A method for interactive operation of single cantilever rail-mounted gantry cranes and external container trucks at automated terminals with horizontal layouts in yards.

Abstract

This invention relates to a method for interactive operation between a single cantilever rail-mounted gantry crane (IGV) and external container trucks at a horizontally arranged automated terminal in a yard, to address the problem of insufficient external operation capacity at parallel-arranged automated terminals. The method includes: combining multiple adjacent yards into an interactive zone; designating the area within the yard closest to the IGV as an external container truck lane, the external container truck lane including at least one working lane and one overtaking lane; setting up a fence to isolate the travel paths of the IGV and the external container trucks from each other; designing the IGV's travel path as a loop around the interactive zone; arranging external container truck working lanes parallel to the IGV's working lanes within the interactive zone, and external container truck turning lanes perpendicular to the IGV's working lanes, the external container truck travel paths within the yard can form several unidirectional operation cycles.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of automated terminals, and more specifically to a method for interactive operation of a single cantilever rail-mounted gantry crane and external container trucks in an automated terminal with a horizontal layout in the yard. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, automated terminals are categorized into two types based on yard layout: perpendicular to the shoreline and parallel to the shoreline. Problems include limited operating area, requiring interaction zones to be located only in the yard furthest from the shoreline. These yards are unique, with a maximum length shorter than the shoreline, and containers do not directly reach the inner yard. When the number of containers exceeds storage capacity, they need to be moved to the inner yard, leading to two issues: firstly, a significant amount of additional lifting and horizontal transport tasks are generated along the operational path; secondly, external trucks passing through the interaction zone require numerous IGVs for horizontal movement, making it unsuitable for terminals with high interaction volumes. Frequent entry and exit of external trucks and crossing of intersections necessitates frequent maneuvering by IGVs, significantly reducing operational efficiency and posing safety risks. Furthermore, the extensive use of double-cantilever rail-mounted gantry cranes increases investment costs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention aims to overcome at least one of the defects of the prior art and provides a method for interactive operation between a single cantilever rail-mounted gantry crane and external container trucks at a horizontally arranged automated terminal in a yard, to solve the problem of insufficient external operation capacity of parallel-arranged automated terminals. This application proposes the following solution, including:

[0004] Combine multiple adjacent storage yards into one interactive zone;

[0005] The location near the single cantilever rail crane side in the yard is designated as an external container truck lane, which includes at least one working lane and one overtaking lane.

[0006] Fences were set up to isolate the travel paths of IGVs and external trucks from each other;

[0007] The IGV's driving path is designed as a loop, surrounding the interaction area;

[0008] The interaction area is arranged parallel to the single cantilever rail crane operation lane as an external container truck operation lane, and perpendicular to the single cantilever rail crane operation lane as an external container truck turning lane. The external container truck travel path can form several one-way operation cycles within the yard.

[0009] The technical effects of this invention include:

[0010] 1. All paths of IGV can form a loop, ensuring efficiency and preventing bottlenecks.

[0011] 2. IGVs do not intersect with external junction cards and are physically isolated from each other, resulting in good operational safety.

[0012] 3. The solution does not affect high-traffic areas of IGV such as intersections, and the IGV operation efficiency is high.

[0013] 4. The operation logic has been slightly modified. When the interactive yard is not in use for the time being, the interactive function can be turned off and it can be used as a regular yard.

[0014] 5. It can be combined with IGV operations to achieve direct loading and unloading.

[0015] 6. Improved trailer capacity and significantly enhanced interactive capabilities.

[0016] 7. The new interactive area allows for flexible allocation of single-cantilever rail-mounted cranes during operation.

[0017] 8. Using a single cantilever reduces investment costs and is suitable for the renovation of traditional terminals and the upgrading of existing automated terminals.

[0018] 9. Use the storage yard as the destination to reduce the number of cranes and horizontal transport. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a method for interactive operation between a single cantilever rail-mounted gantry crane and an external container truck at an automated terminal with a horizontal layout in a yard, according to the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the automated terminal yard operation of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the container area inside the yard and the routing of IGV and external container trucks according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the operation in the internal yard to external truck interaction area of ​​the present invention.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of the operation of the rail-mounted crane according to the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the cabinet pickup task of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of the cabinet return task of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0026] 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.

[0027] This application provides a method for interactive operation between a single cantilever rail-mounted gantry crane and external container trucks at an automated terminal with a horizontal layout in a yard, such as... Figure 2 In automated terminal yard operations, the main equipment involved includes rail-mounted gantry cranes, IGVs, and container trucks. The rail-mounted gantry cranes used in the method described are all single-cantilever rail-mounted gantry cranes, as shown in the attached drawings. Figure 1 The methods include:

[0028] Combine multiple adjacent storage yards into one interactive zone;

[0029] The location near the single cantilever rail crane side in the yard is designated as an external container truck lane, which includes at least one working lane and one overtaking lane.

[0030] Fences were set up to isolate the travel paths of IGVs and external trucks from each other;

[0031] The IGV's driving path is designed as a loop, surrounding the interaction area;

[0032] The interaction area is arranged parallel to the single cantilever rail crane operation lane as an external container truck operation lane, and perpendicular to the single cantilever rail crane operation lane as an external container truck turning lane. The external container truck travel path can form several one-way operation cycles within the yard.

[0033] In this embodiment, automated terminals typically have multiple yards, each used for different tasks based on its location and size. These yards are combined into a large interactive area, which functions as a single unit when interacting with external trucks, facilitating overall IGV and external truck scheduling. Several rows of IGVs near the cantilever side within each yard are adjusted to create dual-lane roads for external trucks, enabling multiple rail-mounted gantry cranes within the automated terminal to simultaneously interact with external trucks. The external trucks are designed with dual lanes within the rail system: one for operations and one for overtaking. If the terminal is busy, the number of lanes can be increased. When an external truck needs to overtake to a work position, it can switch to an adjacent lane, avoiding congestion caused by waiting. This combined layout of multiple yards and specialized road arrangements allows multiple rail-mounted gantry cranes to interact with external trucks simultaneously, significantly improving operational efficiency and workload, and enhancing the capacity to accommodate and operate external trucks.

[0034] In fully automated mode, the yard within the automated terminal only operates IGV cyclical operations and does not perform external truck interaction operations.

[0035] like Figure 3 and Figure 4First, fences are installed to physically separate the roads between IGVs and external container trucks, preventing IGVs from intersecting with and isolating them from each other. To avoid conflicts with the operating routes of external container trucks, the IGV's travel path is designed as a loop, with its trajectory circling the interaction zone formed by multiple container yards.

[0036] In some embodiments, the method for locating the external card includes:

[0037] A detection lane is set up, consisting of binocular depth cameras installed on both sides of the cantilever of a single cantilever rail crane. These cameras are perpendicular to the outer truck lane, at a height of 18m, and 24.5m apart, resulting in a baseline width of B=24.5m. Each camera has a resolution of 3840×2160, a focal length of f=30mm, and a sensor size of 7.2×5.3mm. The detection range is set to a total of 220m to the left and right of the lane beneath the cameras, with a frame rate of F=30fps. The vertical field of view is... When the focal length is f=30mm, °, frame rate 30fps.

[0038] The outer truck has a license plate number on its top;

[0039] When an external truck enters the detection lane, the binocular depth camera scans the truck's license plate number. After recognizing the number, the binocular depth camera acquires image information and transmits the image information to the video image processing server. The video image processing server calculates the external truck's position and speed.

[0040] The location and speed information of the external container trucks are sent to the TOS system (Dock Management System, hereinafter referred to as TOS) and the VMS system;

[0041] Once the external container truck reaches the target location, it is precisely guided by the container truck guidance system.

[0042] The method for calculating the location of the external card is as follows:

[0043] Set the left camera pixel coordinate position of the binocular depth camera to ( The pixel coordinates of the right camera are ( ). The optical center coordinates of the binocular depth camera were obtained through calibration. ); Set the baseline width to B; obtain the position of the outer container truck as the position of the single cantilever rail crane. ;

[0044] The method for calculating the speed of the external transport truck is as follows: , This represents the ratio of the displacement between two camera frames to the frame rate time interval. This represents the position of the outer card in the second frame. This represents the position of the outer card in the first frame, where F is the frame rate of the binocular depth camera.

[0045] In some embodiments, such as Figure 5 The methods also include:

[0046] The task information, including container pickup and container return tasks, is sent to the truck driver via a mobile communication device in front of the gate.

[0047] The truck driver receives task information from the mobile communication device and enters the corresponding dedicated area of ​​the yard to perform the task. The truck carrying the container enters the dedicated container exit area of ​​the yard, and the truck carrying the container return enters the dedicated container receiving area of ​​the yard.

[0048] Displays and loudspeakers are installed next to the truck lanes in the yard to indicate the parking position of the trucks. The trucks then drive to the target location based on the information provided by the displays and loudspeakers.

[0049] In some embodiments, such as Figure 6 The external container truck performing the container pickup task includes:

[0050] The external gate card enters the gate after obtaining task information via a mobile communication device.

[0051] The external container trucks arrive at the designated unloading area of ​​the yard according to the task information and instructions and wait in line.

[0052] After the external truck positioning and identification system of the single cantilever rail crane detects that the external truck has arrived in place, the video processing server sends the position information to TOS and VMS.

[0053] If the container being picked up is in the designated container unloading area of ​​the yard, the TOS will send an instruction to the single cantilever rail crane to move the container from the yard onto the external truck after receiving the arrival information from the video processing server.

[0054] If the container to be picked up is not in the dedicated container unloading area of ​​the yard, the VMS will receive the arrival information from the video processing server and plan a route for the IGV to transport the required container to the IGV lane corresponding to the external container truck. After the IGV arrives, the TOS will issue an instruction to the single cantilever rail-mounted gantry crane to put the container from the IGV onto the external container truck.

[0055] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7 The external collection card performs the cabinet return task including:

[0056] The external truck enters the gate after obtaining the mission target information through a mobile communication device;

[0057] According to the task information and instructions, the external container trucks arrive at the dedicated container receiving area of ​​the yard and queue up. When working in the dedicated container receiving area, the external container trucks queue up in the order of arrival. The single cantilever rail crane container receiving operation is based on the order of arrival of the external container trucks. The first external container truck to be done will be the first one to arrive. The large truck will not move if the yard of the working bay is not full.

[0058] Once the external container truck is in place, the external container truck positioning and identification system of the single cantilever rail crane detects that the external container truck has arrived, and the video processing server sends the position information to TOS and VMS.

[0059] If there are enough IGVs and the container carried by the external container truck is ready for direct loading, the VMS will receive the arrival information from the video processing server and plan a path for the IGV to wait in the corresponding IGV lane of the external container truck.

[0060] Once the IGV is in place, the TOS issues an instruction to the single cantilever rail-mounted gantry crane to place the container from the outer truck onto the IGV;

[0061] If the IGV is insufficient or the container carried by the external truck is not suitable for direct loading, the TOS will issue an instruction to the single cantilever rail crane to move the container from the external truck into the yard after receiving the arrival information from the video processing server.

[0062] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0063] When using IGV tracking for external container trucks, single-cantilever rail-mounted crane operations are based on the arrival order of the IGVs, with the first arriving IGV task being performed.

[0064] When operating in the dedicated container receiving area, unlike the ordinary area, external trucks are queued according to their arrival order. The rail-mounted crane container receiving operation is based on the arrival order of external trucks, and the first external truck to arrive is processed. If the working bay is not full, the main truck will not move, that is, the rail-mounted crane is used for fixed-point operation.

[0065] When implementing IGV tracking for external container trucks, whether receiving or unloading containers, the rail-mounted gantry crane operations are based on the arrival order of the IGVs, with the first arriving IGV performing the task. This achieves one lift, one transport, i.e., external container truck-single cantilever-IGV or IGV-single cantilever-external container truck. Compared to two lifts per transport (external container truck-single cantilever-yard-single cantilever-IGV or IGV-single cantilever-yard-single cantilever-external container truck), the lifting efficiency is significantly improved, and the waiting time for external container trucks in the queue can be reduced.

[0066] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0067] The interactive area and the track of the ordinary inner yard are connected on the same working line. When the single cantilever rail crane is working in the ordinary inner yard, it maintains a fully automatic operation mode. After the single cantilever rail crane is transferred to the interactive area, it automatically switches to a mixed operation mode according to the positioning of the single cantilever rail crane's trolley.

[0068] In the interactive operation mechanism between the rail-mounted gantry crane and external container trucks, the gantry crane can switch between fully automatic mode and hybrid operation mode. The interactive area and the rail of the ordinary internal yard are connected on the same operating line. When the rail-mounted gantry crane is operating in the ordinary internal yard, it maintains the fully automatic operation mode, that is, it operates fully automatically on the IGV cantilever side and inside the yard without manual intervention. After the rail-mounted gantry crane is transferred into the interactive area, it can automatically switch to hybrid operation mode according to the positioning of the rail-mounted gantry crane, that is, the positioning in the direction of the rail operating line. It performs semi-automatic operation on several rows of external container trucks in the yard. After scanning the container truck bracket, the rail-mounted gantry crane spreader lowers to a certain height and hovers, and then a person takes over to perform the final placement of the container onto the external container truck, ensuring the safety of the operation.

[0069] In fully automatic mode, the external truck identification and guidance system and the container vision recognition OCR system (recognition system, hereinafter referred to as OCR) are turned off. In mixed operation mode, the above systems are turned on automatically.

[0070] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0071] The external container truck can follow the IGV to the single cantilever rail-mounted crane operating lane. After the IGV locks onto the external container truck, it will follow the operation on the cantilever side of the single cantilever rail-mounted crane.

[0072] When loading or unloading containers, all external trucks follow the port gate in the order of arrival. The external truck identification and guidance system and the container visual recognition OCR system identify the number of external trucks entering the gate and the queue order. The VMS assigns an equal number of IGVs to work on the cantilever side of the single cantilever rail gantry crane.

[0073] In the "one crane, one transport" mode where the IGV locks onto the external truck, the interaction recognition of the external truck is completed by the video processing server - VMS. The external truck recognition and guidance function of the rail crane serves as an auxiliary verification. The external truck can follow the vehicle to the rail crane's working lane, and the IGV also locks onto the external truck and follows it on the cantilever side.

[0074] In the "one crane, one transport" mode, when loading or unloading containers, the external container trucks follow the port gate in the order of arrival. The external container truck identification and guidance system and the container visual recognition OCR system identify the number of external container trucks entering the gate and the queue order. The VMS (IGV fleet management system, hereinafter referred to as VMS) assigns an equal number of IGVs to work on the cantilever side of the rail gantry crane.

[0075] For example, if the order of the external trucks entering the gate is [a, b, c, d, e], the VMS synchronously assigns 5 IGVs to wait on the cantilever side for operation. Based on the external truck queue sequence code, their tasks are assigned as [a, b, c, d, e], and so on. If the external truck sequence is [a, c, d, e, b], the IGV locking task can be quickly synchronized and coded as [a, c, d, e, b]. Based on the positioning provided by the video processing server, the rail-mounted gantry crane and its locking IGVs can move to the corresponding operating area. After the rail-mounted gantry crane's LiDAR scans the external trucks, it obtains precise positioning coordinates. The locking IGVs can then move according to these scanned coordinates to achieve precise automated operation.

[0076] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0077] When multiple single-cantilever rail-mounted gantry cranes are operating at multiple bays, the interaction zone is divided into zones to restrict the entry of external trucks. External trucks are identified and classified in advance, and only external trucks of the same type are allowed to enter the interaction zone after the previous external truck of the same type has completed its operation.

[0078] In the normal container receiving mode in the interactive area, the rail-mounted gantry crane performs fixed-point operations. The interaction and identification of external container trucks is completed by the positioning card-BMS (the yard management system of the rail-mounted gantry crane). The external container truck identification and guidance function of the rail-mounted gantry crane serves as an auxiliary verification. The external container trucks follow the rail-mounted gantry crane to the working position to carry out the operation.

[0079] In the normal container unloading mode of the interactive area, with a single rail-mounted gantry crane operating, external trucks queue within a certain range of the designated unloading area. The BMS (Battery Management System) identifies the queue order based on the external truck location information provided by the video processing server. After the rail-mounted gantry crane grabs the container, it moves the trolley above the corresponding external truck. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) confirms the container placement and locks it with the external truck for unloading. Once the current external truck completes its unloading task, it can turn around and leave the interactive area, while subsequent external trucks follow and continue queuing.

[0080] In the normal container delivery mode of the interactive zone, when multiple rail-mounted gantry cranes are operating at multiple bays, the interactive zone implements zoned operation to restrict the entry of external trucks. External trucks are identified and classified in advance. For example, if there are 5 rail-mounted gantry cranes [A, B, C, D, E] operating ranges, the corresponding external trucks that need to enter these operating ranges are classified into 5 categories [a, b, c, d, e]. Category A external trucks are only allowed to enter the interactive zone after the previous Category A external truck has completed its operation. The 5 categories of external trucks [a, b, c, d, e] enter the interactive zone independently based on the operation time of the previous external truck of the same category, without affecting each other, thus ensuring the smooth operation of different areas of the interactive zone.

[0081] 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 interactive operation between a single cantilever rail-mounted gantry crane and external container trucks at an automated terminal with a horizontal layout in a yard, characterized in that, include: Combine multiple adjacent storage yards into one interactive zone; The location near the single cantilever rail crane side in the yard is designated as an external container truck lane, which includes at least one working lane and one overtaking lane. Fences were set up to isolate the travel paths of IGVs and external trucks from each other; The IGV's driving path is designed as a loop, surrounding the interaction area; The interaction area is arranged parallel to the single cantilever rail crane operation lane as an external container truck operation lane, and perpendicular to the single cantilever rail crane operation lane as an external container truck turning lane. The external container truck travel path can form several one-way operation cycles within the yard. The methods for locating external cards include: A detection lane is set up, wherein binocular depth cameras are installed on both sides of the cantilever of a single cantilever rail crane, and the binocular depth cameras are perpendicular to the outer truck lane. The outer truck has a license plate number on its top; When an external truck enters the detection lane, the binocular depth camera scans the truck's license plate number. After recognizing the number, the binocular depth camera acquires image information and transmits the image information to the video image processing server. The video image processing server calculates the external truck's position and speed. The location and speed information of the external collection card are sent to the TOS system and VMS system; Once the external container truck reaches the target location, it is precisely guided by the container truck guidance system. The method for calculating the location of the external transport card is as follows: Set the left camera pixel coordinate position of the binocular depth camera to ( The pixel coordinates of the right camera are ( ). The optical center coordinates of the binocular depth camera were obtained through calibration. ); Set the baseline width to B; obtain the position of the outer container truck as the position of the single cantilever rail crane. ; The method for calculating the speed of the external transport truck is as follows: , The The position of the outer card in frame t+1. Let F be the position of the outer card in the t-th frame, and F be the frame rate of the binocular depth camera. The interactive area and the track of the ordinary inner yard are connected on the same working line. When the single cantilever rail crane is working in the ordinary inner yard, it maintains a fully automatic operation mode. After the single cantilever rail crane is transferred to the interactive area, it automatically switches to a mixed operation mode according to the positioning of the single cantilever rail crane's trolley.

2. The method for interactive operation of a single cantilever rail-mounted gantry crane and external container trucks at an automated terminal with a horizontal layout in a yard, as described in claim 1, is characterized in that... Also includes: The task information, including container pickup and container return tasks, is sent to the truck driver via a mobile communication device in front of the gate. The truck driver receives task information from the mobile communication device and enters the corresponding dedicated area of ​​the yard to perform the task. The truck carrying the container enters the dedicated container exit area of ​​the yard, and the truck carrying the container return enters the dedicated container receiving area of ​​the yard. Displays and loudspeakers are installed next to the truck lanes in the yard to indicate the parking position of the trucks. The trucks then drive to the target location based on the information provided by the displays and loudspeakers.

3. A method for interactive operation of a single cantilever rail-mounted gantry crane and external container trucks at an automated terminal with a horizontal layout in a yard, as described in claim 2, is characterized in that... The external container truck's container pickup task includes: The external gate card enters the gate after obtaining task information via a mobile communication device. The external container trucks arrive at the designated unloading area of ​​the yard according to the task information and instructions and wait in line. After the external truck positioning and identification system of the single cantilever rail crane detects that the external truck has arrived in place, the video processing server sends the position information to TOS and VMS. If the container being picked up is in the designated container unloading area of ​​the yard, the TOS will send an instruction to the single cantilever rail crane to move the container from the yard onto the external truck after receiving the arrival information from the video processing server. If the container to be picked up is not in the dedicated container unloading area of ​​the yard, the VMS will receive the arrival information from the video processing server and plan a route for the IGV to transport the required container to the IGV lane corresponding to the external container truck. After the IGV arrives, the TOS will issue an instruction to the single cantilever rail-mounted gantry crane to put the container from the IGV onto the external container truck.

4. A method for interactive operation of a single cantilever rail-mounted gantry crane and external container trucks at an automated terminal with a horizontal layout in a yard, as described in claim 2, is characterized in that... The external truck performing the cabinet return task includes: The external truck enters the gate after obtaining the mission target information through a mobile communication device; According to the task information and instructions, the external container trucks arrive at the dedicated container receiving area of ​​the yard and queue up. When working in the dedicated container receiving area, the external container trucks queue up in the order of arrival. The single cantilever rail crane container receiving operation is based on the order of arrival of the external container trucks. The first external container truck to be done will be the first one to arrive. The large truck will not move if the yard of the working bay is not full. Once the external container truck is in place, the external container truck positioning and identification system of the single cantilever rail crane detects that the external container truck has arrived, and the video processing server sends the position information to TOS and VMS. If there are enough IGVs and the container carried by the external container truck is ready for direct loading, the VMS will receive the arrival information from the video processing server and plan a path for the IGV to wait in the corresponding IGV lane of the external container truck. Once the IGV is in place, the TOS issues an instruction to the single cantilever rail-mounted gantry crane to place the container from the outer truck onto the IGV; If the IGV is insufficient or the container carried by the external truck is not suitable for direct loading, the TOS will issue an instruction to the single cantilever rail crane to move the container from the external truck into the yard after receiving the arrival information from the video processing server.

5. A method for interactive operation of a single cantilever rail-mounted gantry crane and external container trucks at an automated terminal with a horizontal layout in a yard, as described in claim 1, is characterized in that... Also includes: When using IGV tracking for external container trucks, single-cantilever rail-mounted crane operations are based on the arrival order of the IGVs, with the first arriving IGV task being performed.

6. A method for interactive operation of a single cantilever rail-mounted gantry crane and external container trucks at an automated terminal with a horizontal layout in a yard, as described in claim 2, is characterized in that... Also includes: The external container truck can follow the IGV to the single cantilever rail-mounted crane operating lane. After the IGV locks onto the external container truck, it will follow the operation on the cantilever side of the single cantilever rail-mounted crane. When loading or unloading containers, all external trucks follow the port gate in the order of arrival. The external truck identification and guidance system and the container visual recognition OCR system identify the number of external trucks entering the gate and the queue order. The VMS assigns an equal number of IGVs to work on the cantilever side of the single cantilever rail gantry crane.

7. A method for interactive operation of a single cantilever rail-mounted gantry crane and external container trucks at an automated terminal with a horizontal layout in a yard, as described in claim 1, is characterized in that... Also includes: When multiple single-cantilever rail-mounted gantry cranes are operating at multiple bays, the interaction zone is divided into zones to restrict the entry of external trucks. External trucks are identified and classified in advance, and only external trucks of the same type are allowed to enter the interaction zone after the previous external truck of the same type has completed its operation.

Images