190 Cranes – Design, Practice, and Maintenance
Fig. 6.10.1 Hardware topology
spreader onto the twistlock castings which are used to lift the hatch-
covers of a ship.
Sensors
The following sensors are used on a container quay crane:
– An infrared sensor system underneath the trolley for measuring the
sway angle in the direction of trolley travel and the spreader skew
angle (SPFS). This sensor may also be used to periodically verify
the main hoist position as a redundant check on the primary posi-
tion instrument in the drive.
– Four two-dimensional (X and Y) laser scanners on the trolley are
used to locate the corners of the spreader, container, chassis or
AGV with an accuracy greater than plus or minus 20 mm on 35 m
distance.
– Each of the two corner units contains two high speed laser scanners
which measure the exact location of the corners of the spreader,
Sagging, Rock and Roll, Positioning, and AEI 191
Fig. 6.10.2 Sensor arrangement on a trolley of a quay crane
container, chassis or AGV. One corner unit monitors the waterside
corner and the other the landside corner. The waterside corner unit
also includes the laser range finder which monitors the stack profile
and it also can peer into the hold of the ship.
A laser range finder is mounted underneath the trolley and is
used for stack profiling. It measures the distance without the use
of dedicated reflectors, and can achieve an accuracy of plus and
minus 10 mm at distances of up to 40 m (PSS).
– A laser range finder is mounted on the backreach of the crane for
an absolute position check of the trolley (APIS).
Learn cycles
First, the crane driver has to handle a container in a normal manner
manually, before the automatic mode is used. (Where anti-collision
devices are not used, Overhead Bridge Cranes (OHBCs) will not require
a learn cycle.)
192 Cranes – Design, Practice, and Maintenance
Chassis Alignment Systems
Special camera-based vision systems may be employed to enhance the
procedure of aligning the transportation equipment (truck chassis,
bump-car, road chassis, etc.) under the crane. The vision-type imaging
system may use natural or artificial light sources or structured light
sources. Based on the image processing, the system indicates to the
truck chassis driver when the chassis or container is aligned with the
centreline of the crane. In addition, the same image processing is utilized
to automatically position the trolley over the chassis兾container and
automatically adjust the skew angle of the spreader to match that of
the chassis兾container. The system indicates to the crane operator when
the chassis position is outside the allowable skew angle which would
allow landing of the spreader. The crane is equipped with a visual sig-
nalling system that indicates to the truck driver when he is approaching
the correct position, when to stop, and when he has overshot the correct
alignment position.
Container Recognition Systems
Camera-based imaging systems are also employed to automatically
recognize the identification numbers printed on the sides and兾or ends
of the containers moved in the terminal. As the operator moves the
container to or from a vessel, cameras located at multiple locations on
the crane capture the ID number. The ID number is then passed over
a data network to a Yard Management System for processing. The
Yard Management System then issues orders or instructions to the yard
transportation equipment for proper dispatch of the container.
Yard Management Systems
The cranes may be supplied with wireless RF, optical fibre, or wave-
guide communication technology to interface with a Yard Management
System. The Yard Management System directs the movements of the
ground traffic, yard stacking crane, and the ship to shore cranes. The
sensors used on board the cranes for the various automation functions
discussed previously, are utilized to establish reports to the Yard Man-
agement System that include container size, container weight, container
pick-up coordinates, container drop-off coordinates, twistlock posi-
tions, etc.
Acknowledgement
Source of information for Section 6.10, Mr John T. Sholes, GE Toshiba
Automation Systems, Salem, Virginia, USA.
Sagging, Rock and Roll, Positioning, and AEI 193
Fig. 6.11.1 Definition of the geometry
6.11 The Stewart Platform Reeving
Patrick Stevedores Pty Inc. and the Australian Centre for Field Robot-
ics (ACFR) at the University of Sydney have recently developed a fully
patented reeving system for the hoist mechanisms of container cranes:
the Stewart Platform Reeving. Figure 6.11.1 shows the schematic lay-
out of the reeving, while Fig. 6.11.2 shows the 1:15 scale working model
of the installation.
The figures show the six hoisting wire ropes of the system. When the
six wire ropes are independently controlled, the six spatial degrees of
freedom can be used for complete control of the load by ‘microposition-
ing’. The reeving system then gives an excellent stiffness; trim, list, and
skew can then also be implemented in the system.
194 Cranes – Design, Practice, and Maintenance
Fig. 6.11.2 The 1:15 scale working model
Stewart Platform reference:
D. Stewart A platform with six degrees of freedom. Proc. Instn Mech.
Engrs (London), Part I, 1965, 180(15), 371–386.
6.12 Checking the alignment of containers etc. with
Laser Scanners
Lase GmbH Industrielle Lasertechnik of Bremen, Germany developed
a fully patented Laser Scanning System with which the distances
between the spreader and a container, an AGV or trailer, etc., as well
as the relative position of these parts to each other can be measured.
When setting down a container on to – or taking a container from –
an AGV, the misalignment between the container and the AGV, as well
as the relative distances between spreader and container or AGV can
be controlled by using the Rotating Laser Scanners, in combination
with an Evaluation Unit, being a supervisory PC. If misalignments are
indicated, a crane driver or checker can correct the positioning.
Figure 6.12.1 gives an overview of the system; Fig. 6.12.2 shows the
measuring and positioning of the scanners at some 22 m above the quay
level; and Fig. 6.12.3 shows one of the ZPMC cranes, equipped with
this system.
Sagging, Rock and Roll, Positioning, and AEI 195
Fig. 6.12.1 Overview
Fig. 6.12.2 Positioning of the scanners
