Grid rail container transport and storage system

• US 4,973,219 A
• Filed: 07/15/1988
• Issued: 11/27/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aktieselskabet Dampskibsselskabet Svendborg, DAMPSKIBSSELSKABET AF 1912, AKTIESELKAB
• Original Assignee: Sea Land Incorporated
• Inventors: Radzikowski, Phillip, Chou, Richard C., Chun, Michael D., von Isenburg, Carl, Brickner, Laurence R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spar, Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KRIZEK, JANICE LEE
• Application Number:
  US07/220,975
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 104/95, 104/88, 104/130, 104/290, 105/148, 105/154, 105/156, 414/140.3, 414/141.3, 414/626, 414/792.8, 414/792.9, 414/139.9
• US Class Current: 414/792.9
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 63/004 for containers
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 19/002 Container cranes B66C19/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E01B 25/26 Switches; Crossings

Abstract

The present invention provides a high productivity, high density container storage yard adjacent to a facility for loading and unloading containers, such as to and from ships, with the individual containers stored therein being stacked up to four containers high. An integrated container handling system is designed to move the containers from the container storage yard to the loading and unloading facility, and includes an overhead grid rail system on which container carrying shuttle vehicles are routed to designated yard locations by a master control system. Passive switching mechanisms are utilized to selectively move the shuttle vehicles through the grid rail network, wherein the actual switch mechanism is carried on the shuttle vehicle rather than on the track. One disclosed embodiment of the loading and unloading facility comprises overhead cranes and associated buffers in a marine terminal for loading and unloading a container ship. The present invention is also particularly applicable to intermodal facilities for transferring shipping containers between different types of container shipping systems, such as between container transport ships and rail cars.

Claims

1. A grid rail container handling and storage system for operation at a terminal, servicing the loading and unloading of containers, comprising:

(a) a high density container storage yard having an overhead grid rail system providing access to storage locations in the yard, in which the containers are stacked on top of one another up to four containers high to define a plurality of stacks of containers, said stacks being aligned side by side to form a plurality of rows of containers with a plurality of rails aligned over said rows and extending substantially perpendicular to the lengths of the individual containers, said grid rail system providing a plurality of overhead access rails to different locations in the yard, and a plurality of passive overhead rail switches located at different junctions of the access rails;

(b) a loading and unloading buffer means for the container storage yard, said buffer means having a first loading container handling means and a second unloading container handling means, with said grid rail system providing at least one overhead access rail extending to said loading and unloading buffer means to service either said first or second container handling means with a single container transfer;

(c) a crane means for loading and unloading containers from or to said buffer means to or from a mode of transportation, said crane means obtaining containers to be loaded from said first container handling means, and depositing containers to be unloaded on said second container handling means; and

(d) a plurality of shuttle vehicles for movement on said overhead grid rail system to different locations in the container storage yard, with said overhead grid rail system supporting the shuttle vehicles at a height to enable the shuttle vehicles to travel above a stack of four containers, each shuttle vehicle having an overhead container spreader bar mounted therebelow for releasably grasping a container, and a rotatable container hoisting and lowering means coupled to said container spreader bar, such that the shuttle vehicle can grasp, hoist and lower containers and can rotate a container to and from a storage yard position wherein the length of the container is perpendicular to an overhead access rail from or to a position wherein the length of the container is parallel to an overhead access rail for transportation therealong by a shuttle vehicle and each shuttle vehicle further having an active track switching mechanism for selectively switching through said passive overhead rail switches.

2. A grid rail container handling and storage system for operation at a facility servicing the loading and unloading of containers as claimed in claim 1, wherein said loading and unloading facility comprises a marine terminal servicing the loading and unloading of containers on ships.

3. A grid rail container handling and storage system for operation at a facility servicing the loading and unloading of containers as claimed in claim 1, wherein said loading and unloading facility comprises a rail terminal servicing the loading and unloading of containers on rail cars.

4. A grid rail container handling and storage system for operation at a facility servicing the loading and unloading of containers as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a remote container storage yard having an overhead grid rail system providing access to storage locations in the remote container storage yard, in which the containers are stacked on top of one another, and a grid rail system providing a plurality of access rails to different locations in the remote container storage yard, and a plurality of passive overhead rail switches located at different junctions of the access rails, and a remote container storage yard access line extending between said overhead grid rail system of the container storage yard and the overhead grid rail system of the remote container storage yard.

5. A grid rail container handling and storage system for operation at a terminal servicing the loading and unloading of containers as claimed in claim 1, each shuttle vehicle being mounted onto said grid rail system by a set of mounting wheels at each end of the shuttle vehicle, and means for allowing rotation of each set of wheels relative to the shuttle vehicle to enable the shuttle vehicle to traverse turns in the rails of said grid rail system.

6. A grid rail container handling and storage system for operation at a terminal servicing the loading and unloading of containers as claimed in claim 5, each set of mounting wheels including four wheels, with two wheels being positioned on each side of the rail of said grid rail system.

7. A grid rail container handling and storage system for operation at a terminal servicing the loading and unloading of containers as claimed in claim 1, said active track switching mechanism comprising a variable shuttle vehicle driving means for each of first and second sides of the shuttle vehicle, such that an increased driving force exerted by said variable shuttle vehicle driving means on a first side of the shuttle vehicle relative to the driving force exerted by said variable shuttle vehicle driving means on the second side of the shuttle vehicle results in the shuttle vehicle exerting a turning movement toward the second side of the shuttle vehicle.

8. A grid rail container handling and storage system for operation at a terminal servicing the loading and unloading of containers as claimed in claim 1, each shuttle vehicle being mounted onto said grid rail system by a set of wheels at each end of the shuttle vehicle, and said active track switching mechanism includes means for selectively offloading the load of the shuttle vehicle from the wheels at each end of the shuttle vehicle while the offloaded wheels are traversing a passive switch.

9. A grid rail container handling and storage system for operation at a terminal servicing the loading and unloading of containers as claimed in claim 1, said grid rail system including a separate guide track along the rail through passive switches in said grid rail system, and said active switching mechanism on each shuttle vehicle including selectively actuable guide track engaging means, such that the shuttle vehicle selectively engages the guide track through a passive switch along which the shuttle vehicle is to travel through the passive switch.

10. A grid rail container handling and storage system for operation at a terminal servicing the loading and unloading of containers as claimed in claim 1, each shuttle vehicle being mounted on said grid rail system by sets of wheels at each end of the shuttle vehicle, with the wheels being mounted on both sides of the rail, and said active switching mechanism including means for selectively disengaging the mounting wheels on one side of the track while the shuttle vehicle is traversing a passive switch.

11. A grid rail container handling and storage system for operation at a terminal servicing the loading and unloading of containers as claimed in claim 1, said container hoisting and lowering means including a telescoping hydraulic hoist having a plurality of coaxial hydraulic pistons of different diameters mounted one within the other in a hydraulic telescoping arrangement.

12. A grid rail container handling and storage system for operation at a terminal servicing the loading and unloading of containers as claimed in claim 1, said buffer means including two raised container supporting platform surfaces at two different raised heights, and means for selectively laterally shifting containers along each platform surface.

13. A grid rail container handling and storage system for operation at a terminal servicing the loading and unloading of containers as claimed in claim 12, said means for selectively laterally shifting including a plurality of selectively drivable conveyors located along the platform surface.

14. A grid rail container handling and storage system for operation at a terminal servicing the loading and unloading of containers as claimed in claim 1, including a system real time control computer which transmits data and commands to each shuttle vehicle, and each shuttle vehicle including a shuttle computer for controlling operations of the shuttle vehicle and for receiving and transmitting data and commands with said system equipment control computer.

15. A grid rail container handling and storage system for operation at a terminal servicing the loading and unloading of containers as claimed in claim 14, further including a yard manager computer for controlling the efficient placement, storage and retrieval of containers within the high density container storage yard to minimize movements of containers and container handling equipment, said yard manager computer also queueing and dispatching container handling tasks, and also for receiving and transmitting data and commands with said system control computer, said system control computer receiving storage data for a ship and also maintaining therein data on the storage yard inventory, and directing loading and unloading sequences from the storage data and the yard inventory data.

16. A grid rail container handling and storage system for operation at a terminal servicing the loading and unloading of containers as claimed in claim 14, said grid rail system including means for providing positional marker information at locations therealong, and each shuttle vehicle including means for reading the positional marker information, which is transmitted as data to said system equipment control computer.