EP3107663B1 - Method for sorting postal aricles having low flow rate - Google Patents

Method for sorting postal aricles having low flow rate Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3107663B1
EP3107663B1 EP15704336.5A EP15704336A EP3107663B1 EP 3107663 B1 EP3107663 B1 EP 3107663B1 EP 15704336 A EP15704336 A EP 15704336A EP 3107663 B1 EP3107663 B1 EP 3107663B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
sorting
machine
outlet
destination
outlets
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Not-in-force
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EP15704336.5A
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German (de)
French (fr)
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EP3107663A1 (en
Inventor
Didier Tresse
Karim Kara
David Morisot
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Solystic SAS
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Solystic SAS
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C3/00—Sorting according to destination
    • B07C3/003—Destination control; Electro-mechanical or electro- magnetic delay memories
    • B07C3/006—Electric or electronic control circuits, e.g. delay lines
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C3/00—Sorting according to destination

Definitions

  • the field of the invention is that of postal sorting.
  • the invention relates more particularly to a method for sorting mail items according to M sorting destinations in a postal sorting machine comprising N sorting outlets, with M> N, by using in the sorting machine a process for dynamically allocating sorting outlets to the sorting destinations and according to which if a sorting destination of a current mail item to be sorted is on-booking, substituting said sorting destination on-reserve for another sorting destination already assigned to a sorting destination; some sorting output of the machine for storing the current mail item in that certain sorting outlet.
  • Dynamic assignment or allocation is a process of assigning or allocating a sorting output of the sorting machine to a sorting destination as a mail item moves through the sorting machine after automatic evaluation. the address on this mail article.
  • the machine has a dynamic sorting plan with sorting destinations that are dynamically matched with the sorting outputs of the sorting machine.
  • the mechanism of over-booking in a process of dynamic assignment of the sorting outlets of a sorting machine makes it possible to operate a sorting machine that has fewer sorting outlets than there are sorting destinations and consists in use as a sort output to sort a current mail item corresponding to a certain sorting destination in the sorting plan, a sorting output already assigned to another sorting destination.
  • the mail items already sorted in this sorting outlet must then be evacuated from this sorting outlet to make room for the current mail item and the other subsequent mail items having the same sorting destination as this item. mail article.
  • Mail items evacuated from the sorting outlet can be transported out of the sorting machine into storage bins.
  • the low mail flows i.e., low volume mail batches having low sorting destinations
  • strong mail flows large volume mail lots
  • sorting outlets of the sorting machine can remain almost empty for sorting purposes when sorting low mail flows.
  • the almost empty sorting outlets can be exchanged for bins, but then the small content of these sorting outlets that is removed from the sorting machine, for example in bins. storage, which themselves remain almost empty, significantly affects the costs of mail transport, when for example, these almost empty storage bins are then transported by trucks, boats or other means of transport.
  • a method according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from the document WO-2009/081008 .
  • the object of the invention is to remedy these drawbacks and in particular to minimize the impact of weak mail flows in this type of process.
  • the idea behind the invention is to identify the weak mail flow dynamically during a sorting pass of this mail and to cause massification or grouping of mail items with low filling density. and reprocess these at the end of the sorting process during a new automatic sorting process.
  • the first threshold may be between 70 and 80% and the second threshold may be between 45 and 55%.
  • the method according to the invention can be applied to different types of postal objects, such as letters, flat items of large format, mail in plastic or paper envelopes or mixed mail, this list is not exhaustive.
  • the method according to the invention preferably applies to sorting the mail in a sorting pass in sorting centers.
  • the method according to the invention can also be applied for successively sorting a first mail flow and a second mail flow in a sorting machine without having to carry out a complete emptying of the sorting outlets of the sorting machine after the sorting of the sorting machine. first mail flow.
  • the two sorting plans of these two mail flows respectively are merged or grouped within a single sorting plan.
  • the mail items of the second mail flow will progressively replace the mail items of the first mail flow due to the over-booking mechanism, but overall the mail processing time will be reduced. compared to a separate sort of mail flow.
  • FIG. 1 very schematically illustrated a postal sorting facility comprising a mail sorting machine 1 adapted for carrying out the method according to the invention.
  • the postal sorting machine 1 here comprises, by way of example, an input 2 of mail items to be sorted which feeds a carousel with buckets 3, the cups of the carousel not being represented on the machine. figure 1 .
  • the carousel cups each normally carry one mail piece at a time and circulate in a loop over a set of physical sorting outlets 4 of the machine, here arranged in line on two opposite sides of the machine.
  • each sort outlet 4 is provided with a removable storage bin 5. More particularly, the article of mail that is transported in a cup 3 of the carousel falls by gravity in the storage bin 5 of the sorting outlet 4 which is assigned or allocated to the sorting destination corresponding to this mail item.
  • FIG. 1 there is illustrated a stream of mail items 6 arranged in stack on edge in a feed magazine of a unstacker 2A placed at the feed inlet 2 of the sorting machine.
  • stacked mail items 6 are serialized by the unstacker 2A of the type for example perforated band and suction nozzles.
  • an image acquisition unit 2B Downstream of the unstacker 2A, an image acquisition unit 2B forms an image of the address block of each article and by OCR, this address is automatically recognized in the image by a data processing unit 7 which controls the equipment of the sorting machine.
  • the data processing unit 7 determines a sorting destination in a sorting plan that associates a sorting destination (sorting code) with a physical output of sorting of the sorting machine.
  • a sorting destination can be a postal code.
  • Mail items with the same postal code in their distribution address block can therefore be sorted into the same sorting output of the machine.
  • means 2C are provided for measuring the thickness of each serialized mail item so that the unit 7 can estimate by run-of-the-river accumulation for each sorting outlet as the items are stored.
  • mail a fill level in mail items. Subsequently, reference will be made to a relative level of storage or filling ratio between 0 and 100%.
  • the thickness of each mail piece can be measured by sensors or by imaging as is known to those skilled in the art.
  • the unit 7 is still arranged to record in correspondence with each sorting output, a date which corresponds to the date of storage of the last mail item in the sorting outlet. This date is an indication of seniority for the sorting output activity. This storage date may correspond to the date of determination of the unloading of the mail item in the sorting outlet in question by the unit 7. This date can be provided by an internal clock of the unit 7.
  • the number M of sorting destinations of the sorting plane is greater than the number N of physical sorting outlets of the sorting machine 1 and therefore the allocation of a physical sorting output 4 to a sorting destination for a mail item 6 to be sorted is done dynamically in the unit 7 at the time of the passage of this article of mail 6 and a mechanism is provided for changing the tray of a output sorting by an empty bin in the case of an over-booking situation as known to those skilled in the art.
  • the principle of the over-booking mechanism consists in forcing the emptying of the sorting outlet (removal of the storage bin already containing mail items corresponding to a certain sorting destination) and its replacement by an empty container to receive new ones. corresponding mail items to another sorting destination.
  • the method according to the invention resides more particularly in the particular selection of the sorting outlet where the exchange of bins takes place in such a way as to minimize as much as possible the volume losses, that is to say the losses generated by the overly systematic removal of trays lightly filled with mail items.
  • the sorting outlet with the most filled storage tank is favored in order to minimize the volume losses for the transport of the bins, but tests have shown that this selection criterion finds its limits as soon as possible. that the M / N ratio is greater than 1.06. The method according to the invention makes it possible to exceed this ratio without additional loss of volume.
  • the figure 2 illustrates the method according to the invention in which the criterion of selection of the sorting outlet for the exchange of bins in case of overbooking combines the taking into account of a tank filling criterion and a criterion of age of storage activity in the bin.
  • the method according to the invention is generally a data processing implemented in the unit 7.
  • the mailing address in the distribution address block 6A has been recognized from an OCR in the image of this mail item provided by the unit 2B.
  • the unit 7 determines from this recognized postal address the sorting destination DL which corresponds to it in the dynamic sorting plan loaded in the unit 7.
  • This sorting destination DL constitutes a grouping for sorting mail items.
  • the sorting destination DL may be, for example, a postal code or a part of a postal code.
  • step 21 the sorting process in unit 7 determines whether or not this sorting destination DL for the current mail item is a mass sorting destination, ie a destination already recognized by the mail item. unit 7 during the sorting process as part of a weak mail flow.
  • the mail items stored in a sorting outlet assigned to a mass sorting destination are grouped at the input of the sorting machine for a new sorting pass in the sorting outlets of the sorting machine.
  • the unit 7 can hold in memory, for example, a table 13 of all the sorting destinations of the sorting plane running in a machine in order to be able to record a indication of massification in association with each sorting destination.
  • This indication may be a binary data of type 1/0 and on the figure 2 for the example there is shown in front of the sorting destination DL a cross symbolizing this binary data.
  • step 21 it is a mass sorting destination
  • the process continues in 22 by sorting the current mail item into the sorting output that is dynamically allocated by the unit. 7 to massive sorting destinations.
  • a machine-specific sorting output can be dynamically allocated to one or more massive sorting destinations.
  • This sorting plan can still be a dynamic sorting plan.
  • step 21 the process continues in step 23.
  • step 23 the unit 7 searches whether a sorting output S is already allocated for the sorting destination DL of the current mailpiece.
  • the indication that a sorting output S is already allocated to the sorting destination DL can be obtained by the unit 7 through the exploration of a second table 14 stored in memory which establishes at each instant the dynamic correspondence of each sorting output of the machine S 1 ... S M with the sorting destinations D 1 ... D M.
  • an indication of filling level N and an indication storage activity duration T are matched with each sorting output S.
  • step 23 the process continues in step 24 by sorting the current mail item into the sorting output S identified by the unit 7.
  • step 23 the process continues in step 25.
  • step 25 the unit 7 searches whether a sorting output S of the sorting machine not yet allocated is available for the sorting destination DL. In this sorting output not yet allocated, the storage bin 5 is empty.
  • step 25 the process continues in step 26 by assigning this available sorting output to the sorting destination DL and the unit 7 ordering sorting of the mail item in this sorting output available.
  • step 26 the unit 7 at the same time records the assignment A between this available sorting output and the sorting destination DL.
  • the N and T indications in the table 14 are also updated in correspondence with this available sorting output.
  • step 27 If not, the process continues in step 27.
  • step 27 the unit 7 identifies among the set of sorting outlets of the machine, by exploring here the table 14, the sorting outlets which have a filling level N greater than a first threshold s1.
  • This first threshold may be between 70% and 80%, for example 75%.
  • the value of this threshold s1 can be made adjustable to take into account the specificities of the mail flows to be sorted.
  • step 27 the unit 7 then searches in step 28 among these sorting outlets for the one with the oldest storage activity, here by scanning the table 14, that is to say the one with the date T of the last storage activity which is the oldest.
  • step 29 The process then continues in step 29 with a bin change in this sorting outlet of older storage activity.
  • the DL sorting destination is substituted in the dynamic sorting plan at the destination that was allocated before that sorting out of the oldest storage activity.
  • the bin that is extracted from this sorting outlet is therefore filled to more than 75% of mail items. It is taken by the conveyor of full bins 8 or 9 on the figure 1 and is then led to a discharge outlet 10 of full bins out of the machine for removal by truck or the like.
  • An empty bin 5 is brought by the empty bin conveyor 11 into this sorting outlet.
  • step 31 the current mail item is sorted in this sorting output and the N and T indications in table 14 are updated. with the parameters found with the current mail item.
  • steps 27 to 31 relate to the processing of dense mail flows.
  • step 27 If, on the other hand, in step 27, no sorting output S is identified by the unit 7, the process continues in step 32 by searching and determining the sorting output S from all the outputs of sorting that has the oldest storage activity or seniority date T in table 14.
  • step 33 if this sorting output of the oldest storage activity has a filling level greater than a second threshold s2 between 45% and 55%, here set at for example 50%, the process continues to step 34 by a bin change in this sorting outlet.
  • the tray filled with mail items is extracted from the sorting outlet and an empty bin is set up in this sorting outlet.
  • This second threshold s2 may be adjustable to take into account the specificities of the mail flows to be sorted.
  • step 34 the sorting destination DL is substituted for the old sorting destination DL 'to which this sorting output was allocated in the sorting plan.
  • the indications D and T in the table 14 are initialized.
  • this former logical destination DL ' is identified by the unit 7 in the table 13 as a sorting destination to be massified, so that the next mail items having this sorting destination DL' will be processed according to the steps 21 and 22 in the figure 2 .
  • step 35 the tray filled with mail items taken from the sorting outlet is fed through the full bin conveyor 8,9 to an outflow 10 of the sorting machine.
  • step 36 the current mail item is sorted in the empty bin of this sorting outlet and the N and T indications are updated in the table 14 with the parameters noted for the article of current mail by means 2B and 2C on the figure 1 .
  • step 33 the sorting output of the oldest storage activity has a filling level lower than the second threshold s2
  • the process continues in step 37 with a bin change as for step 34. and by substitution of DL and DL 'sorting destinations with respect to the sorting output.
  • the old sorting destination DL ' is identified by the unit 7 in the table 13 as a sorting destination to be massified.
  • step 38 the tray filled with mail items that is retrieved from the sorting outlet is returned to the feed inlet 2 of the machine for recycling the mail items it contains.
  • step 39 the current mail item is sorted in the empty bin of this sorting outlet and the N and T indications in the table 14 are updated with the parameters noted for the current mail item.
  • the sorting process is repeated for a new mail item.
  • the table 13 is deleted and the mail items from the mass sorting output and those already brought into storage bins at the feed inlet of the machine are retrieved according to a new sorting pass in the sorting outlets of the machine.
  • a sorting outlet can be allocated to several sorting destinations so as to best fill the storage bins in the sorting outlets and to minimize the cost of transporting the bins filled with mail items.
  • the method according to the invention can also be applied to sorting outlets for which the storage receptacles of sorted mail items are stackers.
  • the evacuation of a tray as described above in a sorting outlet can be achieved by the unloading of a spacer in the sorting outlet stacker as is known to those skilled in the art and by the use of a light at the sorting exit which signals to a Machine Operator that he must manually transfer the contents of the stacker to a storage bin to which a container label will be affixed, the tray being able to then be moved to a discharge outlet of the machine or to the feed inlet of the sorting machine.
  • the method of the invention is applicable to the sorting of mixed mail comprising small format mail items such as letters and large format mail items such as magazines.
  • the method according to the invention applies, as indicated above, to the sorting of several mail streams according to a single dynamic sorting plan resulting from a merger of the respective dynamic sorting planes of the mail flows loaded in a machine.
  • the mail flows are successively loaded at the input of the machine and there is no emptying of the sorting outlets during the first sorting pass of all these mail items which allows a better use performance of the sorting machine.

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Description

Domaine techniqueTechnical area

Le domaine de l'invention est celui du tri postal.The field of the invention is that of postal sorting.

L'invention concerne plus particulièrement un procédé pour trier des articles de courrier selon M destinations de tri dans une machine de tri postal comportant N sorties de tri, avec M>N, en exploitant dans la machine de tri un processus d'affectation dynamique des sorties de tri aux destinations de tri et selon lequel si une destination de tri d'un article de courrier courant à trier est en sur-réservation, on substitue ladite destination de tri en sur-réservation à une autre destination de tri déjà affectée à une certaine sortie de tri de la machine pour stocker l'article de courrier courant dans cette certaine sortie de tri.The invention relates more particularly to a method for sorting mail items according to M sorting destinations in a postal sorting machine comprising N sorting outlets, with M> N, by using in the sorting machine a process for dynamically allocating sorting outlets to the sorting destinations and according to which if a sorting destination of a current mail item to be sorted is on-booking, substituting said sorting destination on-reserve for another sorting destination already assigned to a sorting destination; some sorting output of the machine for storing the current mail item in that certain sorting outlet.

L'affectation ou allocation dynamique est un processus qui consiste à affecter ou allouer une sortie de tri de la machine de tri à une destination de tri au fur et à mesure du passage d'un article de courrier dans la machine de tri après évaluation automatique de l'adresse sur cet article de courrier.Dynamic assignment or allocation is a process of assigning or allocating a sorting output of the sorting machine to a sorting destination as a mail item moves through the sorting machine after automatic evaluation. the address on this mail article.

On a par conséquent dans la machine un plan de tri dynamique avec des destinations de tri qui sont dynamiquement mises en correspondance avec les sorties de tri de la machine de tri.Therefore, the machine has a dynamic sorting plan with sorting destinations that are dynamically matched with the sorting outputs of the sorting machine.

Le mécanisme de sur-réservation dans un processus d'affectation dynamique des sorties de tri d'une machine de tri permet d'exploiter une machine de tri qui comporte moins de sorties de tri qu'il y a de destinations de tri et consiste à utiliser comme sortie de tri pour trier un article de courrier courant correspondant à une certaine destination de tri dans le plan de tri, une sortie de tri déjà affectée à une autre destination de tri. Il en résulte que les articles de courrier déjà triés dans cette sortie de tri doivent être alors évacués de cette sortie de tri pour laisser la place à l'article de courrier courant et aux autres articles de courrier subséquents ayant la même destination de tri que cet article de courrier courant.The mechanism of over-booking in a process of dynamic assignment of the sorting outlets of a sorting machine makes it possible to operate a sorting machine that has fewer sorting outlets than there are sorting destinations and consists in use as a sort output to sort a current mail item corresponding to a certain sorting destination in the sorting plan, a sorting output already assigned to another sorting destination. As a result, the mail items already sorted in this sorting outlet must then be evacuated from this sorting outlet to make room for the current mail item and the other subsequent mail items having the same sorting destination as this item. mail article.

Les articles de courrier évacués de la sortie de tri peuvent être transportés hors de la machine de tri dans des bacs de stockage.Mail items evacuated from the sorting outlet can be transported out of the sorting machine into storage bins.

Technique antérieurePrior art

Un mécanisme de sur-réservation dans un processus d'allocation dynamique des sorties de tri d'une machine de tri postal est décrit dans les documents de brevet EP-2225049 , DE-102005055763 et US-8005569 .An over-booking mechanism in a process of dynamically allocating the sorting outlets of a postal sorting machine is described in the patent documents EP-2225049 , DE 102005055763 and US 8005569 .

Dans ces processus connus d'allocation dynamique avec mécanisme de sur-réservation, les faibles flux de courrier (c'est-à-dire des lots de courrier de faible volume ayant des destinations de tri peu denses) sont traités de la même façon que des forts flux de courrier (lots de courrier à gros volume) avec lesquels il y a une répartition quasi homogène des destinations de tri dans les sorties de tri de la machine de tri.In these known dynamic allocation processes with over-booking mechanism, the low mail flows (i.e., low volume mail batches having low sorting destinations) are treated in the same way as strong mail flows (large volume mail lots) with which there is an almost homogeneous distribution of sorting destinations in the sorting outlets of the sorting machine.

Dans un centre de tri acheminement national où le courrier est trié par code postal par exemple pour regrouper tout le courrier par ville ou par grandes agglomérations, il y a des fluctuations de volume du courrier selon les différents codes postaux au cours de la journée ou des jours de la semaine et aussi pendant des périodes spécifiques de l'année, par exemple les jours fériés.In a national forwarding sorting center where the mail is sorted by postal code, for example to group all the mail by city or by major cities, there are fluctuations in the volume of mail according to the different postal codes during the day or during the day. days of the week and also during specific periods of the year, for example holidays.

Il en résulte que selon la nature des flux de courrier à trier, on peut avoir des sorties de tri en machine peu occupées en courrier, voire un grande nombre de sorties de tri peu occupées en courrier.As a result, depending on the nature of the mail flow to be sorted, one can have machine sorting outlets little occupied by mail, or even a large number of sorting outlets little occupied by mail.

Ces fluctuations peuvent intervenir au cours d'une journée de tri durant laquelle plusieurs dizaines de flux de courrier sont triés en machine.These fluctuations can occur during a sorting day during which several tens of mail flows are sorted by machine.

On comprend que les sorties de tri de la machine de tri peuvent rester presque vides pour des destinations de tri lors du tri de faibles flux de courrier.It is understood that the sorting outlets of the sorting machine can remain almost empty for sorting purposes when sorting low mail flows.

Avec le mécanisme de sur-réservation, les sorties de tri presque vides peuvent faire l'objet d'un échange de bacs mais alors le faible contenu de ces sorties de tri qui est évacué de la machine de tri, par exemple dans des bacs de stockage, qui eux mêmes restent donc presque vides, affecte de façon non négligeable les coûts de transport du courrier, quand par exemple, ces bacs de stockage presque vides sont ensuite transportés par camions, bateaux ou autres moyens de transport. Un procédé selon le préambule de la revendication 1 est connu du document WO-A-2009/081008 . Le but de l'invention est de remédier à ces inconvénients et en particulier de minimiser l'impact des faibles flux de courrier dans ce type de processus.With the over-booking mechanism, the almost empty sorting outlets can be exchanged for bins, but then the small content of these sorting outlets that is removed from the sorting machine, for example in bins. storage, which themselves remain almost empty, significantly affects the costs of mail transport, when for example, these almost empty storage bins are then transported by trucks, boats or other means of transport. A method according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from the document WO-2009/081008 . The object of the invention is to remedy these drawbacks and in particular to minimize the impact of weak mail flows in this type of process.

Résumé de l'inventionSummary of the invention

L'idée à la base de l'invention est d'identifier les faibles flux de courrier de façon dynamique au cours d'une passe de tri de ce courrier et de provoquer une massification ou un regroupement des articles de courrier à faible densité de remplissage et de retraiter ceux-ci à la fin du processus de tri lors d'un nouveau processus de tri automatique.The idea behind the invention is to identify the weak mail flow dynamically during a sorting pass of this mail and to cause massification or grouping of mail items with low filling density. and reprocess these at the end of the sorting process during a new automatic sorting process.

On évite ainsi d'avoir à transporter des bacs de stockage du courrier presque vides à cause de ces faibles flux de courrier.This avoids having to carry mail storage bins almost empty because of these low mail flows.

Plus particulièrement, l'invention a pour objet un procédé pour trier des articles de courrier selon M destinations de tri dans une machine de tri postal comportant N sorties de tri, avec M>N, en exploitant dans la machine de tri un processus d'affectation dynamique des sorties de tri aux destinations de tri et selon lequel si une destination de tri d'un article de courrier courant à trier est en sur-réservation, on substitue ladite destination de tri en sur-réservation à une autre destination de tri déjà affectée à une certaine sortie de tri de la machine pour stocker l'article de courrier courant dans cette certaine sortie de tri, caractérisé en ce que le procédé comprend en outre les étapes suivantes:

  1. a) identifier parmi lesdites sorties de tri, des premières sorties de tri qui présentent un niveau de remplissage supérieur à un premier seuil et ensuite identifier parmi lesdites premières sorties de tri, celle qui présente une activité de stockage la plus ancienne et affecter cette première sortie de tri de plus ancienne activité de stockage à ladite destination de tri en sur-réservation;
  2. b) si toutes lesdites sorties de tri présentent chacune un niveau de remplissage inférieur audit premier seuil, identifier parmi lesdites sorties de tri, une seconde sortie de tri qui présente l'activité de stockage la plus ancienne et ensuite affecter cette seconde sortie de tri à ladite destination de tri en sur-réservation et indiquer en machine que ladite autre destination de tri est une destination de tri à massifier.
More particularly, the subject of the invention is a method for sorting mail items according to M sorting destinations in a postal sorting machine comprising N sorting outlets, with M> N, by using in the sorting machine a process of sorting. dynamically assigning the sorting outlets to the sorting destinations and according to which if a sorting destination of a current mailpiece to be sorted is in overbooking, substituting said sorting destination on an overbooking for another sorting destination already assigned to a certain sorting output of the machine for storing the current mail item in that sorting outlet, characterized in that the method further comprises the following steps:
  1. a) identifying among said sorting outlets, first sorting outlets which have a filling level higher than a first threshold and then identifying among said first sorting outlets, the one having the oldest storage activity and affecting this first output sorting older storage activity at said overbooking sorting destination;
  2. b) if all said sorting outlets each have a filling level lower than said first threshold, identifying among said sorting outputs a second sorting output which has the oldest storage activity and then assigning this second sorting output to said sorting destination in over-booking and indicate in the machine that said other sorting destination is a sorting destination to be massified.

Ce procédé peut présenter les particularités suivantes :

  • si on détermine qu'un article de courrier courant à trier a une destination de tri indiquée en machine comme étant une destination de tri à massifier, on trie cet article de courrier courant dans une sortie de tri de la machine affectée à la massification;
This process may have the following particularities:
  • if it is determined that a current mail item to be sorted has a sorting destination indicated in the machine as a sorting destination to be massified, this current mail item is sorted into a sorting outlet of the machine assigned to the massification;

Il peut comprendre en outre les étapes suivantes:

  • si ladite seconde sortie de tri a un niveau de remplissage supérieur à un second seuil qui est inférieur au premier seuil, évacuer de la machine de tri les articles de courrier stockés dans ladite seconde sortie de tri, et
  • si ladite seconde sortie de tri a un niveau de remplissage inférieur audit second seuil, recycler en entrée de la machine de tri lesdits articles de courrier stockés dans ladite seconde sortie de tri;
It can further include the following steps:
  • if said second sorting output has a filling level higher than a second threshold which is lower than the first threshold, evacuating from the sorting machine the mail items stored in said second sorting outlet, and
  • if said second sorting output has a filling level lower than said second threshold, recycling said mail items stored in said second sorting outlet to the input of the sorting machine;

Il peut comprendre en outre les étapes suivantes:

  • à la fin d'une première passe de tri des articles de courrier dans la machine de tri, recycler en entrée de la machine de tri les articles de courrier stockés dans ladite sortie de tri affectée à la massification, et
  • effectuer une seconde passe de tri en machine avec lesdits articles de courrier recyclés pour les trier de nouveau dans les sorties de tri de la machine de tri.
It can further include the following steps:
  • at the end of a first sorting pass of the mail items in the sorting machine, recycling at the input of the sorting machine the mail items stored in said sorting outlet assigned to the massification, and
  • performing a second sorting pass in the machine with said recycled mail items to sort them back into the sorting outlets of the sorting machine.

Le premier seuil peut être compris entre 70 et 80% et le second seuil peut être compris entre 45 et 55%.The first threshold may be between 70 and 80% and the second threshold may be between 45 and 55%.

Le procédé selon l'invention peut s'appliquer à différents type d'objets postaux, comme des lettres, des articles plats de grand format, du courrier sous enveloppe en plastique ou en papier ou encore du courrier mélangé, cette liste n'étant pas limitative.The method according to the invention can be applied to different types of postal objects, such as letters, flat items of large format, mail in plastic or paper envelopes or mixed mail, this list is not exhaustive.

Le procédé selon l'invention s'applique préférentiellement à du tri acheminement du courrier en une passe de tri dans des centres de tri acheminement.The method according to the invention preferably applies to sorting the mail in a sorting pass in sorting centers.

Le procédé selon l'invention peut s'appliquer aussi pour trier successivement un premier flux de courrier et un second flux de courrier dans une machine de tri sans avoir à effectuer un vidage complet des sorties de tri de la machine de tri après le tri du premier flux de courrier.The method according to the invention can also be applied for successively sorting a first mail flow and a second mail flow in a sorting machine without having to carry out a complete emptying of the sorting outlets of the sorting machine after the sorting of the sorting machine. first mail flow.

Pour cela, les deux plans de tri de ces deux flux de courrier respectivement sont fusionnés ou regroupés au sein d'un seul plan de tri. On peut avoir alors un nombre de destinations de tri très supérieur au nombre de sorties de tri de la machine, de l'ordre de 40 à 50% de destinations de tri en plus du nombre de sorties de tri de la machine de tri.For this, the two sorting plans of these two mail flows respectively are merged or grouped within a single sorting plan. We can then have a number of sorting destinations much greater than the number of sorting outlets of the machine, of the order of 40 to 50% of sorting destinations in addition to the number of sorting outlets of the sorting machine.

Dans les sorties de tri de la machine de tri, les articles de courrier du second flux de courrier vont remplacer progressivement les articles de courrier du premier flux de courrier du fait du mécanisme de sur-réservation mais globalement on réduira le temps de traitement du courrier par rapport à un tri séparé des flux de courrier.In the sorting outlets of the sorting machine, the mail items of the second mail flow will progressively replace the mail items of the first mail flow due to the over-booking mechanism, but overall the mail processing time will be reduced. compared to a separate sort of mail flow.

Présentation sommaire des dessinsBrief presentation of the drawings

  • La figure 1 illustre de façon très schématique une installation de tri postal pour la mise en oeuvre du procédé selon l'invention.The figure 1 illustrates very schematically a postal sorting facility for carrying out the method according to the invention.
  • La figure 2 illustre des étapes du procédé selon l'invention sous forme d'un schéma blocs.The figure 2 illustrates steps of the process according to the invention in the form of a block diagram.
Description des modes de réalisationDescription of the embodiments

Sur la figure 1, on a illustré de façon très schématique une installation de tri postal comportant une machine de tri postal 1 adaptée pour la mise en oeuvre du procédé selon l'invention.On the figure 1 very schematically illustrated a postal sorting facility comprising a mail sorting machine 1 adapted for carrying out the method according to the invention.

La machine de tri postal 1 comporte ici à titre d'exemple une entrée 2 en articles de courrier à trier qui alimente un carrousel à godets 3, les godets du carrousel n'étant pas représentés sur la figure 1.The postal sorting machine 1 here comprises, by way of example, an input 2 of mail items to be sorted which feeds a carousel with buckets 3, the cups of the carousel not being represented on the machine. figure 1 .

Les godets du carrousel transportent chacun normalement un article de courrier à la fois et circulent en suivant une boucle au-dessus d'un ensemble de sorties de tri physiques 4 de la machine, ici disposées en ligne sur deux côtés opposés de la machine.The carousel cups each normally carry one mail piece at a time and circulate in a loop over a set of physical sorting outlets 4 of the machine, here arranged in line on two opposite sides of the machine.

Dans l'exemple, chaque sortie de tri 4 est munie d'un bac de stockage 5 amovible. Plus particulièrement, l'article de courrier qui est transporté dans un godet 3 du carrousel vient tomber par gravité dans le bac de stockage 5 de la sortie de tri 4 qui est affectée ou allouée à la destination de tri correspondant à cet article de courrier.In the example, each sort outlet 4 is provided with a removable storage bin 5. More particularly, the article of mail that is transported in a cup 3 of the carousel falls by gravity in the storage bin 5 of the sorting outlet 4 which is assigned or allocated to the sorting destination corresponding to this mail item.

Sur la figure 1, on a illustré un flux d'articles de courrier 6 disposés en pile sur chant dans un magasin d'alimentation d'un dépileur 2A placé à l'entrée d'alimentation 2 de la machine de tri.On the figure 1 , there is illustrated a stream of mail items 6 arranged in stack on edge in a feed magazine of a unstacker 2A placed at the feed inlet 2 of the sorting machine.

Comme cela est bien connu, les articles de courrier en pile 6 sont sérialisés par le dépileur 2A du type par exemple à bande perforée et à buses d'aspiration.As is well known, stacked mail items 6 are serialized by the unstacker 2A of the type for example perforated band and suction nozzles.

En aval du dépileur 2A, une unité d'acquisition d'images 2B forme une image du bloc d'adresse de chaque article de courrier et par OCR, cette adresse est reconnue automatiquement dans l'image par une unité de traitement de données 7 qui commande les équipements de la machine de tri.Downstream of the unstacker 2A, an image acquisition unit 2B forms an image of the address block of each article and by OCR, this address is automatically recognized in the image by a data processing unit 7 which controls the equipment of the sorting machine.

Ensuite, à partir de l'adresse reconnue pour un article de courrier courant, l'unité de traitement de donnée 7 détermine une destination de tri dans un plan de tri qui associe une destination de tri (code de tri) à une sortie physique de tri de la machine de tri.Then, from the recognized address for a current mail article, the data processing unit 7 determines a sorting destination in a sorting plan that associates a sorting destination (sorting code) with a physical output of sorting of the sorting machine.

Par exemple, une destination de tri peut correspondre à un code postal. Les articles de courrier présentant le même code postal dans leur bloc d'adresse de distribution pourront donc être triés dans la même sortie de tri de la machine.For example, a sorting destination can be a postal code. Mail items with the same postal code in their distribution address block can therefore be sorted into the same sorting output of the machine.

En outre, des moyens 2C sont prévus pour mesurer l'épaisseur de chaque article de courrier sérialisé de sorte que l'unité 7 peut estimer par accumulation au fil de l'eau pour chaque sortie de tri au fur et à mesure du stockage des articles de courrier, un niveau de remplissage en articles de courrier. Par la suite, on fera référence à un niveau relatif de stockage ou taux de remplissage compris entre 0 et 100%. L'épaisseur de chaque article de courrier peut être mesurée par des capteurs ou par imagerie comme cela est connu de l'Homme du métier.In addition, means 2C are provided for measuring the thickness of each serialized mail item so that the unit 7 can estimate by run-of-the-river accumulation for each sorting outlet as the items are stored. mail, a fill level in mail items. Subsequently, reference will be made to a relative level of storage or filling ratio between 0 and 100%. The thickness of each mail piece can be measured by sensors or by imaging as is known to those skilled in the art.

L'unité 7 est encore agencée pour enregistrer en correspondance avec chaque sortie de tri, une date qui correspond à la date de stockage du dernier article de courrier dans la sortie de tri. Cette date est une indication d'ancienneté pour l'activité de la sortie de tri. Cette date de stockage peut correspondre à la date de détermination du déchargement de l'article de courrier dans la sortie de tri en question par l'unité 7. Cette date peut être fournie par une horloge interne de l'unité 7.The unit 7 is still arranged to record in correspondence with each sorting output, a date which corresponds to the date of storage of the last mail item in the sorting outlet. This date is an indication of seniority for the sorting output activity. This storage date may correspond to the date of determination of the unloading of the mail item in the sorting outlet in question by the unit 7. This date can be provided by an internal clock of the unit 7.

On a encore illustré sur la figure 1, des convoyeurs 8,9 de bacs pleins 5 (les bacs pleins sont représentés chacun par un rectangle hachuré) qui longent l'avant des sorties de tri 4 de la machine et qui se prolongent soit vers une sortie d'évacuation 10 de bacs pleins, soit vers l'entrée d'alimentation 2 de la machine pour un recyclage des articles postaux qu'ils contiennent.We still illustrated on the figure 1 Conveyors 8.9 of full bins 5 (the full bins are each represented by a hatched rectangle) which follow the front of the sorting outlets 4 of the machine and which extend either to a discharge outlet 10 of full bins. or to the feed inlet 2 of the machine for recycling the postal items they contain.

On a aussi représenté sur la figure 1, un convoyeur 11 de bacs vides 5 (ces bacs vides sont représentés par un rectangle blanc) qui fait circuler des bacs vides à l'arrière des sorties de tri 4 et qui est adapté pour recharger chaque sortie de tri 4 avec un bac vide.We also represented on the figure 1 a conveyor 11 of empty trays 5 (these empty trays are represented by a white rectangle) which circulates empty trays at the rear of the sorting outlets 4 and which is adapted to reload each sort outlet 4 with an empty tray.

Dans le cadre de la mise en oeuvre du procédé selon l'invention, le nombre M de destinations de tri du plan de tri est supérieur au nombre N de sorties de tri physiques de la machine de tri 1 et donc l'allocation d'une sortie de tri physique 4 à une destination de tri pour un article de courrier 6 à trier se fait dynamiquement dans l'unité 7 au moment du passage en machine de cet article de courrier 6 et un mécanisme est prévu pour changer le bac d'une sortie de tri par un bac vide dans le cas d'une situation du sur-réservation comme cela est connu par l'Homme du métier.In the context of the implementation of the method according to the invention, the number M of sorting destinations of the sorting plane is greater than the number N of physical sorting outlets of the sorting machine 1 and therefore the allocation of a physical sorting output 4 to a sorting destination for a mail item 6 to be sorted is done dynamically in the unit 7 at the time of the passage of this article of mail 6 and a mechanism is provided for changing the tray of a output sorting by an empty bin in the case of an over-booking situation as known to those skilled in the art.

On a donc dans la machine un plan de tri dynamique avec des affectations dynamiques (illustrés par les flèches A) entre les destinations de tri logiques D1 ....DL ..... DN et les sorties de tri physiques S1... SM.There is thus in the machine a dynamic sorting plan with dynamic assignments (illustrated by the arrows A) between the logical sorting destinations D1 .... DL ..... D N and the physical sorting outputs S 1 . .. S M.

Sur la figure 1, on a illustré des remplacements de bacs pleins en 5A et 5B par des bacs vides dans les sorties de tri pour illustrer le comportement de la machine de tri en cas de situations de sur-réservation.On the figure 1 , there is illustrated replacements of full bins 5A and 5B empty bins in the sorting outlets to illustrate the behavior of the sorting machine in case of overbooking situations.

Le principe du mécanisme de sur-réservation consiste à donc forcer le vidage de la sortie de tri (enlèvement du bac de stockage contenant déjà des articles de courrier correspondant à une certaine destination de tri) et son remplacement par un bac vide pour recevoir des nouveaux articles de courrier correspondants à une autre destination de tri.The principle of the over-booking mechanism consists in forcing the emptying of the sorting outlet (removal of the storage bin already containing mail items corresponding to a certain sorting destination) and its replacement by an empty container to receive new ones. corresponding mail items to another sorting destination.

Le procédé selon l'invention réside plus particulièrement dans la sélection particulière de la sortie de tri où s'effectue l'échange de bacs de telle manière à minimiser le plus possible les pertes de volumes, c'est à dire les pertes engendrées par l'enlèvement trop systématique de bacs faiblement remplis en articles de courrier.The method according to the invention resides more particularly in the particular selection of the sorting outlet where the exchange of bins takes place in such a way as to minimize as much as possible the volume losses, that is to say the losses generated by the overly systematic removal of trays lightly filled with mail items.

Dans un mécanisme traditionnel de sur-réservation, on privilégie la sortie de tri ayant le bac de stockage le plus rempli de façon à minimiser les pertes de volumes pour le transport des bacs mais des essais ont montré que ce critère de sélection trouve ses limites dès que le rapport M/N est supérieur à 1,06. Le procédé selon l'invention permet de dépasser ce rapport sans perte supplémentaires de volume.In a traditional over-booking mechanism, the sorting outlet with the most filled storage tank is favored in order to minimize the volume losses for the transport of the bins, but tests have shown that this selection criterion finds its limits as soon as possible. that the M / N ratio is greater than 1.06. The method according to the invention makes it possible to exceed this ratio without additional loss of volume.

La figure 2 illustre le procédé selon l'invention dans lequel le critère de sélection de la sortie de tri pour l'échange de bacs en cas de sur-réservation combine la prise en compte d'un critère de remplissage de bac et d'un critère d'ancienneté d'activité de stockage dans le bac.The figure 2 illustrates the method according to the invention in which the criterion of selection of the sorting outlet for the exchange of bins in case of overbooking combines the taking into account of a tank filling criterion and a criterion of age of storage activity in the bin.

Le procédé selon l'invention est globalement un traitement de données mis en oeuvre dans l'unité 7.The method according to the invention is generally a data processing implemented in the unit 7.

Il peut donc facilement s'appliquer à des installations de tri existantes, notamment dans des centres de tri acheminement où le courrier est trié en une passe de tri pour être acheminé ensuite vers des centres de tri distribution par camions, avions, trains ou analogue.It can therefore easily be applied to existing sorting facilities, especially in sorting centers where the mail is sorted into a sorting pass to be then routed to sorting centers distribution trucks, airplanes, trains or the like.

Sur la figure 2, à l'étape 20, pour un article de courrier courant 6, l'adresse postale dans le bloc d'adresse de distribution 6A a été reconnue à partir d'un OCR dans l'image de cet article de courrier fournie par l'unité 2B.On the figure 2 in step 20, for a current mail item 6, the mailing address in the distribution address block 6A has been recognized from an OCR in the image of this mail item provided by the unit 2B.

L'unité 7 détermine à partir de cette adresse postale reconnue la destination de tri DL qui lui correspond dans le plan de tri dynamique chargé dans l'unité 7.The unit 7 determines from this recognized postal address the sorting destination DL which corresponds to it in the dynamic sorting plan loaded in the unit 7.

Cette destination de tri DL constitue un regroupement pour le tri des articles de courrier. La destination de tri DL peut être par exemple un code postal ou une partie de code postal.This sorting destination DL constitutes a grouping for sorting mail items. The sorting destination DL may be, for example, a postal code or a part of a postal code.

A l'étape 21, le processus de tri dans l'unité 7 détermine si cette destination de tri DL pour l'article de courrier courant est ou non une destination de tri massifiée, c'est à dire une destination déjà reconnue par l'unité 7 au cours du processus de tri comme faisant partie d'un faible flux de courrier.In step 21, the sorting process in unit 7 determines whether or not this sorting destination DL for the current mail item is a mass sorting destination, ie a destination already recognized by the mail item. unit 7 during the sorting process as part of a weak mail flow.

Comme décrit plus bas, les articles de courrier stockés dans une sortie de tri affectée à une destination de tri massifiée sont regroupés en entrée de la machine de tri pour une nouvelle passe de tri dans les sorties de tri de la machine de tri.As described below, the mail items stored in a sorting outlet assigned to a mass sorting destination are grouped at the input of the sorting machine for a new sorting pass in the sorting outlets of the sorting machine.

L'unité 7 peut maintenir en mémoire par exemple une table 13 de toutes les destinations de tri du plan de tri courant en machine pour pouvoir enregistrer une indication de massification en association avec chaque destination de tri. Cette indication peut être une donnée binaire de type 1/0 et sur la figure 2, pour l'exemple on a fait figurer en face de la destination de tri DL une croix symbolisant cette donnée binaire.The unit 7 can hold in memory, for example, a table 13 of all the sorting destinations of the sorting plane running in a machine in order to be able to record a indication of massification in association with each sorting destination. This indication may be a binary data of type 1/0 and on the figure 2 for the example there is shown in front of the sorting destination DL a cross symbolizing this binary data.

Dans le cas où à l'étape 21 il s'agit d'une destination de tri massifiée, le processus se poursuit en 22 par le tri de l'article de courrier courant dans la sortie de tri qui est allouée dynamiquement par l'unité 7 aux destinations de tri massifiées.In the case where in step 21 it is a mass sorting destination, the process continues in 22 by sorting the current mail item into the sorting output that is dynamically allocated by the unit. 7 to massive sorting destinations.

On doit comprendre que dans ce processus de tri, une sortie de tri spécifique de la machine peut être allouée dynamiquement à une ou plusieurs destinations de tri massifiées.It should be understood that in this sorting process, a machine-specific sorting output can be dynamically allocated to one or more massive sorting destinations.

Les articles de courrier qui sont stockés dans cette sortie de tri massifiée seront recyclés en entrée de la machine pour un nouveau processus de tri comme indiqué plus haut suivant un plan de tri correspondant. Ce plan de tri peut encore être un plan de tri dynamique.The mail items that are stored in this mass sorting outlet will be recycled to the input of the machine for a new sorting process as indicated above according to a corresponding sorting plan. This sorting plan can still be a dynamic sorting plan.

Dans le cas contraire à l'étape 21, le processus se poursuit à l'étape 23.In the opposite case in step 21, the process continues in step 23.

A l'étape 23, l'unité 7 recherche si une sortie de tri S est déjà allouée pour la destination de tri DL de l'article de courrier courant.In step 23, the unit 7 searches whether a sorting output S is already allocated for the sorting destination DL of the current mailpiece.

Par exemple, l'indication qu'une sortie de tri S est déjà allouée à la destination de tri DL peut être obtenue par l'unité 7 à travers l'exploration d'une seconde table 14 enregistrée en mémoire qui établit à chaque instant la correspondance dynamique de chaque sortie de tri de la machine S1...SM avec les destinations de tri D1...DM. En plus, pour les besoins du procédé selon l'invention, une indication de niveau de remplissage N et une indication d'ancienneté d'activité de stockage T sont mises en correspondance avec chaque sortie de tri S.For example, the indication that a sorting output S is already allocated to the sorting destination DL can be obtained by the unit 7 through the exploration of a second table 14 stored in memory which establishes at each instant the dynamic correspondence of each sorting output of the machine S 1 ... S M with the sorting destinations D 1 ... D M. In addition, for the purposes of the method according to the invention, an indication of filling level N and an indication storage activity duration T are matched with each sorting output S.

Ces indications N et T sont initialisées à chaque chargement d'un bac vide dans la sortie de tri considérée.These N and T indications are initialized each time an empty bin is loaded into the sorting outlet concerned.

Maintenant dans l'affirmative à l'étape 23, le processus se poursuit à l'étape 24 par le tri de l'article de courrier courant dans la sortie de tri S identifiée par l'unité 7.Now if yes in step 23, the process continues in step 24 by sorting the current mail item into the sorting output S identified by the unit 7.

Dans le cas contraire à l'étape 23, le processus se poursuit à l'étape 25.In the opposite case in step 23, the process continues in step 25.

A l'étape 25, l'unité 7 recherche si une sortie de tri S de la machine de tri non encore allouée est disponible pour la destination de tri DL. Dans cette sortie de tri non encore allouée, le bac de stockage 5 est donc vide.In step 25, the unit 7 searches whether a sorting output S of the sorting machine not yet allocated is available for the sorting destination DL. In this sorting output not yet allocated, the storage bin 5 is empty.

Dans l'affirmative à l'étape 25, le processus se poursuit à l'étape 26 par l'affectation de cette sortie de tri disponible à la destination de tri DL et l'unité 7 commande le tri de l'article de courrier courant dans cette sortie de tri disponible.If yes in step 25, the process continues in step 26 by assigning this available sorting output to the sorting destination DL and the unit 7 ordering sorting of the mail item in this sorting output available.

Dans l'étape 26, l'unité 7 enregistre en même temps l'affectation A entre cette sortie de tri disponible et la destination de tri DL. Les indications N et T dans la table 14 sont également mises à jour en correspondance avec cette sortie de tri disponible.In step 26, the unit 7 at the same time records the assignment A between this available sorting output and the sorting destination DL. The N and T indications in the table 14 are also updated in correspondence with this available sorting output.

Dans le cas contraire, le processus se poursuit à l'étape 27.If not, the process continues in step 27.

Dans l'étape 27, l'unité 7 identifie parmi l'ensemble des sorties de tri de la machine, en explorant ici la table 14, les sorties de tri qui présentent un niveau de remplissage N supérieur à un premier seuil s1.In step 27, the unit 7 identifies among the set of sorting outlets of the machine, by exploring here the table 14, the sorting outlets which have a filling level N greater than a first threshold s1.

Ce premier seuil peut être compris entre 70% et 80%, par exemple 75%. La valeur de ce seuil s1 peut être rendue ajustable pour tenir compte des spécificités des flux de courrier à trier.This first threshold may be between 70% and 80%, for example 75%. The value of this threshold s1 can be made adjustable to take into account the specificities of the mail flows to be sorted.

Dans le cas où une ou plusieurs sorties de tri S sont identifiées à l'étape 27 par l'unité 7, l'unité 7 recherche ensuite dans l'étape 28 parmi ces sorties de tri celle qui présente la plus ancienne activité de stockage, ici en balayant la table 14, c'est à dire celle qui a la date T de dernière activité de stockage qui est la plus ancienne.In the case where one or more sorting outlets S are identified in step 27 by the unit 7, the unit 7 then searches in step 28 among these sorting outlets for the one with the oldest storage activity, here by scanning the table 14, that is to say the one with the date T of the last storage activity which is the oldest.

Le processus se poursuit ensuite dans l'étape 29 par un changement de bacs dans cette sortie de tri de plus ancienne activité de stockage.The process then continues in step 29 with a bin change in this sorting outlet of older storage activity.

En même temps, la destination de tri DL est substituée dans le plan de tri dynamique à la destination qui avait été allouée avant à cette sortie de tri de plus ancienne activité de stockage.At the same time, the DL sorting destination is substituted in the dynamic sorting plan at the destination that was allocated before that sorting out of the oldest storage activity.

Les indications N et T en correspondance avec cette sortie de tri sont initialisées dans la table 14.The indications N and T corresponding to this sorting output are initialized in the table 14.

Le bac qui est extrait de cette sortie de tri est donc rempli à plus de 75% d'articles de courrier. Il est emmené par le convoyeur de bacs pleins 8 ou 9 sur la figure 1 et est alors conduit vers une sortie d'évacuation 10 de bacs pleins hors de la machine pour son enlèvement par camion ou analogue.The bin that is extracted from this sorting outlet is therefore filled to more than 75% of mail items. It is taken by the conveyor of full bins 8 or 9 on the figure 1 and is then led to a discharge outlet 10 of full bins out of the machine for removal by truck or the like.

Un bac vide 5 est amené par le convoyeur de bacs vides 11 dans cette sortie de tri.An empty bin 5 is brought by the empty bin conveyor 11 into this sorting outlet.

En même temps à l'étape 31, l'article de courrier courant est trié dans cette sortie de tri et les indications N et T dans la table 14 sont mises à jour avec les paramètres relevés avec l'article de courrier courant.At the same time in step 31, the current mail item is sorted in this sorting output and the N and T indications in table 14 are updated. with the parameters found with the current mail item.

On comprendra que les étapes 27 à 31 concernent le traitement de flux de courrier denses.It will be understood that steps 27 to 31 relate to the processing of dense mail flows.

Si au contraire à l'étape 27, aucune sortie de tri S n'est identifiée par l'unité 7, le processus se poursuit à l'étape 32 par la recherche et la détermination de la sortie de tri S parmi toutes les sorties de tri qui présente la plus ancienne activité de stockage ou date d'ancienneté T dans la table 14.If, on the other hand, in step 27, no sorting output S is identified by the unit 7, the process continues in step 32 by searching and determining the sorting output S from all the outputs of sorting that has the oldest storage activity or seniority date T in table 14.

Dans l'étape 33, si cette sortie de tri de plus ancienne activité de stockage présente un niveau de remplissage supérieur à un second seuil s2 compris entre 45% et 55%, ici fixée à par exemple à 50%, le processus se poursuit à l'étape 34 par un changement de bac dans cette sortie de tri. Le bac rempli d'articles de courrier est extrait de la sortie de tri et un bac vide est mis en place dans cette sortie de tri.In step 33, if this sorting output of the oldest storage activity has a filling level greater than a second threshold s2 between 45% and 55%, here set at for example 50%, the process continues to step 34 by a bin change in this sorting outlet. The tray filled with mail items is extracted from the sorting outlet and an empty bin is set up in this sorting outlet.

Ce second seuil s2 peut être ajustable pour tenir compte des spécificités des flux de courrier à trier.This second threshold s2 may be adjustable to take into account the specificities of the mail flows to be sorted.

Dans l'étape 34, la destination de tri DL est substituée à l'ancienne destination de tri DL' à laquelle était allouée dans le plan de tri cette sortie de tri. Les indications D et T dans la table 14 sont initialisées.In step 34, the sorting destination DL is substituted for the old sorting destination DL 'to which this sorting output was allocated in the sorting plan. The indications D and T in the table 14 are initialized.

Selon l'invention, cette ancienne destination logique DL' est identifiée par l'unité 7 dans la table 13 comme une destination de tri à massifier ce qui fait que les prochains articles de courrier ayant cette destination de tri DL' seront traités suivant les étapes 21 et 22 dans la figure 2.According to the invention, this former logical destination DL 'is identified by the unit 7 in the table 13 as a sorting destination to be massified, so that the next mail items having this sorting destination DL' will be processed according to the steps 21 and 22 in the figure 2 .

Ensuite dans l'étape 35, le bac rempli d'articles de courrier extrait de la sortie de tri est amené par le convoyeur de bacs plein 8,9 vers une sortie d''évacuation 10 de la machine de tri.Then in step 35, the tray filled with mail items taken from the sorting outlet is fed through the full bin conveyor 8,9 to an outflow 10 of the sorting machine.

En même temps, à l'étape 36, l'article de courrier courant est trié dans le bac vide de cette sortie de tri et les indications N et T sont mis à jour dans la table 14 avec les paramètres relevés pour l'article de courrier courant par les moyens 2B et 2C sur la figure 1.At the same time, in step 36, the current mail item is sorted in the empty bin of this sorting outlet and the N and T indications are updated in the table 14 with the parameters noted for the article of current mail by means 2B and 2C on the figure 1 .

Si au contraire dans l'étape 33, la sortie de tri de plus ancienne activité de stockage a un niveau de remplissage inférieur au second seuil s2, le processus se poursuit à l'étape 37 par un changement de bac comme pour l'étape 34 et par une substitution de destinations de tri DL et DL' en regard de la sortie de tri. L'ancienne destination de tri DL' est identifiée par l'unité 7 dans la table 13 comme une destination de tri à massifier.If, on the other hand, in step 33, the sorting output of the oldest storage activity has a filling level lower than the second threshold s2, the process continues in step 37 with a bin change as for step 34. and by substitution of DL and DL 'sorting destinations with respect to the sorting output. The old sorting destination DL 'is identified by the unit 7 in the table 13 as a sorting destination to be massified.

En plus, à l'étape 38, le bac rempli d'articles de courrier qui est extrait de la sortie de tri est ramené vers l'entrée d'alimentation 2 de la machine pour un recyclage des articles de courrier qu'il contient.In addition, in step 38, the tray filled with mail items that is retrieved from the sorting outlet is returned to the feed inlet 2 of the machine for recycling the mail items it contains.

Dans l'étape 39, l'article de courrier courant est trié dans le bac vide de cette sortie de tri et les indications N et T dans la table 14 sont mises à jour avec les paramètres relevés pour l'article de courrier courant.In step 39, the current mail item is sorted in the empty bin of this sorting outlet and the N and T indications in the table 14 are updated with the parameters noted for the current mail item.

Comme indiqué sur la figure 2, à la fin des étapes 22,24,26,31,36 et 39, le processus de tri se répète pour un nouvel article de courrier courant.As indicated on the figure 2 at the end of steps 22,24,26,31,36 and 39, the sorting process is repeated for a new mail item.

A la fin du passage des articles de courrier en machine, la table 13 est effacée et les articles de courrier provenant de la sortie de tri de massification et ceux déjà amenés dans des bacs de stockage à l'entrée d'alimentation de la machine sont retriés suivant une nouvelle passe de tri dans les sorties de tri de la machine.At the end of the passage of the mail items in the machine, the table 13 is deleted and the mail items from the mass sorting output and those already brought into storage bins at the feed inlet of the machine are retrieved according to a new sorting pass in the sorting outlets of the machine.

Dans ce nouveau plan de tri, une sortie de tri pourra être allouée à plusieurs destinations de tri de façon à remplir au mieux les bacs de stockage dans les sorties de tri et à minimiser les coûts de transport des bacs remplis d'articles de courrier.In this new sorting plan, a sorting outlet can be allocated to several sorting destinations so as to best fill the storage bins in the sorting outlets and to minimize the cost of transporting the bins filled with mail items.

Il est entendu que le procédé selon l'invention peut s'appliquer aussi à des sorties de tri pour lesquelles les réceptacles de stockage des articles de courrier triés sont des empileurs.It is understood that the method according to the invention can also be applied to sorting outlets for which the storage receptacles of sorted mail items are stackers.

Dans ce cas, l'évacuation d'un bac comme décrit plus haut dans une sortie de tri peut se concrétiser par le déchargement d'un intercalaire dans l'empileur de sortie de tri comme cela est connu de l'Homme du métier et par l'utilisation d'un témoin lumineux au niveau de la sortie de tri qui signale à un Opérateur machine qu'il doit transférer manuellement le contenu de l'empileur dans un bac de stockage sur lequel une étiquette de bac sera apposée, le bac pouvant ensuite être déplacé vers une sortie d'évacuation de la machine ou encore vers l'entrée d'alimentation de la machine de tri.In this case, the evacuation of a tray as described above in a sorting outlet can be achieved by the unloading of a spacer in the sorting outlet stacker as is known to those skilled in the art and by the use of a light at the sorting exit which signals to a Machine Operator that he must manually transfer the contents of the stacker to a storage bin to which a container label will be affixed, the tray being able to then be moved to a discharge outlet of the machine or to the feed inlet of the sorting machine.

Il est entendu que le procédé selon l'invention peut être mise en oeuvre dans une installation de tri sans convoyeurs de bacs pleins et/ou de bacs vides.It is understood that the method according to the invention can be implemented in a sorting installation without conveyors of full bins and / or empty bins.

Le procédé selon l'invention s'applique au tri du courrier mélangé comprenant des articles de courrier de petit format comme des lettres et des articles de courrier de grand format comme des magazines.The method of the invention is applicable to the sorting of mixed mail comprising small format mail items such as letters and large format mail items such as magazines.

Le procédé selon l'invention s'applique comme indiqué plus haut au tri de plusieurs flux de courrier selon un unique plan de tri dynamique résultant d'une fusion des plans de tri dynamiques respectifs des flux de courrier chargés en machine.The method according to the invention applies, as indicated above, to the sorting of several mail streams according to a single dynamic sorting plan resulting from a merger of the respective dynamic sorting planes of the mail flows loaded in a machine.

Dans ce cadre d'application, les flux de courrier sont chargés successivement en entrée de la machine et il n'y a pas de vidage des sorties de tri durant la première passe de tri de tous ces articles de courrier ce qui permet une meilleure utilisation des performances de la machine de tri.In this application framework, the mail flows are successively loaded at the input of the machine and there is no emptying of the sorting outlets during the first sorting pass of all these mail items which allows a better use performance of the sorting machine.

Claims (7)

  1. A method of sorting mailpieces (6) into M sorting destinations (D) in a postal sorting machine (1) having N sorting outlets (S), where M > N, by using, in the sorting machine, a dynamic assignment process for dynamically assigning the sorting outlets to the sorting destinations (DL), and whereby, if a sorting destination (DL) of an incoming mailpiece is overbooked, said overbooked sorting destination (D) is substituted for another sorting destination that is already assigned to a certain sorting outlet (S) of the machine so as to store the current mailpiece (6) in said certain sorting outlet, said method being characterized in that it comprises, inter alia, the following steps:
    a) identifying (27) from among said sorting outlets (S) first sorting outlets that have filling levels (N) greater than a first threshold (s1), and then identifying (28) from among said first sorting outlets that first sorting outlet that has the longest idle time, and assigning (29) said first sorting outlet that has the longest idle time to said overbooked sorting destination; and
    b) if all of the sorting outlets (S) have filling levels (N) less than said first threshold (s1), identifying (32) from among said sorting outlets a second sorting outlet that has the longest idle time, and assigning (34, 37) that sorting outlet to said overbooked sorting destination, and indicating (36, 39) that said other sorting destination is a sorting destination to be amalgamated.
  2. A method of claim 1, characterized in that, if it is determined (21) that a current mailpiece (6) to be sorted has a sorting destination (DL) indicated in the machine as being a sorting destination to be amalgamated, said current mailpiece is sorted (22) into a sorting outlet of the machine that is assigned to amalgamation.
  3. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises the following steps:
    • if said second sorting outlet (S) has a filling level (N) greater than a second threshold (s2), with said second threshold (s2) being less than the first threshold (s1), removing (35) from the sorting machine the mailpieces (6) that are stored in said second sorting outlet; and
    • if said second sorting outlet (S) has a filling level (N) less than said second threshold (s2), recycling (38) into the inlet of the sorting machine said mailpieces stored in said second sorting outlet.
  4. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that it further comprises the following steps:
    • at the end of a first sorting pass of the mailpieces through the sorting machine (1), recycling into the inlet of the sorting machine (1) the mailpieces (6) that are stored in said sorting outlet assigned to amalgamation; and
    • performing a second machine sorting pass with said recycled mailpieces for sorting them again into the sorting outlets (S) of the sorting machine.
  5. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the first threshold (s1) lies in the range 70% to 80%.
  6. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that the second threshold (s2) lies in the range 45% to 55%.
  7. A method according to any preceding claim, characterized in that a plurality of flows of mail are loaded in succession into the inlet of the sorting machine (1), and a plurality of sort plans corresponding to respective ones of said plurality of flows of mailpieces are merged in the sorting machine (1) so as to sort the mailpieces into the sorting outlets (S) of the sorting machine by using a single sort plan.
EP15704336.5A 2014-02-17 2015-01-14 Method for sorting postal aricles having low flow rate Not-in-force EP3107663B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR1451231A FR3017546B1 (en) 2014-02-17 2014-02-17 METHOD FOR THE POSTAL SORTING OF LOW MAIL FLOWS
PCT/FR2015/050087 WO2015121554A1 (en) 2014-02-17 2015-01-14 Method for the postal sorting of small streams of mail

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EP3107663A1 EP3107663A1 (en) 2016-12-28
EP3107663B1 true EP3107663B1 (en) 2018-03-14

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JP (1) JP6310564B2 (en)
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US11548035B2 (en) * 2019-07-26 2023-01-10 United States Postal Service Item sorting with delivery point compression
CN110802030B (en) * 2019-11-15 2021-07-02 南华大学 Package sorting method, device and equipment and readable storage medium

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SG11201605365WA (en) 2016-09-29
JP6310564B2 (en) 2018-04-11
EP3107663A1 (en) 2016-12-28
FR3017546A1 (en) 2015-08-21
US20160339480A1 (en) 2016-11-24
JP2017510433A (en) 2017-04-13
WO2015121554A1 (en) 2015-08-20
FR3017546B1 (en) 2016-02-05
US9669430B2 (en) 2017-06-06

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