CZ303698A3 - System of conveyor placed side-by-side and luggage transporting system - Google Patents

Abstract

The conveyor system (10) comprises a pair side by side running conveyors (7, 9) adapted to move items such as luggage or cargo at the same time in opposite directions, preferably at the same level, and connected together with an endless belt (1). The endless belt (1) is from one conveyor (7) to the other the conveyor (9) and from the outlet of the second conveyor (9) to entering the first conveyor (7) through a pair of torsion assemblies (35, 38) a conveyor that maintains the luggage bearing surface in an upward orientation on both conveyors (7, 9). The torsion assemblies (35, 38) may be used vertically or horizontally mounted rollers to change direction endless belt (1). Alternating support rollers (81, 83) may be arranged under two support conveyors the belt (1) and reduce the vibration caused by the belt (1).

Description

Side-by-side conveyor system and luggage transport method

Technical field

The present invention relates to a side-by-side conveyor system and method of using the same, and in particular the present invention relates to a compact side-by-side conveyor system that uses belt twist assemblies at opposite ends of the luggage transport system in two different directions simultaneously.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of conveyors for the transport of loads, bulk materials and the like is well known in the art. One type of conveyor system specifically adapted for luggage, such as that found at airports, is the upper and lower belt conveyor system described in US Patent No. 5,636,951 (Mensch). This patent, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a conveyor system having upper and lower, vertically spaced, oppositely moving, load bearing branches, each having an inlet end and an outlet end. This system is specially adapted for the two-way transport of objects under changing load conditions when handling luggage at the airport.

Often times, a plurality of upper and lower belt conveyor systems or a plurality of separate conveyors are arranged in tunnels at airports using one or more intermediate terminals to handle increased baggage handling requirements. Conveyor systems with upper and lower belts are much more cost effective.

Tunnel construction than a number of separate conveyors, as multiple conveyor branches can be seated in a given tunnel (the tunnel is not as wide as tunnels that use multiple separate conveyors but has a slightly elevated height).

With the need to further reduce construction costs, especially in tunnel construction, and due to the disadvantages of the bottom and top conveyor belt (increased tunnel height), there has been a demand for improved conveyor systems that offer equivalent baggage handling capacity while still reducing space requirements and tunnel construction costs.

The present invention addresses this need by providing a side-by-side conveyor system that provides the same baggage carrying capacity as the upper and lower belt conveyor system, but in a smaller space, thereby reducing tunnel construction costs. The present invention utilizes torsion roller assemblies to connect an endless belt between oppositely moving luggage transport paths, on a carrier and a return conveyor, while still maintaining the surface of the endless belt carrying the luggage in the correct orientation.

The use of roller assemblies to rotate or twist endless belts has already been proposed in the bulk material handling industry. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,784,834 and 2,979,187 disclose a conveyor system that provides an endless belt of 180 ° twist at both the front and rear ends to maintain the underside or empty side of the belt against the return rollers. This 180 ° twist is achieved by supporting the strip at each end of the twist with the help of horizontal end rollers. This twist subjects the belt to a chain of 4 bending, elongation due to belt bending and forming a spiral pattern at the belt edge. Also, the 180 ° twist does not subject the web to gravitational effects that can cause the web to lose control over its path.

The use of vertical belts to twist an endless belt is described in U.S. Patent No. 3,637,090 to Murphy et al. This belt twist is performed to provide an improved belt storage system that allows rapid adjustment of the length of the active conveyor portion by removing the belt support sections mounted on the pallet frames from the storage portion to the active conveyor portion and vice versa. With this setting, the length of the respective belt subsystems can be adjusted accordingly according to the requirements in the area. US Patent No. 3,637,090 is adapted for use in the processing of bulk materials, for example, mining and earthmoving. Neither of these patents proposes a dual-strand conveyor system for baggage handling.

It is therefore a first object of the present invention to provide a side-by-side conveyor system that transports luggage simultaneously in two different directions.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a side-by-side conveyor conveyor system having torsion assemblies at its opposite ends to allow luggage to be transported in different directions.

Yet another object of the present invention is a method of transporting luggage in two different directions using a side-by-side conveyor system according to the present invention.

One further object of the present invention is to provide conveyor twist assemblies that utilize vertical or horizontal conveyor twist rollers.

Yet another object of the present invention is a 5 conveyor system that transports luggage in two different directions at the same level.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the description that follows.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

While meeting the above objectives and attaining the intended advantages, the present invention provides a side-by-side conveyor system comprising an endless belt having a luggage carrying surface and an opposite friction surface. 15 Dec

The endless belt rests on a first conveyor beam having a first inlet end and a first outlet end between which a first luggage path or support conveyor is formed. The system also includes a second endless belt conveyor having a second inlet end and a second outlet end between which a second luggage path or return conveyor is formed. A first torsion conveyor assembly is used to guide the endless belt from the first outlet end to the second inlet end, and a second torsion conveyor assembly is used to guide the endless belt from the second outlet end to the first inlet end. Each torsion conveyor assembly includes at least two torsion rollers used to twist the endless belt so that the luggage carrying surface facing upward in one direction along the first luggage path remains upward as it advances in the opposite direction along the second luggage path path. Other means may also be used to change the direction of the endless belt from the first luggage path to the second luggage path while keeping the luggage carrying surface in the upward orientation on both conveyors. To drive the endless belt along each baggage path, the system includes at least one conveyor drive assembly.

The side-by-side conveyor can be used as a stand-alone system or can be combined with supply and withdrawal conveyors as part of much

more complex conveyor system. The side-by-side conveyor system can also be vertically stacked into a number of systems for handling large volumes of baggage, for example, baggage volumes to be processed at airports, transportation distribution centers or the like.

^{15 Dec}

The torsion assemblies may utilize vertically or horizontally aligned rollers to change the direction of travel of the endless belt and maintain the surface carrying the luggage in an upward orientation from the support conveyor to the return conveyor. When using vertically aligned rollers, it is preferable that the rollers are displaceable relative to the roll axis, which helps to control the progress of the belt when its sides are positioned vertically. More preferably, the rollers are tiltable about their roller axes. The vertically disposed bending rolls may be positioned between two vertically aligned torsion rolls to assist the advancement of the endless roll during its vertical orientation.

When using horizontal rollers, the rollers are preferably inclined or conical in shape in order to achieve belt twist. Alternatively, hourglass rolls can be used to twist the belt. In any case, the horizontally aligned cylinders may be displaceable in a horizontal plane to adjust the tension.

The conveyor beam may utilize a support structure using a series of alternately arranged guide rollers to support the endless belt along the paths of the support and return conveyor paths and to reduce belt vibration.

The present invention also encompasses a method of transporting articles such as cargo, luggage, suitcases or any other transportable item that utilizes a side-by-side conveyor belt of the present invention, loading the articles at and in the exit end of the carrier conveyor. At the same time, if desired, the return conveyor receives luggage at its inlet end and transports these items to its outlet end. The method may utilize feed and take-up conveyors in combination with said support and return conveyors for further handling of articles.

In the following description, the present invention will be explained in more detail by means of exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 shows a schematic ground plan one 25 conveyor design of the present invention; system according to Fig.2 shows a front view, II-II in FIG. 1; taken from the plane 30 Giant. 3 shows a front view, III-III in FIG. 1; taken from the plane

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Fig. 4 is an end view of a conveyor system showing support rollers and conveyor beams;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the support roll supports of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a partial schematic view of a second embodiment of a conveyor system according to the present invention showing oblique or conical rollers for belt twisting;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan view of one of the inclined or tapered cylinders shown in Fig. 6; and

Giant. 8 shows a front view of the belt and cylinder in the shape of an hourglass for twisting the belt.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The side-by-side conveyor system of the present invention offers substantial advantages over known conveyor systems for use in the transport of luggage, cargo, objects or the like. In the description below, items considered to be transportable by the system of the invention will be referred to as luggage. By using side-by-side conveyors, an equivalent carrying capacity for luggage can be achieved than when using upper and lower belt conveyors while at the same time occupying less cross-sectional area. This much more compact design is economically more advantageous when using a plurality of systems with side-by-side conveyors in a tunnel at an airport facility or the like.

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One embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and is referred to as system 10. This side-by-side conveyor system 10 comprises an endless belt 1 having a luggage carrying surface 3. This luggage-carrying surface 1 is a surface which allows loading or unloading of luggage or the like onto or from a conveyor. The luggage carrying surface 3 is generally a smooth or sliding surface that allows the luggage to be moved. The luggage-carrying surface 3 may be integrally formed with the endless belt 1, may be in the form of a belt cover, or may be of any other type commonly used in carrying luggage, cargo or suitcases and the like.

The bottom of the belt 1, referred to in FIG. 2 as the lower surface 5, is a friction surface, such as rubber or the like. This bottom surface 5 is the drive side of the endless belt 1 and therefore desirably has a coefficient of friction that allows the use of a small belt tension in the return branch to transfer drive energy to the belt 1. This difference in surfaces contrasts with conveyors handling bulk materials. wherein both belt coatings or belt surfaces are rubberized, so that their coefficient of friction is utilized both for transferring the driving energy and for adhering the material to the belt 1 with little or no slip.

The system 10 comprises a first or support conveyor 7, hereinafter referred to as a support conveyor 7, and a second or return conveyor 9, hereinafter referred to as a return conveyor 9. The support conveyor 7 has an inlet end 11 with an end cylinder 13 and an outlet end 15 s. end cylinder 17. Similarly ft 4

Also, the return conveyor 9 has an inlet end 19 with an end cylinder 21 and an outlet end 23 with an end cylinder 25.

The support conveyor 7 is shown positioned between the feed conveyor 27 and the take-off conveyor 29. Similarly, the return conveyor is positioned between the feed conveyor 31 and the take-off conveyor 33. The feed conveyors 27 and 31 and the withdrawal conveyors 29 and 33 are similar to those described in Mensch of the patent cited above except that they do not require curved sections, since the conveyors of the invention are conveyors extending side by side and not with the lower and upper belts. As described in the Mensch patent, feed and take-off conveyors provide an in-line transfer of conveyed articles to and from the side and back conveyors of the side-by-side conveyor system 10 of the present invention. Typically, feed and take-off conveyors are acceleration and deceleration feed conveyors using short, accelerating, individually built conveyors. The amount of acceleration and deceleration conveyors may be dependent on the speed of the conveyor with adjacent belts. The number of feed conveyors, speed step and conveyor length are determined by the coefficient of coating / surface of the feed conveyor belt

Rubber coatings are usually used on both sides of the belts used on the acceleration and deceleration feed conveyors.

Of course, other means may also be used to deliver or remove objects, loads or luggage to and from the carrier and return conveyors 7 and 9. In addition, if desired, friction between and the luggage can be provided for supply and removal.

· Only one conveyor, for example for a conveyor 7, rather than both conveyors.

The endless belt 1 is connected between the support conveyor 7 and the return conveyor 9 by means of two belt twist assemblies 35 and 38. The belt twist assembly 35 connects the exit end 15 of the support conveyor to the inlet end 19 of the return conveyor 9. The belt twist assembly 35 comprises a roll arrangement that guides and twists the endless belt 1 leaving the exit end 15 toward the inlet end 17 while maintaining the surface 3 carrying luggage in an upward orientation.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the strip 1 exiting the outlet end 15 is subjected to a first horizontal for vertical twist. This horizontal to vertical belt twist uses a horizontal roller 37 at the inlet to the torsion region, see Fig. 2. Due to the modulus of elasticity, weight, chain tension and spiral extension of the belt edges, there must be tension at both belt edges. heavier weight, such as the device described in the Mensch patent. Since these devices are conventional, their further description is not considered necessary for an understanding of the present invention. If the tension were close to zero in the center of the belt 2 within the span of the catenary 36, the upper edge of the belt 1 would be subjected to pressure and fold over itself. This would cause belt 1 to be offset and fall, causing loss of control of the belt.

Downstream of the horizontal roller 37 downstream of the 90 ° twist chain 36 is a vertically mounted roller 39. This roller 39 is substantially vertical, but measures are taken to allow a small degree of displacement control capability.

The vertical axes, these measures being represented by the displacement means 42, see FIG. 3. The displacement of the vertical cylinder may be required to provide the force vector in the vertical direction upward to compensate for the gravitational force of the belt. The weight of the belt and the friction between the vertically extending belt 6 and the roller 39 are all components that hold the belt 1 from falling off the roller 39. The roller 39 may be rubber coated to assist in keeping the belt 1 in its vertical direction. The inclination of the vertically aligned rollers to achieve the required upward force vector may range from 0 ° to 20 ° measured from the vertical.

As the belt bends 90 ° around the inlet vertical roller 39, it proceeds to the outlet vertical roller 41. This roller 41 is also preferably coated with rubber to improve friction 15 between the belt 8 and the roller 41 to compensate for belt weight and gravitational force. A vertical axis adjustment is also used for this outlet cylinder 41, as described for the inlet cylinder 39.

Between the inlet and outlet vertical rollers 39 and 41, sets of two vertical rollers are disposed on each side of the vertically extending strip 6, each set being referred to as rollers 43. These rollers 43 lie on or touch the strip 6 and can be adjusted such that The slight twist produced at this point provides a small increase in the wrap around the vertical roll and a moment of inertia of the strip on the vertical axis. In other words, the rollers 43 strengthen the belt. Although sets of two roller pairs 43 are shown, one pair or more than two pairs could be used.

As the belt 1 passes through the stabilizing rollers 43 and arrives at the vertical exit roller, the belt 1 is twisted back into its correct horizontal alignment with *.

9 · ···················

11 1111 · · · ♦ · · · · · · · 11 11 11 11

dissimilar surfaces waist ve 5 luggage. Belt 1, now in fed on second branch for

and inlet end roller 21.

The correct position for conveying its horizontal position is to carry the luggage through the cylinder 45

At the other end of the conveyor system 10 is a torsion assembly 38 and a drive assembly 50. The drive assembly 50 includes a trailing roller 51, a driving roller 53, a supporting roller 55, a tensioning roller 57 and a supporting roller 59. The drive roller 53 is coupled to the drive represented by the reference numeral. It should be understood that the drive assembly 50 is exemplary, and other drive assemblies may be used for the conveyor system of the present invention. In addition, the drives described in the Mensch patent are also adaptable to the present invention, such as multiple drives, multiple dynamic tension rollers and belt storage section tensioners, as also described in the Mensch patent.

The torsion assembly 38 with the vertically aligned rollers 65 and 67 is similar to the torsion assembly 35 except for the pair of support rollers 61 that are located between the torsion roll 67 and the drive assembly 50. Similarly, a pair 69 of support rollers is located between the torsion roller 65 and the trailing roller 71 near the inlet end 11 of the support conveyor 7. As with the torsion assembly 2, a set of pairs of stabilizing rollers 43 between the vertically aligned rollers 65 and 67 are provided for the same purposes as described above.

• ·

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It should be understood that the arrangements of the vertically aligned cylinders 39, 41, 65, 67 are merely exemplary of Figures 1 and 3. Other arrangements of torsion assemblies may be used, such as those utilizing different locations and / or By way of example, the torsion assembly 38 and the drive assembly 50 could be arranged such that the drive assembly would be inserted between the two torsion assemblies rather than the torsion assembly 38 being positioned between the torsion assembly 35 and the drive assembly. 50. Other arrangements which are within the skill of one of ordinary skill in the art are also within the scope of the present invention. Other means for changing the direction of the endless belt from the first luggage path path to the second luggage path path while keeping the luggage carrying surface in the upward orientation on both conveyors can also be used.

Preferably, the conveyors 7 and 9 are at the same level. This arrangement allows the loading and unloading of cargo or luggage from both the carrier and the return conveyor.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, an exemplary support arrangement for the support conveyor 7 and the return conveyor 9 will now be described. The conveyors 7 and 9 are supported by outer support posts 71 and inner support posts 73. The transverse beam 75 extends between the posts 71, this beam 75 is further supported by internal support columns 73. The cross beam 75 is supported by the outer support roll bars 77 and 78 and the intermediate support roll beam 79. These beams carry two longitudinally arranged rows of support rollers 81 and 83 for each of the support conveyor 2 and the return conveyor 9, respectively. The support rollers 81 are spaced apart from each other and are arranged alternately with respect to the support rollers 83.

► · · · · ·

Giant. 5 shows more clearly the alternating arrangement of the support rollers. The middle beam 79 has a notch 85 for each support roller, the outer beam 78 has notches 87 for the support rollers 83 and the second outer beam 77 has notches 89 for supporting the support rollers 81. An exemplary spacing between the support rollers 81 could be approximately 42 inches (approximately 107 cm), with the offset between the rollers being about half way through, about 21 inches (about 53.5 cm). The support roll arrangement shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 reduces vibration of the belt / support roller combinations, especially at belt speeds exceeding 2100 feet per minute (approximately 640.5 meters per minute). Using two rows of alternately arranged support rollers, these rollers are shorter than those used to support the full width of the belt. In addition, this alternating spacing of the rollers disrupts the harmonics along the rollers and reduces or even eliminates the belt deflection between the rollers.

It should also be appreciated that the support arrangement shown in Fig. 4 is exemplary only and other configurations and / or number of support posts or the like could be used to achieve a spaced and alternate support roll arrangement. Similarly, the beams for other features of the present invention, for example, for the drive assembly 50, torsion assemblies 35 and 38, and the like may be of any suitable type. Further description of the various beams is not considered necessary to understand the present invention.

An alternative arrangement of the torsion assembly is described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7, where it is referred to as torsion assembly 35 '. In this embodiment, tapered or oblique rollers 91 and 93 are used to twist the endless belt 1 from the outlet end 15 such that Can be guided to the inlet end 19 of the return conveyor 9. When using these tapered or inclined rollers 91 and 93, the resulting tensile belt force exerts a force along the central axis of the tapered or inclined roll in The edge 92 of the belt 1 which engages the tapered or inclined roller 91 is exposed to two influences. The first action is to lie flat, causing the belt 1 to twist or bend transversely. As a result, the belt 1 is pushed upwards to the higher side of the roll or in the X direction. Because the amount of inclined bearing or camber of the roll is based on the resulting vector diagram and its angular position relative to the center of rotation. with the cone and in the Y direction through the resultant component that is parallel to the center of rotation. To compensate for the actual conditions, the bearings supporting the cylinder should be adjustable in the Z directions to bring the central axis of rotation to the most advantageous position corresponding to the actual stresses in and out of the cylinder.

As shown in FIG. 6, the belt 1 is wrapped clockwise around the tapered or inclined roller 91 and continues with a further clockwise wrap around the tapered or inclined roller 93 so that the luggage carrying surface 3 is maintained in the direction of These conical or inclined cylinders also negate the force stress vector from the inlet surface of the cylinder to the outlet surface of the cylinder that is present with the vertically aligned cylinders.

In yet another embodiment, Figure 8 illustrates an hourglass cylinder that can be used as a replacement for tapered or inclined cylinders 91. With an hourglass shape having a taper from each end to the center, roller 92 bidirectional compared to one-dimensional use of any of the tapered or inclined cylinders 91 and 93.

The means or apparatus for adjusting the vertical displacement of the vertically aligned torsion rollers and the horizontal displacement of the horizontally aligned, conical or inclined rollers or the hourglass-shaped rollers may be any known device capable of tilting or displacing the rollers in one or more directions. Appropriate control may also be used to allow the adjustment of predetermined parameters or the orientation of the rolls during the operation of the conveyor.

The arrangement of the support rollers shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 as a support means for the conveyors 7 and 9 is a preferred arrangement, and other arrangements for the rollers including their support structure are within the scope of the present invention.

In addition, the determination of the dimensions of the tapered or inclined cylinders, the dimensions of the hourglass cylinders or the parameters for twisting the endless belt 1 are considered to be within the skill of the person skilled in the art. An example of the twist length of a catenary would be one foot (approximately 0.305 m) of span for each inch (approximately 2.54 cm) of belt width.

The invention has been described in connection with its preferred embodiments, which meet each and all of its objectives listed above. Thus, the present invention provides a new and improved conveyor system with side-by-side belts and a method for its use.

Of course, various changes, modifications, and modifications of the invention described above are now apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is limited only by the content of the appended claims.

Claims (4)

PATENT CLAIMS A side-by-side conveyor system comprising: a) an endless belt having a luggage carrying surface and 5 opposite friction surface; b) a first endless belt conveyor beam having a first inlet end and a first outlet end between which a first luggage path is formed; c) a second endless belt conveyor beam having a second inlet end and a second outlet end between which a second baggage path is formed; d) a first torsion conveyor assembly leading the endless belt from the first outlet end to the second inlet end and a second torsion conveyor assembly leading the endless belt from the second outlet end to the first inlet end, each torsion conveyor assembly comprising at least two torsion rolls used for twisting the endless belt so that the luggage-carrying surface facing upward in one direction along the first luggage pathway remains upward as it advances in the opposite direction along the second luggage pathway 25; and e) at least one conveyor drive assembly for driving an endless belt along each baggage path. The system of claim 1, wherein each torsion cylinder is generally aligned vertically. Fefe fefe fefe fefe fefe fefe fefe fefe fefe fefe fefe fefe fefe fefe 3. The system of claim 2, wherein each vertically aligned torsion cylinder is movable about its vertical axis. The system of claim 1 wherein each torsion cylinder is generally aligned horizontally. 5. The system according to Claim 4, v y z n a č u .mu.Ci s e by everyone horizontally balanced torsion cylinder has 10 conical shape. 6. The system according to Claim 4, v y z n a č u .mu.Ci s e in that each horizontally aligned torsion cylinder has an hourglass shape in the longitudinal direction. The system of claim 4, wherein each horizontally aligned torsion cylinder is displaceable in a horizontal plane coinciding with its axis. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the vertically aligned torsion rolls are spaced a The luggage carrying surface of the endless belt is vertically aligned as it progresses between vertically aligned torsion rollers, and at least one pair of vertically aligned stabilizing rollers is positioned between vertically aligned rollers, wherein the endless belt passes between all 25 rollers of pairs of stabilization rollers. The system of claim 1 wherein each pair of stabilizing rollers is movable along their axes to bend the vertically aligned belt as it travels between the torsion rollers. ftftftft · 4 ··· · ftp · ftftftft ftftftftft ftftftftft ftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftftft The system of claim 3, wherein the displaceability of each of the vertically aligned rollers allows the roll to tilt relative to the torsion roll axis to compensate for at least the gravitational forces acting on the roll. 5 shows an endless belt when aligned vertically. The system of claim 1, further comprising a set of alternately arranged support rollers located below the endless belt and along each of the first and second luggage paths, each set of alternately arranged support rollers comprising a first row of rollers spaced in the longitudinal direction and below a portion of the endless belt and a second row of rollers disposed in the longitudinal direction and below the remaining portion of the endless belt, the first row of rollers being alternately arranged transverse to the second row of rollers. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first feed conveyor with a conveyor outlet end adjacent the first inlet end and 2o a first takeout conveyor with an inlet end of the conveyor adjacent to the first outlet end and a second feed conveyor with an outlet end of the second conveyor adjacent to the second inlet end and a second takeout conveyor with an inlet end of the second conveyor adjacent to the second 25. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of endless belts, first conveyor beams, second conveyor beams, first torsion conveyor assemblies, second torsion conveyor assemblies, and conveyor drive assemblies, wherein the plurality of 9 · 9 9 9 The first conveyor beams are vertically arranged and the plurality of second conveyor beams are vertically arranged to form a stacked side-by-side conveyor system that includes a plurality of vertically arranged side-by-side conveyor systems. 14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a first feed conveyor with an outlet end of the conveyor adjacent to each of the first inlet ends of a plurality of side-by-side conveyor systems, and a first takeout conveyor with an inlet end of the conveyor adjacent to each of and a second take-up conveyor with a second inlet end of the conveyor adjacent to each of the second inlet ends and a second take-off conveyor with a second inlet end of the conveyor adjacent to each of the second outlet ends. The system of claim 1, wherein the first luggage path and the second luggage path are substantially at the same level. The system of claim 12, wherein the first luggage path and the second luggage path are substantially at the same level. 17. A method of transporting luggage on at least two different, opposite, moving luggage pathways, comprising the steps of: a) creating a side-by-side conveyor system having an endless belt having a luggage-bearing surface and an opposing friction surface, a first endless belt conveyor beam, ftftftftft ftftftftftftftftftft ftftftft ftftftft ftft ftft ftftft having a first inlet end and a first outlet end between which a first luggage path is formed, a second endless belt conveyor beam having a second inlet end and a second outlet 5 an end between which a second luggage path is formed, a first torsion conveyor assembly leading an endless belt from a first exit end to a second inlet end, and a second torsion conveyor assembly leading an endless belt from a second 10 of the exit end to the first inlet end, each torsion conveyor assembly comprising at least two rollers used to twist the endless belt such that the luggage carrying surface is facing upward in a direction along the first path of the path 15, the luggage remains upward as it progresses in the opposite direction along the second luggage path; and at least one conveyor drive assembly for driving the endless belt along each luggage path path; B) loading the luggage onto the luggage carrying surface at least at one of the first and second inlet ends and driving the endless belt to transport the loaded luggage to at least one of the first and second outlet ends to remove them from the baggage compartment; 25 of this end. 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the luggage is loaded at both the first and second inlet ends. A method according to claim 18, characterized in that the luggage is transported by means of a conveyor to each of the first and second inlet ends and is removed by means of another conveyor in each of first and second output ends. A method according to claim 17, characterized in that a plurality of conveyor systems extending in a vertically spaced arrangement are provided. 21. A side-by-side conveyor system comprising: (a) an endless belt having a luggage carrying surface and an opposite friction surface; b) a first endless belt conveyor beam having a first inlet end and a first outlet end between which a first luggage path is formed; c) a second endless belt conveyor beam having a second inlet end and a second outlet end between which a second baggage path is formed; d) means of a first torsion conveyor assembly for guiding the endless belt from the exit end of the first baggage path to the entry end of the second baggage path, and guiding the endless belt from the exit end of the second baggage path to the entrance end of the first baggage path, pointing upward in one direction along the first luggage path, remains upward as it moves in the opposite direction along the second luggage path; and e) at least one drive conveyor drive assembly 9 • • · an endless belt along each baggage path. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the first luggage path and the second luggage path are substantially at the same level. 23. The system of claim 21, further comprising a first conveyor with an outlet end of the conveyor adjacent to the first inlet end and a first takeout conveyor with an inlet end of the conveyor adjacent to the first outlet end and a second supply conveyor with the outlet end of the second conveyor. adjacent the second inlet end and the second takeout conveyor with the inlet end of the second conveyor adjacent the second outlet end. 24. The system of claim 21, wherein the guide means comprises a plurality of rollers used to twist the endless belt between the exit end of the first luggage path and the entry end of the second luggage path and between the exit end of the second luggage path and the entry end of the first path. the luggage path so that the luggage carrying surface facing upward in one direction along the first luggage pathway remains upward as it progresses in the opposite direction along the second luggage pathway.