Revolutionary Fully Automated Waterfront Operations For Small To Medium Sized Terminals Made Possible

Patrick Technology & Systems (PTS) has developed ground-breaking IT and communications systems to support the extensive network of Patrick Corporation's freight logistics operations engineering and hazardous cargo. Continuing on this approach, Patrick proposed the use of an automated container handling system.

With assistance from the University of Sydney and equipment manufacturer, Kalmar Industries of Finland, Patrick developed and proved the idea of an automated straddle carrier. The prototype unit was then needed to be developed into a safe and reliable product, meeting the demands of the operational environment.

The core of the navigation and guidance system, developed for the automated vehicle, is the real-time operating system (RTOS) needed for the onboard processor that would provide the reliability and integrity required of an application of this type 

After an extensive look at a number of RTOS environments including PSOS, Pharlap, VxWorks they selected QNX. “QNX had extensive channels and pulses for inter-process communication that was suited for this application.” said Graeme Nelmes, Technical Director, Patrick Technology Pty Ltd. “As well their superior message passing and best-in-breed technical support helped our developers meet the tight development timeframes”.

The main challenge faced in implementing such an application was overcoming the operator’s skepticism of being able to get the old prototype transputer code ported across to the new system as well as doing so in a constrained timeframe.

A key obstacle faced with an automatic approach is knowing where the vehicle is at all times. This is a difficult problem to solve because no single modality for providing position can be trusted – line of sight to GPS satellites or beacons placed in the environment might be obscured or a single inertial sensor might fail in a manner that is impossible to detect without a means to compare data from multiple sources.  Modularity, both in the hardware and software, was the key to providing one platform to target both large and small operations.

The system uses machines that roam freely on any terminal using on-board guidance that can be retrofitted on existing straddles, rather than needing special in-ground cables or transponders, and specialized vehicles. This means that smaller, standard container terminals can be automated without enormous changes, and using otherwise standard vehicles.

Since the first ever vessel was serviced by fully automated straddle carriers at the Fisherman's Island berth 7 facility eight months ago, the “Autostrads” operating at the Patrick terminal in Brisbane have now completed 15 ship calls. Each of these vessels has departed from the terminal on schedule and well within the owner's call window.

Plans to extend the terminal to berths 8, 9 and 10 have now been completed and work is underway by the Port of Brisbane Corporation to prepare the area behind berths 8 and 9 ready for pavement construction to begin.

The success of the facility has come about due to the combination of cutting-edge robotic technology and stability, performance, and functionality of QNX Neutrino realtime operating system. The cranes are now consistently exceeding 23 moves per hour, and at times have achieved as many as 35 moves per hour, proving that the Autostrads are able to offer a reliable and responsive service.

ABOUT QNX SYSTEMS

QNX Software Sytems is the industry leader in realtime, microkernel OS technology. The inherently reliable and scalable QNX Neutrino RTOS and powerful QNX Momentics development suite together provide the most trusted foundation for embedded systems in the networking, automotive, medical and industrial markets. Global leaders such as Cisco, Delphi, Siemens, Texaco, and Ford depend on QNX technology for network routers, medical devices, intelligent transportation systems, safety and security systems, next-generation robotics, and other mission- or life-critical applications. Founded in 1980, QNX Software Sytems is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, and distributes its products in more than 100 countries worldwide.