EP1888447B1 - Apparatus for handling loads such as luggage items - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus for the identification and handling of loads, such as in particular baggage, particularly in airports.

It is known that in airports the handling of baggage is usually done manually and consists mainly of receiving them from conveyor belts which convey them since the registration and, after their identification in particular as to their destination, to load them on the appropriate trucks to transport them to their respective aircraft.

This is a physically difficult job for baggage handlers, so various solutions have been proposed to facilitate these handling operations. For this purpose, the publication US 5850928 discloses a load handling device having gripping, lifting and load moving means. However, we must note that probably because of their lack of flexibility vis-à-vis the constraints of handling, these devices are very uncommon.

The identification operation is always carried out completely manually and essentially consists of the porter to detach an identifying label affixed to the baggage during registration, and, after transporting it on the appropriate trolley associated to a specific aircraft, stick this label on a sheet of registration associated with said aircraft, the last loaded luggage bearing a specific label indicating that the loading is completed. It is understood that for many practical reasons, and particularly during the implementation of security checks, the procedure is sometimes somewhat disturbed which leads to malfunctions causing various inconveniences for passengers.

That is why it has been proposed, in order to reduce these malfunctions, to make the identification operation automatic by providing, on the one hand, the labels affixed during the check-in on the luggage and, on the other hand, the transport trolleys. a barcode which allows the baggage handler, after entering the information carried by them with an appropriate reader, to transmit directly and automatically to the relevant administrative services.

In practice, a difficulty arises, insofar as the baggage handler must at the same time present the barcode reader with the baggage label (since it is by definition in any position relative to it), read the barcode placed on it, and then enter the baggage to transfer it to the cart. It is understood that during these manipulations the porter will present with one hand the label to the barcode reader he holds in the other hand, trigger the reading with the latter and, once this operation is done, ask the barcode reader to be able to take control of the luggage gripping means. This transfer, however simple it may be, becomes problematic since, on the one hand, it must be performed hundreds of times during the same working day and, on the other hand, all of these operations must be carried out quickly since, usually, the baggage concerned is moving on a carrier.

The purpose of the present invention is to propose a device enabling the handler to perform all the identification and handling previously mentioned while keeping in hand one and the same instrument.

The present invention thus relates to a device for identifying and handling loads, in particular baggage, of the type comprising means for gripping the latter and lifting and displacement means controlled by control means, characterized in that it comprises an operating head located in the immediate vicinity of the gripping means comprising both the control means and means adapted to ensure the identification of said charges.

According to the invention the lifting means may consist of at least one cable associated with means capable of controlling the winding and unwinding of the latter and the identification means may be constituted by a reader adapted to read barcode identification arranged on charges, or radio frequency electronic tags.

Moreover, in order to facilitate the taking of information, the device according to the invention may comprise means capable of ensuring the release and recovery of said cable under the action of control means of the operating head. In a particularly interesting way, these control means of release and recovery of said cable may consist of an inclinometer.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the control head will comprise means for remote transmission and / or reception of the identification information of the charges and / or the zones for taking and depositing said charges.

Moreover, in order to facilitate the entry of information on charges and in particular on baggage, the device according to the invention may include means for triggering and / or recording the identification of said charges constituted by an inertia device activated under the action of a sudden movement of the actuating head.

Finally, the lifting and / or gripping means may consist of a retractable tubular element in communication with a suction element capable of sealingly applying to the load and means capable of creating a controlled partial vacuum in a tubular element for seize the said charges.

• la figure 1 est une vue schématique de côté d'un dispositif suivant l'invention,
• la figure 2 est une vue de dessus du dispositif suivant l'invention représenté sur la figure 1,
• la figure 3 est une vue partielle du dispositif représenté sur les figures 1 et 2 celui-ci étant représenté en position de lecture des informations portées sur une étiquette de bagage,
• la figure 4 est une vue partielle du dispositif représenté sur la figure 3, en position de transport du bagage,
• la figure 5 est une vue agrandie de la tête de manoeuvre utilisée dans le dispositif suivant l'invention,
• la figure 6 est une vue partielle de côté d'une variante de mise en oeuvre du dispositif suivant l'invention.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• the figure 1 is a schematic side view of a device according to the invention,
• the figure 2 is a top view of the device according to the invention shown in the figure 1 ,
• the figure 3 is a partial view of the device shown on the Figures 1 and 2 the latter being represented in the reading position of the information carried on a luggage tag,
• the figure 4 is a partial view of the device shown on the figure 3 in the transport position of the luggage,
• the figure 5 is an enlarged view of the operating head used in the device according to the invention,
• the figure 6 is a partial side view of an alternative embodiment of the device according to the invention.

The device for identifying and handling charges according to the invention which is represented on the Figures 1 to 5 , consists of a double rail 1 which is fixed in the upper part of a ceiling 2 on which moves a movable carriage 4 on which a handling arm 6 is rotatably mounted. This arm is preferably made of two elements 6a and 6b which are arranged in the extension of one another and which are hinged together about a vertical axis 8.

The carriage 4 is provided with more than one electric winch 10 on a pulley of which a cable 12 is wound, which follows the path of the arm 6 to pass on a pulley 14 located at the end thereof to go then vertically down. The lower end of the cable 12 is provided with gripping means consisting, in the present example of implementation of the invention, of a hook 16.

According to the invention, in the immediate proximity of the hook 16 is disposed an operating head 18 which is shown in detail on the figure 5 and which is extended downwards by a handle 20.

The operating head 18 comprises, firstly, all the elements making it possible to control the positioning of the cable 12, the arms 6 and the carriage 4. For this purpose, the control handle 20 is provided with load sensors enabling the known manner, to exercise a slave command of rise and descent charges. More precisely when the handle 20 is exerted downwards, the sensors detect this constraint and instruct the winch 10, by means of servocontrol means of any known type, to unroll a portion of the cable that is a function of the intensity of the effort exerted. Conversely, when the baggage handler wishes to lift a piece of luggage he lifts the handle 20 and the servo means wind up a portion of cable. Thus the handling of lifting and deposit of a charge is done without effort on the part of the porter.

According to the invention, the operating head 18 is equipped with means making it possible to identify the loads and in particular the luggage, such as for example a barcode label reader 15 by laser or CCD or any other system for example a radio frequency electronic tag reader.

It will be understood that the manipulation of the operating head 18, when it has to read the labels 22 of a luggage 23, requires that it be able to be operated quickly and without the servocontrol means intervening to interfere. the movement especially for example when the bagger inclines it in all directions to position it correctly with respect to the position of the label 22 which we want to enter the information.

This is why the device according to the invention is provided with means for releasing the cable 12 of the servocontrol means. Thus when the baggage handler wishes to enter the data on a label 22 he begins by controlling the release of the cable 12 which allows it to easily and quickly position the operating head 18 in the ideal position to perform this operation as shown on the figure 3 . The operating head 18 may thus comprise cable release control means 12, constituted for example by a control button 24 directly accessible by the baggage handler when he holds the handle 20 in his hand, or preferably by an inclinometer arranged in the 18. This last control means is particularly interesting in that on the one hand it removes a control member particularly vulnerable in the conditions of use of this type of device, and secondly in that it requires from the porter only a simple movement of the wrist and this in a natural direction for this operation, which is a great facility for this one.

Once the operating head 18 is in position to ensure the input of the information on the label 22 the porter must activate the reading operation. This operation can of course be controlled by a button 26 easily accessible by the baggage handler when he holds the hand-grip 20, but preferably by a type of inertia type control device which will be provided with the operating head 18. In these conditions it will be sufficient for the porter to give the control head 18 a fast and brief movement in a given direction, preferably a rotational movement about the axis formed by the handle 20. Once the recorded information identical movement will disconnect the means reading. Most of the time the reading means will in fact be in a permanent state of operation and the recording of the measurement made by a given signal will preferably be carried out preferably by rapid movement of the operating head.

The reading operation being completed the porter will put back in the vertical position the handle 20 which will have the effect of reactivating the servo means of the cable 12 which will hold and can then be controlled by the baggage handler to lift the baggage as shown on the figure 4 .

According to the invention, the operating head 18 will comprise means making it possible to ensure its connection to a remote computer via a link wired or by remote transmission, including radio, infrared etc ... It will thus be able to automatically send the collected information to a server where they will be administratively managed. Such a connection may be bidirectional type so as to allow the porter to receive instructions. Thus, after the input, the information can be retransmitted to a possibly distant computer, the latter can then issue to the baggage carrier an authorization to load the baggage in such a specific cart, and this according to specific decisions relating for example to the security, the comfort etc ... The operating head 18 can thus behave as a real-time dialogue instrument with a remote computer responsible for example to check the correct loading of a flight and the proper operation of the device according to the invention. The operating head 18 may also include a memory in which it will record all the operations performed so as to restore them later to reading means, for example a computer.

Of course the device according to the invention can be implemented with any other lifting and gripping device than those previously described.

For example, it will also be possible to use a device of the type shown on the figure 6 comprising a corrugated tubular element 25 mounted to move on means of the same type as those described above and which terminates at its lower part by a suction cup element 27 in the form of a flattened bell adapted to apply sealingly to a load, in particular luggage 23. The device comprises means capable of creating a partial and controlled vacuum in the tubular element 25, so that when its suction element 27 is applied to a baggage the latter is maintained as a result of the depression. By decreasing in a controlled manner the pressure in the tubular element 25 can be raised more or less it. As before, the device is controlled by the operating head 18. In such an embodiment, it is understood that the latter is completely free to take any position to read the information of the label 22 as long as the element suction cup is not applied to the luggage surface 23.

Claims (10)

1. Device for identifying and handling loads, in particular luggage (23), of the type comprising gripping means (16, 27) for the latter and including lifting (12, 15) and moving (4, 6) means which are controlled by control means, characterised in that said device comprises an operating head (18) which is in direct proximity to the gripping means (16, 27) and comprises both the control means and means which are capable of ensuring the identification of said loads (23).
2. Identification and handling device according to claim 1, characterised in that the lifting (12, 25) and/or gripping (16, 27) means consist of a retractable tubular element (25) in communication with a suction cup element (27) adapted to be sealingly applied to the load (23) and of means adapted to create a controlled partial vacuum in the tubular element (25) for gripping said loads.
3. Identification and handling device according to claim 1, characterised in that the lifting means consist of at least one cable (12) in association with means (10) which are capable of controlling the winding up and unwinding of said cable.
4. Identification and handling device according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the identification means consist of a reader which is capable of reading identification bar codes which are arranged on the loads (23), or electronic radio frequency identification tags.
5. Identification and handling device according to any of claim 3 or claim 4, characterised in that it comprises means which are capable of ensuring the release and retrieval of said cable under the effect of control means of the operating head (18).
6. Identification and handling device according to claim 5, characterised in that the control means for releasing and retrieving said cable consist in an inclinometer.
7. Identification and handling device according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the operating head (18) comprises means for remotely transmitting and/or receiving load identification information.
8. Identification and handling device according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the operating head (18) comprises means for remotely transmitting and/or receiving identification information for areas in which said loads (23) are picked up and deposited.
9. Identification and handling device according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises means for triggering and/or recording the measure for identifying said loads, which means consist of an inertia device activated under the effect of a sudden movement of the operating head.
10. Identification and handling device according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the controlled moving means consist of a carriage (4) which is movably mounted on rails (1) and on which at least one pivoting arm (6a, 6b) is pivotably mounted, the end of which arm supports lifting means (12, 25) which support the gripping means (16, 27) and said operating head (18).

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