HK1146098B - Container depot - Google Patents

Description

Container loading and unloading station

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a building structure for storing containers, and more particularly to a building structure having a roof.

Background

The dimensions of a cargo/transport container (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a "container") are generally expressed by the term Twenty-foot standard container computing Unit (TEU). The TEU is an imprecise unit commonly used to describe the cargo capacity of container transport vessels and container terminals. A TEU container typically has dimensions of 20 feet (6.1 meters) by 8 feet (2.4 meters) by 8.5 feet (2.6 meters) (length L x width W x height H). A TEU is the volume of a standard size metal box based on a 20 foot long intermodal container that can be easily converted between different modes of transport (e.g., ship, train, and vehicle). Although the TEU itself is not a measure of quality, some conclusion may be drawn by the maximum quality that the TEU represents. The maximum gross weight of a 20 foot (6.1 meter) dry cargo container is 24000 kilograms (53000 pounds). The maximum amount of cargo per TEU is reduced to about 21600 kilograms (48000 pounds) by subtracting the weight of the container itself.

A twenty foot, "full test" container may be used to load heavy goods such as heavy machinery. These containers allow a maximum weight of 67200 pounds (30500 kilograms), a dead weight of 5290 pounds (2400 kilograms) and a payload of 61910 pounds (28080 kilograms).

The dimension of L W of the two TEUs has dimensions of 40 feet (12.2 meters) by 8 feet (2.4 meters), which is sometimes also referred to as a forty foot standard container computing unit (FEU). Regardless of the size of the containers, it is common to limit each container to a payload of no significantly more than 30 tons. These containers, designed and manufactured according to the IICL standard, are intended to be completely loaded and sealed on container ships, rail vehicles, aircraft and vehicles. The container is constructed of a hard metal (usually based on aluminum or steel) and the structure is designed to withstand rough handling. The containers (loaded or empty) are often stacked on top of one another for storage and warehousing.

The container may be owned by, for example, a shipper, leasing company, or carrier. When the cargo is unloaded from the container, the container is stored for later transport. Conventional container terminals need to be properly positioned to manage and handle the shipping and stacking of containers. Many manual interventions are involved here. Container shipping stations also require repair and maintenance facilities for handling, welding, cutting, spray cleaning, painting, and metal working for containers.

The containers are either stored in ports or in common container terminals that handle containers of different owners. Containers require periodic inspection, proper storage and handling for reuse. Storage and handling of these containers is often a concern.

Containers are typically stored in open spaces. The stackable height of the containers is limited by the equipment used. Current container terminals can be stacked up to 10 containers per stack. An area of 10 hectares can accommodate 10000 one TEU containers, about 10 containers per stack. Due to the large size of the container stackers, the number of container stackers operated and the access ways for tractor heads (tow heads) and trailers in the stacking yard, the container storage area typically occupies only about 60% of the total footprint of the container terminal. Leaving the remaining 40% of the total footprint for operational use.

The operator's room of the container stacker is typically at the same height as the third or fourth tier of containers being stored. When stacking containers above this height, the operator must look up and carefully observe to ensure proper stacking. The higher the height of the stack, the more difficult it will be to view as the stacked containers may be out of the field of view of the operator. Mishandling during lifting can cause the container to fall down causing serious injury or fatal accidents.

The loading/unloading operation of the container includes the examination, verification and verification of the container identity. This is time consuming. Many container terminals conduct their scrutiny on public roads, which can cause severe traffic congestion. It is often seen that 20 or more container vehicles are parked along a road outside the loading/unloading station for loading/unloading containers. Such traffic congestion not only blocks highways but also causes traffic jams, which can potentially cause road safety issues.

For container terminals, there is therefore a need to increase land volume rates and reduce terminal footprint, and to address operational safety and traffic congestion. In areas where land is scarce and expensive, such as singapore, hong kong, shanghai, etc., maintaining a high level of safe, reliable and optimal storage is always a challenge.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one aspect, a building structure is provided that includes a roof having a top surface adapted to store shipping containers. The building structure also has at least one floor below the roof and at least one shipping container handling apparatus mounted on the top surface. The shipping container handling equipment is adapted to move the shipping container onto and off of the roof.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing disclosure and the following more detailed description of various embodiments that the present invention represents a significant advance in the art of commercially available products. In this respect, it is particularly significant that the invention gives the possibility to provide a building structure with a reduced footprint. Other features and advantages of various embodiments will be better understood with reference to the detailed description set forth below.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a schematic side view of a building structure according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 shows a top plan view of the roof.

Fig. 3 shows a top plan view of the lower layer.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the loading/unloading compartment.

Fig. 5A is a top plan view of another embodiment.

Fig. 5B is a schematic side view of the embodiment of fig. 5A.

Fig. 5C is a top plan view of the lower layer of fig. 5B.

Fig. 6A is a schematic view of a building structure according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 6B is a schematic side view of a building structure according to yet another embodiment of the invention.

It is to be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. The specific design characteristics of a building structure as described herein (e.g., including the specific dimensions of the roof) will be determined in part by the particular application and use environment. Certain features of the illustrated embodiments have been shown exaggerated or distorted relative to other features to help to provide a clear understanding. In particular, thin features may be thickened, for example, for clarity of illustration. All directional and positional reference numerals refer to the orientation illustrated in the drawings unless otherwise indicated.

Detailed Description

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art (i.e., those who have knowledge or experience in this field) that many variations are possible with respect to the building structures disclosed herein that are suitable for storing containers on their roofs. The following detailed discussion of various alternative features and embodiments will illustrate the general principles of the invention with respect to building structures adapted to store containers on their rooftops. Other embodiments having the advantages of the present disclosure suitable for other applications will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The present invention provides a building structure having a roof for the storage of cargo/shipping containers. The building structure allows for improved land utilization when the lower level can be used for unloading/loading and storing containers and other uses described in more detail below.

The roof has a top surface and the top surface is adapted to store a container. The top surface may also have a load/unload region. The building structure may also have at least one layer and thus there is at least one layer under the roof. The number of floors in the building structure may be limited by height constraints that are affected by associated jurisdictions or other practical limitations.

The top surface also has at least one shipping container handling apparatus mounted thereon. The shipping container handling equipment is adapted to move shipping containers onto and off of a roof. The transport container handling equipment may for example be a crane. The crane may be an overhead crane and may be movable back and forth along the roof. The transport container handling equipment may be, in addition to a crane, a forklift, a face stacker, or a combination thereof. The transport container handling equipment may have at least one empty container, a lifting capacity of at least 24000 kg or at least 30500 kg. The shipping container handling equipment may also extend over the sides of the building structure, allowing the shipping container handling equipment to lift the containers up to the roof and away from above.

The roof may also have openings. The opening may be large enough to allow the passage of containers from the roof to an adjacent floor. Adjacent tiers and any other lower tiers may also have similar openings to allow a crane to drop a container through an adjacent tier or any other lower tier. Parking spaces may be allocated on the lower level for carrier vehicles (vehicles which are transport containers and have a vehicle cab in which the driver sits). The assigned parking spaces may optionally correspond vertically to the openings of the upper layer so that the transport container handling device can lift or place containers directly from or onto the carrier vehicle. Alternatively, the opening of the upper deck does not extend to the vehicle cab when the carrier vehicle is parked in the assigned parking space. Thus, the vehicle driver can be protected when the container is dropped.

The building structure may also have a fence extending above the roof. The enclosure may be, for example, a steel wire enclosure, a wall, a metal cladding, or a combination thereof to prevent the container from falling out due to severe weather conditions. The fence may start from the base of the roof and extend upwards, or from the floor, or from any height above the floor, or a combination of both, as long as it reduces the risk of the container falling.

The building structure may also have ramps connecting the lower levels to each other and to the roof. The ramp allows the carrier vehicle to reach every level including any lower floors and roofs. The ramp may be, for example, an annular ramp and may be a one-way lane or a two-way lane. Preferably, the private access to the ramp, the ramp itself and each of the lower and rooftop parking areas can easily accommodate more than 40 container vehicles at any one time. For example, the transport container handling apparatus is adapted to unload transport containers from vehicles located on the top surface of the roof.

The lower level may allow container vehicles to pass through the building structure from one end of the building structure to the other. The lower floor may also have container maintenance and handling facilities. The lower floor may also have container inspection facilities. Keeping the container inspection facility away from the roadside (many container terminals still conduct container inspections at the roadside) reduces the risk of container inspectors being involved in related traffic accidents on public roads and allows container vehicles to turn around quickly. This will reduce traffic congestion on public roads and reduce associated road safety hazards. Containers that have been inspected, repaired and/or cleaned can be transported through the opening to the roof by means of the transport container handling equipment. The lower layer may also be used as a warehouse, office space and/or general production space. Alternatively, the container maintenance and handling facilities and the container inspection facilities may be placed on the roof of the building.

The containers may be distributed on the top surface according to the owner of the containers. The containers may preferably be stacked to a height of at least nine containers and may be stacked to a height of twenty or thirty containers. The container may have a cargo capacity of at least one twenty foot standard container computing unit (TEU).

Fig. 1 shows a schematic side view of a building structure 100 according to one embodiment of the invention. Building structure 100 is a multi-story building structure for a storage container. The upper level of the building structure 100 is used to store containers. In particular, the containers are stacked on a top surface 113 of the roof 110 of the building structure 100. Below the roof 110 is a lower floor 120 which may include container inspection, repair, maintenance and handling facilities and loading/unloading bays. The lower floors include a floor 130 that can receive or define a general office space, which can include a warehouse. Other layers may optionally be provided between the bottom layer 130 and the lower layer 120.

The warehousing of containers on roof 110 typically follows the container standards provided in compliance with the IICL regulations. Within the storage space of the roof 110, containers are stacked one on top of the other. The rows of stacked containers are typically positioned according to the requirements of the owner. In fig. 1, roof 110 is shown with an overhead crane 114 for loading/unloading containers onto/from the vehicle.

Roof 110 includes a high-rise enclosure 112 that encloses a storage space. Preferably, the tall fence 112 exceeds the height of at least 9 containers. The high-rise fence 112 provides wind resistance and avoids the accident of dropping a container. The height of the high-rise pen may depend on the geographic location of the building structure 100 and the number of containers that are intended to be stacked.

When space is not an issue, it is sufficient to store nine or fewer containers per stack, and thus high-rise fences are not required. However, when space is scarce, it is necessary to increase the storage capacity by stacking higher layers. Higher levels of stacking thus require fencing. Advantageously, for example, a building structure on 10 hectares of land can provide container storage capacity per unit area of land or footprint that is 2.5 times greater than that provided using conventional ground storage techniques. Further, space savings may be further facilitated when the lower floors of the building structure 100 may be used for other purposes. Furthermore, the vehicles may be arranged in rows within the building structure 100 (including the ramp 105) during operation, which may further optimize the use of space that will reduce/eliminate traffic congestion on public roads and associated road safety hazards.

According to one embodiment, the high-rise fence 112 is a solid wall. According to an alternative embodiment, the tall fence 112 is a wire fence. In yet another embodiment, roof 110 is constructed with walls incorporating wire fencing.

According to an alternative embodiment, roof 110 is provided with a shelter (e.g., a non-structural shelter) to provide additional protection for containers stored therein. Non-structural as used herein means that the shelter does not have sufficient strength to support the container.

Fig. 2 shows a building structure 100 that also has a ramp 105 for connecting the upper level to the bottom level. The ramp 105 allows the vehicle to travel through and to the upper strata and roof. The ramp 105 shown here is a bi-directional lane that allows the vehicle to travel on two lanes simultaneously. Along the lane of the ramp 105 there is a channel 106 connected to the roof 110.

Fig. 2 also shows a storage area 210, a driveway 220 and a loading/unloading compartment 230 on the top surface of the roof 110. The storage area 210 may be placed according to the size and owner of the container. Alternatively, containers of the same size and owner are stacked together for processing. When the containers are handled by the overhead crane 114, the containers can be efficiently stacked closely to reduce the total storage space. A lane 220 is provided at the center of the roof 110, and the storage areas 210 are provided at both sides of the lane 220. The lanes 220 connect the channels 106 that allow vehicles to travel from the ramp 105 onto the roof 110. The top surface 113 and the lower deck of the roof have openings and are sized so that the overhead crane 114 can move containers through the lower deck and onto the roof and vice versa.

The overhead crane 114 allows for faster steering of the container, thereby greatly reducing vehicle waiting times and traffic congestion. Instead, the container stacker must remove the container from the outer stack before the inner stack can be accessed. For example, to remove the last container in an array that is 9 rows deep and 10 floors high, a container stacker would need to move 89 containers before removing the last container, while an overhead crane would only need to move to the last row and remove 9 containers before removing the last container as needed.

Fig. 3 illustrates a top plan view of lower layer 120 of fig. 1, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Lower layer 120 is constructed in a layout corresponding to roof 110 of fig. 2. Lower level 120 includes a lane 320, a load/unload bay 330, a container maintenance and handling area 340, and a container inspection station 350. A lane 320 is provided in the center of the lower floor 120 with a loading/unloading bay 330, and a container maintenance and handling area 340 and a container inspection area 350 are located on either side of the lane 320. The lanes 320 connect the channels 106 to allow vehicles to travel from the ramp 105 to the lower level 120. The load/unload compartment 330 is disposed directly below the load/unload compartment 230. The loading/unloading bay 330 includes a parking lot corresponding to the floor opening of the roof 110. As shown in fig. 4, fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the loading/unloading compartment 230 of fig. 2, with the parking lot of fig. 3 shown in phantom, each opening being arranged offset from the corresponding parking lot such that when the vehicle 400 is parked on the parking lot, only the container 412 is exposed from the opening, while the cab 410 of the vehicle is hidden under the roof.

In operation, a containerized vehicle arrives at the building structure 100 and travels over the ramp 105 and into the lower level 120 for inspection at the container inspection station 350. When needed, the containers may further be sent to a maintenance and handling area 340 for maintenance and handling work, including repairs and the like. Once the container passes the inspection, the vehicle is parked in the parking lot of the loading/unloading bay 330. Overhead crane 114 mounted on roof 110 picks up the containers through the opening and stacks them accordingly at storage area 210.

Once the container is lifted from the vehicle, the vehicle may be removed. It should be noted that during this process, the driver does not have to be on site and the work is done by the shipping container handling equipment, which may include a lift or overhead crane 114.

The overhead crane 114 may be an electric type crane, which advantageously reduces noise and emissions. Overhead crane 114 may include a Trans lancet system. The building structure 100 is adapted to withstand the weight of a container when the floor is full of a fully loaded container.

Fig. 5A shows a top plan view of a roof of a building structure 100 according to another embodiment of the invention. The roof 500 includes a storage area 510, a driveway 520, a plurality of loading areas 530, and a plurality of floor openings 540. The storage area 510 is laid out according to the size of the container, and is preferably arranged and managed in such a manner that it is easily accessible to the owner of the container. The lane 520 is disposed at the center of the roof and extends to the other end of the building structure 100, and the storage areas 510 are located at both sides of the lane 520. A loading area 530 is provided along the lane 520, wherein loading/unloading of containers from vehicles is performed along the loading area 530 (along the lane 520). Each loading zone 530 is arranged with a loading field 534 and a shelter 535. The shelter 535 is an internal building structure adapted to protect the vehicle cab when loading and unloading containers. Canopy 535 may be a simple roof-shaped structure built across lane 520, lane 520 having a loading vehicle height passageway to allow loading vehicles to pass through lane 520 without interference. The width of the shelter 535 is at least the length of the vehicle cab so that the vehicle cab can be hidden. At the end toward the building opposite the building's ramp, a floor opening 540 is provided to allow access between the roof 500 and the floor below it (i.e., the lower floor). Similarly, each floor opening 540 is sized to allow at least one container to be lifted from the lower floor onto the roof.

Thus, the overhead crane may include a rotatable spreader to allow containers to be lifted through the floor opening 540 and stacked directly at the storage area 510 without any obstruction. In an alternative embodiment, the container storage area, loading area 530, and floor opening 540 are adapted to be consistently oriented to avoid the rotatable distributor.

Figure 5B shows a side view of the building structure 100 according to one embodiment of the invention. The building structure 100 includes a roof 500 and an under-floor 550. As shown, when the vehicle travels to the roof 500, the vehicle travels along the lane 520 and stops at a loading area 530 for loading and unloading containers. When the vehicle is parked at the loading/unloading area 530, the vehicle cab is covered under the canopy 535. During which load/unload operations are performed. Similar to the floor opening of roof 110 of fig. 1, canopy 535 protects the vehicle operator during loading/unloading operations by covering the vehicle operator's compartment thereunder.

In another embodiment, the shelter 535 is used as a platform on the roadway 520 for stacking containers thereon. Fig. 5C shows a top plan view of the lower layer 550 according to one embodiment. The lower floor 550 includes a container inspection station 560, a container warehouse area 570, and a container maintenance and handling area 580. The container inspection station 560 is typically a parking area having a parking lot where the loaded vehicle is parked for necessary inspection. A container maintenance and handling area 580 may be provided to perform container maintenance and repair, if desired. The floor opening 540 of the roof 500 is located at the container maintenance and handling area 580 to allow an overhead crane to pick up containers from the lower floor 550 and stack/store them on the roof 500. Containers may be temporarily stored at the container storage area 570 when needed. Depending on the height of the layers, the lower layer 550 is sufficient to allow 2-3 layers of stacking within the lower layer 550.

Referring again to fig. 5C, the loaded vehicle is inspected and audited at the container inspection station 560. Providing a parking area at the container inspection station 560 will alleviate traffic congestion during peak periods. Containers requiring maintenance or repair may be sent to the container maintenance and handling area 580. When desired, containers may be stored in the container storage area 570 and/or transported directly to the roof 500 through the floor opening 540.

It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that given the advantages of the present invention, the roof should be constructed to withstand the weight of the stacked shipping containers with the necessary reinforcements. The high rise fence can also be reinforced with a metal cladding for safety and noise reduction. Furthermore, the control of the warehousing of the containers can be done indoors and the transport and storage of the containers can be at least partially automatically controlled to reduce the manpower required.

The handling and proper counting of containers requires good management within the counting area and systematic stacking and identification of the containers. There is a need for a well-trained personal including drivers, technicians, etc. and a good computer management system to ensure efficient, safe and quick movement. The cost for a container depends on its number, the space required by the TEU, the cost of access to the process, inspection, maintenance and repair and other lifting costs.

Fig. 6A shows another alternative embodiment of a building structure 600 similar to that of fig. 1. The building structure 600 includes a multi-story structure 620 having a roof 610, one or more shipping container handling equipment. The shipping container handling equipment may include forklift 613, lift 618, overhead crane 614, and similar equipment suitable for lifting and transporting the container 601 on the roof 610. The elevator 618 is adapted to lift cargo containers between the floor of the building structure 600 and the roof 610. As shown in fig. 6A, the lift 618 is an overhead crane that may extend from one side of the building structure 600 for picking up containers from the bottom floor. Once the container is lifted to the roof 610, it may be properly stacked on the roof 610 by transporting the container handling equipment. When a container is loaded onto the vehicle, it is picked up from the stack by the transport container handling apparatus and the transport container handling apparatus transfers the container to the lift 618 for loading onto the vehicle parked at the loading compartment. Thus, the vehicle does not need to travel to the roof to load/unload the container. Similarly, a shelter (not shown) may be provided as a safety measure to protect the vehicle cab from falling containers. The lift 618 may be, for example, a hydraulic lift.

In an alternative embodiment as shown in fig. 6B, the building structure 600 may include vertically aligned floor openings 619 at each intermediate floor of the multi-floor structure 620, which form pathways or wells (when closed) in the building structure 600. The container can be lifted from the floor to the roof 610 through the floor opening using a lift 618 mounted directly above the floor opening.

The ramp 105 of fig. 2 is optionally connected as part of a building structure 600. If no ramp is used, further floor space can be saved.

The invention improves the land volume rate and solves the problem of traffic congestion on public roads. The present invention may be used in, but is not limited to, ports and/or inland container terminals.

From the foregoing disclosure and detailed description of certain embodiments, it will be apparent that various modifications, additions, and other alternative embodiments are possible without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally and equitably entitled.

Claims (26)

1. A building structure located on a substrate, comprising:

a roof having a top surface adapted to store shipping containers, wherein at least two shipping containers are stacked one atop the other on the top surface;

a ramp operatively connecting the roof to the bottom layer;

at least two layers located below the roof and above the floor; and

at least one shipping container handling apparatus mounted on the top surface, wherein the shipping container handling apparatus is adapted to move the shipping container to and from the roof.

2. The building structure of claim 1, wherein said roof defines an opening large enough to allow one of said shipping containers to pass between said roof and an uppermost one of said at least two floors.

3. The building structure of claim 1, further comprising a fence extending from the roof.

4. The building structure of claim 3, wherein said enclosure is one of a metal cladding and a wall.

5. The building structure of claim 4, wherein the metal cladding is a fence of iron wire.

6. The building structure of claim 1, wherein the at least one shipping container handling apparatus is extendable on a side of the building structure to allow the at least one shipping container handling apparatus to lift and remove shipping containers to and from the roof.

7. The building structure of claim 1 or 6, wherein the at least one shipping container handling apparatus is a crane.

8. The building structure of claim 7, wherein the crane is movable along a top surface of the roof.

9. The building structure of claim 1 or 6, wherein the at least one shipping container handling equipment is one of a lift and a face stacker.

10. The building structure of claim 9, wherein the lift is a forklift.

11. The building structure of claim 1, wherein said shipping container handling equipment has a load carrying capacity of at least 30500 kilograms.

12. The building structure according to claim 1, wherein the ramp is further operatively connected to the at least two floors.

13. The building structure of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle located on said roof, said vehicle accessing said roof using said ramp, wherein said at least one shipping container handling apparatus is adapted to unload shipping containers from said vehicle onto said top surface of said roof.

14. The building structure of claim 1, further comprising a space defined by one of the following configurations:

the roof and at least one layer; and

at least one layer and a further layer; and is

The space is adapted to allow passage of container vehicles.

15. The building structure of claim 14, wherein the space or the top surface receives at least one of a container maintenance and handling facility and a container inspection facility.

16. The building structure as in claim 14 or 15, wherein the space defines at least one of a general office space, a warehouse, and a general production space.

17. The building structure of claim 1, further comprising a loading and unloading area.

18. The building structure of claim 17, wherein the loading and unloading area is positioned on the top surface.

19. The building structure of claim 1, wherein the shipping containers are distributed on the top surface according to an owner of the at least one shipping container.

20. The building structure of claim 1, wherein the shipping containers are stackable by at least nine shipping container heights.

21. The building structure of claim 1, wherein each of said shipping containers has a cargo capacity of at least one twenty foot standard container computing unit.

22. The building structure of claim 1, wherein the shipping container handling equipment has a load carrying capacity of at least 24000 kilograms.

23. The building structure of claim 2, wherein an uppermost one of said at least two floors defines an opening large enough to allow passage of one of said transport containers.

24. The building structure of claim 1, wherein said shipping container handling equipment has a load carrying capacity of at least one air shipping container.

25. The building structure of claim 1, further comprising a canopy positioned above the roof.

26. A building structure located on a substrate, comprising:

a roof having a top surface adapted to store shipping containers, wherein at least two shipping containers are stacked one atop the other on the top surface;

a ramp operatively connecting the roof to the bottom layer;

at least two layers below the roof and above the floor; and

at least one transport container handling apparatus mounted on the top surface, wherein the transport container handling apparatus is adapted to load and unload the transport container onto and from the top surface of the roof.