EP3323517B1 - Sorting system and method for tracking the sorting of a sorted item in a sorting register - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sorting system and a method for tracking a sorting of a sorted product into a sorting register.

Sorted goods are often sorted manually at the end of a chain of sorting operations according to their destination information in a sorting register, also called sorting track. The sort register includes sort bins each associated with a set of destination information. Each item to be sorted is manually sorted by its destination information in the associated bin. The sorted goods can be packages and postal items such as letters, but also commissionable general cargo or other goods. In the case of completely manual sorting, the destination information is read out by a human operator and stored in the sorting bin corresponding to the destination information. In the next automation step, the determination information is automatically recorded and the operator the sorting tray, in which the sorting material is to be stored, displayed. This means that the operator no longer has to know the assignment of the determination information and the sorting compartment by heart.

In the letter sorting, the letters and other flat mail items are sorted into the sorting register in such a way that a deliverer can provide the mailpieces in the order of their delivery route for delivery. The destination information of a letter is its delivery address.

For this purpose, for example, from the international patent application WO 2014/057185 A1 Methods are known in which the Address of a package is detected and the address assigned to this sorting bin is then displayed to a person charged with sorting. This gives that person the information needed to sort the package, but there is no feedback on the correct sorting of the package. If there is an accidental error or other carelessness during sorting, there is no longer any information about the whereabouts of the package.

The publication WO 2015/001206 A1 (Solistic) discloses a method for sorting mailpieces in a sorting box with sorting containers in which digital images of the sorting system are displayed for a sorting pass. Mailings to be sorted, each containing a delivery address, are displayed in virtual batches of images, the images in each virtual batch being arranged in the same order as the postal objects in the stack of postal objects.

Although the above tools help reduce sorting errors and speed up sorting, they do not monitor the sorting process itself, so incorrect sorting is no longer corrected.

The present invention is therefore based on the object, a method and a sorting system for tracking a Einsortierens sorted into a sorting register. This object is achieved by the solutions described in the independent claims.

According to one embodiment, during sorting, the detection device can measure a distance between a reference point predetermined by the detection device and the sorted item in order to determine the position of the sorted item. Based on the distance, the position can be determined in a known position of the sorting compartments relative to the reference point particularly simple.

In order to determine the position of the sorting material without contact and with low readout effort, the detection device can detect the position of the sorting material by generating and detecting electromagnetic radiation.

According to a further embodiment, the detection device can be arranged above and / or below the sorting compartments on the sorting side of the sorting register. It is particularly easy to record sorting goods to be sorted horizontally or horizontally into the sorting compartments. The arrangement on the Einsortierseite the sorted goods can be tracked during sorting. When arranged above the sorting register, the detection device is not in Einsortierbereich and thus does not constitute a very large obstacle with risk of collision and only needs some space above the sorting register. A structurally identical detection device can in principle also below the Sorting compartments are arranged. A simultaneous arrangement of components of the detection device allows broadening of the covered measuring range, for example by beam deflection.

In order to make it possible to determine the position of the sorted item from even more reference points, the detection apparatus can be arranged on a first side and / or on a second side of the sorting compartments on the sorting side of the sorting register. In a simultaneous arrangement of the detection device or its components of two non-parallel sides - ie on a first side and top - can also be determined by measuring the presence of the sorting goods, the position of the sorting material without distance measurement.

According to a further embodiment, a course of the position of the sorted goods can be detected during sorting. Thus, additional data points can be used to allow a clear and even more robust assignment to a bin. Faulty position determinations in which instead of the position of the sorted goods a position of interfering contours, for example the hands of an operator, are detected, can thus be more easily detected.

In order to recognize a faulty sorting that has taken place, according to the invention, it is checked whether the sorting compartment assigned on the basis of the determined position of the sorted item agrees with the sorting compartment assigned to the destination information. If there is a mismatch, a warning can be issued and the sorted goods can be sorted again.

With regard to a device, the above-mentioned object is achieved by sorting system for one with a destination information, in particular a delivery address, provided Sortiergut, comprising a sorting register comprising a number of sorting compartments for receiving the sorting goods, wherein the sorting compartments each a set of determination information is assigned and each sorted material is sortable by its determination information in a sorting bin. The sorting system further comprises a detection device which is designed for contactless determination of a position of the sorted item on a sorting side of the sorting register during sorting of the sorted item.

According to one embodiment, the detection device may be configured as a distance measuring device in order to measure a distance between a reference point predetermined by the detection device and the sorted material during sorting. Based on the measured distance, the position of the material to be sorted can be determined particularly simply - without complicated evaluation.

The detection device can be designed to generate and / or detect electromagnetic radiation in order to determine the position of the sorting material. Thus, the detection device contactless and easily evaluable determine the position of the sorted.

In order to monitor the sorting of the sorted goods into all sorting compartments with as little effort as possible, the detection device can be arranged on the sorting side above and / or below the sorting register.

In order to laterally detect the position of the sorting material, the detection device can be arranged on the sorting side on a first side and / or on a second side of the sorting register. For a vertical sorting For example, lateral detection of the position of the sorted item can be more reliable than detecting from above and / or below, especially in the case of vertical sorting of narrow sorted items such as letters. Combined with a horizontal arrangement from above and / or below, the position of the sorting material can also be determined with a detection device designed as a light barrier.

In order to determine the sorting compartment into which the sorted item is sorted, the sorting system can additionally comprise a control unit which is designed to associate the specific position of the sorted item with a sorting compartment.

According to a further embodiment, the control device can be configured to check whether the sorting compartment assigned on the basis of the determined position of the sorted item agrees with the sorting compartment assigned to the destination information. So can be determined based on the position of the sorted goods, whether the sorted material has been classified in the correct bin.

According to a further embodiment, the detection device may comprise a number of detection segments corresponding to a number of columns and / or rows of the sorting register. Thus, with very little effort for determining the position, the detected signal of a detection segment can be assigned to a specific column or row. A segmented design allows a simple adaptation of the dimensions of the detection device to the dimensions of the sorting register by the detection device is formed from the corresponding number of detection segments.

Figur 1

ein Sortiersystem für Briefe;

Figur 2

einen seitlichen Querschnitt eines Sortiersystems;

Figur 3

ein weiteres Sortiersystem mit einer Lichtkegel erzeugenden Detektionsvorrichtung;

Figur 4

ein Sortiersystem mit einer Detektionsvorrichtung die durch Strahlumlenkung einen vergrößerten Abdeckungsbereich aufweist; und

Figur 5

ein Sortiersystem mit einer Detektionsvorrichtung mit orthogonal zueinander angeordneten Komponenten.

Further embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the figures, for example. Showing:

FIG. 1

a sorting system for letters;

FIG. 2

a lateral cross section of a sorting system;

FIG. 3

another sorting system with a light cone generating detection device;

FIG. 4

a sorting system with a detection device which has an enlarged coverage area due to beam deflection; and

FIG. 5

a sorting system with a detection device with orthogonal components arranged.

FIG. 1 shows according to one embodiment of the invention, a sorting system 14 for letters 2b, which is also useful for other flat sorting goods 2. The sorting system is shown by the sorting page 8. Each letter 2b is marked with a delivery address 6a representing a destination information 6. The sorting system 14 comprises a sorting register 4 with sorting compartments F ₁₁ - F ₅₉ arranged in rows and columns into which the letters 6 b are sorted by an operator. Each sorting bin F _ij is assigned a set of determination information 6 - for example, a set of locally adjacent delivery addresses 6b is sorted into a common sorting bin F _ij . Letters 2b, which form horizontal sorting stock stacks 2s, have already been sorted into all sorting compartments F _ij provided with a reference numeral in the drawing.

An operator detects the postal 6a and assigns a letter einzusortierenden 2b a specific sorting compartment F to _22, wherein this process can be mechanically supported. Subsequently, the letter 2b is sorted by the Einsortierseite 8 in the sorting compartment F ₂₂ . Above and along the entire width of the sorting register 4, a detection device 10 is arranged, wherein the detection device 10 comprises a number of columns of the sorting register 4 corresponding number of detection segments 18 ₁ - 18 ₉ . The detection device 10 is currently being sorted by the operator of the Einsortierseite 8 forth in the bin F ₂₂ configured to contactless detect the position of the letter 2b. For this purpose, the detection device 4 on the Einsortierseite 8 slightly protrude above the sorting register 4 in order to capture the letter 2b from above can.

In a sorting with horizontal deposition of letters 2b as in FIG. 1 shown an arrangement of the detection device 10 above the sorting register 4 makes sense, in a vertical tray not shown here, a lateral arrangement of the detection device 10 would be more useful.

The detection segments 18 _i measure the distance d _i between their respective reference point 12 _i and the just sorted letter 2 b. Anand the measured distance d _i , the height of the letter 2b and thus the sorting line can be determined based on the detecting detection segment 18 _i the sorting column. When a letter 2b is sorted into a bin F _ij , the distance d _i between letter and reference point 12 _{i is} greater than a minimum distance 12 _{i, min} and less than a maximum distance 12 _{i, max} . Each detection segment 18 _i thus covers a column of sorting compartments F _ij - in the case of a lateral arrangement of the detection apparatus 4, one row would be correspondingly covered. The assignment of measured Distance d _i or position of the letter 2 b to a sorting compartment F _ij is carried out by a control device 22 associated with the detection device 10, which thus detects in which amount the letter 2b is pushed into the sorting compartment F _ij .

The distance d _i is determined by the detection device 10 or its detection segments 18 _i emit electromagnetic radiation, wherein the emitted light beam 20 is interrupted by the letter 2 b. The accuracy of the distance determination is thus dependent on the measurement accuracy of the detection device 10 which is determined by the wavelength used, beam focusing and the sensitivity of the detection device 10. Particularly suitable for the distance measurement are lasers because a laser beam can be bundled and aligned particularly well.

FIG. 2 shows a further sorting system 14 in a side view according to another embodiment of the invention. Shown is a detection segment 18 ₃ and a control device 22 of the detection device 10. Shown is the temporally not simultaneously occurring sorting three flat sorted goods 2, 2 ', 2 "from the Einsortierseite 8. The reference point 12 ₃ is above and laterally immediately before the sorting compartments F _i3 on the sorting side 8, so that the measured distance d ₁ lies directly in front of the sorting compartment F ₁₃ within the minimum distance d _{1, min} and d _{1, max} even if the sorting goods 2 are in an inclined position The sorting register 4 makes it possible to protect sensitive components of the detection device 10 particularly easily against dust and other contamination, for example through a cover, since the components for light beam generation and detection are oriented downwards differently dimensioned sorted goods 2 is unproblematic with central arrangement of the detection segment 18 _i or their reference points 12 _i , as long as the sorting goods 2 are at least half as wide as a sorting compartment F _ij , because in narrower sorting goods 2 may not be sorted sorting a sorted material not be recorded.

FIG. 3 shows another sorting system 14 according to yet another embodiment of the invention. The detection segments 18 ₁ - 18 ₉ produce a light cone 20 ', so that the coverage area is increased, but for the price of reduced accuracy.

FIG. 4 shows a sorting system 14 with a beam deflection according to another embodiment of the invention. The detection device 10, 10 'is arranged above and below the sorting register 4, wherein the lower detection device 10' obliquely to each other and at an angle to the light beam 10 arranged reflectors, which increase the coverage area.

All detection devices 10, 10 'of FIGS. 1 to 5 are designed as distance measuring devices that generate and detect electromagnetic radiation in order to determine the sorting compartment F _ij on the basis of the measured distance d _i between a reference point 12 _i and the sorted item 2 and thus on the basis of the position of the sorted item 2 during sorting, into which the sorted item 2 sorted.

FIG. 5 shows according to an embodiment of the invention, a sorting system 14 with a detection device 10 ', 10 "with orthogonal components to each other.The detection device 10' is above the sorting register 4th The detection device 10 ', 10 "are configured as segmented light barriers which indicate the presence or absence of an object in its detection area. However, this embodiment is only suitable for wider sorting goods 2, that is to say, for example, parcels, parcels or other piece goods, since narrow sorting goods 2, such as letters 2b, are recognized by a light barrier only from one direction. The detection range of a light barrier is in this case a row or a column, so that the number of required detection segments 18 corresponds to the number of rows plus the number of columns of the sorting compartments F _ij . The operator just sorts the sorted material 2 into the sorting compartment F ₃₃ , so that both the detection segment 18 ₃ "and the detection segment 18 ₃ 'indicate an occupancy .. Based on this information, the control unit 22 can read that the unit load 2 is in the sorting compartment F _{33 is} sorted.

Depending on the embodiment, the data acquired by the detection devices 10 are read out digitally or analogously. For this purpose, the control device 22 comprises a processor board, with which the detected signal, in particular the acquired data of individual detection segments 18, are interrogated one after the other. From this, the sorting compartment F _ij , into which the sorted item 2 was sorted, can be determined and compared with the sorting compartment F _ij originally associated with the determination information 6. The detection devices 10 can be easily mounted on existing sorting compartments F _ij and only require some space above and / or to the side and / or below the sorting register 4. A required wiring can be arranged above or on the back of the sorting register. The controller 22 can be easily connected to existing sorting systems. This is necessary because otherwise the control device 22 can not know which is the originally associated with the determination information 6 sorting F _ij . The controller 22 checks whether the with the associated information based on the determination of the 6 Sortierguts 2 bin F _ij matches based on the determined position of the Sortierguts 2 associated bin F _ij. If the check shows no match, an optical and / or audible warning is issued by the controller 22. After issuing this warning, the faulty sorted item 2 can be taken out of the sorting bin F _ij and a new sorting attempt can be made

According to a further embodiment, the course of the position of the sorting material 2 is detected during sorting, so as to better enable a unique assignment. If a sorted 2 is not completely inserted and is still in the light beam 20, then this can be displayed. The sorting system 14 includes a detection means for acquiring the determination information 6 of the sorted material 2 and for assigning a sorting compartment F _ij, and also a display means for displaying the sorting compartment F _{ij associated with} the determination information 6 of the sorted material 2.

A designed as a distance measuring device detection device 10 may include a laser. The distance can be detected on the basis of transit time measurement and / or phase position measurement and / or laser triangulation of the emitted light beam 20.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

2

be sorted

2s

Sortiergutstapel

4

sorting register

6

determination information

6a

delivery address

8th

Einsortierseite

10

detection device

12

reference point

14

sorting system

16a

first page of the sorting register 4

16b

second page of the sorting register 4

18

detection segment

20

beam of light

20 '

light cone

22

control device

F _ij

bin

d

distance

Claims (12)

1. Method for tracking the sorting of a sorting item (2) provided with destination information (6), in particular a delivery address (6a), in a sorting register (4) of a sorting system (14), comprising the following method steps:

   a) providing the sorting register (4) with a number of sorting compartments (F_ij );

   b) assigning a set of destination information (6) to the sorting compartments (F_ij );

   c) acquiring the destination information (6) from the sorting item (2) and determining the sorting compartment (F_ij ) assigned to this destination information (6);

   d) sorting the sorting item (12) into the sorting compartment (F_ij ) assigned to the destination information (6);

   e) determining a position of the sorting item (2) on the sorting side (8) of the sorting register (4) while sorting the sorting item (2) with the aid of a detection device (10) for contactless acquisition of a position of the sorting item (2) on a sorting side (8) of the sorting register (4); and

   f) assigning this position to a sorting compartment (F_ij );

   g) checking whether the sorting compartment (F_ij ) assigned on the basis of the determined position of the sorting item (2) agrees with the sorting compartment (F_ij ) assigned to the destination information (6).
2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that during the sorting process the detection device (10) measures a distance (d) between a reference point (12) predetermined by the detection device (10) and the sorting item (2) in order to determine the position of the sorting item (2).
3. Method according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterised in that
   the detection device (10) acquires the position of the sorting item (2) by it generating and detecting electromagnetic radiation.
4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that
   the detection device (10) is arranged above and/or below the sorting compartments (F_ij ) on the sorting side (8) of the sorting register (4).
5. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that
   the detection device (10) is arranged on a first side (16a) and/or on a second side (16b) of the sorting compartments (F_ij ) on the sorting side (8) of the sorting register (4).
6. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a course of the position of the sorting item (2) is detected during the sorting process.
7. Sorting system (14) for a sorting item (2) provided with destination information (6), in particular a delivery address (6a), comprising a sorting register (4) comprising a number of sorting compartments (F_ij ) for receiving the sorting item (2), wherein a set of destination information (6) can be assigned to the sorting compartments (F_ij ) in each instance and each sorting item (2) can be sorted into a sorting compartment (F_ij ) with the aid of its destination information (6); characterised in that
   the sorting system (14) additionally comprises a detection device (10) which is configured to determine, in a contact-free manner, a position of the sorting item (2) on a sorting side (8) of the sorting register (4) during a sorting of the sorting item (2);
   the sorting system (14) also comprises a control facility, which is configured to assign the specific position of the sorting item (2) to a sorting compartment (F_ij ) and that
   the control device is designed to check whether the sorting compartment (F_ij ) assigned on the basis of the specific position of the sorting item (2) agrees with the sorting compartment (F_ij ) assigned to the destination information (6).
8. Sorting system (14) according to claim 7, characterised in that
   the detection device (10) as a distance measuring device is configured to measure a distance (d) between a reference point (12) predetermined by the detection device (10) and the sorting item (2) during the sorting process.
9. Sorting system (14) according to one of claims 7 or 8, characterised in that
   the detection device (10) is configured to generate and/or detect electromagnetic radiation in order to determine the position of the sorting item (2).
10. Sorting system (14) according to one of claims 7 to 9, characterised in that
    the detection device (10) is arranged on the sorting side (8) above and/or below the sorting register (4).
11. Sorting system (14) according to one of claims 7 to 10, characterised in that
    the detection device (10) on the sorting side (8) is arranged on a first side (16a) and/or on a second side (16b) of the sorting register (4).
12. Sorting system (14) according to one of claims 7 to 11, characterised in that
    the detection device (10) comprises a number of detection segments (18) which agrees with a number of gaps and/or rows in the sorting register (4).

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