Automatic container wharf IGV passing method

Abstract

The invention relates to an automatic container wharf IGV passing method which reduces bypassing during IGV operation and has the effects of energy conservation and emission reduction. The method comprises the steps that the IGV applies for an upper gear, and the upper gear is that the IGV goes to a front shore bridge from a transverse road through an upper gear channel on the shore; the scheduling system judges whether the IGV up-shift operation is allowed or not, wherein the judgment is determined based on whether a quay crane operation position is idle or not; if the dispatching system does not allow the IGV to move up to work, the IGV goes to a temporary parking space, and the temporary parking space is close to a shoreside channel of the work quay crane; after the up-shift condition is met, the IGV goes to the quay crane operation position from the temporary parking space; and resetting the temporary parking space state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of automated terminal management, and in particular to an IGV passage method for an automated container terminal. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of my country's economy, the development of intelligent high-tech industries and the influence of the global trend of terminal automation, automated terminals are being built in various parts of my country. The biggest difference between automated terminals and traditional terminals is that traditional terminals use manned trailers, while automated terminals use various types of unmanned intelligent trailers. Unlike traditional terminals where trailer drivers judge the path and timing of travel based on experience, intelligent guided vehicles (IGVs) are uniformly dispatched and controlled by a dispatching system and a vehicle management system.

[0003] Under the existing barge operation mechanism, when the IGV arrives near the upper gear channel on the barge, it will apply for an upper gear operation. If the dispatcher fails to allow the IGV to operate in the scheduled time, the IGV will apply for an upper gear channel and a lower gear channel to bypass under the quay crane. When bypassing, it will use the upper and lower gear channels and the front lane, which will also occupy the IGV allocation of the quay crane, affecting the front and cross-road traffic flow, and also affecting the supply of IGVs for barge operations. When the IGV bypasses, it consumes a lot of unnecessary electricity, reduces the IGV's endurance time, and indirectly reduces the number of IGVs that can be dispatched per unit time. In extreme cases, there may be no IGVs available to operate under the quay crane, affecting operating efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention aims to overcome at least one defect of the above-mentioned prior art and provide an IGV passage method for an automated container terminal. By setting up temporary parking spaces, the detour during IGV operation is reduced, thereby achieving the effect of energy saving and emission reduction.

[0005] The present invention provides an IGV passage method for an automated container terminal, the method comprising:

[0006] The IGV applies for upshifting, which means that the IGV goes from Hengyi Road through the upshift channel on the shore to the front quay crane;

[0007] The dispatching system determines whether to allow the IGV to operate in an upshift mode, and the determination is based on whether the quay crane operation position is idle;

[0008] If the dispatching system does not allow the IGV to operate in the upper gear, the IGV goes to a temporary parking space close to the shore channel of the operating quay crane;

[0009] After the upshift condition is met, the IGV moves from the temporary parking space to the quay crane operation space;

[0010] Reset temporary parking space status.

[0011] Furthermore, the temporary parking space is located on one side of the upper gear passage.

[0012] Furthermore, the temporary parking space is used for temporarily parking IGVs by multiple operating quay cranes.

[0013] Furthermore, the method includes the IGV parked in the temporary parking space applying for shifting at a fixed time, and the dispatching system confirming the shifting conditions, wherein the conditions include:

[0014] The operating quay crane has an idle operating position;

[0015] The other IGVs on the horizontal route have not applied for the quay crane operation position corresponding to the quay crane;

[0016] The IGVs parked in the temporary parking spaces are shifted up to the quay crane operation positions in a specified order.

[0017] Further, resetting the temporary parking space status includes:

[0018] If the temporary parking space does not have an IGV parked within a preset time, the temporary parking space is reset.

[0019] Furthermore, the method further comprises, before the upshift,

[0020] The dispatching system assigns the IGV to the corresponding operating quay crane;

[0021] When arriving at Hengyi Road, the dispatching system confirms whether the temporary parking space is occupied. If the temporary parking space is occupied, the idle time of the temporary parking space is estimated;

[0022] The IGV confirms when to go to the temporary parking space according to the budget time.

[0023] Furthermore, the method also includes providing temporary parking spaces on both sides of the downshift channel for temporarily parking the IGV when the IGV passes through the downshift channel from the front quay crane.

[0024] Furthermore, the method further comprises:

[0025] Priority levels are set for IGVs applying for shifting channels and temporary parking spaces, and the dispatching system shifts them in sequence according to the priority levels, and the priority levels can be set manually.

[0026] Furthermore, the priority level is set according to the channel type, the waiting time, and the IGVs that have been shifted in and out of gear multiple times due to the lack of free temporary parking spaces.

[0027] Furthermore, an automatic charging device is provided in the temporary parking space for performing emergency limited charging on the IGV parked in the temporary parking space.

[0028] The technical effects produced by the present invention include:

[0029] 1. The solution of waiting in temporary parking spaces is adopted to reduce the unnecessary detours of IGV during operation.

[0030] 2. Reduce the occupation of working channels and reduce the traffic flow at the front and cross roads.

[0031] 3. It has the effect of energy saving and emission reduction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 The present invention is a flow chart of an IGV passage method for an automated container terminal.

[0033] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the working area of ​​the present invention.

[0034] Figure 3 This is the flowchart of the IGV application of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 4 This is a flow chart of the IGV upshift in a temporary parking space according to the present invention.

[0036] The accompanying drawings of the present invention are marked as follows: 1: front of the wharf; 2: quay crane; 3: shore channel; 4: upper gear channel; 5: lower gear channel; 6: temporary parking space; 7: horizontal road. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The drawings of the present invention are only for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. In order to better illustrate the following embodiments, some parts of the drawings may be omitted, enlarged or reduced, and do not represent the size of the actual product; it is understandable to those skilled in the art that some well-known structures and their descriptions in the drawings may be omitted.

[0038] This embodiment provides an automated container terminal IGV passage method, such as Figure 1 , the method comprising:

[0039] S100: the IGV applies for upshifting, wherein the IGV goes from Hengyi Road 7 through the upshift channel 4 on the shore to the front quay crane 2;

[0040] S102: The dispatching system determines whether to allow the IGV to operate in an upshift mode, and the determination is based on whether the operating position of the quay crane 2 is idle;

[0041] S104: If the dispatching system does not allow the IGV to operate in an upshift mode, the IGV goes to a temporary parking space 6, which is close to the shore channel 3 of the operating quay crane 2;

[0042] S106: After the upshift condition is met, the IGV moves from the temporary parking space 6 to the quay crane 2 operation space;

[0043] S108: Reset the status of temporary parking space 6.

[0044] Specifically, Figure 2 In modern ports, the degree of automation of terminals is getting higher and higher. Among them, an intelligent guided vehicle (abbreviated as "IGV") is used to transport containers between the terminal front 1 and the yard. The intelligent guided vehicle is uniformly dispatched and controlled by a dispatching system and a vehicle management system. Because the IGV is automatic, it travels in a specific area and its route is also planned. In order to enable the IGV to operate in an orderly manner between the terminal front 1 and the yard, a unified upper gear channel 4 and lower gear channel 5 are used. The round-trip IGV must pass through the upper gear channel 4 from the horizontal first road 7 of the yard to reach the front quay crane 2. After the operation is completed, it enters the horizontal first road 7 from the lower gear channel 5 for further transportation to the yard.

[0045] During barge operation, when the ship approaches the dock front 1, the dock's automated management system will initiate a transportation operation task, and the dispatching system will dispatch the IGV involved in the task. The actual operation is to control the IGV to go to the dock front 1 to collect or deliver containers through the vehicle control system.

[0046] From the perspective of the layout of the terminal, the whole is divided into ships, the terminal front 1, the shore channel 3 and the yard. Taking the IGV receiving containers as an example, the dispatching system assigns the vehicle management system to control the IGV from the yard horizontal road 7, through the upper gear channel 4 of the shore channel 3, and enter the corresponding quay crane 2 operation position at the terminal front 1. The quay crane 2 operation position is located in the area below the quay crane 2 large vehicle position. The quay crane 2 lifts the container on the ship onto the IGV, and the IGV returns to the horizontal road 7 through the lower gear channel 5 of the shore channel 3, and then continues to transport the container to the corresponding yard for storage. Among them, the shore channel 3 is located between the terminal front 1 and the horizontal road 7. The area of ​​this area is limited, especially for large terminals. There are as many as dozens of quay cranes 2 at the terminal front 1, and the shore channel 3 must be passed to the shore channel 3 to receive containers from the quay crane 2. In the prior art, the shore channel 3 is divided into a fixed upper gear channel 4 and a lower gear channel 5, such as 10 lanes each for the upper and lower gear channels. The passing IGV passes through the designated upper gear channel 4 and lower gear channel 5 according to the dispatching system.

[0047] When the IGV receives the task of going to the front 1 of the wharf to collect containers, after arriving at Hengyi Road 7, the IGV applies to the dispatching system for upshifting, that is, passing through the upshift channel 4 to enter the front 1 of the wharf. When one or more quay cranes 2 are operating at the same time, due to busy business and complex dispatching, and it takes time for the quay crane 2 to release the containers and the IGV to collect the containers, when the IGV applies for upshifting, the quay crane 2 has no idle operating position and refuses to upshift the IGV. It needs to wait until the corresponding quay crane 2 operation is completed before the upshift operation can be arranged. At this time, the IGV will apply for upshifting again, and at the same time apply for downshifting, enter the front 1 of the wharf from the upshift channel 4, pass through the idle front quay crane 2 lane, go directly to the downshift channel 5, and enter Hengyi Road 7. This process bypasses the entire operation route, which not only wastes dispatching resources, but also causes potential interference to existing operation tasks. For example, when passing through the front quay crane 2 lane, it may conflict with the IGV that is operating, causing scheduling confusion and congestion. Furthermore, the containers loaded by the IGV are heavy and require a lot of electricity to transport, and detouring is a meaningless waste of the IGV's electricity.

[0048] In this embodiment, when an IGV applies for a shift, the dispatching system determines whether the quay crane 2 corresponding to the IGV has an idle work position at this time. When applying for a shift, all the work positions of the quay crane 2 have IGVs at this time. At this time, the feedback to the IGV is that it cannot go to the quay crane 2 to collect containers. In one case, the ongoing operation task is about to end. If the IGV receives feedback from the dispatching system that it cannot meet the container collection, it will pass through the dock front 1 from the upper shift channel 4 and then downshift from the lower shift channel 5. After applying for a shift, if the IGV is still not allowed to shift after the scheduled time, the temporary parking space will be occupied and a detour will be required. If the scheduled time exceeded is very small, and the task in operation is about to end, the IGV that is not working after the task is completed can shift normally without detouring. If a budget assessment is performed in advance, the IGV can be arranged to an idle temporary parking space at a specified time to avoid detouring. The time when the IGV applies for a shift and the situation of other IGVs based on the operation task of the same quay crane 2 at the time of application are the biggest influencing factors. In this embodiment, it is proposed that:

[0049] Specifically, before the shift is up, it also includes:

[0050] The dispatching system assigns the IGV to the corresponding operating quay crane 2;

[0051] When arriving at Hengyi Road 7, the dispatching system confirms whether the temporary parking space 6 is occupied. If the temporary parking space 6 is occupied, the idle time of the temporary parking space 6 is estimated;

[0052] The IGV confirms when to go to the temporary parking space 6 according to the estimated time.

[0053] The budget time mentioned in this embodiment is realized based on the time when the IGV applies for the shift and the situation of other IGVs in the same quay crane 2 operating task when applying. For example, the busyness of the terminal operating task is integrated to set the time before arriving at the shift channel 4 to apply for the IGV shift, and the time is adjustable. The situation of other IGVs in the operating task of the same quay crane 2 can be obtained based on the IGVs dispatched by the dispatching system as a whole. If there is already an IGV heading to the quay crane 2 operating position when applying, it should be taken into account in the confirmation factor of the budget time.

[0054] When the dispatching system does not allow the IGV that has applied for the shift to shift up, this problem can be solved by providing a temporary parking space 6 on the shore channel 3. Specifically:

[0055] A certain free channel in the shore channel 3 is set as a temporary parking space 6. When the IGV is refused to shift up, the temporary parking space 6 allows the IGV to drive to the temporary parking space 6 first, without having to apply for shift up or down to make a detour. Because the IGV parked in the temporary parking space 6 will continue to go to the operating position of the quay crane 2 at the front of the wharf 1 sooner or later, the temporary parking space 6 should be on the side of the shift channel 4. When receiving the instruction to continue shifting up, the IGV can reach the operating position of the quay crane 2 in the shortest time.

[0056] In some embodiments, the temporary parking space 6 can also be set on both sides of the intersection of the quay crane 2 and the shore channel 3, so that it is closest to the quay crane 2, and the IGV has the function of two-way driving, which can further improve the working efficiency.

[0057] In some embodiments, the temporary parking space 6 is used to temporarily park the IGV between two adjacent operating quay cranes 2. For example, the temporary parking space 6 is set between two quay cranes 2, and the temporary parking space 6 can provide temporary parking services for the two quay cranes 2 at the same time. When the operating task is not particularly busy, or when one is busy and the other is idle, the temporary parking space 6 can play the role of sharing resources.

[0058] In some embodiments, a priority level is set for IGVs applying for the upper gear channel 4 and the temporary parking space 6, and the dispatching system is shifted in turn according to the priority level, and the priority level can be set by manual intervention. This embodiment is proposed based on the demand for manual intervention operations. In the actual operation process, the automation of terminal operations is a major trend, but full automation has not yet been achieved at the current stage. Under the influence of special tasks, IGV vehicle failures, emergencies and weather, barge operations are in progress, and there is still human monitoring and intervention behind the automated operations. Therefore, in this embodiment, a priority level is set for IGVs applying for the upper gear channel 4 and the temporary parking space 6. If a special container needs to be transported in priority, the priority level can be adjusted to achieve it.

[0059] Specifically, the priority level is set according to the channel type, the waiting time, and the IGVs that have been shifted in and out of gear multiple times due to the lack of vacant temporary parking spaces 6 .

[0060] In some embodiments, the temporary parking space 6 is provided with an automatic charging device for emergency limited charging of the IGV parked in the temporary parking space 6. Charging can be performed during the waiting process. Since the charging device has certain risks and the shore channel 3 is an important area, only limited charging is provided in emergency situations to ensure that the transportation task can be successfully completed.

[0061] In some embodiments, Figure 3 , when the IGV reaches the vicinity of the upper gear channel 4, the dispatching system determines whether the basic conditions for the IGV to shift up are met based on the operation information of the quay crane 2, the IGV information, the task information, etc. If yes, the IGV applies for the upper gear channel 4 according to the channel load balancing principle, and shifts from the selected upper gear channel 4 to the quay crane 2 operation position; if not, the IGV will look for an idle temporary parking space 6 within a certain range around it. If a suitable temporary parking space 6 can be selected, it will occupy the temporary parking space 6, and other IGVs are not allowed to select the temporary parking space 6, and then plan the path to the temporary parking space 6 and wait in the temporary parking space 6. If an idle temporary parking space 6 is not selected, the IGV can only select an upper gear channel 4 to shift into the front lane, and then select a suitable lower gear channel 5 to enter Hengyi Road 7, and then go to the upper gear channel 4 along the traffic flow to apply for shifting again.

[0062] In some embodiments, Figure 4 After the shift-up conditions are met, the IGV moves from the temporary parking space 6 to the operation space of the quay crane 2. The IGV parked in the temporary parking space 6 applies for shift-up regularly, and the dispatching system confirms the shift-up conditions, which include:

[0063] The operating quay crane 2 has an idle operating position;

[0064] The other IGVs on the horizontal road 7 have not applied for the quay crane 2 operation position corresponding to the operating quay crane;

[0065] Among the IGVs currently applying for the same operation quay crane 2, the IGVs parked in the temporary parking space 6 are shifted to the quay crane operation space in the specified order;

[0066] The IGV occupies the operating position and goes to the operating position of the quay crane 2.

[0067] After arriving at the temporary parking space 6, the IGV will apply to enter the working position of the quay crane 2 in each scheduling cycle. If there is an empty working position under the operating quay crane 2 at this time and the operating conditions are met, it will first determine whether there are other IGVs on the horizontal road 7 that want to go to the operating quay crane 2 and are applying for uploading. If so, the IGV on the horizontal road 7 will be given priority to upload and go to the working position of the quay crane 2 for operation; if not, the IGV parked in the temporary parking space 6 will be uploaded to the working position of the quay crane 2 in the specified order, and the IGV will be dispatched from the temporary parking space 6 to the working position of the quay crane 2 for operation. After the IGV has completely planned the path to leave the temporary parking space 6, the IGV will be released from the occupation of the temporary parking space 6; if not, the IGV will continue to wait for uploading at the temporary parking space 6.

[0068] If the IGV occupies temporary parking space 6 but has not yet entered temporary parking space 6, the path to temporary parking space 6 or the IGV task is cancelled, and the IGV's occupation of temporary parking space 6 will be released; if the IGV is waiting at temporary parking space 6, if the IGV task is cancelled, the IGV will stay and wait at temporary parking space 6 until the IGV receives other tasks. If the IGV staying at temporary parking space 6 receives an instruction to go to a non-quay crane 2 operating position, it will directly enter the front and downshift from the downshift channel 5 at the front to the target position; if the IGV staying at temporary parking space 6 receives an instruction to go to the quay crane 2 operating position and is allowed to shift up, the IGV will directly shift up from temporary parking space 6.

[0069] In some embodiments, when the IGV parked in the temporary parking space 6 leaves, the status of the temporary parking space 6 is reset.

[0070] Specifically, resetting the status of the temporary parking space 6 includes:

[0071] If no IGV is parked in the temporary parking space 6 within the preset time, the state of the temporary parking space 6 is reset.

[0072] In some embodiments, the method further includes providing temporary parking spaces 6 on both sides of the downshift channel 5 for temporarily parking the IGV when the IGV passes through the downshift channel 5 from the front quay crane 2 .

[0073] 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 methods of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the claims of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automated container terminal IGV passage method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The IGV applies for upshifting, which means that the IGV goes from Hengyi Road through the upshift channel on the shore to the front quay crane; The dispatching system determines whether to allow the IGV to operate in an upshift mode, and the determination is based on whether the quay crane operation position is idle; If the dispatching system does not allow the IGV to operate in the upper gear, the IGV goes to a temporary parking space close to the shore channel of the operating quay crane; After the upshift condition is met, the IGV moves from the temporary parking space to the quay crane operation space; Reset temporary parking space status.

2. The IGV passage method of an automated container terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The temporary parking space is located on one side of the upper gear passage.

3. The IGV passage method of an automated container terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The temporary parking space is used for temporarily parking IGVs by multiple operating quay cranes.

4. The IGV passage method of an automated container terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method includes the following steps: the IGV parked in the temporary parking space applies for shifting at a fixed time, and the dispatching system confirms the shifting conditions, wherein the conditions include: The operating quay crane has an idle operating position; The other IGVs on the horizontal route have not applied for the quay crane operation position corresponding to the quay crane; The IGVs parked in the temporary parking spaces are shifted up to the quay crane operation positions in a specified order.

5. The IGV passage method of an automated container terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The resetting of the temporary parking space status includes: If the temporary parking space does not have an IGV parked within a preset time, the temporary parking space is reset.

6. The IGV passage method of an automated container terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises, before the upshift, The dispatching system assigns the IGV to the corresponding operating quay crane; When arriving at Hengyi Road, the dispatching system confirms whether the temporary parking space is occupied. If the temporary parking space is occupied, the idle time of the temporary parking space is estimated; The IGV confirms when to go to the temporary parking space according to the budget time.

7. The IGV passage method of an automated container terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method also includes providing temporary parking spaces on both sides of the down-gear channel for temporarily parking the IGV when the IGV passes through the down-gear channel from the front quay crane.

8. The IGV passage method of an automated container terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Priority levels are set for IGVs applying for shifting channels and temporary parking spaces, and the dispatching system shifts them in sequence according to the priority levels, and the priority levels can be set manually.

9. The IGV passage method of an automated container terminal according to claim 8, characterized in that: The priority level is set according to the channel type, the waiting time, and the IGVs that have been shifted up and down multiple times due to the lack of free temporary parking spaces.

10. The IGV passage method of an automated container terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The temporary parking space is provided with an automatic charging device for emergency limited charging of the IGV parked in the temporary parking space.

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