Abstract: It is provided a sensor trolley for use in a container crane. The sensor trolley includes: a sensor arrangement being usable to determine a position of a target for landing or picking up a container; and the sensor trolley is configured to be movable along a horizontal trolley support of the container crane for the sensor arrangement to cover a plurality of vehicle lanes under the container crane.

Abstract: A method for inventory management includes deploying a first mobile drive unit having first dimensions and deploying a second mobile drive unit having second dimensions, the first and second dimensions being different. The first and second mobile drive units are operable to transport inventory items to a plurality of inventory stations in the same workspace.

Abstract: A container that holds rack mountable electronics equipment includes a plurality of rack enclosures and a corresponding plurality of enclosure cooling units. Each rack enclosure is movably mounted in the container such it can move from a position abutting a front of an enclosure cooling unit to a maintenance and access position spaced apart from the enclosure cooling unit. Each enclosure cooling unit is capable of providing varying amounts of cool air to the rack enclosure it abuts, so that the interior of each rack enclosure can be maintained at a different temperature.

Abstract: A land-based shipping container handling system includes at least one transfer stack region. Each transfer stack region includes a rail mounted gantry (RMG) defining a three-dimensional operating region. At least one rail line and at least one row of shipping containers are maintained in the operating region. An elevated platform is disposed at one end of the operating region at an upper portion thereof. Attribute sensing equipment is mounted on the elevated platform.

Abstract: A handling system for ISO containers having a gantry crane and a loading and unloading area, in which transport vehicles can be driven in and out. The crane comprises a first traveling crane having a first crane boom on which a first crane trolley having a first load receiving means can travel between a section on the water side and a section on the land side of the first crane boom, and a second traveling crane having a second crane boom disposed below the section on the land side of the first crane boom, on which a second crane trolley having a second load receiving means can travel, wherein containers can be transferred between the first and second traveling cranes. A passive transfer station is disposed on the second crane boom and the container can be transferred between the transfer station and a transport vehicle located in a loading and unloading area.

Abstract: An ocean freight method and arrangement handles goods in a number of transport modes, such as containers, with the same transport in a cargo hold of an ocean vessel with cranes. The transport has a platform with a width corresponding to two regular containers to be loaded and unloaded by two parallel cranes enabling transportation of heavy and over wide units.

Abstract: A plant (1;20) for transferring cargo (23) to and from a ship (24), said plant comprising an elevated rail structure (2) and a crane unit (3) where the elevated rail structure (2) is arranged on one side of the ship (24) and comprises a longitudinal rail (6) which extends essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ship and where the crane unit is arranged to transfer a load or a group of loads to and from said ship, is supported by said longitudinal rail and is displaceable along said longitudinal rail. The crane unit furthermore comprises a boom (10) and a trolley (21) where the boom of said crane unit extends essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal rail such that one end of the boom extends over the ship; and where the boom of said crane unit comprises a transverse rail (13) which extends in a direction which is essentially transverse to the longitudinal rail and essentially parallel to the centre line of the boom.

Abstract: A port storage and distribution system for facilitating the transfer and/or storage of international shipping containers between container ships and ground transport carriers wherein an overhead grid guide track structure is provide that permits overhead transfer units to selectively engage and convey containers as required between the various ships, carriers and storage area without requiring multiple transfers of containers between different handling equipment. The system provides for container scanning and is either fully automated or partially manually controlled.

Abstract: A platform container transfer terminal (10) functions as an efficient hub port. Sea Point™ Transfer station modules (21, 22, 23) can be moved intact across oceans for rapid erection in remote or strategic locations to provide high speed loading and unloading of large container vessels (31, 32) to lighters or feeder vessels (41, 42, 43, 44, 45) and/or to facilities adjacent. A gantry crane (510) combined with one or more rotating boom cranes (11, 12, 17, 18) increases cargo productivity economically. There can be two luffing boom cranes attached to the gantry and two slewing boom cranes attached to the gantry. One can retrofit an existing gantry by attaching a boom crane and frame to a ship-to-shore gantry.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention include quayside cranes and yard cranes related by a low elevated transfer system and a ground transportation carrier system. The low elevated transfer system includes low elevated transfer subsystems having low elevated rails, the low elevates rails include low elevated crane rails and low elevated flat carrier rails, low elevated cranes are disposed on the low elevated crane rails and low elevated flat carriers are disposed on the low elevated flat carrier rail. The ground transportation carrier system includes ground transportation carrier rails and transportation carriers moving along the ground transportation carrier rails. Embodiments of the present invention transport the containers by rails and use municipal electric as the power supply. A three-dimensional low elevated transfer system and a ground transportation carrier system are provided to implement three-dimensional transportation of containers.

Abstract: A safety device and a processor are disclosed for a quay crane, both are configured to avert the hatch cover being lifted from a ship as a container on the hatch is lifted. A computer readable memory and server are disclosed that may provide the processor with a program system and/or installation package. Motion sensors are disclosed for use with the safety device that may contribute to estimating the movement of the hatch cover.

Abstract: A mobile cargo container handling buffer crane having a bridge crane mounted thereon for transferring cargo containers between a ship and land transportation with nonintrusive inspection apparatus located at an intermediate transfer position past which a container can be longitudinally translated on a shuttle and thereby non-intrusively inspected.

Abstract: A port storage and distribution system for facilitating the transfer and/or storage of international shipping containers between container ships and ground transport carriers wherein an overhead grid guide track structure is provide that permits overhead transfer units to selectively engage and convey containers as required between the various ships, carriers and storage area without requiring multiple transfers of containers between different handling equipment. The system provides for container scanning and is either fully automated or partially manually controlled.

Abstract: A container crane includes a movable trolley and a load-carrying frame pendantly connected to the trolley and comprised of a spreader and a head block, for transfer of a container from or to a transport vehicle. Plural optical detectors are mounted on the trolley for identifying longitudinal and transversal edges of the head block or spreader and the transport vehicle. Operatively connected to the detectors is a processing device for determining a spatial position of the edges and calculating a position of longitudinal and transversal center lines of the head block or spreader and the transport vehicle and their spatial positions in relation to one another. In this way a possible offset of the center lines of the head block or spreader with regard to those of the transport vehicle in longitudinal and transversal directions as well as a rotation angle of the center lines can be determined, whereby a detected offset or rotation angle is compensated by displacing the spreader relative to the head block.

Abstract: A method and system for a quay container crane with container code recognition of a container identified by a container code with container positional identification is disclosed. The system and method are capable of performing these tasks without the use of non-standard container tagging.

Abstract: A method for aligning a truck chassis with a required position relative to a crane, in which the truck is scanned by a sensor means. The laser scanner is located on the crane in such a way that it will be able to scan at least one of a plurality of loading/unloading lanes. The truck is scanned when it enters into one of the loading/unloading lanes in order to detect/identify at least one edge of the truck. The distance between the identified edge of the truck and a fixed point on the crane is measured. A signal is generated that enables a truck driver to drive the truck into a required position in the loading/unloading lane for accurately receiving or delivering a container.

Abstract: In a method of automating the loading and unloading of container ships in container terminals, a stowage plan of a ship cargo compartment to be handled by a container crane is transmitted from a harbor-side master computer via a data link to a PC of a crane automation system which renders the container crane operative in response to the stowage plan for transporting containers between a container ship and a repository location in a container storage area of the container terminal. The stowage plan is displayed on a touch screen of the crane automation system, whereby a next following repository location to be handled in the stowage plan is indicated on the touch screen, e.g. through a change in color.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for cargo transfer. The method and apparatus encompass a shipping terminal with a marine-side and a land-side and a computer-controlled multi-level cargo-sled storage structure placed between the two sides. Cargo is received on the land-side from a land vehicle, transferred onto a cargo sled, which is then stored in the cargo-sled storage structure. When ready for shipping, the cargo sled is retrieved from the storage structure and stuffed into a cargo container on the marine-side, which is then loaded onto a ship. Method and apparatus reduce by up to a factor of eight the required number of cargo containers required to efficiently service shipping vessels.

Abstract: Aspects of the invention include a container code recognition system and method for each of at least two quay cranes. At least one image frame sequence for a container viewed by a camera, on each of the quay cranes, is provided to a human operator. The human operator responds to the image frame sequence for the container. Receiving the human response creates a container code for the container handled by each quay crane. The human response may be through use of a keyboard, pointing device, acoustic interface, and/or eye movement.

Abstract: A terminal and system for the automatic computerized unloading of containerized cargo from container ships to trucks, railroad cars, other ships and storage. The terminal system is equipped to store or transfer unloaded cargo automatically by using independent container transfer vehicles. The cargo ships are moored between quays of a terminal building constructed in or adjacent to a waterway. Independent container transfer vehicles on an overhead transverse beam system lift a container up and away from a ship transfer to the elevated ground rail system without changing orientation, and then shuttle on elevated ground conveyance rails to other areas of the terminal to distribute the container to the pertinent transportation system (railcar, truck, another ship, or storage). Containers can also be unloaded from trucks and railroad cars and transported to a berthed ship utilizing the same transportation system.

Abstract: A method and system for a quay container crane with container code recognition of a container identified by a container code with container positional identification is disclosed. The system and method are capable of performing these tasks without the use of non-standard container tagging.

Abstract: A loading device for ISO containers in a container terminal is arranged below the land-side boom in the rear area of the container bridge and cooperates with container transport vehicles. The loading device comprises at least two bridge members which are movable on the ground independent from one another transverse to the longitudinal axis of the boom, and are oriented parallel to one another and to the boom. Each bridge member forms a loading station for an ISO container and carries in the area of its longitudinal center a receiving platform for an ISO container which can be set down and picked up by load-carrying means, this receiving platform being rotatable about a vertical axis.

Abstract: The invention relates to a fully automated, or a semi-automated, method for mounting or dismounting a semi-automatic twistlock at a corner of a deck container, wherein the twistlock is mounted or dismounted on a quayside where a ship may be docked for loading or unloading, in a loading or unloading terminal installed on the quayside, the deck container being placed by means of the quay crane on a trolley bearing the deck container. The trolley carrying the deck container is brought into the loading or unloading terminal, which loading or unloading terminal is installed outside the operating area of the quay crane. The deck container is lifted off the trolley, after which an implementation apparatus is activated for mounting or dismounting the twistlock. Subsequent to this operation having been carried out, the deck container is replaced on the trolley and the trolley leaves the loading or unloading terminal.

Abstract: A buffer crane for supplementing a quay crane operation and formed to operate thereunder with a landing deck for supporting a multiple of cargo containers above dockside cargo transport operations and for moving cargo containers therebetween by means of a straddle crane mounted on rails on said landing deck.

Abstract: An inter-box connector (IBC) installation and removal system for a buffer crane formed to operate under a quay crane for supplementing operation thereof by semi-automating the previously “by hand” IBC installation and removal procedures.

Abstract: A loading device for ISO containers in a container terminal with a container bridge for the loading and unloading of ships and with automatic incoming and outgoing transfer of the containers by means of automatic guided vehicles, with at least one container load suspension device in the form of a spreader and devices for the intermediate positioning of the container within the loading device to allow the installation or removal of the twistlocks, and with platforms for the workers performing this task. The loading device consists of a polar bridge crane, which can rotate around its center vertical axis, and which is designed as a bridge crane with a trolley capable of traveling on a crane bridge supported on a circular track located in the rear area of the land-side rail of the container bridge.

Abstract: A terminal and system for the automatic computerized unloading of containerized cargo from container ships to trucks, railroad cars, other ships or storage. The terminal system is equipped to store or transfer unloaded cargo automatically by using independent container transfer vehicles. The cargo ships are moored between quays of a terminal building constructed in or adjacent to a waterway. Independent container transfer vehicles on an overhead transverse beam system lift a container up and away from a ship and transfer it to the elevated ground rail system without changing the container orientation, and then shuttle on elevated ground conveyance rails to other areas of the terminal to distribute the container to the pertinent transportation system or to storage.

Abstract: The invention relates to a lifting device for increasing the performance of a handling apparatus for ISO containers, in particular for increasing the performance of a container bridge in a terminal having automated inward and outward transport of the containers by means of self-propelled transport vehicles, and having at least one container load-lifting means in the form of a spreader and devices for the intermediate positioning of the containers within the handling apparatus for the purpose of fitting or removing the twist locks, and platforms for the personnel occupied in doing this.

Abstract: A loading device for ISO containers in a container terminal with a container bridge for the loading and unloading of ships and with automatic incoming and outgoing transfer of the containers by means of automatic guided vehicles, with at least one container load suspension device in the form of a spreader and devices for the intermediate positioning of the container within the loading device to allow the installation or removal of the twistlocks, and with platforms for the workers performing this task. The loading device consists of a polar bridge crane, which can rotate around its center vertical axis, and which is designed as a bridge crane with a trolley capable of traveling on a crane bridge supported on a circular track located in the rear area of the land-side rail of the container bridge.

Abstract: A wheel supported conveyor having a central platform crane section disposed between opposite end crane sections is positioned in underlying relation to a container holding spreader of a dockside terminal crane for transfer of containers to and from the chassis of trucks moved into loading positions without obstruction along parallel spaced passage lanes formed in the end crane sections. Sections of a roller track are respectively associated with each of the conveyor crane sections for displacement of the containers laterally between a common track path and the truck passage lanes. Container spreaders are slidably mounted on the end crane sections effecting said lateral displacement of containers between the truck passage lanes and the common roller track path.