Fully automatic straddle carrier with local radio detection and laser steering

• US 20090222159A1
• Filed: 02/19/2009
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konecranes Global Corporation (Konecranes Terex Plc)
• Original Assignee: Noell Mobile Systems Gmbh (Fantuzzi SA Société De Participations Financieres)
• Inventors: Bauer, Reinhard
• Granted Patent: US 7,983,808 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/38 with automatic control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/44 Industrial trucks or floor conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/44 Wheel Hub motors, i.e. integrated in the wheel hub
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/48 Automatic control of crane drives for producing a single or repeated working cycle; Programme control
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 19/007 for containers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0263 by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/60 Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A fully automatic driverless straddle carrier for transporting and stacking freight containers is equipped with several different sensor systems for the vehicle detection and navigation, the signals of which being evaluated and monitored in an electronic sensor fusion system and the current coordinates of the location determined thereby then being transmitted to a system of electric controls for automatically steering, driving and positioning the vehicle on preset paths stored in an electronic path control. Laser scanners are arranged at the vehicle for automatically guiding the vehicle over a container stack. In this straddle carrier, one of the absolute sensor systems for the vehicle detection is made up of a local radio detection system, which is arranged on the vehicle as a mobile radio base station, a plurality of radio transponders being stationarily positioned in the traveling area of the working site, an automatic switching device being provided for switching the steering from the automatic steering by navigation to an automatic steering by laser scanners and vice versa, when the vehicle reaches, travels over or leaves a container stack.

Claims

1. A fully automatic driverless straddle carrier system for transporting and stacking freight containers comprising:

(a) a vehicle having vehicle wheels, driving motors for the vehicle wheels, and a traveling gear;

(b) a plurality of different sensor systems for vehicle detection and navigation, said plurality of different sensor systems comprising a first sensor system for vehicle detection comprising a local radio detection system arranged on the vehicle and functioning as a mobile radio base station;

(c) an electronic sensor fusion system evaluating and monitoring signals of sensors of said sensor systems to determine current coordinates of a location of a vehicle;

(d) an electronic path control storing a plurality of preset paths for the vehicle;

(e) a system of electronic controls for automatically steering, driving and positioning the vehicle on the preset paths stored in the electronic path based on the current coordinates transmitted from the electronic sensor fusion system, said system comprising a steering system for the vehicle and a traveling gear control for control of traveling gear;

(f) a plurality of laser scanners arranged at the vehicle for automatically guiding the vehicle over a container stack;

(g) a plurality of radio transponders stationarily positioned in a traveling area of a working site; and

(h) an automatic switching device for switching the steering system from automatic steering by navigation to automatic steering by the laser scanners and vice versa when the vehicle reaches, travels over or leaves the container stack.

2. The straddle carrier system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of different sensor systems comprises a second sensor system for vehicle navigation comprising a navigation system receiver, wherein the local radio detection system and the navigation system receiver send actual values for vehicle position to the sensor fusion system, and wherein rotary encoders are arranged at the vehicle wheels, measured distance values being sent from the rotary encoders to the sensor fusion system so that a current actual value for the vehicle position of the vehicle is passed on to the path control.

3. The straddle carrier system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system of electronic controls comprises laser control electronics, wherein the switching device receives a reference value for the steering angle from the path control and the laser control electronics and passes the reference value for the steering angle on to a steering computer and an electrical proportional valve for hydraulic steering.

4. The straddle carrier system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the switching device receives from the laser control electronics a switching signal for the reference value for the steering angle.

5. The straddle carrier system as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a plurality of frequency converters arranged at the driving motors for the vehicle wheels, wherein the path control and the laser control electronics supply signals for speed limits, said frequency converters receiving a reference value for the rotational speed from the traveling gear control on the basis of a minimum evaluation, the signals for the speed limits supplied by the path control and the laser control electronics being integrated into the reference value.

6. The straddle carrier system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radio transponders are arranged in an elevated position over the ground.

7. The straddle carrier system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the automatic switching device comprises an electronic switch or a software program for an electronic control.

8. The straddle carrier system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one laser scanner of the plurality of laser scanners is a two-dimensional laser scanner.