Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G63/00—Transferring or trans-shipping at storage areas, railway yards or harbours or in opening mining cuts; Marshalling yard installations
  • B65G63/002—Transferring or trans-shipping at storage areas, railway yards or harbours or in opening mining cuts; Marshalling yard installations for articles
  • B65G63/004—Transferring or trans-shipping at storage areas, railway yards or harbours or in opening mining cuts; Marshalling yard installations for articles for containers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G63/00—Transferring or trans-shipping at storage areas, railway yards or harbours or in opening mining cuts; Marshalling yard installations
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B27/00—Arrangement of ship-based loading or unloading equipment for cargo or passengers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66C—CRANES; LOAD-ENGAGING ELEMENTS OR DEVICES FOR CRANES, CAPSTANS, WINCHES, OR TACKLES
  • B66C19/00—Cranes comprising trolleys or crabs running on fixed or movable bridges or gantries
  • B66C19/002—Container cranes

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a supplemental apparatus for cargo container
• productivity of berthing operations allows ships to be loaded and unloaded faster
• the present invention is a significant advancement in
• FIG. 1 of the drawings shows a typical dockside
• the primary container handling equipment is comprised of one or more quay cranes 11 which extend outboard from the dock's
• container transporters 21 such as chassis trucks, trailer trucks, or automatically
• AGVs guided vehicles
• the berthing operations involve three separate types of sub-operations: (1) quay
• Quay cranes in the form of cargo container handling gantry cranes are
• Quay cranes generally have either a horizontal shding boom or a cantilever boom, the latter of which can usually be raised by rotating it around its
• the present invention can be utilized with any of these basic types of crane designs
• FIG. 2 of the drawings illustrate a typical
• cantilever boom type quay crane 11 having a buffer crane 25 of the present invention
• the quay crane cantilevered rotatable boom 27 is supported
• superstructure supports a horizontal gantry 33 disposed generally mid-height thereon
• the gantry is supported from below by the main legs of the superstructure.
• sheaves are
• handling quay crane is a slidable or a ra ⁇ sable cantilevered boom extending from a
• a movable trolley 45 usually with a suspended operator's cab 47, which shuttles
• the spreader can be raised or lowered from the crane gantry by the operator and
• the containers are carried by a
• transporter 21 or are stacked on the dock or shipboard to permit them to be lifted by
• the cells 51 in a cargo container transport ship. During unloading, the containers are
• the cargo container lift trolley 45 mounted on rails on the crane gantry
• sections 27, 33 can traverse from one end of the gantry to the other with a suspended
• the cargo container lifting spreader 49 is suspended from the trolley by
• delays in the two berthing sub-operations including: (1) unsteady or irregular quay
• the hoist travels a longer distance outboard for each successive
• interbox connector (IBC) installation and removal processes cause both
• IBCs are cone-shaped devices that lock
• the LBCs are still attached to the bottom of the container.
• the quay usually, the quay
• container transport vehicles The vehicles load or unload containers at the stacking
• the present invention provides an
• the buffer crane of the present invention functions mainly by estabtishing a
• the temporary storage reservoir permits the quay crane to take or deposit
• the present invention provides a new crane construction and method of
• the present invention is a buffer straddle crane for cargo container handling.
• the platform has
• the buffer crane platform is supported by motorized transport wheels for independent all-direction movement. It has a low profile whereby it can be
• the quay crane can extract containers therefrom and
• the buffer crane can deliver containers therefrom to the container transporters.
• platform supports a cargo container handling straddle crane mounted on rails
• FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram in plan view of a ship berthing operation and a
• FIG. 2 is a side elevation of a typical quay crane with a buffer straddle crane
• FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a buffer straddle crane of the present invention
• FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of FIG. 3. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
• FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings show the quay
• the buffer crane is low profile so that it can be positioned underneath a quay crane
• FIG. 3 shows the buffer straddle crane in operation. It is essentially a landing
• transporters can be landed until they are picked up by the quay crane for transport to
• the buffer straddle crane is a gantry frame forming a raised or elevated upper
• the quay crane can take or extract containers therefrom and the buffer crane can deliver containers therefrom to the transporters. It creates a new and
• the quay crane 11 deposits or retrieves containers 17 onto or from the upper
• the platform of the buffer crane called the landing deck 53.
• the landing deck can support multiple containers to function as the
• Container transport vehicles 21 are containers reservoir or pool in the buffer operation.
• chassis trucks, trailer trucks, or AGVs drive under or below the raised
• the straddle crane drops containers onto and retrieves them from
• Port operators can also perform certain tasks on the containers from the safety
• the service decks are provided with rigid shelters 63 to protect service workers from descending
• the buffer crane system allows port operators to perform IBC installation and
• the upper platform or landing deck 53 has fore and aft and lateral edges 65.
• the landing deck 53 is
• the rigid structure provides structural support for the loads
• the inflated rubber tires augment the shock absorbing mechanisms.
• the transport wheels 69 are secured to the legs 67 with a gantry drive for
• the crane is mounted on tires so that it can operate without
• the buffer crane gantry drive is the arrangement of wheels, gear systems, drive
• the crane can move in all directions and is omni-directional.
• the wheels are aligned parallel to the edge of the dock which
• the buffer crane In order to stay parallel with the quay crane, the buffer crane performs small
• the landing deck 53 of the buffer crane stores
• containers 17 temporarily as a container reservoir or pool thereby functioning as the
• the landing deck is provided with at least one
• predetermined landing positions are dispersed over the landing deck, each with its set of support members.
• predetermined means that they are specifically
• the straddle crane 57 as well as by the quay crane 11 from above.
• the straddle crane 57 is mounted straddle crane 57 as well as by the quay crane 11 from above.
• crane has container lifting apparatus 83 arranged to move containers between the
• the landing deck is provided with at least one opening through which
• containers can be lowered or raised onto or from transporters which have been driven
• Guides 73 forming a chute are positioned on the sides of the opening to stop the sway
• Each container landing position can be located over an opening through which
• containers may be raised or lowered by making the support members 71 retractable
• Retractable guides 73 can be moved into position concurrently or sequentially to stop any sway in the suspended
• the landing deck 53 is wide enough to accommodate several containers 17 in
• Equipment may be mounted on the service
• the service deck shelters protect service personnel who work
• the rail mounted straddle crane 57 is shown in closer detail in FIGS. 3 and 4.
• containers can be transferred through the landing deck between it and the
• the straddle crane has support legs long enough to permit the cargo container
• the straddle crane disposed at a level below the supporting structure of any cargo container quay crane it is positioned under.
• the vertical clearance is
• each container deposition position is provided with an opening to allow
• the cargo container lifting apparatus operates by reeling in and paying out
• the apparatus is considered rope driven.
• the lifting spreaders are mechanisms that
• spreader can be controlled by the crane operator to reciprocate in the length of its
• the cargo container lifting apparatus also has the ability to perform
• the apparatus accomplishes this result by giving and taking
• the apparatus can vary amounts of slack in the suspension ropes. In this manner, the apparatus can
• the lifting apparatus therefore can quickly position containers on
• the buffer crane 25 includes an automated control system for partial operation
• the buffer crane operator controls the straddle crane for accurate aUgnment of the
• Computer software automaticaUy controls the acceleration and movement of the
• the situation may require a multiple of lowered service decks
• the service decks or work platforms 55 are disposed at a level below the
• landing deck 53 surface to provide space for IBC attachment and removal operation.
• the design arrangement permits service workers to work standing up rather than
• eveiy case be located directly below the landing deck.
• the service decks are in essence covered steel trenches, between the landing
• a container is disposed on the support members 71 of an adjacent landing position.
• Machines or robotics can be provided to aid IBC installation and
• the buffer crane operator driver works in an operators' cabin 85. It contains
• the operator cabin provides simplified controls for the crane driver by reason of the computer controUed positioning of the
• a diesel engine which is coupled to an alternator provides power to the buffer
• enclosures protect the diesel engine and alternator couple from wear and possible
• the system can be comprised of optical, radio, or ultrasonic devices to
• the buffer crane system has features that improve productivity and safety of
• the buffer crane is a stand-alone machine. It can operate with any existing quay cranes. The quay cranes require only minimal modification to
• the buffer crane travels on rubber tires, the buffer operation does not require tracks,
• the buffer crane has
• the buffer crane therefore resolves many of the delay issues described eartier.
• the other sub-operation may continue by accessing the
• the delayed sub operation can address the delay
• the buffer crane system improves productivity and efficiency of

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Ship Loading And Unloading (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=21797953

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (17)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 2001
  • 2001-12-11 US US10/020,320 patent/US6652211B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2002
  • 2002-12-11 JP JP2003551053A patent/JP4312055B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-12-11 AU AU2002359672A patent/AU2002359672A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-12-11 ES ES02794225T patent/ES2268146T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-12-11 DE DE60213132T patent/DE60213132T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-12-11 KR KR1020047008990A patent/KR100970818B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-12-11 EP EP02794225A patent/EP1467937B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-12-11 WO PCT/US2002/039647 patent/WO2003050023A1/en not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (4)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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