WO1999017075A2

WO1999017075A2 - A device for size check of luggage

Info

Publication number: WO1999017075A2
Application number: PCT/SE1998/001730
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sölve SJÖDIN
Original assignee: Elinnovation I Ånge Ab
Priority date: 1997-09-26
Filing date: 1998-09-28
Publication date: 1999-04-08
Also published as: SE9703495D0; CA2304721A1; SE9703495L; WO1999017075A3; AU9291498A; EP1017961A2

Abstract

A device for size check of luggage, said device comprising means for delimiting a three-dimensional space corresponding to maximum allowed size of the luggage.

Description

A DEVICE FOR SIZE CHECK OF LUGGAGE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART

The present invention is related to a device for size check of luggage.

The device may be applied at all places where the size of the luggage is an important parameter. The device is therefore especially applicable where the storage space of an object, for example a vehicle, a boat or an aircraft, is limited. The device is especially applicable for size check of hand luggage intended to be brought into an aircraft.

The airline companies have regulations regarding the maximum allowed size and/or weight of hand luggage. The size limitation is in some cases defined in that the hand luggage has to fit under a seat for the traveller in question, or in a space for hand luggage, said space being situated above the position of the seat.

Such an indefinite limitation might lead to discussions regarding the exact allowable size of the hand luggage that may be brought into the aircraft by the traveller. It could be unpleasant for the control crew to refuse a traveller with a suspiciously large hand luggage to pass.

A hand luggage spacing located above the seats is often intended for housing hand luggage for several travellers. This results in the traveller getting to the spacing first might fill up the com- plete spacing with his own hand luggage, which results in that the other travellers, who also were to place their hand luggage into said spacing, will have to place their hand luggage in other places, for example under the seat. It might get crowded in the aircraft if also these travellers should bring a larger hand luggage than allowed, which results in difficulties both for the cabin crew and for the travellers to move around.

Housing luggage in the cabin without fastening it properly is a safety risk. Non-fastened luggage might be displaced in the cabin when the aircraft banks or is brought to make sudden changes in the height direction, for example due to air pockets. This safety risk increases with an increasing amount of luggage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to provide a device for size check of luggage, which eliminates the above mentioned disadvantages.

This object is achieved by the invention in that the device comprises a passage, which the luggage is to pass through, the passage being delimited by delimiting means in order to put an upper limit on the size of the luggage regarding the height and width thereof, the delimiting means comprising a first delimiting portion forming a base portion for delimiting the passage down- wards, a second delimiting portion forming an upper portion for delimiting the passage upwards, and third delimiting portions forming side wall portions for delimiting the passage sideways. The inventive passage involves an easy and safe method to determine whether a specific piece of luggage has a size below the upper size limit or not. The piece of luggage is approved regarding the height and width thereof if it can be brought through the passage. It is however not approved if it cannot be brought to pass through the passage and should then be treated in some other way. In the case of hand luggage, a non-approved piece of luggage will thus not be possible to be brought into the aircraft as hand luggage, but may instead be labelled for storage in the ordinary aircraft storage space.

The inventive device has means for delimiting the allowed luggage length to a set value in order to achieve a maximum three-dimensional luggage size. According to a preferred embodiment, a sensor arrangement utilising a non-contact sensing method may be used for delimiting the size of the luggage in the longitudinal direction. According to a preferred embodiment, the sensor arrangement utilises a suitable radiation, for example electromagnetic radiation, such as light. It is, however, also within the scope the inventive claims that the sensing operation regarding whether the actual length of the luggage exceeds a maximum allowed length value or not, is performed with the aid of other types of sensor arrangements, for example arrangements based on mechanics. It is, for example, possible to arrange fingers in a suitable distribution along the luggage and movable towards the same in such a way that information regarding approval or non-approval of the luggage length may be achieved by registering whether the fingers contact the luggage or not. Other types of sensor arrangements may also be of interest, such as pneumatical arrangements. The above mentioned radiation could be formed by one or a plurality of air jets located in such a way that information regarding the length of the luggage is obtained by registering whether said jet or jets hit the piece of luggage or not.

Generally, it is established that the inventive device makes it possible to easily and effectively control whether the luggage has the allowed size or not. This implies that personnel responsible for the luggage check do not need to carry out any subjective estimations of the luggage size. The inventive device may instead be used for providing an objective estimation. This is of particular interest at the size check of hand luggage for airlines. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

With reference to the appended drawing, a more specific disclosure of embodiment examples of the invention will follow hereinafter:

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the inventive device.

Fig. 2 illustrates a side view of the first preferred embodiment of the invention, with a piece of luggage indicated by dotted lines in the device.

Fig. 3 illustrates a partly cut front view according to fig. 2, rotated 90° in relation to the view in fig. 2

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the inventive device. The device has means for delimiting a three-dimensional space, which corresponds to the maximum allowed size of the luggage. The delimiting means delimits the space in three mutually perpendicular directions. In the ver- tical direction, the space is delimited downwards by a base portion 1 and upwards by an upper portion 2. The space is delimited sideways by two wall portions 3, 4 arranged on opposite sides of the base portion 1 . The wall portions 3, 4 are arranged in parallel with each other, the base portion 1 and the upper por- tion 2 also being arranged in parallel with each other, and the wall portions 3, 4 being arranged in a substantially perpendicular angle in relation to the base portion 1 and the upper portion 2 in order to obtain a parallelepipedical space. A passage S, according to fig. 1 , formed running through the device for bringing luggage to and from the space delimited by the delimiting means. The delimitation of the space in the longitudinal direction thereof is achieved by means of a sensor arrangement comprising two sensor elements 5, 6 spaced in the longitudinal direction of the space, and a central processing unit arranged in contact with the sensor elements 5, 6. The device also comprises a signal arrangement 7 arranged in contact with the sensor arrangement.

The signal arrangement is arranged in such a way that it sends a signal when the extension of the luggage is longer than the maximum allowed length in a direction controlled by the sensor arrangement.

The size of the luggage may thereby be controlled in three substantially perpendicular directions. The luggage is intended to be brought into the passage and to the space through a first opening 8 of the device. The luggage should further be brought through the space and out through a second opening 9 of the device. The sensor arrangement according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention operates in such a way that the respective sensor element 5, 6 forms an optic delimination line for delimiting the three-dimensional space in the longitudinal direction thereof. The sensor elements 5, 6 are arranged in the wall portion 4 and operate both as senders and receivers of a light beam, reflected at the opposite wall portion 3. A signal is sent to the central processing unit when the light beam is refracted by an object, for example a piece of luggage. The control of the extension of the luggage in the longitudinal direction of the space takes place in that the luggage brought through the opening 8 and towards the opening 9 will refract the light beam radiated by the sensor element 6 when a first portion of the luggage is brought out of the space. The sensor element 6 sends a signal to the central processing unit which controls whether the light beam radiated from the sensor element 5 is non-refracted. If it is non-refracted, the length of the luggage is within the maximum allowed value in the longitudinal direction of the control space, and the luggage is approved for further transport as hand luggage. If, however, both light beams radiated from the sensor elements 5, 6 are refracted at the same time, the luggage length is longer than allowed. The central process- ing unit will then react and contact the signal arrangement. Thus, the distance between the sensor elements 5, 6 corresponds to the maximum allowed length of the luggage in the longitudinal direction of the space.

According to the first preferred embodiment of the inventive device, the control of the extension of the luggage in the height direction and the lateral direction of the space is effected by the base portion 1 and the upper portion 2, and by the two wall portions 3, 4. If the luggage, for example has a larger extension in the lateral direction of the space, than the distance between the side walls 3, 4, the luggage will not be possible to be moved through the opening 8 of the device. Suitably, personnel are present at the size check of the luggage in order to control that travellers cannot pass the size check with hand luggage of a larger size than allowed without the luggage being size checked with aid of the device.

Fig. 2 illustrates a side view of the inventive device according to the first preferred embodiment. A piece of luggage 10 is in- dicated by dotted lines inside the device. The piece of luggage has an extension in the height direction and the lateral direction, substantially corresponding to the maximum allowed extensions in these directions. The upper portion 2 has an opening 1 1 extending in the direction of the passage. The luggage 10 is in- tended to be brought through the passage by a force applied on a handle 12, or a strap, extending through the opening 1 1. The piece of luggage 10 may also be supported by the base portion 1 during the movement through the passage. Normally, the traveller moves the piece of luggage through the passage by carry- ing it at a distance from the base portion. Fig. 3 illustrates a partly cut front view of the inventive device according to the first preferred embodiment. Fig. 3 illustrates the sensor elements 5, 6 spaced in the longitudinal direction of the space. The piece of luggage 10 is indicated by dotted lines in fig. 3 and has an extension in said longitudinal direction exceeding the distance between the sensor elements 5, 6 and the length of the piece of luggage, therefore, exceeds the maximum allowed length.

The three-dimensional space corresponding to the maximum allowed luggage size has a substantially parallelepipedic shape according to a first preferred embodiment. The shape of the space may however, within the frame of the inventive claims, differ from a parallelepipedic shape. The device may, for ex- ample, be formed in such a way that the shape of the three- dimensional space corresponds to a spacing for hand luggage, said spacing normally being located above the seats arranged in the cabin of an aircraft.

According to a second preferred embodiment of the sensor arrangement, two pairs of sensor elements arranged at each end of the space in the longitudinal direction thereof being in contact with each other. A first sensor element in each of the sensor element pairs is arranged in one of the wall portions, and a second sensor element in each of the pairs of sensor elements is arranged in the other wall portion. One of the sensor elements operates as a sender and the other sensor element operates as a receiver. The sensor element operating as a sender may thereby be a light source, and the sensor element operating as a receiver may be light sensitive and arranged to react when it is supplied with light or when a supply of light is interrupted.

The sensor arrangement may within the frame of the inventive claims be formed in a plurality of different ways. According to a third preferred embodiment of the invention, a plurality of sensor elements are arranged, preferably in a line, in the direction of the passage, on both side walls 3, 4, the sensor elements forming a plurality of sensor element pairs. The two lines of sensor elements are arranged substantially opposite each other. The length of these two lines of sensor elements is preferably larger than the maximum allowed length of the piece of luggage in the longitudinal direction thereof. It is, thereby, easy to measure the length of the piece of luggage in the longitudinal direction of the space by placing it between the two lines of sensor elements. The central processing unit registers the num- ber of interrupted light beams between the sensor element lines. The accuracy of the measurement increases with the number of sensor elements. The sensor elements in one of the lines of sensor elements operate as senders and the sensor elements in the other line of sensor elements operate as receivers. It is, by arranging the central processing unit in connection with the signal arrangement, possible to generate a signal when the length of the piece of luggage in the longitudinal direction of the space exceeds the maximum allowed length in this direction.

The sensor elements are preferably formed by photoelectric cells.

Each of the delimiting means described above in the form of a base portion, an upper portion and wall portions form a delimit- ing plane for the space. These delimiting means are continuous, but it is also within the frame of the inventive claims to arrange such delimiting means intermittent, such as a delimiting means in the form of a grid structure.

According to a second preferred embodiment of the inventive device, it has a wall portion delimiting the space in the longitudinal direction. Such a wall portion is preferably arranged so that it may be arranged in two different conditions, namely an active condition preventing luggage from being brought out from the space through the opening 9, and an inactive condition allowing luggage to be brought out through the opening 9. Such a wall portion may, for example, be fellably, or pivotably arranged between these two conditions. The pivotability may, for example, be achieved by a hinge joint. It is thereby possible to control the length of the piece of luggage in the longitudinal direction of the space by means of such a further wall portion in accordance with the following text:

The further wall portion is arranged in the active condition and a piece of luggage is brought into the space to a position contact- ing said wall portion. The sensor arrangement senses thereafter whether the length of the piece of luggage is larger than allowed by means of a sensor element arranged in a position opposite said wall portion in the longitudinal direction of the space. Said wall portion is brought into the inactive condition if the piece of luggage does not refract the light beam of the sensor element located at a distance corresponding to the maximum allowed length of the piece of luggage from said wall portion in the longitudinal direction of the space, and the piece of luggage is moved through the opening 9 and out of the space. Such a further wall portion is preferably connected to the central processing unit so that the central processing unit controls the displacement of the wall portion between the active condition and the inactive condition.

According to a third preferred embodiment of the inventive device, it comprises an arrangement for moving luggage. The moving arrangement preferably comprises a conveyor delimiting the space downwards. The length of such a conveyor in the direction of the passage is preferably longer than the length of the space in this direction. A piece of luggage for size check is located onto the conveyor and the piece of luggage is moved through the opening 8 and into the space when the conveyor moves. An upper portion forming the delimiting means in an upwards direction of the space may be formed in one piece if such a conveyor is present. The opening 1 1 through the upper portion 2, according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention, is therefore not necessary.

It is, of course, within the frame of the inventive claims to delimit the space in other directions than the longitudinal direction by means of the sensor arrangement. The device may for example be arranged with sensor elements delimiting the extension of the space upwards. The sensor element will react if a piece of luggage is located on, or moved along the base portion 1 , if the piece of luggage extends longer than the maximum allowed extension in the height direction, i.e. the distance between the base portion and the sensor element/-s. It is also within the frame of the inventive claims to replace one of the wall portions or both of them with sensor elements forming an optical delimi- tation of the space.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the inventive device, it also comprises an arrangement for measuring the weight of the luggage. Such a measuring arrangement is pre- ferably arranged in the base portion of the device. The measuring arrangement may however also be arranged in an upper part of the device. A piece of luggage may thereby be controlled regarding both the size and weight thereof.

The device has preferably a converging portion at the opening 8 in order to facilitate insertion of a piece of luggage into the device.

It should be noted that the embodiments discussed above and illustrated in the drawing only are to be regarded as examples. The invention may thus be realised in different ways within the inventive concept. It is especially noted that men skilled in the art after having been presented to the inventive solution, of course, are capable of making modifications of the exemplifying embodiments without leaving the frame of the inventive claims.

Claims

1 . A device for size check of luggage, especially hand luggage intended to be brought into an aircraft, characterised in that the device comprises a passage, which the luggage is to pass through, the passage being delimited by delimiting means in order to put an upper limit on the size of the luggage regarding the height and width thereof, the delimiting means comprising a first delimiting portion forming a base portion (1 ) for delimiting the passage downwards, a second delimiting portion forming an upper portion (2) for delimiting the passage upwards, and third delimiting portions forming side wall portions (3, 4) for delimiting the passage sideways.

2. A device according to claim 1 , characterised in that, in order to delimit a three-dimensional space corresponding to the maximum allowed size of the luggage, the delimiting means besides are arranged for delimiting the space in a longitudinal direction.

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the upper portion (2) has an opening (1 1 ) throughout the upper portion (2) in the direction of the passage, the opening being intended for receipt of handles or straps of the luggage.

4. A device according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the delimiting means for delimiting the space in the longitudinal direction comprises a sensor arrangement.

5. A device according to claim 4, characterised in that the sensor arrangement comprises at least one sensor element (5, 6).

6. A device according to claim 5, characterised in that the sensor arrangement comprises at least two spaced sensor elements (5, 6), and a central processing unit connected to the sensor elements.

7. A device according to any of the claims 4-6, characterised in that the device comprises a signal arrangement (7) connected to the sensor arrangement.

8. A device according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the device comprises an arrangement for moving the luggage.

9. A device according to claim 8, characterised in that the moving arrangement comprises a conveyor delimiting the passage downwards.

10. A device according to any of the preceding claims, char- acterised in that the device comprises an arrangement for measuring the weight of the luggage.