Apparatus for managing the operation of a ship block

• US 8,653,945 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2010
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Heavy Industries Company Limited (Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Heavy Industries Company Limited (Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Baek, Tae Hyun, Ha, Seung Jin, Lee, Sang Hyup, Lee, Byeong Yeol, Choi, Hong Kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Zhen Y
• Application Number:
  US13/392,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20120176222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 114/335, 114/356, 114/65
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

Provided is an apparatus for managing the operation of a ship block, including a ship block size and location measuring system, a transporter monitoring system, a block transportation monitoring system and a transportation lot number management system. The ship block size and location measuring system includes a direction angle sensor, a range finder, a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader and a control system, and the control system includes a block size and location measuring server, a vector calculating module, a coordinate calculating module, a size and location extracting module, and a memory module.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing the operation of a ship block, comprising:

a ship block size and location measuring system, a transporter monitoring system, a block transportation monitoring system and a transportation lot number management system,

wherein the ship block size and location measuring system includes a direction angle sensor, a range finder, a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader and a control system,

wherein the control system includes a block size and location measuring server, a vector calculating module, a coordinate calculating module, a size and location extracting module and a memory module,

wherein the direction angle sensor plays a role of measuring a direction angle of each edge of a block present at a specific location in a yard, the range finder plays a role of measuring a distance between a reference point and each edge of the block, and an RFID reader plays a role of recognizing locations of tags disposed at regular intervals in the yard where blocks are piled up,

wherein the memory module plays a role of storing direction angle information of each edge of the block, measured by the direction angle sensor, and distance information between the reference point and each edge of the block, measured by the range finder, wherein the vector calculating module plays a role of calculating a vector value of the corresponding edge of the block by using the direction angle information and the distance information of a specific edge of the block,

wherein the coordinate calculating module plays a role of calculating a coordinate of the specific edge of the block by using the location information of the tag and the vector value calculated by the vector calculating module,

wherein the size and location extracting module calculates a distance between coordinates in a state where coordinates are set for all edges of the block by the coordinate calculating module, thereby extracting planar shape, size and location of the block of a polygonal shape.

2. The apparatus for managing the operation of a ship block according to claim 1, wherein the transporter monitoring system includes a weight sensor, a tilt angle sensor, an entry direction sensor, speed sensor and a transporter monitoring server, wherein the weight sensor is provided at one side of a transporter and plays a role of measuring weight of a block mounted on the transporter, the tilt angle sensor plays a role of measuring a tilt angle of the ground surface, the entry direction sensor plays a role of sensing an entry direction of the transporter, and the speed sensor plays a role of measuring a moving speed of the transporter, and

wherein the transporter monitoring server plays a role of transmitting all transporter information, measured by the sensors, to the transportation lot number management system.

3. The apparatus for managing the operation of a ship block according to claim 1, wherein the block transportation monitoring system includes a database block, a block moving path setting module, a block transportation plan setting module and a block transportation monitoring server, wherein the database block includes a lot number information database storing lot number information of the yard, a front/rear information database storing front/rear information, and a block arrangement database storing a block arrangement in the yard, wherein the block moving path setting module plays a role of setting a moving path of the block and a filing location of the block in the yard based on the lot number information, the block arrangement and the block size and location information measured by the ship block size and location measuring system, wherein the block transportation plan setting module plays a role of setting transporter operating schedule and block carrying schedule based on the lot number information, the front/rear information, the block arrangement and the transporter information obtained by the transporter monitoring system, wherein the block transportation monitoring server plays a role of controlling the block moving path setting module and the block transportation plan setting module in linkage with the transportation lot number management system so that a block carrying-in and carrying-out process is controlled in real time.

4. The apparatus for managing the operation of a ship block according to claim 3, wherein the database block is provided in the transportation lot number management system.

5. The apparatus for managing the operation of a ship block according to claim 1, wherein the transportation lot number management system collects the information generated by the ship block size and location measuring system, the transporter monitoring system, and the block transportation monitoring system and plays a role of selectively providing the stored information according to the request of each system.