WO1995009804A1

WO1995009804A1 - Crane system

Info

Publication number: WO1995009804A1
Application number: PCT/AU1994/000610
Authority: WO
Inventors: James William Shannon
Original assignee: James William Shannon
Priority date: 1993-10-07
Filing date: 1994-10-07
Publication date: 1995-04-13

Abstract

A crane system for load handling operations having particular utility in stevedoring. The crane comprises a main frame (21), an articulated boom (23), a crane trolley (27), a crane hoisting system (29), a load engaging means (31) and a control cabin (59). The boom (23) extends between a land side station and a ship side station and supports the crane trolley (27) for traversing along a a main track (25) mounted upon the boom. The crane system is characterised by the control cabin (59) being separately disposed and independently man÷uvrable from the crane trolley (27). The control cabin (59) houses a control station from which a driver situated therein can control the operation of the crane trolley (27), the crane hoisting system (29) and the load engaging means (31) therefrom. The control station, concurrent with and additional to controlling the load handling operation, also allows the driver to control positioning of the cabin (59) itself to enable the driver to gain an optimum vantage point for controlling the load handling operation.

Description

"CRANE SYSTEM"

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a crane system for handling and conveying loads between two stations and has particular utility in the stevedoring industry.

BACKGROUND ART

Crane systems for the handling and conveying of loads for the loading or unloading of a vessel in dock are of a general design shown in figures A, B and C of the drawings, wherein:-

Figure A is a side elevation of a container handling crane;

Figure B is an end elevation of figure A; and

Figure C is a schematic side elevation which graphically shows the operation of the crane for loading and unloading a berthed vessel.

As shown in the drawings, the crane comprises a main frame 1 which runs along a dock 3 parallel to the edge of the pier 5 of the dock. An articulated boom 7 is supported within the main frame 1 to extend out over the pier in its operable position so as to support a track 9 along which a crane trolley 11 can traverse. A hoisting system 13 is associated with the trolley and a load engaging means either in the form of a spreader 15 for container handling or a grab bucket (not shown) for bulk handling. In the most common form of crane design, the driver of the crane is accommodated within a control cabin 17 fixedly mounted to the crane trolley 11, so that the driver can at all times be adjacent to and above the load which is being handled or conveyed by the load engaging means.

In a typical vessel unloading operation, the driver operates the crane trolley 11 to position the spreader 15 or grab bucket over the load, whereafter the hoisting system 13 is operated to lower the spreader 15 in the case of a container load 19 from proximate the crane trolley to engage the container. When engaging a container 19 stored on the deck of a ship 20 or within the hold as illustrated in figure C, the lowering of the spreader is a very delicate manoeuvre, involving precise placement of the spreader flippers (not shown) over the container or precise entry of the spreader into the ship's cell guides so that the spreader can be guided into exact locking engagement with the container 19. Once the spreader 15 is lockingly engaged with the container 19, the crane driver operates the hoist 13 to elevate the spreader and container to a point where it clears the hatch 18 of the vessel, at which time the crane trolley 11 can be operated to convey the load beneath the boom 7 until it is positioned above suitable dock transport 16.

At this point, the driver operates the hoisting system 13 once more to lower the load until it is precisely positioned on the dock transport 16 before disengaging the spreader 15 from the container 19. The hoisting system 13 is then operated once more to elevate the spreader 15 to clear the dock transport 16, whereupon the driver may operate the crane trolley 11 to traverse along the track 9 once more until the spreader is positioned above the cell guide for unloading the next container.

Loading of the vessel is simply performed in reverse to the above operation.

Loads which are suspended from the crane trolley in this manner are subject to sway during a period of suspension in a way which makes their final placement in a precise position difficult and slow. Although in other load suspension arrangements, such as in conveyances for lifts (elevators) and mine hoists (winders), sway is prevented by the use of guides which control all aspects of the movement of the load except the movement caused by the suspending ropes, which is usually vertical. In stevedoring applications as previously described using container and grabbing cranes, side guidance is not practical and great effort has been put into controlling load sway.

Notwithstanding the effort which has been made to minimise load sway, none of the control systems developed to date are completely effective. Factors which cause residual sway include acceleration and deceleration of the trolley, air movement, rope and frictional variations, varying load weights and load geometry, asymmetrical loads, contact between the load and fixed objects, and the vagaries in sway control systems themselves. Many cranes have little or no provision for the control of sway, which is then uncontrolled.

In practice, the sway in an uncontrolled system or the residual sway in a controlled system is offset by skilled manual manipulation of the control devices by the driver of the crane. These control devices are typically handles or push-buttons which a driver uses to cause or curb motion of the suspended load and are housed within a control cabin which is attached to the crane trolley as previously described. These cabins are designed with a window on their floor in front of a seat so that the crane driver is able to look down between his legs through the window to see the engaged load at all positions of crane travel and to align it with the ship's structure and dock transport as is appropriate. In the grabbing operation, a stock pile and/or hoppers would be usual on the shore side instead of dock transport. From this position, the driver is able to clear obstructions and to control the placement and - A -

retrieval of nonstandard loads such as hatch covers, general cargo, over-height loads, and in the case of grabbing, cleanup machinery for the hold.

A major problem with such prior art arrangements is that the crane driver must sit in an unnatural position for long periods of time with vision obstructed by his own legs and feet, and by the glass of the window and safety bars across it, by the spreader or grab bucket, and by glare, reflected light, rain, snow, fog and the containers themselves. The angle of vision makes depth perception difficult, and as vessels, and therefore cranes, become taller, the driver is removed even further from the work plane.

Coupled with this, the repeated and frequent acceleration and deceleration of the cabin to optimise the loading or unloading time and to compensate for sway, induces muscular effort. The consequences of this are that crane driving at high handling rates is very tiring and sustained high output is limited by fatigue.

In order to combat some of these problems, modern crane motion control systems have been developed to automatically control load conveyance, such systems are capable of being programmed to avoid static obstructions, to retrieve loads from a preselected position and to deliver the loads to a preselected new position with virtually any desired degree of manual driver involvement. In addition, established sway control systems have been developed to reduce driver involvement and therefore fatigue by performing automatically many of these operations previously handled by the driver manually.

Notwithstanding the development of these automated systems, it has not been possible to reduce the load sway sufficiently to automatically enter the vessel's hold and align the container or spreader accurately enough to enter the cell guides in which the containers repose, or to land deck containers or engage nonstandard loads.

In the case of grabbing, it is not practical to operate a preprogrammed operation which will at once achieve high handling rates whilst avoiding grab bogging and also to cleanup without damaging the grab bucket and or the vessel.

TECHNICAL IMPROVEMENTS AND ADVANTAGES

It is an object of the present invention to provide a crane system which enables the crane to achieve high handling rates and provide for accurate alignment and positioning of the load and load engaging means, whilst mitigating fatigue and ameliorating the discomfort of the driver.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a crane system for handling and conveying loads between two stations comprising:

a supporting means for extending between the stations, a crane trolley for traversing along said supporting means, a crane hoisting system associated with said crane trolley and load engaging means associated with said crane trolley; wherein a control station is separately disposed and is separately manoeuvrable from said crane trolley for controlling the operation of said crane trolley, said crane hoisting system and said load engaging means as determined by a driver situated at said control station.

Preferably, the crane system includes an automated control system associated with and complementary to the control provided at said control station, whereby said automated control system is adapted for controlling the operation of said crane trolley, crane hoisting system and said load engaging means for load handling at one of the stations and load conveyance to and from the other station, and said control station provides for overriding the automated said control of load handling at the other station.

Preferably, said control station comprises a control cabin suspended from a control station hoisting system and control station trolley separate from said crane hoisting system and said crane trolley to enable said control cabin to be manoeuvrable entirely independently thereof to facilitate load handling at the other station.

Alternatively, said control station may be associated with said load engaging means at the other station to be manoeuvrable in conjunction therewith to facilitate load handling at the other station.

The invention will be better understood in the light of the following description of several specific embodiments thereof.

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS

The description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:-

Figure 1 is a schematic side elevation similar to figure C, but depicting a crane system in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 1A is a fragmentary end elevation depicting the control cabin, cabin trolley and its positioning relative to the boom and cell;

Figure 2 is a similar view to figure 1, but depicting a crane system in accordance with the second embodiment; Figure 3 is a similar view to figures 1 and 2, but depicting a crane system in accordance with the third embodiment.

Figure 3A is a fragmentary end elevation of figure 3 depicting the relative position of the control with respect to the spreader;

Figure 4 is a similar view to figures 1 and 2, but depicting a crane system in accordance with the fourth embodiment;

Figure 4A is fragmentary end elevation of the control cabin shown disposed with respect to the boom;

Figure 4B is a fragmentary top view showing the plan of the cabin track along which the cabin trolley can traverse;

Figure 5 is a similar view to figure 4, but depicts a crane system in accordance with the fifth embodiment;

Figure 5A is a similar view to figure 4A, but in accordance with the fifth embodiment;

Figure 5B is a similar view to figure 4B, but in accordance with the fifth embodiment;

Figure 6 is a similar view to figures 4 and 5, but depicts a crane system in accordance with the sixth embodiment;

Figure 6A is a similar view to figures 4A and 5A but in accordance with the sixth embodiment;

Figure 6B is a similar view to figures 4B and 5B, but in accordance with the sixth embodiment; Figure 7 is a similar view to figures 4, 5 and 6 but is accordance with the seventh embodiment;

Figure 7A is a similar view to figures 4A, 5A and 6A but in accordance with the seventh embodiment; and

Figure 7B is a similar view to figures 4B, 5B and 6B but in accordance with the seventh embodiment.

MODES OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The first embodiment is directed towards a crane system for a dock involving the loading and unloading of containers between a vessel berthed at the dock-side and dock transport.

As shown in figure 1 , the crane generally comprises a main frame 21, an articulated supporting means 23 provided with a main track 25 on which a crane trolley 27 can traverse along. The trolley has mounted thereto a crane hoisting system including a plurality of cable ropes and umbilical, collectively shown at 29, which are attached to a load engaging means 31 comprising a head block and spreader. The supporting means 23 comprises a fixed trolley girder portion 23a integrally formed with the main frame 21 and disposed horizontally with the ground of the dock 33. The fixed trolley girder portion 23a extends out rearwardly from the main frame and has mounted thereon a machinery enclosure 35 for operating the supporting means. The supporting means 23 also includes a moveable boom portion 23b which is pivotally mounted to the fixed portion 23a to project anteriorly of the main frame 21. The moveable boom portion 23b is attached via a pulley system 37 which extends from an anchoring point 39 provided part way along the moveable boom portion 23b to the top of the main frame 21 and down to a main winch (not shown) housed within the machinery enclosure 35. The frame 21 is mounted to a carriage 41 provided with a series of wheels 43 which run along a pair of rails provided on the dock 33 and which are disposed generally parallel and proximate to the edge of the pier 47 of the dock.

The supporting means 23 is extendable outwardly from the main frame 21 by operating the pulley system 37 so that the moveable portion 23b is rectilineally disposed with respect to the fixed portion 23a in an operable position so that the track 25 extends continuously along the fixed and rotatable portions of the boom in horizontal relationship with respect to the dock surface 33. The pulley system 37 can also be operated to retract the moveable portion 23b of the supporting means to an inoperable position so that the moveable portion 23b is disposed in a generally vertical position, near enough at right angles to the fixed trolley girder portion 23a. Accordingly when a vessel 49 is berthed alongside the pier 47 as shown in figure 1 of the drawings, the moveable boom portion 23b can be rotated from its inoperable position to an operable position whereby it projects out from the pier edge to extend across the breadth of the vessel. In the operable position, the crane trolley can be operated to traverse along the track 25 of the supporting means 23 between one station at which is situated dock transport 51 and another station at which a container may be reposed within one of the cells 53 disposed within the hold 57 of the vessel beneath a hatch 55.

In the present embodiment, dock transport 51 comprises vehicular transport and the cells each comprise cell guides (not shown) along which a series of containers can be guided and stacked within a matrix of cells which occupy the hold 57 of the vessel beneath each hatch 55. The crane system also comprises an independently manoeuvrable control station housed within a control cabin 59. The control cabin 59 is attached to its own cabin hoisting system 61 which in turn is mounted to a discrete cabin trolley 63. The cabin trolley 63 in turn is mounted along a runway beam and rail system 65 which is fixedly disposed laterally of and parallel to the main track 25 of the crane system. The runway beam 65 extends along the entire longitudinal extent of the supporting means 23 alongside the track 25 so that the cabin trolley 63 can traverse along the supporting means quite independently of the crane trolley 27.

The control station includes a seat for the driver and a variety of controls to not only operate the cabin trolley 63 and cabin hoisting system 61, but also the crane trolley 27 and crane hoisting system 29 to control the handling and conveying of loads between the dock loading station and the vessel loading station. The control station also includes controls for all other main crane functions such as the travelling of the crane structure 21 along the dock rails by means of wheels 43 and all controls incidental to crane operation. Accordingly, the control cabin 59 is actually suspended from the cabin trolley 63 and consequently is independently moveable in the vertical direction and in a horizontal direction along the runway beam 65 to facilitate precise alignment and placement of the load engaging means and indeed the engaged load at either the dock station or the vessel station.

The crane system also includes an automated control system of conventional form whereby predetermined aspects of the load handling and conveyance between the dock station and vessel station are controlled automatically thereby, without the manual involvement of the driver. The automated control system is interfaced with the control station of the driver so that the driver from the control cabin 59 can override the operation of the automatic control system at any time.

In normal operation, the automated control system is programmed to perform the load conveyancing between the dock station and the vessel station and possibly the load handling at the dock station and can be programmed to perform the entire loading sequence, provided this is approved by the driver who can override the automatic system at any time. Alternatively the automatic system can be programmed to transfer control to the driver once the load is conveyed to the vessel station. Once the load is disposed at the vessel station, the driver takes over control of the load handling, manually operating the crane trolley 27 and crane hoisting system 29 to align the load engaging means, and if applicable the load, with the cell guides of a cell 53. As soon as the driver is satisfied with cell entry, he can re engage the automatic controls immediately or continue to operate the crane manually until he decides that automatic control is appropriate. The head block and spreader are lowered for the purposes of engaging a container, or alternatively the container is lowered for the purposes of disengaging the same within the cell. The driver can manoeuvre the control cabin via its own hoisting system 61 and cabin trolley 63 to adopt an optimum position relative to the load engaging means and container to facilitate this part of the load handling operation.

In order to facilitate further manoeuvring of the control cabin by the driver, the cabin hoisting system 61 is provided with cabin sway control ropes 67 and a slew platform 69. The cabin sway control ropes 67 can be automatically operated, or operated manually by the driver to overcome sway. The driver can also operate the slew platform to rotate the cabin. The independent suspension and manoeuvrability of the control cabin has the following advantages.

(1) By means of the independent cabin hoisting system and cabin trolley, the driver can lower and raise the control cabin at will and travel horizontally until he is positioned exactly where he can obtain the best vision of critical cell guide entry.

(2) The cabin trolley does not travel with the load and hence muscle fatigue arising out the rapid acceleration and deceleration of the crane trolley is eliminated.

(3) The driver's view is forward rather than downward to the critical area of operation so that he is comfortable and his vision is not obscured by his own body.

(4) The driver is very close to the critical area and can see much more clearly the adjustment to load position required to align the container with the vessel cell.

(5) Once the load engaging means is moved in or out of the cell depending upon whether a loading or unloading operation is being performed, the automated control system can take over operations, allowing the driver to relax before the next critical cell entry is due.

(6) The cabin sway control ropes and slew platform, in combination with operation of the hoisting system and cabin trolley allow the driver to finely adjust the positioning of the cabin so as to protect himself against glare.

In variations of the present embodiment, runway beam and track systems can be provided laterally on either side of the main track 25 and support respective cabin trolley, hoisting system and control cabins so that one or the other or both control cabins can be manned by a driver or drivers to suit a particular vessel and/or load handling and conveying operation.

In certain handling operations, the dock side handling may be just as critical as the vessel side handling, where it may not be possible for a driver residing within the control cabin to dispatch a container or other load to the shore and have the operation completed automatically by the automated control system. Accordingly, the second embodiment is directed towards a crane system, similar to that of the previous embodiment, except that a further cabin is disposed on the main frame to house a second control station in which a second driver can be disposed to control critical shore handling of the load.

As shown in figure 2 of the drawings, a further control cabin 71 is mounted via a trolley 73 to a cabin support beam 75 which is attached to the main portal beam 77 of the carriage 41' of the crane system.

The second control station within the further cabin 71 allows the second driver to takeover operation from the automated control system or the first driver once the main crane load reaches the dock-side station. In the vessel unloading cycle, in effect, the first driver on the vessel side will be able to dispatch an engaged container to the dock-side driver, who after placing it on the appropriate dock transport, then dispatches the load handling mechanism back to the vessel side driver, who then handles operation of the same on the vessel for engaging the next container to be dispatched. In the loading cycle, transfer of control between the drivers is performed in exactly the same manner, but in reverse. Dual cycles are a combination of both loading and discharging containers, simultaneously.

The third embodiment is substantially similar to the first embodiment except, the control cabin is actually mounted upon the load engaging means, whereby the driver can actually ride with the load at all times.

As shown in figures 3 and 3A, the control cabin 59' is fixedly mounted to the head block and spreader 81 and dispenses with having its own runway beam and track system, cabin trolley and cabin hoisting system, and instead utilises the crane trolley 83 and crane hoisting system 85 for manoeuvring.

In this embodiment, in addition to travelling with the load, the driver also rises and lowers with the load, which includes entering the cell guides. From this position, the driver can still retain most of the advantages referred to in the first embodiment, notably the advantages of improved visibility of critical areas of operation and the ability to look horizontally and even upwards slightly, during much of every load handling and conveying cycle. An additional advantage is that the driver can control both critical dock-side and vessel-side approaches from the one control cabin.

The fourth embodiment is again substantially similar to the first embodiment except that the cabin trolley runs on the same track as the crane trolley and includes a runway beam extending transversely of the longitudinal extent of the main track to allow the control cabin to move laterally of the supporting means as well as longitudinally of it.

As shown in figures 4, 4A and 4B, the cabin trolley 91 is attached to the main track 25' so as to traverse therealong in addition to the crane trolley 93. The cabin trolley 91 has fixedly attached thereto a transversely extending runway beam 95 along which a secondary cabin trolley 97 is attached for traversing therealong. The runway beam 95 is curved in a general U-shape configuration as shown in figure 4B so that the secondary trolley can traverse not only in a direction transverse to the supporting means 23' of the crane system, but can swing around to a position which traverses marginally along either end of the runway beam 95 to move in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the supporting means 23'.

The cabin hoisting system 99 and the control cabin 101 itself are attached to the secondary cabin trolley 97 so that the control cabin 101 may be raised and lowered relative thereto.

The supporting means 23' is marginally longer than the supporting means described in the preceding embodiments in order to accommodate the cabin trolley 91 on the outer side of the crane trolley 93.

The cabin hoisting system 99 includes the sway control rope system 103 and slew platform 105 as previously described to allow for fine adjustment of the position of the control cabin 101.

This embodiment provides the additional advantage that the control cabin 101 can move in a direction parallel to the fore and aft axis of the vessel for better viewing by the driver, so that the cabin can be placed adjacent to either end of a container or anywhere in between. Furthermore, by having the runway beam 95 curved at either end, the control cabin 101 can be moved along the end of a container again for better viewing by simply controlling the operation of the secondary cabin trolley 97. In a variation of the fourth embodiment, the main cabin trolley 91 can be selectively latched to the main crane trolley 93 to enable it to travel along the supporting means in conjunction with the crane trolley. This would be of advantage when handling nonstandard loads and would eliminate the need for a second dock-side cabin as described in the third embodiment. This would be of particular benefit if extreme dock-side precision was required only occasionally for the unloading or loading of loads relative to the load engagement means.

The fifth embodiment is basically a combination of the second and fourth embodiments, whereby the crane system comprises the cabin trolley 91', crane trolley 93', runway beam 95' and control cabin 101' arrangements as described in the fourth embodiment, and the further control cabin 71' arrangement of the second embodiment, as shown in figures 5, 5A and 5B of the drawings.

This embodiment allows for the advantages of extra control cabin directional mobility to be provided for in a two driver loading arrangement.

The sixth embodiment is substantially similar to the fifth embodiment except that it involves an alternative position for the further control cabin on the shore side of the crane system.

As shown in figures 6, 6A and 6B, a shore side control cabin 111 is mounted atop the land side sill beam 113 of the carriage 41'. Consequentially, this embodiment has the advantage that the shore side control cabin is disposed at a lower position than in the case of the preceding embodiment so that the driver can observe and control the shore side load handling by looking out forwardly and only slightly above and downwards. The seventh embodiment is substantially similar to the fifth and sixth embodiments, except that the land side cabin arrangement involves a duplicate of the ship side cabin arrangement, as shown in figures 7, 7A and 7B of the drawings.

In this arrangement, the shore side cabin 115 comprises an identical cabin trolley and runway beam arrangement 117 to that described in the fourth embodiment except that the cabin trolley 119 is disposed to traverse along that portion of the crane trolley track mounted upon the fixed trolley girder portion 23a of the articulated supporting means 23. Furthermore, the front of the further control cabin 115 is opposingly disposed to the ship side control cabin 119 so that both cabins are disposed outwardly of the container handling operation to conveniently observe and operate the same.

It should be appreciated that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein and accordingly different combinations of the various features described in each of the embodiments may be incorporated into different crane systems, without departing from the general scope of the invention. In addition, minor changes and variations to the described embodiments in accordance with common knowledge in the design of crane systems of this type may be incorporated without departing from the spirit of the invention. Importantly, the invention is not limited to container and grab handling and conveying, but can include other types of loads and furthermore is not limited only to application in the stevedoring industry.

Claims

THE CLAIMS defining the invention are as follows:-

1. A crane system for handling and conveying loads between two stations comprising:

a supporting means for extending between the stations;

a crane trolley for traversing along said supporting means;

a crane hoisting system and load engaging means associated with said crane trolley;

wherein a control station is separately disposed and is separately manoeuvrable from said crane trolley for controlling the operation of said crane trolley, said crane hoisting system and said load engaging means as determined by a driver situated at said control station.

2. A crane system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control station comprises a control cabin suspended from a control station hoisting system and control station trolley separate from said crane hoisting system and said crane trolley to enable said control cabin to be manoeuvrable entirely independently of said crane trolley to facilitate load handling at the other station.

3. A crane system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said supporting means comprises a main track to which both said crane trolley and said control station trolley are mounted for traversing therealong, said control station trolley being disposed towards the other station side of said supporting means relative to said crane trolley, whereby said crane trolley and said control station trolley can be moved relatively independently of each other therealong.

4. A crane system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said control station trolley includes a control cabin track transversely disposed relative to said main track and a cabin trolley mounted to said cabin track for traversing therealong, said control station hoisting system being mounted to said cabin trolley, whereby said control station is able to separately control movement of said control cabin laterally of said supporting means as well as longitudinally thereof.

5. A crane system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said cabin track is curved at its opposing ends to adopt a U-shape configuration, said cabin track having distal end portions extending in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of said main track, whereby said cabin trolley can traverse marginally at either end of said cabin track in a direction longitudinally of but spaced laterally from said supporting means.

6. A crane system as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein said control station trolley is adapted for permitting selective latching to said crane trolley for traversing along said main track in conjunction with said crane trolley.

7. A crane system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said supporting means comprises a plurality of tracks, one being a main track to which said crane trolley is mounted, and another being a control station track to which said control station trolley is mounted, said main track and said control station track being substantially parallel to and laterally spaced from one another, whereby said crane trolley and said control station trolley can be moved independently of each other along their respective tracks.

8. A crane system as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein said control station hoisting system is provided with cabin sway control ropes.

9. A crane system as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein said control station includes a slew platform mounted between said control station hoisting system and said control cabin, whereby said control cabin can be independently rotated relative to said control station trolley.

10. A crane system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control station comprises a control cabin mounted to said load engaging means to be manoeuvrable in conjunction with said load engaging means to facilitate load handling at the other station.

11. A crane system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the crane system includes an automated control system associated with and complementary to the control provided at said control station, whereby said automated control system is adapted for controlling the operation of said crane trolley, crane hoisting system and said load engaging means for load handling at one of the stations and load conveyance to and from the other station, and said control station provides for overriding the automated control of load handling at the other station.

12. A crane system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including a further control station separately disposed from said crane trolley and said control station towards the one station side of said supporting means relative to said crane trolley, whereby said further control station is provided for controlling the operation of said crane trolley, said crane hoisting system and said load engaging means as determined by a driver situated therein at said one station.

13. A crane system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said further control station is mounted to a further control station trolley, said further control station trolley being mounted for traversing along a further control station track, said further control station track being disposed above said one station, whereby said further control station trolley can be manoeuvred independently of said crane trolley to facilitate load handling at said one station.

14. A crane system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said further control station track is disposed in parallel spaced relation to said supporting means, intermediate and to one side of said supporting means and said one station, such that said further control cabin is disposed below said supporting means and above said one control station as well as laterally of same.

15. A crane system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said further control station track is provided along said supporting means and said further control station includes a further control station hoisting system for suspending said further control cabin from said further control station trolley.

16. A crane system as claimed in claim 15, wherein said further control station hoisting system is provided with cabin sway control ropes.

17. A crane system as claimed in claim 15 or 16, wherein said further control station includes a further control station slew platform mounted between said further control station hoisting system and said further control cabin, whereby said further control cabin can be independently rotated relative to said further control station trolley.

18. A crane system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said further control station is fixedly disposed adjacent to said one station and below said supporting means.

19. A crane system substantially as herein described in any one of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings as appropriate.