Crane and method for using the same

Abstract

To provide a crane capable of reducing a monitoring burden of an operator in a yard area.SOLUTION: A crane 1 for loading containers 10 to be placed in a yard area 100 comprises detection means 30 for detecting an abnormality of, among piles A-F of the containers 10 to be placed in the yard area 100, a pile not including the container 10 to be loaded by the crane 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a crane and a method for using a crane. [Background technology]

[0002] Facilities such as container terminals that handle containers between a chassis, which is a land-based transportation means, and a container ship, which is a sea-based transportation means, are equipped with a storage area where containers transported by one transportation means are stored until the other transportation means comes to receive them. In a storage area, containers are sometimes arranged in multiple layers so that as many containers as possible can be stored without interfering with cargo handling efficiency. A collection of containers arranged in multiple layers in the vertical direction is also called a "piled pile." The location and number of tiers where containers are stored in a storage area vary depending on the transport means that will transport the containers and the type of cargo they carry, so the height of each pile varies. For this reason, some cranes used for cargo handling, such as rearranging containers in a storage area and transferring them to transport means, are equipped with a mechanism to detect the height of the pile (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-327388 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The more layers a stack has, the higher the center of gravity becomes. Therefore, if a horizontal force is applied, such as when a crane comes into contact with the stack during loading and unloading, some of the containers that make up the stack may tilt or tip over, causing abnormalities such as the containers tipping over. However, with the configuration of Patent Document 1, although it is possible to detect the height of the pile, the detection result does not indicate whether an abnormality has occurred in the pile. Therefore, workers such as drivers must visually monitor the pile for abnormalities, which poses a problem of a heavy monitoring burden on workers. In particular, in automated container terminals, the cranes and chassis involved in loading and unloading in the storage area are automatically operated, so the number of workers is very small, and having workers monitor the pile for abnormalities poses a problem of a very heavy monitoring burden.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a crane and a method of using the crane that can reduce the monitoring burden on workers in a storage area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the crane of the present invention is a crane that handles loading and unloading of containers stored in a storage area, and is characterized by having a detection means that detects abnormalities in a stack of containers stored in the storage area that does not include the container that the crane is attempting to load and unload. Furthermore, the method of using a crane of the present invention is characterized in that it uses a detection means for detecting abnormalities in a stack of containers stored in a storage area where the containers are stored, the detection means being provided on a crane that handles the containers, and carries out a process of detecting abnormalities in the stack that does not include the containers that the crane is handling. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the present invention, when an abnormality occurs in the stack of containers, the detection means provided on the crane detects the occurrence of the abnormality. This reduces the monitoring burden on workers in the storage area. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a crane according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the crane of FIG. 1 and one of the containers. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing a state in which the spreader comes into contact with the container in FIG. 1, as an example showing a state in which the container is tilted. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating a procedure for determining the inclination of a container. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining the procedure for determining the inclination of a container, showing an image captured by a camera. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of a crane according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. Here, a gantry crane that transfers containers stored in a storage area of ​​a container terminal to and from a chassis is shown as an example of the crane.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the crane 1 is installed astride a storage area 100 for containers 10 in a container terminal 200, and a travel lane M, which is a travel path for chassis 21 provided adjacent to and running parallel to the extension direction of the storage area 100. The storage area 100 is an area where containers 10 are stored in multiple layers, and here, 20-foot or 40-foot containers 10 are arranged in six rows A to F along the X direction, with their longitudinal direction facing the Y direction. In the following explanation, the collections of containers 10 stacked in rows A to F will be referred to as piles A to F.

[0011] 2, in the storage area 100, the containers 10 are also arranged along the Y direction. Here, the adjacent piles of piles A to F arranged in the positive direction of the Y direction are referred to as piles A1 to F1. Also, the adjacent piles of piles A to F arranged in the negative direction of the Y direction are referred to as piles A2 to F2.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the crane 1 includes legs 3 a to 3 d, girders 5 a and 5 b, a traveling device 7 , a trolley 9 , and a spreader 11 . Legs 3a to 3d are columnar structures that support girders 5a, 5b, trolley 9, and spreader 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower ends of adjacent legs 3a and 3b in the Y direction, and the lower ends of legs 3c and 3d are connected by sill beams 6a and 6b, respectively. Sill beams 6a and 6b are arranged to sandwich storage area 100 in the X direction, and their extension direction faces the Y direction. Therefore, legs 3a, 3b and legs 3c, 3d are also arranged to sandwich storage area 100 in the X direction. Furthermore, legs 3a and 3c face each other in the X direction, and legs 3b and 3d face each other in the X direction.

[0013] The girders 5a and 5b are girder-shaped structures straddling the legs 3a to 3d in the X direction (lateral direction). Specifically, the girder 5a straddles the upper ends of the legs 3a and 3c, and the girder 5b straddles the upper ends of the legs 3b and 3d. The traveling device 7 is a device that travels the crane 1 in the traveling direction (Y direction), which is the extension direction of the storage area 100, and is provided on the underside of the sill beams 6a and 6b in this case. The trolley 9 is a cart that travels the spreader 11 in the X direction, and is provided astride the girders 5a and 5b in this case, and moves back and forth in the X direction on the girders 5a and 5b. The spreader 11 is a hoisting device that lifts the container 10, and is held by the trolley 9 with a wire 8, and moves up and down (Z direction).

[0014] The crane 1 in FIG. 1 is an automatic operation type, and automatically handles the loading and unloading of containers 10 in accordance with instructions from a control unit 33 in an administration building 31 provided in the container terminal 200. Specifically, the crane 1 drives the traveling device 7, trolley 9, and spreader 11 to lift the container 10 stored at a predetermined position in the storage area 100 and deliver the container 10 to the chassis 21 waiting in the travel lane M. Alternatively, the crane 1 receives the container 10 from the chassis 21 waiting in the travel lane M and stores it at a predetermined position in the storage area 100. Furthermore, the crane 1 can also rearrange the container 10 within the storage area 100. The control unit 33 may be provided in the crane 1.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the crane 1 is provided with a detection means 30 . The detection means 30 is a means for detecting an abnormality in a pile of containers 10 stored in the storage area 100 that does not include the container 10 that the crane 1 is handling.

[0016] "A pile that does not include the container 10 that the crane 1 is handling" means a pile that does not include the container 10 that is the landing target of the spreader 11, and a pile that does not include the container 10 that the spreader 11 is trying to lift. For example, in Figure 1, when spreader 11 is holding container 10 and is in the process of loading and unloading container 10 onto the top container 10 of pile C, the "piles that do not include the container 10 that crane 1 is loading and unloading" are piles A, B, D, E, and F. Alternatively, in Figure 4, the spreader 11 is descending to grab the container 10a on pile D, but in Figure 4, the ``piles that do not include the container 10 that the crane 1 is handling'' are piles A to C, E, and F, which are piles other than pile D. This is because the position and posture of the pile including the container 10 that the crane 1 is handling are detected by a distance sensor, camera, etc. (not shown) for operations such as aligning with the spreader 11, and abnormalities have conventionally been detected from the detection results. However, if it is desired to further improve the accuracy of abnormality detection or to increase the number of detection targets as much as possible, the pile including the container 10 that the crane 1 is handling may also be included in the targets for which the detection means 30 detects abnormalities.

[0017] Furthermore, if any of piles A to F is a "pile including a container 10 that is the target of handling by crane 1," then piles at different Y-direction positions in storage area 100 are also "pile not including a container 10 that is the target of handling by crane 1." Therefore, if any of piles A to F is a "pile including a container 10 that is the target of handling by crane 1," then piles A1 to F1 and piles A2 to F2 shown in Figure 2 are also "pile not including a container 10 that is the target of handling by crane 1."

[0018] "Abnormal stacking of containers 10" refers to a stacking state in which containers 10 are stored shifted from the location where they should be stored. Specifically, there is a case where the container is tilted in the XZ plane, as in the container 10b in Fig. 4. This case will be described in more detail. In Figure 4, the spreader 11, which is not gripping a container 10, is descending to grip a container 10a in pile D. However, piles C and E, which are adjacent to pile D in the X direction, are higher than pile D. Therefore, if the spreader 11 swings in the X direction while descending or is moved in the X direction for positioning, the spreader 11 may come into contact with the side of a container 10 in piles C and E, or in Figure 4, the side of container 10b in pile C. In this case, container 10b tilts within the XZ plane. If this condition continues, container 10b may tip over and fall into pile B, as indicated by arrow R, or may tip over. If loading and unloading continues in this state, especially in the case of automatic operation, the control unit 33 may lose track of the position of container 10b, potentially preventing loading and unloading of container 10b. Furthermore, there is a risk that a container 10 may be stacked on top of container 10b while it is still lying on its side.

[0019] Therefore, when a container 10b constituting a pile C that does not include the container 10 being handled by the crane 1 is tilted in the XZ plane, this is detected as an abnormality in the pile C. This allows the crane 1 to take action to prevent the container 10b from tipping over, such as by moving the spreader 11 in a direction away from the container 10b.

[0020] Furthermore, the crane 1 detects abnormalities in the stack of containers 10 using the detection means 30. Therefore, there is no need to separately station an operator to detect abnormalities around the storage area 100, or to have an operator monitor images from surveillance cameras or the like installed around the storage area 100 to detect abnormalities. This reduces the operator's monitoring burden for detecting abnormalities in the stack. In particular, if the crane 1 is automatically operated, operations to resolve the abnormality can be automatically performed when an abnormality is detected. For example, if the container 10 tilts due to the spreader 11 coming into contact with the container 10, an operation to resolve the tilt can be automatically performed by moving the spreader 11 away from the container 10.

[0021] However, the detection means 30 does not necessarily always need to detect all abnormalities in the "piles that do not include the container 10 that the crane 1 is handling" in the storage area 100. This is because the detection means 30 is provided on the crane 1, and therefore the range in which it can detect abnormalities is limited, although this depends on the detection method. Of the "piles that do not include the container 10 that the crane 1 is handling," it is preferable to detect abnormalities in the piles that are located at the same position in the Y direction as the "piles that include the container 10 that the crane 1 is handling." Taking FIG. 4 as an example, if the "piles that include the container 10 that the crane 1 is handling" is pile D, it is preferable to detect abnormalities in piles A to F rather than piles A1 to F1 and A2 to F2. This is because the container 10 is a cube with its longitudinal direction in the Y direction as shown in FIG. 3, and is more likely to tilt in the X direction than in the Y direction when it comes into contact with the spreader 11.

[0022] Of the "piles that do not include the container 10 that the crane 1 is handling," it is particularly preferable to detect abnormalities in the piles of containers 10 adjacent to the "piles that include the container 10 that the crane 1 is handling." This is because piles adjacent to the "piles that include the container 10 that the crane 1 is handling" tend to be close to the spreader 11 during handling, making it easy for abnormalities such as contact with the spreader 11 and tipping over to occur. For example, in Figure 2, if the "piles that include the container 10 that the crane 1 is handling" is pile D, it is preferable to detect abnormalities in piles C and E. Note that piles D1 and D2 are adjacent to pile D in the Y direction, and therefore, if possible, abnormalities in piles D1 and D2 may also be detected. In the following explanation, an example will be given in which an abnormality is detected in a pile that is located at the same position in the Y direction as the "pile including the container 10 that the crane 1 is handling."

[0023] 3 and 4 show an example of an "abnormal stack of containers 10" where the container 10 is tilted in the XZ plane. However, if the container 10 is stored shifted from the location where it should be stored, "abnormal stack of containers 10" also includes a case where the container 10 is tilted in the YZ plane or a case where the container 10 is tilted in the XY plane. Alternatively, "abnormal stack of containers 10" also includes a case where the container 10 is simply stored shifted in any of the X, Y, or Z directions from the location where it should be stored, rather than a tilt.

[0024] As long as it is possible to detect "anomalies in the stacking of containers 10", various configurations can be applied to the detection means 30. Here, examples of the detection means 30 include a laser rangefinder, a camera, and an acoustic sensor.

[0025] First, a configuration using a laser range finder will be described with reference to Figs. 1, 3 and 5, taking as an example a configuration for detecting an abnormality when the container 10 is tilted in the XZ plane. 1 and 3, a laser rangefinder 30a is provided as detection means 30 on the underside of girders 5a and 5b of crane 1. Laser rangefinder 30a is positioned so that it can irradiate a laser toward storage area 100. Laser rangefinder 30a is a scanning type rangefinder that can irradiate a laser while changing the direction of laser irradiation, for example, by including an actuator (not shown) that adjusts the direction of the optical axis in the X and Y directions.

[0026] In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, one laser rangefinder 30a first scans the top surface of the container 10 at the top of the pile, which is the detection target, in the X direction with the Y coordinate fixed, to detect the X and Z coordinates of at least two points on the top surface. Here, the two long edge edges 41 and 43 are used as an example of the two points on the top surface. However, depending on the type of laser rangefinder 30a and the measurement conditions, the distance between the measurement points may be too wide, making it difficult to detect the edges 41 and 43. In this case, the X and Z coordinates of two or more points on the top surface other than the edges may be detected. In this case, the laser rangefinder 30a does not need to be a scanning type. When detecting two or more points on the top surface other than the edge, it is preferable that these points have the same Y coordinate but different X coordinates. Also, if the top surface of the container 10 has an uneven shape such as corrugation, detecting both the concave and convex portions will not allow accurate determination of the inclination of the top surface, so it is necessary to detect two or more points only on the concave portions or only on the convex portions. Furthermore, the laser range finder 30a may detect landmarks such as markers.

[0027] Next, a tilted line TL is drawn connecting the coordinates of the detected edges 41, 43, and the angle θ between the line with zero tilt in the XZ plane and the baseline BL, which is a line parallel to the X direction, is calculated as the tilt in the XZ plane. If this tilt exceeds a predetermined threshold, it can be determined that an abnormality has occurred in the pile. Note that the entity that determines whether the tilt exceeds the predetermined threshold may be the laser rangefinder 30a itself or the control unit 33. If the control unit 33 makes the determination, the control unit 33 is included in the configuration of the detection means 30. When three or more coordinates are detected, the detected coordinates may be linearly approximated to form the inclined line TL.

[0028] The predetermined threshold is the upper limit of the inclination of the container 10 during normal loading and unloading. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the container contact surface in the storage area 100 has a slope called a water gradient for drainage. Therefore, even during normal loading and unloading operations where no abnormalities occur in the stack, the container 10 is inclined by an angle corresponding to the water gradient. Therefore, by setting the water gradient θ2 of the storage area 100 as a predetermined threshold, abnormality detection can be performed without the influence of the water gradient. In this case, if the angle θ between the inclined line TL and the baseline BL exceeds the water gradient θ2, the detection means 30 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the stack. Specifically, the water gradient θ2 of the storage area 100 is approximately 1% (0.57°). Note that the water gradient θ2 may vary slightly from the design value due to aging and deterioration of the storage area 100 after construction. Therefore, the predetermined threshold may be an angle obtained by multiplying the design value of the water gradient θ2 by a predetermined safety factor, for example, a value approximately two times larger. In this way, by determining whether an abnormality has occurred based on a predetermined threshold angle, the influence of the inclination of the container installation surface in the storage area 100, such as the water gradient θ2, can be eliminated, improving the accuracy of detecting abnormalities in the pile.

[0029] The predetermined threshold value may not be a predetermined value (absolute value) such as the water gradient θ2, but may be a relative value. For example, the inclination of the top container 10 of multiple piles may be detected, and the detected inclinations may be compared to detect a pile in which an abnormality has occurred. Specifically, first, the angle θ between the inclination line TL of the container 10 at the top of the multiple piles and the baseline BL is calculated for each of the multiple piles. Next, the average value or median value of the angles of the containers 10 in all the measured piles is set as the predetermined threshold value, and if the angle θ of the container 10 in one pile exceeds the predetermined threshold value, the detection means 30 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the pile. In this way, by setting the specified threshold as a relative value, it is possible to eliminate the influence of not only the inclination of the container installation surface of the storage area itself, such as the water gradient, but also the inclination of the crane itself, thereby improving the accuracy of detecting abnormalities in the pile.

[0030] As long as the tilt of the uppermost container 10 in the stacks A to F in the storage area 100 can be detected, the position and number of the laser distance meters 30a can be set appropriately. However, when a laser is irradiated onto a pile of stacks that is lower in number than adjacent stacks C and E, such as stack D in Figure 1, depending on the position of the laser rangefinder 30a, the irradiated laser may hit the containers 10 of stacks C and E before hitting stack D. In this case, a blind spot occurs in the scanning range, making it difficult to determine the inclination of the top container 10 of stack D. Therefore, a configuration in which multiple laser rangefinders 30a are arranged in the X direction to mutually cover blind spots in the operation range due to differences in the number of stacks. Ideally, laser rangefinders 30a are arranged directly above all stacks A to F, but a configuration in which they are arranged every other row or two also covers blind spots. In Figure 1, laser rangefinders 30a are arranged directly above stacks B and E, which are the second and fifth rows of stacks. When multiple laser range finders 30a are provided, the piles to be detected may be assigned in advance according to the detectable range of each, or the piles to be detected may be changed by instructions from the control unit 33 or the like. When only one laser distance meter 30a is provided in the X direction, it is preferably located at the center of the beams 5a and 5b in the X direction.

[0031] The laser range finder 30a may be installed on a member constituting the crane 1 other than the girders 5a and 5b, as long as it can detect abnormalities in the piles A to F. Specifically, the installation position of the laser range finder 30a may be higher than the topmost container 10 of the piles A to F, and therefore it may be installed on the legs 3a to 3d.

[0032] The position of the laser distance meter 30a does not have to be fixed, but may be movable. For example, the laser distance meter 30a may be provided on the trolley 9 or the spreader 11. In this case, the inclination of the topmost container 10 of piles A to F can be determined with one laser distance meter 30a, but measurements and calculations may be required to eliminate the effects of inclination and vibration of the trolley 9 or spreader 11.

[0033] The number of laser rangefinders 30a installed in the Y direction may be one or more. For example, in Fig. 3, the laser rangefinders 30a are installed at the same X coordinate position on the girders 5a and 5b, so multiple laser rangefinders 30a are installed along the Y direction. By installing multiple laser rangefinders 30a along the Y direction in this way, the angle θ can be determined at different positions in the Y direction, and the influence of abnormal points due to noise, etc. can be eliminated.

[0034] The detection targets of the laser rangefinder 30a include not only the tilt in the XZ plane, but also the tilt in the YZ plane, the tilt in the XY plane, or simply positional deviations in the X, Y, and Z directions. The tilt in the YZ plane is determined by the angle between the inclined line in the Y direction between the edges of the opposing short sides of the top surface of the container 10 and the baseline, which is a line parallel to the Y direction. The tilt of the XY plane and the positional deviation in the X, Y, and Z directions can be found from the distance and angle between the outer periphery of the position where the container 10 is to be stored and the long or short side of the top surface of the container 10, which are obtained from markers installed on the ground in the storage area 100 or from the TOS 32 shown in Figure 1. TOS is an abbreviation for Terminal Operating System. Furthermore, if it is possible to detect tilt or positional deviation, a Doppler radar or the like may be used as a range finder. The above is a description of the configuration using the laser rangefinder 30a.

[0035] Next, a configuration using an imaging means will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in Fig. 1, a camera 13 serving as an imaging means is provided at the right end in the X direction of the trolley 9 of the crane 1. The optical axis of the camera 13 is held in a direction looking down on the spreader 11 from the trolley 9. Therefore, in the image captured by the camera 13 in the state shown in Fig. 1, the positional relationship between piles C, D, spreader 11, and wire 8 is schematically shown as image 14 in Fig. 6.

[0036] When detecting an abnormality in pile C from this video 14, first, an image showing the top surface 49a of pile C is extracted from video 14. Next, information indicating the range 51 in which the top surface 49a of pile C should be located, such as information indicating the coordinates and shape of the outer periphery of range 51, is obtained from the TOS 32 or the like. Next, the position and angle of the image showing the top surface 49a are compared with range 51 to measure the position and angle deviation. The measured angle deviation may be in the YZ plane, the XZ plane, or the XY plane. If the position and angle deviation exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in pile C. The extraction of the image, the measurement of the position and angle deviation, and the determination of the occurrence of an abnormality may be performed by the camera 13 itself or by the control unit 33. If the control unit 33 makes the determination, the control unit 33 is included in the configuration of the detection means 30.

[0037] In this way, the camera 13 may be used to detect abnormalities. In this configuration, cameras already installed on the crane 1, such as a surveillance camera or a camera that captures images to be displayed on a remote control display device, can be used, so the installation costs of the detection means 30 can be reduced.

[0038] Various imaging methods can be used as long as the crane 1 can capture images of the container 10 that is not being handled. Furthermore, if a structure such as a stereo camera can also obtain information on the depth direction of the image 14, the accuracy of detecting the tilt can be improved. When a stereo camera is used, the tilt can be determined by extracting the coordinates of the edges 41 and 43 of the container 10 and determining the angle between the tilt line TL and the baseline BL, as with the laser rangefinder 30a.

[0039] The number and position of the imaging means are preferably such that no blind spots are created when imaging piles A to F that do not include the container 10 that is the object of loading and unloading by the crane 1. The specific arrangement is the same as that of the laser rangefinder 30a. The above is a description of the configuration using the imaging means.

[0040] Next, a configuration using an acoustic sensor will be described. As shown in Figure 4, one cause of abnormalities in the pile is when the spreader 11 collides with the container 10. In this case, a collision sound is generated at the time of the collision. Furthermore, when the container 10 tips over, a collision sound is also generated when the side of the container 10 collides with the ground. The acoustic sensor is used to detect the sound waves of this collision sound and determine that an abnormality has occurred in the pile.

[0041] With this configuration, it is difficult to determine the tilt angle or positional deviation of the container 10, but pile abnormalities can be detected simply by detecting the collision sound. The sound waves of the collision sound have a longer wavelength than light waves and are easily diffracted in the air, so detection accuracy is less affected by the orientation of the acoustic sensor or obstacles between the acoustic sensor and the container 10. Therefore, compared to the laser rangefinder 30a and the camera 13, the acoustic sensor has the advantage of having fewer restrictions on installation position and orientation. Another advantage is that sound waves propagate in all directions through the air, so the acoustic sensor can detect pile abnormalities in all directions. Furthermore, when the container 10 has tipped over and fallen on its side, the inclination angle of the top surface is close to 0 degrees, so a configuration that determines the inclination angle using the laser rangefinder 30a may have difficulty detecting the fallen container 10. On the other hand, a configuration that uses an acoustic sensor can detect that the container 10 has tipped over by the sound of a collision, so it is possible to detect an abnormality regardless of the inclination angle after the container 10 has tipped over. In addition, since the configuration using an acoustic sensor makes it possible to grasp to some extent the location where the collision sound occurred, workers and work vehicles can be quickly arranged to right the overturned container 10 and return it to its original posture and position.

[0042] As a criterion for determining that an abnormality has occurred from a collision sound, there is a method of determining that an abnormality has occurred when the collision sound exceeds a predetermined sound pressure level (dB). This is because when a container 10 collides or tips over, a collision sound of a sound pressure level that does not occur during normal cargo handling is often generated.

[0043] On the other hand, when detecting the occurrence of an abnormality based on the sound pressure level (dB), it may be difficult to distinguish between collision sounds that occur during normal cargo handling, such as the sound of the spreader 11 landing on the floor, and collision sounds that occur when the container 10 tips over. Alternatively, there is a risk that environmental noises, such as noise from construction work within the container terminal 200 or noise from other cranes 1 handling cargo, may be mistakenly detected as collision sounds. Therefore, a configuration may be adopted in which the collision sound when the container 10 tips over is listened to in advance and the constituent sounds of the collision sound are extracted by acoustic analysis, thereby making it possible to detect only the collision sound when the container 10 tips over. The entity that determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred from the collision sound may be the acoustic sensor itself or the control unit 33. When the control unit 33 makes the determination, the control unit 33 is included in the configuration of the detection means 30.

[0044] As the acoustic sensor, various sensors can be appropriately selected as long as they can detect the collision sound. A sensor that detects sound waves propagating through the air, such as a microphone, is generally used, but an acoustic sensor that detects sound waves propagating within the spreader 11 when the container 10 and the spreader 11 collide may also be provided in the spreader 11. Furthermore, it is preferable to install the acoustic sensor at a position as close as possible to the container 10, which is the detection target, and where there are no obstacles between the sensor and the container 10, in order to improve the accuracy of detecting sound waves. The specific position is the same as that of the laser rangefinder 30a. Therefore, reference numeral 30b in Fig. 1 denotes the acoustic sensor. The above is a description of the configuration using the acoustic sensor 30b.

[0045] Finally, a brief description will be given of the procedure for detecting an abnormality in the pile of containers 10 (method of using the crane 1) using the detection means 30. In the following description, an example of cargo handling is used in which the spreader 11 is moved laterally to transfer the chassis 21 and the container 10 while the traveling device 7 of the crane 1 is stopped. However, the detection means 30 can also detect an abnormality in the pile while the traveling device 7 is being driven to cause the crane 1 to travel. First, the detection means 30 acquires the cargo handling status of the crane 1 from the TOS 32 and the control unit 33, and selects a pile that does not include the container 10 that the crane 1 is currently handling. Next, the detection means 30 detects an abnormality in a pile that does not include the container 10 that the crane 1 is handling.

[0046] When it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the pile, the detection means 30 preferably notifies the workers of the container terminal 200 or the control unit 33 of the occurrence of the abnormality. For example, in the management building 31, it is preferable to transmit information such as images or sounds notifying the workers of the abnormality occurring in the pile to a monitoring monitor or speaker in a room where the workers are present. The above is an explanation of the procedure for using the crane 1.

[0047] According to this embodiment, the crane 1 is equipped with a detection means 30, and when an abnormality occurs in a pile that does not include the container 10 that the crane 1 is handling, the detection means 30 detects the occurrence of the abnormality. Therefore, the monitoring burden on workers in the storage area 100 can be reduced.

[0048] Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. For example, in the above embodiment, a gantry crane is used as an example of application of the present invention, but any crane capable of handling containers 10, such as a quay crane or a jib crane, may also be used. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an automatically operated crane was used as an example of application of the present invention, but the present invention can also be applied to a crane that is not automatically operated but is remotely operated, or a crane in which a driver's seat is provided on the trolley 9. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 crane 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d legs 5a, 5b digit part 6a, 6b Silver Beam 7 Running gear 8 wire 9 Trolley 10, 10a, 10b containers 11 Spreader 13 Camera 14 Video 21 Chassis 30 Detection methods 30a Laser Rangefinder 30b Acoustic sensor 31 Administration Building 32 TOS 33 Control Unit 41, 43 Edge 49a Top surface 51 range 100 storage area 200 Container Terminal

Claims

1. A crane that handles containers stored in a storage area, A crane characterized by comprising a detection means for detecting abnormalities in a stack of containers stored in the storage area that does not include the container that the crane is handling.

2. The detection means 2. The crane according to claim 1, wherein the means detects an abnormality in the pile based on the inclination of the pile that does not include the container that the crane is handling.

3. The crane according to claim 2 , wherein the detection means determines that an abnormality has occurred in the pile when the inclination exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

4. The crane according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the detection means detects the inclination of a plurality of piles that do not include the container that the crane is handling, and compares the detected inclinations to detect abnormalities in the piles.

5. The detection means The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the means is for detecting abnormalities in the pile by capturing an image of the container and analyzing an image of the pile of containers that does not include the container that the crane is handling.

6. A detection means for detecting an abnormality in a stack of containers stored in a storage area where the containers are stored is provided on a crane that handles the containers, A method of using a crane, comprising the step of detecting an abnormality in the pile that does not include the container that the crane is handling.

Images