DE29719466U1 - Container bridge system - Google Patents

Description

Container bridge system

The invention relates to a container bridge system according to the preamble of claim 1.

The transport of goods is increasingly taking place via containers, especially in shipping. As is well known, containers are standardized containers in cuboid shape, which have standardized fittings on the corners. The fittings are used to stack the containers on top of each other and to securely grasp them with a lifting device during loading and unloading.

Since the containers are stacked on top of each other on the stands, precautions must be taken to prevent slipping, especially during transport by ship.

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Patent Attorneys · European Patent Attorneys ■ Authorized representatives before the European Patent Office
Authorised representatives at the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market

Lawyer: admitted to the Hamburg courts

Deutsche Bank AG Hamburg, No. 05 28497 (bank code 200 700 00) ·. Postbank Hamburg, No. 28 42 206 (bank code 200 100 20)
Dresdner Bank AG Hamburg, No. 933 60 35 (bank code 200 800 00)

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It is therefore known to lock stacked containers using so-called twist locks. The twist locks engage in openings in the fittings and lock the containers stacked on top of one another in their locking position, which they assume when parts arranged within the fittings are twisted. In today's container freight technology, semi-automatic twist locks are used. During loading, they are connected to the lower fittings of a container in a pre-position. When the container is placed on top of one placed below, the twist lock automatically locks into the fitting of the lower container, so that both are now firmly connected to one another. When unloading, the operating personnel remove the lock from the lower container and the upper container with the twist locks still attached is conveyed from the ship to the quay. The twist locks must be removed before the container is placed on the quay. For this, personnel are also used to reach under the hanging container and manually loosen and remove the twist locks. When loading, the container is first lifted so that the twist locks can be manually inserted into the lower fittings. It is then conveyed onto the ship and automatically locked to a container underneath.

So-called container bridges are used to load and unload containers. They are usually formed by a portal frame that is supported on a chassis, whereby the chassis can be moved along rails parallel to the quay.

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The gantry crane has a boom that extends beyond the support structure on both the water side and the land side, with the water side boom section usually being suspended so that it can pivot. The boom has guide rails attached for a trolley that transports containers from the quay to the ship and vice versa with the help of a so-called spreader. The spreader is designed in such a way that it can be automatically locked into or out of engagement with a container by the crane operator.

The factor determining the productivity of a container gantry crane is the duration of a load cycle of the trolley, namely the time required for releasing or attaching the twist locks and conveying the container between the platforms.

The invention is therefore based on the object of creating a container bridge system with which productivity can be increased.

This problem is solved by the features of patent claim 1.

The container bridge system according to the invention is distinguished from conventional constructions by two additional features. Firstly, a walkable platform is attached to the water-side support structure of the gantry crane above the quay area. The walkable platform, which is located, for example, 7.5 m above the quay area, has support surfaces for containers, whereby the support surfaces are designed in such a way that

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are such that the corner fittings of the container are freely accessible from below. The second design feature is that between the walkable platform and the boom that guides the trolley, there are guide rails for a second trolley.

The unloading and loading of containers takes place in the system according to the invention in two overlapping phases. The first trolley is used to transport containers from the ship to the platform or from the platform to the ship. With the help of the second trolley, the containers are transported from the platform to the desired lane on the quay or from there to the platform. Such a loading or unloading system has several advantages.

The invention is based on the fact that the transport of a container between ship and platform, at least for most containers on a ship, takes a longer time than the duration of the transport between platform and quay. This is also the case if the time in which personnel on the platform remove or attach twist locks is added to the load cycle of the second trolley. Accordingly, the load cycle of the first trolley is decisive for the productivity of a container bridge according to the invention. Since less time is required for the transport of a container between ship and platform than for the unloading track on the quay including the removal or attachment of twist locks, the productive cycle time of the container bridge according to the invention is reduced.

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Bridge by a not inconsiderable amount. With the container bridge according to the invention it is therefore possible to increase the handling speed with containers or to achieve the same productive playing time with less personnel as with conventional container bridges.

An important secondary aspect of the container bridge according to the invention relates to safety. If the containers are placed on the platform, the operating personnel can safely assemble or disassemble the twist locks without any danger to life and limb from a falling container. When assembling or disassembling the twist locks in the conventional bridge system, the container is located in the area of the quay and represents an obstacle, which can cause safety problems, especially for traffic on the quay. In the system according to the invention, this obstacle is eliminated.

By means of appropriate lateral barriers, the area beneath the platform can be designed as a route for private traffic (ship suppliers, guest buses, operating personnel). The route can, for example, be separated from the so-called straddle carrier area by a fence; in this area, straddle carriers move as a means of transport for transporting the parked containers to land.

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Another advantage of the invention is the buffer effect of the platform. The platform can have two or more support areas for the containers. In the event of normally unavoidable operational disruptions, the platform mitigates the consequences of disruptions.

The platform is preferably located between the legs or columns of the support structure of the gantry crane. The guide rails for the second trolley need to be spaced apart so that a container can be guided across the rails. However, this can be done easily. This is based on the fact that the containers are usually aligned with their longitudinal axis in the longitudinal direction of the ship, or at least are transported by the trolley in this orientation. It is therefore not necessary to turn the containers before placing them on the platform or after lifting them from it.

As already explained, the support surfaces for the container on the platform must be arranged in such a way that the operating personnel can easily grasp or install the twist locks. It is therefore advisable to provide the supports in the form of lashing blocks. The blocks are preferably enclosed, with the enclosure provided with a secure access. The operating personnel should only be able to enter the area within the enclosure when the container is resting on the lashing blocks. If an operator passes through the access beforehand, a light barrier or similar will stop the container from lowering any further.

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The lateral limitation can be provided with means that guide the container sideways so that it is placed essentially centered on the pedestals when it is set down. Since standardized containers have different lengths, it is expedient according to one embodiment of the invention if spaced-apart pedestals are mounted so that they can be adjusted towards or away from each other. For this purpose, a corresponding drive on the platform is required, which is either automatic or controlled by the operating personnel or the crane operator.

The transport operation between the platform and the quay can be carried out largely automatically. As soon as the lashing work is completed, the container can be lifted and either placed on the quay by the second trolley or transported to the ship by the first trolley. Since the latter can also be carried out largely automatically, it is only necessary for the staff on the platform to generate a signal using so-called acknowledgement switches. Each twist lock is assigned an acknowledgement switch. The container can only be lifted from the platform when all four acknowledgement switches have been activated. The acknowledgement switches are preferably located outside the enclosed area so that sufficient safety for the staff is ensured.

An embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to drawings.

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1 shows schematically the side view of a container bridge system according to the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a section through the representation of Fig. 1 along the line 2-2.
Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the illustration in Fig. 1 in the direction of arrow 3.
Fig. 4 shows a section through the representation according to Fig. 1 along the line 4 - 4.
Fig. 5 shows an enlarged partial plan view of a platform according to Fig. 1.

The container bridge system shown in Fig. 1 is designed as a gantry crane with four arms arranged in a square, one of which is shown in Fig. 1 at 10 and 12 respectively. They are connected to each other at the lower and upper ends, as can be seen from the left individual view in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2. A chassis 14 and 15 are arranged on the lower cross connections. The chassis 14, 15 run on rails (not shown) parallel to the water edge 16 of a quay 18 with a quay area 20. The profile of a ship that can still be unloaded or loaded is shown in Fig. 1 with hatching at 22. A boom 24 is attached between the upper ends of the arms 10, 12, which has a pivoting boom part 26 on the water side. The boom part is attached to the arms 10 that are extended upwards. The maximum swivel position is indicated by dash-dot lines in Fig. 1.

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On the land side, the boom 24 extends beyond the rear supports 12. The boom 24 is formed by two parallel rails 28, 30, which form guide rails for a trolley 32, which can be moved between a land-side end position, which is indicated in solid lines in Fig. 1, and a water-side end position, which is indicated in dash-dotted lines in Fig. 2. A crane driver's cabin 34 is coupled to the trolley 32, which is also shown in dash-dotted lines in intermediate positions alone in Fig. 1. The cabin 34 has its parking position in the area of the water-side supports 10. It is conceivable to make the trolley 32 and cabin 34 moveable separately. However, this case will not be considered in more detail below.

A spreader 36 is attached to the trolley 32, with which the upper fittings of a container 38 can be grasped. The grasping is controlled by the crane operator, with the locking between spreader 36 and container 38 taking place automatically. A machine house 40 is arranged above the boom 24 on the landward side of the booms 12. In this, among other things, the winch for raising or lowering the boom section 26 is arranged. (See also Fig. 3).

In this respect, the described structure of a container gantry system is conventional.

As can be seen in Fig. 1 and 2, below the boom 24 and parallel to it, two guide rails 42, 44 for a second trolley 46 are arranged on the posts 10 and 12. They extend from the water-side posts 10 over the land-side

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Poles 12. A driver's cabin is not provided, since the trolley 46 is operated automatically. A spreader 48 is attached to the trolley 46. Fig. 2 shows the accommodation of a container 10a. As can be seen, the distance between the guide rails 42, 44 is greater than the length of the container 10a. A reel 50 above the guide rails 42, 44 is used to wind up the cable for driving the trolley 46. It should be noted at this point that the illustration in Fig. 2 does not entirely correspond to the facts, since the trolleys 32 and 46 can be seen in Fig. 2, which are not shown in this position in Fig. 1.

A platform 52 is arranged on the water-side supports 10 below the guide rails 42, 44. As can be seen in Fig. 1, it is able to accommodate two containers next to each other, which are shown in dashed lines. In addition, a lashing basket 54 can be arranged or parked on the water side of the platform 52. A track 56 is formed below the platform, which is separated from the quay area 20 by a barrier 58. The track can accommodate traffic from or to the ship, as indicated by the truck silhouettes shown. The structure of the platform 52 will be discussed further below. First, the function of the container bridge system shown will be explained.

With the help of the trolley 32, the containers are picked up from the ship (not shown) and transported to the platform 52. During this transport, twist locks are connected to the lower corner fittings of the respective container, via which the

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was locked to the container underneath. The lock is released by the relevant personnel on board the ship. The container transported by the trolley 32 is placed on the platform 52 with the twist locks. There are operating personnel on the platform whose job it is to remove the twist locks from the containers. The containers are therefore positioned on the platform 52 in such a way that the corner fittings are freely accessible from below. This will be discussed in more detail below.

As soon as the twist locks are removed from the containers, the container is lifted from the platform 52 with the help of the second trolley 46 and placed on a desired track on the quay area 20.

When loading a ship, the process runs in the opposite direction. A container is picked up from the quay by the second trolley 46 and transported to the platform 52, where it is fitted with the twist locks. The first trolley 32 then picks up this container and transports it from the platform 52 to the allocated place on the ship. As can be seen, the two processes can overlap, in particular the transport of a container from the platform 52 to a stand and vice versa can take place within a time in which the first trolley 32 transports a container from the ship to the platform or from the platform to the ship. The actual playing time for the transport of a container is

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therefore determined by the time required by the first trolley 32 to transport a container from the platform 52 to the ship and vice versa.

Fig. 5 shows the top view of the platform 52. This is symmetrical with respect to a transverse axis 60, so that only one half is shown. The platform 52 has two set-down areas 62 and 64 for containers, which are surrounded by a border 65 and 66, respectively, and can only be accessed from a walkable area 68 via a passage 70 and 72, respectively. Within the areas 62, 64, trestles 74, 76 are arranged in the middle. U-shaped trestles 78 and 80 are arranged to the left and right of the stationary trestles 74, 76. The trestles 78, 80 can be adjusted in the direction of the longitudinal axis, as indicated by a dashed position. Set-down areas are also located at the ends of the stationary trestles 74, 76, as indicated at 82 and 84, respectively. The trestles form support surfaces for setting up a container, whereby the position of the movable trestles 78, 80 is such that a container with a given standardized final dimension can be set up so that its front end is flush with the front sides of the trestles 78, 80. However, it protrudes laterally over the trestles 78, 80, as indicated by the dot-dash line at 90. The corner fittings therefore protrude over the trestles 78, 80. The support surfaces formed by the trestles are high enough so that operating personnel in the area 62, 64 can reach under the containers placed on top and remove the twist locks from the fittings or install them in them. Boxes 92 and 96 indicated by the dot-dash line serve to accommodate the twist locks.

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The passages have a light barrier so that when an operator passes through, it is registered. This generates a signal that immediately stops the lowering process of a container so that the operator is not endangered. The operating personnel should only enter areas 62 and 64 when the container is completely placed on the trestles.

Limiting or insertion elements 98 are provided on both sides of the trestles, which serve to facilitate the centered setting down of a container and to prevent the container from hitting the side against the limits. Four acknowledgement switches 100 are also assigned to the walkable area 68. It goes without saying that four acknowledgement switches are provided on the opposite side of the platform 52. Only when each switch is actuated can a start signal be generated for the second trolley 46 so that it can transport the container provided with twist locks or freed from them.

In Fig. 5, a lashing basket is indicated at 102, which can also be placed on the platform 52 and accessed from the platform 52. The lashing basket 102 is transported by the first trolley 32, which is known per se.

Claims (12)

•·••*·····••·*• · ·•" " t··•* ·■ ·•• · · Expectations 1. Container bridge system with a gantry crane set up on a quay area, which has a boom that extends outwards on the water side with a preferably foldable boom arm over the gantry crane's legs, a trolley that can be moved along travel rails attached to the boom and on which a spreader is suspended, which can be brought into and out of engagement with the corner fittings of containers, characterized in that a walkable platform (52) is attached to the water-side support structure (10) of the gantry crane above the quay area (20), which is provided with at least one support surface arranged above the platform (52) for at least one container, wherein the support surface is designed in such a way that the corner fittings of the container are freely accessible from below, and that between the platform (52) and the boom (24) there are second guide rails (42, 44) running parallel to the first guide rails (28, 30) for a second trolley (46) is arranged for the purpose of conveying containers from the platform (52) to the quay area (20) or from the quay area (20) to the platform (52). 2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the distance of the second guide rail (42, 44) is greater than the length of the longest container. · · ■ -15- 3. System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the platform (52) is attached to a crossbar of the support structure. 4. System according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the second guide rails (42, 44) are attached to crossbars of the support structure. 5. System according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the second guide rails (42, 44) extend beyond the land-side support structure of the gantry crane. 6. System according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the platform (52) has a depositing surface for a lashing basket (54, 102). 7. System according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the platform (52) has lashing blocks (74, 76, 78; 80). 8. System according to claim 7, characterized in that two spaced-apart lashing blocks (78, 80) are designed to be movable towards and away from each other. · ■ -16- 9. System according to claim 8, characterized in that between the movable A fixed lashing block (74, 76) is arranged between the lashing blocks (78, 80). 10. System according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that limiting or guide surfaces (98) for the container are provided above and to the side of the support surface. 11. System according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the supporting surface is laterally delimited from the walkable surface (68) of the platform (52) and the delimitation (65, 66) has a lockable or otherwise secured passage (70, 72). 12. System according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that four acknowledgement switches (100) assigned to the corner areas of the received containers are provided on the platform (52).