AREA MONITORING ON AN INTERMODAL CRANE

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a container loading system in a container terminal. Intermodal cranes are used in such a terminal to load and unload containers onto and from transport vehicles. An intermodal crane is a special type of crane that, in a multi-stage transport or supply chain, loads and unloads different modes of transport by, for example, maneuvering containers from one transport vehicle to another, such as from a truck to a container train. Such a container crane is operated by a crane control system, with the container pickup and movement to its destination preferably being automated, or at least semi-automated. A container crane can be designed as a rail-mounted gantry crane (RMG) or as a rubber-tired gantry crane (RTG).

[0002] For loading and unloading a transport vehicle, the container crane spans an area designed as a work platform. Transport vehicles drive along designated lanes into this platform to position themselves under the crane for loading and unloading. Access areas are provided between these loading zones to allow personnel to assist with the loading and unloading processes.

[0003] Since the movement of a container crane is preferably partially automated, and a container crane operator has only a limited field of vision due to the spatial extent of the work area, it is necessary to monitor the loading processes using sensors. For example, to ensure that no persons are in the access area when the container is being moved over the access area by the crane, especially not in the area below the container.

[0004] EP 3894349 B1 describes a container loading system and a method for monitoring its operation. In the container loading system described in EP 3894349 B1, the work area beneath the container crane has a single, elongated loading position, serving as a single loading area for road transport vehicles. Several 3D laser scanners are mounted on the container crane above the work area and configured to scan the work area and the road transport vehicle from an oblique angle. During each container loading operation, the 3D laser scanners perform at least one scan to generate a point cloud. This point cloud contains measurement points that allow for the identification of the work area and the road transport vehicles.

[0005] In one embodiment of EP 3894349 B1, the work surface can be divided into L-shaped sub-zones that form a rectangle around the actual loading position, i.e., around the road transport vehicle positioned on the work surface, so that each laser scanner surveys one L-shaped sub-zone. For this purpose, the two laser scanners are positioned in two opposite corners of the work surface and angled relative to the work surface to enable the L-shaped sub-zones to be captured.

[0006] The system also features a person detection unit. This unit identifies the work area and the road transport vehicle from the measurement point cloud. If a measurement point within the cloud is more than 0.5 m above the identified work area, the person detection unit issues a "person likely" signal, causing a safety control system to slow down or stop the crane's movement.

[0007] Document EP 3894349 B1 discloses a container loading system with a control device, a container crane and a working area below the container crane, wherein the container crane has at least one support element extending over the working area, and wherein the working area has a loading area and access areas, and the loading area is configured to receive transport vehicles, in particular rail vehicles, section by section for loading or unloading by the container crane, and the access areas are rectangular in shape so that persons have access to the loading area, wherein each access area has a monitoring area which is monitored in its full width by at least one 3D lidar sensor, at least during the loading of the transport vehicles, in particular the rail vehicles, wherein the 3D lidar sensor is located above the respective access area.

[0008] The system described in EP 3894349 B1 has the disadvantage that a portion of the L-shaped section is not captured by a 3D laser scanner precisely when the transport vehicle cannot fully enter the work area or extends beyond it, for example, because different road transport vehicles regularly have different lengths or because the vehicles are rail vehicles with a number of wagons. This is particularly disadvantageous when the area includes the personnel work areas explicitly designated for people as described in EP 3894349 B1, which are located at the edge or a corner of the work area, as is the case in Fig. 2 EP 3894349 B1 outlines this. EP 3894349 B1 does not disclose access areas that are rectangular in shape between two immediately adjacent loading areas.

[0009] EP 2858937 B1 describes a crane with a lifting device for performing a lifting operation, wherein the lifting device is movable in a lateral direction. The crane may have an imaging sensor for detecting a person in a defined safety area. A control device of the crane is configured to block the operation of the lifting device if the imaging sensor detects a person in the safety area. EP 2858937 B1 discloses an infrared camera as a camera, wherein the camera is attached to the lifting device so that the camera moves with the lifting device.

[0010] A camera that moves with the lifting equipment has the disadvantage that it only captures the area immediately surrounding the lifting equipment or the container attached to it. Therefore, people are only detected by the camera when they are in this area around the container being transported, i.e., in the immediate danger zone. This means that people cannot be warned in time, for example, enough to leave the area, because it can be assumed that people in the access area are not constantly aware of what is happening above them.

[0011] German patent DE 102006044187 A1 describes a method for operating an optical sensor that is attached to a container crane for monitoring safety zones. For monitoring purposes, the sensor is continuously swiveled in longitudinal and transverse directions. The safety zones are located below the crane frame and include access areas for people as well as the lanes of the transport vehicles being loaded and unloaded. Therefore, one sensor monitors a safety zone that extends over several access areas and vehicle lanes (see Fig. 1b, DE 102006044187 A1).

[0012] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an alternative container loading system and a method for monitoring access areas of a container loading system, which is particularly suitable for different transport vehicle lengths.

[0013] The problem is solved by the container loading system according to claim 1, by the method according to claim 9 and by a control device according to claim 8. Further embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0014] The container loading system according to the invention has the advantage that the 3D lidar sensor does not merely monitor the area immediately surrounding the lifting device or the container attached to the lifting device. Furthermore, it is advantageous that not the entire work area is monitored, but rather a specific access area as such, thereby reducing the amount of data to be evaluated.

[0015] Due to the rectangular geometry of the access areas between immediately adjacent loading areas, monitoring of the entire access area always takes place, regardless of the length of a transport vehicle, especially when several 3D lidar sensors monitor a section of each access area. Furthermore, because of the rectangular geometry of the access areas, less shadowing is to be expected during operation of the container loading system compared to angled access areas.

[0016] Furthermore, particularly due to the rectangular geometry of the access areas, each access area can be independently detected by a 3D laser scanner and set up as a monitoring zone. This enables safe, automated container loading operations.

[0017] In this context, a working area is understood to mean at least the area under a container crane that is designed for loading and unloading transport vehicles, and thus includes loading areas and access areas.

[0018] The transport vehicles include trucks, ships, and preferably rail vehicles.

[0019] In this context, a loading area is understood to be the immediate area around the transport vehicle, i.e., essentially the area on the work surface delimited by the transport vehicle itself. This can also be a lane marked on the work surface for a truck or the area bounded by a track bed for guiding a rail vehicle. A loading area can widen if a transport vehicle is very wide and extends beyond a track bed or a marked lane. Therefore, a loading area is not only defined by a transport vehicle lane, such as a track bed, but also by the width of the transport vehicle itself.

[0020] A support element is understood to be, in particular, a steel beam of the container crane, which extends across the working area, especially across several tracks for rail vehicles arranged on the working area. The tracks run essentially parallel to each other, so that the access areas are formed between the respective tracks.

[0021] The 3D lidar sensor is positioned above the respective access area, specifically in the center of the support element. This means that the 3D lidar sensor can be positioned centrally between the access areas with respect to their width, i.e., it is located in the middle of the width of an access area.

[0022] The 3D lidar sensor preferably establishes the monitoring area autonomously. This means that the 3D lidar sensor detects access areas that are immediately adjacent to each other, particularly those that run parallel to each other, such as parallel tracks. Based on the detected access areas, the 3D lidar sensor defines a monitoring area between the adjacent access areas according to predefined criteria. These criteria can depend on the specific design of the 3D lidar sensor, such as its spatial resolution or the size of its field of view, and / or on environmental parameters of the container system or the container crane itself. Environmental parameters include, for example, the height at which the 3D lidar sensor is mounted above the work surface, or the movable, i.e.,The swiveling or fixed mounting of the 3D lidar sensor on the support element, but also the width of a transport vehicle, because the width of a transport vehicle can be different for each transport vehicle, so that a first monitoring area created by the self-configuration for a first transport vehicle is unsuitable for a subsequent second transport vehicle, for example because the first vehicle is significantly wider than the second transport vehicle.

[0023] Furthermore, the monitoring zones for multiple transport vehicles positioned simultaneously in the container loading system can be individually and automatically dimensioned, particularly through automatic setup. This gives the container loading system a high degree of flexibility to meet a wide variety of requirements. The independent, i.e., automated, setup of a monitoring zone based on the width of the transport vehicles positioned on adjacent loading areas can include, for example, the definition of rectangular monitoring zones, so that only the width of each monitoring zone is adjusted to the transport vehicles.

[0024] The respective 3D lidar sensors can be fixedly mounted on the support element. This means that the 3D lidar sensors are not pivotable on the support element. This applies to embodiments of 3D lidar sensors where area scanning is possible without pivoting the sensor housing, for example, by the 3D lidar sensor having multiple scan mirrors or including multiple light sources.

[0025] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the 3D lidar sensor is configured to detect objects, especially persons, in the monitoring area and to generate a detection signal for forwarding to the control device.

[0026] The data evaluation is advantageously performed decentrally in each 3D laser scanner, so that the control unit only needs to evaluate the individual detection signals. This makes it easier to retrofit or modernize an existing control unit to the loading system according to the invention.

[0027] In a further development of the embodiment, the 3D lidar sensor is configured to detect and memorize (i.e., learn) stationary objects within the monitoring area, so that when stationary objects are detected, either no detection signal or a detection signal specific to these objects is generated for transmission to the control unit. Stationary objects are understood to be, in particular, fixed objects. These include switch boxes, signals, and control units for points. Stationary objects detected by the 3D lidar sensor can be entered onto a map by the control unit by receiving and evaluating the detection signals specific to stationary objects.

[0028] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the 3D lidar sensor is configured to calculate a relative position between the object and a container crane position for transmission to the control device.

[0029] By calculating the relative position, it is possible to estimate whether a warning signal and / or an emergency stop should be issued to, for example, a container crane control system. This involves calculating the trajectory of the crane's movement from the destination to the unloading point. The relative position can then be used to check whether a minimum distance between the object and the container or container crane position has been breached, and this information can be used to decide whether or not to issue a warning signal.

[0030] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the control device issues a warning and / or an emergency stop, in particular to a container crane control system, as soon as an object, in particular a person, is detected in the monitoring area by the 3D lidar sensor.

[0031] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the monitoring area is rectangular and oriented symmetrically to the access area.

[0032] This allows for a particularly simple symmetrical geometry to be captured by the 3D lidar sensor's field of view, eliminating the need for complex swiveling movements of the 3D lidar sensor. Therefore, the 3D lidar sensor can be attached to the support element using simple technical means, especially when the sensor is mounted in a completely fixed position and an area scan is generated within the scanner itself.

[0033] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the monitoring area is wider than the access area, so that the monitoring area additionally covers a part of the immediately adjacent loading areas.

[0034] This allows the system to detect not only the actual monitoring area, but also whether a transport vehicle is positioned within the adjacent loading area and, in particular, whether a transport vehicle needs to be loaded or unloaded.

[0035] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the container crane has a further support element on which a further 3D lidar sensor, in particular immovable, is arranged above the respective access area, so that the monitoring area of ​​the respective access area is monitored by the one and the further 3D lidar sensor.

[0036] This allows a larger area of ​​the access zone to be monitored. With 3D lidar sensors that have a non-symmetrical field of view, the 3D lidar sensor is preferably tilted so that the field of view covers or monitors the access zone equally on both sides.

[0037] The invention further relates to a control device suitable for use in a container loading system and comprising a receiving and processing unit, characterized in that the receiving and processing unit is configured to receive and process a detection signal from a 3D lidar sensor in order to output a warning signal and / or an emergency stop, in particular to a container crane control system.

[0038] Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for monitoring access areas of a container loading facility with at least one 3D lidar sensor, comprising the following steps: Mounting the 3D lidar sensor above an access area, particularly centrally, on a support element of a container crane of the container loading facility, wherein the support element spans a working area of ​​the container loading facility, which includes loading and access areas, wherein each access area between two immediately adjacent loading areas is rectangular; aligning the 3D lidar sensor on the support element so that objects, particularly persons, in a monitoring area are detected by the 3D lidar sensor, wherein the monitoring area is designed as part of each access area; sending a detection signal from the 3D lidar sensor to a control unit of the container loading facility indicating whether an object has been detected in the monitoring area or not.

[0039] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the method, the alignment of the 3D lidar sensor comprises a further step in which the 3D lidar sensor automatically detects immediately adjacent charging areas and independently defines a monitoring area between two detected charging areas.

[0040] Further preferred embodiments of the container loading system, the control unit, or the method for monitoring access areas of a container loading system with at least one 3D lidar sensor will become apparent from the following description of the exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the figures and their description. Identical components are essentially identified by the same reference numerals unless otherwise described or evident from the context. Fig. 1 Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of the container loading system according to the invention with a container crane comprising a single support element and extending over three loading areas. Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of the in Fig. 1 The container loading facility shown, in which the container crane has two support elements. Fig. 3 Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of the control device according to the invention, which is designed to receive and process a detection signal.

[0041] In Fig. 1 Figure 1 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of the container loading system 1 according to the invention, featuring a container crane 3 comprising a single support element 5 and extending over three loading areas 6. The container crane 3 has a trolley 13, which is movably attached to the support element 5 in the X-direction. A container 14 can be attached to the trolley by a lifting device (not shown) for loading and unloading transport vehicles. For this purpose, the support element 5 can move in the Y-direction. The work area 4 comprises three loading areas 6 arranged parallel to each other, each separated by two access areas 7 that also run parallel to each other and parallel to the loading areas 6. From an access area 7 (shown hatched), persons 11 can inspect two adjacent loading areas 6.On loading areas 6, transport vehicles 8 are positioned on transport vehicle lanes 19 for loading and unloading. In the area in . Fig. 1 In the illustrated embodiment of the container loading system, rail vehicles 8 with wagons 18 are shown, and the transport vehicle track 19 is designed in the form of a track bed. A container 14 is loaded as shown in Fig. 1 As indicated, a first wagon 18 is moved by trolley over an access area 6. A person 11 is located at a distance dX from the side surface of the container 14 extending in the Y direction. The distance is in Fig. 1 Indicated by a dashed arrow. The distance can be automatically calculated from the measurement data by the 3D lidar sensor. In the Fig. 1 In the depicted scenario, the person would be endangered by the container's movement towards them in the X direction. In such a case, the 3D lidar sensor would output a detection signal and the distance dX as a relative position to the container crane control unit 12 and / or the control unit 2. This would, for example, trigger an emergency stop of the container crane.

[0042] Monitoring area 9 is located in the Fig. 1 In the sketched embodiment, the loading area 6 is shown with a dashed outline and is rectangular in shape. In this embodiment, the 3D lidar sensor 10 is mounted centrally on the support element with respect to the width of the hatched access area 7 and monitors the dashed monitoring area 9. The monitoring area 9 borders the width of the wagons 18 of the rail vehicles 8. Fig. 2 is the in Fig. 1 The container loading system 1 is shown in the configuration with a container crane 3, which has two support elements 5. A first 3D lidar sensor 10 is located on the first support element 5 and a second 3D lidar sensor 10 on the second support element. The first 3D lidar sensor 10 is mounted centrally on the first support element 5, while the second 3D lidar sensor 10 is mounted offset towards the center on the second support element 5. For simplification, a trolley 13 is not shown attached between the first and second support elements 5; rather, only the first support element 5 has the trolley 13. A container 14 is located on the middle wagon 18, which is positioned on the middle transport vehicle track 19. The monitoring area 9 of the second 3D lidar sensor 10 overlaps in the X-direction, i.e.,in the direction of the width of the access area 7 with the loading area 6, whereby parts of the rail vehicle 8 are also detected by the 3D lidar sensor 10. This enables the additional detection of the loading status of the transport vehicle 8 by the 3D lidar sensor 10. In the in . Fig. 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the access area 7 is therefore monitored by two monitoring areas 9 of different widths. In the Y-direction, i.e., in the longitudinal direction of the access areas 7, there is no complete monitoring, while in the center of the access area 7, the respective monitoring areas 9 of the respective 3D lidar sensors 10 overlap. This allows for a kind of comparative measurement or redundant evaluation of the measurement data, so that shadows in the monitoring area 9 caused by a container 14 in the field of view of one 3D lidar sensor 10 can be supplemented by the still unobstructed field of view of the other 3D lidar sensor 10. This increases the safety of the container loading system 1.

[0043] In Fig. 3Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of the control device 2 according to the invention, which is configured to receive and process a detection signal. The control device 2 comprises a receiving unit 15 and a processing unit 16. A 3D lidar sensor sends a detection signal (not shown) to the receiving unit 15 of the control device 2. The control device transmits the detection signal to the processing unit 16 for evaluation. The processing unit 16 sends, for example, a stop signal to the container crane control 12. Alternatively and / or additionally, a warning signal can be output to the container crane control 12. Alternatively, the 3D lidar sensor 10 can transmit a relative position of an object to the control device 2.The control unit 2 evaluates the relative position of the object with respect to a predetermined minimum distance and, in the event that the minimum distance is not maintained, issues a warning signal and / or a stop signal to the container crane control unit 12. List of reference symbols

[0044] 1 Container loading system 2 Control unit 3 Container crane 4 Working area 5 Support element 6 Loading areas (loading and unloading areas) 7 Access areas 8 Transport vehicles 9 Monitoring area 10 3D lidar sensor 11 Object, especially person 12 Container crane control 13 Trolley 14 Container 15 Receiving unit 16 Processing unit 17 Container crane track 18 Wagon 19 Transport vehicle track

Claims

1. Container loading system (1) comprising a control unit (2), a container crane (3), and a working area (4) located beneath the container crane (3), wherein the container crane (3) comprises at least one support element (5) that extends over the working area (4), and wherein the working area (4) comprises loading areas (6) and access areas (7), and the loading areas (6) are configured to receive transport vehicles (8), in particular rail vehicles (8), section-wise for loading or unloading by the container crane (3), and the access areas (7) are each formed rectangularly between two immediately adjacent loading areas (6) so that persons (11) have access to the loading areas (6), wherein a respective access area (7) comprises a monitoring area (9), which is monitored in full width by at least one 3D lidar sensor (10), at least during loading of the transport vehicles (8), in particular the rail vehicles (8), wherein the 3D lidar sensor (10) is arranged above the respective access area (7), in particular centrally, on the support element (5), in particular immovably, and in particular autonomously configures the monitoring area.

2. Container loading system according to claim 1, characterized in that the 3D lidar sensor (10) is configured to detect objects (11), in particular persons, in the monitoring area (9) and to generate a detection signal for forwarding to the control unit (2).

3. Container loading system according to claim 2, characterized in that the 3D lidar sensor (10) is configured to calculate a relative position between the object (11) and a container crane position for forwarding to the control unit (2).

4. Container loading system according to claim 2, characterized in that the control unit (2) outputs a warning and / or an emergency stop, in particular to a container crane control (12), as soon as an object (11), in particular a person (11), is detected in the monitoring area (9) by the 3D lidar sensor (10).

5. Container loading system according to claim 1, characterized in that the monitoring area (9) is formed rectangularly and aligned symmetrically with respect to the access area (7).

6. Container loading system according to claim 1, characterized in that the monitoring area (9) is wider than the access area (7) so that the monitoring area (9) additionally covers a part of the immediately adjacent loading areas (6).

7. Container loading system according to claim 1, characterized in that the container crane (3) comprises a further support element (5) and that a further 3D lidar sensor (10), in particular immovably, is arranged above the respective access area (7) on the further support element (5) so that the monitoring area (9) of the respective access area (7) is monitored by the one and the further 3D lidar sensor (10).

8. Method for monitoring access areas (7) of a container loading system (1) with at least one 3D lidar sensor, comprising the following steps: - Attaching the 3D lidar sensor (10), in particular centrally, to a support element (5) of a container crane (3) of the container loading system (1), wherein the support element (5) spans a working area (4) of the container loading system (1) comprising loading areas (6) and access areas (7), wherein a respective access area (7) is formed rectangularly between two immediately adjacent loading areas (6); - Aligning the 3D lidar sensor (10) on the support element (5) so that objects (11), in particular persons (11), are detected in a monitoring area (9) by the 3D lidar sensor (10), wherein the monitoring area (9) is formed as part of a respective access area (7); - Sending a detection signal by the 3D lidar sensor (10) to a control unit (2) of the container loading system (1) indicating whether an object (11) has been detected in the monitoring area (9) or not.

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that aligning the 3D lidar sensor (10) comprises a step in which the 3D lidar sensor (10) detects immediately adjacent loading areas (6) and autonomously defines a monitoring area (9) between two detected loading areas (6).