Directing gantry cranes

Trinity Terminal at Felixstowe is the largest container handling facility in the UK and has the longest continuous quay in the British Isles. The terminal regularly handles in excess of 120,000 containers and 170,000 TEU's (20ft Equivalent Units) each month.

Faced with the continuing requirement to service rotation ships quickly and efficiently, Felixstowe Dock & Rail Company is using RFID to help provide location details for its Rubber-Tyre Gantry Cranes (RTG's) within the port.

Decoders housed on RTGs process data from active tags buried in a matrix pattern, marking the rows and columns of the yard's layout and providing a unique ID. This is then used to give an accurate location of the RTG, within the container yard.

The decoder on each RTG is connected via an RS422 serial link to the on-board system in the RTG, which in turn sends the information received to the main computer room over a radio data link.

The system therefore knows the location of each RTG. Having real-time information on all RTG movements within the container yard, enables the most efficient routes, pick-ups and drops to be scheduled.

Supplier: Eureka
Products: Eureka 311 Active Tags, Eureka Decoders