details the specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the drawings and preferred embodiments.

[0031] As Figure 1 shown, a path planning method for a horizontal transportation robot to automatically adjust the cold box door uses ART (Artificial Intelligence Robot of Transportation, that is, an artificial intelligence transportation robot). The horizontal transportation scheduling system will plan the reverse route within the planned area. The operation process in the operation area is as follows( Figure 1 ):

[0032] S1. Set up the cold box door area in the horizontal transportation scheduling system that meets the requirements of this cold box door adjustment operation.

[0033] S11. Determine whether it is an in-yard cold box door adjustment or a cross-yard cold box door adjustment. For cross-yard cold box door adjustments, the areas between the yards and their automated lanes need to be locked.

[0034] S12. After the cold box door area is set up, the horizontal transportation scheduling system will automatically dispatch the temporary parking vehicles that interfere with the operation in this area to other areas for temporary parking.

[0035] S2. Dispatch the cold box door adjustment instructions in the TOS (Terminal Operating System) to the ART participating in the cold box door adjustment operation.

[0036] TOS generates and dispatches instructions. The user generates cold box door adjustment instructions at the business end, sets whether it is cross-yard or not, and dispatches the instructions to the ART in the specified equipment pool. The specific process is as Figure 2 shown.

[0037] S3. After the ART receives the instructions, the horizontal transportation scheduling system will automatically plan a reasonable cold box door path and dispatch it to the ART for execution. The specific process is as Figure 3 shown.

[0038] Specifically as follows: S31. Determine whether it is an in-yard cold box door adjustment or a cross-yard cold box door adjustment. In the cross-yard cold box door adjustment operation, the horizontal transportation scheduling system will plan a figure-eight route; in the in-yard cold box door adjustment operation, the horizontal transportation scheduling system will plan an 8-shaped route.

[0039] Differences between in-yard and cross-yard cold box door adjustments:

[0040] Based on the usage of the terminal yard and the berthing position of the ship, there are two requirements or methods for cold box door adjustments. When the yard utilization rate is low and the berthing position of the ship is close to the yard position, in-yard cold box door adjustment operation is used, that is, the front and back positions of the cold box door are in the same yard. Otherwise, cross-yard cold box door adjustment is used.

[0041] Since the front and rear positions of the switch box door are different, and the bicycle must return to the normal operating direction after the switch box door operation is completed, two different operation routes are designed to meet the switch box door business and enable the bicycle to return to the normal driving direction after the switch box door operation is completed (such as Figure 5 , Figure 6 , within the venue, the normal direction of bicycle travel is from left to right).

[0042] S32. After the cold box door adjustment instruction is completed, ART automatically stops after executing the turning path, and the cold box door adjustment is completed.

[0043] The overall flow chart of the box door is shown in Figure 4 First, set up the cold box door adjustment area that meets the requirements of this cold box door adjustment operation in the horizontal transportation scheduling system; then distribute the cold box door adjustment instruction in T0S to the ART involved in the cold box door operation; after the ART receives the instruction, the horizontal transportation scheduling system will automatically plan a reasonable cold box door adjustment path and distribute it to the ART for execution; finally, after the ART executes the U-turn path, it will automatically stop and the cold box door adjustment is completed.

[0044] The specific implementation is as follows:

[0045] The present invention provides a path planning of a horizontal transportation scheduling system for a cold box door using an ART (Artificial Intelligence Robot of Transportation). In the cold box door operation area, the horizontal transportation scheduling system will plan a reverse route in the area, and its path characteristics are:

[0046] like Figure 5 As shown in the figure, in the cross-yard cold box door switching operation, the horizontal transportation scheduling system will plan a U-shaped route; taking the cross-yard cold box door switching operation from 7C to 8C as an example, the 7C-8C area of ​​C yard and its automated lanes are set as the cold box door switching operation area. The ART will drive forward into 7C to receive the box, then go straight to the 7C exit, turn downward, drive in the opposite direction to the 8C yard to deliver the box, and after the delivery of the box is completed, continue to drive in the opposite direction to the 8C entrance, turn upward, and drive forward to the 7C yard. At this point, a complete cold box door switching operation cycle is completed. Similarly, if the ART drives forward into 8C to receive the box, it will go straight to the 8C exit, turn upward, drive in the opposite direction to 7C to deliver the box, and after the delivery of the box is completed, continue to drive in the opposite direction to the 7C entrance, turn downward, and drive forward to the 8C yard. At this point, a complete cold box door switching operation cycle is completed.

[0047] like Figure 6As shown, in the operation of adjusting the cold box door in the same yard, the horizontal transportation scheduling system will plan an 8-shaped route. Taking the operation of adjusting the cold box door in the 8A yard of the same yard as an example, set the 5A-6A-7A-8A area of Yard A and its automated lanes as the cold box door adjustment operation area. ART will drive forward to Yard 8A to pick up the container, then go straight to the exit of Yard 8A and turn downwards, drive to the position of the exit of Yard 6A and drive in the reverse direction to Yard 6A, continue to drive in the reverse direction to the entrance of Yard 6A and turn upwards to drive to the entrance of Yard 5A, then turn to Yard 5A, continue to drive forward to the exit of Yard 5A and turn downwards, drive in the reverse direction to the exit of Yard 8A and drive in the reverse direction to send the container to Yard 8A. After the container sending is completed, continue to drive in the reverse direction to the entrance of Yard 8A and turn upwards, and then drive to the entrance of Yard 7A and turn forward to enter Yard 7A. Thus, a complete cycle of the cold box door adjustment operation is completed.

[0048] It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the principle of the present invention, several improvements and refinements can be made, and these improvements and refinements should also be regarded as within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for automatically planning the path of a cold box door by a horizontal transport robot, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1: Set up the cold box door adjustment area that meets the requirements of this cold box door adjustment operation in the horizontal transportation scheduling system; S2: Send the cold box door adjustment instruction in TOS to the ART involved in the cold box door adjustment operation; S3: After ART receives the instruction, the horizontal transportation dispatching system will automatically plan a reasonable path for the cold box door adjustment and dispatch it to ART for execution; In the cold box door adjustment operation, ART needs to deliver the box in the reverse direction to achieve the purpose of door adjustment. In the reverse state, ART can still perform the alignment-locking-operation process normally with ARMG; The S1 comprises the following steps: S11. Determine whether it is a door for transferring containers in the same field or a door for transferring containers across fields. The door for transferring containers across fields needs to lock the area between the fields and its automated lanes; S12. After the cold box door area is set, the horizontal transportation dispatching system will automatically dispatch the vehicles that are temporarily parked in the area and interfere with the operation to other areas for temporary parking; The S3 comprises the following steps: S31. Determine whether it is a same-field container door or a cross-field container door. In the cross-field cold box door operation, the horizontal transportation scheduling system will plan a U-shaped route; in the same-field cold box door operation, the horizontal transportation scheduling system will plan an 8-shaped route; S32. After the cold box door adjustment instruction is completed, ART automatically stops after executing the turning path, and the cold box door adjustment is completed.

2. The method for automatically realizing the path planning of cold box door adjustment by a horizontal transport robot according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The cold box switching door area is divided into two types: same-site switching door and cross-site switching door. The cross-site cold box switching door requires the area between the cross-sites and its automated lane; the same-site cold box switching door requires the operating site and its three adjacent sites and its automated lane.

3. The path planning method for automatically realizing the cold box door adjustment by the horizontal transport robot according to claim 2 is characterized in that: After the cold box door adjustment operation area is delineated, this area will automatically prohibit ARTs without cold box door adjustment tasks from generating paths to this area.

4. The method for automatically realizing the path planning of the cold box door adjustment by the horizontal transport robot according to claim 2 is characterized in that: After the cold box shunting door operation area is delineated, if there are vehicles parked temporarily in the area that affect the cold box shunting door, the horizontal transportation scheduling system will automatically send routes for these vehicles to go to other idle areas for temporary parking.

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