A method for automating the transfer and crossing of container terminal cranes.

Abstract

This invention relates to an automated container terminal crane relocation and street crossing method, solving the problem of interference caused by crane relocation to the area traversed by IGVs. The method includes: applying for a relocation and street crossing to a destination terminal; confirming that the destination terminal and the original terminal are not in the same terminal; triggering a crane relocation and street crossing operation, moving the crane to a waiting position at the end of two adjacent terminals; initiating a special zone application, whereby the special zone controls the lateral distance between cranes and prohibits IGV passage; confirming the special zone is effective; and executing the automatic crane relocation and street crossing, releasing the special zone upon reaching the destination terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of automated terminal management, specifically to a method for transferring and crossing streets by automated container terminal yard cranes. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of automated container terminals, the throughput of terminals continues to rise, and the requirements for the terminals' automated operation capabilities are becoming increasingly higher.

[0003] The transfer of yard cranes across the street is a common yard crane scheduling method in container terminals with horizontally laid-out yards. Due to the uneven distribution of container receiving and unloading tasks in the yards, peaks and troughs of operations occur alternately within a time period. When a peak occurs, it is necessary to schedule yard cranes from adjacent yards in the horizontal direction to assist in the operation, thereby improving the utilization rate of yard cranes and reducing the terminal's operating costs.

[0004] Currently, most automated container terminals have only one or two yard cranes per yard. These yard cranes are rarely moved between yards or across the street. This means that when a yard is busy, there is no way to add more yard cranes to assist in operations and quickly relieve operational pressure. When operations are not busy, a large number of yard cranes are idle, which also increases mechanical costs.

[0005] The terminal-related systems and tools involved in this invention include Equipment Control System (ECS), Barge Management System (BMS), Unmanned Truck Management System (VMS), Automatic Controlled Barge (ASC, all barges mentioned in this application are Automatic Controlled Barges), and Unmanned Intelligent Guided Vehicle (IGV). Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention aims to overcome at least one of the defects of the prior art and provide an automated method for the transfer of container terminal yard cranes across the street, thereby solving the problem of interference caused by yard crane transfers to the area IGV passes through.

[0007] This invention provides an automated method for transferring container terminal cranes across streets, the method comprising:

[0008] Request to relocate across the street to the destination area;

[0009] Confirm that the destination area for the relocation and street crossing is not the same as the original site area;

[0010] Trigger the yard crane relocation and pedestrian crossing operation task, and drive the yard crane truck to the relocation and pedestrian crossing waiting position, which is located at the end of two adjacent yard areas;

[0011] Initiate an exclusive zone application, the exclusive zone being used to control the location of the exclusive zone, maintain a safe distance between yard bridges laterally, and prohibit IGV passage longitudinally;

[0012] Exclusive zone confirmed in effect;

[0013] The execution yard bridge automatically transfers to the street and releases its exclusive zone upon reaching the destination area.

[0014] The technical effects of this invention include:

[0015] 1. The dispatching system analyzes the operational conflicts between the yard crane and the IGV in advance, and rationally dispatches the IGV to avoid them, thereby improving the operational efficiency of the IGV.

[0016] 2. The dispatching system analyzes the operational conflicts between yard cranes in advance and dispatches yard cranes to avoid them, so as to avoid affecting the relocation and crossing of yard cranes.

[0017] 3. The entire process is calculated and scheduled by the system, reducing manual intervention and improving the efficiency of dock operations. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of an automated container terminal crane transfer and street crossing method according to the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the activation of the exclusive zone in this invention.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the VMS exclusive area avoidance process of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the obstacle avoidance process of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the invention. To better illustrate the following embodiments, some parts in the drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced, and do not represent the actual product dimensions; it is understandable to those skilled in the art that some well-known structures and their descriptions may be omitted in the drawings.

[0023] In automated container terminals, the yard area is responsible for receiving and dispatching containers. Layout-wise, the yard is divided into multiple zones, each with multiple rack cranes (ASCs). ASCs are equipped with automatic control functions and are responsible for handling, placing, and moving containers. The yard is generally laid out laterally, allowing the rack cranes to move horizontally. The yard is an enclosed area where IGVs (Inlet Vehicles) can operate automatically. Entering the yard and reaching the rack crane requires navigating longitudinal lanes between two adjacent zones, and exiting the yard also requires navigating longitudinal lanes between two adjacent zones.

[0024] In automated terminals with a transverse layout in the yard, yard cranes need to be moved across the street. During the relocation and street crossing process, they will occupy the longitudinal traffic lanes and conflict with passing IGVs. In addition, after the yard crane is moved, there may also be a positional conflict with the yard cranes in the new yard. Therefore, before the yard crane initiates a relocation and street crossing application, it is necessary to determine in advance whether the above conflicts exist and to use the dispatching system to dispatch the yard crane or IGV in advance to avoid the conflict.

[0025] This embodiment provides an automated method for transferring container terminal cranes across streets, such as... Figure 1 The methods include:

[0026] S100: Request to relocate across the street to the destination area;

[0027] S102: Confirm that the destination area for the transfer bridge across the street is not the same as the original area;

[0028] S104: Trigger the yard crane relocation and street crossing operation task, and drive the yard crane truck to the relocation and street crossing waiting position, which is located at the end of two adjacent yard areas;

[0029] S106: Initiate a special zone application, wherein the special zone is used to control the location of the special zone to maintain a safe distance between yard bridges laterally and to prohibit IGV passage longitudinally;

[0030] S108: Exclusive zone confirmed to be active;

[0031] S110: Executes automatic transfer of the yard bridge across the street, and releases the exclusive zone after reaching the destination yard area.

[0032] In this embodiment, the rail-mounted gantry crane under the yard crane is used for container operations. When transferring containers across the street, the following conditions must be met, including:

[0033] The track-mounted sling box is not permitted to be moved across the street.

[0034] Before the exclusive zone takes effect, no relocation or street crossing is permitted.

[0035] If the application for relocation to cross the street is not approved within the specified time, the application will be cancelled and an error will be reported.

[0036] If the exclusive area is not released within the timeout period, an error will be reported.

[0037] When the container is being picked up by the rail-mounted gantry crane and the operation is still in progress, a transfer across the street should not be performed. In this embodiment, before performing a transfer across the street, the exclusive zone needs to be confirmed as active, i.e., the exclusive zone is blocked to avoid collisions with passing IGVs when the yard crane is transferring across the street. When the yard crane applies for a transfer across the street, the application has a time limit. If the application is not approved after the set time limit, the transfer across the street application should be cancelled, and the disapproval should be reported to the system. After the transfer across the street is completed, the restrictions on the exclusive zone should be lifted in a timely manner. If the exclusive zone is not released for a long time, it will affect the load of the dispatching in that area and may even affect the entire dispatching system.

[0038] In some embodiments, before a yard crane applies for a relocation crossing, the load on the yard cranes in the destination yard is greater than a preset value. This load is determined by the number of IGVs waiting for the yard crane, while the yard crane has no operational tasks in its original yard. This preset value needs to be set based on the actual workload of the terminal, with the aim of balancing the operational tasks of yard cranes in different yards. As mentioned in this embodiment, the number of IGVs waiting for the yard crane is used as the criterion. When the number of IGVs waiting for the yard crane exceeds the preset value, it is considered that the yard crane is under heavy load and requires support from yard cranes in other adjacent yards. Conversely, when the yard crane has no operational tasks within a certain time frame, it is considered to be in an idle state and can apply for a relocation crossing.

[0039] Preferably, the end positions of the two adjacent field areas are set to 40 feet.

[0040] In some embodiments, the method further includes setting a timer;

[0041] A timer is used to control the maximum confirmation time for the exclusive zone to take effect; if the timer is exceeded, an error is reported. A timer is also used to control the time it takes for the exclusive zone to be released.

[0042] Because the entire terminal management process, especially automated terminal management, involves 24-hour continuous operation, if the relocation and crossing operations within the yard are not completed for an extended period, other operations will be unable to be completed on time. This embodiment addresses this issue by setting a timer, specifically defining the maximum value of the confirmation time for the exclusive zone to take effect and the release time for the exclusive zone, thereby reducing the impact on overall operations when relocation and crossing operations are not completed for an extended period.

[0043] In some embodiments, the exclusive zone first controls the lateral maintenance of a safe distance between yard cranes, and a buffer time is established in the exclusive zone. When the yard cranes are moving across the street, it is first determined whether the lateral yard cranes are maintaining a safe distance. When the yard cranes are moving from the original yard area to the destination yard area, the yard cranes moving across the street must maintain a safe distance from the yard cranes in the destination yard area to avoid affecting the normal operation of the yard cranes in the destination yard area.

[0044] like Figure 4 When applying for a dedicated storage area, the BMS will handle the yard crane avoidance. It will determine whether there is enough space for crossing the street based on the positions of different yard cranes on the same line. If there is enough space, the BMS will dispatch the yard crane to cross the street. If there is not enough space, the BMS will suspend the yard crane's transfer to cross the street and wait for the yard crane of the new storage yard to give way at the "crossing waiting position". If the distance between ASC1 and ASC2 at the "crossing waiting position" of yard B is less than the safe distance, the BMS will make ASC1 wait at the "crossing waiting position" of yard A, and at the same time dispatch ASC2 to give way. After ASC2 gives way, ASC1 will continue to transfer to cross the street.

[0045] Preferably, the safe distance between the transverse yard cranes is 32 meters, comprising 10 20-foot bay bays. In terms of time, a buffer period is established for the exclusive zone. Because the entire terminal operation is a large system, there are time delays in the interaction between subsystems, and human factors can also affect the system, preventing the scheduling system from completing tasks entirely within the predetermined time. Therefore, a buffer period is added for tasks in the exclusive zone; if completed ahead of schedule, feedback can be given to the scheduling system in advance, releasing resources. In summary, during yard crane relocation and street crossing operations, both spatial and temporal safeguards are implemented to ensure the smooth completion of the operation.

[0046] In some embodiments, the method for confirming the exclusive zone's effectiveness includes:

[0047] IGVs already in the exclusive zone are allowed to pass through, and VMS will schedule IGVs to leave in advance;

[0048] For IGVs that have generated a path but have not yet reached the exclusive zone, VMS needs to calculate the IGV's transit time and the field bridge's arrival time.

[0049] When the IGV's transit time is greater than or equal to the arrival time of the field bridge, the VMS needs to replan the path and schedule the IGV to avoid it. This is done by calculating the time it takes for the IGV to reach the destination field area after waiting for the exclusive zone to be released along the original path and the time it takes to reach the destination field area by replanning the path.

[0050] If the duration of the new IGV path is less than the duration of the original IGV path, VMS will schedule according to the new path;

[0051] If the new IGV route duration is greater than or equal to the original IGV route duration, the VMS will schedule according to the original route, comparing the IGV arrival time with the yard crane transfer and street crossing time.

[0052] If the arrival time of IGV is greater than or equal to the crossing time of the yard bridge, VMS can normally schedule IGV to arrive at the exclusive zone.

[0053] If the arrival time of the IGV is less than the time for the yard crane to cross the street, the VMS needs to control the IGV to decelerate so that the arrival time of the IGV is greater than or equal to the time for the yard crane to cross the street.

[0054] Specifically, before the bridge can perform a relocation and pedestrian crossing task, the BMS needs to initiate an exclusive zone application, such as... Figure 2 Generate a preset exclusive zone, determine whether the current position of the IGV conflicts with the exclusive zone. When the current position of the IGV is on the field bridge track, the preset exclusive zone is not effective. When the current position of the IGV is not on the field bridge track, the preset exclusive zone is effective.

[0055] When the yard cranes are moving across the street within the automated area, there may be mutual interference between yard cranes and between the yard cranes and IGVs. Therefore, the BMS and VMS need to coordinate their operations to avoid conflicts.

[0056] When applying for a dedicated zone, VMS will perform a dedicated zone avoidance process. Based on the IGV's current path, it will calculate the arrival time of the IGV and the field bridge to the dedicated zone to determine if a conflict will occur. If a conflict occurs, the IGV will be scheduled to avoid the conflict in advance. Figure 3 This includes the following:

[0057] IGVs already within the exclusive zone are allowed to pass through. VMS will schedule IGVs to leave in advance to avoid conflicts caused by IGVs remaining in the exclusive zone. Figure 2 Before the bridge reaches the "street crossing waiting position" of field B, the VMS will dispatch the IGV in the exclusive zone to leave the exclusive zone.

[0058] For IGVs that have generated a path but have not yet reached the exclusive zone, the VMS needs to calculate the time it takes for the IGV to pass through the exclusive zone and the time it takes for the yard bridge to reach the "street crossing waiting position," and compare and analyze whether the IGV is allowed to pass. The calculation formula is as follows:

[0059] IGV transit time = (IGV distance to exclusive zone + Exclusive zone length) / IGV average speed

[0060] Arrival time of the yard bridge = Distance from the yard bridge to the "street crossing waiting position" / Speed ​​of the large vehicle at the yard bridge

[0061] When the IGV's transit time is less than the field bridge's arrival time, the IGV and field bridge will not conflict. The VMS will schedule the IGV according to the original path, allowing it to pass through the exclusive zone. Figure 2 As shown, the IGV had already passed through the exclusive zone before the bridge reached the "street crossing waiting position" of the B area.

[0062] When the passing time of the IGV ≥ the arrival time of the RTG, there will be a conflict between the IGV and the RTG. The VMS needs to re-plan the path to schedule the IGV to avoid it. By calculating the time for the IGV to reach the destination position after waiting for the exclusive area to be released along the original path and the time for the IGV to reach the destination position after re-planning the path, a comparison is made to determine how to avoid it. The calculation formula is as follows:

[0063] IGV arrival time = Distance of the IGV to reach the exclusive area / Average speed of the IGV

[0064] RTG transfer across the road time = Distance between yards across the road / RTG trolley speed + Time for the RTG to pre-occupy the channel when crossing the road

[0065] RTG pre-occupation time for crossing the road: Used to calculate whether the release of the exclusive area is overdue. It is the redundant time that needs to be added extra for the RTG to transfer across the road

[0066] IGV original path time = Distance of the IGV's original path / Average speed of the IGV + RTG transfer across the road time

[0067] IGV new path time = Distance of the IGV's new path / Average speed of the IGV

[0068] If the IGV new path time < IGV original path time, the VMS schedules according to the new path, and the IGV avoids the exclusive area and detours to reach the destination position. As Figure 2 shown, the IGV makes a U-turn at the intersection to bypass the exclusive area and travels along the new path to reach the destination position.

[0069] If the IGV new path time ≥ IGV original path time, the VMS schedules according to the original path. In this case, there are two situations:

[0070] IGV arrival time ≥ RTG transfer across the road time

[0071] IGV arrival time < RTG transfer across the road time

[0072] When the IGV arrival time ≥ RTG transfer across the road time, when the IGV reaches the exclusive area, the RTG has completed the transfer across the road, and the IGV is not affected. The VMS can normally schedule the IGV to reach the exclusive area without deceleration, and the IGV travels along the original path to reach the destination position.

[0073] If the IGV arrival time < RTG transfer across the road time, when the IGV reaches the exclusive area, the RTG has not completed the transfer across the road. To avoid congestion caused by the IGV waiting at the exclusive area intersection, the VMS needs to control the IGV to decelerate so that the IGV arrival time is exactly equal to the RTG transfer across the road time. Then, the speed calculation formula of the IGV is as follows:

[0074] IGV arrival time = RTG transfer across the road time

[0075] IGV speed = IGV distance to exclusive zone / time for yard bridge to cross the street

[0076] In some embodiments, after releasing the exclusive zone, in order to minimize the impact on the scheduling plans of other IGVs, when multiple IGVs are prohibited from passing, a new path is planned for the second IGV to resume passage, avoiding the exclusive zone.

[0077] In some embodiments, the method further includes the field bridge returning to the original field area and setting a return transfer crossing waiting position. The field bridge waits at the return transfer crossing waiting position until there is no IGV scheduling task at the transfer crossing waiting position and then performs the return.

[0078] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the technical solution of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the specific implementation of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the claims of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for automating the transfer and crossing of container terminal cranes, characterized in that, The method includes: Request to relocate across the street to the destination area; Confirm that the destination area for the relocation and street crossing is not the same as the original site area; Trigger the yard crane relocation and pedestrian crossing operation task, and drive the yard crane truck to the relocation and pedestrian crossing waiting position, which is located at the end of two adjacent yard areas; Initiate an exclusive zone application, the exclusive zone being used to control the location of the exclusive zone, maintain a safe distance between yard bridges laterally, and prohibit IGV passage longitudinally; The method for confirming the exclusive zone's effectiveness includes: IGVs already in the exclusive zone are allowed to pass through, and VMS will schedule IGVs to leave in advance; For IGVs that have generated a path but have not yet reached the exclusive zone, VMS needs to calculate the IGV's transit time and the field bridge's arrival time. When the IGV's transit time is greater than or equal to the arrival time of the field bridge, the VMS needs to replan the path and schedule the IGV to avoid it. This is done by calculating the time it takes for the IGV to reach the destination field area after waiting for the exclusive zone to be released along the original path and the time it takes to reach the destination field area by replanning the path. If the duration of the new IGV path is less than the duration of the original IGV path, VMS will schedule according to the new path; If the new IGV route duration is greater than or equal to the original IGV route duration, the VMS will schedule according to the original route, comparing the IGV arrival time with the yard crane transfer and street crossing time. If the arrival time of IGV is greater than or equal to the crossing time of the yard bridge, VMS can normally schedule IGV to arrive at the exclusive zone. If the arrival time of the IGV is less than the time for the yard crane to cross the street, the VMS needs to control the IGV to decelerate so that the arrival time of the IGV is greater than or equal to the time for the yard crane to cross the street. The automatic relocation and street crossing method for the yard bridge involves releasing the exclusive zone after reaching the destination yard area. The container is not allowed to be moved across the street while in its original condition; Before the exclusive zone takes effect, no relocation or street crossing is permitted. If the application for relocation to cross the street is not approved within the specified time, the application will be cancelled and an error will be reported. If the exclusive area is not released within the timeout period, an error will be reported.

2. The method for transferring and crossing pedestrian access at an automated container terminal crane according to claim 1, characterized in that, The exclusive zone first controls the lateral maintenance of a safe distance between the yard bridges, and a buffer period is set in the exclusive zone.

3. The method for transferring and crossing pedestrian access at an automated container terminal crane according to claim 1, characterized in that, The safe distance between the transverse yard bridges is 32 meters or 10 20-foot bays.

4. The method for transferring and crossing pedestrian crossings of automated container terminal cranes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The end positions of the two adjacent field areas are set at 40 feet.

5. The method for transferring and crossing pedestrian overpasses at an automated container terminal as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Before the yard crane applies for relocation to cross the street, the load of the yard crane in the destination yard area is greater than a preset value. The load is determined by the number of IGVs waiting for the yard crane, and at the same time, the yard crane has no work tasks in the original yard area.

6. The method for transferring and crossing pedestrian access at an automated container terminal crane according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method also includes setting a timer; The confirmation time for the exclusive zone to take effect is equipped with a timer to control the maximum confirmation time for the exclusive zone to take effect. If the timer is exceeded, an error is reported. The exclusive zone release is equipped with a timer to control how long the exclusive zone is released.

7. The method for transferring and crossing pedestrian crossings of automated container terminal cranes according to claim 1, characterized in that, After releasing the exclusive zone, if multiple IGVs are prohibited from passing, a new path is planned for the second IGV to resume passage, avoiding the exclusive zone.

8. The method for transferring and crossing pedestrian access at an automated container terminal crane according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method also includes the yard bridge returning to the original yard area, setting a return transfer crossing waiting position, the yard bridge waiting at the return transfer crossing waiting position, and performing the return when there is no IGV scheduling task at the transfer crossing waiting position.

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