Automatic wharf sea-railway combined transportation system and operation method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic wharf sea-railway combined transportation system and an operation method thereof. A wharf operation area and a railway operation area are mutually connected through an elevated track so as to realize full-automatic operation of a wharf and a railway; in a railway operation area, a railway track crane and a train carriage are adopted to interact containers, a high-speed shuttle car is adopted to realize container transfer between a railway end and an elevated track, and the containers are conveyed to a combined transport interaction area through the elevated track to interact with a horizontal transport vehicle in a wharf operation area. The horizontal transport vehicle directly interacts with the storage yard rail-mounted gantry crane on the side of a wharf stacking yard, and full-automatic transfer of containers between a railway and a wharf is achieved through the structure. And the elevated rail does not occupy the ground space and does not generate operation interference with other transport vehicles in the wharf, so that the sea railway transport efficiency can be remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of logistics and transportation, and in particular, relates to an automated terminal sea-rail transport system and an operation system thereof. Background Art

[0002] At present, automated terminals are continuously being built and put into operation, while the automated loading and unloading construction of terminal railways has not yet started. However, sea-rail transport is an important type of multimodal transport and an important part of terminal logistics. Through the integration of sea-rail transport, seamless connection between sea and land transport of goods can be achieved, reducing the waiting time of goods at the port and improving transportation efficiency. This seamlessly connected logistics chain not only speeds up the flow of goods, but also reduces the additional costs caused by multiple loading and unloading and transshipment. It organically combines the two modes of transportation, railway and sea transport, and forms an efficient and convenient comprehensive transportation system through coordination, conversion and connection.

[0003] The existing automated terminal layout is mainly based on terminal loading and unloading operations. The railway loading and unloading operations are separate and independent from those at the terminal. If the railway and terminal loading and unloading operations can be linked together, the utilization rate of both equipment can be effectively improved, the yard area can be reduced, the automated operation capacity can be improved, and labor costs can be reduced. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an automated terminal sea-rail transport system and an operating method thereof, which can realize automated operation of the terminal and the railway in collaboration, can ensure a high yard occupancy rate, and is suitable for efficient coordination of large-throughput container terminals and railway transportation operations, so that containers unloaded from the sea can be quickly loaded onto trains through automated equipment, reducing multiple intermediate links and improving collection and distribution efficiency.

[0005] The present invention is implemented by the following technical solutions: An automated terminal sea-rail transport system is proposed, comprising: The railway operation area is provided with a number of railway tracks for parking train carriages, and shuttle tracks are provided on the sides of the railway tracks; railway track cranes are provided across the railway tracks and the shuttle tracks; and shuttle cars are provided on the shuttle tracks; The terminal operation area is equipped with several terminal yards for storing containers. Horizontal transport vehicle lanes or container truck loading and unloading lanes outside the yards are arranged between adjacent terminal yards, and the horizontal transport vehicle lanes and container truck loading and unloading lanes outside the yards are arranged at intervals; yard rail cranes are arranged across the terminal yards, and the yard rail cranes cross at least one horizontal transport vehicle lane and container truck loading and unloading lane outside the yard; An elevated track with several elevated track cranes installed on it is erected between the terminal operating area and the railway operating area; the part connecting with the railway operating area is arranged at the end of the railway track and is perpendicular to the railway track; the shuttle track extends to its lower end; the part connecting with the terminal operating area is arranged at the end of the horizontal transport vehicle lane and connected with it, and the horizontal transport vehicle can travel to its lower end to interact with the elevated track crane.

[0006] In some embodiments of the present invention, the system is further provided with a railway container truck lane, which intersects with the elevated track, and the intersection area is the railway container truck loading and unloading area.

[0007] In some embodiments of the present invention, the railway external container truck lane is connected to the external container truck loading and unloading lane of the yard in the terminal operation area.

[0008] In some embodiments of the present invention, a temporary railway yard is arranged under the elevated track.

[0009] An automated terminal sea-rail transport operation method is proposed, which is applied to the automated terminal sea-rail transport system as described above, and comprises: Container collection at the terminal: The horizontal transport vehicle directly exchanges containers with the yard rail crane at the side of the terminal yard. The yard rail crane places the grabbed container on the horizontal transport vehicle. The horizontal transport vehicle with the container runs to the designated lane of the intermodal exchange area and exchanges with the overhead rail crane. Railway container collection: The overhead rail crane grabs the container from the horizontal transport vehicle and hoists the container to the shuttle track to interact with the shuttle car, and places the container on the shuttle car; the shuttle car with the container runs to the railway loading area in the railway operation area, and the railway rail crane takes the container from the shuttle car and places it on the designated location for railway loading; Railway loading: The railway track crane lifts the container from the railway loading and unloading area and places it in the train car; or, after the shuttle car runs to the railway operation area, it directly interacts with the railway track crane at the loading position, and the railway track crane grabs the container from the shuttle car and places it in the train car.

[0010] An automated terminal sea-rail transport operation method is proposed, which is applied to the automated terminal sea-rail transport system as described above, and comprises: Railway unloading: Railway crane grabs boxes from train carriages and places them on shuttle cars; or, railway crane grabs boxes from train carriages and temporarily stores them at a designated location in the railway loading and unloading area; Railway delivery: The shuttle car carrying the container directly received from the railway crane runs to the elevated track to interact with the elevated crane. The elevated crane takes the container from the shuttle car and runs to the designated lane of the intermodal interaction area; or, when the unloaded container is stacked in the railway container waiting area, when the shuttle car runs to the location of the railway container waiting area, the railway crane grabs the container from the railway container waiting area and places it on the shuttle car. The shuttle car carries the container and transports it to the elevated track to interact with the elevated crane. The elevated crane takes the container from the shuttle car and runs to the designated lane of the intermodal interaction area; Container dispatch from the terminal: The empty horizontal transport vehicle runs to the designated lane of the intermodal interaction area and interacts with the overhead rail crane. The overhead rail crane places the container on the horizontal transport vehicle. The horizontal transport vehicle with the container runs to the designated location of the terminal yard. The yard rail crane grabs the container from the horizontal transport vehicle and places it at the designated location of the terminal yard.

[0011] Compared with the prior art, the advantages and positive effects of the present invention are as follows: in the automated terminal sea-rail transport system and its operation method proposed by the present invention, the terminal yard and the railway are interconnected by an elevated track to realize the fully automated operation of the terminal and the railway; in the railway operation area, a railway track crane is used to exchange containers with train carriages, and a high-speed shuttle car is used to realize the container transfer between the railway end and the elevated track. The container is transported to the intermodal interaction area and the horizontal transport vehicle of the terminal operation area via the elevated track to interact with the horizontal transport vehicle, and the horizontal transport vehicle directly interacts with the yard track crane at the side of the terminal yard. The fully automated transfer of containers between the railway and the terminal is realized through the above structure. The elevated track does not occupy ground space, nor does it cause operational interference with other transport vehicles in the terminal, and can significantly improve the efficiency of sea-rail transportation.

[0012] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The accompanying drawings are part of the present invention and are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments and descriptions of the present invention are used to explain the present invention, but do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments. For those skilled in the art, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without creative work.

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the layout structure of the automated terminal sea-rail transport system proposed by the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the double-layer structure of the elevated track or the yard track in the present invention; Figure numerals: 1, railway track crane track; 2, railway track crane; 3, railway track; 4, railway container loading and unloading area; 5, shuttle car track; 6, shuttle car; 7, elevated track crane; 8, elevated track; 9, temporary yard; 10, railway external container truck loading and unloading area; 11, railway external container truck lane; 12, container truck lane; 13, external container truck; 14, horizontal transport vehicle lane; 15, horizontal transport vehicle; 16, terminal yard; 17, yard track crane; 19, intermodal interaction area; 20, yard external container truck loading and unloading lane; 21, train carriage.

[0015] It should be noted that these drawings and textual descriptions are not intended to limit the conceptual scope of the present invention in any way, but are intended to illustrate the concept of the present invention for those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] In order to make the purpose, 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 in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. The following embodiments are used to illustrate the present invention but are not used to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0017] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “inside” and “outside” 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, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0018] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected" and "connected" 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 connected through an intermediate medium. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0019] As shown in the figure, the automated terminal sea-rail transport system proposed by the present invention includes: The railway operation area is provided with a plurality of railway tracks 3 for parking train carriages 21 , and shuttle tracks 5 are provided on the sides of the railway tracks 3 ; a railway track crane 2 is provided across the railway tracks 3 and the shuttle tracks 5 ; and a shuttle 6 is provided on the shuttle tracks 5 .

[0020] The terminal operation area is provided with a number of terminal yards 16 for storing containers, and horizontal transport vehicle lanes 15 or external container truck loading and unloading lanes 20 are arranged between adjacent terminal yards 16, and the horizontal transport vehicle lanes 14 and the external container truck loading and unloading lanes 20 are arranged at intervals; a yard rail crane 17 is arranged across the terminal yard 16, and the yard rail crane 17 at least crosses one horizontal transport vehicle lane 18 and external container truck lane 20.

[0021] An elevated track 8, on which a number of elevated track cranes 7 are arranged, is erected between the terminal operating area and the railway operating area; the portion thereof connected with the railway operating area is arranged at the end of the railway track 3 and is perpendicular to the railway track 3; the shuttle track 5 extends to its lower end; the portion thereof connected with the terminal operating area is arranged at the end of the horizontal transport vehicle lane 18 and connected thereto, and the horizontal transport vehicle 15 can travel to its lower end to interact with the elevated track crane 7.

[0022] The automated terminal sea-rail transport system proposed by the present invention implements sea-rail transport operations according to the following steps: (1) Container collection at the terminal.

[0023] When the container comes from the dock, the horizontal transport vehicle 15 directly interacts with the yard rail crane 17 on the side of the dock yard 16. The yard rail crane 17 grabs the container from the dock yard 16 and places it on the horizontal transport vehicle 15. The horizontal transport vehicle 15 carries the container and runs to the designated lane of the intermodal interaction area 19 (the intermodal interaction area 19 is set at the junction of the elevated track 8 and the horizontal transport vehicle lane, and the elevated rail crane 7 runs to this area to interact with the horizontal transport vehicle 15) and interacts with the elevated rail crane 7.

[0024] The specific dock unloading operation can be implemented according to the existing technology, and the present invention is not specifically limited thereto.

[0025] (2) Railway container collection operations.

[0026] The overhead rail crane 7 grabs the container from the horizontal transport vehicle 15 and hoists the container to the shuttle track 5 to interact with the shuttle car 6, and places the container on the shuttle car 6. The shuttle car 6 carries the container to the railway waiting box loading area 4 (which can be arranged on the side of the railway track 3) of the railway operation area, and the railway rail crane 2 takes the container from the shuttle car 6 and places it on the designated position of the railway waiting box loading 4, and the shuttle car 6 returns to the overhead rail frame 8 and continues to interact with the overhead rail crane 7.

[0027] (3) Railway loading operations.

[0028] After the train carriage 21 enters the railway operation area, the railway track crane 2 lifts the container from the railway container loading and unloading area 4 and places it in the train carriage 21, completing the railway loading operation.

[0029] After running to the railway operation area, the shuttle car 6 can also directly interact with the railway track crane 2 at the loading position, and the railway track crane 2 grabs the box from the shuttle car 6 and places it in the train carriage 21 to complete the railway loading operation.

[0030] (4) Railway unloading operations.

[0031] When the container comes from the railway, the railway track crane 2 grabs the container from the train carriage 21 and places it on the shuttle car 6. Alternatively, the railway track crane 2 grabs the container from the train carriage 21 and places it in a designated position of the railway waiting loading and unloading container area 4 for temporary storage.

[0032] (5) Railway box dispatching operations.

[0033] The shuttle car 6 that directly receives the container from the railway track crane 2 runs with the container to the elevated track 8 and interacts with the elevated track crane 7. The elevated track crane 7 takes the container from the shuttle car 6 and runs to the designated lane of the intermodal interaction area 19. Alternatively, when the unloaded container is stacked in the railway container waiting loading and unloading area 4, when the shuttle car 6 runs to the location of the railway container waiting loading and unloading area 4, the railway track crane 2 grabs the container from the railway container waiting loading and unloading area 4 and places it on the shuttle car 6. The shuttle car 6 carries the container and transports it to the elevated track 8 and interacts with the elevated track crane 7. The elevated track crane 7 takes the container from the shuttle car 6 and runs to the designated lane of the intermodal interaction area 19.

[0034] (6) Container dispatching at the terminal.

[0035] The horizontal transport vehicle 15 runs empty to the designated lane of the intermodal interaction area 19 and interacts with the overhead rail crane 7. The overhead rail crane 7 places the container on the horizontal transport vehicle 15. The horizontal transport vehicle 15 runs with the container to the designated position of the terminal yard 16. The yard rail crane 17 grabs the container from the horizontal transport vehicle 15 and places it at the designated position of the terminal yard 16. The empty horizontal transport vehicle 15 continues to execute the next operation instruction.

[0036] The specific terminal loading operation can be implemented according to the existing technology, and the present invention is not specifically limited thereto.

[0037] In the automated terminal sea-rail transport system proposed by the present invention, the terminal yard and the railway are interconnected by an elevated track, and railway track cranes and train carriages are used to exchange containers in the railway operating area. High-speed shuttle cars are used to realize container transfer between the railway end and the elevated track. The containers are transported to the intermodal interaction area via the elevated track and interact with the horizontal transport vehicles in the terminal operating area. The horizontal transport vehicles directly interact with the yard track cranes at the side of the terminal yard. The transfer of containers between the railway and the terminal is realized through the above structure, and the elevated track does not occupy ground space and will not cause operational interference with other transport vehicles in the terminal, which can significantly improve the efficiency of sea-rail transportation.

[0038] In some embodiments of the present invention, the sea-rail transport system is also provided with a railway external container truck lane 11, which intersects with the elevated track 8, and the area where the two intersect is defined as the railway external container truck loading and unloading area 10. The external container truck 13 traveling on the railway external container truck lane 11 directly enters the railway external container truck loading and unloading area 10 and interacts with the elevated track crane 7, so that the containers transferred by land can be realized by land-rail transport or sea-land transport based on the sea-rail transport system of the present invention. When the terminal receiving operation is implemented, the containers that need to be cleared from the port by land can be directly transferred from the land through the interaction between the elevated track crane 7 and the external container truck 13, while the containers that need to be cleared from the port by rail can be cleared from the port by rail through the interaction between the elevated track crane 7 and the shuttle car 6. When the terminal sending operation is implemented, the containers sent from the land by the external container truck 13 can be transported to the terminal yard through the interaction between the elevated track crane 7 and the external container truck 13, and the interaction between the elevated track crane 7 and the horizontal transport vehicle 15. When the railway container dispatching operation is implemented, the containers sent by the external container truck 13 from the land can be transported to the railway through the interaction between the overhead rail crane 7 and the external container truck 13, and the interaction between the shuttle car 6 and the overhead rail crane 7. When the railway container collection operation is implemented, the containers that need to be sent away by land transportation can be transported away from the land through the interaction between the shuttle car 6 and the overhead rail crane 7, and the interaction between the overhead rail crane 7 and the external container truck 13.

[0039] The railway external container truck lane 11 is connected to the external container truck loading and unloading lane 20 of the terminal operating area (connected through the container truck lane 12 in the figure), so that after the external container truck 13 is loaded with containers at the terminal yard 16, it can be sent to the railway side through the transfer of the overhead rail crane 7, and the containers on the railway side can be transferred through the overhead rail crane 7 and then sent to the terminal yard 16 through the external container truck 13.

[0040] In some embodiments of the present invention, a temporary railway yard 9 is arranged under the elevated track 8 to temporarily store containers, so as to improve the operating efficiency of the high-speed rail crane 7. At least two elevated rail cranes 7 are arranged on the elevated track 8. In the railway container collection operation (including container collection from the dock and container collection from land), one elevated rail crane 7 takes the container from the horizontal transport vehicle 15 or the external container truck 13, places the container in the temporary railway yard 9, and then performs the next operation. When the shuttle car 6 runs to the elevated track 8, another or idle elevated rail crane 7 grabs the container from the temporary railway yard 9 and places it on the shuttle car 6. During the railway container dispatching operation (including dispatching containers to the wharf and to the land), an overhead rail crane 7 grabs the container from the shuttle car 6 and places it in the railway temporary yard for storage, and then performs the next operation in the area. When it is necessary to dispatch the container to the wharf or land, another or idle overhead rail crane 7 grabs the container from the railway temporary yard 9 and runs to the intermodal interaction area 19 to interact with the horizontal transport vehicle 15 or runs to the railway external container truck loading and unloading area 10 to interact with the external container truck 13.

[0041] In some embodiments of the present invention, the overhead rail crane 7 and the yard rail crane 17 are both equipped with rotating spreaders or rotating trolleys, through which containers with different orientations can be switched to meet the loading and unloading needs of railways and docks and improve operating efficiency.

[0042] In some embodiments of the present invention, the elevated track 8 and the yard track are designed as a double-layer operating structure. Taking the elevated track 8 as an example, Figure 2 As shown, in the double-layer track structure, at least one overhead track crane 7 is arranged on each layer. The overhead track crane 7 on the lower layer is used to interact with the shuttle car 6, and the overhead track crane 7 on the upper layer is used to interact with the horizontal transport vehicle 15 or the external container truck 13; both layers of overhead track cranes 7 can operate in the railway temporary yard 9. Taking the yard track as an example, during the interaction between the lower-layer yard track crane 17 and the horizontal transport vehicle 15 or the external container truck 13, the upper-layer yard track crane 17 completes the previous operation and enters the next operation of the current operation, thereby significantly improving the yard operation efficiency. As mentioned above, the upper and lower layers of the overhead / yard track cranes adopt avoidance measures to avoid operation conflicts.

[0043] It should be pointed out that the above description is not a limitation of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above examples. Changes, modifications, additions or substitutions made by ordinary technicians in this technical field within the essential scope of the present invention should also fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automated terminal sea-rail transport system, characterized in that: include: A railway operation area is provided with a plurality of railway tracks (3) for parking train carriages (21), and shuttle tracks (5) are provided on the sides of the railway tracks (3); a railway track crane (2) is provided across the railway tracks (3) and the shuttle tracks (5); wherein a shuttle (6) is provided on the shuttle tracks (5); A terminal operation area is provided with a plurality of terminal yards (16) for storing containers, a horizontal transport vehicle lane (14) or a container truck loading and unloading lane (20) outside the yard is provided between adjacent terminal yards (16), and the horizontal transport vehicle lane 15 and the container truck loading and unloading lane (20) outside the yard are provided at intervals; a yard rail crane (17) is provided across the terminal yard (16), and the yard rail crane (17) at least spans one horizontal transport vehicle lane (14) and one container truck loading and unloading lane (20) outside the yard; An elevated track (8) is provided with a plurality of elevated track cranes (7) thereon and is erected between the dock operation area and the railway operation area; the portion thereof connected with the railway operation area is arranged at the end of the railway track (3) and is perpendicular to the railway track (3); the shuttle track (5) extends to the lower end thereof; the portion thereof connected with the dock operation area is arranged at the end of the horizontal transport vehicle lane (14) and is connected thereto, and the horizontal transport vehicle (15) can travel to the lower end thereof to interact with the elevated track crane (7).

2. The automated terminal sea-rail transport system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The system is also provided with a railway container truck lane (11) which intersects with the elevated track (8), and the intersection area is a railway container truck loading and unloading area (10).

3. The automated terminal sea-rail transport system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The railway external container truck lane (11) is connected to the yard external container truck loading and unloading lane (20) in the terminal operation area.

4. The automated terminal sea-rail transport system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A temporary railway yard (9) is arranged below the elevated track (8).

5. An automated terminal sea-rail transport operation method, applied to the automated terminal sea-rail transport system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: include: Container collection at the terminal: the horizontal transport vehicle (15) directly exchanges containers with the yard rail crane (17) at the side of the terminal yard (16). The yard rail crane (17) places the grabbed container on the horizontal transport vehicle (15). The horizontal transport vehicle (15) runs with the container to the designated lane of the intermodal exchange area (19) and exchanges with the overhead rail crane (7); Railway container collection: the overhead rail crane (7) grabs the container from the horizontal transport vehicle (15) and lifts the container to the top of the shuttle track (5) to interact with the shuttle (6), and places the container on the shuttle (6); the shuttle (6) carries the container to the railway waiting loading area (4) in the railway operation area, and the railway rail crane (2) takes the container from the shuttle (6) and places it on the designated position of the railway waiting loading area (4); Railway loading: The railway track crane (2) lifts the container from the railway loading and unloading area (4) and places it in the train carriage (21); Alternatively, after the shuttle car (6) runs to the railway operation area, it directly interacts with the railway track crane (2) at the position to be loaded, and the railway track crane (2) grabs the box from the shuttle car (6) and places it into the train carriage (21).

6. An automated terminal sea-rail transport operation method, applied to the automated terminal sea-rail transport system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: include: Railway unloading: the railway track crane (2) grabs the box from the railway carriage (21) and places it on the shuttle car (6); or, the railway track crane (2) grabs the box from the railway carriage (21) and places it in a designated location of the railway loading and unloading area (4) for temporary storage; Railway container dispatch: the shuttle car (6) that directly receives the container from the railway track crane (2) runs with the container to the elevated track (8) to interact with the elevated track crane (7), and the elevated track crane (7) takes the container from the shuttle car (6) and runs to the designated lane of the intermodal exchange area (19); or, when the unloaded container is stacked in the railway container waiting area (4), when the shuttle car (6) runs to the location of the railway container waiting area (4), the railway track crane (2) grabs the container from the railway container waiting area (4) and places it on the shuttle car (6), and the shuttle car (6) transports the container to the elevated track (8) to interact with the elevated track crane (7), and the elevated track crane (7) takes the container from the shuttle car (6) and runs to the designated lane of the intermodal exchange area (19); Container dispatch from the terminal: The horizontal transport vehicle (15) runs empty to the designated lane of the intermodal exchange area (19) and interacts with the overhead rail crane (7). The overhead rail crane (7) places the container on the horizontal transport vehicle (15). The horizontal transport vehicle (15) runs loaded with the container to the designated location of the terminal yard (16). The yard rail crane (17) grabs the container from the horizontal transport vehicle (15) and places it at the designated location of the terminal yard (16).

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