F5G industrial control network system applied to port stacker-reclaimer

Abstract

The invention relates to an F5G industrial control network system applied to a port stacker-reclaimer, which is characterized in that a storage yard side all-optical network comprises a core industrial switch deployed in a central machine room, OLT (Optical Line Terminal) equipment and a plurality of fixed ONUs (Optical Network Unit) deployed along a track of the stacker-reclaimer at intervals, and the OLT equipment and the plurality of fixed ONUs form a passive optical network through single-mode optical fibers; the mobile vehicle-mounted converged communication platform comprises a vehicle-mounted ONU, a vehicle-mounted industrial switch, a multi-protocol gateway module and an edge computing unit; the vehicle-mounted ONU establishes physical connection with different fixed ONUs at the same time through branch optical fibers to form a redundant optical link; the vehicle-mounted industrial switch is connected with the vehicle-mounted ONU; the center side control management platform comprises a monitoring and data acquisition system, a network management system and a slice management module. The invention constructs an industrial control network which is high in reliability, low in time delay, easy to operate and maintain and oriented to the future, and is a key infrastructure for realizing unmanned and intelligent upgrading of the port bulk cargo wharf.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of industrial automation control and communication networks, and in particular to an F5G industrial control network system applied to a port stacker-reclaimer. Background Technology

[0002] Port bulk cargo terminals are important hubs for international trade, and stacker-reclaimers are the core equipment for storing and reclaiming bulk cargo (such as coal, ore, and grain). Their level of automation and intelligence directly affects the port's operational efficiency and operating costs.

[0003] Traditional stacker-reclaimer control systems often use industrial fieldbuses (such as PROFIBUS and CAN) or older industrial Ethernet for communication. These technologies have the following inherent drawbacks in practical applications:

[0004] (1) Bandwidth bottleneck: With the intelligent upgrade of stacker reclaimers, high-definition video monitoring (for security protection and intelligent identification), LiDAR / 3D scanner (for material pile modeling), and a large amount of sensor data need to be transmitted in real time. PROFIBUS and CAN have limited transmission distance and low bandwidth, making it difficult to meet the real-time transmission requirements of high-bandwidth services such as high-definition video monitoring and a large amount of sensor data. In addition, the nodes have poor scalability and weak anti-interference ability, which has become a bottleneck for data fusion.

[0005] (2) Transmission distance limitation: The effective transmission distance of traditional industrial networks is limited. For stacker reclaimers that move on tracks that are several kilometers long, a large number of repeaters and switching nodes need to be deployed, which increases the system complexity and the number of failure points.

[0006] (3) Poor real-time performance and determinism: Traditional networks have large communication delay jitter when there are data conflicts and network congestion, making it difficult to meet the stringent requirements of determinism and low latency (usually <10ms) for control commands such as precise positioning, collision avoidance, and automatic path planning of stacker reclaimers.

[0007] (4) Insufficient reliability: The cable drag chain or sliding contact line power supply and communication method of mobile equipment is subject to wear and breakage risks, while the wireless Wi-Fi network is easily affected by the complex electromagnetic environment of the port and the obstruction of metal structures, which can lead to communication interruption and affect production safety.

[0008] (5) Network heterogeneity: Control networks, video networks and sensor networks are often deployed independently, forming "information islands", which are complex to operate and maintain and make it difficult to achieve unified scheduling and data analysis.

[0009] F5G (The 5th Generation Fixed Network) is the fifth generation of fixed networks, represented by technologies such as 10G PON, Wi-Fi 6, 200G / 400G, and OSU-OTN. Its core features include all-optical connectivity, enhanced fixed broadband, and deterministic experience. However, there is still no mature and complete systemic solution for deeply integrating F5G technology into the control system of a port stacker-reclaimer in a specific industrial scenario to solve the aforementioned pain points. Summary of the Invention

[0010] This invention aims to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing an F5G industrial control network system for port stacker-reclaimers. This system achieves the fusion of control, sensing, and video data by constructing a fully optical unified network architecture, providing ultra-reliable, ultra-low latency, and ultra-high bandwidth communication guarantees for the automated and intelligent operation of stacker-reclaimers.

[0011] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0012] An F5G industrial control network system for use with port stacker-reclaimers includes:

[0013] The yard-side all-optical network includes a core industrial switch, an OLT device, and multiple fixed ONUs deployed at intervals along the stacker-reclaimer track, all located in the central computer room. The core industrial switch is connected to the OLT device, and the OLT device and multiple fixed ONUs form a passive optical network via single-mode optical fiber.

[0014] The mobile vehicle-mounted converged communication platform, installed on a stacker-reclaimer, includes an onboard ONU, an onboard industrial switch, a multi-protocol gateway module, an edge computing unit, an onboard camera, a laser scanner, and a PLC. The onboard ONU establishes physical connections with two different fixed ONUs simultaneously through at least two optical fiber branches, forming redundant optical links. The onboard industrial switch connects to the onboard ONU and is used to aggregate data from various onboard terminal devices. The multi-protocol gateway module is used to convert non-IP industrial protocols to IP protocols, and the edge computing unit is used to perform local processing of video and sensing data transmitted from the onboard camera and laser scanner.

[0015] The central control and management platform connects to the core industrial switch and includes a monitoring and data acquisition system, a network management system, and a slice management module. The slice management module is used to create multiple logically isolated network slices on the yard-side all-optical network and allocate the highest priority low-latency, high-reliability network slices to control services.

[0016] The redundant optical link between the vehicle-mounted ONU and the fixed ONU adopts the SDH ring network protection switching protocol or the MRP medium redundancy protocol to achieve automatic protection switching of the communication link within 50ms.

[0017] The multi-protocol gateway module can be integrated into the vehicle-mounted industrial switch or used as a standalone module to convert the control bus protocol from the PLC and the data from various sensors into a unified IP-based industrial protocol, thereby realizing the convergence of the control network and the information network.

[0018] The edge computing unit runs computer vision algorithms and / or point cloud processing algorithms to perform real-time analysis of video streams captured by vehicle-mounted cameras and real-time 3D modeling of point cloud data captured by laser scanners.

[0019] The monitoring and data acquisition system is used to receive real-time status data, control feedback data and processing results from the stacker-reclaimer, enabling remote monitoring and automatic control of the equipment.

[0020] The network management system, based on the SNMP protocol, performs unified management, configuration, performance monitoring, and fault alarms for all OLTs, ONUs, and switches across the network. The network management system is linked with the monitoring and data acquisition system. When the network management system detects a communication link failure or performance degradation, it automatically sends alarm information to the monitoring and data acquisition system, which then triggers the safety protection mechanism of the stacker-reclaimer.

[0021] The logical network slices created by the slice management module include at least: control slices that assign the highest priority to PLC control commands, perception data slices that assign laser scanning and video data, and management information slices that assign equipment management information.

[0022] The control slice, sensing data slice, and management information slice are divided and managed by the slice management module based on the granularity of business flow, and each slice is independently allocated guaranteed bandwidth, maximum latency, and priority policies.

[0023] The vehicle-mounted ONU and the fixed ONU use single-fiber bidirectional technology for optical communication. Both the fixed ONU and the vehicle-mounted ONU are devices with industrial-grade protection and a wide operating temperature range.

[0024] It also includes a time synchronization mechanism. The OLT device synchronizes with the upper-level clock source through the 1588v2 precision clock protocol and distributes the time information to all ONUs and vehicle-mounted devices.

[0025] The beneficial effects of this invention are: this invention constructs a highly reliable, low-latency, easy-to-operate and maintain, future-oriented industrial control network, which is a key infrastructure for the unmanned and intelligent upgrading of port bulk cargo terminals. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a system block diagram of the present invention;

[0027] The following will describe in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The principles and features of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments given are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The invention is described more specifically in the following paragraphs by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the invention will become clearer from the following description. It should be noted that the drawings are in a very simplified form and use non-precise proportions, and are only used to facilitate and clarify the illustration of the embodiments of the invention.

[0029] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0030] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments:

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, an F5G industrial control network system applied to a port stacker-reclaimer employs advanced F5G (Fifth Generation Fixed Network) technology to construct a highly reliable, low-latency, and intelligent industrial control network. The entire system can be divided into three core parts: a yard-side all-optical network, a mobile vehicle-mounted converged communication platform, and a central-side control and management platform.

[0032] (a) All-optical network on the yard side:

[0033] It includes a core industrial switch and an OLT device deployed in the central computer room, and multiple fixed ONUs deployed at intervals along the stacker-reclaimer track. The core industrial switch is connected to the OLT device, and the OLT device and multiple fixed ONUs form a passive optical network through single-mode optical fiber.

[0034] Architecture: It adopts passive optical network technology, and the core is a structure of "core industrial switch - OLT - multiple fixed ONUs".

[0035] Advantages: Passive nodes (splitters) have high reliability, are resistant to electromagnetic interference, have large fiber bandwidth, and can transmit over long distances, making them ideal for long-distance deployment along yard tracks.

[0036] Specifically as follows:

[0037] Core Layer: Deployed in the port's central computer room, including core industrial switches and OLT equipment. The core industrial switches serve as the data exchange hub for the entire network; the OLT equipment provides downlink optical interfaces through its N service cards.

[0038] Access Layer: Along the stacker-reclaimer's running track, an industrial-grade ONU is deployed at regular intervals (e.g., 500-1000 meters). These ONUs are connected to the OLT via single-mode fiber, forming a passive optical network. The ONU devices are installed in outdoor protective enclosures, possessing IP67 or higher protection ratings and wide-temperature operating characteristics.

[0039] (II) Mobile Vehicle-Mounted Converged Communication Platform:

[0040] Installed on the stacker-reclaimer, it includes an onboard ONU, an onboard industrial switch, a multi-protocol gateway module, an edge computing unit, an onboard camera, a laser scanner, and a PLC. The onboard ONU establishes physical connections with two different fixed ONUs simultaneously through at least two optical fiber branches, forming redundant optical links. The onboard industrial switch connects to the onboard ONU and is used to aggregate data from various onboard terminal devices. The multi-protocol gateway module is used to convert the PLC's non-IP industrial protocols to IP protocols. The edge computing unit is used to perform local processing of video and sensing data transmitted from the onboard camera and laser scanner.

[0041] Specifically as follows:

[0042] The mobile vehicle-mounted converged communication platform is installed on the stacker-reclaimer vehicle body and is a key mobile node of the system.

[0043] Vehicle-mounted ONU: As a mobile access terminal of the network, it connects with fixed ONUs deployed along the track via its optical interface. To achieve seamless roaming, the vehicle-mounted ONU maintains a physical connection with at least two adjacent fixed ONUs simultaneously through tributary optical fibers, and adopts SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) ring network protection switching protocol or MRP (Media Redundancy Protocol) to ensure uninterrupted service connections during mobile handover, with a handover time of less than 50ms.

[0044] The vehicle-mounted ONU is a device with industrial-grade protection and a wide operating temperature range.

[0045] Vehicle-mounted industrial switch: Connects to the vehicle's ONU electrical port, serving as the aggregation point for the vehicle network.

[0046] Multi-protocol gateway module: Integrated into the vehicle-mounted industrial switch or used as a standalone module, it is used for protocol conversion. It converts control bus protocols from the PLC (such as PROFIBUS-DP, Modbus TCP) and data from various sensors (encoders, tilt sensors, etc.) into IP-based industrial protocols (such as OPC UA, MQTT), realizing the convergence of control network and information network.

[0047] Edge computing unit: Deployed on the vehicle body, it is used to process high-definition video streams (for target recognition and status analysis) and laser point cloud data (for real-time material stack modeling). It only uploads the processed results or key events to the central platform, which greatly reduces the network bandwidth pressure.

[0048] The edge computing unit runs computer vision algorithms and / or point cloud processing algorithms to perform real-time analysis of video streams captured by vehicle-mounted cameras and real-time 3D modeling of point cloud data captured by laser scanners.

[0049] (III) Central Control and Management Platform:

[0050] It connects to the core industrial switch and includes a monitoring and data acquisition system, a network management system, and a slice management module. The slice management module is used to create multiple logically isolated network slices on the yard-side all-optical network and allocate low-latency, high-reliability network slices with the highest priority to control services.

[0051] Specifically:

[0052] Monitoring and data acquisition systems are the core of traditional industrial control systems, used for equipment monitoring and automatic control. They receive real-time status data, control feedback data, and processing results from edge computing units from stacker-reclaimers to enable remote monitoring and automatic control of equipment.

[0053] The network management system, based on the SNMP protocol, performs unified management, configuration, performance monitoring, and fault alarms for all OLTs, ONUs, and switches across the network. The network management system is linked with the monitoring and data acquisition system. When the network management system detects a communication link failure or performance degradation, it automatically sends alarm information to the monitoring and data acquisition system, which then triggers the safety protection mechanism of the stacker-reclaimer.

[0054] The slice management module is one of the core innovations of this invention. It can virtualize multiple logically isolated "dedicated channels" on the same physical fiber optic network.

[0055] The slice management module creates at least three logically isolated network slices on the physical F5G network: a control slice that assigns the highest priority to PLC control commands, a sensing data slice that assigns to laser scanning and video data, and a management information slice that assigns to equipment management information.

[0056] The control slice, sensing data slice, and management information slice are divided and managed by the slice management module based on the granularity of business flow, and each slice is independently allocated guaranteed bandwidth, maximum latency, and priority policies.

[0057] The control slice assigns the highest priority to PLC instructions and safety sensor signals, ensuring their bandwidth (≥100Mbps) and end-to-end latency (≤5ms) to achieve deterministic transmission.

[0058] Perceptual data slices allocate fixed bandwidth (≥500Mbps) to data from laser scanners, high-definition cameras, etc., with a latency requirement of ≤20ms.

[0059] Management information slicing allocates bandwidth to non-real-time data such as device status monitoring and configuration information as much as possible.

[0060] The vehicle-mounted ONU and the fixed ONU use single-fiber bidirectional technology for optical communication to save fiber optic resources.

[0061] It also includes a time synchronization mechanism. The OLT device synchronizes with the upstream clock source through the 1588v2 precision clock protocol and distributes the time information to all ONUs and on-board devices. This ensures clock uniformity across the entire network, providing a time reference for collaborative operations and fault tracing. Specific Implementation Example 1:

[0063] A large coal export terminal, with a track length of approximately 2.5 kilometers, is equipped with three cantilever stacker-reclaimers. The F5G industrial control network system of this invention was used for its upgrade.

[0064] Yard-side all-optical network deployment: An OLT device with four 10 Gigabit optical ports and a core industrial switch are deployed in the central control room. An industrial-grade fixed ONU (a total of 5 units) is deployed every 600 meters along the track, connected to the OLT device via single-mode fiber to form a tree + PON structure.

[0065] Mobile vehicle-mounted converged communication platform: Each stacker-reclaimer is equipped with one vehicle-mounted ONU, one Layer 3 industrial switch, and one edge computing server. The vehicle-mounted ONU is connected to fixed ONUs in its current area and adjacent areas via two fiber optic branches, forming redundant links. PLCs, high-definition PTZ cameras (6 units), laser scanners (2 units), GPS / BeiDou positioning modules, etc., are all connected to the vehicle-mounted switch. The edge server runs video analysis algorithms and stack modeling algorithms.

[0066] Central platform: Deploys a monitoring and data acquisition system, a network management system, and a slice management module. The slice management module is configured with three slices: a control slice (guaranteed bandwidth 100M, latency <5ms), a sensing slice (guaranteed bandwidth 800M, latency <15ms), and a management slice (sharing remaining bandwidth).

[0067] After implementation, the system operated stably, enabling remote, one-click automatic stacking and reclaiming operations for the stacker-reclaimer. Control command transmission was stable, video monitoring was smooth and lag-free, laser point cloud data was transmitted in real time and generated into a high-precision 3D material yard map, network switching was seamless, overall operational efficiency was improved, and labor costs were significantly reduced.

[0068] This invention has the following advantages:

[0069] Ultra-high bandwidth and converged transport: Utilizing F5G's gigabit and even 10-gigabit access capabilities, it can easily carry services such as control data, multiple high-definition videos, and 3D laser point clouds, breaking down "information silos" and achieving uninterrupted network access.

[0070] Ultra-high reliability: The vehicle-mounted ONU is simultaneously connected to two fixed ONUs, forming dual physical link redundancy, thus physically avoiding single points of failure. All-fiber media resists electromagnetic interference; passive splitter nodes reduce active failure points; the SDH / MRP ring network protection mechanism achieves millisecond-level link self-healing, automatically switching to a backup link in a very short time (no more than 50 milliseconds) in the event of a link failure, meeting the stringent continuity requirements of industrial control and ensuring communication continuity during movement.

[0071] Ultra-low and deterministic latency: By using network slicing technology, a dedicated "green channel" is opened for critical control services, isolating interference from non-critical services, ensuring the determinism and real-time performance of control command transmission, and meeting the stringent requirements of automated operations.

[0072] Long-distance coverage and simplified operation and maintenance: Single-mode fiber can transmit over distances of over 20 kilometers, perfectly adapting to the vast application scenarios of port yards and greatly reducing the need for repeater equipment. A unified network management platform enables comprehensive management of wired, wireless, mobile, and fixed devices, significantly improving operation and maintenance efficiency.

[0073] Promoting intelligent upgrades: Equipping stacker-reclaimers with powerful "neural networks" enables advanced applications such as unmanned automated stacking and reclaiming operations based on multi-sensor fusion and digital twins, making it a key infrastructure for building smart ports.

[0074] The present invention has been described above by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the specific implementation of the present invention is not limited to the above-described manner. Any improvements made using the inventive concept and technical solution of the present invention, or direct application to other occasions without modification, are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An F5G industrial control network system for use in port stacker-reclaimers, characterized in that, include: The yard-side all-optical network includes a core industrial switch, an OLT device, and multiple fixed ONUs deployed at intervals along the stacker-reclaimer track, all located in the central computer room. The core industrial switch is connected to the OLT device, and the OLT device and multiple fixed ONUs form a passive optical network via single-mode optical fiber. The mobile vehicle-mounted converged communication platform, installed on a stacker-reclaimer, includes an onboard ONU, an onboard industrial switch, a multi-protocol gateway module, an edge computing unit, an onboard camera, a laser scanner, and a PLC. The onboard ONU establishes physical connections with two different fixed ONUs simultaneously through at least two optical fiber branches, forming redundant optical links. The onboard industrial switch connects to the onboard ONU and is used to aggregate data from various onboard terminal devices. The multi-protocol gateway module is used to convert non-IP industrial protocols to IP protocols, and the edge computing unit is used to perform local processing of video and sensing data transmitted from the onboard camera and laser scanner. The central control and management platform is connected to the core industrial switch and includes a monitoring and data acquisition system, a network management system, and a slice management module. The slice management module is used to create multiple logically isolated network slices on the all-optical network on the yard side, and to allocate low-latency, high-reliability network slices with the highest priority to control services.

2. The F5G industrial control network system for a port stacker-reclaimer as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The redundant optical link between the vehicle-mounted ONU and the fixed ONU adopts the SDH ring network protection switching protocol or the MRP medium redundancy protocol to achieve automatic protection switching of the communication link within 50ms.

3. The F5G industrial control network system for a port stacker-reclaimer as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-protocol gateway module can be integrated into the vehicle-mounted industrial switch or used as a standalone module to convert the control bus protocol from the PLC and the data from various sensors into a unified IP-based industrial protocol, thereby realizing the convergence of the control network and the information network.

4. The F5G industrial control network system for a port stacker-reclaimer as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The edge computing unit runs computer vision algorithms and / or point cloud processing algorithms to perform real-time analysis of video streams captured by vehicle-mounted cameras and real-time 3D modeling of point cloud data captured by laser scanners.

5. The F5G industrial control network system for a port stacker-reclaimer as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The monitoring and data acquisition system is used to receive real-time status data, control feedback data and processing results from the stacker-reclaimer, enabling remote monitoring and automatic control of the equipment.

6. The F5G industrial control network system for a port stacker-reclaimer as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The network management system, based on the SNMP protocol, performs unified management, configuration, performance monitoring, and fault alarms for all OLTs, ONUs, and switches across the network. The network management system is linked with the monitoring and data acquisition system. When the network management system detects a communication link failure or performance degradation, it automatically sends alarm information to the monitoring and data acquisition system, which then triggers the safety protection mechanism of the stacker-reclaimer.

7. The F5G industrial control network system for a port stacker-reclaimer as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The logical network slices created by the slice management module include at least: control slices that assign the highest priority to PLC control commands, perception data slices that assign to laser scanning and video data, and management information slices that assign to equipment management information.

8. The F5G industrial control network system for a port stacker-reclaimer according to claim 7, characterized in that, The control slice, sensing data slice, and management information slice are divided and managed by the slice management module based on the granularity of business flow, and each slice is independently allocated guaranteed bandwidth, maximum latency, and priority policy.

9. The F5G industrial control network system for a port stacker-reclaimer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vehicle-mounted ONU and the fixed ONU use single-fiber bidirectional technology for optical communication. Both the fixed ONU and the vehicle-mounted ONU are devices with industrial-grade protection and a wide operating temperature range.

10. The F5G industrial control network system for a port stacker-reclaimer according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a time synchronization mechanism. The OLT device synchronizes with the upper-level clock source through the 1588v2 precision clock protocol and distributes the time information to all ONUs and vehicle-mounted devices.

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