GB2617928A

GB2617928A - Bulk cargo-to-container automatic boxing device and system

Info

Publication number: GB2617928A
Application number: GB2309179.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Wang Xuefeng; Chao Yiying; Ge Jiawei; Zhang Yongliang; Fang Jianbo
Original assignee: Shanghai Maritime University
Current assignee: Shanghai Maritime University
Priority date: 2020-12-17
Filing date: 2021-06-01
Publication date: 2023-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 2041-06-01
Also published as: CN112707181B; WO2022127045A1; GB2617928B; CN112707181A

Abstract

A bulk cargo-to-container automatic boxing device and system. The device comprises: an onshore bulk storage yard (1) for stacking and storing bulk cargo; a plurality of belt conveyors (3) for conveying the bulk cargo from the onshore bulk storage yard (1) into containers, which belt conveyors have tail ends inclining upwards; a turnover warehouse (4) for containing empty containers and turning over the containers until a container door faces upwards; an induction guide channel (5), one end of which being connected to the turnover warehouse (4), and the induction guide channel being used for conveying the containers out of the turnover warehouse (4); and a boxing channel (6) connected to the other end of the induction guide channel (5). The containers are conveyed from the turnover warehouse (4) to the boxing channel (6) by means of the induction guide channel (5), such that the container door of each container is aligned with the tail end of the belt conveyor (3); and after boxing, the container is conveyed along the boxing channel (6) out from a boxing device. The bulk cargo-to-container automatic boxing device and system can optimize a port boxing process, so as to improve the connection degree and the operation efficiency of each process.

Description

Specification

BULK CARGO-TO-CONTAINER AUTOMATIC BOXING

DEVICE AND SYSTEM

Field of Invention

The invention relates to the field of automatic packing, in particular to the automatic packing device for containerized transportation of the bulk.

Background Art

The bulk refers to granular materials such as coal, iron ore, and grains, and is the largest category of cargo in ports. Traditional bulk terminal operations include two forms: loading and unloading. During loading operations, the materials on the yard are excavated by a bucket-wheel reclaimer and transported to the loading machine at the front of the terminal via a conveyor belt system. By moving the loading machine and adjusting the boom, the materials are loaded into the ship's holds. During unloading operations, the materials are removed from the ship's holds by the unloading machine at the front of the terminal. The materials grabbed by the grab-type unloader are dropped into the hopper and then onto the conveyor belt, which transports them to the yard in the rear of the terminal. The materials dug up by the continuous unloader are lifted by the unloading machine's vertical hoist and placed onto the conveyor belt, which is then transported to the yard and spread by the stacker.

Specification

The bulk transformation to containerized cargo transportation, known as "containerized transportation of the bulk," is mainly used for multimodal transportation involving sea and rail, containerized transportation of the bulk is an important innovation in China's shipping industry, aimed at complying with the requirements of the green era, accelerating the exploration of multimodal transportation, and deepening technological reforms in transportation. Currently, most domestic seaports have begun implementing this innovation in multimodal transportation. However, due to the slow improvement of a container loading and unloading processes in ports, traditional operating techniques are still in use, resulting in a series of problems that hinder the innovation process. On the one hand, the automation level of the container loading process at the port terminal is low, as the container loading site is not connected to the bulk unloading yard. On the other hand, the fixed position of the conveyor belt requires manual transportation of the container to the conveyor belt loading position, which reduces efficiency. At the same time, the current containers used are ordinary containers, whose maximum load-bearing capacity is lower than that of bulk containers, resulting in a large number of damaged the containers and a reduced service life.

Currently, there are few inventions in China to address the technology for containerized transportation of the bulk, and the above-mentioned background problems are not conducive to the sustainable development

Specification

of this innovation. There is an urgent need for an invention that combines information technology, improves efficiency and economy to address the current technological difficulties.

Summary of the Invention

In order to solve the shortcomings of the prior background art, the present invention discloses an automatic packing device for containerized transportation of the bulk, which rotatable optimize the port packing process and improve the connection degree and operating efficiency of each process.

The automatic packing device for containerized transportation of bulk comprises a land-based bulk storage yard for storing the bulk, the several conveyor belts that convey the bulk from the land-based bulk storage yard into the container, with their ends tilted upwards, the flipping warehouse for storing empty the containers and flipping them to have the door facing upwards, the induction and guiding channel connected to the flipping warehouse to move the containers out, and the packing channel connected to the induction and guiding channel, where the containers are conveyed out of the packing device.

Further, the induction and guiding channel comprises a first conveyor belt for carrying and conveying the containers, the warning area located at the

Specification

third end of the induction and guiding channel near the packing channel, a waiting area, which is any area of the channel except for the warning area; and the first weight sensor.

Further, the packing channel comprises the second conveyor belt for carrying and conveying the containers and the several assembly areas; each located below the fourth end of the conveyor belt and including the second weight sensor; each of the assembly area includes a position sensor to detect whether the empty container has been transported to the assembly area; the packing device includes several waiting enclosed channels that connect the land-based bulk storage yard and the starting the fourth end of the conveyor belts to transport the bulk.

Further, each of the waiting enclosed channel comprises a unit door located at a tenth end of the waiting enclosed channel connecting to the land-based bulk storage yard, a third conveyor belt for carrying and conveying the bulk and the third weight sensor; the waiting enclosed channel may further include the controller for controlling the unit door.

Further, the third conveyor belt is reversible.

Specification

The invention discloses an automated operation principle of the automatic packing device for containerized transportation, comprising the following sectors: sector (1): a data collection system for collecting a weight signals from the first, second, and third weight sensors and converting them into electrical signals; and for collecting a switch signals of the unit door and converting them into the electrical signals; sector (2). a data processing system that receives the electrical signals from the data collection system, determines the operation status of the packing process, and the issues instructions; sector (3): a mechanical control system that receives the instructions from the data processing system and controls the operation of the first, second, and third conveyor belts.

The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: 1, Solve the problem of the container damage, that is the three weight sensors in the packing channel rotatable monitor the weight of the loaded container and stop the loading process when it reaches the critical weight. This ensures maximum cargo volume and meets the requirement of not exceeding the maximum load capacity.

Specification

2, Solve the problem of loose connection in the existing loading and unloading technology, that is connecting the land-based bulk storage yard, the packing area, and the container flipping area as a whole. Unloading to the land-based bulk storage yard, connecting the conveyor belts with the yard, and using the induction and guiding channel to flip the container door directly onto the packing channel reduces the time needed to transfer the container and improves the operating efficiency.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an automated packaging device for loose change sets in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the tipping warehouse, the induction and guiding channel, and the packaging channel of the automated packaging device for loose change sets in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the automated packaging system for loose change sets in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the packaging process of the automated packaging device for loose change sets in accordance with the present invention.

The reference numerals of the present invention are described in detail as

Specification

follows: 1 represents the onshore bulk storage yard, 2 represents the waiting enclosed channel, 3 represents the conveyor belt, 4 represents the tipping warehouse, 5 represents the induction and guiding channel, 51 represents the waiting area, 52 represents the warning area, 6 represents the packaging channel, 61 represents the assembly area, 62 represents the position sensor, and 63 represents the weight sensor.

The present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings: As shown in Eig.1, the automated packaging device for bulk comprises the land-based bulk yard 1, the several closed channels 2 for packaging, the several conveyor belts 3, the flipping warehouse 4, the induction and guiding channel 5, and the packaging channel 6, which are integrated into a whole system. Each closed channel 2 corresponds to the conveyor belt 3.

Further, the bulk is stored and piled up in the land-based bulk yard 1. The land-based bulk yard 1 is located at a berth of a bulk ship, replacing the traditional bulk yard, and its scale meets the national construction standard. In one embodiment, the length of the land-based bulk yard 1 is 54 meters, the height is 4 meters, and the width is set according to the

S

Specification

specific scale of a port. The land-based bulk yard 1 is divided into three categories according to the storage weight: 2.5-5 million tons, 5.1-15 million tons, and over 15 million tons.

Further, to be equipped, the waiting enclosed channel 2 is a circular pipeline with both sides closed, made of the same material as the containers. The specific number of the waiting enclosed channel 2 to be equipped rotatable be determined according to the needs of the port area, with a maximum setting of the total length of the on-land bulk storage yard 1 divided by [2.5 (the container width) + a safety distance]. Each of the waiting enclosed channel 2 to be equipped includes a unit door, a third conveyor belt, and the third weight sensor. The waiting enclosed channel 2 to be equipped is parallel to the ground, with one end welded to the on-land bulk storage yard 1 and the other end connected to the conveyor belt 3. In this case, the waiting enclosed channel 2 to be equipped and the conveyor belt 3 overlap each other. The unit door is located at the junction of the waiting enclosed channel 2 to be equipped and the on-land bulk storage yard 1, and a push-pull unit door is used in this case to play the role of a bayonet. The unit door rotatable be manually opened and closed, or the controller rotatable be installed to remotely control the opening and closing of the unit door. When the unit door is opened, the container loading process begins; when the unit door is closed, the container loading process ends. The third conveyor belt is a

Specification

reversible conveyor belt, which rotatable run in reverse after the container loading process is completed, transporting the remaining bulk in it back to the on-land bulk storage yard 1. The third weight sensor rotatable measure the weight of the remaining bulk in the waiting enclosed channel 2 to be equipped. When the container is full, if the weight measured by the third weight sensor is greater than 0, the third conveyor belt will run in reverse until the weight measured by the third weight sensor is equal to 0. Since the waiting enclosed channel 2 to be equipped is a fully enclosed structure, when the bulk such as coal is stored in it, it rotatable prevent the bulk from being blown into the air and causing environmental pollution.

Further, the conveyor belt 3 is used to transport the bulk from the aforementioned on-land bulk storage yard 1 to the container. The starting the fourth end of the conveyor belt 3 is connected to the waiting enclosed channel 2 to be equipped, and the ending end is inclined upward, making the height of the conveyor belt 3 higher than that of the container door.

Further, during normal transportation, the container doors are on the side and rotatable be opened directly to the load and unload goods. When transporting the bulk, the cargo is transported into the container via the conveyor belt 3. Therefore, the flip warehouse 4 is set up for the container loading device, which is used to place the empty containers and

Specification

flip the containers upside down so that the container doors face up. After the container loading process is completed, the equipment owned by the station is used to restore it to the horizontal position.

As shown in Figure 2, the third end of induction and guiding channel 5 is connected to the flipping warehouse 4 and the other end is connected to the packing channel 6, which is used to guide the containers to be packed from the flipping warehouse 4 to the packing channel 6. The induction and guiding channel 5 includes the first conveyor belt and the first weight sensor. The first conveyor belt is used to carry and convey the containers to be packed. The warning zone 52 is set at the third end of induction and guiding channel 5 near the packing channel 6, while the rest of the area is a waiting zone 51. When the first weight sensor detects the first container passing via the warning zone 52, the container closed waiting channel 2 and the conveyor belt 3 start to operate. During a packing process, the current batch of the containers are being packed with the bulk at the packing channel 6, while the next batch of the containers to be packed are waiting in the waiting zone 51 of the induction guide channel 5.

Further, the packing channel 6 is equipped with the second conveyor belt for carrying and conveying the containers. The packing channel 6 includes several assembly zones 61, each of which is located below the fourth end of the conveyor belt 3, and each assembly zone 61 includes the

Specification

second weight sensor 63. When the containers of the same batch arrive at assembly zone 61, the bulk on the conveyor belt 3 is transported into the containers. When the weight measured by the second weight sensor 63 reaches the full container weight, the assembly of the batch of the containers is completed, and the second conveyor belt transports the batch of the containers out. At the same time, the next batch of the containers to be packed are conveyed to the assembly zone 61. In this example, each assembly zone 61 further includes the position sensor 62 to monitor whether the empty container has been transported into position. The position sensor 62 rotatable be a photoelectric sensor, an infrared sensor, or the like. In the implementation without the position sensor 62, the second weight sensor 63 rotatable function to monitor whether the empty container has been transported into position. When the weight measured by the second weight sensor 63 is 0, the container to be packed has not been transported into position. When the weight measured by the second weight sensor 63 is equal to the weight of the empty container, the container to be packed has been transported into position.

Further, to determine the minimum length per round of each box, the following method rotatable be used. Starting from the packing channel 6, the instantaneous speed V is collected, and a small distance within a short period of time rotatable be obtained by calculation. Therefore, the time is processed as follows: using 100ms as the basic unit, the instantaneous

Specification P"

speed is collected at the beginning of each 100ms, and the interval distance between each area is calculate 100 100 The formula for calculating - x12 60000x n x r", 60000 60000 60000 n' the instantaneous speed is as follows: V=NxSxxxci,where N is the motor speed in revolutions per minute, S is the gear ratio of the reducer, and d is the diameter of the motor. The minimum total distance required for one operation 1S L = +52 ±* As shown in Figure 3, the present invention includes the automated packing process of the automatic packing device for scattered modification units, comprising a data acquisition system, which collects the weight signals from the first sensor, the second sensor, and the third sensor and converts them into the electrical signals, as well as collecting the switch signals from the unit door and converting them into the electrical signals; Further, a data processing system, which receives the electrical signals from the data acquisition system, determines the operational status of the packing process bascd on thc electrical signals, and thc issues instructions; a mechanical control system, which receives the instructions from the data processing system and controls the operation of the first conveyor belt, second conveyor belt, and third conveyor belt;

Specification

Further, the data acquisition system, the data processing system, and the mechanical control system are electrically connected. Control the instructions are transmitted wirelessly between the three subsystems, which are connected in series to form a fully automated digital information system. The systems rotatable not be skipped in sequence, and the entire packing process continues to cycle until it stops.

As shown in Figure 4, the invention discloses an automated packing process for containerized transportation of bulk comprises the following steps: step (1): start of packing process: Open the unit door of the enclosed passage 2 to begin the packing process; The container to be packed is flipped in the storage bin 4 with the door on the side facing up, and then transported by the carrier to the sensing and guiding channel 5. At this point, the speed of the first conveyor belt on the sensing and guiding channel 5 is v1; When the carrier carrying the container to be packed reaches the warning area 52 on the sensing and guiding channel 5, the enclosed passage 2 and the conveyor belt 3 start; After all the carriers carrying the containers to be packed are transported to the assembly area 61 of the packing channel 6, the conveyor belt 3 transports the scattered cargo to the container.

step (2): During the packing process The speed of the first conveyor belt

Specification

on the sensing and guiding channel 5 is v2, which approaches 0; When the weight measured by the second weight sensor 63 reaches the full container weight, the batch of containers is assembled: a) If the weight in the waiting area 51 of the sensing and guiding channel 5 is not 0, it means that there still remain the containers to be packed. At this point, the third conveyor belt of the enclosed passage 2 operates at a low speed, the conveyor belt 3 stops working, and the container filled with cargo is transported out of the packing channel 6 by the second conveyor belt of the packing channel 6, and then carried away by the carrier. Next, the speed of the second conveyor belt on the sensing and guiding channel 5 becomes vi, and the container to be packed is transported to the assembly area 61 of the packing channel 6, and the conveyor belt 3 transports the scattered cargo into the container; b) If the weight in the waiting area 51 of the sensing and guiding channel 5 is 0, the waiting time is further determined The waiting time refers to the time from the container to be packed being transported to the assembly area 61 to the time it is filled This time is set in advance by human: i. If the actual waiting time is less than the set waiting time, it means that the flipping process in the storage bin 4 is delayed. At this point, the third conveyor belt of the enclosed passage 2 operates at low speed, and the conveyor belt 3 stops working, waiting for the flipping process in the storage bin 4 to continue; ii. If the actual waiting time is

Specification

greater than or equal to the set waiting time, it means that all the containers to be packed have been filled.

step (3): during the end of the packing process: After all the containers have been packed, the conveyor belt 3 stops working. If the weight measured by the third weight sensor on the waiting enclosed channel 2 is greater than 0, it means that there are still the residual bulk goods in the waiting enclosed channel 2. The third conveyor belt of the waiting enclosed channel 2 operates in reverse to transport the residual bulk goods back to the onshore bulk storage yard 1. If the weight measured by the third weight sensor on the waiting enclosed channel 2 is equal to 0, it means that all the bulk goods in the waiting enclosed channel 2 have been transported out. The unit door of the waiting enclosed channel 2 is closed and the packing process is over.

Compared with the traditional bulk packing process, the packing process makes the following assumptions: let W be the total weight of the bulk to be unloaded from the ship, w represents the weight of the single container, and 7,r-represents the total working time of the conveyor belt 3 from the bulk from the ship to the storage area. The timing starts from the moment when the bulk starts to be unloaded from the ship, and ends when the conveyor belt 3 stops working. represents the time from the end of loading one container to the arrival of the next consecutive empty

Specification

container, which is furfure the working time of the automatic gate once; Tsi represents the traditional change box time, and s 2 represents the change box time of the automated packing strip; 0 represents the time for loading one container; L represents the actual distance between the geometric center of the currently loading the container and the geometric center of the next consecutive empty container projected onto the packing strip, that is, the distance the packing strip works before advancing one time Therefore, the total time for the traditional bulk packing operations rotatable be calculated as: Tx1)-Flics -1;1 -Further, the total time of the automated packing operation designed: V 1 x'-1 -x n " 0; Therefore, compared to traditional manual packaging, the efficiency of the automated packaging process is superior in terms of packaging efficiency: E -T 1 -x100%643; Simultaneous expression (1) (2) (3) (4) rotatable be obtained:

Specification

w(To+TO+Tw-Tsi The traditional container-changing time Tsi, cargo loading timeTo, total time for the bulk from ship to Belt 3 Tr, , and total weight of the bulk waiting to be unloaded, denoted as W, are measured quantities obtained after completing one packaging task. The distance between containers, L, maximum load capacity of the single container, w, and the average speed of the packaging belt V are known. Taking the example of a bulk terminal in Ningbo, for the bulk carrier carrying 5000 tons of coal, with the 20-inch containers having a maximum load capacity of 20 tons for transportation, the time for coal to arrive at the packaging point from the bulk carrier via the grabbing tool and Belt 3 is approximately 5 minutes, and the packaging time is about 20 minutes. Additionally, before optimization, the interval between the containers waiting to be packaged was about 3 minutes. Assuming adequate spacing is employed during the design, with a distance of 8m (L must be greater than the width of the AGV transporting the containers), and the average speed of the packaging belt is 0.4m/s, the efficiency improvement after optimization is at least 9.54%. (i.e., if a packaging task takes 24 hours, this automated packaging process rotatable save at least 2.39 hours). kV Tsi--

W

Description of the embodiments of the present specification is merely an

Specification

enumeration of the implementation forms of the inventive concept of the present invention, which shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention to the specific forms expressed in the embodiments. Equivalent technical solutions that a skilled person of the art may construct from the conception of the present invention shall fall under the scope of the present invention.

Claims

Claims 1 An automated packing device for containerized transportation of bulk, comprising a bulk storage yard on land for storing the bulk, a multitude of conveyor belts for transferring the bulk from a bulk storage yard to containers with a first end of the belts inclined upwards, a flipping warehouse for placing empty containers and flipping them over with the door facing upwards, an induction and guiding channel connected to a second end of the flipping warehouse for transporting the containers out of the flipping warehouse, a packing channel connected to a third end of the induction and guiding channel; characterized in that: the containers are transported from the flipping warehouse via the induction and guiding channel to the packing channel, where each container's door is aligned with the fourth end of the conveyor belt.

2, The induction and guiding channel according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a fourth conveyor belt for carrying and transferring the containers, a warning zone located at the third end of the induction and guiding channel close to the packing channel, a waiting zone, which is an area except for a warning area, and a first weight sensor.

3, The packing channel according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a second conveyor belt for carrying and transferring the Claims containers; a multitude of assembly zones, each of which is located below a fourth end of the conveyor belt and includes a second weight sensor.

4 The packing device according to claim 3, characterized in that the enclosed waiting channel comprises a unit door located at an eighth end of the enclosed waiting channel connected to the onshore bulk storage yard, a third conveyor belt for carrying and transporting the bulk, and a third weight sensor.

5, The packing device according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises several enclosed waiting channels, a sixth end of which is connected to an onshore bulk storage yard for transporting the bulk out of the onshore bulk storage yard, and a seventh end of which is connected to the starting the fourth end of the conveyor belt.

6, The packing device according to claim 5, characterized in that the enclosed waiting channels comprises a unit door, the third conveyor belt for carrying and transporting the bulk and the third weight sensor.

7, The packing device according to claim 6, characterized in that the enclosed waiting channel further comprises a controller for controlling the opening and closing of the unit door.

8, The packing device according to claim 6, characterized in that the third conveyor belt rotatable be reversely rotated.Claims 9, An automatic packing system for containerized transportation of bulk employed for the packing device of claims 1-8, characterized in that the automatic packing system comprises the following sectors: sector (1): a data acquisition system for acquiring weight signals from the first weight sensor, the second weight sensor, and the third weight sensor, and converting them into electrical signals; for acquiring the switch signal of the unit door and converting it into an electrical signal; sector (2): a data processing system for receiving the electrical signals from the data acquisition system, determining the operational status of the packing process based on the electrical signals, and issuing instructions; sector (3): a mechanical control system for receiving instructions from the data processing system and controlling the operation of the first conveyor, second conveyor, and third conveyor; sector (4): the data acquisition system, data processing system, and mechanical control system are electrically connected.