FI128080B

FI128080B - A method for sorting mail items and a sorting system

Info

Publication number: FI128080B
Application number: FI20175251A
Authority: FI
Inventors: Mikko Auranen; Janne Eteläaho
Original assignee: Notta Systems Oy
Priority date: 2017-03-20
Filing date: 2017-03-20
Publication date: 2019-09-13
Also published as: FI20175251A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for sorting mail items provided with address particulars by a sorting system comprising a registration unit (3), a conveyor belt (2) and a data processing apparatus implementing programmatic steps of the method. The conveyor belt (2) comprises a frame (9) and a predetermined longitudinal portion of the frame (9) comprises a sorting area (4). The sorting area (4) comprises a row of illuminating devices (11) in the longitudinal direction of the sorting area (4). The method comprises: choosing programmatically a sorting plan, identifying by the registration unit (3) the address particulars of the mail item to be sorted and storing them programmatically, conveying the item on a conveyor belt (2), recognising programmatically the mail item on the sorting area (4), lighting programmatically the illuminating devices (11) at the mail item when the mail item is at the predetermined output, and removing the mail item manually from the belt (2). The present invention also relates to a sorting system.

Description

A METHOD FOR SORTING MAIL ITEMS AND A SORTING SYSTEM

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for sorting parcels provided with address particulars by a sorting system. The present invention also relates to 5 a sorting system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Known methods for sorting mail items, such as parcels, are planned for parcels having a regular shape, e.g. boxes. The methods are usually fully automatic. The sorting systems are based on gates which open automatically when a par10 cel is at the right gate. If there is one parcel which does not correspond to the requirements of the sorting system the gate may be jammed and more parcels may enter the gate. Thus, the parcels are sorted wrong and they need to be resorted.

Publication US 2012296467 discloses techniques and equipment for processing mailpieces. Publication WO 2014087069 discloses a method for merg15 ing postal matter with sorted post. Publication WO 2015009660 discloses a sorter having bullpens with double runout lanes and a method for sorting to those bullpens. Publication EP 3115115 discloses a sorting system and a method for handling parcels using such a sorting system. Publication KR 101539225 discloses a manual sorting device for mails capable of displaying sorting positions using light 20 emitting diodes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a method and a system for implementing the method so as to overcome the above problems. The objects of the invention are achieved by a method and a system which are characterized 25 by what is stated in the independent claims. The preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

The invention is based on the idea to combine automatic and manual functions in such a manner that the outcome is more effective. The invention makes it possible to sort mail items, such as parcels, having different sizes and 30 shapes without errors and quickly which is important due to the growing electronic commerce. The sorting method of the invention makes it possible to double-check in real time that the sorting result is right.

A sorting plan is chosen programmatically in the beginning of the sorting process. The sorting plan determines an output to a certain parcel, the output

20175251 prh 16-01-2019 depending on a postal district where the address particulars belong. The sorting plan can be changed flexibly. For example, if there is a high season in the parcel sorting the system can easily be changed in such a manner that there are more outputs and less postal codes per output. Although the capacity is increased the 5 system works properly because seasonal workers can take care of the parcel transfers without long training. In addition to the above-mentioned facts, it is possible to add capacity by lengthening the conveyor belt and the frame by adding more rotating belts which are held up by frames and by increasing racks and workers.

The sorting system comprises a registration unit, a conveyor belt and a data processing apparatus. There may be a feeding device, such as a feed hopper, in the beginning of the sorting system. The feeding device feeds the mail items to the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt comprises an endless rotating belt, or the conveyor belt is formed of sequential endless rotating belts. The conveyor belt has a predetermined speed controlled by the data processing apparatus. The conveyor belt comprises control electronic for controlling the functions of the conveyor belt.

The conveyor belt also comprises a frame which holds up the belt. The frame may comprise sequential shorter frames but in this text the term frame 20 refers to the whole frame entity. A predetermined longitudinal portion of the frame comprises a sorting area.

The registration unit is at the beginning of the conveyor belt. The registration unit registers address particulars of an incoming parcel. The registration unit may be, for example, an OCR device (optical character recognition) which 25 may recognise both typed and handwritten address particulars, a bar code reader reading one dimensional or two dimensional codes, or the registration unit may be a device implementing electronic identification, such as a reader of RFID labels (radio frequency identification). It is also possible that the registration unit comprises multiple devices using different registration techniques. The registration 30 unit registers the time when the parcel is at the registration unit and stores programmatically the time when the parcel is at the registration unit.

The sorting area, preferably the edge of the frame, comprises a row of illuminating devices in the longitudinal direction of the sorting area. As the conveyor belt has the predetermined speed and the time when the parcel is at the 35 registration unit is known, the data processing apparatus runs a software and continuously calculates the position of the parcel on the conveyor belt. The illu

20175251 prh 16-01-2019 minating devices are guided according to the information about the position of the parcel. The dimensions of the parcel can be measured in connection with the registration e.g. by ultrasound, laser or imaging methods. The length of the parcel on the conveyor belt is thus known, and the illuminating devices can be controlled 5 in such a manner that they are on through the whole length of the parcel.

As the parcel moves with the rotating conveyor belt and the parcel approaches the predetermined output the illuminating devices may start to blink. The blinking is a sign to a worker that the parcel should be removed from the conveyor belt soon. The illuminating devices burn stabile when the parcel is at 10 the predetermined output. However, individual illuminating devices have to go out and individual illuminating devices have to come on as the parcel advances on the conveyor belt because the light follows the parcel and the illuminating devices are fixedly mounted on the frame. The illuminating devices may have different colours. The illuminating devices may be, for example, LED lights (light emitting 15 diode).

In front of the sorting area and extending parallel to the sorting area there is a working space and behind the working space with respect to the conveyor belt there is a row of racks. Each rack in the row has a predetermined postal destination. Workers who work on the working space transfer the parcels 20 manually from the output of the sorting area to the rack. Thus, it is irrelevant which shape the parcel has when a worker lifts the parcel from the conveyor belt. Further, each worker knows which addresses or postal codes belong to his/her responsibility. In this phase, a worker dips into the address particulars, thus double-checking the sorting result.

The data processing apparatus implements programmatically several functions of the sorting system. The data processing apparatus may be a personal computer for industrial purposes. The data processing apparatus is adapted to run software, such as a client software and a sorting plan management software.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following the invention will be described in greater detail by means of preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings, in which

Figure 1 shows an overview of the system of the invention in a per35 spective view;

20175251 prh 16-01-2019

Figure 2 shows a detail of the system in a perspective view;

Figure 3 shows a partial magnification of the system of Fig. 2 in perspective view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figure 1 is shows an overview of the system of the invention in a perspective view. In the beginning of the sorting process parcels are fed into a feed hopper 1 and the parcels are transferred to the beginning of a conveyor belt 2. A worker turns up address particulars, such as address labels or barcodes, so that the parcels are ready to enter to a registration unit 3.

The registration unit reads the address particulars and registers the time when a parcel is at the registration unit. Time t = 0 when the parcel is registered and a timer starts to count time t. As the velocity v of the conveyor belt 3 is the same throughout the sorting, the position of the parcel x = t x v. The registration unit 3 may be an optical character recognition device. The registration unit 3 comprises a display 8. The conveyor belt 2 transfers the parcels to a sorting area

4. The sorting area 4 extends approximately from A to B. There are racks 5 on both sides of the conveyor belt 2 so that the parcels can be transferred from the conveyor belt 2 to a predetermined rack 5. There is a working space 7 between the conveyor belt 2 and the racks 5. In Fig. 1 there are two rows of the racks 5 and two working spaces 7 but also a one-sided solution is possible.

Figure 2 shows a detail of the system in a perspective view. There are racks 5 on both sides of a conveyor belt 2 and a working space 7 between the conveyor belt 2 and the racks 5. The conveyor belt 2 comprises a frame 9 and a rotating belt 10. As seen from Fig. 2, the conveyor belt 2 comprises sequential 25 frames and rotating belts, thus forming the complete conveyor belt 2.

The sorting area 4, preferably the edge of the frame 9, comprises a row of illuminating devices 11 in the longitudinal direction of the sorting area 4, i.e. approximately between A and B in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 shows a partial magnification of the system of Fig. 2 in per30 spective view. As the parcel P moves with the rotating conveyor belt 2 and the parcel P approaches the predetermined output the illuminating devices 11 may start to blink. The blinking is a sign to the worker who is responsible for the output that the parcel should be removed from the conveyor belt 2 soon. The illuminating devices 11 are on stabile when the parcel P is at the predetermined output.

In Fig. 3, the illuminating devices burn stabile at two outputs in front of the work ers W3 and W7 (the stabile burning illuminating devices shown by Ila) and they should take the parcel from the conveyor belt 2 and transfer the parcel to the rack 5 which is behind their back. Each rack 5 is dedicated to a certain postal destination.

As one can understand, individual illuminating devices 11 have to go out and individual illuminating devices 11 have to come on as the parcel P advances on the conveyor belt 2 because the light follows the parcel P and the illuminating devices 11 are fixedly mounted on the frame 9. The illuminating devices 11 may have different colours. The illuminating devices 11 may be, for example, 10 LED lights (light emitting diode). The illuminating devices 11 shall be at short intervals, e.g. 10 mm from each other.

There may be also illuminating devices (not shown) in front of the racks 5 on the floor of the working space 7. They can function in phase with the illuminating devices 11 on the edge of the frame 4, thus showing the correct rack 15 5 to which the parcel in question should be transferred. The illuminating devices on the floor may have different colours.

It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as the technology advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. The invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above but 20 may vary within the scope of the claims.

Claims

The claims

A method for sorting an addressable mail item with a sorting system comprising a recording unit (3), a conveyor belt (2), and a data processing device executing the method's software.

Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the time when the item to be mailed is in the registration unit (

3), are stored programmatically.

Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the conveyor belt (2) has a predetermined speed.

Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the position of the item to be mailed on the conveyor belt (2) is calculated based on the time stored in the registration unit (3) and the speed of the conveyor belt (2).

Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lighting devices (11), such as LED lamps, light up on the mail item due to the calculated position of the item to be mailed, when the mail item, such as package (P), should be removed from the belt.

5, characterized in that the recording unit (3) is an optical character recognition device.

5 steps, the conveyor belt (2) comprises a frame (9), a predetermined longitudinal portion of the frame (9) comprising a sorting area (4), a sorting area (4) comprising a longitudinal sorting area (4) of a lighting device (11), the method comprising:

- selectively sorting plan, sorting plan defines output of mailed item,

6. A sorting system characterized in that it comprises a registration unit.

The predetermined longitudinal portion of the housing (3), the conveyor belt (2) and the data processing device, the conveyor belt (2) comprises a sorting area (4), the sorting area (4) comprising a queue sorting area (4) of the lighting devices (11). ) longitudinally.

Sorting system according to Claim 6, characterized in that:

35 that the lighting devices (11) are LED lamps.

Sorting system according to Claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the system comprises a program for calculating the position of the item to be mailed on the conveyor belt (2), the data processing device executing the program.

The sorting system according to any one of claims 6 to 8,

10, characterized in that the recording unit (3) is a unit for identifying radio frequency labels or labels.

Sorting system according to one of Claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the registration unit (3) is a bar code reader.

10 - identifying the address information of the song to be sorted by the registration unit (3) and storing it in a software program,

- transporting the piece by conveyor belt (2),

- identifying a piece of software to be mailed in the sorting area (4),

- illuminating the illumination devices (11) by means of a software mail;

15 when the item to be mailed is at a predetermined output, and

- remove the mail item by hand from the belt (2).

Sorting system according to any one of claims 6 to 10

Sorting system according to one of the preceding claims 6 to 11, characterized in that the system comprises a feeding device, such as a feeding tray (1).