Container Handling Equipment Job Sharing for Balanced Workloads
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Solution Overview
Problem
The efficiency and effectiveness of container handling equipment (CHE) in operational areas are limited by uneven workload distribution and increased complexity, leading to idle equipment and reduced operational speed due to the need for faster operation and increased density of equipment in the same area.
Innovation Solution
A communication arrangement that enables CHEs to operate autonomously by sharing jobs and communicating with each other without external control, allowing them to balance workload independently and prevent collisions, using separate communication modules for internal and external communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the density of container handling equipment is increased to operate faster, then operational speed is improved, but workload distribution becomes uneven leading to idle equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements autonomous communication between CHEs where each equipment continuously monitors the operational status and workload of other CHEs in the area. This feedback mechanism enables real-time workload redistribution, where a CHE that completes its tasks can automatically assign new tasks to idle CHEs, ensuring balanced utilization and preventing idle time without reducing operational speed
Solution Approach 2:
CHEs are equipped with autonomous decision-making capabilities to manage their own workloads. Each CHE can independently evaluate its current task status, communicate with peers, and autonomously accept or transfer tasks based on real-time conditions. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external coordination while maintaining even workload distribution across high-density equipment
2Productivity
If autonomous operation is implemented to improve efficiency, then productivity increases, but communication complexity between CHEs increases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication module integrated in each CHE serves multiple functions: it acts as a receiver for task assignments from the terminal operating system, a transmitter for autonomous status updates, and a coordinator for peer-to-peer task sharing. This multi-functional design consolidates communication responsibilities into a single standardized interface, reducing overall system complexity while enabling autonomous operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the communication functions for task management, status reporting, and workload coordination into a unified communication protocol between CHEs. By combining these functions into a single integrated communication framework rather than separate systems, the patent reduces communication complexity while maintaining full autonomous operational capability
Data Source
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Figure 3A
AI summary
A communication arrangement for at least two container handling equipment CHEs is described, said at least two CHEs configured to operate within an area comprising a plurality of container spots arranged in a plurality of rows and columns, the communication arrangement for each of the at least two CHEs comprising: - a first communication module configured to retrieve from a terminal operating system a plurality of jobs to be performed by the respective CHE within said area, said job comprising instructions to move a container and to identify a container spot of the plurality of container spots, the respective CHE being a first one of said at least two CHEs; - a second communication module configured to communicate with at least another, second one of the at least two CHEs operating within said area, said communication with said second CHE being autonomous from receipts from the first communication module and/or manual triggering and configured to transmit a job sharing message to said second one of the at least two CHEs, said job sharing message indicating a job to be performed by the second one of the at least two CHEs, said job being a job of the plurality of jobs.