Loading system for flight luggage and method for manual and machine-assisted sorting

p0001The invention relates to a charging system for baggage, consisting of conveyors for loose on these lying pieces of luggage to be transported from a distant object station to a number of loading conveyors, of which the bags manually or machine-assisted in provided in addition to the loading conveyors transport vehicles and / or transport containers are loaded wherein at least each of a loading conveyor is associated with one of several flights or their destination locations.

p0002The loading of baggage the end of a largely automated baggage sorting system is currently carried out mainly done manually, ie, which is transported after passing through the system to a place in an area of ​​the plant, usually at the check-in, discontinued baggage where transport vehicles, so-called . Trollys, and / or transport containers, so-called. ULDs, are ready to take the luggage. The transfer of the luggage by hand directly from the loading conveyors, which are often arranged in several rows parallel to each other, next to and between which the trolleys or ULDs are strung. Depending on how much baggage accumulates in different times of day, more or less workers are employed who take the baggage from the belt and pack in one or more of waiting for a specific destination transport container or in a transport vehicle. The workers have to make sure that the correct piece of luggage reaches the provided for the intended destination of transport; because it is also a sort according to certain criteria luggage. For example, the baggage of first-class passengers are well separated from other luggage, such as those of transfer passengers with short transfer times. Also other criteria distinguish.

p0003Since the conveyor for receiving the luggage often have a large length and a plurality of transport vehicles or ULDs beside the conveyor belts is established, which dealt with the Gepäckverladen workers have to travel frequently large distances. This takes time and reduces the throughput of the system, especially if the luggage not presorted reach the loading area and the workers constantly move between the transport units and must reciprocate. This is a lot of time lost, which reduces the throughput of the system.

p0004Another problem is that the baggage is often very difficult and can often be moved only with difficulty by hand from the loading conveyor in the transport unit. Although tools for machine-assisted loading of baggage already be used on the plane that the luggage easily get into the plane, but will have facilitated work by these tools, but does not increase the throughput.

p0005Object of the present invention is to provide a charging system for baggage and a method for loading of baggage, which enables a high throughput through effective work while facilitating the loading of baggage from the loading conveyor in the transport vehicles provided herein.

p0006To achieve the object, the invention proposes that each loading conveyor for sorting and temporarily storing the luggage of a feed and an outfeed conveyor, between which a sort memory with multiple memory locations arranged for one piece of luggage that of the loading and unloading of the feed and discharge conveyor subsequent transfer cars are serviced.

p0007The basic idea of ​​the present invention is caching and simultaneous sorting of baggage, so that they can be loaded into the sorting criteria selected order in the means of transport.

p0008Preferably, the sort heap is transverse to and disposed between the feed and Abführförderern, with one transfer carriage is parallel to the sort memory between this and the feed-out conveyor or moved. The sort memory thus decouples the feed conveyor from the feed-out conveyor and made possible by caching a meaningful Order of baggage, for example, according to the criterion first class or transfer luggage.

p0009In a designed feature of the invention it is provided that the transfer carriage are each equipped with a conveyor belt that form a continuation of the supply or discharge conveyor in a transfer or handover position of the transfer carriage. In its coupling position, which simultaneously corresponds to the transfer or handover position, thus represents the transfer car is a continuation of the feed or outfeed and can take over the baggage directly or transferred to the discharge conveyor.

p0010According to the transfer car on rails are movable, which are laid next to the sort heap on the floor. By moving to these rails of the transfer car can serve several memories of the sort heap.

p0011Preferably, the sort heap at least three, preferably five or more memory locations, where it makes sense to plan the number of memory locations in an odd number, thus, can be operated from a centralized position, the same number of memory locations to both sides starting.

p0012According to the invention the sort memory is arranged in a common plane with the conveying plane of the feed or discharge conveyor. This means that the luggage has to bridge any differences in height but can be directly, if necessary after previous move of the transfer car, transferred from the feed conveyor on the docked transfer car in the sort heap. For this purpose, a further feature of the invention, each space of the sort heap is equipped with an individually controllable conveyor whose conveying direction of the conveyor corresponds to the transfer cart. Thus, directly from the transfer car, a piece of luggage to be introduced into the space and be stored there until the polling on the opposite side is from the there movable transfer carriage by the conveyor belt of the storage space is driven for discharging the piece of baggage until taken over this from the conveyor belt of the transfer car is.

p0013Within the scope of the invention it is also possible, with several superimposed to provide the sort memory levels, accordingly, the transfer carriage with lifting devices, such as scissors tables would come to serve the different sort of memory planes.

p0014To ensure that bags reach a line of the space that allows orderly filing, is provided according to another feature of the invention between the feed belt and the transfer carriage means for rotating and / or weighing of the luggage in the plane of conveyance. The weighing of the luggage may already be done before or be made at this point to allow a meaningful packing the luggage on the plane.

p0015In order to enable an orderly depositing the luggage in the transport containers, the sort criteria of the individual item of baggage must be known. For this reason, a device for identifying the piece of luggage according to the invention provided in the course of Zuförderbandes who is able to read information about the baggage from corresponding information carriers to the luggage.

p0016The discharge conveyor extends to a feature of the invention, along a plurality of tiltable transport vehicles and / or transport container, between which and the discharge conveyor, a charging device is parallel to the latter moved, with the luggage from the discharge conveyor to the transport vehicle or transport container is übergebbar. This charger makes the job easier for the transport devices loaded workers, it allows transferring the luggage directly from the discharge conveyor into the transport vehicle or transport container.

p0017In a favorable embodiment, the loading device is moved on rails and, preferably by hand, sliding on this.

p0018In order to load the luggage loading device is, according to the invention equipped with a telescopic and / or pivoting arm which extends into the transport vehicle or transport container.

p0019For low stacks of luggage according to a further feature of the invention ausgestaltendem the charging device or parts thereof can be raised and lowered his.

p0020In a particularly favorable embodiment of the invention, the charging device is a transversely to the discharge conveyor oriented conveyor belt, under which an extendable second conveyor belt is arranged in the direction of to the loaded transport vehicle or transport container on a carrier, which is pivotable about at least 90 ° in the horizontal plane. With the pivoting of the second conveyor belt is achieved, that baggage can be loaded into corners of the transport means, which are not directly in the transport direction of the first conveyor belt.

p0021To achieve that the luggage arrive by delivery belt on the conveyor belt of the loading device, an the removal conveyor belt cross deflector is inventively provided which can be moved together with the loading apparatus along the Abförderbandes and transferred the luggage from the discharge conveyor to the charging device. Such deflectors are known in principle, they can, for example, from circulating in the vertical plane conveyors consist, direct the luggage out in the intended direction of the charging device.

p0022A method for manually or mechanically supported sorting and loading of baggage into waiting vehicles and / or transport container according to one or more device claims is characterized in that certain stored on attached to the baggage information carriers sort criteria are read on the feed conveyor and stored in a plant computer before be assigned to the respective baggage defined storage spaces of the sorting system that baggage same sort criteria are successively retrieved from the data stored in the system computer of the sort memory and supplied via the discharge belt of the loading device, the one the baggage same sorting criteria in a these associated transport vehicle and / or transport container will load and that all other pieces of luggage sorted in the same manner with regard to other sorting criteria, stored and subsequently the other associated vehicles and / or transport containers are fed.

p0023The method provides a caching and simultaneous segregation of the divided according to specific criteria luggage. The first arriving on the feed conveyor in any order bags are read with respect to their information, the information is available as a barcode or RFID information. The captured information will be stored in a computer system and allow an allocation of the luggage by the read sorting criteria. After a possible resulted turning the luggage in a meaningful for later sorting process orientation, the luggage is transferred to the waiting at the end of Zuförderbandes transfer cart and stored by this, possibly after transverse displacement, in one of the storage locations. The space is supplied to the system computer; The information is merged with the information on the sort criteria. Other storage locations are filled with subsequent luggage in the same way. Once more baggage same sort criteria are in the sort memory, these are successively removed from the sort heap and placed on the discharge conveyor and the deflector of the charging device available that gives these pieces of luggage in the correct designated transport containers or the correct transport vehicle. Already during the outward transfer of baggage same sorting criteria more luggage are transferred from the feed conveyor to the transfer cart and stored in the meantime emptied storage locations. If a number of pieces of luggage stored with other sorting criteria in the memory, the loading device is moved together with the deflector in front of another means of transport, the same baggage sorting criteria are successively retrieved from the sort heap and this car supplied. A constant switching back and forth of the charging device is omitted in that a sorting of luggage takes place and takes place one loaded in groups of luggage with the same sort criteria.

p0024An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawing and described below. Show it:<dl id="dl0001"><dt>Figures 1 and 2</dt><dd>several sequences of a charging process,</dd><dt>figure 3</dt><dd>an alternative embodiment of a charging system with two Abförderbändern </dd><dt>figure 4</dt><dd>the loading device according to the invention schematically in a side view and</dd><dt>figure 5</dt><dd>the loading device according to the invention schematically in top view.</dd></dl>

p0025In <figref idrefs="f0001 f0002">figure 1</figref> are shown six sequences when loading baggage. In all individual drawings, the feed belt 1 and the discharge conveyor 2 can be seen, between which, is in transverse extension to the sort memory. 3 The sort memory in the embodiment has five storage locations 3a to 3e, each location consists of a conveyor belt whose upper run (in the drawing) from right to left can be moved. Between the supply conveyor 1 and the sort memory 3 of the transfer cart designated 4 can be seen transversely of the feed conveyor 1 can be moved on the rails 5 and in front of a respective one of the storage spaces 3a to 3e is positioned. A similar transfer carriage 6 is disposed on the opposite side of the sort memory 3 is also moved on rails. 7 Both transfer car 4 and 6 carry conveyors which rotate in the same direction as the feed and discharge conveyor and conveyor of the storage spaces 3a to 3e.

p0026The discharge conveyor 2 extends in the plane to the left, parallel to the discharge conveyor 2 extends the rail 8 on the charging device 9 is moved along the discharge conveyor. 2 With the loading device 9, the deflector 10 is connected, which when moving the loading device 9 with this moving and always engages over the discharge conveyor. 2 Below the rail 8, three transport container (ULDs) are seen, indicated with 11, 12 and 13. FIG.

p0027The components of the charging system described above are in all of the sequences a to f of <figref idrefs="f0001 f0002">figures 1</figref> and <figref idrefs="f0002 f0003">2</figref> equal. In practice, several of these systems are arranged side by side, ie, a plurality of inlet and Abführförderern extend parallel to each other at the end of a conveyor track and be assigned depending on the number of outgoing flights. In<figref idrefs="f0001">figure 1a</figref> are seven pieces of luggage seen, indicated with 1.1 to 1.7. They are initially transported in the transport direction 11 by the reader 12, where attached to the baggage information is read out via the respective sorting criteria. In the turning station 13, the bags are optionally aligned. In the<figref idrefs="f0001">figure 1a</figref> is still undirected shown on the tape that baggage 1.2, in the turning station 13 that baggage 1.2 was hosted, as in <figref idrefs="f0001">figure 1b</figref> can be seen. In<figref idrefs="f0001">figure 1b</figref> it is also apparent that baggage has already reached 1.1 on the conveyor of the transfer car 4 in the space 3c of the sort heap 3 and stored there. Figure 1c that baggage has been 1.2 passed by the rotating device 13 to the transfer carriage 4, as in the<figref idrefs="f0001">figure 1d</figref> has drifted noticeably to the right (in the drawing above). <figref idrefs="f0002">figure 1e</figref> shows that baggage 1.2, now stored in a second memory 3b of the sort heap. 3 <figref idrefs="f0002">figure 1f</figref> has skipped several sequences now are 5 pieces of luggage in the sort memory 3, so that the memory locations are occupied 3a to 3e.

p0028It is assumed that the items of luggage have 1.1, 1.3 and 1.4 same sorting criteria, so for example, first-class pieces of luggage to be loaded into the transport container. 13 For this purpose, the charging device 9 is driven on the rail 8 with respect to the transport container 13, the deflector 10 is in a corresponding position. Below the baggage 1.1, 1.3, and 1.4 are retrieved from the sorting memory 3, which of the sequences<figref idrefs="f0002 f0003">Figure 2a to 2f</figref> is shown. In<figref idrefs="f0003">2e</figref> are seen the three items 1.1, 1.3 and 1.4 arrived with the same sort criteria in the ULD 13, in the meantime, the vacant spaces were 3d on the transfer car 4 and 3c already occupied with new baggage that, as soon as several pieces of luggage have also collected the same sort criteria are retrieved in the same manner and be transferred on the transfer carriage 6 to discharge conveyor. 2 In<figref idrefs="f0003">figure 2f</figref> was recognized the charger been 9 moved on the rail 8 by hand in direction of the arrow and is now in front to the transport container 12, are collected in the luggage of other sorting criteria. In this way, the invention enables a higher throughput than before, because always more baggage same sorting criteria are summarized what is possible by means of the sort heap.

p0029In <figref idrefs="f0004">figure 3</figref> is shown an embodiment in which the two outfeed conveyors 2a and 2b are provided with otherwise the same functionality of the system. This solution can be simultaneously 6 transport container 11a, 12a, 13a and 11b, 12b and 13b load. The loading device is duplicated for this purpose, so that an even faster loading of the transport container or transport vehicles is made possible.

p0030To the luggage is to be transferred from the charging device without use of force in the transport containers or vehicles, such as in <figref idrefs="f0005">figure 4</figref> illustrated, the loading device itself is configured as a conveyor 14 which is driven in the direction of arrow sixteenth Below the conveyor 14 is attached to a support 17, a further conveyor 15 extendable to which the item of luggage is passed eighteenth By further extension of the carrier 17 with the conveyor belt 15, the piece of baggage thus enters the interior of the transport container, which is indicated at 19, where it is thrown off by driving the conveyor belt 15 in the arrow direction in the designated position. Subsequently, the conveyor belt 15 moves back below the conveyor belt 14 and the device can be moved.

p0031In <figref idrefs="f0005">figure 5</figref> 9 is shown in the plan view of the loading apparatus. It connects to the discharge conveyor 2, which is drawn continuously in the display, while the charging device 9 is shown in seven sequences charging. In the top view of the further conveyor 15 is positioned recognizable below the conveyor 14 of a hub 20 carries at its freely projecting end, which in turn carries a bearing 21 for the baggage 18th The turntable is rotatable about a vertical (perpendicular to the plane) extending axis, the support 21 allows characterized by positioning in the corresponding rotational position to throw off the baggage 18 in any direction, even sideways in the corner regions 22 of the ULD's. After dropping the luggage turntable 18 pivoted 20, the support 21 back to the starting position in which the conveyor 15 is retracted under the conveyor 14th The loading device which is parallel to the feed-out conveyor in the direction of arrow 23 movable and additionally be raised and lowered, allowing by means of the telescoping conveyor 14 and 15 and by turning the support 21 about the vertical rotation axis, a loading of the ULDs in all levels and deposit positions of luggage in the ULD.