WO2013050447A2

WO2013050447A2 - A movable structure including a charging station and a method of supplying electrical power to a vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2013050447A2
Application number: PCT/EP2012/069587
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ross Colin CLARKE
Original assignee: Apm Terminals Management B.V.
Priority date: 2011-10-05
Filing date: 2012-10-04
Publication date: 2013-04-11
Also published as: WO2013050447A3

Abstract

A movable structure such as a RTGis provided with a charging station configured for providing electrical power to a terminal tractor operating in a container terminal facility is disclosed. Further, a method of supplying electrical power to the vehicle from the RTG is disclosed.

Description

A movable structure including a charging station and a method of supplying electrical power to a vehicle

According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a crane config- ured for delivering and receiving cargo containers to and from a vehicle delivering and receiving said cargo containers to and from said crane. The crane is according to this first aspect is provided with a charging station configured for providing electrical power to the electrically driven vehicle.

Vehicles delivering and receiving cargo such as containers and the like to and from facilities for further handling of the cargo are commonly employed in various applications. One example application is in container terminal facilities wherein the vehicles may constitute trucks or tractors configured for transport of containers between Ship To Shore cranes (in the following abbreviated STS) and cranes configured for lifting the container to or from the truck to or to or from a designated container position. The cranes typically are of the type generally known as Rubber Tyred Gantry cranes (in the following abbreviated RTG)

Conclusively, in a container terminal facility, terminal tractors transfer containers from beneath STS at ship's side to the RTG's for stacking in the yard, and vice versa.

Background

Container terminal facilities employ CO₂ emitting engines in a large number of applications. Virtually all large CO₂ producing facilities seek to reduce their level of emission by replacing their power producing diesel driven equipment with equipment having far less emission. One way of eliminating the emission from diesel powered internal combustion engines is to replace the engines with electrical engines. RTG's are in widespread use in container terminals throughout the world, and most RTG's are powered by an on-board diesel generator, which produces electricity to operate the various systems of the RTG.

Recent developments has made it possible to install systems which enable RTG's to obtain electrical power directly from the local electricity grid.

Converting RTG operation in this manner greatly reduces energy costs and CO2 emissions.

A variety of different systems for connecting RTG's to electrical supply are available from several different vendors. One typical system is a bus-bar structure for providing electricity to the RTG. The bus bar runs along the length of the container stack serviced by the RTG. A connector arm is fitted to the RTG to enable electricity to be carried from the bus-bars to the RTG.

Although RTG electrification significantly reduces the level of CO2 emission in the terminal facility, other equipment such as terminal tractors still account for a significant level of the facility's CO2 emission.

Operators of such vehicles have realized that, as such vehicles operate in alternating patterns, electrification by means of wired connection is virtually impossible, and the vehicles therefore must be battery powered.

In today's terminal facilities, terminal tractors are required to operate around the clock. In order to recharge a battery driven terminal tractor, it would, with today's technology, be required to acquire additional tractors such that a tractor with a drained battery may be recharged while another tractor with charged batteries continue the operations. Alternatively, it would be required to replace the battery of the tractor "on the fly". Conclusively, the relatively short battery life of battery powered electric vehicles makes them impractical for use as terminal tractors in container terminal operations. The time required to charge a battery powered terminal tractor is too long, and the subsequent operating time until the battery is exhausted is too short to be economically feasible.

Container terminal facilities do not have fixed locations where so-called opportunity charging can be carried out without negatively impacting operational performance.

Buses, on the other hand, regularly stop at bus stops to pick-up and set down passengers. Bus stops provide an ideal location to install an opportunity charging station. An opportunity charging station is an area which typically includes electric coils to facilitate inductive power transfer such that the bus may be charged.

The positions of STS cranes and the RTG's are not static. The STS cranes and the RTG's move frequently in order to reach specific container storage locations on both the ship and in the container terminal yard.

In summary, there are no fixed locations in an RTG container terminal equivalent to a bus stop, where terminal tractors regularly stop in the normal course of their work. This means it is not feasible to install power transfer equipment to facilitate opportunity charging of terminal tractors at any fixed locations in an RTG terminal.

Due to the abovementioned power storage related drawbacks of electrified vehicles, implementation of opportunity charging provide a way of considerably extending the operating duration available from a battery powered termi- nal tractor. Opportunity charging is, as already briefly mentioned above, an established concept where a battery powered electric vehicle receives a brief "top-up" charge whilst stationary at certain points along its predefined operational path or track.

An example is a battery powered electric bus. The bus starts its working day having been fully charged overnight. Without opportunity charging, the bus may be able to operate for 2 or 3 hours only before its batteries are exhausted, requiring another lengthy charge via an electric cable.

A battery powered bus making use of "opportunity charging" may operate for many more hours than a bus which does not use opportunity charging. This is for the reason that, when the bus stops at its predefined bus stops, its batteries are "top-up" charged.

As per the above, opportunity charging may be used for extending the battery life of electric busses and the like by using induction power transfer technology to charge the bus' batteries when it stops at a bus-stop to pick-up and drop-off passengers.

WO 1 1079215 A discloses a system for and a method of charging a vehicle. According to the reference, a vehicle and charging station may be designed such that an electric or hybrid vehicle can operate in a fashion similar to a conventional vehicle by being opportunity charged throughout a known route.

US 2006273756 A discloses an opportunity charging system for a battery- powered mobile mining machine. The system includes inductive power transfer for transferring battery charging current to the battery of the mining machine. The reference further disclose that the system may include an align- ment module configured to automatically align primary coils of charging stations primary with pick-up coils carried by the machine in response to detec- tion of its presence near the charging station. The charging station is located along roadways of the mine normally travelled by production equipment.

US 201 1 155487 A discloses an electrically-driven vehicle that runs on rubber tires and handles containers. The device includes a battery and an automatic charging system connected to the power storage. The automatic charging system may be coupled to an external source of electric power for a part of the work cycle of the vehicle such that the vehicle may be charged e.g. while located in a container exchange area. According to the reference, the vehicle is charged by means of a power source which is stationary.

As per the above references, charging stations allowing for opportunity charge are today located along predetermined paths or tracks. As terminal tractors constantly move in arbitrary patterns without repeating stops at stagnant positions relative to a fixed power source, opportunity charging of terminal tractors at fixed locations is considered an unsuitable way of charging an electrically driven terminal tractor.

Brief description of the invention

One object of the present invention is, according to the preamble and the first aspect of the present invention, to set forth a movable structure, such as a crane, configured for delivering and receiving cargo, such as containers, to and from an electrically driven vehicle supplying or receiving the cargo to or from the crane. The crane further includes a charging station configured for providing electrical power to the vehicle.

The provision of a charging station as per the above allows for electrical power transfer to the vehicle or terminal tractor while cargo is transferred in- between the crane and the vehicle. The electrical power transfer, or charging, may take place while the crane and the vehicle is stationary as well as while the crane and the vehicle is moving.

As around half of a terminal tractors stops is in the vicinity of the RTG, it has been found that the provision of opportunity charging of the terminal tractor, possibly via cordless transfer, will allow an electrified terminal tractor to operate around the clock without interruptions caused by drained batteries.

Consequently, today's diesel driven terminal tractors may be electrified such that today's CO2 emission, at the vehicles site of operation, is nullified.

By fitting equipment to the RTG to transfer electricity to a waiting terminal tractor, opportunity charging can be carried out without suffering any significant reduction in operational efficiency, i.e. the charging point is attached to, and is an integral part of, the RTG.

The power transfer mechanism fitted to the RTG could utilise inductive power transfer technology, or alternatively a system similar to that utilised by trams and electric trains could be used, where two current conductors are separated by a significant distance (e.g. overhead wire with pantograph, and electrified rail). An additional advantage of attaching an electric power transfer system to the RTG is that the physical space available on a terminal tractor for fitting batteries is quite limited - using RTG based opportunity charging mitigates the problem of limited battery space on the tractor by enabling frequent top-up charges in the course of normal operations. According to one embodiment, the movable structure may be configured for delivering and receiving cargo to and from the vehicle while delivering electric power to the vehicle, whereby the vehicle is not inactive while being charged. According to one embodiment, the movable structure may constitute a crane, a wheeled structure or a rubber tyred gantry crane (RTG) or any other movable structure configured to meet a vehicle at different positions relative to a fixed power supply. According to one embodiment, the vehicle receiving power from the movable structure may be an at least partially electrically driven terminal tractor such as a hybrid powered vehicle or a vehicle exclusively powered by electricity.

According to one embodiment, the movable structure may be connected to a supply of electrical power via a rail system and a connecting link or arm.

According to one embodiment, the movable structure may be a RTG powered by electrical power obtained via a connecting arm interconnecting the movable structure with a power supplying rail.

According to one embodiment, the rail and connecting arm may be configured for establishing a data connection between a stationary processor and the RTG whereby remote control or autonomous operation of the RTG is enabled. Further, the RTG may be configured for supplying data to the vehicle via data obtained via the rail and connecting arm.

According to one embodiment, the movable structure may include means for inductive power transfer of battery charging current to the vehicle. According to one embodiment, the movable structure may include one or more primary power transfer coils and, optionally, an alignment functionality configured for aligning one or more primary coils with pick-up coils carried by the vehicle. This may be in response to detection of the presence of the vehicle at the charging station.

According to one embodiment, the movable structure may include one or more primary power transfer coils and alignment functionality configured for aligning the one or more primary coils with pick-up coils carried by the vehicle by means of controlling the position of the vehicle.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method of supplying electrical power to a vehicle is provided. The vehicle, or terminal tractor, commutes between varying positions in a container yards a relocatable structure such as a RTG. The method includes a step of, when the vehicle is in the vicinity of the RTG, supplying electrical power to the vehicle.

Brief description of the figures

Figure 1 is a principal top view of a part of a container terminal. Detailed description with reference to the figures

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a movable opportunity charging system for a battery-powered mobile vehicle 5, where the vehicle may operate within a container terminal facility 100.

The opportunity charging system may include at least one rapid charging station for charging the battery on the vehicle using inductive power transfer, such as shown in figure 1 pos. 2 and 6.

The charging station may be arranged any at a suitable location on the mov- able structure or RTG 1 . Preferably, the primary coil 2 is arranged such that the secondary coil or pickup coil 6, arranged on the vehicle 5, will have optimal conditions for inductive power transfer. According to a not shown embodiment, the power transfer between the RTG and the vehicle 5 may be established by means of a cable.

The opportunity charging station further is connected to a not shown power supply for energizing the primary coil 2 and a controller. During operation, the vehicle 5 is driven into a cargo handling zone 7 and, according to one embodiment, not shown means arranged on the charging station or RTG 1 detects the vehicle 5 or the pick-up coil 6 on the vehicle 5 in proximity of the primary coil 2. This detection may initiate power transfer whereby automatic initiation of a charging cycle in response to detection of a vehicle 5 with a pickup coil 6 is possible.

The system may include means configured for monitoring at least one parameter representing a state of the battery of the vehicle 5. The system may be configured for controlling or terminating a charging operation in response to a monitored parameter. The opportunity charging system of the present invention makes use of well known inductive power transfer technologies and it is therefore, an in-depth exposition of the power transfer system is considered to lie outside the boundaries of the present application. This invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the scope of essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiments are therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them, and all changes that fall within meters and bounds of the claims, or equivalence of such meters and bounds thereof are therefore intended to be embodied by the claims.

The term "comprises/comprising/comprised of when used in this specification incl. claims is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.

Claims

1 . A crane (1 ) configured for delivering and receiving cargo containers (10) to and from a vehicle (5) delivering and receiving said cargo containers to and from said crane (1 ) characterized in that said crane (1 ) is provided with a charging station (2) configured for providing electrical power to said vehicle (5).

2. A crane according to claim 1 , wherein said crane (1 ) is configured for de- livering and receiving cargo (10) to and from said vehicle (5) while simultaneously delivering electric power to said vehicle (5).

3. A crane according to any one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said crane (1 ) is a wheeled gantry crane.

4. A crane according to any one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said crane is a rubber tyred gantry crane (1 ).

5. A crane according to any one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said vehicle (5) is an at least partially electrically driven terminal tractor configured for delivering and receiving cargo containers to and from said crane

(1 )-

6. A crane according to any one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said crane (1 ) is connected to a supply of electrical power via a power supplying rail system (20) and a connecting link or arm (30).

7. A crane according to any one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said crane (1 ) is a rubber tyred gantry crane powered by electrical power ob- tained via a connecting arm (30) interconnecting said gantry crane with a power supplying rail (30).

8. A crane according to claim 7, wherein said rail (20) and said connecting arm (30) is configured for establishing a data connection between a stationary processor (40) and said rubber tyred gantry crane (1 ).

9. A crane according to any one or more of the claim 7 or 8, wherein said rubber tyred gantry crane (1 ) is autonomous.

10. A crane according to any one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said crane (1 ) includes means (2) for inductive power transfer of battery charging current to said vehicle (5) or terminal tractor.

1 1 . A crane according to any one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said crane (1 ) includes one or more primary power transfer coils (2) and an alignment functionality configured for aligning said one or more primary coils (2) with pick-up coils (6), carried by said vehicle (5) or terminal tractor, in response to detection of the presence of said vehicle (5) or terminal tractor at said charging station (2).

12. A crane according to any one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said crane (1 ) includes one or more primary power transfer coils (2) and alignment functionality configured for aligning said one or more primary coils (2) with pick-up coils (6) carried by said vehicle (5) or terminal tractor by means of controlling the position of said vehicle (5) or terminal tractor.

13. A method of supplying electrical power to a vehicle or terminal tractor (5) commuting between varying positions in a container terminal facility from a crane (1 ) characterized in that said method includes a step of, when said vehicle or terminal tractor (5) is in the vicinity of said crane (1 ) and supplies cargo to said crane (1 ) or receives cargo from said crane (1 ), supplying elec- trical power to said vehicle or terminal tractor (5) via a charging station (2) provided on said crane (1 ).

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said crane is a rubber tyred gantry crane (1 ).