CZ9901419A3 - Process and apparatus for handling objects at high speed - Google Patents

Abstract

The baggage handling system (10) comprises: a plurality of luggage carriers (14) for carrying luggage (16); and a conveyor (12) for carrying these luggage trays (14) at speed. The rake (20) selectively selects the luggage a bowl (14) from the conveyor (12) and places them on the collection a conveyor (18). For unloading luggage (16) from the collection in the conveyor (18), an unloader is used. Collecting conveyor (18) in In one mode, the baggage (16) received from the conveyor (12) and presents these slowed luggage (16) unloading device at a generally constant speed that is independent of the speed of folding the luggage (16) from the conveyor (12). The unloader utilizes a folding mechanism using wheel guides and remote control for luggage unloading (16) from the collecting conveyor (18) to another zone such as a balancer area (24) in the airport baggage handling system (16).

Description

Method and apparatus for high-speed handling of objects

Technical field

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for handling objects, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for processing and sorting transported goods, which presents items to the processing station in a controlled manner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conveyor systems are widely used to transport materials from one location to another. In factories, conveyors carry items along assembly lines from one processing station to the next, transporting ¹⁵ materials from the warehouse and returning the finished products to other storage areas. At airports, conveyors are used to move luggage and other cargoes from check-in counters to balancing areas where items are stored on trolleys and transported to waiting aircraft.

Conveyors are also used to move items from the aircraft to the baggage collection area within the airport terminal. These systems can be relatively long, can move over a wide speed range, and can be arranged in many different configurations.

When items such as luggage arrive at the destination or intermediate destination, they must generally be brought to rest before further processing. At low speeds, the articles may fall from the end of the conveyor to a pile for further manual processing, or may be pushed to the side from the conveyor by a rake or a pusher. When items are carried on a bowl or other carrier, as is quite common with luggage, a device such as a dump truck must be used to unload or otherwise remove the luggage from the carrier. Baggage is relatively durable and such practices cause little damage. However, if luggage or other objects move at high speeds, they cannot be tipped or dropped safely from the conveyor. The kinetic energy of moving luggage must be absorbed to stop the object, and when this energy is absorbed by the luggage itself or other adjacent luggage, damage often occurs. Tippers working at high speeds can also damage luggage. Moreover, if the luggage is to be handled manually after leaving the conveyor, the possibility of injury to persons working near the target end of the conveyor is high. Finally, if the luggage items arrive at the station in rapid succession, it may be difficult for those processing the items to work efficiently. However, slowing the conveyor also results in lower throughput and reduced overall efficiency. Therefore, systems currently operate generally at relatively high speeds, and precautions must be taken to minimize damage to luggage or other objects leaving the conveyor and to minimize injuries to persons working near the conveyor.

The essence of the invention

The present invention solves these and other problems by providing an article handling system that includes a high-speed article conveyor, a scraper for selectively removing articles from the article. A high-speed conveyor, a collecting conveyor for receiving articles from the high-speed conveyor, and a unloading device for removing articles from the collecting conveyor, the device being a tipper when the articles on the conveyors are carried in bowls. The collecting conveyor slows articles leaving the high speed conveyor and presents them to the unloading device at a generally constant speed, which speed is independent of the speed at which the articles are gathered from the high speed conveyor.

In addition, the present invention includes a new tilting mechanism which gently tilts objects from the conveyor by a smooth, non-tearing movement and which is of a simpler construction compared to prior art dumpers. The dump truck is very useful in conjunction with the article handling system of the present invention, but can also be used quite effectively in most other situations that require the use of a dump truck for luggage, and even in some applications where dumpers would be prior art. the techniques were too rude or too expensive to maintain.

The tipper comprises a generally horizontal platform having a leading edge and a trailing edge and a bracket for holding the container thereon. The platform has a first platform support and a guide for guiding said first platform support. The guide has a first end in a first level and a second end in a second level, wherein the second level is lower than the first level. The second platform support supports the rear edge at a level higher than the second level. The actuator is positioned to move the platform and the first platform support along the guide until the leading edge support reaches the second end of the guide.

····· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

The present invention also discloses a method of handling articles comprising transporting luggage carriers carrying luggage on a conveyor at a first speed and summarizing at least a portion of the luggage carriers transported on the conveyor to a collection container to form a collection line.

The luggage is unloaded from the folded bowls at a second speed independent of the conveyor speed. The bowls can then be removed from the collection line after unloading the luggage. The second rate may generally be a constant rate to improve unloading. The unloading may include lowering each baggage unloading bowl. During tilting, the front portion of the bowl may slide along a curved downward path during unloading, and the rear portion of the bowl may move along a generally horizontal path during unloading.

c,

The present invention is particularly useful in connection with baggage handling systems, such as those used at airports, and for simplicity the present invention will be described herein in connection with an airport baggage handling system. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to airport applications and can be used in conjunction with any article handling system in which fine handling of such articles is required.

The basic object of the present invention is therefore

5 to create an object handling system to minimize damage to the objects being processed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved tilting device for tilting objects from a bowl.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a baggage handling system that includes a collecting container between a high-speed luggage conveyor and a bag-tipper to allow the tipper to operate at a speed independent of the speed of the high-speed conveyor.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a baggage handling system in which the luggage pans are routed to a suitable processing station, emptied from their contents and automatically transferred to a storage area from where they can be removed for further use.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved bag tipper which is driven by rotation of a rotary engine.

The solution of the above and other objects of the present invention will be better understood after reading and understanding the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments 20 of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Overview of the drawings

Fig. 1 shows a plan view of a luggage handling system according to the present invention;

5, the system comprising a tipper for luggage bowls;

Fig. 2 shows a side view of the tipper shown in Fig. 1;

• 4 • 4 • 4 • 4 • I · I · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Giant. 3 is an enlarged side view of the luggage pan of the tipper shown in FIG. 2;

Giant. 4 shows a top view of the luggage compartment shown in FIG. 2;

Fig. 5 shows a side view of the luggage bowl shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 shows a rear view of the luggage pan. shown in FIG. 2;

Giant. 7 is a front view of the tipper shown in FIG. 2;

Figures 8A-8J are side views of the tipper of Figure 2 illustrating the movement of the tipper during one complete operating cycle;

Giant. 9 shows a top view of a second embodiment of a tipper according to the present invention; and

Fig. 10 shows a side view of the tipper shown in Fig. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In a preferred embodiment of the article handling system 10 of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 1, the invention includes a high speed conveyor line 12 for carrying luggage trays 14 containing luggage items 16 or other cargo to be transported, at least one collecting conveyor 18, high speed scraper. 20 for selectively folding the luggage trays 14 from the high speed conveyor 12 to one of the collecting conveyors 18, and a tipper 22 for receiving the luggage trays 18. 111 sběr 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 luggage 16 from luggage trays 14 to one of the airport balancing areas 24 for further processing. The high speed conveyor 12 is preferably a belt conveyor, the collecting conveyor 18 may be a zero pressure collecting conveyor, or a collecting conveyor of a simpler design that allows the trays to impact each other. As shown in FIG. 7, a stopper 25 is provided at the end of the collection conveyor 18 via the tipper 22 to prevent the luggage pans 14 from moving on the tipper 22 until prompted. This arrangement allows the tipper 22 to operate at a constant speed and tip the objects gently into the balancing area 24. When the luggage bowls 14 are pulled from the high speed conveyor 12 at a speed greater than that of the tipper 22, the luggage bowls 14 are collected over the tipper 22 without affecting the speed of the tipper 22 or slowing the high speed conveyor 12. depending on the speed of the high-speed conveyor 12, the working speed of the tipper 22, and the number of luggage trays 14 that can normally be expected in the collecting conveyor 18 over a given period of time. In a typical aerodrome setup, for example, it may be known that approximately 180 luggage trays 14 can be expected in a given balancing area 24 within a 30 minute period of time at a rate of approximately six luggage trays 14 per minute. The tipper 22 can operate safely at a speed of six bags per minute or higher and hence the collection container must be long enough only to accommodate fluctuations in the number of luggage trays 14. Downstream of the tipper 22 is an additional conveyor 26 for receiving empty luggage trays 14 and for transporting them to the storage container.

0000 0 0 »0000 00 00 000 000 0 · 00 · 000 000 000 • 0 0 0 000000 • 0 0 0000 0000

000 00 00 00 0φ space (not shown) or for their return to check-in counters or for transport to other locations where they are needed.

As seen in FIG. 2, a tipper 22 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a belt conveyor section 28 mounted on a movable platform 30 so that it can receive luggage trays 14 from the collection conveyor 18. The platform 30 has a leading edge 31 and a trailing edge 33. The platform 30 also has two rails 32, a portion 34 of each luggage compartment 14 being positioned below the rails 32 when the luggage compartment 14 is on the tipper 22, so that the luggage pan 14 is held on the tipper 22 when tipped. The platform 30 is mounted on two sets of wheels, a front set of wheels 36 spaced apart by a first distance and a rear set 38 of wheels spaced apart by a second distance. Due to the differences in spacing between the wheels in these sets 36, 38, separate supports 40, 42 are provided for each set 36, 38. Both sets of supports 40, 42 include a first portion 44, 46 for supporting the platform 30 and the conveyor belt 28 in generally horizontal arrangement. The supports 40 for the front wheel set 36 are curved outwards and downwards from this first portion 44, while the supports 42 for the rear wheel set 38 are generally horizontal. Thus, when the platform 30 is pushed in the direction of the precision wheel set 36 by a suitable actuator 48, the front edge 31 of the platform 30 moves downwardly, while the rear edge 33 of the platform 30 remains substantially at its original level. This causes the luggage pan 14, held on the tipper 22, to tilt forward and unload its contents into the receiving area 50 below it. The actuator 48 then pulls the leading edge 33 of the platform 30 back toward the actuator 48 to return the platform 30 to its platform.

of the original position. In contrast to prior art dumpers where the luggage was suddenly tipped out of the bowl, the arrangement of the present invention allows for a smoothly functioning system that tilts the luggage pans 14 gradually to gently remove the luggage from the pans. The curvature or large radius of the inner walls 52 of the luggage trays 14 contributes to this smooth transfer or retraction of luggage from the trays. The complete cycle of the hinged sequence is shown in Figures 8A-8J.

In addition to the gentle tilting of the luggage racks 14, another advantage is that the actuator 48 driving the tipper 22 can be a conventional rotary motor 54. The tipper 22 is moved from its horizontal starting position shown in FIG. 8A over the entire tipping cycle and returned to this horizontal position. one revolution of the motor drive shaft 56. This is an improvement over prior art systems in which complicated actuators have been used to control the position and operation of the tipper. This improvement therefore makes it possible to create dumpers with more economical operation and construction. The rear edge 33 of the tipper platform 30 is hinged to a first rod 58 having a free end 59 that extends in the general direction of the motor 54. The second rod 60 is rigidly connected to the motor drive shaft 56 and rotates. The end 62 of the second rod 60 is then connected to the free end 59 of the first rod 58 via a pin 63 or other mechanism that allows the connected ends of the rods to rotate about a common axis. As the second rod 60 rotates through the first 180 degrees of the engine cycle, the first rod 58 and hence the platform 30 is pushed in the direction of the exact edge 31 of the platform 30 away from the motor 54. This sequence is shown in Figures 8A-8E. Halfway through full rotation of drive shaft 54

ί

0

As shown in FIG. 8E, the platform 30 is in a generally vertical position so that any luggage in the platform bowl can be tipped out of the bowl. As the second rod 60 continues to rotate with the motor drive shaft 54 back to its initial position as shown in Figs. 8E-8J, the first rod 58 is pulled in the direction of the rear edge 33 of the platform 30 back toward the motor 54. until the platform 30 returns to its initial starting position when the engine completes one cycle. Thus, each tipper cycle corresponds to one cycle of the engine and the tipper position can be easily controlled by the engine control and without the use of complex lever and steering.

Giant. 9 and 10 show a second embodiment of the present invention in which the front set 36 is ^of wheels

5 located near the leading edge 31 of the platform 30, but which is otherwise substantially identical to the tipper of the first embodiment. Although the carrier wheel sets 36, 36 'and 38 have been described as a pair of wheels, a single wheel or three wheels or even more wheels could easily replace the described pair,

0 without going beyond the scope of the present invention.

The invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments that meet each of the objectives of the present invention as set forth above and provide a new and improved method and apparatus for high-speed processing of articles.

It will be understood that various changes, modifications, and modifications to the above description of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (15)

00 · 00 00 00 00 00 PATENT CLAIMS ·· «·· ♦ ·· * · * ί · · * I ί · * 1 Ω folding down each luggage bowl to unload luggage. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the front portion of the luggage pan moves along a curved and downward path during unloading. 1. A baggage handling system comprising: a plurality of luggage carriers for carrying luggage; a first conveyor for transporting said luggage trays at a given speed; at least one unloader for unloading luggage from said baggage trays; a collecting container between said first conveyor and said at least one unloader; and a rake for selectively raking the luggage trays from said first conveyor to said at least one collection container; characterized in that said luggage bowls can be unloaded by said unloader at a speed substantially independent of said speed. The baggage handling system of claim 1, comprising a second conveyor coupled to said unloader for carrying said luggage trays away from said unloader after unloading said luggage trays. The baggage handling system of claim 2, comprising means for individually moving the luggage trays from said collection container to said unloader. 4 4 ♦ 4 ♦ the surface includes a pair of guide surfaces spaced by said first distance. 4 * * »» ii ► ··· 9 44 »4 The baggage handling system of claim 3, wherein said collecting container has a first end adjacent said first conveyor and a second end adjacent said unloader, said second end being at a lower level than said first end. ···· • 0 0 * 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ·· 0 0 004 «« φ * 0 000 4 040 00 0 0 0000 0000 5 a conveyor mounted on said platform parallel to said front and rear edges; a holder for holding the luggage bowl on said conveyor; a pair of front carrier wheels spaced a first 10 distances; a pair of rear support wheels spaced a second distance; a first pair of wheel guides for supporting and guiding said front support wheels, each of said wheels 15, the first pair of wheel guides has a first end at a first level and a second end at a second level; a second pair of wheel guides for supporting and guiding said rear carrier wheels, said second pair of wheel guides being disposed generally in said first 20 level and is generally horizontal; and a linear actuator for moving said platform along said support wheel guides. 20. A method of handling luggage, comprising: a) transporting luggage carriers carrying the luggage on the conveyor at a first speed; b) bringing together at least a portion of the luggage trays transported on the conveyor to a collection container to form a collection line; and 5. The baggage handling system of claim 4 wherein said second conveyor is at a lower level than said unloader. The luggage handling system of claim 5, wherein said collecting container comprises a roller gravity conveyor. The luggage handling system of claim 6, wherein said at least one unloader comprises a luggage tipper. The luggage handling system of claim 7, wherein said luggage dumper comprises: a generally horizontal platform having a leading edge and a trailing edge; a tipper conveyor mounted on said platform parallel to the front and rear edges and in alignment with said collecting container; a holder for holding the luggage bowl on said tipper conveyor; a pair of front carrier wheels spaced a first distance; a pair of rear support wheels spaced a second distance; a first pair of wheel guides for supporting and guiding said front carrier wheels, each of said first pair of wheel guides having a first end at a first level and a second end at a second level; a second pair of wheel guides for supporting and guiding said rear carrier wheels, said second pair of wheel guides being generally located in said first carrier; 9 «♦ 9 9 t · t · 9 9 9 9 9 9 999 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9999 (c) unloading of baggage from aggregated baggage racks at a second speed independent of the speed of the conveyor. 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising removing the luggage trays from the collection line after unloading the luggage. The method of claim 20, wherein the second speed is generally a constant speed. 23. The method of claim 20 comprising 9 9 9 · »» 9 99 9900 99 99 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 99 99 99 99 19. A luggage tipper for tipping luggage trays, comprising: generally a horizontal platform having. front edge and rear edge; 9 9 ·· • ♦ • ♦ * ♦ The luggage handling system of claim 8, wherein said luggage bowls comprise edge portions for cooperating with said holder. 9 9 9 9 • 9 9 · level and is generally horizontal; and an actuator for moving said platform along said support wheel guides. 9 «9 9 9 9 • 9 • 9 9 9 · «· 10. Container unloading equipment comprising: a generally horizontal platform having a leading edge and a trailing edge; a holder for holding the container on said platform; a first platform support; a guide for guiding said first platform support, said guide having a first end at a first level and a second end at a second level, said second level being lower than said first level; a second platform support for supporting said trailing edge at a level higher than said second level; and an actuator for moving said platform and said first platform support along said guide until said front edge support reaches said second end of said guide. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said first platform support comprises at least one wheel and said guide comprises at least one guide surface for supporting said at least one wheel. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said at least one wheel comprises a pair of wheels spaced a first distance and said at least one guide The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said second platform support comprises first and second rear support wheels spaced a second distance, said apparatus further comprising guides for said first and second rear wheels. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the guides for said first and second rear support wheels comprise first and second guide plates spaced apart by said second distance. 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said actuator comprises a motor having a drive shaft coupled to said platform via an arm. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said engine moves said platform in a first direction during the first half of its cycle and in a second direction during the second half of its cycle. 17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said rear supporting guide surfaces are generally horizontal and located at said first level. 18. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a conveyor mounted on said platform extending in a direction parallel to said front and rear edges. The method of claim 24, wherein the rear portion of the luggage pan moves generally along a horizontal path during unloading.