JP6914824B2 - Container yard and container yard control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a container yard and a container yard control method for delivering a container between a storage area where a container is stored by a cargo handling device such as a portal crane and a chassis, and more specifically, in the container yard. It concerns the container yard and how to control the container yard so that the chassis can reach its destination without hesitation.

Various methods for guiding the chassis to the destination in the container yard have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 proposes a method for guiding a chassis to a destination by an operator of a portal crane giving an instruction to a driver of a chassis equipped with a communication device in advance via the communication device.

Since the method described in Patent Document 1 requires a communication device mounted on the chassis, it is not possible to guide the chassis without the communication device to the destination. Most of the foreign chassis that mainly travel on public roads and transport containers are not equipped with the above-mentioned communication devices, so that the foreign chassis could not be guided to the destination.

Since the outpatient chassis mainly travels on public roads, the driver of this outpatient chassis may not be able to fully grasp the structure inside the predetermined container yard. Therefore, the outpatient chassis was sometimes lost in the container yard at a place completely different from the destination. In such a case, it was necessary for the guide to find the target chassis in the vast container yard and guide it to the destination.

Since the chassis did not reach the destination, the gantry crane could not perform cargo handling work and waited, or the guide continued to search for the chassis, and there was a problem that the cargo handling efficiency in the container yard was significantly reduced.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-091394

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a container yard and a method for controlling the container yard so that the chassis can reach the destination without hesitation in the container yard.

The container yard of the present invention for achieving the above object is a storage area for storing containers, a cargo handling device for delivering the container between the storage area and the chassis, and a chassis coming from the outside of the container yard. In a container yard equipped with a gate for entry / exit procedures, a drone that has a position information acquisition mechanism and acquires its own position information by this position information acquisition mechanism and a control mechanism that controls this drone are provided. The chassis and the drone having the position information of the destination of the chassis are linked by the gate, and the control mechanism is attached to the chassis at a predetermined destination in the container yard. It is characterized by having a configuration in which guidance control is performed to guide the chassis with the drone, and a configuration in which control is performed to release the association between the chassis and the drone after reaching the destination.

The method for controlling the container yard of the present invention for achieving the above object is from the storage area for storing the container, the cargo handling equipment for delivering the container between the storage area and the chassis, and the outside of the container yard. a method of controlling a container yard and a gate for performing entry and exit procedures come chassis, said chassis, and a drone having position information of the destination of the chassis is linkage at the gate, of its own body to the drone It is characterized in that the chassis is guided to the destination while acquiring the position information, and the link between the chassis and the drone is released after reaching the destination .

According to the present invention, since the chassis can be guided by the drone in the container yard, it is possible to reach the destination without hesitation even if the chassis is not equipped with a communication device or the like. It is advantageous for improving cargo handling efficiency in the container yard.

It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the outline of the container yard of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the drone from the perspective. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the state which the drone is guiding the chassis in the guidance control. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the state which the drone landed on the top surface of the chassis. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the state which the drone was adsorbed on the wall surface in front of the chassis. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the flight area of a drone. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the route when a drone searches for a chassis in search control. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the range and the route when a drone searches for a chassis in search control.

Hereinafter, the container yard and the control method of the container yard of the present invention will be described based on the embodiment shown in the figure. In the figure, the longitudinal direction of the storage lane is indicated by an arrow y, the lateral direction crossing the longitudinal direction y at a right angle is indicated by an arrow x, and the vertical direction is indicated by an arrow z.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the container yard 1 of the present invention has a plurality of storage areas 3 in which a plurality of containers 2 are stored, and the storage area 3 while traveling along the longitudinal direction y of the storage area 3. It is equipped with a cargo handling device 5 for delivering and delivering the container 2 to and from the chassis 4. In the present specification, the chassis 4 means a combination of a tractor head having a driver's seat and a trailer connected to and towed by the tractor head.

The cargo handling equipment 5 traveling along the storage area 3 includes, for example, a portal crane that straddles the entire storage area 3 in the lateral direction x, a straddle carrier that straddles one container 2 in the lateral direction x, and a storage area. It is composed of a reach stacker or the like traveling on the side of the storage area 3 along the longitudinal direction y of 3. The cargo handling device 5 is not limited to the above, and the container 2 stored in the storage area 3 can be composed of a cargo handling device. Hereinafter, an example in which the cargo handling equipment 5 is composed of a portal crane will be described.

The container yard 1 includes a plurality of quay cranes 6 installed on the quay. The quay crane 6 delivers the container 2 between the container ship 7 and the chassis 4. The chassis 4 that transports the container 2 between the quay crane 6 and the storage area 3 is sometimes called the premises chassis 4a, and the cargo handling work is performed only in the container yard 1. On the other hand, the chassis 4 that transports the container 2 between the outside of the container yard 1 such as a public road and the storage area 3 is sometimes called an outpatient chassis 4b.

The container yard 1 has an administration building 8. A management system 9 that manages the entire cargo handling of the container yard 1 is installed in the management building 8. In FIG. 1, the management system 9 is shown by a broken line for explanation. The management system 9 has identification information of each container 2 and information of the storage location, and manages the work to be performed by the cargo handling equipment 5 such as a gantry crane and the quay crane 6.

The container yard 1 is provided with a gate 10 for entering and exiting the foreign chassis 4b coming from the outside of the container yard 1.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, a plurality of drones 11 are arranged in the container yard 1 in the vicinity of the gate 10. The drone 11 is arranged in a charging area 12 formed in the vicinity of the gate 10, and the drone 11 is charged by a charger installed in the charging area 12. In the present specification, the drone 11 means an unmanned aerial vehicle configured to be able to fly by automatic control or remote control.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the drone 11 has a position information acquisition mechanism 13, and the position information of the drone 11 itself can be acquired by the position information acquisition mechanism 13. The position information acquisition mechanism 13 may have a configuration in which the drone 11 can grasp its own position. The position information acquisition mechanism 13 arranges a plurality of transponders in a satellite positioning system such as GPS or a quasi-zenith satellite or a container yard 1 and measures a relative position with the transponders by using ultrasonic waves or radio waves. It can be configured with a device or the like. Here, the transponder is a device capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the position information acquisition mechanism 13 installed in the drone 11, and each transponder has position information of the place where it is installed. As a result, the position information acquisition mechanism 13 of the drone 11 can acquire the position of the drone 11 from the relative position with respect to the predetermined transponder and the position information of the transponder. That is, the drone 11 can acquire its own position coordinates and altitude as position information by the position information acquisition mechanism 13.

Further, the drone 11 includes a control mechanism 14 that controls its own operation. In FIG. 2, the control mechanism 14 is shown by a broken line for explanation. The control mechanism 14 has a configuration in which the drone 11 guides the chassis 4. In this embodiment, the control mechanism 14 is installed in the drone 11, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The control mechanism 14 may be arranged outside the drone 11 such as the management building 8 or may be incorporated in the management system 9. At this time, the control mechanism 14 can be configured to control the operation of the drone 11 from the outside of the drone 11 by wireless signal communication or the like. In this case, the drone 11 may be provided with a communication mechanism 15 for receiving a control signal from the outside.

Next, the control method of the container yard 1 will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the outpatient chassis 4b that fetches the container 2 from the container yard 1 first performs the entrance procedure at the gate 10 of the container yard 1. From the information stored in the management system 9, the position of the container 2 that the outpatient chassis 4b has picked up can be known. The position of the container 2 is set as the destination P of the foreign chassis 4b.

The management system 9 records that a predetermined outpatient chassis 4b has picked up the container 2. Further, the management system 9 informs the cargo handling equipment 5 such as the portal crane that performs the work, the position and type of the container 2 to be handed over to the target outpatient chassis 4b.

The position information of the destination P is input to one of the drones 11 waiting in the charging area 12. The position information can be manually input to the drone 11 by a worker working at the gate 10 or the administration building 8. When the drone 11 includes a communication mechanism 15 for exchanging and receiving signals with and from the management system 9, the location information of the destination P may be automatically input from the management system 9 to the drone 11. The predetermined foreign chassis 4b and the drone 11 having the position information of the destination P of the foreign chassis 4b are linked by the gate 10.

The control mechanism 14 causes the drone 11 linked to the foreign chassis 4b to fly along a predetermined route R, and guides the foreign chassis 4b to its destination P. The route R is predetermined for each destination P, and the route R is automatically set when the destination P is determined. The method for setting the route R is not limited to the above, and for example, the control mechanism 14 may perform calculations or the like from the current location and the destination P to determine the route R each time.

Since the drone 11 can obtain the position information sequentially by the position information acquisition mechanism 13 such as GNSS, it flies toward the destination P while following the route R while confirming this. In FIG. 1, the route R is shown by a alternate long and short dash line for explanation. The control for inducing the outpatient chassis 4b with the drone 11 is hereinafter referred to as induction control.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the guidance control by the control mechanism 14 has a configuration in which the foreign chassis 4b is led by flying the drone 11 at a predetermined speed or less. The drone 11 can be configured to fly at a speed of 30 km / h or less, for example. The drone 11 flies ahead of the foreign chassis 4b.

The driver of the outpatient chassis 4b may drive the outpatient chassis 4b following the drone 11 linked at the gate 10. When another chassis 4 or cargo handling device 5 crosses in front of the drone 11 flying along the route R, the drone 11 may be stopped (hovering) on the spot.

The drone 11 is equipped with a sensor that irradiates a laser on the front side in the traveling direction to confirm the presence or absence of other chassis 4, etc., and this sensor detects the crossing of other chassis 4, etc., and causes the drone 11 to move. It may be configured to stop. Further, the management system 9 that grasps the positions of the drone 11 and the other chassis 4 may transmit a signal for controlling the drone 11 according to the situation to stop or fly the drone 11.

As the drone 11 stops, the following outpatient chassis 4b stops. After the passage of the other chassis 4 and the like, the drone 11 and the outpatient chassis 4b resume their movement. Since the stop and start of the foreign chassis 4b can be controlled by the drone 11, the drone 11 can obtain the same effect as the traffic light installed in the container yard 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the drone 11 may include a distance sensor 16 that measures the distance between the drone 11 and the rear outpatient chassis 4b. The drone 11 can grasp the position of the outpatient chassis 4b. The control mechanism 14 can be configured to control the drone 11 according to the signal output from the distance sensor 16. Specifically, when the distance between the drone 11 and the outpatient chassis 4b becomes large, the control mechanism 14 reduces the flight speed of the drone 11 according to the magnitude of the value obtained from the distance sensor 16. It can be configured to be stopped or stopped (hovering) to wait for the outpatient chassis 4b to catch up.

According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the outpatient chassis 4b from deviating from the drone 11 in the container yard 1 and getting lost. The distance sensor 16 is not an essential component of the present invention. By setting the upper limit of the flight speed of the drone 11 that performs guidance control as low as, for example, 10 km / h, it is possible to suppress the possibility that the outpatient chassis 4b deviates from the drone 11 and gets lost.

The control mechanism 14 can guide the foreign chassis 4b to the destination P by flying the drone 11. For example, an indicator light may be installed on the upper surface of the drone 11. In this case, when the drone 11 arrives at the destination P, the control mechanism 14 turns on the indicator light, so that the driver of the cargo handling device 5 can be notified of the arrival of the outpatient chassis 4b. The outpatient chassis 4b arriving at the destination P receives the target container 2 from a cargo handling device 5 such as a gantry crane. When the outpatient chassis 4b performs the entrance procedure at the gate 10, the cargo handling equipment 5 such as the gantry crane is notified by the management system 9 to that effect and the location of the container 2 to be mounted on the outpatient chassis 4b. Instructed.

The control mechanism 14 guides the foreign chassis 4b that has received the container 2 to the gate 10 along a predetermined route R1. That is, the drone 11 guides the foreign chassis 4b in the entire route R from the gate 10 to the destination P and the route R1 from the destination P to the return to the gate 10. The outpatient chassis 4b performs the exit procedure at the gate 10. On the other hand, the control mechanism 14 releases the link between the drone 11 and the outpatient chassis 4b, and controls the drone 11 to move to the charging area 12 and charge the drone 11.

The case where the outpatient chassis 4b comes to receive the container 2 in the container yard 1 has been described above, but when the outpatient chassis 4b comes to deliver the container 2 to the container yard 1, the guidance by the drone 11 is performed in the same manner. The only difference is whether the moving direction of the container 2 is from the cargo handling device 5 to the outpatient chassis 4b or from the outpatient chassis 4b to the cargo handling device 5.

Since the outpatient chassis 4b is guided by the drone 11, the outpatient chassis 4b does not get lost in the container yard 1. Since the outpatient chassis 4b can reach the destination P where the cargo handling equipment 5 such as the gantry crane is waiting for the delivery of the container 2 as scheduled, the cargo handling efficiency in the container yard 1 is dramatically improved. can do.

The outpatient chassis 4b can be guided without depending on the equipment installed in the outpatient chassis 4b. That is, since all the outpatient chassis 4b including the outpatient chassis 4b not equipped with a special communication device or the like can be guided by the drone 11, it is advantageous to improve the cargo handling efficiency in the container yard 1.

When the drone 11 is provided with a communication mechanism 15 capable of exchanging signals with and from the management system 9, the management system 9 grasps the position of the drone 11 obtained by the position information acquisition mechanism 13 installed in the drone 11. be able to. Therefore, in the container yard 1, the position of the outpatient chassis 4b following the drone 11 can be grasped by the management system 9. The management system 9 can grasp the situation of the outpatient chassis 4b to the same extent as the premises chassis 4a equipped with a communication device or the like. Since the movements of the cargo handling device 5 and the other chassis 4 in the container yard 1 can be appropriately changed according to the situation of the outpatient chassis 4b, it is advantageous to improve the cargo handling efficiency in the container yard 1.

Even when it is necessary to prevent a new chassis 4 from invading the storage area 3, such as when another chassis 4 and the cargo handling device 5 are performing cargo handling work in the storage area 3, the chassis 4 is used by the drone 11. Can control the movement of. Since a traffic light or the like conventionally installed at the entrance of the storage area 3 becomes unnecessary, it is advantageous to suppress the construction cost of the container yard 1.

The control mechanism 14 may have a configuration in which the chassis 4 is guided by the drone 11 to the storage area 3 of the target where the container 2 to be handled is located. In the target storage area 3, the cargo handling device 5 such as a gantry crane is waiting at the position where the container 2 to be handled is located, so that the chassis 4 can receive the container 2 without hesitation when it reaches the target storage area 3. can. In this case, the control mechanism 14 guides the chassis 4 to the end of the storage area 3 with the drone 11, then releases the link between the drone 11 and the chassis 4 and controls the drone 11 to return to the charging area 12. May be good. At this time, the destination P of the chassis 4 is set at the end of the target storage area 3. Further, the drone 11 guides the chassis 4 on the route R from the gate 10 to the destination P. On the route R1 from the destination P to the gate 10, the drone 11 does not guide the chassis 4.

When the drone 11 returns to the charging area 12 without guiding the chassis 4, the drone 11 is raised to an area higher than the upper end of the cargo handling device 5 such as a gantry crane and is made to fly linearly to the charging area 12. May be good. Since the time required for the drone 11 to return to the charging area 12 can be shortened, a large number of chassis 4 can be guided by a relatively small number of drones 11 in the container yard 1.

Chargers may be installed in advance on a plurality of cargo handling devices 5 such as a gantry crane, and the drone 11 may be charged as needed. When the battery mounted on the drone 11 is low, the drone 11 can land on the cargo handling device 5 and receive power from the charger. Even if the container yard 1 is relatively wide and the drone 11 travels a relatively long distance, the drone 11 can continue to fly. For example, the drone 11 receives electric power from a charger installed in a cargo handling device 5 such as a portal crane after guiding the chassis 4. After that, the drone 11 may be configured to return to the charging area 12.

When a plurality of cargo handling devices 5 are working in the storage area 3 where the cargo handling target container 2 is located, the drone 11 may guide the chassis 4 to the position of the cargo handling target container 2. At this time, the destination P of the chassis 4 is set at a certain position of the container 2 to be handled. It is advantageous to avoid the problem that the chassis 4 receives the wrong container 2. In this case, the control mechanism 14 may guide the chassis 4 to the destination P with the drone 11 and then release the link between the drone 11 and the chassis 4 to return the drone 11 to the charging area 12. The chassis 4 that received the container 2 at the destination P can return to the gate 10 without any hesitation.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the drone 11 may be configured to include the speaker 17. According to this configuration, the drone 11 can give a voice instruction to the driver of the chassis 4. For example, the drone 11 can be configured to automatically voice instructions to stop, go straight, or turn left or right while leading the chassis 4 to fly. If an emergency stop is required, an alarm may be issued from the speaker 17 of the drone 11.

A communication mechanism 15 for communicating between the drone 11 and the management building 8 may be installed in the drone 11 and a speaker 17 may emit an instruction of a worker working in the management building 8 as a voice. Since the worker in the management building 8 can grasp the position of the chassis 4 from the position information acquisition mechanism 13 mounted on the drone 11, he can give an accurate instruction to the driver of the chassis 4. At normal times, an instruction may be given to the driver of the chassis 4 by an automatic voice from the speaker 17, and if necessary, an instruction of a worker in the management building 8 may be emitted from the speaker 17 as a voice.

Since the drone 11 is provided with the speaker 17, the drone 11 can easily guide the chassis 4 even in an environment where visibility is poor due to fog or the like. When the flight of the drone 11 is not stable due to strong wind or the like, the drone 11 may be landed on the ceiling of the tractor head of the chassis 4 as illustrated in FIG. Although the drone 11 at this position is not visible to the driver of the chassis 4, the chassis 4 can be guided by the voice from the speaker 17. Further, since the drone 11 is integrated with the chassis 4, the management building 8 can accurately grasp the position of the chassis 4 based on the information from the position information acquisition mechanism 13 of the drone 11.

The drone 11 may be configured to include an attractive member such as an electromagnet installed at the lower end thereof. Since the drone 11 can be attracted to the chassis 4 by this electromagnet, it is advantageous to avoid problems such as the drone 11 falling from the chassis 4. The suction member is not limited to the electromagnet, and may have a configuration in which the drone 11 is attracted to the chassis 4 and the attraction can be released.
The suction member may be, for example, a permanent magnet. The permanent magnet may have such a magnetic force that the drone 11 is released from the chassis 4 by the force of flying away from the chassis 4. The suction member may be made of a non-slip member having a relatively high frictional resistance such as silicon. The non-slip member prevents the drone 11 from slipping off the chassis 4, so that the drone 11 can be attracted to the chassis 4.

The position where the adsorption member such as an electromagnet is installed is not limited to the above. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the drone 11 may be provided with an arm 19 extending in the horizontal direction, and a suction member may be installed at the end thereof. According to this configuration, the drone 11 can be attracted to the front wall surface or the side wall surface of the tractor head of the chassis 4.

According to the configuration in which the drone 11 is attracted to the chassis 4 by the suction member, the guidance control can be performed without the drone 11 flying. It is advantageous to suppress the power consumption of the drone 11.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the drone 11 may be configured to include a display 18 such as an electric bulletin board or a display. According to this configuration, the drone 11 can give an instruction to the driver of the chassis 4 by an image or characters. For example, the drone 11 can be configured to automatically display an instruction such as turning left at the next branch on the display 18 while leading the chassis 4 to fly.

A communication mechanism for communicating between the drone 11 and the management building 8 is installed in the drone 11 so that the instructions of the workers working in the management building 8 are displayed on the display 18 as images and characters. May be good.

The configuration in which the drone 11 includes the display 18 makes it possible to give more detailed and complicated instructions to the driver of the chassis 4. For example, if the drone 11 does not have a display 18, the driver of the chassis 4 cannot know what the drone 11 is stopped for when the drone 11 is stopped (hovering). When the drone 11 includes the display 18, the reason why the drone 11 is stopped can be displayed in detail. For example, the fact that the other chassis 4 is a stop for crossing the front, or that the cargo handling device 5 has arrived at the destination P but is performing another work and the arrival is delayed. The drone 11 can inform the driver of the chassis 4.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the display 18 is installed on the rear side surface of the drone 11, but the position where the display 18 is installed is not limited to this. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, when the drone 11 has an arm 19 and can be attracted to the wall surface in front of the chassis 4, the display 18 can be installed on the upper surface of the drone 11. This configuration makes it easier for the driver of the chassis 4 to visually recognize the display 18.

The number of indicators 18 installed on the drone 11 is not limited to one, and a plurality of indicators 18 may be installed. For example, if a plurality of indicators 18 are installed on the side surface of the drone 11, the driver of the chassis 4 can visually recognize the indicators 18 even when the drone 11 turns with the vertical direction z as the central axis. Further, if the display 18 is installed on the upper surface in addition to the side surface of the drone 11, even when the drone 11 is adsorbed on the wall surface in front of the chassis 4 as illustrated in FIG. 5, when the drone 11 is flying. The driver of the chassis 4 can visually recognize the display 18.

When the drone 11 is provided with both the speaker 17 and the display 18, it is advantageous because it becomes easy for the drone 11 to give detailed instructions to the chassis 4 without being affected by the position of the drone 11 with respect to the chassis 4 and the weather. Is. The speaker 17 and the display 18 installed on the drone 11 are not essential requirements of the present invention.

The drone-dedicated flight area S to which the drone 11 flies when the drone 11 guides the chassis 4 may be set in advance in the container yard 1. By setting the area where the chassis 4 and the cargo handling device 5 hardly invade as the drone-dedicated flight area S, it becomes easy to avoid a problem that the drone 11 collides with the chassis 4 and the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the drone-dedicated flight area S is set to a region lower than the upper end of the chassis 4 in the vertical direction z, and is set to a region on the outer side of the chassis 4 traveling along the storage area 3. be able to. Specifically, the drone-dedicated flight area S1 can be set on the outer side of the chassis 4 between the container 2 stored in the storage area 3 and the traveling lane on which the chassis 4 travels. The drone-dedicated flight area S1 extends along the longitudinal direction y of the storage area 3. In FIG. 6, the boundary between the drone-dedicated flight area S and other parts is shown by a broken line for explanation, and the inside of the drone-dedicated flight area S is shaded.

Since the drone-dedicated flight area S is set to a region lower than the upper end of the chassis 4, the drone 11 will fly at a position that is easily visible to the driver of the chassis 4. Further, since the containers 2 stacked in the storage area 3 serve as a windbreak, it is advantageous to avoid the problem that the flight of the drone 11 becomes unstable due to the influence of the wind. In order to increase the effect of the windbreak by the container 2, it is desirable to set the drone-dedicated flight area S1 in an area lower than the upper end of the first-stage container 2 stored in the storage area 3.

The drone-dedicated flight area S1 may be an area higher than the ground surface in the vertical direction z. Desirably, the region may be higher than the middle in the height direction of the first-stage container 2. The lower the lower end of the drone-dedicated flight area S1 is set, the less the drone 11 is affected by the wind, but if it is too low, the visibility from the driver of the chassis 4 is lowered.

The height of the general chassis 4 is 3.8 m or less from the ground surface, and the height of the general container is about 2.6 m. Therefore, the drone-dedicated flight area S1 is formed in an area between 0 m and 3.8 m above the ground, preferably in an area between 0 m and 2.6 m above the ground, and more preferably 1.3 m and 2.6 m above the ground. Formed in the area between.

The chassis 4 and the cargo handling equipment 5 hardly enter the area between the container 2 stored in the storage area 3 and the traveling lane of the chassis 4. Therefore, it is advantageous to avoid a problem that the chassis 4, the cargo handling device 5, and the like come into contact with the drone 11.

A drone-dedicated flight area S2 may be set on the outer side of the chassis 4 between the cargo handling device 5 such as a gantry crane and the traveling lane of the chassis 4. The boundary of the drone-dedicated flight area S2 in the vertical direction z is set in the same manner as the drone-dedicated flight area S1 described above. Since the spreader and chassis 4 of the gantry crane do not enter this area, it is advantageous to avoid the trouble that these devices come into contact with the drone 11.

The area for setting the drone-only flight area S is not limited to the above. For example, the drone-dedicated flight area S3 may be set in the area above the chassis 4 traveling along the storage area 3. Specifically, a drone-dedicated flight area S3 is set in an area higher than the upper end (for example, 3.8 m) of the chassis 4 and between the container 2 stored in the storage area 3 and the legs of the gantry crane. can do. Since the drone 11 flies in a region higher than the chassis 4, the problem that the drone 11 collides with the chassis 4 does not occur. In order to obtain the windbreak effect of the container 2, it is desirable to set the drone-dedicated flight area S3 in an area lower than the upper end (for example, 5.2 m) of the second stage container 2 stored in the storage area 3. ..

For example, the drone-dedicated flight area S4 may be set in an area overlapping the traveling lane of the chassis 4 traveling along the storage area 3. Since the drone 11 flies at a relatively low position, it is advantageous in suppressing the influence of the wind. Further, since the drone 11 is located in front of the driver of the chassis 4, the display of the display 18 of the drone 11 can be easily seen by the driver.

In this embodiment, when the drone 11 flies to guide the chassis 4, the control mechanism 14 within the range of the drone-dedicated flight area S (S1, S2, S3, S4) in which the drone 11 is preset. It has a configuration that controls the drone 11 in a flying state. When the drone 11 does not guide the chassis 4, the drone 11 may fly in the drone-dedicated flight area S or may fly outside the drone-dedicated flight area S.

The control mechanism 14 may have a configuration that performs search control for searching the foreign chassis 4b that is lost in the container yard 1 with the drone 11. A cargo handling device 5 such as a gantry crane, which has completed preparations for delivering the container 2 to be loaded and unloaded to the outpatient chassis 4b, may enter the management building 8 to inform that the outpatient chassis 4b has not yet arrived. In such a case, the control mechanism 14 flies the waiting drone 11 to search for the lost chassis 4 by search control.

The drone 11 of this embodiment includes an identification unit 20 that acquires the identification information of the chassis 4 as illustrated in FIG. The identification unit 20 can be configured by, for example, a camera that photographs the lower part of the drone 11. In this embodiment, when the outpatient chassis 4b is performing the entrance procedure at the gate 10, the camera installed at the gate 10 acquires a plan image from above the outpatient chassis 4b in advance. The plan image of the foreign chassis 4b acquired at the gate 10 can be stored in, for example, the management system 9.

The control mechanism 14 flies the drone 11 in the container yard 1 and sequentially takes a plane image of the chassis 4 discovered by the drone 11 by the identification unit 20. The control mechanism 14 compares the image obtained by the identification unit 20 of the drone 11 with the image stored in the management system 9 to find the chassis 4 to be searched.

The control mechanism 14 identifies the color of the driver's cab of the outpatient chassis 4b, the presence / absence of the air deflector, the shape of the air deflector, the color or shape of the frame of the container-loaded semi-trailer, and the like by image processing, and becomes a search target. It is possible to make a configuration that distinguishes the foreign chassis 4b from the other chassis 4.

The identification number or the like may be displayed on the top surface of the driver's cab of the outpatient chassis 4b. At this time, the control mechanism 14 may be configured to identify the identification number or the like by image processing such as OCR (optical character recognition) to distinguish the foreign chassis 4b to be searched.

When the foreign chassis 4b leaves the container 2 in the container yard 1, the container 2 may be loaded on the foreign chassis 4b. At this time, the identification number or the like displayed on the container 2 may be used to distinguish the foreign chassis 4b that is the target of the search.

The identification unit 20 is not limited to the camera. When the outpatient chassis 4b is provided with an RFID tag, the identification unit 20 can be configured by a tag reader. The control mechanism 14 makes the drone 11 fly, sequentially brings the drone 11 close to the chassis 4 discovered by the drone 11, and reads the RFID tag of the foreign chassis 4b with a tag reader. The control mechanism 14 can be configured to identify the information obtained by the tag reader and distinguish the foreign chassis 4b that is the target of the search. In this case, it is desirable that the RFID tag of the outpatient chassis 4b is read in advance by the tag reader installed in the gate 10 and the information is stored in the management system 9.

When performing search control, the control mechanism 14 can make the drone 11 fly in a region different from the drone-dedicated flight region S. The control mechanism 14 flies the drone 11 at a higher altitude than the cargo handling device 5 such as a gantry crane (hereinafter, may be referred to as high altitude flight control) to search for the foreign chassis 4b in the container yard 1. be able to. When the identification unit 20 is composed of a camera, the higher the flying altitude of the drone 11, the easier it is to acquire an image in a wide range, and the easier it is to find the foreign chassis 4b to be searched.

When performing search control, it does not prevent the drone 11 from flying in a region lower than the upper end of the cargo handling device 5 such as a portal crane. In other words, high altitude flight control is not an essential requirement for search control.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, when the drone 11 is flown by search control, the control mechanism 14 can be configured to fly the drone 11 along a predetermined route R2 (route flight control). For example, the drone 11 flies along the longitudinal direction y of the storage area 3 and searches for the foreign chassis 4b to be searched while flying through the container yard 1 as a whole. In FIG. 7, for the sake of explanation, the parts other than the route R2 are shown by broken lines.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, when the drone 11 is flown by search control, the control mechanism 14 flies the drone 11 within the range of the search area P1 defined around the destination P of the foreign chassis 4b to be searched. Can be configured (area flight control). For example, when the control mechanism 14 starts the search control, it forms a range of the search area P1 from the coordinate information of the destination P, and further forms a route R3 to which the drone 11 flies within the range of the search area P1. In this embodiment, the search area P1 is set to a circle having a predetermined radius around the destination P. The search area P1 can be formed by, for example, a circle having a radius of 30 m to 100 m.

When there is a high possibility that the foreign chassis 4b is lost around the destination P, the foreign chassis 4b to be searched can be found in a relatively short time. In FIG. 8, for the sake of explanation, the search area P1 and the routes other than the route R3 on which the drone 11 flies are shown by broken lines.

If an area that is unlikely to be approached by the foreign chassis 4b, such as the vicinity of a quay crane, is included in the range of the search area P1, the route R3 to which the drone 11 flies is set to the area excluding this area. It is desirable that the structure is formed by. It is advantageous to further shorten the time required to find the foreign chassis 4b to be searched.

When the foreign chassis 4b to be searched is found by the drone 11, the container yard 1 may be provided with a storage unit 9a for storing the position coordinates of the foreign chassis 4b. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the storage unit 9a can be installed in, for example, the management system 9. Not limited to this, the storage unit 9a may be configured to be installed independently of the management system 9. In the storage unit 9a, the position coordinates of the place where the lost chassis 4 is easily found are accumulated. According to the configuration in which the container yard 1 is provided with the storage unit 9a, it is possible to know the destination P where the chassis 4 is difficult to reach and the place where the lost chassis 4 is easy to reach, and it is possible to take measures against this. .. For example, the driver of chassis 4 can know a place where it is easy to overlook a corner to be turned. Measures such as drawing a line on the ground surface of this place can be taken. It is advantageous for improving cargo handling efficiency in the container yard.

The search area P1 searched by the drone 11 may be configured to be determined by the control mechanism 14 based on the position coordinates stored and accumulated in the storage unit 9a. At this time, the storage unit 9a can extract a place where it is easy to find the alien chassis 4b that is lost from the accumulated position coordinate data. The control mechanism 14 forms a range of the search area P1 centered on the location extracted by the storage unit 9a, and further forms a route R3 to which the drone 11 flies within the range of the search area P1. The control mechanism 14 then flies the drone 11 along this route R3.

As the number of position coordinates stored in the storage unit 9a increases, learning by the storage unit 9a progresses, and the accuracy in extracting a place where the foreign chassis 4b is easily found improves. It is advantageous to further shorten the time required to find the foreign chassis 4b to be searched. The control mechanism 14 forms at least one search area P1 based on the position coordinates stored in the storage unit 9a. The number of search areas P1 formed by the control mechanism 14 may be plural. When a plurality of search areas P1 are formed, the control mechanism 14 forms a route R3 that sequentially flies through the plurality of search areas P1.

In addition to the position coordinates where the lost foreign chassis 4b is found, the position coordinates of the destination P of the foreign chassis 4b may be stored in the storage unit 9a. According to this configuration, it is possible to know the place where the outpatient chassis 4b can easily reach for each destination P set. As a result, the control mechanism 14 can reduce the number of search areas P1 or narrow the range based on the destination P of the foreign chassis 4b to be searched. It is advantageous to find the foreign chassis 4b to be searched in a shorter time.

After the foreign chassis 4b to be searched is found by the drone 11, the control mechanism 14 flies the drone 11 by guidance control in the same manner as described above, and guides the foreign chassis 4b to the destination P.

According to the above configuration, the chassis 4 lost in the container yard 1 can be searched from a high altitude with the drone 11. Therefore, it is possible to find the chassis 4 to be searched and guide it to the destination P in a short time as compared with the conventional case in which the guide is searching for the lost chassis. Even in a container yard where the intrusion of guides is restricted, such as an automated yard, it becomes easier to find the lost chassis 4. It is advantageous for improving the cargo handling efficiency in the container yard 1.

Further, the foreign chassis 4b that has deviated from the drone 11 linked by the gate 10 can be searched for by the search control of the control mechanism 14 and guided to the destination P by the guidance control.

Further, in the container yard 1 which does not have a configuration in which the foreign chassis 4b and the drone 11 are linked at the gate 10, only the foreign chassis 4b lost in the container yard 1 is searched by the drone 11 and guided to the destination P. The configuration may be a configuration included in the control mechanism 14. Since it is not necessary to attach the drones 11 to all the outpatient chassis 4b, it is advantageous to suppress the number of drones 11 to be prepared in advance in the container yard 1.

In this case, the charging area 12 may be installed in the cargo handling device 5 such as a gantry crane without installing the charging area 12 in the vicinity of the management building 8. The drone 11 receives power from the charger installed in the cargo handling device 5, and when a lost foreign chassis 4b is found, the drone 11 located near the foreign chassis 4 guides the drone 11. Since the time until the drone 11 arrives at the position of the outpatient chassis 4 that is lost is shortened, it is advantageous for improving the cargo handling efficiency in the container yard 1.

In the container yard 1 where the outpatient chassis 4b is infrequently lost, the number of outpatient chassis 4b can be brought close to zero while suppressing the number of drones 11 prepared in advance. It is advantageous to improve the cargo handling efficiency in the container yard 1 at a relatively low cost.

When the driver of the cargo handling equipment 5 such as a gantry crane or the premises chassis 4a finds an outpatient chassis 4b that seems to be lost in the container yard 1, the position coordinates of the outpatient chassis 4b are notified to the management building 8. It may be configured to be. The control mechanism 14 may be configured to fly the drone 11 to the contacted position and guide the foreign chassis 4b to the destination P by the drone 11.

The chassis 4 that the control mechanism 14 searches for and guides by the drone 11 is not limited to the outpatient chassis 4b. The drone 11 may be configured to search for and guide the chassis 4a on the premises. With this configuration, even a chassis 4 without a communication device can be used as a premises chassis 4a.

1 Container yard 2 Container 3 Storage area 4 Chassis 4a On-site chassis 4b Outpatient chassis 5 Cargo handling equipment 6 Quay crane 7 Container ship 8 Management building 9 Management system 9a Storage unit 10 Gate 11 Drone 12 Charging area 13 Position information acquisition mechanism 14 Control mechanism 15 Communication mechanism 16 Distance sensor 17 Speaker 18 Display 19 Arm 20 Identification unit x Short direction y Longitudinal direction z Vertical direction P Destination S, S1, S2 Drone dedicated flight area R, R1, R2, R3 Route P1 Search area

Claims (10)

In a container yard equipped with a storage area for storing containers, cargo handling equipment for delivering the container between the storage area and the chassis, and a gate for entering and exiting the chassis coming from outside the container yard.
It has a position information acquisition mechanism and has a drone that acquires its own position information by this position information acquisition mechanism and a control mechanism that controls this drone.
The chassis and the drone having the position information of the destination of the chassis are linked by the gate.
The control mechanism performs guidance control for guiding the chassis to a predetermined destination in the container yard with the drone, and releases the link between the chassis and the drone after reaching the destination. A container yard characterized by having a configuration for controlling the operation. In a container yard equipped with a storage area for storing containers and a cargo handling device for delivering the container between the storage area and the chassis.
It has a position information acquisition mechanism and has a drone that acquires its own position information by this position information acquisition mechanism and a control mechanism that controls this drone.
The control mechanism has a configuration that performs guidance control for guiding the chassis to a predetermined destination in the container yard with the drone.
A container yard in which the drone has a suction member that sticks to the chassis. In a container yard equipped with a storage area for storing containers and a cargo handling device for delivering the container between the storage area and the chassis.
It has a position information acquisition mechanism and has a drone that acquires its own position information by this position information acquisition mechanism and a control mechanism that controls this drone.
The control mechanism has a configuration that performs guidance control for guiding the chassis to a predetermined destination in the container yard with the drone.
A container yard including a drone-dedicated flight area formed in a region lower than the upper end of the chassis in the vertical direction and on the outer side of a traveling lane on which the chassis travels. In a container yard equipped with a storage area for storing containers and a cargo handling device for delivering the container between the storage area and the chassis.
It has a position information acquisition mechanism and has a drone that acquires its own position information by this position information acquisition mechanism and a control mechanism that controls this drone.
The control mechanism has a configuration that performs guidance control for guiding the chassis to a predetermined destination in the container yard with the drone.
The drone has an identification unit that acquires identification information for identifying each of the plurality of the chassis from the chassis.
The control mechanism is characterized by having a configuration in which the drone acquires the identification information of a plurality of the chassis in the container yard and performs search control for searching for the target chassis from the plurality of chassis. container yard to. The container according to claim 4 , wherein the control mechanism performs high-altitude flight control for flying the drone in a region higher than the upper end of the cargo handling device in the vertical direction when the drone performs the search control. Yard. The container yard according to claim 4 or 5 , further comprising a storage unit that stores the position coordinates of the chassis found by the search control. The container yard according to claim 6 , wherein the control mechanism forms a search area in which the drone searches for the chassis based on the position coordinates stored in the storage unit. In a container yard control method including a storage area for storing containers, a cargo handling device for delivering the container between the storage area and the chassis, and a gate for entering and exiting the chassis coming from outside the container yard. ,
The chassis and the drone having the location information of the destination of the chassis are linked at the gate.
Container yard, characterized in that said by inducing chassis to the destination while acquiring position information of themselves to the drone, linkage between the chassis and the drone after reaching the destination is released Control method. The container yard control method according to claim 8, wherein the untied drone rises to a region higher than the upper end of the cargo handling device in the vertical direction and flies to the charging area. The container yard control method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein when the drone arrives at the destination, the driver of the cargo handling equipment is notified of the arrival of the chassis.

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