Screw conveyor type unloading machine and screw conveyor type unloading method

Abstract

To provide a screw conveyor type unloading machine or the like capable of properly unloading even a cargo difficult to be carried out by a screw conveyor.SOLUTION: A screw conveyor type unloading machine 1 includes a screw conveyor 90 for taking a bulk cargo M into a screw rotating around a screw rotating shaft and carrying out the bulk cargo M from a hold 201 along the axial direction, and a cargo suction part 6 juxtaposed with the screw conveyor 90 and capable of sucking the bulk cargo M in the hold 201 by a gas flow GF. The cargo suction part 6 the bulk cargo M in the hold 201 which cannot be taken in by the screw conveyor 90 by the gas flow GF. The cargo suction part 6 the bulk cargo M remaining on the bottom of the hold 201 after the work by the screw conveyor 90 by the gas flow GF.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a screw conveyor-type lifting machine and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Ship unloaders, which unload bulk cargo (or bulk loads) such as coal and iron ore from a ship's hold onto land, are known as unloading machines. Patent Document 1 discloses an unloader with a vertical screw conveyor as a ship unloader. A vertical screw conveyor is also called a vertical screw conveyor, and is also referred to as a VSC (Vertical Screw Conveyor) in this disclosure. While the application of this disclosure is not limited to VSCs, this specification describes VSCs as a representative example of the screw conveyor-type unloading machine according to this disclosure. The VSC may refer to parts of the ship unloader, including the rotary intake unit, screw conveyor, and cargo suction unit, which will be described later, or may refer to the entire ship unloader. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 3-26614 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As described in Patent Document 1, a vertical screw conveyor is used with its lower end pierced (or buried) in bulk cargo (see Figure 4). At the final stage of unloading, there is not enough bulk cargo to fully bury the vertical screw conveyor, so the vertical screw conveyor alone cannot transport the bulk cargo without leaving any behind. Thus, cargo remaining at the bottom of the hold after work by the vertical screw conveyor has traditionally been manually collected by workers using trays for cargo recovery (bottom raking).

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a screw conveyor-type lifting machine etc. that can properly lift cargo that is difficult to transport using a screw conveyor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a screw conveyor type lifting machine according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a screw conveyor that takes in cargo onto a screw that rotates around a screw rotation axis and transports it out of a hold along the axial direction, and a cargo suction unit that is attached to the screw conveyor and can suck in the cargo in the hold using a gas flow.

[0007] According to this aspect, the cargo suction section can suck in the cargo in the hold using a gas flow, making it possible to properly unload cargo that is difficult to transport using a screw conveyor. Note that this disclosure is suitable for unloading cargo that has a relatively small particle size and weight and is easily sucked in by the cargo suction section (e.g., biofuel (sometimes called biomass fuel) and grains), but it can also be applied to unloading cargo that has a relatively large particle size and weight (e.g., coal and iron ore).

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a screw conveyor-type cargo unloading method, which includes using a screw conveyor to take in cargo onto a screw rotating around a screw rotation axis and transporting it out of a hold along the axial direction, and using a cargo suction unit attached to the screw conveyor to suck the cargo in the hold with a gas flow.

[0009] Any combination of the above components, or any conversion of these expressions into methods, devices, systems, recording media, computer programs, etc., are also encompassed within the present disclosure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present disclosure, cargo that is difficult to transport using a screw conveyor can be properly unloaded. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 shows the overall configuration of a screw conveyor-type lifting machine. [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic diagram of the rotary intake section as viewed from below in FIG. 1; [Figure 3] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a screw conveyor-type unloading machine equipped with a cargo suction section that uses a gas flow to suck in bulk cargo that is difficult to transport using a screw conveyor. [Figure 4] 1 shows a schematic diagram of the principle of an ejector. [Figure 5] A modification of FIG. 3 is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure (hereinafter also referred to as embodiments) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description and / or drawings, identical or equivalent components, members, processes, etc. are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. The scale and shape of each part shown in the drawings are set for convenience to simplify the description and should not be construed as limiting unless otherwise specified. The embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Not all features and combinations thereof presented in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the present disclosure. For convenience, the embodiments are presented broken down into components for each function and / or functional group that realizes the features. However, one component in an embodiment may actually be realized by a combination of multiple separate components, or multiple components in an embodiment may actually be realized by a single integrated component. Furthermore, although multiple embodiments and variants may be disclosed in parallel, any components of each embodiment and / or each variant may be combined in any manner as long as they do not interfere with each other's functions.

[0013] 1 shows the overall configuration of a screw conveyor-type lifting machine (hereinafter also simply referred to as the lifting machine) 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The lifting machine 1 is a ship unloader that unloads bulk goods M loaded on a ship 200 or as cargo onto land. The lifting machine 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a VSC, and therefore will also be referred to as a VSC1 below. The VSC1 continuously carries out onto land bulk goods M stored in a hold 201 of a ship 200 that has come alongside a quay 101 of a wharf 102 of a port or the like.

[0014] Typical examples of bulk material M include coal, coke, ore, etc. In this embodiment, bulk material M having a relatively small particle size and weight, such as biofuel and grains, is described as an example. In particular, the bulk material M in this embodiment is wood pellets (or white pellets or wood pellets, which are a type of wood pellets), which are a typical biofuel. Note that the biofuel may also be other wood biofuels such as wood chips and sawdust. Furthermore, the bulk material M is not limited to biofuel, and may also be grains such as wheat and soybeans.

[0015] The VSC1 may be operated by an operator in a main operation room (not shown) provided on the main body or the like of the VSC1. Alternatively, the VSC1 may be operated remotely by an operator located anywhere inside or outside the VSC1 via a remote controller or the like. The VSC1 may also be automatically operated according to a predetermined program or algorithm, or by artificial intelligence with machine learning capabilities.

[0016] The wharf 102 where the ship 200 docks constitutes land where bulk cargo M is unloaded, and is made of high-strength materials such as reinforced concrete. The wharf 102 is provided with a pair of parallel rails 3 as tracks that run along the longitudinal direction (perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 1 ) of the ship 200 docked at the quay 101 and anchored there. The rails 3 form a track along which the traveling section 2, which serves as the mobile section of the VSC 1, can move or run. The rails 3 enable the VSC 1 to move relative to the anchored ship 200. The installation direction of the rails 3 preferably coincides with the longitudinal direction of the anchored ship 200 or the quay 101, but may be any other direction. The rails 3 may also include curved or bent sections. When unloading cargo from the ship 200, the VSC 1 moves on the rails 3 and approaches a hatch 21, which serves as an upper opening of the hold 201 from which cargo is to be unloaded. Thereafter, the traveling section 2, the swivel frame 5, the lifting section 9, etc. are driven, and the bulk goods M are lifted from the hold 201. Note that, although the example in which the traveling section 2 moves along the rails 3 has been shown in this embodiment, the rails 3 may be omitted by configuring the traveling section 2 with rubber tires or the like that can move on the ground.

[0017] At the wharf 102, a belt conveyor 45 is provided between the pair of rails 3 as a conveyor for transporting the unloaded bulk goods M in a certain direction. The installation direction of the belt conveyor 45, i.e., the transport direction, preferably coincides with the installation direction of the rails 3, but may be any other direction. The belt conveyor 45 may also include curved or bent portions. The belt conveyor 45 needs to be provided between the pair of rails 3 at the location where the bulk goods M unloaded from the VSC 1 are received, but may be provided outside the pair of rails 3 at other locations.

[0018] The VSC 1 comprises a traveling section 2 as a moving section that can move relative to the ship 200, a swivel frame 5 as a swivel section that can swivel relative to the traveling section 2, and a lifting section 9 as a cargo handling or lifting device that is provided at the tip of the swivel frame 5 and transports bulk cargo M. The swivel frame 5 is supported on the traveling section 2 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis in the vertical direction (the up and down direction in FIG. 1). The swivel frame 5 is provided with a boom 7 that extends laterally and intersects with the rotation axis, and a transport section or screw conveyor 90 that constitutes the main part of the lifting section 9 is supported at the tip of the boom 7.

[0019] The lifting unit 9 is raised and lowered by a hoisting mechanism consisting of the swivel frame 5 and boom 7. A hydraulic cylinder (not shown) installed between the boom 7 and the lifting unit 9 allows the lifting unit 9 to adjust its posture freely regardless of the boom 7's hoisting angle (the angle of rotation around the hoisting axis perpendicular to the plane of the page in FIG. 1). A counterweight 13 is attached to the rear end of the swivel frame 5, opposite the tip of the boom 7. The counterweight 13 is connected to the tip of the boom 7 via a balancing lever 12. The action of this counterweight 13 places the lifting unit 9 in a substantially unloaded state, achieving stable load balance. The components of the VSC 1, including the running unit 2 and swivel frame 5, located on the wharf 102 or above land are hereinafter collectively referred to as the main unit. This main unit on the wharf 102 is connected to the lifting unit 9 or screw conveyor 90 via the boom 7 and balancing lever 12.

[0020] A cylinder (not shown) is provided to adjust the boom 7's hoisting angle. When the cylinder is at its standard length, the hoisting angle is 0 degrees, i.e., the boom 7 is parallel or horizontal to the ground (left and right in Figure 1). When the cylinder is extended beyond the standard length, the tip of the boom 7 rises, resulting in a positive hoisting angle. When the cylinder is retracted beyond the standard length, the tip of the boom 7 descends, resulting in a negative hoisting angle. The relationship between the extension and contraction of the cylinder and the up and down movement of the boom can be changed as desired by changing the cylinder's position.

[0021] A main control room (not shown) for operating the VSC 1 may be provided in the main body of the VSC 1 or the revolving frame 5. The operator in the main control room can safely operate the VSC 1 while visually checking the unloading unit 9. The operator in the main control room may also operate the VSC 1 while visually checking on a monitor an image or video of the inside of the hold 201 captured by a camera or other imaging device. Parameters related to the position, attitude, operation, etc. of the VSC 1, such as the position of the traveling unit 2, the rotation angle of the revolving frame 5, and the hoisting angle of the boom 7 (hereinafter collectively referred to as the VSC state), are controlled in accordance with the operation of the VSC 1 through the main control room or the like. The unloading operation of the bulk cargo M by the unloading unit 9 can also be controlled through the main control room or the like. The VSC 1 may be configured so that an operator outside the main control room can operate it from outside the VSC 1 via a wireless remote control.

[0022] The unloading section 9 includes a rotary intake section 11 that rotates to take in bulk goods M in the hold 201, and a screw conveyor 90 that transports the bulk goods M taken in by the rotary intake section 11 upward out of the hold 201 by the rotation of a screw (not shown). The rotary intake section 11 is provided below the unloading section 9 or the screw conveyor 90. The rotary intake section 11 is also called an excavation blade, etc., because it takes in the bulk goods M while excavating it as it rotates.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the rotary intake section 11 as viewed from below in FIG. 1. As shown in this figure, the rotary intake section 11 has a substantially circular cross section in plan view or bottom view, and includes a substantially cylindrical main body 111 extending in the up-down direction (typically the vertical direction) in FIG. 1. One or more intake ports 112 for taking in bulk goods M into the main body 111 are provided on the outer periphery of the substantially circular main body 111 in FIG. 2. When multiple intake ports 112 are provided, they are preferably provided at substantially equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the main body 111. In the example of FIG. 2, where three intake ports 112 are provided at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the main body 111, the central angle formed between adjacent two intake ports 112 and the center O of the main body 111 is 120 degrees.

[0024] The rotary intake section 11 is driven to rotate in a counterclockwise direction (hereinafter also referred to as the rotation direction) around an intake rotation axis passing through the center O in FIG. 2. Each intake opening 112 has an extension plate 113 extending in the rotation direction along a tangent direction of the approximately circular cross section of the main body 111. The tip of the extension plate 113 forms a bent portion 114 that is slightly bent toward the main body 111. When such an extension plate 113 is driven to rotate integrally with the main body 111, it is mainly the bent portion 114 that effectively excavates the surrounding bulk material M (not shown) and takes it into the main body 111 through the intake opening 112, which is an opening between the extension plate 113 and the outer periphery of the main body 111. The bulk material M taken into the main body 111 from each intake opening 112 is transported upward in FIG. 1 (a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 2, hereinafter also referred to as the axial direction) by a screw conveyor 90, which is schematically shown in the center of FIG. 2.

[0025] The screw conveyor 90 includes a screw (not shown) that extends from a rotary intake section 11 at the lower end in Fig. 1 to a boom 7 at the upper end. The screw is driven to rotate around the screw rotation axis, which is also its central axis, and transports the bulk goods M taken in by the rotary intake section 11 along the axial direction to the boom 7.

[0026] As described above, the VSC1 as a screw conveyor-type hoisting machine according to this embodiment includes the rotary intake section 11, which rotates around the intake rotation axis (an axis perpendicular to the plane of the drawing and passing through the center O) as shown in Fig. 2, and takes in bulk goods M along its circumferential direction, and the screw conveyor 90, which takes in the bulk goods M from the rotary intake section 11 into a screw (not shown) that rotates around the screw rotation axis in the extension direction of the screw conveyor 90 in Fig. 1, and carries them out of the hold 201 along its axial direction. In the preferred example shown in the figure, the intake rotation axis, which is the rotation axis of the rotary intake section 11, and the screw rotation axis, which is the rotation axis and extension axis of the screw conveyor 90, are substantially parallel or on a straight line, but the intake rotation axis and the screw rotation axis may intersect at any angle.

[0027] In Fig. 1, bulk goods M taken in by rotary take-in section 11 and transported to boom 7 by screw conveyor 90 are then transported by boom conveyor 8 within boom 7 to the vicinity of the rotation axis of rotating frame 5. These bulk goods M descend along the rotation axis through chute 16 and are temporarily stored in hopper 43. When there is a belt conveyor 45 or a container (not shown) below hopper 43 that can receive bulk goods M, the gate of hopper 43 is opened, and the bulk goods M temporarily stored in hopper 43 are transferred to the belt conveyor 45 or the container.

[0028] As shown in Figure 1, the screw conveyor 90 is used with its lower end, the rotary intake section 11, pierced (or buried) in the bulk goods M. In the final stages of unloading, there is not enough bulk goods M to fully fill the screw conveyor 90 or the rotary intake section 11, so it is difficult to unload the bulk goods M using only the screw conveyor 90 or the rotary intake section 11. In view of this situation, the present embodiment, which will be described in detail below, provides a screw conveyor-type unloading machine 1 etc. that can properly unload cargo (bulk goods M) that is difficult to unload using the screw conveyor 90 or the rotary intake section 11.

[0029] 3 is a schematic diagram of a screw conveyor-type lifting machine 1 according to this embodiment, which is equipped with a cargo suction unit 6 that uses a gas flow to suck in bulk cargo M that is difficult to remove by the screw conveyor 90 or the rotary intake unit 11. The cargo suction unit 6 is preferably permanently installed in the VSC 1, and is preferably present in a manner that does not interfere with the removal operation (for example, a suction pipe 65, described below, is stored so as not to interfere with the rotary intake unit 11) even during the removal operation by the screw conveyor 90 or the rotary intake unit 11 as shown in FIG. 1 (i.e., the cargo suction unit 6 is not shown in FIG. 1).

[0030] The cargo suction unit 6 is a device in which at least an ejector 61 (or a vacuum suction unit 61 described later) as a main part is provided next to the screw conveyor 90, and which is capable of sucking cargo (bulk cargo M) in the hold 201 by a gas flow. The cargo suction unit 6 may use the gas flow to suck bulk cargo M that can be taken in by the screw conveyor 90 or the rotary intake unit 11 (for example, bulk cargo M having a sufficient depth or height as shown in Figure 1) either together with the screw conveyor 90 or the rotary intake unit 11 or alone, but it is preferable to use the gas flow to suck bulk cargo M in the hold 201 that cannot be taken in by the screw conveyor 90 or the rotary intake unit 11, as exemplified in Figure 3.

[0031] In the example of FIG. 3, the cargo suction unit 6 uses a gas flow to suck in bulk cargo M remaining at the bottom of the hold 201 after the unloading operation (e.g., FIG. 1) by the screw conveyor 90 or the rotary intake unit 11. Although not shown, the cargo suction unit 6 may also use a gas flow to suck in bulk cargo M located in a location within the hold 201 where the screw conveyor 90 or the rotary intake unit 11 has difficulty in retrieving the bulk cargo M, regardless of the depth or height of the bulk cargo M, such as near at least one of the walls of the hold 201 and structures within the hold 201. Examples of structures within the hold 201 include ladders, piping, fire extinguishers, workbenches, and tool storage areas permanently or temporarily installed within the hold 201. Furthermore, the cargo suction unit 6 may use a gas flow to suck in bulk cargo M located near any other object or person within the hold 201, such as a bottom-drilling bulldozer or worker (not shown).

[0032] As described above, the cargo suction unit 6 complements the screw conveyor 90 or rotary intake unit 11, which are mainly used when buried in bulk cargo M, and can instead collect bulk cargo M that is difficult for the screw conveyor 90 or rotary intake unit 11 to collect (for example, localized bulk cargo M near the bottom, walls, structures, other objects or people within the hold 201). In the example of Figure 3, the cargo suction unit 6 uses a gas flow to suck in a mountain of bulk cargo M that has been locally collected at the bottom of the hold 201 by a bottom-draining bulldozer or the like (not shown).

[0033] The cargo suction unit 6 includes an ejector 61 as a main part or body, a compressor 62, a compressed gas storage unit 63, a compressed gas piping 64, a suction pipe 65, a cargo conveying pipe 66, and a powder separator 67. Some of these components may be omitted as long as the cargo suction unit 6 can achieve at least some of the functions and / or effects described below.

[0034] The ejector 61 is installed on the outer periphery of the screw conveyor 90 or the like, and generates a gas flow GF that sucks in the bulk materials M in the hold 201 using compressed gas CG supplied from a compressed gas pipe 64. The ejector 61 is preferably installed below the center of the axial length of the screw conveyor 90 (closer to the rotary intake 11). By locating the ejector 61 that generates the gas flow GF close to the bulk materials M to be sucked in, the suction pipe 65 described below can be shortened, and the suction force of the suction port provided at the tip of the suction pipe 65 on the bulk materials M can be increased. The distance (vertical distance) from the lower end of the screw conveyor 90 or the rotary intake 11 to the inlet of the compressed gas CG to the ejector 61 (opening 6S shown in FIG. 4) may be, for example, between 1 m and 5 m, or between 2 m and 4 m.

[0035] In addition to or instead of the ejector 61 installed below the screw conveyor 90, a second ejector 611 may be provided that is installed above the ejector 61 on the screw conveyor 90. The second ejector 611 is installed on the outer periphery of the screw conveyor 90, etc., and generates a gas flow GF that sucks in the bulk cargo M in the hold 201 using compressed gas CG supplied from the compressed gas piping 64.

[0036] 3, in order to supply the compressed gas CG not only to the ejector 61 but also to the second ejector 611. Alternatively, the compressed gas piping 64 for supplying the compressed gas CG to the ejector 61 and the compressed gas piping 64 for supplying the compressed gas CG to the second ejector 611 may be provided separately.

[0037] If only the ejector 61 is installed below the screw conveyor 90, the gas flow GF (i.e., the upward suction force) may be weakened above the cargo conveying pipe 66 described below, but by installing one or more second ejectors 611 midway along the cargo conveying pipe 66, a sufficiently strong gas flow GF can be maintained above the cargo conveying pipe 66.

[0038] The compressor 62 is composed of a compressor or the like that generates compressed gas CG such as compressed air. The compressed gas storage unit 63 is provided on the path of a compressed gas pipe 64 (described later) between the compressor 62 and the ejector 61 and is composed of a tank or the like that at least temporarily stores the compressed gas CG generated by the compressor 62. The compressed gas storage unit 63 can reduce pulsation of the compressed gas CG. The compressor 62 and / or the compressed gas storage unit 63 may be installed on the screw conveyor 90 as described later, but are preferably installed in the main body on the wharf 102 of the VSC 1. For example, the compressor 62 and / or the compressed gas storage unit 63 are preferably installed on the revolving frame 5 or the traveling unit 2 below the boom 7. With this arrangement, the boom 7, which is driven to rise and fall, does not need to support the weight of the compressor 62 and / or the compressed gas storage section 63, thereby making it possible to reduce the weight of the movable structure from the boom 7 to the unloading section 9 (screw conveyor 90).

[0039] Note that the ejector 61 and the like provided in the screw conveyor 90 are lighter than the compressor 62 and / or the compressed gas storage unit 63, and therefore have little effect on the weight of the movable structure. The compressor 62 and / or the compressed gas storage unit 63 may be installed above the boom 7. Even in this case, the compressor 62 and / or the compressed gas storage unit 63 will be placed near the boom 7 fulcrum above the quay 102, and therefore the effect of their weight on driving the movable structure including the boom 7 will be small.

[0040] The compressed gas piping 64 transports the compressed gas CG, which is generated by the compressor 62 and may be stored in the compressed gas storage section 63, along the boom 7 toward the screw conveyor 90. The compressed gas piping 64 may be installed on the outer circumferential surface (e.g., the underside) of the boom 7 or inside the boom 7. The compressed gas piping 64 also transports the compressed gas CG supplied through the boom 7 along the screw conveyor 90 toward the ejector 61 and / or the second ejector 611 (i.e., downward). The compressed gas CG is input to the ejector 61 and / or the second ejector 611 through the compressed gas piping 64.

[0041] The suction pipe 65 is formed of a hose or the like that forms a suction port for the bulk cargo M in the hold 201. The suction pipe 65 is preferably flexible or deformable. Such a flexible suction pipe 65 can flexibly deform to fit the shape of the bulk cargo M to be sucked and the location where the bulk cargo M is located (e.g., the bottom, wall, structure, or other object in the hold 201), thereby efficiently recovering the bulk cargo M. The suction pipe 65 may deform naturally upon contact with the bulk cargo M to be sucked or the location where the bulk cargo M is located, or may be deformed manually by an operator (not shown) holding the tip of the suction pipe 65, or may be remotely controlled by an operator (not shown) in a main operation room or the like (for example, an actuator for driving the deformation is embedded in the suction pipe 65 itself). Note that the suction pipe 65 may be non-flexible or non-deformable, or may not be provided if the ejector 61 can directly absorb the bulk cargo M.

[0042] The cargo conveying pipe 66 carries the bulk cargo M sucked in by the upward gas flow GF generated by the ejector 61 and / or the second ejector 611, along the gas flow GF, and conveys the bulk cargo M away from the hold 201 (i.e., upward) along the screw conveyor 90. The cargo conveying pipe 66 may be installed on the outer circumferential surface of the screw conveyor 90 or within the screw conveyor 90.

[0043] As described above, the ejector 61 and / or the second ejector 611 generates an upward gas flow GF using the compressed gas CG input from the compressed gas pipe 64, and transports the bulk goods M sucked in through the suction pipe 65 upward on the gas flow GF in the cargo transport pipe 66. Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the principle of such an ejector 61 (or the second ejector 611).

[0044] The ejector 61 is a generally tubular member. One end (left end in FIG. 4) of the ejector 61 is a suction section 6I that sucks in bulk cargo M from below in FIG. 3 through a connected suction pipe 65, and the other end (right end in FIG. 4) of the ejector 61 is a discharge section 6O that discharges the bulk cargo M sucked from the suction section 6I toward the boom 7 upward in FIG. 3 through a connected cargo conveying pipe 66. An opening 6S is formed on the side of the ejector 61 for introducing compressed gas CG from the connected compressed gas piping 64 into the interior. The opening 6S is inclined in a direction that forms an acute angle with respect to the direction from the suction section 6I toward the discharge section 6O (to the right in FIG. 4).

[0045] Therefore, the compressed gas CG from the compressed gas pipe 64 is introduced into the ejector 61 so as to flow in a direction from the suction section 6I toward the discharge section 6O (to the right in FIG. 4). As a result, a gas flow GF is generated in the discharge section 6O, and the suction section 6I is depressurized, thereby sucking in the bulk material M through the suction pipe 65. The bulk material M sucked in by the suction section 6I in this way is carried by the gas flow GF and discharged from the discharge section 6O.

[0046] In FIG. 3, the powder separator 67 is composed of a cyclone, a filter, or the like that separates the bulk material M, which is carried upward in the cargo conveying pipe 66 on the gas flow GF, from the gas flow GF. The powder separator 67 is preferably provided at the upper end of the screw conveyor 90, above the boom 7. The distance (vertical distance) from the lower end of the screw conveyor 90 or the rotary intake section 11 to the entrance of the powder separator 67 may be, for example, between 10 m and 30 m, or between 15 m and 25 m. The bulk material M separated by such a powder separator 67 falls onto the boom conveyor 8 provided on the boom 7. In other words, the discharge outlet of the powder separator 67 for the powder (bulk material M) is located above the boom conveyor 8.

[0047] The boom conveyor 8 transports the bulk cargo M sucked up by the cargo suction unit 6 described above along the boom 7 toward the main body of the VSC 1 (for example, the swivel frame 5). It is preferable that this boom conveyor 8 is a common one that also transports the bulk cargo M carried out by the screw conveyor 90. In this case, when the screw conveyor 90 and the cargo suction unit 6 are operating simultaneously, or when the operating state of the screw conveyor 90 is switched to the operating state of the cargo suction unit 6, the bulk cargo M from the screw conveyor 90 and the bulk cargo M from the cargo suction unit 6 will be mixed on the boom conveyor 8.

[0048] Fig. 5 shows a modification of Fig. 3. The same components as those in Fig. 3 are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0049] In the example of FIG. 5, the compressor 62 and / or compressed gas storage unit 63 (omitted from FIG. 5) are installed on the screw conveyor 90. The compressor 62 and / or compressed gas storage unit 63 are preferably provided at the upper end of the screw conveyor 90, above the boom 7. In such a modified example, the weight of the compressor 62 and / or compressed gas storage unit 63 is added to the movable structure extending from the boom 7 to the lifting unit 9 (screw conveyor 90), increasing the force required to drive or support the movable structure. However, since the compressor 62 and / or compressed gas storage unit 63 is lighter than the vacuum generator 62 described below, the effect on driving the movable structure is small, and there is no need to make the counterweight 13 excessively heavy, for example.

[0050] Furthermore, the VSC1 is characterized by a lighter unloading section 9 than other types of ship unloaders, such as continuous ship unloaders (CSUs). For example, a bucket elevator-type CSU can have an overall weight of 1,000 tons or more, but the weight of the entire VSC1, which uses a screw conveyor 90, is typically kept to 500 tons or less due to the light weight of the unloading section 9. As such, because the unloading section 9 of the VSC1 is originally light, even if a compressor 62 and / or a compressed gas storage section 63 is additionally installed, the effect on the driving of the movable structure from the boom 7 to the unloading section 9 (screw conveyor 90) is small, and there is no need to make the counterweight 13, for example, excessively heavy.

[0051] The compressed gas piping 64 transports the compressed gas CG, which is generated by the compressor 62 and may be stored in the compressed gas storage section 63, along the screw conveyor 90 toward (i.e., downward) the hold 201, the ejector 61 and / or the second ejector 611. In the example of Figure 5, the ejector 61 and / or the second ejector 611 is installed on the screw conveyor 90 closer to (i.e., lower than) the compressor 62 on the hold 201 side, and generates a gas flow GF that sucks in the bulk cargo M in the hold 201 using the compressed gas CG supplied from the compressed gas piping 64.

[0052] The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments. Various modifications are possible to the combinations of the components and processes in the exemplary embodiments, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such modifications are included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0053] 3, for example, a vacuum suction unit 61 may be provided instead of the ejector 61, a vacuum generator 62 may be provided instead of the compressor 62, and a vacuum pipe 64 may be provided instead of the compressed gas pipe 64. Note that a storage unit equivalent to the compressed gas storage unit 63 does not necessarily have to be provided.

[0054] The vacuum generator 62 is composed of a vacuum blower, vacuum pump, etc. that generate a vacuum. The vacuum generator 62 is preferably installed in the main body on the quay 102 of the VSC 1. For example, the vacuum generator 62 is preferably installed on the revolving frame 5 or traveling section 2 below the boom 7. With this arrangement, the boom 7, which is driven to rise and fall, does not need to support the weight of the vacuum generator 62, so the movable structure from the boom 7 to the unloading section 9 (screw conveyor 90) can be made lighter.

[0055] Note that the vacuum suction unit 61 and the like provided on the screw conveyor 90 are lighter than the vacuum generator 62, and therefore have little effect on the weight of the movable structure. The vacuum generator 62 may be installed above the boom 7. Even in this case, the vacuum generator 62 is placed near the boom 7's fulcrum above the wharf 102, and therefore the effect of their weight on the drive of the movable structure including the boom 7 is small. Note that the vacuum generator 62, such as a vacuum blower, is heavier than the compressor 62, such as the compressor in Figure 3, but by installing it in the main body of the VSC 1 on the wharf 102, the effect of its weight can be minimized.

[0056] The vacuum pipe 64 transmits the suction force of the vacuum generated by the vacuum generator 62 along the boom 7 toward the screw conveyor 90. The vacuum pipe 64 may be installed on the outer circumferential surface (e.g., the underside) of the boom 7 or inside the boom 7. The vacuum pipe 64 also transmits the suction force transmitted through the boom 7 along the screw conveyor 90 toward the vacuum suction unit 61 (i.e., downward). The suction force is transmitted to the vacuum suction unit 61 through the vacuum pipe 64.

[0057] The vacuum suction unit 61 installed on the screw conveyor 90 generates an upward gas flow GF by the suction force transmitted from the vacuum piping 64, and the bulk goods M sucked in through the suction pipe 65 are carried upward on the gas flow GF in the cargo conveying pipe 66. The vacuum suction unit 61 may also suck in the bulk goods M directly through the vacuum piping 64. In this case, the vacuum piping 64 doubles as the cargo conveying pipe 66 and transports the sucked bulk goods M to the main unit on the pier 102 of the VSC1 where the vacuum generator 62 is installed. The main unit may be provided with a powder separator 67, which was installed on the screw conveyor 90 in the example of Figure 3, and it is preferable that the bulk goods M sucked in through the vacuum piping 64 be separated by the powder separator 67 before entering the vacuum generator 62.

[0058] The configuration, operation, and function of each device and method described in the embodiments can be realized by hardware resources, software resources, or a combination of hardware and software resources. Examples of hardware resources include processors, ROMs, RAMs, and various integrated circuits. Examples of software resources include operating systems, applications, and other programs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1 Screw conveyor type unloading machine (VSC), 6 Cargo suction section, 6I Suction section, 6O Discharge section, 6S Opening, 7 Boom, 8 Boom conveyor, 9 Unloading section, 11 Rotating intake section, 61 Ejector / vacuum suction section, 62 Compressor / vacuum generator, 63 Compressed gas storage section, 64 Compressed gas piping / vacuum piping, 65 Suction pipe, 66 Cargo transport pipe, 67 Powder separator, 90 Screw conveyor, 201 Hold, 611 Second ejector.

Claims

1. a screw conveyor that takes in cargo onto a screw that rotates around a screw rotation axis and carries it out of the hold along the axial direction; a cargo suction unit provided adjacent to the screw conveyor and capable of sucking cargo in the hold by a gas flow; A screw conveyor type unloading machine equipped with the above.

2. a main body on the wharf; a boom connecting the main body and the screw conveyor; Equipped with The cargo suction unit is a compressor installed in the main body portion and generating compressed gas; a compressed gas pipe that conveys the compressed gas along the boom toward the screw conveyor; an ejector installed on the screw conveyor, which generates a gas flow that sucks in the cargo in the hold using the compressed gas supplied from the compressed gas piping; 2. The screw conveyor type lifting machine according to claim 1, comprising:

3. 3. The screw conveyor type lifting machine according to claim 2, further comprising a compressed gas reservoir on the path of the compressed gas piping between the compressor and the ejector.

4. The cargo suction unit is a cargo conveying pipe that carries the cargo sucked by the gas flow on the gas flow and conveys the cargo along the screw conveyor away from the hold; a powder separator for separating the cargo conveyed by the cargo conveying pipe from the gas stream; 3. The screw conveyor type lifting machine according to claim 2, comprising:

5. 3. The screw conveyor type hoisting machine according to claim 2, wherein the ejector is installed on the screw conveyor below a center portion of the axial length of the screw conveyor.

6. 6. The screw conveyor type hoisting machine according to claim 5, further comprising, in addition to the ejector, a second ejector installed on the screw conveyor above the ejector.

7. a main body on the wharf; a boom connecting the main body and the screw conveyor; Equipped with The cargo suction unit is a vacuum generator installed in the main body to generate a vacuum; a vacuum pipe that transfers the vacuum suction force along the boom toward the screw conveyor; a vacuum suction unit installed on the screw conveyor, which generates a gas flow that sucks in the cargo in the hold by the suction force transmitted from the vacuum piping; 2. The screw conveyor type lifting machine according to claim 1, comprising:

8. 8. A screw conveyor type hoisting machine according to claim 1, wherein the cargo suction section is provided with a flexible suction pipe that forms a suction port for the cargo in the hold.

9. The screw conveyor takes in cargo onto a screw rotating around a screw rotation axis and carries it out of the hold along the axial direction of the screw conveyor; a cargo suction section provided adjacent to the screw conveyor to suck the cargo in the hold with a gas flow; A screw conveyor type unloading method that performs the above.

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