Material or article handling – Marine loading or unloading system – Marine vessel to/from shore
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-13
2003-04-22
Brahan, Thomas J. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Marine loading or unloading system
Marine vessel to/from shore
C212S325000, C212S270000, C414S141300, C414S803000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06551043
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a loading device for ISO containers in a container terminal with a container bridge for the loading and unloading of ships and with the automated incoming and outgoing transport of the containers by means of automatic guided vehicles. The loading device is equipped with at least one container load suspension means in the form of a spreader, with devices for the intermediate positioning of the containers within the loading device to allow the installation or removal of the twistlocks, and with platforms for the personnel engaged in this work.
2. Description of the Related Art
German Utility Model No. 297 19 466 describes a transfer system for containers, in which a container bridge formed by a straddle frame is used. The straddle frame is supported on a traveling gear, which can move along rails parallel to the dock to which the ship is moored. The straddle frame has a boom, which extends out beyond the support structure both toward the water side and toward the land side; rails for a trolley are also attached to the straddle frame, so that the trolley, with the help of a spreader, can transport containers from the ship to the dock and vice versa. The spreader is designed so that the crane operator can bring it into automatically interlocking engagement with the container and release it again when desired.
The productivity-determining factor of a transfer unit such as this is the time it takes for the trolley to perform one load cycle, that is, the time required to convey the containers between the standing areas and to remove or install the twistlocks. As is generally known, these twistlocks are used to prevent the containers from sliding around after they have been stacked on top of one another in the standing areas and especially while they are being transported by ship. The containers are locked together by the twistlocks, which are first inserted into openings in the corner castings and then rotated. In most cases, semi-automatic twistlocks are used, which are attached in a preliminary position to the corner castings at the bottom of the container during loading. When the container is set down onto another container, the twistlocks automatically latch into the corner castings of the container underneath, so that these two containers are permanently attached.
When the container is then to be transferred from its location, the workers first release the locks holding it to the container underneath or to the container vehicle, and then the upper container is conveyed from the ship to the dock along with the twistlocks, which are still attached to it. The twistlocks, however, must be removed before the container can be set down onto the dock, which is also done by hand, in that the assigned workers grip under the hanging container, disconnect the twistlocks manually, and remove them. Conversely, when a container is to be loaded into a ship, it is first raised high enough to allow the twistlocks to be inserted by hand into the lower corner castings, and then the container can be transported to its location.
German Utility Model No. 297 19 466 describes the loading and unloading of the containers in two overlapping phases, for which two trolleys are used. The first trolley transports the container from the ship to a manipulation platform, and the second trolley transports the container from the platform to the desired track on the dock, where a vehicle is standing by to accept the container. The two trolleys, which transport the containers in an overlapping manner in time, shorten the productive work cycle time, because it was found that less time is required to transport a container between the ship and the platform than to transport a container to the unloading track on the dock, including the removal or attachment of the twistlocks.
The known solution is disadvantageous because, although the use of the second trolley in the container bridge increases the transfer capacity, it also leads to additional, relatively high investment, maintenance, and repair costs. In addition, the platform used in the known solution for installation and removal of the twistlocks is not suitable for the handling of tank containers or other special types of containers (e.g., cooling containers or containers for loading passenger vehicles). Although the support surfaces for the containers described in the prior art allow free access to the corner castings, a closed container bottom is absolutely necessary for this technique to work. This condition is not always fulfilled in the case of special containers, however, which means that these containers must be sorted out and handled separately on the dock by additional workers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Proceeding from the state of the art indicated above, the task of the present invention is to increase the transfer capacity of the container bridge by low-cost measures and thus to ensure at the same time the reliable installation and removal of the twistlocks at the corner castings.
In accordance with the invention, the loading device includes a polar bridge crane which can rotate around its vertical center axis and which is designed as a bridge crane with a trolley traveling on the bridge. This polar bridge crane is located behind the land-side rail of the container bridge and is supported on a circular track.
The loading device according to the invention solves the problems of the known systems. It replaces the second trolley in the container bridge, but at the same it makes it possible for the containers to be rotated around an angle of at least 90°. As a result, the loading device of the invention makes it possible to load automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) on at least three separate loading tracks. This buffer of three loading tracks and the ability of the AGVs to maneuver effectively in the backreach of the container bridge prevent bottlenecks in the higher-order logistics of the terminal. As a result, the number of AGVs ultimately required can be significantly reduced.
The loading device according to the invention is intended in particular for use as an add-on component to container bridges. The base of the circular track is preferably a horizontal expansion, extending toward the rear, of the container bridge. The loading device, which is permanently connected to the connecting carriers of the container bridge supports, performs a certain part of the load-transfer work and thus reduces the load cycle. The trolley of the container bridge is responsible only for transporting the container between the ship and the loading device, i.e., to the positions to which the tracks of the transport vehicles (AGVs) extend.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, however, it is also possible for the base of the circular track to be the crane bridge of a mobile straddle unit with traveling gears for road or rail. The straddle unit in this case is the carrier of the bridge crane, on which the devices for intermediate positioning of the containers are mounted.
For the transfer of the containers from the trolley of the container bridge to the loading device, the spreader is positioned at a point which is optimal for the load cycle. After the container has been transferred to the loading device, the bridge crane rotates around its vertical axis while its trolley is simultaneously moving to a position in which it can load the transport vehicle, this position being specific to the bridge and determined by the higher-order logistics of the container terminal.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, it is especially favorable for the trolley of the bridge crane to be equipped with a lifting device, which is formed by a shaft-like base frame with vertical guides for the container suspended from the spreader and by a lifting frame surrounding the container. The lifting frame can be raised and lowered under the shaft-like base frame. The design and function of a lifting device of this type are described in detail in DE 199 58 501, to which U.S. Ser. No. 09/726,934 correspo
Dobner Mathias
Franzen Hermann
Kröll Joachim
Brahan Thomas J.
Cohen & Pontani, Lieberman & Pavane
Gottwald Port Technology GmbH
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