MoveByCrane

This block performs transportation of an agent (material item) by a crane.

When describing the crane’s operation, the two major parameters are speed and time. The crane operation speed is usually defined by the movement speed of the crane’s individual parts, such as jib, hoisting winch and trolley. You can specify these values in the corresponding crane space markup element and the system will automatically calculate the time it takes the crane to move an agent from one point to another. In case where this level of detail is excessive or the data available to you are incomplete, you can simply select option Use operation time in the block’s Properties view and specify the time directly.

You can set the safe height for agent transportation to satisfy the conditions of the environment you are modeling.

The default pattern in which this block selects agents for transportation is based on FIFO rule (first-in, first-out). You can customize the selection pattern to fit your simulation requirements.

When working with multibridge overhead cranes, you can seize either a whole crane or a specific bridge.

• If the selected bridge is seized by a different agent, the new agent is placed in the queue of this bridge.
• If you select a multibridge crane, the agent will seize the closest available bridge that is physically able to pick up this agent and deliver it to the destination point.
• If all bridges are seized, the agent will wait in the crane's queue until one of the bridges is released and then will check whether this bridge can deliver it to the destination point.
• If several bridges are released simultaneously, the agent will select the closest of those that can deliver it to the destination point.

Crane

The crane that moves the agent (material item).

Value type: Crane
Local variable: Agent agent - the agent (material item)

Destination is

Defines where the crane will take the agent to. The possible destinations are:

Node - agent is moved to the specified network node
Attractor - agent is moved to the specified attractor
Conveyor - agent is moved to the specified conveyor
Position on conveyor - agent is moved to the specified position on conveyor
(x, y, z) - agent is moved to the point with the specified coordinates
Agent - agent is moved to the specified Agent

Syntax: DestinationType destinationType

Node

[Visible and applies only if the Destination is: Node]
The network node the crane will move to. This value is evaluated right after the crane picks up the agent.

Value type: Node
Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

Attractor

[Visible and applies only if the Destination is: Attractor]
The attractor the crane will move to. This value is evaluated right after the crane picks up the agent.

Value type: Attractor
Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

Conveyor

[Visible and applies only if the Destination is: Conveyor]
The conveyor the crane will move to. This value is evaluated right after the crane picks up the agent.

Value type: ConveyorPath
Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

Offset from

[Visible and applies only if the Destination is: Conveyor]
Defines how to calculate the offset of the exact point on a conveyor the crane will move to: either from the beginning of the conveyor, or from the end of the conveyor. This value is evaluated right after the crane picks up the agent.

Value type: boolean
Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

Offset

[Visible and applies only if the Destination is: Conveyor]
The distance from the start or end point of the conveyor (depends on the Offset from parameter) defining the exact destination point for the crane. This value is evaluated right after the crane picks up the agent.

Value type: double
Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

Position on conveyor

[Visible and applies only if the Destination is: Position on conveyor]
The position on conveyor the crane will move to. This value is evaluated right after the crane picks up the agent.

Value type: PositionOnConveyor
Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

Change orientation

[Visible and applies only if the Destination is: Position on conveyor]
If selected, you will be able to change the Orientation of the material item that enters the conveyor by selecting the new leading edge of the item in the Orientation field below.

Value type: boolean
Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

Orientation

[Visible and applies only if the Destination is: Position on conveyor]
If you need to rotate the material item when it is placed on the conveyor, here you can choose the side of the item that must be facing the direction of travel:

Front
Rear
Left
Right

Value type: AgentOrientation
Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

X, Y, Z

[Visible and applies only if the Destination is: (x, y, z)]
X, Y, Z coordinate of the point the crane will move to. This value is evaluated right after the crane picks up the agent.

Value type: double
Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

... located in

[Visible and applies only if the Destination is: (x, y, z)]
Specifies where the agent (material item) will be added to when the crane drops it: either Level or Network.

Value type: boolean destinationInNetwork
Default value: false

Level

[Visible and applies only if the ...located in Level option is selected]
The level where the agent will be added once the crane drops it.

Value type: Level
Local variables:
T agent - the agent
Agent unit - the crane

Network

[Visible and applies only if the ...located in Network option is selected]
The network the agent will be added to once the crane drops it.

Value type: INetwork
Local variables:
T agent - the agent
Agent unit - the crane

Agent

[Visible and applies only if the Destination is: Agent]
The agent the crane will move to. This value is evaluated right after the crane picks up the agent.

Value type: Agent
Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

Safe height

Specifies the minimum height the crane should raise the agent to in order to transport it (e.g., to avoid obstacles).

Value type: double
Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

Use operation time

If this option is selected, you can directly specify the time it takes the crane to reach the agent (material item) and then transport it from one point to another. Speed values will be recalculated for every agent to satisfy operation time.

Syntax: boolean useOperationTime

Operation time

[Visible and applies only if the Use operation time option is selected]
The amount of time provided to the crane to transport the agent.Depending on how the crane is seized and released, the total operation time is calculated differently:

• The crane is seized and released by the MoveByCrane block: Total operation time includes the Loading time, movement time, and Unloading time.
• The crane is seized by the SeizeCrane block: The operation time doesn’t include the Loading time.
• The crane is released by the ReleaseCrane block: The operation time doesn’t include the Unloading time.

The value is evaluated for each agent after the On at enter action is executed and is remembered until the agent is released.

Value type: double
Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

Seize crane

[Enabled by default]
Allows this block to seize a crane or a bridge from a multibridge crane. A crane or a bridge must be seized to move the agent. Make sure that either this option is selected or use a properly configured SeizeCrane block in your flowchart placed before this MoveByCrane block.

Syntax: boolean seizeCrane

Crane

The crane or the bridge that moves the agent (material item).

Type of value: Crane
Local variable: Agent agent - the agent (material item)

Loading time

Specifies the amount of time the crane or the bridge will spend to pick up the agent (material item).

Note that the value is evaluated right before the crane or the bridge picks up the agent.

Type of value: double
Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

Agent selection pattern

Defines how the crane selects agents for transportation: based either on FIFO pattern (default setting) or on Custom pattern specified by expression you have to enter in the Custom pattern parameter.

Syntax: boolean customPriority
Valid values:
true - Custom
false - FIFO

Custom pattern

[Visible and applies only if Agent selection pattern: Custom]
Defines the expression that the crane evaluates to select an agent it will serve. The specified expression must return an integer. The crane first serves the agents for which the expression returns the greater value.
The simplest way to use the custom pattern is to create an integer parameter for the agent type that should be served by the crane, and then specify it as Custom pattern. For example, if your agent type has the priority parameter that represents the single item’s priority, the value of Custom pattern can be set to agent.priority.

Value type: int
Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

Release crane

[Enabled by default]
Allows this block to release the previously seized crane or bridge. A crane or a bridge could have been seized either by this block or by the SeizeCrane block.

Syntax: boolean seizeCrane

Unloading time

Specifies the amount of time the crane or the bridge will spend to drop off the agent (material item).

Note that the value is evaluated right before the crane or the bridge drops off the agent.

Type of value: double
Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

After release, hook

Here you can specify the behavior of the crane's lifting device after the crane has released the material item: either the lifting device Stays where it is or Returns to initial position if no other tasks. For jib cranes, the initial position of the hook will be calculated according to the values specified in the Initial jib angle and Trolley position parameters of the crane's properties. For overhead cranes, it will depend on the value specified in the Bridge parking position parameter of the bridge's properties and Trolley position parameter of the crane's properties.

Value type: MoveByCrane.CraneReleaseMovingPolicy
Local variable: Crane crane - the crane

On at enter

Here you can type Java code that will be executed when the agent (material item) decides that it will most likely go through the block.

Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

On enter

Here you can type Java code that will be executed when the agent (material item) enters the block.

Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

On at exit

Here you can type Java code that will be executed when the agent (material item) decides that it will most likely exit the block.

Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

On exit

Here you can type Java code that will be executed when the agent (material item) leaves the block.

Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

On cancel

Here you can type Java code that will be executed when the agent (material item) exits the block via ccl port.

Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

On remove

Here you can type Java code that will be executed when the agent (material item) is removed from a crane.

Local variable: T agent - the agent (material item)

On crane seize

[Visible and applies only if Seize crane option is enabled]. Here you can type Java code that will be executed when the agent (material item) seizes the crane or the bridge.

Local variables:
T agent - the agent (material item)
Crane crane - the crane

On crane release

[Visible and applies only if Release crane option is enabled]. Here you can type Java code that will be executed when the agent (material item) releases the crane or the bridge.

Local variables:
T agent - the agent (material item)
Crane crane - the crane

in

The input port.

out

The output port.

ccl

The output port for agents leaving the block because of the "cancel" event (caused by a call of the cancel() function).

How can we improve this article?

Send