AUTOMODAL - Automation of Inland Container Terminal Cranes Solving People Detection in the Operating Range

The AutoModal project results show the prototypical end-to-end automation of the transshipment terminal. An essential component is the automation of a gantry crane, which was converted for this purpose so that independent automated processes could be carried out. The focus of the work was on the conversion and prototypical operation of the crane automation in a reference terminal. For this purpose, the gantry crane was equipped with additional sensors to ensure safe and reliable detection of persons in the crane environment and to enable automated operation. Suitable solutions were evaluated from a wide selection of sensors and tested on a test model. In parallel, suitable control software was developed, interfaces harmonized and hardware components integrated for operation. The software modules developed was published onto the GitLab Open Source platform. The following article describes the main outcome of the project. AutoModal was carried out as part of the funding programme for innovative port technologies of the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs.