SYSTEM AND PROCESS FOR IMPROVING CONTAINER FLOW IN A PORT FACILITY
First Claim
1. A container handling facility having a landside for receiving vehicles and a waterside for servicing marine vessels and having quay cranes in a quayside area for loading and unloading containers from the marine vessels, the container handling facility comprising:
- multiple container stacks, each of the container stacks having first and second distinct and spaced access areas, the first access area being disposed adjacent the waterside to facilitate transfer and buffering of containers between marine vessels and the container stacks, and the second access area being disposed adjacent the landside to facilitate transfer of containers between vehicles and the container stacks;
each of the container stacks having first and second mobile cranes mounted on a common track to move containers in and out of the container stack, under normal operating conditions the first mobile crane servicing the first waterside access area and the second mobile crane servicing the second landside access area of its respective container stack;
a plurality of intra-facility vehicles configured to lift and transport containers along variable routes between the quayside area and the first waterside access areas of the container stacks; and
an electronic intra-facility vehicle identification system configured to identify an intra-facility vehicle to receive at least one container at one of the first waterside access areas, the intra-facility vehicle identification system comprising;
at least one first stop mechanism configured to stop movement of each intra-facility vehicle based on its location relative to one of the mobile cranes;
a wireless sensing system associated with at least one of the mobile cranes and configured to detect a presence of at least one intra-facility vehicle within at least one waterside access area; and
a second stop mechanism associated with each of the first mobile cranes and configured to stop movement of each of the first mobile cranes in response to a signal from the wireless sensing system indicating the presence of at least one intra-facility vehicle within the at least one waterside access area.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and process for improving container flow within a port facility, including improved equipment and software for controlling operation and flow of the equipment in the part facility. The system may include a port facility geographically arranged to separate land operations and water operations. Land operation'"'"'s such as over-the-road missions and rail missions may use landside access areas positioned at one end of a yard including rows of container stacks. Water missions such as loading/discharging a vessel may use waterside access areas positioned at the opposite end of the yard. Automated cranes linked with a terminal operating system may pick/drop/shuffle containers and/or refrigerated containers (“reefers”) within the container stacks. Shuttle trucks may be used to pick/drop containers at quayside access points and the waterside access areas. The shuttle trucks may utilize shared wheelpaths. Software systems may be used to implement various principles of the disclosure.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A container handling facility having a landside for receiving vehicles and a waterside for servicing marine vessels and having quay cranes in a quayside area for loading and unloading containers from the marine vessels, the container handling facility comprising:
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multiple container stacks, each of the container stacks having first and second distinct and spaced access areas, the first access area being disposed adjacent the waterside to facilitate transfer and buffering of containers between marine vessels and the container stacks, and the second access area being disposed adjacent the landside to facilitate transfer of containers between vehicles and the container stacks; each of the container stacks having first and second mobile cranes mounted on a common track to move containers in and out of the container stack, under normal operating conditions the first mobile crane servicing the first waterside access area and the second mobile crane servicing the second landside access area of its respective container stack; a plurality of intra-facility vehicles configured to lift and transport containers along variable routes between the quayside area and the first waterside access areas of the container stacks; and an electronic intra-facility vehicle identification system configured to identify an intra-facility vehicle to receive at least one container at one of the first waterside access areas, the intra-facility vehicle identification system comprising; at least one first stop mechanism configured to stop movement of each intra-facility vehicle based on its location relative to one of the mobile cranes; a wireless sensing system associated with at least one of the mobile cranes and configured to detect a presence of at least one intra-facility vehicle within at least one waterside access area; and a second stop mechanism associated with each of the first mobile cranes and configured to stop movement of each of the first mobile cranes in response to a signal from the wireless sensing system indicating the presence of at least one intra-facility vehicle within the at least one waterside access area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification