Terminal facility for handling shipping containers

Abstract

Terminal facility for handling shipping containers, said terminal facility comprising a first set of rail tracks comprising a main rail track on which trains comprising railcars for transporting containers can arrive and depart, a first terminal rail track arranged parallel to and on one side of the main rail track, and a second terminal rail track arranged parallel to and on the other side of the main rail track. First and second terminal transport units are arranged on the first and second terminal rail tracks. The first and second terminal transport units each comprise a first transfer surface and a transfer mechanism, said first transfer surface and said transfer mechanism being arranged to allow a container to displace from a railcar on the main train track to the first and / or the second terminal transport units and / or from the first and / or the second terminal transport units to a railcar on the main rail track. Said first and / or said second terminal transport units comprise a displaceable transfer surface having two positions, a storage position where the displaceable transfer surface is arranged away from the main rail track and an active position where the displaceable transfer surface is arranged to span the main rail track, such that a container arranged on the first or second terminal transport unit can be transferred to the second or first terminal transport unit respectively. In this way, containers can be loaded and unloaded in a single fast operation so that the trains are in the facility for only a short while. In this way, it is also faster to sort containers into the correct destinations such that the sorting operation can be fast enough such that the containers are in their correct positions before the next set of trains arrive.

Description

[0001] Terminal facility for handling shipping containers

[0002] The current invention relates to a terminal facility for handling shipping containers transported via trains. The terminal facility is arranged to transfer containers from incoming trains to the facility and to transfer sorted containers from the facility to outgoing trains in a fast manner. The terminal facility of the current invention provides for the possibility to combine passenger railcars and freight railcars in a single train, without delaying the passengers unacceptably long.

[0003] Description of related art

[0004] Cargo is often transported by shipping containers. Such shipping containers are provided in a limited number of standard sizes governed by ISO standards. The shipping containers are designed to be stacked on ships and transported from port to port.

[0005] When on land, the containers are typically transported from one location to another via trucks or trains. It is desired to make as much use of trains as possible in order to reduce the number of trucks on the road. This reduces emissions and road wear.

[0006] Currently, cargo trains which transport containers do not run so frequently, and time sensitive material is therefore typically transported by truck. It is therefore proposed to increase the frequency of the trains transporting containers, by combining container railcars and passenger railcars into a single train, a type of “mixed train”. In this way, more containers can be moved by train, rather than truck. However, current means of unloading containers from trains is not very efficient, and as such, using current means of unloading containers, would create too much delay for passengers. Summary of the invention

[0007] It is therefore a first aspect of the current invention to provide a new terminal facility for handling containers which is able to more quickly transfer containers between the train and the terminal facility.

[0008] A second aspect of the current invention is to provide a new means of handling containers which allows for a high flexibility.

[0009] These aspects are provided by a terminal facility for handling shipping containers, said terminal facility comprising: a. a first set of rail tracks comprising i. a main rail track on which trains comprising railcars for transporting containers can arrive and depart, ii. a first terminal rail track arranged parallel to and on one side of the main rail track, and iii. a second terminal rail track arranged parallel to and on the other side of the main rail track, b. a first terminal transport unit arranged on the first terminal rail track, c. a second terminal transport unit arranged on the second terminal rail track, d. said first and second terminal transport units each comprising a first transfer surface and a transfer mechanism, said first transfer surface and said transfer mechanism being arranged to allow a container to displace from a railcar on the main trail track to the first and / or the second terminal transport units and / or from the first and / or the second terminal transport units to a railcar on the main rail track, and e. said first and / or said second terminal transport units comprising a displaceable transfer surface having two positions, a storage position where the displaceable transfer surface is arranged away from the main rail track and an active position where the displaceable transfer surface is arranged to span the main rail track, such that a container arranged on the first or second terminal transport unit can be transferred to the second or first terminal transport unit respectively.

[0010] According to this specification, the term “transfer surface” should be understood as a “surface” along which the container can be displaced or “transferred”. In this specification, an example of the first transfer surface is provided as a roller conveyor, similar to the one disclosed in applicant’s copending application published as WO2023 / 031486, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. However other forms of transfer surface could also be imagined. One example being a sliding surface similar to the one disclosed in applicant’s published patent EP3496985B1 , which is also incorporated by reference in its entirety. Another example of a transfer surface is a set of wheels allowing the container to roll along the wheels, like the longitudinal transfer surface shown in the current specification. It should be noted that the transfer surface is not necessarily a continuous surface, but could be a surface defined by point wise load supporting elements, like the roller conveyor of this specification or the wheel based transfer surface described as a longitudinal transfer surface in this specification. Depending on the portion of the container which is in contact with the transfer surface, the transfer surface and / or the container need to be formed complementary, or an intermediate element needs to be placed between the container and the transfer surface.

[0011] Likewise, the transfer surface could be a single surface, or it could be comprised of multiple surface portions. For example in the embodiment disclosed in the current specification, the first transfer surface comprises a forward transfer surface arranged near the front of the terminal transport unit and a rear transfer surface arranged near the rear of the terminal transport unit. In some embodiments, the spacing between the forward transfer surface and the rear transfer surface is arranged such that the forward and rear transfer surface are arranged underneath corner fittings of a container when the container is arranged on the first transfer surface. In some embodiments, the displaceable transfer surface comprises two separate beams, one beam arranged near the front of the terminal transport unit and one beam arranged near the rear of the terminal transport unit. In some embodiments, the beams are arranged alongside and / or inside the terminal transport unit in the storage position and arranged perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit and parallel to each other in the active position. In some embodiments, the beams are pivotably connected to one of the terminal transport units and pivot between the storage position which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit and the active position which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first and / or second terminal transport units are arranged displaceably on the first and / or second terminal rail tracks.

[0013] In some embodiments, the terminal facility comprises a plurality of sets of rail tracks, with the same setup as the first set of rail tracks, said plurality of sets of rail tracks being arranged alongside and parallel to the first set of rail tracks, an additional plurality of first and second terminal transport units being arranged on the first and second terminal rail tracks of the additional sets of rail tracks.

[0014] In some embodiments, the terminal facility comprises a plurality of first terminal transport units arranged on the first terminal rail track and a plurality of second terminal transport units arranged on the second terminal rail track and in that the plurality of first and second terminal transport units are arranged to line up with railcars of a train which is arranged on the main rail track.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first and second terminal transport units comprise: a. a second transfer surface arranged parallel to the first transfer surface, b. a frame unit, said frame unit being arranged on the second transfer surface such that the frame unit is displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit, c. a vertical displacement mechanism, said vertical displacement mechanism being arranged to vertically displace the first and / or the second transfer surface relative to each other such that in a first position an upper surface of the frame unit is arranged below an upper surface of the first transfer surface such that a container arranged on the terminal transport unit is supported by the first transfer surface and the frame unit is not in contact with the container and a second position where the upper surface of the frame unit is arranged higher than the upper surface of the first transfer surface such that the container is supported by the frame unit and not by the first transfer surface.

[0016] In some embodiments, the vertical displacement mechanism comprises a first vertical displacement mechanism which is arranged to vertically displace the first transfer surface. In some embodiments, the vertical displacement mechanism comprises a second vertical displacement mechanism which is arranged to vertically displace the second transfer surface. In some embodiments, the vertical displacement mechanism comprises both a first and a second vertical displacement mechanism. In some embodiments, the second transfer surface comprises a forward second transfer surface and a rear second transfer surface, said forward and rear second transfer surfaces being arranged parallel to each other.

[0017] In some embodiments, said second transfer surface and said displaceable transfer surface are cooperatively arranged such that when the frame unit is supporting the container, the container can be displaced from one terminal transport unit to another terminal transport unit, over the displaceable transfer surface which is arranged over the main rail track.

[0018] In some embodiments, said terminal transport units further comprise a longitudinal transfer surface arranged along the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit, said vertical displacement mechanism having a third position where the upper surface of the first and second transfer surfaces are arranged below an upper surface of the longitudinal transfer surface, where the frame unit is supported by the longitudinal transfer surface and is arranged to displace along the longitudinal transfer surface along the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit. In some embodiments, the longitudinal transfer surface comprises a left transfer mechanism and a right transfer mechanism arranged along long sides of the terminal transport unit. In some embodiments, the second transfer surface is arranged between the left and right transfer mechanisms. In some embodiments, the second transfer surface does not cross the left and right transfer mechanisms. In some embodiments, there is a left gap and a right gap between the second transfer surface and the displaceable transfer surface on the left and right sides respectively of the terminal transport units when the displaceable transfer surface is in its active position. In some embodiments, the left and right transfer mechanisms are arranged in the left and right gaps respectively.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first and second terminal transport units comprise: a. a longitudinal transfer surface arranged along the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit, b. a frame unit, said frame unit being arranged on the longitudinal transfer surface such that the frame unit is displaceable in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit, c. a vertical displacement mechanism, said vertical displacement mechanism being arranged to vertically displace the first and / or the longitudinal transfer surface relative to each other such that in a first position an upper surface of the frame unit is arranged below an upper surface of the first transfer surface such that a container arranged on the terminal transport unit is supported by the first transfer surface and the frame unit is not in contact with the container and a second position where the upper surface of the frame unit is arranged higher than the upper surface of the first transfer surface such that the container is supported by the frame unit and not by the first transfer surface.

[0020] In some embodiments, the first transfer surface and the displaceable transfer surface are cooperatively arranged such that when the first transfer surface is supporting the container, the container can be displaced from one terminal transport unit to another terminal transport unit, over the displaceable transfer surface which is arranged over the main rail track.

[0021] In some embodiments, said first and / or said second and / or said displaceable transfer surfaces comprise one or more roller conveyors.

[0022] In some embodiments, said terminal facility comprises a buffer region in extension of said first and second terminal rail tracks, said buffer region being able to store containers supported on frame units. In some embodiments, said buffer region is as long as there are container railcars in a train arranged on the main rail track.

[0023] In some embodiments, said terminal facility further comprises a sorting facility arranged on one side of the set of rail tracks, said sorting facility comprising a number of rows of simplified terminal transport units with second transfer surfaces to allow frame units with or without containers to be transferred onto or off of the simplified terminal transport units.

[0024] In some embodiments, a sorting facility is provided on both sides of a set of rail tracks. In some embodiments, the terminal facility comprises N main rail tracks, N first terminal rail tracks and N second terminal rail tracks, 2N rows of simplified terminal transport units in one or more sorting facilities and a buffer area comprising 2N rows of terminal transport units with longitudinal transfer surfaces. In some areas, a sorting facility having V number of rows is arranged on one side of the terminal facility and a sorting facility having at least 2N-V rows is arranged on another side of the terminal facility. In some embodiments, the terminal facility comprises room for trains with M railcars and the rows in the buffer area and the sorting facility comprise room for M terminal transport units. In some embodiments, a buffer area is arranged with W transport units on one side of the terminal facility and at least M-W transfer units on the other side of the terminal facility.

[0025] It should be emphasized that the term "comprises / comprising / comprised of" when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof. Brief description of the drawings

[0026] In the following, the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to embodiments shown by the enclosed figures. It should be emphasized that the embodiments shown are used for example purposes only and should not be used to limit the scope of the invention.

[0027] Figure 1 shows a schematic side view of a first embodiment of a terminal transport unit in a first position.

[0028] Figure 2 shows a schematic side view of the terminal transport unit of figure 1 in a second position.

[0029] Figure 3 shows a schematic side view of the terminal transport unit of figure 1 in a third position.

[0030] Figure 4 shows a schematic top view of the terminal transport unit of figure 1 with the displaceable transfer surface in a storage position.

[0031] Figure 5 shows a schematic top view of two terminal transport units and a main rail track with the displaceable transfer surface in an active position.

[0032] Figures 6 to 17 schematically show top views of different states of a first embodiment of a terminal facility with two sets of rail tracks. It should be understood that multiple sets of rail tracks according to the figures 6 to 17 could be arranged side by side to provide additional capacity and flexibility.

[0033] Figure 6 shows a situation where new containers A are arranged on terminal transport units on the left side of the main rail track. Figure 7 shows a situation where a train with railcars having containers B arranged thereon.

[0034] Figure 8 shows how the first transfer surfaces have been displaced from the terminal transport units to the railcars.

[0035] Figure 9 shows how the containers B from the railcars have been transferred to the terminal transport units on the right of the main rail track and the new containers A have been transferred from the terminal transport units on the left of the main rail track to the railcars.

[0036] Figure 10 shows how the first transfer surfaces have been retracted.

[0037] Figure 11 shows the railcars of the train departed. The main rail track is empty again.

[0038] Figure 12 shows the displaceable transfer surfaces moved into their active position where they span the main rail track.

[0039] Figure 13 shows two of the frame units, one empty and one having a container B arranged on it displaced over the displaceable transfer surfaces.

[0040] Figure 14 shows how all the frame units and containers B have been emptied from the terminal transport units. A new “sorted” container C is being displaced outwardly from the hub side of the tracks to the outer track.

[0041] Figure 15 shows how the new sorted container C is arranged on the outermost track.

[0042] Figure 16 shows the new sorted container C being displaced longitudinally along the terminal transport units. Figure 17 shows a new situation where the new sorted containers C are in place. A new train can now arrive and the new containers C be pushed from the terminal transport units to the railcars of the train.

[0043] Figure 18 shows a schematic top view of a second embodiment of two terminal transport units and a main rail track with the displaceable transfer surface in an active position.

[0044] Detailed description of the embodiments

[0045] Figures 1-3 show schematic side views of an embodiment 1 of a terminal transport unit according to the current invention. The terminal transport unit is arranged to transport a standard ISO shipping container. In the current embodiment, the terminal transport unit is arranged to transport a 40’ container 2. The container is of the kind known in the art and is not further described in this specification. The container comprises standard corner fittings 4 arranged at each corner as is known in the art. In another embodiment, not shown, the terminal transport unit could have a different size, to support containers of different sizes. For example, a terminal transport unit could be arranged to work with a 20’ container. A similar construction would be provided. In certain embodiments, it would be possible to connect smaller terminal transport units into a larger terminal unit to support larger containers. For example, two 20’ terminal transport units could be linked together to be able to support a 40’ container. In such a case, some of the transfer surfaces might not be in use depending on the size of the container.

[0046] The terminal transport unit comprises a wagon part with a chassis 6 mounted on a set of wheels 8. The wheels are arranged on a set of rail tracks 10 allowing the unit to displace along the tracks 10. The unit further comprises a first transfer surface 12 which comprises two horizontal beams 14 arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit. One beam 14a is arranged near the front of the unit and one beam 14b is arranged near the rear of the unit. On top of each beam is arranged a roller conveyor 16. The spacing between the beams is arranged such that the beams are arranged underneath the corner fittings of a standard 40’ container when a container is placed on top of the terminal transport unit. This is shown in the figures.

[0047] The terminal transport unit is provided with a transfer mechanism which makes it possible to pull or push a container from and / or to a railcar arranged beside the terminal transport unit. When the transfer mechanism is activated, the container will be displaced along the first transfer surface on the terminal transport unit and on cooperating transfer surfaces on the railcar.

[0048] The details of the transfer mechanism are not disclosed in this specification as they are not critical for the overall invention disclosed in this specification. However, details of one embodiment of a suitable transfer mechanism are disclosed in applicants co-pending application WO2023 / 031486 which is incorporated by reference. In particular the details of the displaceable transfer beams are relevant for this application and the details of the roller conveyor based transfer surfaces are relevant for this application. Additional details of other possible transfer mechanisms are disclosed in applicants copending application, WO2018 / 029379 which is incorporated by reference. Especially the details of the aligning mechanism are relevant for this application.

[0049] In the current embodiment, it is considered to use a transfer mechanism as described on the truck of WO2023 / 031486 on the terminal transport units. However, since the terminal transport units do not need to be used on roads and since the weight of the terminal transport units is not so critical, the design of the transfer mechanism can be further optimized for strength. Also, the components can be made larger. However, the main idea of arranging the first transfer surface on beams which displace in a direction which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the terminal transport unit to engage with a beam on the railcar is still relevant.

[0050] The unit of the current embodiment also comprises a first vertical displacement mechanism 18 between the beams of the first transfer surface and the chassis of the unit. In this way, the vertical position of the upper surface of the first transfer surface can be adjusted. When the first vertical displacement mechanism is adjusted, the container can be moved up and down.

[0051] The unit also comprises a frame unit 20 which is arranged on top of a second transfer surface 22. The second transfer surface is also provided by two horizontal beams 24 and roller conveyors 26 arranged on top of the horizontal beams. The frame unit is supported on the upper surface of the roller conveyors and is able to displace perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit.

[0052] When the first vertical displacement mechanism lowers the beams of the first transfer surface, the container is lowered until the lower surface of the container engages the upper surface of the frame unit. If the first vertical displacement mechanism lowers the beams so much that the upper surface of the first transfer surface is below the upper surface of the frame unit, then the container will be fully supported on the frame unit and no longer on the first transfer surface. At this point, the container can be transferred perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the unit via the second transfer surface. The unit also comprises a second vertical displacement mechanism 28 arranged between the beams 24 of the second transfer surface and the chassis of the unit. The second vertical displacement mechanism can raise and lower the beams of the second transfer surface.

[0053] The unit also comprises a longitudinal transfer surface 30. The longitudinal transfer surface 30 is provide by a series of parallel wheels 32 arranged on the left and right sides of the terminal transport unit which engage with the bottom surface 34 of the frame unit when the frame unit is lowered via the second vertical displacement mechanism.

[0054] The first and second vertical displacement mechanisms are shown schematically via boxes. The specific type of vertical displacement mechanism is not critical to the current invention. Some different examples are hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders.

[0055] The frame unit is provided with a guide rails (not shown) on the bottom which ensure that when the frame unit is supported by the second or longitudinal transfer surface, then the frame unit does not slide in an undesired direction.

[0056] In the figures, a first vertical displacement mechanism is shown which engages with the beams of the first transfer surface and a second vertical displacement mechanism is shown which engages with the beams of the second horizontal transfer surface. However, other arrangements would also be possible. For example, instead of having a vertical displacement arrangement connected to the first transfer surface which lowers the first transfer surface, it would be possible to have a vertical displacement mechanism which moves the frame unit up until it lifts the container free of the first transfer surface. Likewise, instead of lowering the frame unit down to the longitudinal transfer surface, it would be possible to raise the wheels of the longitudinal transfer surface until they engage the bottom of the frame unit and then lift the frame unit. Hence, different combinations of vertical displacement arrangements are possible. However, in general, in this embodiment, there are three different modes of operation. A first mode where the container is supported via its corner fittings on the first transfer surface. In this mode, the container can move perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the transport unit from a railcar to a terminal transport unit or from a terminal transport unit to a railcar. A second mode is provided where the container is supported on the frame unit and can move perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit on the second transfer surface. A third mode is provided where the container can move parallel to the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit via the longitudinal transfer surface.

[0057] In figures 4 to 5, it is schematically shown how one embodiment of a terminal transport unit is provided where a container can be transferred from one unit on one side of the main rail tracks to another unit on the other side of the main rail tracks. In this way, the containers can be moved over the tracks, even when there is no railcar arranged on the tracks. In most prior art systems, a railcar is necessary to allow a container to be transferred from one side to the other side of the track.

[0058] In this embodiment, two beams 40 are provided which are pivotably attached to a first terminal transport unit on one side of the tracks. The beams are arranged to be pivoted about a pivot point 42. When a train is arranged on the main rail tracks 44, the beams are pivoted inwardly to be arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit in a storage position (figure 4). Then when the train leaves, the beams can be pivoted outwardly (figure 5) such that the beams pass across the main rail tracks in an active position. The beams are provided with roller conveyors 46 on top of the beams. The beams are arranged such that the roller conveyors on the beams are arranged in line with the roller conveyors of the beams of the second transfer surface when the beams are in their active position.

[0059] When the beams are in their active position, the “free” end of the beams are supported on the terminal transport unit on the opposite side of the tracks.

[0060] In the active position of the beams, a frame unit provided on one unit can be transferred to another unit arranged on the opposite side of the main rail tracks, by displacing the frame unit across the second transfer surface and the displacement transfer surface formed by the roller conveyors of the pivoting beams.

[0061] Figures 6-17 schematically show different states of a terminal facility according to the current invention. The details are not all described in great detail herein, but the overall concept will be described.

[0062] It is to be noted that the components shown in dashed lines are “hidden” underneath a frame unit. As the frame units displace, the components can become visible or hidden. This is shown in the figures when components change from solid to dashed to solid again.

[0063] Likewise, the containers are shown smaller than in real life, so that the components of the transport units can be seen better. In a real situation, the containers would be so large that the corner fittings would be arranged on the first transfer surfaces. However, for the sake of understanding, the containers are shown much smaller.

[0064] The containers are marked with A, B or C. The containers marked with A are containers sorted in a hub facility (not shown) which is arranged “south” of the lower most track in the figures. The containers after being sorted are pushed out (as will be described later) from the hub facility onto terminal transport units arranged on the “north” side of the main rail tracks. When the train arrives at the facility, the containers A are pushed onto the railcars to be transported to their desired destination.

[0065] The containers marked with B are containers which are arriving with a train. These containers are moved from the train to the terminal transport units arranged on the “south” side of the main rail tracks. Once the train leaves the terminal, the containers marked with B are moved to the hub and sorted. When the containers B have been sorted, they are pushed back onto the terminal transport units. These are marked with C.

[0066] The terminal facility 100 in figures 6-17 is an overly simplified facility with two sets of rail tracks 102, 104. Each set of rail tracks comprises a main rail track 106 on which a train comprising railcars can arrive and depart. Each set of rail tracks also comprises a first terminal rail track 108 arranged on the “left” side of the main rail track 106 and a second terminal rail track 110 arranged on the “right” side of the main rail track. The terms “left” and “right” refer to a location relative to the main rail tracks when the train moves from the left of the drawing page to the right of the drawing page.

[0067] On the first and second terminal rail tracks, terminal transport units 112 are arranged. On the first and second terminal rail tracks, a number of terminal transport units are arranged. The number of terminal transport units will be chosen to match the expected number of railcars which are present on the train which arrives at the terminal facility. The transport units arranged on the first terminal rail track are of the kind with pivoting beams to span the main rail track as shown in figures 4-5 and the transport units arranged on the second terminal rail track do not have the pivoting beams. As shown in the figures, a transport unit on the second track will either be adjacent a transport unit on a first track of an adjacent set of rail tracks, or it will be adjacent the sorting facility 112. Hence, the transport units in this embodiment arranged on the second terminal rail tracks do not need transfer surfaces which can span the main rail tracks. However, in another embodiment (not shown), instead of having pivoting beams on the units on the first terminal rail tracks, it could be imagined that the pivoting beams are arranged on the units on the second terminal rail tracks. In another embodiment, it could be imagined that both terminal transport units have displaceable beams which meet over the main train tracks. In another embodiment, one terminal transport unit could have a forward displaceable beam and the other terminal transport unit could have a rear displaceable beam.

[0068] Figures 6-17 schematically show some of the steps involved in an operation, a more detailed description of the steps are provided below.

[0069] In a real life situation, consider the case with 5 sets of rail tracks arranged parallel to each other. Consider that trains arrive with 26 container railcars and 5 passenger railcars (figure 7). The trains all arrive at the terminal facility at the same time. Hence, there are 5 trains each with 26 container railcars arranged on the main rail tracks.

[0070] Once the trains are stopped, the passengers in the passenger cars get out at the terminal facility and can move on to connecting trains or stop at the terminal if they have reached their final destination.

[0071] While the passengers are disembarking, the transfer mechanisms on the terminal transport units on both the “left” and “right” sides engage with the railcars on the main rail track (figure 8). Then the containers on the “left” side are pushed onto the railcars on the main track while the containers on the railcars on the main track are pulled onto the terminal transport units on the “right” side (figure 9). This can be performed quick quickly. The trains are now loaded with 26 x 5 new containers and the 26 x 5 old containers are now arranged on the right side terminal transport units. The transfer mechanisms now retract (figure 10) and the trains can leave (figure 11 ).

[0072] The pivoting beams now pivot into their active positions (figure 12), the first transfer surfaces are lowered such that the containers are supported on the frame units and the containers are transferred across the main rail tracks via the second transfer surfaces (figure 13) until they arrive at the hub sorting facility.

[0073] The hub sorting facility is not described in detail in this specification. However, consider a situation where there are 10 rows of 26 terminal transport units having only second transfer surfaces. The frame units with and without containers are stored on these 10x26 terminal transport units. Then the row of containers closest to the sets of rail tracks is pushed back out onto the desired destination track. For example, the containers in the first row are coming from the train which was on the outermost rail track. The containers from the row are then sorted onto the rows of the other tracks. For example, container 1 from the front of the train could be sent to track 1 , the container 2 from the front of the train could be sent to track 4, the container 3 from the front of the train could be sent to track 1 against, etc... Once all the containers from the first row are placed onto their destination tracks, the second transfer surfaces are lowered such that the frame units are arranged on the longitudinal transfer surfaces and the containers are sent to the right in the figures to a buffer area (not shown) where there is room for 5 x 26 containers on frame units and 5 x 26 empty frame units.

[0074] Then the second row of containers is sorted in the same way, as before, once the row is completed, then the containers are moved to the right into the buffer area. Once all the rows have been sorted, the buffer area will be completely full of containers. Then buffer area is then emptied back such that the containers are back in the correct positions relative to the trains which will arrive. The first transfer surfaces are against lifted up so that the containers are all supported on the first transfer surfaces.

[0075] It should be noted that in the current embodiment, empty frame units also need to be pushed out so that an empty frame unit is arranged on the terminal transport unit on the “right” side of the main rail track while a frame unit with a container is arranged on the first terminal rail track. In the current embodiment, the empty frame units can be pushed out in a single operation to a particular rail track and then pushed to the right into the buffer area. However, other embodiments could also be imagined where the empty frame units are sorted separately from the filled frame units.

[0076] Figure 18 shows another embodiment of a terminal transport unit which is very similar to the one shown in figure 5. However, in this embodiment, the longitudinal transfer surface is longer than in the first embodiment. In both embodiments, the longitudinal transfer surface 100 comprises a left and a right transfer mechanism 102, 104. Both the left and right transfer mechanisms are arranged with a series of wheels 108 arranged along the longitudinal axis of the unit. This is shown in figures 1-3 as wheels 32. The frame unit 20 is supported on the wheels when the first and second transfer surfaces are lowered. However, in this embodiment, the left and right transfer mechanisms are arranged to pass the front and rear second transfer surfaces 110. A gap 112 is therefore provided between the second transfer surface and the displaceable transfer surface 114. The wheels of the longitudinal transfer surface can therefore be arranged in this gap when the first and second transfer surfaces are lowered. This provides for a shorter distance between the longitudinal transfer surfaces of adjacent terminal transport units along a track 10. This helps when transferring containers along the longitudinal axis of the transport units since for a portion of the travel, a portion of the frame unit is not supported directly. Increasing the length of the longitudinal transfer surface will minimize the distance between the longitudinal transfer surfaces of adjacent terminal transport units.

[0077] It is to be noted that the figures and the above description have often shown the example embodiments in a simple and schematic manner. Many of the specific mechanical details have not been shown since the person skilled in the art should be familiar with these details and they would just unnecessarily complicate this description. For example, the specific materials used and the specific manufacturing procedures have not been described in detail since it is maintained that the person skilled in the art would be able to find suitable materials and suitable processes to manufacture the system according to the current invention.

Claims

Claims1. Terminal facility for handling shipping containers, said terminal facility comprising: a. a first set of rail tracks comprising i. a main rail track on which trains comprising railcars for transporting containers can arrive and depart, ii. a first terminal rail track arranged parallel to and on one side of the main rail track, and iii. a second terminal rail track arranged parallel to and on the other side of the main rail track, b. a first terminal transport unit arranged on the first terminal rail track, c. a second terminal transport unit arranged on the second terminal rail track, d. said first and second terminal transport units each comprising a first transfer surface and a transfer mechanism, said first transfer surface and said transfer mechanism being arranged to allow a container to displace from a railcar on the main train track to the first and / or the second terminal transport units and / or from the first and / or the second terminal transport units to a railcar on the main rail track, and e. said first and / or said second terminal transport units comprising a displaceable transfer surface having two positions, a storage position where the displaceable transfer surface is arranged away from the main rail track and an active position where the displaceable transfer surface is arranged to span the main rail track, such that a container arranged on the first or second terminal transport unit can be transferred to the second or first terminal transport unit respectively.

2. Terminal facility according to claim 1 , characterized in that the displaceable transfer surface comprises two separate beams, one beam arranged near the front of the terminal transport unit and one beam arranged near the rear of the terminal transport unit, the beams being arranged alongside and / or inside the terminal transport unit in the storage position and being arranged perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit and parallel to each other in the active position.

3. Terminal facility according to claim 2, characterized in that the beams are pivotably connected to one of the terminal transport units and pivot between a storage position which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit and an active position which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit.

4. Terminal facility according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that when the beams are in their active position, the “free” ends of the beams are supported on the terminal transport unit on the opposite side of the tracks.

5. Terminal facility according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the first and / or second terminal transport units are arranged displaceably on the first and / or second terminal rail tracks.

6. Terminal facility according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the facility comprises a plurality of sets of rail tracks, with the same setup as the first set of rail tracks, said plurality of sets of rail tracks being arranged alongside and parallel to the first set of rail tracks, an additional plurality of first and secondterminal transport units being arranged on the first and second terminal rail tracks of the additional sets of rail tracks.

7. Terminal facility according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the terminal facility comprises a plurality of first terminal transport units arranged on the first terminal rail track and a plurality of second terminal transport units arranged on the second terminal rail track and in that the plurality of first and second terminal transport units are arranged to line up with railcars of a train which is arranged on the main rail track.

8. Terminal facility according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the first and second terminal transport units comprise: a. a second transfer surface arranged parallel to the first transfer surface, b. a frame unit, said frame unit being arranged on the second transfer surface such that the frame unit is displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit, c. a vertical displacement mechanism, said vertical displacement mechanism being arranged to vertically displace the first and / or the second transfer surface relative to each other such that in a first position an upper surface of the frame unit is arranged below an upper surface of the first transfer surface such that a container arranged on the terminal transport unit is supported by the first transfer surface and the frame unit is not in contact with the container and a second position where the upper surface of the frame unit is arranged higher than the upper surface of the first transfer surface such that the container is supported by the frame unit and not by the first transfer surface.

9. Terminal facility according to claim 8, characterized in that said second transfer surface and said displaceable transfer surface are cooperatively arranged such that when the frame unit is supporting the container, the container can be displaced from one terminal transport unit to another terminal transport unit, over the displaceable transfer surface which is arranged over the main rail track.

10. Terminal facility according to any one of claims 8 to 9, characterized in that said terminal transport units further comprise a longitudinal transfer surface arranged along the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit, said vertical displacement mechanism having a third position where the upper surface of the first and second transfer surfaces are arranged below an upper surface of the longitudinal transfer surface, where the frame unit is supported by the longitudinal transfer surface and is arranged to displace along the longitudinal transfer surface along the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit.

11. Terminal facility according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the first and second terminal transport units comprise: a. a longitudinal transfer surface arranged along the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit, b. a frame unit, said frame unit being arranged on the longitudinal transfer surface such that the frame unit is displaceable in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the terminal transport unit, c. a vertical displacement mechanism, said vertical displacement mechanism being arranged to vertically displace the first and / orthe longitudinal transfer surface relative to each other such that in a first position an upper surface of the frame unit is arranged below an upper surface of the first transfer surface such that a container arranged on the terminal transport unit is supported by the first transfer surface and the frame unit is not in contact with the container and a second position where the upper surface of the frame unit is arranged higher than the upper surface of the first transfer surface such that the container is supported by the frame unit and not by the first transfer surface.

12. Terminal facility according to claim 11 , characterized in that said first transfer surface and said displaceable transfer surface are cooperatively arranged such that when the first transfer surface is supporting the container, the container can be displaced from one terminal transport unit to another terminal transport unit, over the displaceable transfer surface which is arranged over the main rail track.

13. Terminal facility according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that said first and / or said second and / or said displaceable transfer surfaces comprise one or more roller conveyors.

14. Terminal facility according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the first transfer surface is arranged to support a container arranged on the first transfer surface via corner fittings of the container.

15. Terminal facility according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that said terminal facility comprises a buffer regionin extension of said first and second terminal rail tracks, said buffer region being able to store containers supported on frame units.

16. Terminal facility according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that said terminal facility further comprises a sorting facility arranged on one side of the set of rail tracks, said sorting facility comprising a number of rows of simplified terminal transport units with second transfer surfaces to allow frame units with or without containers to be transferred onto or off of the simplified terminal transport units.

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