Partners: China Mobile, ZPMC, Shanghai Yangshan Port, Huawei

Case Overview: In 2019, Yangshan Harbor launched a 5G smart port application demonstration project. 5G MEC was deployed to implement HD video backhaul and remote control of RTG cranes. The ratio of human-machine to machine-machine can be increased from 1:1 to 1:4, greatly improving the working environment and meeting the security requirements of data transmission within the port campus.

Case Description:

Two thirds of the world's total trade volume passes through ports and docks. As the shipping throughput increases year by year, remote control, automatic control, automatic driving, and video surveillance technologies are used to reduce costs and improve efficiency, which has become a common demand of global ports. Automation and intelligent reconstruction of ports are bound to enter a booming phase. However, the fixed network is restricted by the deployment difficulty and cost, hindering the construction of smart ports.

The 5G deterministic networking based smart port solution makes full use of the advantages of 5G technologies, such as easy deployment, large bandwidth, low latency, wide coverage, high reliability, and high security, to deploy 5G networks in port campuses. In addition, the solution uses 5G virtual private networks and end-to-end application components to build local MEC gateways, data is distributed, services are processed locally, and data is not transmitted out of the port. This provides deterministic networking capabilities and deterministic experience assurance for port enterprise applications, greatly simplifying network construction and improving operation experience.

Use the most urgent industrial upgrade of the gantry crane control as an example. Traditional gantry crane drivers have high labor intensity, harsh working environment, and high labor cost. By mounting HD cameras and PLC to cranes, the 5G network can transmit multiple channels of HD video images to the control center in real time. Drivers can perform remote control operations on multiple gantry cranes in the central control room based on the onsite images, such as moving and grabbing containers. This reduces the requirements on drivers, improves the working environment, and reduces labor costs, and improves operation security.

In 2019, Yangshan Port launched the 5G smart port application demonstration project and started the first batch of reliability verification for the remote control of the tyred gantry crane. With the deployment of 5G MEC, Yangshan Port implements HD video backhaul and remote control of RTG cranes. The man-machine ratio is increased from 1:1 to 1:4, and the comprehensive labor cost is expected to be reduced by 70%. The working environment is greatly improved, and the security requirements of data transmission within the port campus are met.

5G deterministic networking based smart port solution makes a variety of smart port scenarios a reality, such as quay crane remote control, intelligent guided vehicles (IGVs), video surveillance, remote and autonomous driving of trucks, container ID identification, visitor vehicle identification, visitor identification, helmet monitoring, container damage identification, tide monitoring, AR-assisted maintenance, drone inspection, and quay crane monitoring.