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 safety device is disclosed for a gantry crane configured to lift containers from a truck driven chassis. The safety device estimates truck movement when the gantry crane lifts the container and sends an alert to avert lifting the truck when the container fails to decouple from the chassis. Motion sensors are disclosed that are configured to coupled to a trolley of a gantry crane and used to create an estimate of the front or back region near a container being lifted. A processor may use the motion sensor signals to avert lifting the truck and/or to avert an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) system reporting a container identification failure when a hatch cover is lifted off of a ship. In various embodiments, the processor may be included in the safety device and/or in the OCR system.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for a crane safety device configured to operate a processor estimating a trajectory for the crane, determining a potentially dangerous event in response to a yard estimate and the trajectory, and sending alert messages in response to the potentially dangerous event. The processor may further generate the yard estimate. The embodiments may include means for implementing these operations, sensors of the yard estimate to generate the yard estimate, computer readable devices and/or a server containing a program system to instruct a computer to at least partly operate the processor and/or an installation package to create the program system.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for a shipping yard and/or a container yard that is configured to communicate with at least one status reporting device to create at least one status report for a container handling device and/or the status reporting device. The status report may be processed to create at least one system action request and/or it may be logged to maintain at least one system log for the container handling device and/or the status reporting device. The container handling device may include any of an optical characteristic system and means for sensing the machine state of the handling device and/or any component coupled to it.

Abstract: A method for controlling output from a photovoltaic array comprises changing electrical connections between photovoltaic panels in the array in response to changes in parameters related to a selected power transfer objective. Examples of power transfer objectives include matching array impedance to changes in electrical load impedance, outputting power at a maximum power point value, and maintaining array output voltage within the input voltage range of an inverter during changes in temperature, illumination, or other parameters affecting photovoltaic panel output. Photovoltaic panels adapted for reconfigurable electrical connections to other photovoltaic panels, referred to as intelligent nodes, are electrically interconnected according to the disclosed method in combinations of serial and parallel circuits selected according to measured and calculated values of parameters related to the selected power transfer objective.

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 system for maximizing power output from a photovoltaic array includes a configurable photovoltaic panel having a series-parallel selector and a bypass selector electrically controlled by a node controller. Some embodiments further include a plurality of configurable photovoltaic modules. A configurable photovoltaic panel may selectively be electrically connected to other configurable photovoltaic panels in a series circuit, a parallel circuit, or a combination of series and parallel circuits according to switching states set by the node controller for the bypass selector and series-parallel selector. A number of configurable photovoltaic panels connected in series and a number connected in parallel may optionally be selected in response to a change in an output voltage from a photovoltaic array, for example a voltage change resulting from a change in illumination, thereby causing the output voltage from the photovoltaic array to be greater than or equal to a minimum input voltage for an inverter.

Abstract: Embodiments of a network topology for monitoring and controlling an array of solar panels include an intelligent node adapted to send and receive data and commands by at least two redundant means of communication. An intelligent node includes a solar panel, a node controller, a photovoltaic module, a bypass relay, a bypass bus, PLC and wireless communication interfaces for redundant means of communication, and sensor and actuator interfaces for monitoring and controlling the intelligent node. A PV module in the intelligent node may selectively be bypassed without interrupting network communications. Some embodiments include a plurality of intelligent nodes electrically connected serially into a chain of nodes and further connected to a gateway. Other embodiments include a plurality of chains of nodes connected to an inverter and a transformer, thereby defining an area. Additional embodiments further include a central server in communication with a plurality of areas.

Abstract: The invention includes apparatus and methods using a means for wirelessly communicating, preferably a radio location-tag unit, for reporting a sensed state of a container handler. The status reporting device may include: a micro-controller module, a means for wirelessly communicating, which may include means for wirelessly determining container handler location, and a means for sensing the state of the container handler.

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 an intermediate transfer position at which a suspended container can be noninvasively inspected by a longitudinally reciprocating container traversing nonintrusive inspection apparatus.

Abstract: [Problem] A polyolefin composition comprising an olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer which is superior to conventional olefin-based thermoplastic elastomers in scratch resistance and abrasion resistance and has excellent heat aging resistance is proposed. [Means for Solving the Problem] A polyolefin composition comprising a syndiotactic ?-olefin-based copolymer (A), a polyolefin resin (B) (other than polybutene (C)), polybutene (C), and if necessary, an ethylene-based copolymer rubber (D).

Abstract: A mechanism and method for making status reporting devices for container handlers, including: providing a micro-controller module, and installing a program system into memory accessed by a computer directing the micro-controller module. The micro-controller module communicatively couples with means for wirelessly communicating and for sensing a state of the container handler. Means for wirelessly communicating may include means for wirelessly determining container handler location. The micro-controller module may be communicatively coupled to a separate means for determining location. An apparatus making the devices may include a second program system directing the invention's method through a second computer, which may control an assembly device in creating the micro-controller, coupled with the means for sensing and for wirelessly communicating.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed that operate at least one camera configured to mount on a container handler by creating a position estimate of a container being handled by the container handler and controlling the camera with a directive in response to the position estimate, to generate a container image to estimate a container code of a container that is used to move cargo typically through container terminals.

Abstract: Methods and several apparatus embodiments are disclosed operating Optical Characteristic Systems (OCS) in a container storage and/or transfer yard supporting the automated recognition of container codes displayed on various sides of the containers being stored and/or transferred. At least one processor may initiate an operational process by an OCS mounted on a container handler to create an operational result, select the operational process based upon an operational schedule and communicate with at least one OCS to receive an image of a container being handled by the container handler to at least partly create a container code estimate for a container inventory management system. A program system directing at least one computer implementing these operations, and may reside in computer readable memory, an installation package and/or a download server. The computer readable memory may or may not be accessibly coupled to the computer.

Abstract: An optical characteristic system configured to couple to a container handler for transferring a container to/from a rail car. A server interface configured to receive from at least one container handler. An optical characteristic system configured to couple to a front end loader. A container handler configured to transfer at least one container to/from a rail car and to report its container image, optical characteristic, container code estimate of the container, a rail car identifier estimate and/or a container chassis identifier estimate. A rail kiosk configured to receive the container image, etc from at least one container handler to create the optical characteristic, the container code estimate, manifest for the rail car, confirmation of the manifest and/or an insurance record for the container. A method operating at least one of the server interface, the rail kiosk and a container inventory management system and the products of those operations.

Abstract: The invention includes apparatus and methods using a means for wirelessly communicating, preferably a radio location-tag unit, for reporting a sensed state of a container handler. The status reporting device may include: a micro-controller module, a means for wirelessly communicating, which may include means for wirelessly determining container handler location, and a means for sensing the state of the container handler.

Abstract: The invention includes apparatus and methods using a means for wirelessly communicating, preferably a radio location-tag unit, for reporting a sensed state of a container handler. The status reporting device may include: a micro-controller module, a means for wirelessly communicating, which may include means for wirelessly determining container handler location, and a means for sensing the state of the container handler.

Abstract: A method and system providing a transfer container crane with container code recognition of a container identified by a container code to a container inventory management system is disclosed. The system and method are capable of performing these tasks without the use of non-standard container tagging.

Abstract: A method and system providing a transfer container crane with container code recognition of a container identified by a container code to a container inventory management system is disclosed. The system and method are capable of performing these tasks without the use of non-standard container tagging.

Abstract: A method for nonintrusive scanning of cargo containers quay side while the containers are being transferred between ship and land transportation utilizing a mobile cargo container handling buffer crane having a bridge crane mounted thereon for transferring cargo containers between a ship and land transportation with an intermediate transfer position whereby a suspended container can be noninvasively inspected by a longitudinally reciprocating container traversing radiation emitter apparatus.