EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE AND MONITORING FOR CONTAINER YARDS

• US 20110270488A1
• Filed: 07/12/2011
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HKI Systems and Service LLC
• Original Assignee: HKI Systems and Service LLC
• Inventors: Takehara, Toru, King, Henry
• Granted Patent: US 8,872,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/33
• 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 19/002 Container cranes B66C19/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 19/007 for containers
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/065 non-masted mobile jacks of the garage type mounted on wheels or rollers B66F5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/24 Electrical devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

A processor is disclosed that may be configured to receive a status report for a vehicle in a container yard and/or a status reporting device configured to monitor the vehicle. The processor may respond to the received status report by creating a system action request and/or a system log. The system action request may include a fault condition problem report and/or a maintenance schedule request for the vehicle and/or the status reporting device. The processor automates generating responses to the received status reports, providing a fundamental tool to reduce down time for vehicles and improve their support of container transfer operations in the container yard. The system action request, system log and/or system action may be products of the processor'"'"'s operation. A computer readable memory and/or a server may be configured to deliver a report, program system and/or an installation package to the end user.

Claims

1. A processor configured to respond to a received status report to at least partly create at least one of a system log and a system action request,

with said received status report for at least one of a vehicle in a container yard and a status reporting device configured to monitor said vehicle, and

with said system action request including at least one of a fault condition problem report and a maintenance schedule request, each for at least one of said vehicle and said status reporting device.

2. The processor of claim 1, wherein said vehicle is at least one member of a container handler list comprising include a quay crane, a reach-stacker, an UTR truck, a bomb cart, a drayman truck, a rubber tire gantry crane, a rail mounted gantry crane, a side loader, a top loader, a straddle carrier, and/or a chassis rotator.

3. The processor of claim 2, wherein said container yard is a transfer point for at least one container moved by at least one of said members of said container handler list.

4. The processor of claim 1, wherein said vehicle is at least one member of non-container handler list comprising a drayman truck, an automobile, a forklift and a tractor.

5. The processor of claim 1, comprising:

means for communicating to receive a status report to create said received status report for at least one of said vehicle and said status reporting device;

means for processing said received status report to create said system action request; and

means for logging said received status report to maintain at least one system log for at least one of said vehicle and said status reporting device.

6. The processor of claim 5, wherein said means for communicating includes at least one instance of at least one of a wireless transceiver, a removable memory device interface, and a wireline network interface.

7. The processor of claim 5, wherein at least one of said processor, said means for communicating, said means for processing, and said means for logging, includes at least one instance of at least one member of the group consisting of

a finite state machine,

an inferential engine,

a computer, and

an accessibly coupled memory including a program system configured to instruct said computer.

8. At least one of a computer readable memory and a server, each configured to communicate with said computer of claim 7,

with said computer readable memory including at least one of said program system and an installation package configured to instruct said computer to install said program system, and

with said server further configured to deliver at least one of said program system and said installation package.

9. The processor of claim 7,

wherein said finite state machine receives at least one input, maintains-updates at least one state and generates at least one output based upon a value of at least one of said input and said state;

wherein said computer includes at least one data processor and at least one instruction processor with each of said data processors instructed by at least one of said instruction processors; and

wherein said inferential engine maintains at least one inferential rule and infers from said inferential rule at least one fact.

10. The processor of claim 7, wherein said program system includes at least one of the program steps of:

responding to said received status report to at least partly create at least one of said system action request and said system log; and

sending said system action request to at least partly create a system action on at least one of said vehicle and said status reporting device.

11. The processor of claim 10, wherein the program step of responding to said status report further comprises at least one of the program steps of:

processing said received status report to create said system action request;

logging said received status report to maintain said system log further comprising at least one of the program steps of;

determining a fault event for said system log, with said fault event including a fault condition and an event time; and

generating for said vehicle at least one of a vehicle service log, an engine service log, a fuel consumption log, and a status reporting log.

12. The processor of claim 11, wherein said fault event includes at least one member of an event list including

an engine coolant event, an oil pressure event,

an alternator voltage event, a battery voltage event,

a headlight switch event, a seatbelt engagement event,

a diesel particulate filter trap event, a collision event,

an operator identity event, and a container discrepancy event.

13. The processor of claim 1, wherein said processor is further configured to receive said received status report via at least one of a wireless transceiver, a removable memory device interface and a wireline network interface.

14. The processor of claim 13, wherein said wireless transceiver is compatible with at least one wireless communication protocol employing at least one member of a wireless modulation-demodulation scheme list comprising a Time Division Multiple Access scheme, a Frequency Division Multiple Access scheme, a Spread Spectrum Scheme including variations on at least one of a Code Division Multiple Access scheme, a Frequency Hopping Multiple Access scheme, a Time Hopping Multiple Access scheme and an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple access scheme;

wherein said removable memory device interface is configured to support access with at least one removable memory device;

wherein said wireline network interface is compatible with at least one version of at least one of a Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) protocol, an Ethernet protocol, a Serial Peripheral Interface, an RS-232 protocol, an Inter-IC protocol, an Universal Serial Bus protocol, a Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol, said Firewire protocol, said IEEE 1394 communications standard, an RS-485 protocol and an RS-422 protocol.

15. The processor of claim 13, further comprising said at least one of said wireless transceiver, said removable memory device interface and said wireline network interface.

16. The processor of claim 1, wherein said processor is further configured to send said system action request to a maintenance dispatch node to at least partly create said system action.

17. The processor of claim 1, wherein said received status report includes at least one instance of at least one member of a sensed state list including

a sensed operator identity, a sensed container present,

an optical characteristic, a container radio frequency tag,

a container stack height, a member of a machine state list,

a member of a crane state list, a container size,

a container weight, a container damage estimate,

an optical characteristic of a container,

and a location of at least one of said vehicle and a container coupled to said vehicle;

wherein said optical characteristic includes at least one instance of at least one member of a container code characteristic list including a container code text, a view of a container code on said container, and a compression of said view of said container code;

wherein said machine state list includes the members of

a reverse motion, a frequent stops count,

a fuel level, a compass reading,

a collision state, a wind speed,

a vehicle speed, a vehicle braking system state,

an engine coolant level, an oil pressure,

an alternator voltage, a battery voltage,

a headlight switch state, a seatbelt engagement state, and

a diesel particulate filter trap state; and

wherein said crane state list includes the members of

a twistlock sensed state, a spreader sensed state,

a sensed landing state, a trolley sensed position, and

a hoist height.

18. The processor of claim 1, wherein said received status report includes at least one of an equipment status report for at least one member of the list comprising

an optical characteristic system, a power supply,

a means for wirelessly determining location,

a means for wirelessly communicating,

said status reporting device, an engine of said vehicle,

a hoist of said vehicle, and a trolley of said vehicle.

19. A method, comprising the step of:

operating said processor of claim 1, further comprising at least one of the steps of;

responding to said received status report to at least partly create at least one of said system action request and said system log; and

sending said system action request to at least partly create a system action on at least one of said vehicle and said status reporting device.

20. At least one of the system action request, the system log, and the system action as a product of the process of claim 19.