Application of Solidot remote I/O modules at port docks

As we all know, our country has built a world-class port group, and its port scale ranks among the top in the world. Since ports serve as important windows connecting the world , the cultivation of relevant infrastructure and talents is also particularly important. The Port Skills Competition is held every year in various ports, aiming to enhance the soft and hard capabilities of the port through skills exchange. It is for this reason that a world-class unmanned terminal represented by Qingdao Port has been created.

Taking the 34th Qingdao Port Skills Competition as an example, the remote I/O module of Solidot Technology also played an important role. The stable and excellent performance of the product helped the port complete the simulation of the actual operating environment, and prepared for the competition, which escorts the contestants throughout the process.

Basic technical requirements for port terminal automation

▲ Port overview

The competition set up four links: "Picking up boxes", "Skilfully pass through the passage", "Penalty kicks and pile driving", and "Putting boxes and shooting", which mainly simulates the operation process of multi-purpose container with one door machine. Additional equipment such as poles, electronic boundaries, basketballs, wooden stakes, brackets and other equipment are set up to realistically simulate the obstacles that actually exist in the process, fully testing the contestants' operating skills and psychological quality under the condition of one machine with multiple uses.

1. "Picking up boxes" Link: This link tests the contestants' overall observation ability during the box picking process by controlling the container spreader to grab the target box.

2. "Skilfully pass through the passage" link: In this link, the door machine is used to control the hanging box to pass through the narrow channel, and the basketball in the area is thrown into the ball frame to test whether the players have skilled operating skills, strong ability to face the changing path and psychological quality.

3. "Penalty kicks and pile driving" link: This link requires the use of specific areas of the container to collide with wooden piles and basketballs of different heights to simulate operations in the container cabin and test the players' ability to perform refined operations in situations where there are obstacles on the left and right.

4. "Putting boxes and shooting" link: In this link, containers need to be placed on the box release platform and the target shooting platform in order to simulate the container loading operation process and test whether the contestants have the ability to transport the crane stably and position accurately when operating the spreader and door operator.

Principles of Electronic Control Design for Port Terminal Automation

One 20-foot standard container. The yellow area is a specific pile collision area,the pile collision area is 400mm(length) and 200mm(height)

Configuration instructions for SOLIDOT Remote I/O

(1) Over-edge detection and over-height detection: Set up two photoelectric beams at 700mm and 1300mm, and set a switching signal at a beam distance of 20mm under strong sunlight, and connect to the Solidot slice I/O module XB6-CB2002ST + 32-point input module XB6-3200A . If it exceeds the edge, the 32-point output XB6-0032A is used to turn on the control alarm light. At the same time, a signal is sent to the main cabinet PLC through the CC-Link IE Field Basic network to inform the host computer to count, and then the large screen will deduct points accordingly.

(2) Boundary detection: Use laser radar and diffuse reflection photoelectric for control, and also connect the switching signal to the 32-point input XB6-3200A , 32-point output XB6-0032A, sends signals to the main cabinet PLC through the CC-Link IE Field Basic network.

(3) Others: The start, stop, alarm, and photoelectric detection signals of the main cabinet are connected to the Solidot integrated I/O module CB4-1616A to assist in completion.

【PLC program configuration diagram】

Configuration of the CC-Link IE Field Basic network in the Mitsubishi GX-Works3 software for the Solidot  integrated I/O module CB4-1616A and the slice I/O module XB6-CB2002ST:

▲ Mitsubishi GX-Works3 CC-Link IE Field Basic diagram

Mitsubishi GX-Works3 software uses the CC-Link IE Field Basic network to collect I/O signals. The program programming is as below:

▲ Program diagram in Mitsubishi GX-Works3

The information screen displays as shown below:

▲  Screen display

Solidot Technology's remote I/O module provides a high-quality solution for this case with its unique advantages in product design. Only a 24V power cord and a network cable are required on site for connection and use. The wiring is simple and the construction is convenient.

In addition, since there are a large number of I/O signals that need to be collected on site, in this case, Solidot Technology’s integrated I/O module CB4-1616A, slice I/O module XB6-CB2002ST, 32-point input XB6-3200A, and 32-point output XB6-0032A, which cooperates with each other to not only meet the signal transmission needs stably and smoothly, but also helps customers achieve the dual benefits of flexible configuration and cost reduction and efficiency increase with its rich product line.