DK168090B1 - Plant for sorting items in open path process - provides routing of items along paths determined by codes allotted at moment of wading - Google Patents

Abstract

The process provides routing of items along paths that are determined each time in function of a partic. coding allotted to the item at the moment of loading. The conveyance of the items is carried out by carriages equipped with devices capable of receiving, storing and exchanging information with control devices and actuator devices located along the sliding ways, in proximity to switches.

Description

in DK 168090 B1

The invention relates to a plant for transporting and sorting objects from loading to unloading stations which comprises; a plurality of lanes connected by means of track switches; a plurality of carriages which can run on the tracks and are provided with their own motor, which is supplied with power from power lines along the tracks; fixed codes which are affixed to the carriages and serve to identify each of them; means for associating each vehicle's fixed code with a temporary code for identifying the final destination of the transported items; means located along said lanes to continuously detect each vehicle's code for affecting said lane change; and means for activating the unloading of the conveyed articles as they pass the unloading stations.

15

The luggage is transported by wagons, each of which can be identified electronically by its own fixed code, and which at the time of loading is assigned a code which can vary each time and identify the destination of the object.

Along the path there are devices near the track switches which can read such codes as the carriage passes by, and accordingly influence the track switches to guide the car towards the predetermined sorting location.

Transport and sorting systems are known in which a number of carriages are moved along a predetermined path and deliver the objects at predetermined locations in the path corresponding to as many different final destinations.

In instances of this kind, the object is assigned at the time of loading a code corresponding to the destination of the object; there are suitable means, either spaced along the track or in a central location, to guide the carriage as it moves forward along the track, and to act upon the means which cause unloading as the carriage arrives at it. corresponding collection station.

Generally, in this type of system, there are relatively few delivery sites for the objects, while there may be many destinations and therefore delivery stations; Typical plants of this kind are plants for sorting items at post offices or plants for sorting orders in large mail order companies.

In other cases, there are many insertion points, such as e.g. when handling baggage at airports, while there are few drop-off stations or areas that have not yet been determined at check-in.

15

Therefore, it is not possible to establish a fixed and direct path between the insertion and sorting sites, and it is therefore not possible to give the object a distinctive code for the dispensing station.

20

Furthermore, the items can even be introduced into the plant long before the departure time, which requires the luggage to be stored in storage zones before the luggage is selectively directed towards the sorting stations.

25

There are known methods for automating the transport of luggage from the check-in point to the dispatch areas, but these methods do not completely solve the problem.

30 It is known e.g. from U.S. Patent No. 4,058,217, a method of supplying each baggage item with a label issued by a special machine and provided with automatically readable information regarding the destination to which the baggage is to be routed by a central computer.

However, has this facility not been sufficiently taken into account that, at the time of check-in, there are often no free sorting places or that these have not yet been determined at that time? the storage of the wagons is not differentiated from the destinations? cumbersome operations are therefore necessary to locate the luggage to a particular destination (when it becomes free) due to the random storage.

It is therefore necessary to make manual sorting, which reduces the entire system efficiency.

From US Patent 4,239,434, a method based on detecting the weight of the luggage is known, but this method does not take into account the fact that the lanes which the luggage must follow during its movement towards the sorting sites cannot be determined on advance? such a method can in fact only be used in connection with fixed webs.

20 US Patent 3,260,349 relates to the problem of baggage sorting before it is sent to the dispatch stations. This problem has been solved in a completely unsatisfactory way by recycling the luggage? however, such a non-selective storage system involves many drawbacks.

25

These patents are cited - regardless of the unsatisfactory solutions they describe - as evidence of the current interest in a baggage handling facility at airports.

30

It is clear from the above that baggage sorting in open-plan systems is a very complex problem.

35 In order to solve this problem, according to the invention there is provided a system which is characterized in that each carriage is provided with a number of decoding means or sensors DK 168090 B1 4 and a microcomputer connected thereto for controlling the motor of the car, and that in The power lines are introduced a modulated carrier, whereby the decoding means comprise a zone decoding device for detecting the carrier and accordingly controlling via the microcomputer the functions of the carriage according to the path zone in which the carriage is located.

The wagon is provided with its own fixed code, e.g. of the line type which identifies it and can be detected by lasers of known kind disposed along the path near the track switches.

It is possible that the code can be associated with the a.m. information in the memory of a central computer that controls the entire system so that the system can perform other operations.

Each cart is thus identified by two distinct and independent codes: the tag assigned according to the task to be performed and the bar code which is fixed and identifies the cart concerned.

The mark is read by organs which, when influenced by the track changes, guide the car to its correct destination; the bar code, which is also detected along the path, provides the central computer with information, thereby verifying that a particular task is assigned to each cart.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing, in which fig. Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a baggage sorting facility at airports; 2 is a block diagram of the logic sorting of luggage; FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the electronic means mounted on each carriage; FIG. 4 and 5 show a track change type which can be used in the embodiment of FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 schematically shows the mechanical means for activating the track change.

10 The embodiment of FIG. The system shown in paragraph 1 consists essentially of a number of blocks, namely: an area 1 for collecting wagons, each of which is marked with a code showing whether the cart is available or not; a number of check-in zones 2; a main circuit loop 3; storage zones 4 for 15 wagons destined for flight departures and which have yet to go through the loading phase; reading areas 5; reading zones 6 for arriving and departing luggage; track pieces 8, 9 and 10 for moving the carriages e.g. from the track to the collection area, then from this to the check-in location and again to the track.

Each trolley is preferably provided with an independent motor which drives it in the open runways; in the fixed path zones, such as e.g. the pick-up and loading zones in the vicinity of the check-in location, or the up and down routes (when the plant is at different levels), the handling is preferably carried out by means of chains, so that the carriages are displaced synchronously in all these parts of the track.

30

The individual organs constituting the plant will not be described in detail since they are generally of a known nature or are illustrated in other patents such as those mentioned above.

Programmable logic controllers are located near the track switches of the runway and are provided with information 35 DK 168090 B1 6 on the departing airplanes to be loaded.

These means, which serve as programmable local controls, control the influence of the routing means, such as track switches or the like, so that the carriage passing past the controller arrives at a specific destination along the optimum path according to the code with which it is marked.

10 Exchange of information can take place between the carriage and the fixed programmable logic controls regarding the identification codes. In the event of a collision between the load and the stored code, the bodies will direct the carriage to a predetermined sorting location; otherwise 15 the carriage will be routed further along the runway and if necessary to the storage area designated for the individual aircraft.

The messages issued by the vehicles may also contain information on availability or failure. In such cases, the programmable logic controls guide the carts to the collection areas or to repair zones, if any.

25 As already mentioned, the transport vehicles are preferably self-propelled. The motor feed is controlled via means of a known kind by a microcomputer mounted on the carriage, which from the sensors mounted on the carriage wheels receive indications of operating conditions concerning both the track (eg the passage through long runways, collection areas, normal transit areas etc.). ) and traffic (lines, obstacles, etc.) so that the logic means can adjust the vehicle's speed of movement to the various operating conditions in order to achieve maximum allowable speed.

35

Other sensors signal to the logic means if a fixed obstacle exists and / or the carriage is in contact with external elements such as other carriages; in this case, the logic means will set the engine to minimum speed for possible removal of the obstacle. When a fixed obstruction is found in the web, the feed is stopped and the control means tries at predetermined intervals to restart the circulation.

Beside the storage areas, where the carriages are usually in contact with each other, a special tone carrier or modulated carrier is inserted in the bus bars so that the microcomputer, which is informed by this tone that it is in a storage area, eliminates the programmable logic controls. repeated attempts to restart the circulation; when the tone disappears, handling can begin again.

The process can therefore be defined as an asynchronous sorting process using open paths where a high-throughput computer (MCC) communicates with the controlled elements in detecting information and issuing instructions; different levels of language correspond to the different levels of responsibility of the different bodies.

25 In the first level, the main data centers (MCC) are connected to the airport information system (AIS) and to the Logistic Information System (LIS) as well as to a control room.

The system's subsystems operate at a different language level, which is more appropriate for the types of information and instructions exchanged between the master computer and the path controllers (PCUs) which serve to control the traffic in the various zones, such as the collection areas, etc., as the path is divided into.

An even more simplified level of language is used for the dialogue between the track controllers and the programmable local control bodies, which serve to read the message marked on the carriage, control the means for activating the track switches, and identify the data supplied from the sensors which detects the position of the track switches.

5

The programmable logic controls receive instructions on how to behave in the case of wagons provided with given codes; each cart continuously transmits the information it has received (e.g.

10 a combination of carrier, aircraft, destination) when the carriage is on a transport task, or a code that reveals that it can start a task, or a code of failure so that the carriage can be intercepted at a test station.

15 Near the track switches, there is a fixed receiving device which receives the code sent by the carriage and passes it on to the local programmable logic controller, which, depending on whether the code belongs to a carriage to be invented, affects or does not affect the electrons of the track switch -canic control means.

For a better understanding of the method according to the invention, reference is made to the following detailed description of the various sorting operations corresponding to the different zones into which the plant is divided.

Reading at Check-In Sites 30 A fixed receiver 11 detects from the arriving wagons the code indicating that these wagons are empty and can be loaded; a transmitter 12 marks a fictitious code and a receiver 13 checks that this fictitious code is repeated exactly by the carriage; if this is the case, the carriage is guided via a 35 lane 14 to the upward stretch of the track, from which it arrives at the collection zone 1.

DK 168090 B1 9

From zone 1, the wagons are moved through the downward stretch 10 to the check-in points where the luggage is weighed and its size is automatically checked.

5 At this point, the operator supplies the luggage with the code relating to airline / aircraft / destination by means of a keyboard, and this code is stored in the local programmable logic controller. This checks the check-in zone and then reserves one of the free arriving carts and checks that the luggage is transferred from the loading station to the carriage by means of a belt 16.

After being led down the downward stretch 9, the carriage passes a transmitter 17 which labels the carriage and 15 adds the carriage's fixed code information on the task to be performed.

This information is checked by the following receiver 18 which, in the case of a positive result, activates the connection requirement between the vehicle's fixed code (controlled by the bar code reader 19) and the relevant data for the task (passenger name, airline, aircraft, destination) in the main data system. database.

25 The carriage then enters the main sorting loop and begins to move autonomously via the motor mounted on the carriage and continues to transmit its code identifying the luggage, the company, the destination etc.

30 Each time a carriage approaches a lane change, appropriate organs detect the carriage code and affect the lane change according to the instructions given by the master computer: if the airplane is to go through the loading phase, the lane switches that direct the carriage to the respective area, while the carriages if the airplane not yet ready, are directed towards the storage areas.

10 DK 168090 B1

The empty carts are intercepted and sent back to the zone opposite the upward trajectory 8.

Storage areas 5

The carriages intended for the storage areas are routed along a circuit 20: when a fixed receiver 21 detects the code on a carriage to be stored in an area in the vicinity of the receiver, e.g. area 22, it activates track change 23.

If an area is intended for the storage of wagons marked by a predetermined code, a mechanical blocking means 24 constituting the stop of the first 15 of the stored wagons is placed in the capture position; if an area is not yet ready to store the wagons marked with a certain code, the mechanical blocking means is kept in a non-capture position, thus converting that area into a regular path which can be utilized when alternative routes are necessary.

As soon as a reading area is declared accessible to the wagons marked with a certain code, the mechanical blocking means in the storage areas containing the wagons identified by this code is brought to a non-capture position; at the same time, the logic controls mounted on the carriages identified by said code are informed of this new condition and cause the carriages to move forward and enter the path leading to the 30 reading areas.

Transporting the luggage to the unloading zones

The carriages coming from the main sorting loop 3 and from the 35 collection areas are identified by a receiver 25 and by a bar code reader 26.

11 DK 168090 B1 When the wagons arrive at the unloading areas 27, they automatically deliver the luggage via means such as e.g. a circular belt mounted on the carriage, or the like.

5 Once the carts have passed the unloading area, additional control means checks that the luggage has actually been unloaded and gives the carriage an access code by the methods already mentioned.

10 The carriage then begins its recirculation movement across the plant, or it can be directed as needed to a storage area specifically designed for empty carts.

15 Sorting arrival luggage

The baggage from a landed aircraft is loaded onto the carriages in zone 6, and each carriage is provided, as appropriate, either with a destination code related to one of the delivery carousels or with a code indicating that the baggage must be transferred to another airplane.

If the receiver 27 receives a code indicating that the destination of the carriage e.g. is the carousel 7, it affects the track 25 change.

The barcode reader, which is adjacent to the receiver 27, verifies the carriage code to check that the carriage has actually been loaded with a luggage item with such a destination, and then the cargo load is unloaded to a carrier 29 which carries the luggage to the delivery carousel.

After unloading, the carriage of the transmitter 30 is marked with a 35 access code, and the receiver 31 checks that this code is correct before the carriage is released to the main track.

DK 168090 B1 12

If, on the other hand, the luggage loaded on the carriage at the arrival zone 6 should have been routed to another airplane, the relevant carriage will be circulated in the main sorting loop and then handled as if it came 5 from the check-in point.

Selective removal of a luggage item

When selectively removing a luggage item from a storage area, the identification number of each truck is used.

In the facility's database, the association between the luggage identification code, the passenger's name and the identification number of the transport vehicle identified via the bar code is kept.

When picking up an individual luggage item, the carts are handled in the relevant storage areas: when the requested carriage passes the barcode reader, the code or mark previously assigned at check-in time is replaced by another destination code, and the carriage is routed along the main path and then to it. desired zone.

An analogous method may be used to intercept a luggage object already in the vicinity of the unloading areas.

In conclusion, hereinafter referred to are the 30 means used to activate the method of the invention, although these are not disclosed in the claims and some of them are already known because they have been disclosed in prior patents or patent applications, e.g. . Italian Patent Specification 1,140,188 or the 35 Italian patent applications 22,264 A / 84, 23,110 A / 84, 20,779 B / 85 and 24,227 B / 85.

13 DK 168090 B1

The principal means for carrying out the above operations are: the carriages, the tracks, the programmable controls and the pushing elements.

5 Each carriage is provided with a unloading unit which can be handled both by independent motors mounted on the carriage and by external means such as chains, elevators etc.

On each trolley there are mounted reading means of known type, e.g. a circular belt forming the conveying plane on which the articles to be sorted are placed and which can be activated by known means both by an independent motor connected to the belt drive roller or by external motor means which is arranged adjacent to the unloading stations and is adapted for engagement with connecting means on the carriages and is connected to the belt drive roller.

The wagon is equipped with a microcomputer, a transmitter / receiver, some sensing means such as a proximity sensor, an anti-collision sensor and a mechanical block sensor.

FIG. 3 shows the connection diagram where: 31 is the microcomputer which processes the various received information and controls the functions of the carriage; 32 is a zone decoding means which identifies the tone present on the bus bar and sends a corresponding signal to the microcomputer; 33 is a mechanical block sensor, e.g. a magnetic sensor that detects any mechanical blocks activated by the control system, e.g. the 35 block of the storage areas; DK 168090 B1 14 34 is a sensor which detects the movement of one cart wheel and sends a signal to the microprocessor that movement is actually in progress; Fig. 35 is a proximity and contact sensor which detects the presence of obstacles along the path and sends a signal to the microcomputer so that it can reduce the speed to avoid collisions; 10 36 is the carriage motor controlled by the microcomputer 1 and fed via bus rails 37 which provide energy supply and are passed by electrical signals that are correctly decoded informing the microcomputer about the position of the carriage? 15 38 is the entry line of the mark signal applied to the trolley and containing characteristic data for the task to be performed; and 39 is the output line of the tag signal which identifies the carriage and is continuously transmitted and received by the programmable logic control means which take the necessary measures for the proper destination of the carriage itself.

25 The FIG. 4-6 tracks or switches are provided with means which allow the track to be adapted to the program laid down for each carriage.

These switches are contacted by respective steering wheels, which 30 run in the seat 40 and are attached to the carriage. The switching control means, which can be both electrical and pneumatic, is subject to the programmable logic control means.

As the carriage moves forward, it rests via center wheels on 35 rails 41 which serve as slides.

15 DK 168090 B1

These slides are shown in FIG. 4 and 6, the shifting means being in two possible positions which define the route of the carriage.

5 The programmable control means are electronic means located near the track switch of the track system and are equipped with combined receivers and transmitters and with programmable logic means.

In accordance with the program, the programmable logic controls control the switches e.g. using an electric servomotor.

FIG. 2 shows the block diagram of the logic of the programmable logic controllers, where: 42 is the main computer of the airport; 43 is the node that processes the information from the data packet 42 (it receives information about the flight time and the start of the read operations; it receives relevant luggage data from the check-in locations; it associates the destination message received by the computer 42 with the relevant luggage item; it informs the others 25 bodies about the destination; it determines the optimal trajectory for each luggage item; it informs the other control bodies about the track assigned to each luggage item; it checks that the luggage in the facility is properly sorted); 44 is the subsystem which controls the topology of the system, keeps node 43 informed of the operating conditions of the system, and provides via a video screen the necessary information for controlling the system; 35 45 is the programmable logic controller network which initiates the sorting of luggage by activating the switching tracks and consists of a certain number of programmable logic controller units connected to the subsystem 44 via a fast local network; 5 46 is the microcomputer mounted on each carriage and exchanges information with the system; and 47 is a barcode reading means which detects the number of each carriage.

10 When the luggage is introduced into the sorting plant and assigned to the respective carts, the programmable logic controller located at the beginning of the circuit receives the identification code and sends it to the carriage as the latter passes past said unit.

The push means are e.g. of a pneumatic type, controlled by electromagnets or by combs, which are actuated either electrically or mechanically by the carriage itself and arranged in accordance with the passages from one transport system to the other; more particularly, in the places where the carriage passes from a lane along which it is moved by its own engine, to a lane where it is driven by chains, as is done e.g. in the up and down 25 sections 8, 9 and 10 or in the collection area 1.

The pushing element is activated synchronously with the elevator, either during the upward or downward movement, so that the carriage is pushed on the conveyor at certain time intervals, which are determined by the carrier cycle itself.

35

Claims (4)

1. Installations for the transport and sorting of objects from loading and unloading stations, which include; a plurality of lanes connected by means of track switches; a plurality of carriages which can run on the lanes and are equipped with their own motor, which is supplied with power from power lines along the lanes; fixed codes which are located on the 10 carriages and serve to identify each of them; means for associating each vehicle's fixed code with a temporary code for identifying the final destination of the items transported; means located along the lanes to continuously detect each vehicle's code for affecting said lane change; and means for activating the reading of the conveyed articles as they pass through the reading stations, characterized in that each carriage is provided with a plurality of decoding means or sensors (32-25) and a microcomputer (31; 46) associated with these 20 the carriage motor (36), and a modulated carrier is inserted in the power lines (37), the decoding means comprising a zone decoding device for detecting the carrier and accordingly controlling the functions of the carriage according to the microcomputer (31; 46). lane zone in which the trolley is located. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensors comprise a blocking sensor (33) for detecting mechanical blockages. System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sensors comprise a proximity and contact sensor (35) for detecting obstacles along the paths. 35 System according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the sensors comprise a sensor (34) for detecting the movement of a carriage wheel.