FR3136741A1 - BALLAST CONTROL OPTIMIZATION FOR BARGAIN UNLOADING - Google Patents

Abstract

Ballast control optimization during barge unloading includes selecting a container for unloading from a vessel, and determining a ballast maneuver to maintain a defined post vessel level. -withdrawal. The determined ballast maneuver is then executed and subsequently a set of possible next containers for unloading can be identified. For each of the following possible containers, a corresponding ballast maneuver can be determined. Then one of the following possible containers is selected, which is associated with a corresponding least demanding ballast maneuver. Finally, the corresponding least demanding ballast maneuver is performed. In this way, a ballast control is optimized to minimize the necessary ballast maneuvering through the strategic sequencing of unloading containers onto the vessel. Fig. 1

Description

BALLAST CONTROL OPTIMIZATION FOR BARGAIN UNLOADING

PREVIOUS STATE

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to the technical field of docking a barge and loading and unloading cargo in an inland waterway.

Description of related art

Control of a vessel within a waterway relates strictly to the attitude of the vessel and the power applied to a power source driving the vessel in a vector defined by its attitude. Unlike other modes of transportation, however, operating a floating vessel also requires adaptation to the depth of the waterway since the depth of the waterway affects the navigability of the waterway for certain types of vessels having particularly large drafts. Furthermore, in the case of a barge or container ship, heavier loads carried by the ship result in the ship's hull having a closer clearance with the bottom of the waterway. Thus, the weight of the load carried by the ship directly impacts the ship's ability to navigate in a waterway of limited depth as well as the presence of ballast tanks.

Navigating an inland waterway can be a complex task. Currents that predominate along a waterway flow direction may be disrupted by swirling vortices caused by variations in the bottom surface of the waterway, variations in the direction of the waterway and the influence of the movement of other vessels and the operation of locks along the waterway. For a manually operated vessel, the variable impact of current can be managed by feel, but for modern autonomous vessels the computational challenge can be immense.

The challenge of operating an autonomous vessel within the central part of a waterway, however, pales in comparison to the challenge of moving a vessel from a central part of a waterway into the lands at a berthing position at a terminal side of the waterway and then unloads the cargo positioned on the barge. The problem of berthing a barge in an inland waterway may be compounded by the independent factors of the water level of the waterway relative to the level of the upper surface of the quay, and the height of the upper surface of the barge in relation to the water level of the waterway. The ability to unload cargo onto the barge depends largely on these two independent factors.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention address technical gaps in the state of the art with respect to barge docking. To this end, embodiments of the present invention relate to a novel and non-obvious method for ballast control optimization during barge unloading. Embodiments of the present invention also relate to a novel and non-obvious computing device configured to perform the aforementioned method. Finally, the embodiments of the present invention relate to a novel and non-obvious data processing system incorporating the above-mentioned device to realize the above-mentioned method.

In one embodiment of the invention, ballast control optimization during barge unloading includes selecting a container for unloading from a vessel, and determining a ballast maneuver to maintain a set level of post-removal vessel. The determined ballast maneuver is then executed and subsequently a set of possible next containers for unloading can be identified. For each of the following possible containers, a corresponding ballast maneuver can be determined. Then one of the following possible containers is selected, which is associated with a corresponding least demanding ballast maneuver. Finally, the corresponding least demanding ballast maneuver is performed. In this way, a ballast control is optimized to minimize the necessary ballast maneuvering through the strategic sequencing of unloading containers onto the vessel.

According to one aspect of the embodiment, the execution of the least demanding corresponding ballast maneuver is interrupted before the removal of the selected container upon detection of a threshold variation of an attitude in the z plane of the ship. According to another aspect of the embodiment, the determination of the ballast maneuver is carried out according to a consultation in a table correlating a location and a weight of a container on the ship. In this regard, the table can learn by itself based on a manual adjustment of the ballast maneuver instead of an adjustment presented in the table. Additionally, the table can correlate the location and weight of the container on the vessel in conjunction with volatility of the water surrounding the vessel.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a data processing system is designed for ballast control optimization during barge unloading. The system includes a host computing platform that has one or more computers, each having memory and one or more processing units including one or more processing cores. The system also includes a ballast control module. The module includes computer program instructions allowing, when executed in the memory of at least one of the processing units of the host computer platform, to select a container for unloading from a ship, determine a ballast maneuver to maintain a defined post-withdrawal vessel level and execute the determined ballast maneuver. The program instructions further identify a set of possible next containers for unloading and determine a corresponding ballast maneuver for each of the possible next containers. The program instructions then select one of the following possible containers associated with a corresponding least demanding ballast maneuver and perform the corresponding least demanding ballast maneuver.

In this way, the technical shortcomings of docking a barge in an inland waterway and discharging cargo from the barge onto a quay are overcome in view of variable ballast control so as to ensure a correctly adapting unloading equipment and unloading ramp configuration to accommodate water level.

Additional aspects of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and will in part be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Aspects of the invention will be carried out and obtained by means of the elements and combinations indicated in particular in the appended claims. It should be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are given by way of example and explanation only and do not limit the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIFFERENT VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated and constitute part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The embodiments illustrated here are currently preferred, it being understood however that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities presented, in which:

there is a pictorial illustration reflecting different aspects of a ballast control optimization process during barge unloading;

there is a block diagram representing a data processing system designed to carry out one aspect of the data processing process. ; And,

there is a flowchart illustrating one aspect of the process of .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention relate to ballast control optimization during barge unloading. According to one embodiment of the invention, a barge having docked for the discharge of its cargo includes a ballast chamber which can absorb fluid and expel fluid, on command, through a valve arrangement and pump. A first cargo container is then selected for unloading from the barge and a determination is made as to how much ballast must be absorbed into the ballast chamber so as to maintain the set level of the barge relative to the level of river water. Since the ballast chamber is a composition of multiple different ballast chambers at respective different locations on the barge, a coordinated ballast maneuver is carried out when absorbing ballast in each different chamber so as to guarantee the level set of the houseboat both vertically and also horizontally. Subsequently, different ballast maneuvers are calculated in response to a proposed removal of different containers from the remaining containers on the barge. A container is then selected for removal, which is the most minimal and smallest ballast maneuver required to maintain the set level. In this way, the barge's cargo can be unloaded in the most expeditious and energy-efficient manner through the minimization of cumulative ballast maneuvers.

As an illustration of one aspect of the embodiment, the pictorially represents a ballast control optimization process during barge unloading. As shown in the , a barge 100 in water 130 can dock adjacent to a quay 120 at which containers 170 positioned on the barge 100 can be unloaded with a crane 110. The barge 100 includes one or more ballast tanks 140 into which and from which a fluid such as water 130 may be pumped using pumps 150. A ballast controller 180 coupled to a gyroscope 160 may direct the pumps 150 to pump ballast to and from the various reservoirs of ballast 140 in order to maintain a defined level of the barge 100 in the water 130.

In this regard, different ballast maneuvers are defined in a ballast maneuver data structure 190. The ballast maneuver data structure 190 stores different entries corresponding to different containers among the containers 170 positioned on the barge 100 at different locations. Each entry specifies the location of a corresponding one of the containers 170, and an associated weight of the corresponding one of the containers 170. Each entry further specifies a variation in one or more of the ballast tanks 140 necessary to maintain a defined level of the barge 100 in the water once the corresponding one of the containers 170 has been removed by the crane 110 on the quay 120. For example, the variation in each of the ballast tanks 140 can be specified according to a volume of water 130 pumped into a corresponding tank among the ballast tanks 140, or a volume of water 130 pumped out of the corresponding tank among the ballast tanks 140. When performing one of the maneuvers of ballast in the ballast maneuvering data structure 190, the inertial measurement unit (IMU) 160 will report a defined level in each of the x, y and z planes following the removal, from the barge 100, of a corresponding container among the containers 170.

In operation, the ballast controller 180 identifies a set of containers 170 accessible for removal from the barge 100 by the crane 110. For each of the containers 170 in the set, the ballast controller 180 locates at within the ballast maneuver data structure 190 an associated entry indicating a predetermined ballast maneuver to result in a defined level of the barge 100 once a corresponding one of the containers 170 in the set is removed from the barge 100. The ballast controller 180 then selects, from among the containers 170 in the set, a preferred one of the containers 170 having, associated therewith, a ballast maneuver in the ballast maneuver data structure 190 requiring a minimum volume of water 130 to be pumped to or pumped from the ballast tanks 140 - which is called a minimum ballast maneuver. The ballast controller 180 then orders the removal of the preferred one of the containers 170 from the barge 100 while performing the minimum ballast maneuver.

Once the preferred one of the containers 170 has been removed from the barge 100, the ballast controller 180 interrogates the IMU 160 to determine whether the barge 100 resides level within a predetermined threshold tilt angle. and a predetermined threshold declination angle in each of the x plane, the y plane and the z plane. Specifically, the threshold angles account for the periodic vertical movement of the barge 100 resulting from water conditions of the water 130, in the absence of which, the declination angle in each plane would otherwise be within a value of zero tolerance. As long as the IMU 160 signals the ballast controller 180 that the barge 100 is at a defined level, a next set of containers 170 remaining on the barge can be processed to identify a next container among the containers 170 to be removed, requiring minimal ballast operation. However, to the extent that the IMU 160 signals the ballast controller 180 that the barge 100 is not at the set level, a manual adjustment may be ordered to the pumps 150 to adjust the volume of the water 130 in the ballast tanks 140 to reach the defined level. The manual adjustment is then written to the entry for the preferred container of the containers 170 in the ballast maneuvering data structure 190 such that the ballast maneuvering data structure 190 is self-learning.

Aspects of the process described in relation to the can be implemented within a data processing system. As a further illustration, the schematically depicts a data processing system designed to perform ballast control optimization during barge unloading. In the data processing system illustrated in , a host computing platform 200 is planned. The host computing platform 200 includes one or more integrated computing systems 210, each having memory 220 and one or more processing units 230. The computing systems 210 of the host computing platform (only a single computing system is shown for purposes of illustrative simplicity) may be co-located within each other and in communication with each other over a local area network, or on a data communications bus, or the computers may be arranged remotely from each other and in communicating with each other through a network interface 260 over a data communications network 240. Additionally, the host computing platform 200 may be positioned remotely from the barge, or on board the barge.

Notably, a computing device 250 comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be included with the data processing system 200 and accessible by the processing units 230 of one or more of the computers 210. The computing device stores thereon 250 or maintains therein a program module 300 that includes computer program instructions that, when executed by one or more of the processing units 230, carry out a programmatically executable process for ballast control optimization during barge unloading. Specifically, the program instructions, when executed, select a set of containers listed in a container manifest 290 in memory 220 that are accessible for removal while the barge has docked, and cross-reference entries in a table of ballast maneuvers 270, also in memory 220. Each of the inputs includes a corresponding ballast maneuver involving pumping of water volume into or out of corresponding ballast tanks 280 monitored and controlled by the program module 300.

The program instructions select an entry in the ballast maneuver table 270 associated with a minimum volume of water, e.g., a minimum ballast maneuver, and identify an associated container in the set. Subsequently, the program instructions direct the pumps for each of the ballast tanks 280 to pump water according to the minimum ballast operation. Once the ballast maneuver is completed, the program instructions consult the communicatively coupled IMU 235 to determine whether or not the barge is at the set level within a threshold value as a result of the minimum ballast maneuver and the removing the associated container from the set. To the extent that the IMU 235 signals an attitude of the barge outside the defined level threshold value, manual ballast pumping instructions can be applied to the ballast tanks 280 either internally or remotely from a shore server 245 on the data communications network 240. To the extent that the IMU 235 reports a defined level within the threshold value following the manual ballast pumping instructions, the program instructions update the selected entry in the ballast operating table 270 with updated values taking into account the manual ballast pumping instructions.

As a further illustration of an example operation of the module, the is a flowchart illustrating one aspect of the process of . Beginning at block 305, a manifest of containers on board the barge is loaded into memory and an entry in the manifest is selected at block 310 for a specified container. In block 315, a position and weight of the container are determined from the entry in the manifest and in block 320, the volatility of the water is measured, for example by monitoring periodic variations in the attitude of the water. barge reported by the gyroscope over time such that larger variations in attitude reflect a more volatile water condition, and smaller variations in attitude reflect a less volatile water condition. Next, at block 325, a ballast maneuver is calculated to account for removal of the specified container of the determined weight at the determined location, taking into account the determined water volatility. In this regard, a ballast operating table may include a predetermined ballast tank setting in terms of water volume corresponding to a known location of a container, a particular weight of a container and a volatility of the water particular. Alternatively, the table may include a predetermined base setting for each ballast tank of the barge assuming a particular weight and no water volatility and a formula for adjusting the predetermined base setting in response to variability in weight and of water volatility.

Once the ballast maneuver is determined, at block 330, the ballast maneuver may be initiated by directing one or more pumps coupled to the ballast tanks to pump water into, or pump water out of, the ballast tanks. ballast tanks to achieve the specified volume of water in each of the ballast tanks according to the ballast maneuver. At block 335, the gyroscope can be interrogated to determine whether the barge is then in the level state or not. At decision block 340, it is determined in particular whether or not there is a threshold variation in the z-plane attitude of the barge indicating an overloaded weight condition at the bow or stern of the barge. If this is the case, the execution of the ballast maneuver stops at block 340 and the process repeats until the variation in attitude in the z plane resolves.

Since no threshold variation of the z-plane attitude is determined at decision block 340, at decision block 350 it is determined whether or not the ballast maneuver has been completed. If this is not the case, at block 355, the ballast maneuver continues and the level state is then checked again at block 335 and the determination of the threshold variation of the attitude in the z plane is also carried out. At decision block 350, when it is determined that the ballast maneuver is completed, at block 360, in consultation with the gyroscope, it is determined whether the barge is within a defined level threshold value or not. If this is not the case, the process continues at block 365.

At block 365, a manual adjustment of the ballast is ordered in order to reach a defined level. Next, at block 370, manual adjustment is added to the input to the ballast operating table. Subsequently, at block 375, it is determined whether the specified container has been removed from the barge or not. If so, at block 380, the entry in the container manifest is updated to indicate that the container is no longer present on the barge. Subsequently, at decision block 385, it is determined whether additional containers remain on the barge and are accessible for removal or not. If so, at block 390, a set of all containers accessible for removal from the barge is determined and at block 395, a ballast maneuver is identified in the table for each of the containers in the set.

At block 400, a minimum ballast maneuver identified in the table is identified and at block 405, a corresponding container from among the containers in the set is selected for removal. The process then returns to block 315 so as to refine the minimum ballast maneuver according to the weight and position of the corresponding container among the containers and the water volatility determined simultaneously. At decision block 385, when no container remains accessible for removal from the barge, at block 410 the process ends and the barge can switch from a loading mode to a navigation mode.

Importantly, the foregoing flowchart and block diagram mentioned herein illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of computing systems, methods, and devices according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or instruction part, which includes one or more executable instructions for implementing the logic function(s). ) specified. In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur in an order other than that noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially simultaneously, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. It should also be noted that each block of the functional diagrams and/or the flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the functional diagrams and/or the flowchart illustration, can be implemented by systems based on special-purpose equipment that performs specified functions or acts or implements combinations of computer instructions and special-purpose equipment.

More specifically, the present invention may be incorporated as a programmatically executable process. Furthermore, the present invention can be incorporated within a computing device on which programmatic instructions are stored and from which the programmatic instructions can be loaded into the memory of a data processing system and executed therefrom. -this in order to carry out the preceding programmatically executable process. Still further, the present invention may be incorporated within a data processing system configured to load the programmatic instructions from a computing device and to then execute the programmatic instructions to carry out the programmatically executable process which precedes.

For this purpose, the computing device is a non-transitory computer-readable storage media or media maintaining therein or storing thereon computer-readable program instructions. These instructions, when executed from memory by one or more processing units of a data processing system, cause the processing units to perform different programmatic processes as an example of different aspects of the executable process programmatically. In this regard, the processing units each include an instruction execution device such as a central processing unit or “CPU” of a computer. One or more computers may be included within the data processing system. It should be noted that while the CPU may be a single core CPU, it will be understood that multiple CPU cores may be operating within the CPU and in either case the instructions are directly loaded from the memory in one or more of the cores of the one or more CPUs for their execution.

In addition to directly loading instructions from memory for execution by one or more cores of a CPU or multiple CPUs, the computer-readable program instructions described herein may alternatively be retrieved over a computer communications network in the memory of a computer of the data processing system for execution therein. Furthermore, only part of the program instructions can be retrieved from memory over the computer communications network, while other parts can be loaded from persistent computer storage. Still further, only part of the program instructions may be executed by one or more processing cores of one or more CPUs of one of the computers of the data processing system, while other parts may be executed. cooperatively executing within a computer different from the data processing system which is either co-located with the computer or positioned remotely from the computer on the computer communications network, the results of the calculation by the two computers being shared between them.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of any means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for achieving the function in combination with other elements claimed as specifically claims. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Numerous modifications and variations will appear to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment has been chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as appropriate for the particular use intended.

Having thus described the invention of the present application in detail and with reference to the embodiments thereof, it will appear that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the claims appended as follows.

Claims (15)

Method for ballast control optimization during barge unloading (100) comprising the steps of:
selecting (310) a container for unloading from a vessel;
determine (325) a ballast maneuver to maintain a defined post-removal vessel level;
execute (330) the determined ballast maneuver;
identify (390) a set of possible next containers for unloading and determine (395) a corresponding ballast maneuver for each of the possible next containers;
select (405) one of the next possible containers associated with a least demanding corresponding ballast maneuver; And,
perform the least demanding corresponding ballast maneuver while the vessel is positioned below a container unloading crane. A method according to claim 1, wherein execution of the least demanding corresponding ballast maneuver is interrupted before removal of the selected container upon detection (340) of a threshold variation of an attitude in the z plane of the ship. Method according to claim 1, in which the determination of the ballast maneuver is carried out according to a consultation in a table correlating a location and a weight of a container on the ship. A method according to claim 3, wherein the table learns by itself based on a manual adjustment (370) of the ballast operation instead of an adjustment presented in the table. A method according to claim 3, wherein the table correlates the location and weight of the container on the vessel together with a volatility of the water surrounding the vessel. Data processing system designed for ballast control optimization during barge unloading, the system comprising:
a host computing platform (200) comprising one or more computers (210), each having memory (220) and one or more processing units (230) including one or more processing cores; And,
a ballast control module comprising computer program instructions allowing, when executed in the memory of at least one of the processing units of the host computer platform (200), to carry out the steps consisting of:
select a container for unloading from a vessel;
determine a ballast maneuver to maintain a defined post-withdrawal vessel level;
execute the determined ballast maneuver;
identify a set of possible next containers for unloading and determine a corresponding ballast maneuver for each of the possible next containers;
select one of the following possible containers associated with a least demanding corresponding ballast maneuver; And,
perform the least demanding corresponding ballast maneuver while the vessel is positioned below a container unloading crane. System according to claim 6, wherein the execution of the least demanding corresponding ballast maneuver is interrupted before the removal of the selected container upon detection of a threshold variation of an attitude in the z plane of the ship. System according to claim 6, wherein the determination of the ballast maneuver is carried out according to a consultation in a table (270) correlating a location and a weight of a container on the ship. A system according to claim 8, wherein the table learns by itself based on a manual adjustment of the ballast maneuver instead of an adjustment presented in the table. A system according to claim 6, wherein the table correlates the location and weight of the container on the vessel in conjunction with a volatility of the water surrounding the vessel. A computing device including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having program instructions stored therein, the instructions being executable by at least one processing core of a processing unit to cause the processing unit to perform a method for ballast control optimization during barge unloading, the method comprising the steps consisting of:
select a container for unloading from a vessel;
determine a ballast maneuver to maintain a defined post-withdrawal vessel level;
execute the determined ballast maneuver;
identify a set of possible next containers for unloading and determine a corresponding ballast maneuver for each of the possible next containers;
select one of the following possible containers associated with a least demanding corresponding ballast maneuver; And,
perform the least demanding corresponding ballast maneuver while the vessel is positioned below a container unloading crane. Device according to claim 11, in which the execution of the least demanding corresponding ballast maneuver is interrupted before the withdrawal of the selected container upon detection of a threshold variation of an attitude in the z plane of the ship. Device according to claim 11, in which the determination of the ballast maneuver is carried out according to a consultation in a table correlating a location and a weight of a container on the ship. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the table learns by itself based on a manual adjustment of the ballast operation instead of an adjustment presented in the table. A device according to claim 13, wherein the table correlates the location and weight of the container on the vessel in conjunction with a volatility of the water surrounding the vessel.