Automatic transfer trolley for carrying vertical containers

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic transfer trolley for vertical container carrying, which belongs to the technical field of vertical container carrying and comprises a U-shaped structure trolley body, a heavy load driving unit, a gantry jacking mechanism, a hoisting clamp, a clamping mechanism, a power system, a hydraulic system, a control system, a safety system, a navigation system and a positioning system. A gantry jacking mechanism is matched with a hoisting clamp to realize automatic hoisting of the container; a clamping mechanism is used for preventing transfer shaking; a power system provides two driving forms, namely a battery or an internal combustion engine; a hydraulic system guarantees stable operation; the safety system comprises multiple protections, and a navigation and positioning system ensures accurate operation. A single person can monitor multiple vehicles, the device is suitable for vertical containers of different specifications, the operation efficiency is greatly improved, the use cost is reduced, and the device is safe, reliable and suitable for transfer operation in indoor and outdoor and severe environments.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vertical container handling technology, specifically to an automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers. Background Technology

[0002] The current transfer operations of spent fuel storage vertical containers and large vertical containers rely on hoisting equipment and specialized transportation equipment, and require multiple operators to work together. This operation mode has obvious drawbacks: First, the operation process is cumbersome, and equipment changeover is time-consuming, resulting in low operation efficiency; second, it involves a high degree of manual labor, is labor-intensive, and the large weight of the containers and the complex working environment pose high safety risks; third, the equipment purchase and maintenance costs are high, and the specialized equipment has poor versatility, making it difficult to adapt to the transfer needs of containers of different sizes. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this section is to outline some aspects of the embodiments of the present invention and to briefly describe some preferred embodiments. Simplifications or omissions may be made in this section, as well as in the abstract and title of this application, to avoid obscuring the purpose of these documents; however, such simplifications or omissions should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

[0004] In view of the problems existing in the above and / or existing automated transfer vehicles for handling vertical containers, the present invention is proposed.

[0005] Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers, which can automatically control rapid hoisting and transfer operations, while also allowing for manual remote control operation of hoisting and transfer operations. It is highly efficient, requires less labor, is safe and reliable, has low operating costs, and is energy-saving and environmentally friendly.

[0006] To address the aforementioned technical problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides the following technical solution: An automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers includes: U-shaped body structure: The U-shaped body structure consists of a frame, a cover plate and auxiliary supports. The frame is the main load-bearing component, and the cover plate and auxiliary supports are used to cover the internal cavity of the body and install electrical components. Heavy-duty drive unit: The heavy-duty drive unit is installed under the frame and adopts a rigid welded structure. It is equipped with hydraulic cylinders to achieve support, shock absorption and height adjustment, and can realize omnidirectional movement or turning. Gantry lifting mechanism: The gantry lifting mechanism realizes automatic lifting and hoisting of vertical containers through the lifting legs installed on both sides of the U-shaped frame and the lifting beam above the legs; Lifting fixture: The lifting fixture is installed on the lifting beam and can move along the beam to adapt to materials of different specifications. It is also equipped with an automatic clamping mechanism that connects to the workpiece. Clamping mechanism: The clamping mechanism is a clamping device on the two side legs of the gantry lifting mechanism, used to fix the material and prevent it from shaking during the transfer process; Power system: The power system is either battery-powered or internal combustion engine-driven; Hydraulic system: The hydraulic system provides power for the hydraulic suspension, lifting mechanism, clamping mechanism and vehicle travel and steering, and is equipped with components such as high-pressure pump, balance valve, and explosion-proof valve; Control system: The control system is an intelligent bus control system; Safety System: The safety system includes multiple operational protection and fault protection functions; Navigation system: The navigation system adopts a multi-source fusion navigation method; Positioning system: The positioning system obtains real-time location through satellite navigation or laser navigation.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment of the automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers described in this invention, the U-shaped vehicle body frame is welded from high-strength alloy material, the cover plate is detachably connected to the frame, and auxiliary supports are evenly distributed on the inner side of the frame and adapted to the mounting base of electrical components.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the automatic transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers described in this invention, the heavy-duty drive unit includes two structural forms: Form 1 is a wheel driven by two independent drive motors at both ends, and differential rotation is achieved through sensor control; Form 2 is a single motor cooperating with a differential to drive two wheels, and independent steering is achieved through a hydraulic cylinder, a motor reducer, or a motor reducer.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the automatic transfer vehicle for vertical container handling described in this invention, the hydraulic cylinders of the heavy-duty drive unit are rigidly connected at both ends to the bottom of the frame and the wheel mounting seats, respectively. The cylinder extension stroke is 50-200mm, and the shock absorption damping can be adaptively adjusted by the control system.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the automatic transfer vehicle for vertical container handling described in this invention, the lifting legs of the gantry lifting mechanism (3) are telescopic hydraulic legs with a maximum lifting height of not less than 2m. The lifting beam is made of hollow rectangular steel and the length of the beam can be adjusted according to the container specifications.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the automatic transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers described in this invention, the lifting clamp is driven by a hydraulic cylinder or a gear rack to move along the crossbeam, with a travel distance of 300-1500mm. The automatic clamping mechanism is equipped with a pressure sensor, and the clamping force can be adjusted within the range of 50-500kN.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment of the automated transfer vehicle for vertical container handling described in this invention, the power system is equipped with a lithium battery with a built-in battery management system, which has overcharge, over-discharge, temperature protection and equalization functions, and the vehicle body is equipped with a charging brush plate to realize automatic charging; the internal combustion engine drive system consists of a diesel engine and fuel supply and exhaust purification auxiliary devices.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment of the automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers described in this invention, the safety system includes: safety edges around the entire vehicle, diagonally mounted laser obstacle avoidance sensors, four-corner emergency stop switches, night lighting and fault warning lights, and warning sounds; pipeline safety valves and manual emergency unloading valves for the hydraulic system; and power detection, overload, and off-center load alarm functions.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment of the automated transfer vehicle for vertical container handling described in this invention, the navigation system employs a multi-source fusion navigation method including satellite navigation, laser navigation, and inertial navigation. The satellite navigation supports GPS or BeiDou positioning, the laser navigation achieves positioning by scanning preset markers, and the inertial navigation ensures operational continuity by recognizing the vehicle's direction of movement and inertia.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment of the automated transfer vehicle for vertical container handling described in this invention, the positioning system has a positioning accuracy of ≤±5cm, an electromagnetic interference resistance level of ≥IP67, and can output the vehicle's three-dimensional coordinates and attitude information to the control system in real time.

[0016] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this invention are: it effectively solves the problems of existing large vertical containers being unable to be automatically transferred and loaded / unloaded. Existing methods for transferring spent fuel storage vertical containers require multiple pieces of equipment, including hoisting equipment and specialized transport equipment, as well as manual labor, resulting in low efficiency, heavy workload, high risk, and high operating costs. Using this invention, one person can monitor the automatic transfer of multiple vehicles, resulting in high efficiency, reduced labor requirements, safety, reliability, low operating costs, and energy conservation and environmental protection. It can be used not only for transferring spent fuel storage vertical containers but also for transferring other large vertical containers, thus having a wider range of applications. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and detailed embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort. Wherein: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers according to the present invention. Figure 2 This is a side view of the overall structure of an automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers according to the present invention. Figure 3 This is a front view of the overall structure of an automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers according to the present invention. Figure 4 This is a top view of the overall structure of an automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0018] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Secondly, the present invention is described in detail with reference to the schematic diagrams. When detailing the embodiments of the present invention, for ease of explanation, the cross-sectional views illustrating the device structure may be partially enlarged, not according to the usual scale. Furthermore, the schematic diagrams are merely examples and should not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. In addition, actual fabrication should include three-dimensional spatial dimensions of length, width, and depth.

[0020] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] This invention provides an automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers. When not in use, the fingerprint sensor surface is hidden to prevent it from being corroded by external dust or humid air, thus ensuring the sensitivity of the fingerprint sensor surface.

[0022] Figures 1-4 The diagram shown is an overall structural schematic of an embodiment of an automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers according to the present invention. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figures 1-4An automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers according to this embodiment includes a U-shaped body 1, a heavy-duty drive unit 2, a gantry lifting mechanism 3, a lifting clamp 4, a clamping mechanism 5, a power system 6, a hydraulic system 7, a control system 8, a safety system 9, a navigation system 10, and a positioning system 11. The U-shaped body 1 is mainly composed of a frame, a cover plate, and auxiliary supports. The frame is the main load-bearing component. The cover plate and auxiliary supports are used for covering the cavities inside the body and for installing electrical components. The frame of the U-shaped body 1 is welded from high-strength alloy materials. The cover plate is detachably connected to the frame. The auxiliary supports are evenly distributed inside the frame and are adapted to the mounting seats of electrical components. The first type of heavy-duty drive unit 2 is installed under the frame. Its structural components are rigidly welded, and hydraulic cylinders serve as supports and shock absorbers. The height is adjustable. The two ends of the heavy-duty drive unit are independently driven by motors that drive the wheels. Differential rotation can be achieved by sensor control, enabling omnidirectional movement or turning. The second type of heavy-duty drive unit 2 is also installed under the frame. Its structural components are rigidly welded, and hydraulic cylinders serve as supports and shock absorbers. The height is adjustable. The heavy-duty drive unit 2 can drive two wheels through a motor and a differential. Independent steering of the heavy-duty drive unit can be achieved through hydraulic cylinders, motor reducers, or motor reducers, enabling omnidirectional movement or turning. The two ends of the hydraulic cylinders of the heavy-duty drive unit 2 are rigidly connected to the bottom of the frame and the wheel mounting seats, respectively. The cylinder extension stroke is 50-200mm, and the shock absorption damping can be adaptively adjusted by the control system. The gantry lifting mechanism 3 is mounted on a U-shaped frame, with lifting legs installed on both sides above it. A lifting beam is installed above the legs, enabling automatic lifting and hoisting of vertical containers during transport. The lifting clamp 4 is mounted on the lifting beam and can be driven by a hydraulic cylinder or rack and pinion to move along the beam, enabling the loading of materials of different specifications. The lifting clamp 4 is also equipped with an automatic clamping mechanism that connects to the workpiece, enabling rapid material hoisting. The clamping mechanism 5 is used to assist in fixing the material during the transfer process, preventing the material from shaking during the transfer. In this embodiment, the power system 6 uses a battery as its power source. The battery is small in size, light in weight, has a large capacity, long range, good safety, and a built-in battery management system. Through control, battery parameters can be monitored in real time, and faults and alarms can be analyzed. It has protection functions such as overcharge protection, over-discharge protection, temperature protection, and equalization function. The power system is equipped with an automatic charging system, specifically referring to the charging brush plate installed on the vehicle body. In conjunction with the automatic charger in the charging area, it automatically runs to the charging area after receiving a charging command, and the vehicle body charging brush plate contacts the brush block on the charger to automatically charge. Furthermore, the power system 6 uses an internal combustion engine as its power source, mainly composed of a diesel engine and auxiliary devices. The hydraulic system 7 refers to the hydraulic suspension, lifting mechanism, and clamping mechanism that achieve lifting through hydraulic pressure, the hydraulic drive system that achieves vehicle movement through hydraulic system, and the hydraulic steering system that achieves steering through hydraulic system. To ensure smooth lifting and driving, the hydraulic system consists of a high-pressure pump, balance valve, explosion-proof valve, reversing valve, oil circuit block and hydraulic accessories, servo motor, control system, lifting cylinder and other components. To ensure safety, the hydraulic cylinder is equipped with pipeline explosion-proof valve to prevent the possibility of vehicle overturning due to pipeline damage. Control system 8 is an intelligent bus control system, a multi-mode serial communication bus with high bit rate, high resistance to electromagnetic interference, and the ability to detect any errors. Safety system 9 has multiple safety protections to ensure safe operation of the equipment. For overall vehicle safety, it includes sufficient nighttime lighting, fault and operation warning lights, fault and operation warning sounds, emergency stop switches at all four corners, safety edges around the perimeter, and laser obstacle avoidance sensors installed diagonally. Furthermore, the hydraulic and control systems are equipped with pipeline safety valves to prevent pipeline damage and potential hazards, manual emergency unloading valves to prevent unloading failures in case of malfunctions, a power detection function (alarming and charging when power is below limit, stopping operation if necessary), and overload and off-center load alarms (indicating overload and off-center load ratios, stopping operation and triggering an alarm when power exceeds specified limits). The navigation system comprises 10 components, integrating satellite navigation, laser navigation, and inertial navigation. Satellite navigation uses GPS or BeiDou satellite positioning, allowing the onboard controller to obtain real-time location information and enabling the equipment to operate along planned routes and stations. Laser navigation involves pre-setting markers on-site, which the equipment scans and identifies using its onboard navigation laser radar. The onboard controller calculates the equipment's real-time location, allowing it to operate along planned routes and stations. Inertial navigation uses the vehicle's movement direction and inertial recognition to track the vehicle's trajectory, ensuring continuous operation even in abnormal conditions. The positioning system 11 refers to the equipment acquiring its own position in real-time via satellite or laser navigation, featuring high accuracy and strong anti-interference capabilities.

[0023] This application can effectively solve the problems of existing large vertical containers that cannot be automatically transferred or loaded and unloaded. Using this application, one person can monitor the automatic transfer of multiple vehicles, which is highly efficient, requires less labor, is safe and reliable, has low operating costs, and is energy-saving and environmentally friendly. It can be used not only for the transfer of spent fuel storage vertical containers, but also for the transfer of other large vertical containers, and has a wider range of applications.

[0024] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments, various modifications can be made and components can be replaced with equivalents without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, as long as there is no structural conflict, the features in the disclosed embodiments can be combined with each other in any manner. The lack of an exhaustive description of these combinations in this specification is merely for the sake of brevity and resource conservation. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers, characterized in that, include: U-shaped structure body (1): The U-shaped structure body is composed of a frame, a cover plate and an auxiliary support. The frame is the main load-bearing component, and the cover plate and auxiliary support are used to cover the inner cavity of the body and install electrical components. Heavy-duty drive unit (2): The heavy-duty drive unit is installed under the frame and adopts a rigid welded structure. It is equipped with hydraulic cylinders to achieve support, shock absorption and height adjustment, and can achieve omnidirectional movement or turning. Gantry lifting mechanism (3): The gantry lifting mechanism realizes automatic lifting and hoisting of vertical containers through the lifting legs installed on both sides of the U-shaped frame and the lifting beam above the legs; Lifting fixture (4): The lifting fixture is installed on the lifting beam and can move along the beam to adapt to materials of different specifications. It is also equipped with an automatic clamping mechanism that connects to the workpiece. Clamping mechanism (5): The clamping mechanism is a clamping device on the two legs of the gantry lifting mechanism, used to fix the material and prevent it from shaking during the transfer process; Power system (6): The power system is either battery-powered or internal combustion engine-driven; Hydraulic system (7): The hydraulic system provides power for the hydraulic suspension, lifting mechanism, clamping mechanism and vehicle travel and steering, and is equipped with components such as high pressure pump, balance valve, and explosion-proof valve; Control system (8): The control system is an intelligent bus control system; Safety system (9): The safety system includes multiple operational protection and fault protection functions; Navigation system (10): The navigation system adopts a multi-source fusion navigation method; Positioning system (11): The positioning system obtains real-time location through satellite navigation or laser navigation.

2. An automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frame of the U-shaped body (1) is welded from high-strength alloy material. The cover plate is detachably connected to the frame. The auxiliary brackets are evenly distributed on the inner side of the frame and are adapted to the electrical component mounting seats.

3. An automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heavy-duty drive unit (2) includes two structural forms: Form 1 is a two-end independent drive motor that drives the wheels and achieves differential rotation through sensor control; Form 2 is a single motor that works with a differential to drive two wheels and achieves independent steering through a hydraulic cylinder, motor reducer or motor reducer.

4. An automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers according to claim 3, characterized in that, The hydraulic cylinders of the heavy-duty drive unit (2) are rigidly connected to the bottom of the frame and the wheel mounting seat at both ends, respectively. The cylinder extension stroke is 50-200mm, and the damping can be adaptively adjusted by the control system.

5. An automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers according to claim 4, characterized in that, The lifting outriggers of the gantry lifting mechanism (3) are telescopic hydraulic outriggers with a maximum lifting height of not less than 2m. The lifting beam is made of hollow rectangular steel and the length of the beam can be adjusted according to the container specifications.

6. An automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting clamp (4) is driven by a hydraulic cylinder or a gear rack to move along the crossbeam. The moving stroke is 300-1500mm. The automatic clamping mechanism is equipped with a pressure sensor, and the clamping force can be adjusted within the range of 50-500kN.

7. An automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power system (6) is equipped with a lithium battery with a built-in battery management system, which has overcharge, over-discharge, temperature protection and equalization functions, and the vehicle body is equipped with a charging brush plate to realize automatic charging; the internal combustion engine drive system consists of a diesel engine and fuel supply and exhaust purification auxiliary devices.

8. An automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers according to claim 1, characterized in that, The safety system (9) includes: safety edges around the vehicle, diagonally mounted laser obstacle avoidance sensors, four-corner emergency stop switches, night lights and fault warning lights, and warning sounds; pipeline safety valves and manual emergency unloading valves of the hydraulic system; and power detection, overload and off-center load alarm functions.

9. An automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers according to claim 1, characterized in that, The navigation system (10) uses a multi-source fusion navigation method including satellite navigation, laser navigation and inertial navigation. Satellite navigation supports GPS or Beidou positioning, laser navigation achieves positioning by scanning preset markers, and inertial navigation ensures operational continuity by recognizing the vehicle's direction of motion and inertia.

10. An automated transfer vehicle for handling vertical containers according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning system has a positioning accuracy of ≤±5cm, an electromagnetic interference resistance level of ≥IP67, and can output the vehicle's three-dimensional coordinates and attitude information to the control system in real time.

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