Description Device, system and method for determining the position of a container aboard a container vessel The present invention relates to a coupling member for securing first corner fittings of a first container to second corner fittings of a second container at least to prevent horizontal displacement in relation to one another.
The invention further relates to an arrangement of a container and such a coupling member, as well as a container vessel including containers and multiple slots, each for one stack of containers stacked one above the other, bottom coupling members and coupling members, with the lowermost container of said containers, in the stacked state, being secured by means of bottom coupling members to a container foundation and the upper containers, which are stacked — above said lowermost container, being secured by coupling members at their corner fittings to one another at least against horizontal displacement.
Finally, the invention relates to a method for determining the position of container aboard a container vessel.
Such a coupling member is, for example, known from EP 1 534 612 BI or WO 2014/032659 Al.
Specifically, these documents show so-called fully automatic twistlocks (FAT). Remote-controlled coupling members and a method for the use thereof are taught by WO 2006/025790 A1, WO 2008/153494A1 and WO 2018/172518 Al.
The coupling member according to the invention is generally suitable in connection with the transport of containers on vehicles.
However, the invention is particularly directed to the maritime transport of containers on board container vessels.
On board these container vessels, containers are transported as container stacks in the hull (below deck) or on deck (on the hatch cover) of the vessel.
The containers stacked below deck are guided in cellguides and do not require any special securing.
Only if 20-foot containers are loaded on stowage spaces for 40-foot containers is it necessary to secure them against ill NNN horizontal displacement by means of twist stackers. For the purposes of the present disclosure, "horizontal" always means a direction parallel to the plane of the ship deck, while "vertical" is the direction perpendicular thereto. Containers loaded on deck are to be interconnected by suitable coupling members. Specifically, in a container stack, two containers stacked one above the other are connected to one another at their corner fittings by coupling members in such a way that they are secured both against horizontal displacement with respect to one another and against lifting of the respective upper container from the respective lower container — (securing/connecting against lifting forces). Indeed, the containers of the lowermost layers and sometimes also containers of higher layers are additionally secured with lashing rods with the aid of lashing bridges. However, the coupling members are often the only securing devices of the containers, in particular of higher layers, against loss during maritime transport. In practice, fully automatic coupling members (Fully Automatic Twistlock - FAT) and semi-automatic coupling members (Semi-Automatic Twistlock - SAT) are used. The semi-automatic coupling members are also used in combination with midlocks if 20-foot containers are stacked in slots for 40-foot containers. As already mentioned, examples of fully automatic coupling members are known from EP 1 534 612 BI or WO 2014/032659 A1. The present invention can be advantageously used both in connection with the twist stackers used below deck and also with the twistlocks and midlocks used on deck as well as with bottomlocks. A securing means according to the invention can accordingly be a twist stacker, a bottom stacker, a fully or semi-automatic or also manual twistlock, a midlock or a bottomlock. During stowing (loading) of the containers, the stevedore first inserts one coupling member each with its upper coupling projection into the four lower corner fittings of a container to be loaded and pre-locks them there. This already ensures that the coupling members are reliably coupled with the respective lower corner fittings of this container to be loaded. The container is now lifted on deck of the vessel with a crane (container gantry) and is set down there on an already stowed container. During this process, the lower coupling projections hook into the four top corner fittings of the already stowed container. In the now stacked state, the lower coupling projections engage in the top
980.
corner fittings of the already stowed, now lower container, and in this way secure the newly stowed, now upper container, against loss during maritime transport.
In the context of the present disclosure, this state is referred to as the coupled or interlocked state.
In the same way, containers of the lowermost (bottom) layer can also be secured on a container foundation.
However, in practice, appropriate coupling members (bottom stackers below deck and bottomlocks on deck) are used in this process, which coupling members essentially correspond to the twist stackers, twistlocks or midlocks used between the containers, but are initially inserted "upside down" into the foundations.
The
— respective container of the bottom layer is then stowed.
The container foundations themselves are welded onto the ship deck or hatch cover.
The bottom stackers or bottomlocks generally remain permanently in the foundations.
When loading the lowermost container, upper coupling projections of the bottomlock engage container bottom corner fittings of the lower container and interlock.
The lowermost container is
— then secured both against horizontal displacement and against lifting forces.
WO 2016/126163 A2 discloses a bottomlock which has a weight sensor which is used to detect the weight resting on it as the state of the bottomlock.
The sum of the weight measurements of all four bottomlocks associated with a lowermost container yields the respective stack weight (sum of the weights of all containers in the container stack). The
— weight of a loaded container results from the difference in stack weight before and after a newly loaded container has been loaded.
This way, it is precisely determined how much a particular container in a particular position of a particular container stack weighs.
Ship management can compare this information with the stowage plan or bill of lading present for each vessel.
Unfortunately, in practice, individual containers loaded on deck or whole container stacks are lost during maritime transport.
The causes for this can be, for example, non- observance of the permissible container weight for a particular slot and, as a result, impermissible transmission of force into the corner fittings and the coupling members.
Preventing this is the object of the aforementioned WO 2016/126163 A2. 3p tt
The time a container ship spends in a port for cargo handling is of great economic importance for operators of container vessels.
On the one hand, demurrage is often calculated directly according to time spent in port; on the other hand, the operator of a container vessel earns his money by transporting goods, not by staying in ports.
Shortening the time spent in port is therefore desirable in a number of respects.
For this purpose, the aforementioned WO 2006/025790 Al, WO 2008/153494 A1 and WO 2018/172518 Al teach a coupling member or a combination of coupling members that can be unlocked remotely at the appropriate time.
To implement this, after installation on a container by a port worker, the coupling members are manually assigned to this container and provided with a unique identifier.
In addition, a safety device can be attached to the container and assigned to it via the identifier.
Thus, on the one hand, a signal for unlocking and, partly, also for locking can be transmitted to the coupling members of a specific container, and on the other hand, a message from the safety device can also be transmitted to a base.
When transporting goods by means of containers on container vessels, it is furthermore imperative for safety and reliability that the containers loaded on deck are reliably coupled by the coupling members.
In fact, it also happens that when a container is being loaded, one or more of the four coupling members do not actually couple correctly with the associated corner fitting of the container arranged therebelow.
The stevedores or the ship crew cannot reliably recognize this by means of a purely visual inspection, in particular in the case of higher container stacks.
The Conver-OSR semi- automatic twistlock CV-12 was therefore equipped with a red plunger in its stop plate which, upon complete rotation of the twistlock's lower stowage cone into the coupled
— position, was fully retracted into the stop plate and was therefore no longer visible when looking up along the container stack from below.
In case of an incompletely rotated lower coupling projection, however, the plunger stuck out and was visible.
However, this plunger only indicated that the lower stowage cone is rotated completely into the coupled position.
It is thus not yet certain that the twistlock is also reliably coupled with the top corner fitting of the lower container.
Furthermore, this system cannot be used with midlocks or fully automatic coupling members since they have no movable lower coupling projections.
Moreover, when two 20-foot containers are loaded one behind the ss n-
other in a slot for a 40-foot container, there is only a 3-inch gap between them.
Therefore,
even in the case of analogous equipment from midlocks or fully automatic coupling elements, such a plunger would not be visible at all, so that visual control would then not be possible anyway.
However, even at the accessible end faces of the container stacks, visual inspection would be very time-consuming and prone to errors.
Furthermore, it has already occurred in practice that a single container caught fire due to damage to a cooling unit or spontaneous combustion of the load, for example.
For example, there was a spontaneous combustion of charcoal cargo on the container ship
MSC KATRINA in the Elbe estuary on November 30, 2015, and the LUDWIGSHAFEN EXPRESS in the Red Sea on February 21, 2016; investigation reports 455/15 and 58/16 of the Federal Maritime Accident Investigation Bureau (BSU). Furthermore, on January 3, 2019, a fire occurred on the YANTIAN EXPRESS in containers loaded on deck while the ship was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Such a fire can spread to neighboring containers unnoticed by the ship's crew, which is precisely what happened on the YANTIAN EXPRESS, and can especially happen on larger container ships.
Such fires are in fact difficult to detect at present, since the smoke hardly penetrates to the outside due to the enclosed nature of the containers, and the usual wind quickly dilutes what little smoke there is.
In addition, fires in containers can develop over very long periods of time,
so that they are only noticed as fire emerges from the affected container.
In particular, if a container catches fire in the forward area, far from the bridge, the fire may not even be immediately detected.
This can not only destroy a significant part of the cargo itself, but also cause considerable damage to the vessel's structure due to the heat of the fire.
This applies in particular to containers loaded below deck.
It is thus the object of the present invention to further develop a coupling member, an arrangement, a container vessel and a method of the type mentioned above such that safety during the transport of containers on vehicles, in particular on container vessels, is improved.
This object is achieved with a coupling member according to claim 1, an arrangement according to claim 5, a container vessel according to claim 8 and a method — fy according to claim 13. Advantageous further developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.
According to the invention, the coupling member is characterized by a distance sensor, which is configured to detect a distance to the first corner fitting and/or second corner fitting, , and a transmitting unit configured to transmit an identification signal for identifying the sensor and a distance signal that is representative for the detected distance to the first corner fitting and/or second corner fitting.
Indeed, the identification signal and the distance signal can theoretically be transmitted separately.
In practice, however, the common transmitting units are set up in such a way that, with each signal, they simultaneously transmit a unique identifier for their identification.
In other words, the identification signal is a unique identifier by which the coupling member is identified, which is usually transmitted together with the distance signal.
Thus, in practice, there is no real separation of the distance signal and the identification signal.
Rather, they are — transmitted as a unified signal.
According to the invention, it is known which securing element supplies the status signal based on the identification signal.
If the status signal indicates a condition that requires the intervention of the ship's crew, the crane operator or the stevedore, the cause
— can be specifically eliminated or a countermeasure can be taken.
In doing so, the crew member or stevedore can be specifically directed to the corresponding coupling member and thus the fault can be rectified safely and quickly.
According to the invention, the sensor and the transmitting unit are integrated into the coupling member.
This means that each time a coupling member is inserted into a corner fitting of a container, the respective sensor and the associated transmitting unit are also inserted at the same time.
There is no additional effort for separate installation.
In addition, conventional containers can be used without having to be converted.
The container vessels can be retrofitted by simply replacing the coupling members and retrofitting the associated electronics.
In the process, it is assumed that the coupling member is correctly interlocked if the distance measured
— by a distance sensor lies in a precisely defined range within which - based on experience or technical specification, in particular the vertical clearance between the lower coupling projection and the top corner fitting of the lower container, which is structurally defined ss ene-
for the specific coupling member used - correct interlocking can be assumed.
The distance sensors can thus be used to reliably determine whether each container is correctly coupled or interlocked and thus anchored or secured.
If it is determined that a container is not correctly interlocked, the signals transmitted by the distance sensors - which not only transmit the respective distance to the associated container corner fitting, but can also be identified and thus their assigned spatial position in the container stack can be inferred - provide reliable information as to where specifically a particular coupling member is not correctly interlocked.
Therefore, faulty interlocking can already be detected and rectified during loading of the container vessel.
The distance sensor can be designed so that it
— precisely measures the existing actual distance.
Alternatively, the distance sensor can also be designed so that it digitally detects whether a predetermined distance is below the vertical clearance specified by the design, for example.
In the latter case, the distance sensor can be designed as a limit switch, for example.
— According to a further development of the invention, a further sensor can be provided, which is configured for detecting another state, such as, for example, a temperature and/or an open or closed state of the coupling member and/or an acceleration and/or a presence of a predetermined gas as the respective state of the coupling member.
Critical temperature increases and/or temperature gradients indicate a container fire in the vicinity of the coupling member transmitting the status signal.
Thus, considerable safety advantages can be achieved with the system according to the invention in the transport of containers on container vessels.
Other conceivable applications for the present invention include the measurement of an acceleration, so as to detect the setting down of the upper container on the lower container or container foundation or impermissible acceleration values and thus impermissible forces acting on the coupling member during maritime transport, or the detection of the escape of a predetermined gas from containers.
For example, the presence of ripening gas as a predetermined gas indicates that loaded fruit is ripening too quickly and is in danger of spoiling or has already spoiled.
Of course, the predetermined gas can also be smoke gas, which indicates a fire.
p NNN
One or more of the aforementioned or other sensors can be assigned to the coupling member according to the invention. For example, a coupling member may be equipped with a distance sensor and a temperature sensor. Additionally or alternatively to one of these sensors, a gas sensor and/or a sensor for the open or closed state of the coupling member may also be provided. In this way, one or more dangerous states of a container or its securing device can be detected at an early stage and remedied if necessary. Each coupling member associated with the first container can be equipped with the same sensor, e.g., the distance sensor, or with different sensors or combinations of sensors. For example, the coupling members of each corner fitting may be equipped with a distance — sensor, but only one of these coupling members may additionally be equipped with a temperature sensor, or two diametrically opposite coupling members may additionally each be equipped with a temperature sensor. Interlocking faults are thus monitored at each coupling member, while it may be sufficient for early fire detection that only one or two of these coupling members are additionally equipped with the temperature sensor. Advantageously, however, all coupling members are of the same design, so that the stevedore does not have to be careful which coupling member he inserts into which corner fitting. Furthermore, one or more additional sensors also may be or are attached directly to the container. Advantageously, the transmitting unit may also be designed as transmitting and receiving unit. Thus, it can also receive a signal, for example, an activation signal or a command, for example, for transmitting the identification signal and/or the state signal or a signal containing both the state and the identification. In order to conserve power for the sensor or sensors as well as the transmitting unit, these should be switched off or put into a sleep mode when they are not needed. For this purpose, according to a further development of the invention, the coupling member has an activation means which is designed for activation and deactivation. This can in particular be a sensor that is configured to detect insertion of the coupling member into a corner fitting. For this purpose, a proximity sensor is suitable, for example, which detects that the coupling member has been inserted in the corner fitting of the container to be loaded. Alternatively, the activation means may also be a sensor that detects that the
880.
coupling member has been removed from a box, a so-called bin. Manual actuation of the activation means by the stevedore is also possible, but is not preferred due to the susceptibility to errors and the additional effort involved. An arrangement according to the invention is formed by a container and at least one coupling member according to the invention inserted in one of its bottom corner fittings. This arrangement also achieves the advantages described above. Preferably, one coupling member according to the invention is inserted into each bottom corner fitting. Indeed, for certain applications, it may be sufficient to insert a coupling member according to the invention in only one of the four corner fittings that are always present in practice, or to insert one coupling member according to the invention each into , for example, two diametrically opposite corner fittings, and to insert coupling members according to the state of the art in the remaining three or two corner fittings. An example of this could be temperature measurement for fire detection or gas measurement also for fire detection — (smoke gas) or ripening gas detection. However, this would require provisioning two different types of coupling members on board and would be prone to error. These disadvantages are overcome if a coupling member according to the invention is inserted into each corner fitting. For certain applications, such as detecting the correct interlocking of the coupling members, this may even be necessary. In any case, the result is closer and — thus more reliable monitoring. According to a further development of the arrangement, the container has an additional transmitting unit. The transmitting unit is designed for transmitting a state such as a temperature and/or a presence of a predetermined gas and/or a malfunction of an aggregate of the container and/or data relating to the cargo inside the container. Consequently, suitable states, such as the temperature, the presence of, e.g, ripening gas or the correct or faulty functioning of a refrigeration unit can be detected by means of sensors directly attached to the container or also sensors arranged inside the container,
e.g., directly on the cargo or a pallet or the like. These sensors are coupled with the additional transmitting unit, which transmits the collected data. This enables even faster reporting of any hazards, such as a fire, or malfunctions to the ship's management. It is understood that the additional transmitting unit may also be designed to receive signals,
930.
analogously to the transmitting unit in the coupling member according to the invention.
Furthermore, it is possible that state data of the cargo is transmitted via the ship's network to the outside, e.g., via mobile and/or satellite communication, e.g., to the owner of the cargo or the container.
The container vessel according to the invention is characterized in that at least one of the bottom coupling members is configured for detecting a change in weight; in that a coupling member according to the invention is inserted into at least one of the corner fittings of each upper container; and in that at least one base unit is provided aboard the
— container vessel for receiving and forwarding the signals of the coupling members.
When the at least one coupling member according to the invention interlocks with the top corner fitting of the lower container, the corresponding sensor transmits a signal.
Almost simultaneously, the at least one bottom coupling member (the bottom stacker or bottomlock) detects a change in weight.
With this it is known on which container stack
— the newly loaded container has been placed.
By simply counting the weight changes, the position of the container and thus its specific position on the container vessel (bay, row and location) is also known.
Thus, the report of a faulty or even dangerous state originating from a specific coupling member can be associated with a concrete container position.
The ship's crew or, if the report occurs during the loading/unloading process, the stowage personnel can be directed to this container and investigate the report.
The bottom coupling member generally detects the event of a container having been newly set down/loaded on the stack.
A sure sign of this is the change in weight of the container stack, i.e., the mere fact of a change in weight, without the change in weight necessarily having to be quantified.
This can be detected, for example, by a piezoelectric element in the bottom coupling member.
As a result of setting down/loading the new container and the associated change in the stack weight, the piezoelectric element sends a current impulse and thus signals the event that a new container has been loaded.
However, if the change in weight of the stack is also to be quantified, the bottom coupling
— member according to WO 2016/126163 A2, for example, can be used so that, in addition to the simple fact that a container has been newly set down/loaded on the stack, the specific weight of the container newly loaded on the stack can be determined by ss Jn0-
subtraction of the stack weight after and before loading the newly loaded container and, if necessary, compared with the bill of lading and/or the container weight permitted for the respective stowage place.
If two or more corner fittings of a container are provided with the coupling members according to the invention and if the sensor is a sensor that detects the state, a distance sensor that detects a correct interlocking of the coupling member, then these coupling members are automatically detected as being associated with a particular container as soon as this container is set down on the lower container and the coupling members interlock.
As already explained above, the bottomlocks then detect a change in weight in direct temporal relation to the signal from the coupling elements according to the invention that they are interlocking.
If the distance sensor on one of these coupling members now fails, it does not transmit a signal that the coupling member is interlocked.
The stevedore or the ship's crew must then investigate this.
There is also the further disadvantage that this coupling member is not recognized as being associated with the container.
If the coupling members have other sensors, such as a temperature sensor, additional temperature signals are transmitted.
However, these cannot be assigned to a specific container.
This means, unacceptable temperatures can therefore not be traced in a targeted manner.
It is therefore desirable for the coupling members assigned to a container to be recognized as a group even if this is not possible by simply setting down the upper, newly loaded container on the lower container.
For this purpose, according to a further development of the container vessel according to the invention, at least three spatially spaced apart locating units are distributed on board the container vessel such that during the hoisting of one of the containers on board the vessel, each coupling member according to the invention can be located.
With the at least three spatially spaced apart locating units, the position of the coupling members according to the invention can be detected by means of trilateration, for example, and their path can be tracked during the hoisting of the container on board
— the ship.
Coupling members according to the invention that have the same movement pattern are inserted in corner fittings of the same container and can thus be detected as a group.
Should the distance sensor of one said coupling members fail, they will still be 4180.
recognized as being associated with a particular container.
This works even if two or even three distance sensors fail, as long as the distance sensor still works correctly on at least on one of the coupling members and all coupling members transmit their identification.
The base units can be used as locating units, which base units are also provided for receiving and forwarding the coupling member signals.
Separate locating units are then not required.
It is also advantageous if at least one base unit is designed to transmit signals to the
— coupling members.
This makes it possible to send commands to the at least one coupling member according to the invention, such as a query signal, which is used for querying the data measured by the sensors.
Also, in order to conserve power, it may be useful to put the coupling members into sleep mode during the voyage and to put them into operation only at certain time intervals in order to query data.
The base unit can then transmit corresponding activation/deactivation signals, possibly combined with a query signal, to the coupling members.
According to a further embodiment of the container vessel according to the invention, a relay unit is set up for each of a predetermined group of base units for receiving and possibly transmitting of all signals transmitted from and/or to this group of base units and for forwarding them to a processing unit.
This makes it possible to cover greater distances than would otherwise be possible due to the range of the base units.
Again, it is possible for certain base units distributed throughout the vessel to also act as the relay units, so that separate relay units are not required.
The processing unit can preferably be an on-board computer.
The method according to the invention for determining the position of a container aboard a container vessel according to the invention comprises the following steps: Inserting a coupling member according to any of claims 1 to 4 into at least one of the bottom corner fittings of a container to be loaded and hoisting the container to be loaded onto an already loaded container; detecting the setting down of the container to be loaded onto the already loaded container and transmitting a distance signal to the base unit; ss on0-
transmitting an identification signal from this coupling member together with the distance signal to the base unit; detecting a weight change on a bottom coupling member connecting the lowermost container of a container stack to a container foundation and transmitting a weight change signal to the base unit; forwarding the signal to a processing — unit, in particular, an on-board computer, and determining whether the coupling member is associated with the same container stack as the bottom coupling member, in particular on the basis of a temporal difference between the status signal and the weight change signal; determining the position of the container to be loaded within the container stack by counting the weight changes measured by the bottom coupling member As already — mentioned above, in practice all transmitted signals will always contain an identifier by which the coupling member or the bottom coupling member identifies itself.
The method according to the invention has the same advantages as already described for the coupling member according to the invention and the container vessel — according to the invention.
Since the respective coupling member already transmits its identification signal before the new container to be loaded is set down on an already loaded container, the correct interlocking, for example, can be checked immediately during the loading process.
This enables the stevedore, the crane operator and/or the ship's crew to react immediately if a successful or correct coupling/interlocking is not reported, and to bring about correct coupling/interlocking through appropriate intervention.
According to an advantageous further development of the method according to the invention, the distance signal and, if applicable, a signal of the further sensor, or data from sensors, coupled with the additional transmitting unit can be detected, or collected, cyclically and/or upon request by the processing unit, in particular also during the transport of the containers, and a display of the state and/or an alarm signal as well as the position of the associated coupling member can be initiated in order to re-check a correct coupling/interlocking or another state in cases of doubt or to improve safety by continuous monitoring.
For example, a temperature can also be measured continuously or periodically to detect, e.g., a fire at an early stage.
Other state data can also be measured continuously or periodically for early detection of dangerous changes of state. ss 533R0.
During the hoisting of a container on board the vessel, the coupling member(s) associated with that container and, if applicable, other sensors on the container can be detected as a group based on their movement pattern during hoisting. In this way, it can be ensured that the change of state coupled to an event always applies to all four coupling members of the group and, where applicable, to the sensor additionally arranged on the container. The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an example of an embodiment shown in the figures. In the figures:
Fig. 1 shows a front view of a coupling member having the features of the invention;
Fig. 2 shows inserting a coupling member according to Fig. 1 into a bottom — corner fitting of a container to be loaded;
Fig. 3 shows the container to be loaded during hoisting;
Fig. 4 shows setting down the container to be loaded on an already loaded container;
Fig. 5 shows a weight-time graph with weight changes of a container stack during loading of a container and signals from coupling members according to Fig. 1;
Fig. 6 shows a container stack consisting of two containers stacked on top of each other during ship voyage;
Fig. 7 shows unloading of a container;
Fig. 8 shows a weight-time graph with weight changes of a container stack during unloading of a container; - 14/30 -
Fig. 9 shows removing a coupling member according to Fig. 1 from the bottom corner fitting of the unloaded container;
Fig. 10 shows an arrangement consisting of a container and coupling members according to Fig. 1;
Fig. 11 shows loading the arrangement according to Fig. 8 onto a container vessel in cross section;
Fig. 12 shows the loading according to Fig. 9 in top plan view;
Fig. 13 shows setting down the arrangement according to Fig. 8 onto an already loaded container.
Fig. 1 shows an example of a coupling member 20 according to the invention, a so- called fully automatic twistlock (FAT). Specifically, the coupling member 20 according to the present embodiment is based on a fully automatic twistlock according to WO 2014/032659 Al. In keeping with conventional coupling members, the coupling member 20 has an upper coupling projection 21, which the stevedore inserts into the — bottom corner fitting 22 of a container 23 to be loaded and pre-locks it there (Fig. 2). The coupling member 20 further has a lower coupling projection 24, which, when the container 23 to be loaded is loaded and set down on an already loaded container 25, engages with the top corner fitting 26 of said container 25 (Fig. 4). In the context of the present disclosure, the container 23 which is to be newly loaded or has just been newly loaded is also referred to as the upper container 23 and the container 25 which has already been loaded is referred to as the lower container 25. In the present case, a stop plate 27 is provided between the coupling projections 21, 24 which stop plate, in the coupled state, rests on the top corner fitting 26 of the lower container 25 and on which, in turn, the bottom corner fitting 22 of the upper container 23 rests. The coupling member 20 has a transmitting unit 28 which has an identifier by which the coupling member 20 can be identified. In the embodiment shown, the transmitting ss sn0-
unit 28 is located in the upper coupling projection 21. However, it may also be accommodated at any other suitable location in the coupling member 20. The coupling member 20 further has one or more sensors that detect a respective state of the coupling member 20. According to the invention, the coupling member 20 has a distance sensor
29. The distance sensor 29 can measure the distance to the lower container 25. In the present case, the distance sensor 29 is arranged in the stop plate 27, namely on the bottom surface 30 thereof. The distance sensor 29 measures the distance of the bottom surface 30 of the stop plate 27 to the top surface 31 of the top corner fitting 26 of the lower container 25 (see Figs. 4 and 6). The distance sensor 29 may alternatively also be arranged in the — lower coupling projection 24 and then measures, for example, the distance to the bottom of the corner fitting 26. Other suitable positions for the distance sensor 29 are conceivable and will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the present disclosure. The signal transmitted by the distance sensor 29 comprising the distance to the top — corner fitting 26 of the lower container 25 may be the specific current distance (e.g., in mm) or a simple yes/no signal as to whether the distance is within the range indicating correct coupling of the coupling member 20 with the top corner fitting 26 of the lower container 25. The distance sensor 29 itself may be an ultrasonic sensor, a laser sensor, or other sensor suitable for measuring a distance. To detect the yes/no signal, a simple limit — switch or piezoelectric element is sufficient as the distance sensor 29, which is triggered when the coupling is correct, 1.e., for example, when the distance sensor 29 rests on the top corner fitting 26 (or, if the distance sensor is arranged in the lower coupling projection 24, on the bottom of the corner fitting 26). In addition to the distance sensor 29, the coupling member 20 may include one or more other sensors, as indicated above. In the present case, the coupling member also has a temperature sensor 32 and further distance sensor 33. In the present case, the temperature sensor 32 is also arranged at the bottom surface 30 of the stop plate 27 and measures the temperature of the top corner fitting 26 of the lower container 25, and can thus be used for fire alarm purposes, for example. The further distance sensor 33 is arranged in the shank 34 of the upper coupling projection 21 and measures the distance to the edge of a long hole in the bottom corner fitting 22 of the upper container 23. This ss en0-
can be used to detect that the coupling member 20 has been inserted into a corner fitting 22 and this signal can be used to activate the transmitting unit 28 and the other sensors 29, 32. Alternatively or additionally to said sensors 29, 32, other/further sensors such as a gas sensor or an accelerometer may be provided, depending on the desired application.
The gas sensor may be configured for detecting, e.g., smoke gas indicative of a fire, or for detecting ripening gas indicative of spoilage of loaded food items, or any other gas hazardous to the environment or health.
The accelerometer may be used to detect accelerations induced by ship motions (rolling, pitching, yawing) during maritime transport and thus forces acting on the coupling members 20 and corner fittings 22, 26 or
— even the cargo transported in the container.
A further or alternative indication of such forces is also provided by load changes measured by bottomlocks 35 configured for this purpose.
An example of such bottomlocks 35 is known from WO 2016/126163 A2 already mentioned at the beginning.
Furthermore, the additional/further sensor can also be used to collect and transmit data from inside the container, e.g., for pallet monitoring or for monitoring refrigerated containers.
On board a container vessel, the coupling member 20 described so far is used as follows:
After delivery of the new container 23 to be loaded to the quay, said container is hoisted by a container crane so that a stevedore can insert one coupling member each into each of the bottom corner fittings 22, which in practice are always four, of the (upper) container 23 to be loaded (Fig. 2). At least one of these coupling members is a coupling member 20 according to the invention.
In practice, however, coupling members 20 according to the invention will always be inserted in all four bottom corner fittings 22, if only to avoid errors due to two different types of coupling members and/or to increase the measurement density.
The measurement of a correct interlocking of the coupling members 20 with top corner fittings 26 of the already loaded container 25, on which the upper container 23 is placed during loading, should be carried out already for safety reasons with all four pairs of upper and lower corner fittings 22, 25 by means of the coupling members 20 according to the invention. 4780.
In practice, the coupling members 20 are part of the container vessel and are carried by it in specially provided boxes, in practice called bins, unless they are needed for securing containers during a voyage. The stevedore removes the coupling members 20 from one of these bins and inserts them into the bottom corner fittings 22 (Fig. 2). To conserve power, the coupling members 20 are put into a hibernation mode while they are in the bins and are not inserted into a bottom corner fitting 22. They are woken up by an activation signal. This signal can be, for example, the first distance measurement by the distance sensor 29 as soon as the stop plate 27 of the coupling member 20 approaches or comes to rests on a top corner fitting 26 of the lower container 25. In the latter case, the — distance sensor may be a simple piezoelectric element, which transmits a current surge as an activation signal when it comes to rest and thus also signals the correct interlocking at the same time. In the case of the coupling member 20 according to Fig. 1, however, the further — distance sensor33 serves to activate the coupling member 20. The further distance sensor 33 is therefore also referred to as activation sensor 33 in the context of the present disclosure. By means of this activation sensor 33, it is detected that the coupling member has been inserted with its upper coupling projection 21 into a bottom corner fitting 22, and the coupling member 20 is activated by means of this signal. The activation sensor 20 33 may in turn be a piezoelectric element, which sends a current surge as an activation signal when the shank 34 bumps against the edge of the slotted hole of the corner fitting
22. Based on this disclosure, further suitable positions for the activation sensor 33 — become apparent to the person skilled in the art. Furthermore, the activation sensor 33 may also be designed so that it already detects the removal of the coupling member 20 from the bin and transmits the activation signal. In all cases mentioned, the coupling member is already activated by the activation sensor 33, so that signals can already be transmitted during the hoisting of the container 23 on board the container vessel. This variant is of particular importance in connection with a further development of the invention, which will be explained in more detail below with reference to Figs. 10 to 13. ss asn0-
The arrangement formed by the new (upper) container 23 to be loaded and the coupling members 20 is now hoisted on board the container vessel (Fig. 3) and set down there on one of the already loaded (lower) containers 25 (Fig. 4). Fig. 4 specifically shows the setting down of the upper container 23 on the lower container 25 of the lowermost layer.
This container is, as already mentioned, connected in the usual way to container foundations with the bottomlocks 35, which in the present case are configured for weight measurement, e.g., with the bottomlocks 35 according to WO 2016/126163 A2. Due to the setting down of the upper container 23 on the lower container 25, the weight of the container stack (stack weight) changes.
This change in the stack weight is detected by the bottomlocks 35 and a corresponding weight signal 36 together with an identifier for the respective bottomlock from which the weight signal 36 originates is transmitted to a base unit 37, of which there are preferably several distributed at suitable locations on board the vessel.
The position of the bottomlocks 35 on the vessel is known.
In practice, they always remain in their container foundations.
The distance sensors 29 of the coupling
— members 20 detect the distance to the respective top corner fitting 26 of the lower container 25 in immediate temporal connection and transmit a corresponding distance signal 38 by means of the transmitting unit 28, also to the base unit 37. In this way, it can be detected whether the coupling members 20 have properly interlocked with the corner fittings 26. Together with the distance signal, the transmitting units 28 transmit an identification signal (ID) so that the distance signal can be assigned to a specific ID and thus to a specific coupling member 20, without it already being known where this coupling member is located.
In practice, the distance signal, like all other status signals transmitted by the coupling member 20, already contains the identification signal.
With which container stack the newly loaded (upper) container 20 is associated and in which
— position it is located is determined based on the weight measurement by means of the bottomlocks 35. This is illustrated in the diagram according to Fig. 5.
The abscissa of the diagram according to Fig. 5 shows the time axis, while the ordinate shows the stack weight (sum of the loads resting on the individual bottom — stackers 35) of a particular container stack as indicated by the bottom stackers 35. The step-like weight progression 39 over time is shown in Fig. 5. As soon as the upper container 23 is set down on the lower container 25, the stack weight changes abruptly by ss 4980.
the weight of the upper container 23. In immediate temporal relation (though not necessarily exactly simultaneously), the transmitting units 28 of the coupling members 20 of the newly loaded container transmit their distance signals, as shown by the group of four dots 40 in Fig. 5. Each dot represents the time of a distance signal of one of the coupling members 20. For comparison, a second group of dots 41 is shown, which stand for distance signals from coupling members 20 transmitted at an earlier time. Because of the distance in time to the weight increase after line 39, these must belong to a different container stack. Thus, it is known with which of the container stacks on board the container vessel the newly loaded container 23 is associated. The location of the newly — loaded container 23 within the stack is also known through simply counting the weight changes measured by the bottom stacker 35. The stack weight is initially "zero". When the lowermost container of a stack is loaded (container of the bottom layer), the stack weight initially changes abruptly by its weight. Now the container of the second layer follows with a second abrupt weight change by its weight, and so on. During this process, — the coupling member 20 inserted into the bottom corner fittings 22 of the newly loaded (upper) container 23 interlocks with the top corner fittings 26 of the uppermost already loaded (then lower) container 25, which is indicated by a corresponding distance signal
38. The signals transmitted to the base unit 37 are relayed by the latter to a CPU 42 such as an on-board computer of the container vessel, and evaluated by said CPU. The measured values or a resulting alarm signal are displayed to the ship's management and/or other crew members and/or the stevedore and/or the crane operator, who can then react accordingly. The base units 37 distributed on the vessel may be wired to the CPU or — transmit their signals wirelessly. In order to bridge longer distances than the range of the base units 37 allow, relay units may be provided which receive and forward the signals from one of the base units 37. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the base units 37 also serve as relay units among themselves. If the range of one of the base units 37 is not sufficient to reach the CPU 42 directly, it transmits its signal to another, reachable base unit 37, which forwards the signal to the CPU 42 via further base units 37, if necessary. 5080.
After setting down, i.e, in particular during ship voyage, the sensors detect a respective state variable, depending on the desired application, which is then sent to the base unit 37 by means of the transmitting unit 28. From there, the signals, as described above, reach the CPU 42 via further base units 37, if necessary.
In the embodiment according to Fig. 1 of coupling members 20 with distance sensor 29 and temperature sensor 32, the distance and the temperature are measured continuously or regularly and transmitted to the CPU by means of the transmitting unit 28 via one or more base units 37 and processed by the CPU for display to the ship's management.
The base units 37 may have their own power supply, for example, by means of a battery, or may be connected to the electrical power supply of the container vessel.
As is already apparent from the foregoing, the base units 37 are strategically distributed on the container vessel according to the range of the radio signals.
Based on the signals detected and displayed to the ship's management by means of the CPU 42, malfunctions can be investigated immediately and in a targeted manner, since not only the type of malfunction but also from which of the loaded containers this malfunction originates can be displayed.
In this way, it can already be investigated during stowage what the cause of, for example, a faulty interlocking is.
Ideally, correct
— coupling/interlocking can then be achieved by simply lifting the upper container 23 again and setting it down again on the lower container 25. If this fails, the affected container can be unloaded again to correct the problem.
As described above, the distance sensors 29 may also be activated at various other times during maritime transport to warn of an unintended unlocking during maritime transport.
Similarly, other sensors, such as the temperature sensor 32, provide continuous or periodic data that is transmitted by means of the transmitting unit 28 to warn the ship's management of danger.
The transmitting unit 28 may also be configured as a transmitting and receiving unit, which receives signals from the CPU 42 via one or more base units 37. In this way,
measurements can also be taken on demand and transmitted to the CPU 42. For power conservation it is, in particular, possible to put the coupling members 20 into a hibernation or sleep mode by means of a hibernation signal and to reactivate them, where appropriate an periodically, by means of an activation signal from the CPU 42 and to retrieve the measurement data.
Fig. 7 shows the unloading of an upper container 23, known in technical language as discharging cargo, i.e., the container 23. Said container is lifted off the lower container 25 by a container crane, with fully automatic coupling members 20 automatically unlocking. A semi-automatic twistlock (SAT) or a manual twistlock must first be unlocked by a stevedore. Transmission of signals is no longer required from this point on. However, the bottomlocks 35 still detect the change in weight. The corresponding weight — progression 39 over time is shown in the diagram according to Fig. 8. It is thus known that the container stack has become one layer smaller. If now in place of the just unloaded (discharged) container 23 a new container 23 is loaded, then, based on the procedure described above with reference to Figs. 3 to 5, not only its association with this container stack is known again, but also its position. After unloading (discharging) the upper container 23, the coupling members 20 are removed again from the corner fittings 22 (Fig. 9), whereby these can again be put into a hibernation or sleep mode by means of the activation sensor 33, and deposited in a bin. A further development of the invention described in this respect is shown in Figs. 10 to 13, in which identical components are designated with the same reference numbers as in Figs. 1 to 9. Fig. 10 shows an arrangement consisting of a container 43 and coupling members 20 inserted into its bottom corner fittings 22. However, the container 43 also has at least one additional transmitting unit 44 of its own. The transmitting unit can be — coupled with an additional sensor or also to sensors arranged within the container 43, which detect status data on or in the container. This may again be a temperature sensor and/or a gas sensor and/or an accelerometer. Further, a sensor that monitors a function of an aggregate on the container, such as a refrigeration unit, or data within the container may be used. Such data within the container may be, for example, data used to monitor the cargo and/or data used, for example, by the shipowner to track and/or monitor the cargo. The signals from the at least one transmitting unit 44 are also transmitted to the CPU 42 via one of the base units 37 together with an identification signal (ID) for the 1980.
transmitting unit 44. In practice, the signals from the transmitting unit 44 include the identification signal.
The at least one additional transmitting unit 44 may be permanently attached to the container 43 or may be manually attached by the stevedore before the container 43 is loaded onto the container vessel.
In the first case, the transmitting unit 44 and sensors coupled with it have to be activated separately, in the latter case they can be activated automatically during attachment to the container 43. The container 43 is now hoisted on board a container vessel 46 by a container crane, also referred to as a container gantry 45. This process is shown in Figures 11 and 12. In the area, a container 47 standing in the area of the container gantry 45 is shown in addition to the container 43 to be loaded for illustration purposes.
According to the present embodiment, the container vessel 46 is provided with four locating units on its long side facing the quay.
It is understood that the container vessel — 46 can also have locating units on the other long side in case the container vessel docks at the quay sometimes with one long side and sometimes with the other long side, which will regularly be the case in practice.
According to the present embodiment, some of the base units 37 already present on board are again advantageously used as locating units.
The base units 37 serving as locating units continuously measure the distances between the four coupling members 20 and the transmitting unit 44 attached to the container 43 by exchanging signals between the respective transmitting units 28, 44 and the base units 37. Thus, by means of, for example, trilateration, but alternatively also by means of triangulation, the position of the coupling members 20 and the transmitting unit 44 can be determined.
For this purpose, at least three base units 37 serving as locating units are required.
As shown, however, preferably four base units 37 are used for this purpose.
Based on this continuous positioning, a movement pattern can be determined for — each of the four coupling members 20 and also for the transmitting unit 44. In Fig. 11, four different positions 431, 4311, 43111 and 43IV of the container 43 during hoisting are shown as examples.
The four coupling members 20 and the transmitting unit 44 have the 193380.
same movement pattern among themselves and can thus, by being recognized as being associated with the same container 43, be recognized as a group.
Thus, it is also known with which container 43 in which container stack and in which position within the container stack the transmitting unit 44 is associated.
Faults detected on the basis of — signals from this transmitting unit 44 can in turn be investigated in a targeted manner and rectified.
Even in the case of the new containers 23 to be loaded without an additional transmitting unit 44, as described above, grouping can be used advantageously.
If the — distance sensor 29 fails on one or even on two or three of the coupling members 20, no distance signal 38 is emitted from it when the upper container 23 is set down on the lower container 25. It is then not known with which container 23 the relevant coupling member 20 is associated and consequently where on board it is located.
However, if the coupling members 20 are grouped together as described above, the distance signal 38 of one of the coupling members 20 is sufficient to determine with which container 23 it is associated.
The lack of a distance signal 38 will result in an error message due to the defective distance sensor 29, which must be followed up.
However, the function of other sensors, such as the temperature sensor 32 on the relevant coupling member 20 and the corresponding data exchange with the CPU 42 is not necessarily disturbed and the coupling member can continue to be used for other purposes, such as for fire detection.
In an extreme case, due to the grouping, it would even be possible to determine the position to which a particular container 23, 43 is loaded, entirely without the distance sensors 29, based only on the movement pattern.
Due to the dimensions of the container gantry 45, only one container 23, 43 can be loaded at a time in a particular bay.
Even simultaneous loading of containers 23, 43 into immediately adjacent bays is hardly possible in practice.
The movement pattern can now be detected at least as long as the container is still being moved above the quay.
This means that it is known in which bay the container is being loaded.
If the bottemlocks 35 belonging to a certain stowage place — for container stacks within this bay now transmit a weight signal 36 in a certain time window, then this indicates that this container 23, 43 is associated with this container stack. 19480.
When unloading the containers 43 or 23, the procedure is again as described with reference to Figures 6 to 8. It is not necessary to track the movement pattern of the coupling members 20 and, if applicable, of the sensor 44.
The technology described above is not limited to twistlocks or midlocks for containers loaded on deck.
It can be advantageously used for all types of coupling members, e.g., for twist stackers for containers loaded below deck.
It is understood that in the present invention there is a relationship between features described in connection with process steps, on the one hand, and features described in connection with corresponding devices, on the other hand.
Thus, described process features are also to be regarded as device features inherent to the invention - and vice versa - even if this has not been explicitly mentioned.
It should be noted that the features of the invention described with reference to individual embodiments or variants, such as, for example, the type and design of the individual components of the system according to the invention on the one hand - such as, for example, the distance sensors, the base units 37 and the processing unit - and their spatial arrangement on the other hand, or the respective implementation and sequence of the individual process steps, can also be present in other embodiments, unless otherwise indicated in the present description or the appended claims, or unless this is self-evident for technical reasons.
Moreover, of such features of individual embodiments, described in combination, not necessarily all features must always be realized in a respective embodiment. 9580.
Reference numbers: 20 coupling member 21 (upper) coupling projection 22 (bottom) corner fitting 23 (upper) container 24 (lower) coupling projection 25 (lower) container 26 (top) corner fitting 27 stop plate 28 transmitting unit 29 distance sensor 30 bottom surface 31 top surface 32 temperature sensor 33 activation sensor 34 shank 35 bottomlock 36 weight signal 37 base unit 38 distance signal 39 weight progression 40 group of points 41 group of points 42 CPU 43 container 44 transmitting unit 45 container gantry 46 container vessel 47 container
196880.