WO2003101833A1

WO2003101833A1 - Baggage-handling conveyor system

Info

Publication number: WO2003101833A1
Application number: PCT/GB2003/002288
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Graeme Walker
Original assignee: Automation Conveyors Ltd.
Priority date: 2002-05-31
Filing date: 2003-05-27
Publication date: 2003-12-11
Also published as: AU2003236891A1

Abstract

A baggage-handling conveyor system comprises a main belt conveyor (1) slidably mounted on a base (2), and an auxiliary belt conveyor (3) mounted above the main belt conveyor (1) in such a manner that a first end of the auxiliary belt conveyor (3) is positioned above the upper surface of the main belt conveyor (1) in every position of the main belt conveyor (1) relative to the base (2).

Description

BAGGAGE-HANDLING CONVEYOR SYSTEM

This invention relates to a conveyor, and in particular to an articulated belt conveyor for loading/unloading airport baggage trolleys.

The loading and unloading of airport baggage trolleys (trailers) is presently done manually. Typically, when loading a trolley, an operator will pick up, for example, a case by its handle from a moving conveyor. The case will normally be laid on its side on the moving conveyor, so the operator will first have to lift the case so it stands with the handle uppermost. The case will then be transfeixed from the conveyor to the trolley, by the operator lifting, turning and walking to the trolley, possibly as far as three metres away. The operator will usually place the case on the trailer with its handle uppermost, to allow the case to be unloaded more easily later. When the item of baggage has no handle, for example if it is a box or a case, the operator will lift the item by gripping its sides and/or sliding a hand underneath. The unloading process is the reverse of the loading process.

As items of luggage can weigh up to 45kg or more, the loading and unloading or airport trolleys is very time consuming and, even with semi-skilled operators employed on a casual basis, is an expensive operation.

The present invention provides a baggage-handling conveyor system comprising a main belt conveyor slidably mounted on a base, wherein the main belt conveyor is mounted for pivotal movement in both a substantially vertical plane and a substantially horizontal plane.

In a preferred embodiment, the main belt conveyor is mounted on the base for movement in a direction parallel to the direction of belt movement. The system may further comprise means for sliding the main belt conveyor relative to the base. Advantageously, a first hydraulic ram constitutes the means for sliding the main belt conveyor relative to the base. Preferably, the system further comprises an auxiliary conveyor mounted above the main belt conveyor in such a manner that a first end of the auxiliary belt conveyor is positioned above the upper surface of the main belt conveyor in every position of the main belt conveyor relative to the base. The auxiliary conveyor may be a belt conveyor, a gravity roller conveyor or a slide plate.

Conveniently, the base is pivotally mounted on a support member for pivotal movement in both a substantially vertical plane and a substantially horizontal plane. In this case, the system may further comprise means for pivoting the base relative to the support member in a substantially vertical plane. Preferably, a second hydraulic ram constitutes the means for pivoting the base relative to the support member.

Preferably, the base is mounted on the support member for rotation relative thereto in a substantially horizontal plane.

In a preferred embodiment, the auxiliary belt conveyor is mounted above the main belt conveyor by first and second mounting means at opposite end portions thereof, the first and second mounting means being such that the first end of the auxiliary belt conveyor is positioned closely adjacent to the upper surface of the main belt conveyor in every pivotal position of the main belt conveyor relative to the support member.

Advantageously, the first mounting means is constituted by a pair of supports which pivotally support a second end of the auxiliary belt conveyor substantially at a predetermined height above the support member. The second mounting means may be constituted by a rod whose opposite ends are fixed to the base, the intermediate portion of the rod pivotally supporting the first end of the auxiliary belt conveyor.

The main belt conveyor may be provided with a drum drive at one end thereof, and the auxiliary belt conveyor may be provided with a drum drive at one end thereof. A respective electric motor may be associated with each of the drum drives. Conveniently, the system further comprises switch means for controlling the supply of electric power to the electric motors. The switch means may be such as to control the direction of movement of the belts of the two belt conveyors.

Preferably, the system further comprises control means for controlling the slidable movement of the main belt conveyor relative to the base. The control means may control the operation of each of the first and second hydraulic rams.

Conveniently, the system further comprises a power support cable leading from the control means to power the drive drum of an additional belt conveyor aligned with that end of the main belt conveyor remote from the support member.

The aim of the invention is to provide a conveyor that facilitates loading and unloading of airport baggage trolleys, thereby reducing the aircraft turnaround time due to quicker loading and unloading operations.

An articulated belt conveyor constructed in accordance with the invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the conveyor:

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the conveyor in a first operating configuration;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the conveyor in a second operating configuration;

Figure 4 is an end elevation of an airport baggage trolley associated with the conveyor; and

Figure 5 is a schematic plan view showing the conveyor and the trolley.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows an articulated belt conveyor having a main belt conveyor 1 slidably mounted on a slide base 2. An intermediate belt conveyor 3 is mounted above one end portion of the main conveyor 1, by means of a pair of L-shaped brackets at one end and by a support rod 5 at the other end. The intermediate conveyor 3 is pivotally mounted on the brackets 4 by tilt hinges 6. The main conveyor is 1900 mm in length and 600 mm in width, and the intermediate conveyor is 700 mm in length and 400 mm in width.

The slide base 2 is mounted on a base frame 7 (see Figure 2) for rotation about vertical and horizontal axes, so that the slide base (and hence the main conveyor 1) can rotate in a horizontal plane and can tilt. Thus, the slide base 2 is mounted on an L-shaped support plate 8 by means of a slide base tilt hinge 9, and the support plate is rotatably mounted on the base frame 7 by means of a pair of bearings 10 fixed to the base frame and a pivot shaft 11 fixed to the support plate.

The main conveyor 1 is slidably movable relative to the slide base 2 by means of a hydraulic ram 12, and the slide base can be tilted relative to the base frame 7 by a hydraulic ram 13 acting between the slide base itself and the support plate 8. The entire conveyor assembly is manually rotatable by an operator pushing or pulling the main conveyor 1 as is described below.

The main conveyor includes an endless belt 14 which passes round a drive drum 15, a knife edge roller 16 and an intermediate roller 17. An electric motor (not shown) is provided within the drive drum 15 for driving the belt 14. The intermediate conveyor 3 includes an endless belt 18 which passes round a drive drum 19, a knife edge roller 20 and an intermediate roller 21. An electric motor (not shown) is provided within the drive drum 19 for driving the belt 18. The intermediate conveyor 3 is so mounted that its knife edge roller 20 is positioned adjacent to the upper surface of the belt 14 of the main conveyor no matter what the angle of tilt of the main conveyor 1 is, as will be apparent from Figures 2 and 3.

A start/stop/direction control 22 is provided at one side of the main conveyor 1 towards the free end thereof. The control 22 includes a switch 22a for starting and stopping the drive drums 15 and 19, and a switch 22b for controlling the direction of rotation of those drums. This switch 22a acts as a deadman's handle, and is used by an operator to turn off all drives when not depressed. A multifunction switch 23 is also provided on the same side of the main conveyor 1, between the control 22 and the free end of the conveyor. The multifunction switch 23 is used to control the rams 12 and 13, and hence the sliding and tilting of the main conveyor 1.

In use, the articulated belt conveyor described above is used to load or unload an airport baggage trolley 24 of the type shown in Figure 4. The trolley 24 has a belt conveyor 25 extending along its floor, this conveyor being used to increment baggage items 26 (see Figure 5) along the trolley. The articulated belt conveyor is associated with a further belt (feed) conveyor (one end 27 of which can be seen in Figures 2, 3 and 5). The intermediate conveyor 3 tilts about the centre of the drive drum 19 due to the linkage (the rod 5) between the intermediate conveyor and the slide base 2, so that the height of the drive drum 19 will not change significantly relative to the feed conveyor height. A tug 28 is provided for moving the trolley, and the feed conveyor is provided for conveying baggage items 26 to/from the hold of an aircraft.

When the articulated belt conveyor is used for loading the trolley 24, the feed conveyor feeds baggage (from, for example, the hold of an aircraft) to the drum drive end of the intermediate conveyor 3, and the switch 22b is operated to ensure that the intermediate conveyor and main conveyor 1 are driven in the direction appropriate for transferring baggage from the drum drive end of the intermediate conveyor to the knife edge roller end of the main conveyor. Prior to starting the loading procedure, the operator uses the multifunction switch 23 to position the knife edge roller end of the main conveyor 1 just above the end of the conveyor 25. The switch 22a is then actuated to start the drum drives 15 and 19, so that baggage can be delivered along the intermediate and main conveyors 3 and 1 towards the trolley 24.

As shown in Figure 5, the operator can rotate the assembly from side-to-side to position the knife edge roller end of the main conveyor 1 at different positions across the width of conveyor 25. Thus, by positioning the free end of the main conveyor 1 at, say, the left had side of the conveyor 25, the operator can then manhandle an item of baggage onto that conveyor using one hand, whilst controlling the articulated belt conveyor (by the multifunction switch 23 and /or by pushing or pulling the adjacent side of the main conveyor). Another item of baggage can then be loaded onto the conveyor 25 by rotating the articulated belt conveyor to position the free end of the main conveyor 1 to the right of item of baggage so loaded. This process is repeated until a row of items of baggage fill the width of the conveyor 25. Subsequently, further items of baggage can be positioned on top of those items after the main conveyor 1 is tilted to elevate its free end, and the process is repeated until the full height of the trolley is occupied by baggage items. The conveyor 25 is then driven to increment the stacked wall of baggage into the trolley 24, after which the process of baggage storage is repeated. This incrementing of the conveyor 25 is repeated until the trolley 24 is full. In order to provide drive to the drive drum motor (not shown) of the conveyor 25, the multifunction switch is arranged to provide power to that motor via an umbilical power supply cable (not shown).

When the articulated belt conveyor is used to unload the trolley 24, the switch 22b is operated to reverse the drive direction of the belts 14 and 18. The operator can then unload items of baggage from the trolley 24, again using one hand to manhandle the baggage items whilst using the other hand to control the articulated belt conveyor, in a manner similar to that described above for loading, but with the procedural steps reversed. In other words, items of baggage are removed from the top of the trolley first, then baggage items from the layer of items immediately below are unloaded, and so on until an entire wall of baggage items has been unloaded. The conveyor 25 is then incremented to bring the next wall of baggage items towards the end of the trolley 24, and those items are then unloaded in the same manner. This process is repeated until the trolley 24 is empty.

A load detect sensor 29 is provided on the side of the slide base 2 adjacent to the rod 5. The sensor 29 senses the arrival of an item of baggage at the end of the intermediate conveyor 3, and turns off the drive to that conveyor and the drive to the feed conveyor until the operator actuates the switch 22a again following loading of the previous item of baggage. This prevents items of baggage piling up on the main conveyor 1. The retract speed of the main conveyor 1 is chosen to be the same as the speed of the belt 14 so that, when the front end of an item of baggage is positioned on the free end of the main conveyor during an unloading procedure and the main conveyor is retracted, that item will not slide relative to the main conveyor. Similarly, and for the same reason, the speed of extension of the main conveyor 1 is chosen to be the same as the speed of the belt 14.

The width of the intermediate conveyor 3, being less than that of the main conveyor 1 ensures that there is a minimal gap between the feed conveyor and the drive drum end of the intermediate conveyor for any angle of rotation of the main conveyor.

It will be apparent that modifications could be made to the articulated belt conveyor described above. For example, the hydraulic rams 12 and 13 could be replaced by electric drive means. Instead of the intermediate conveyor 3 being a belt conveyor, it would also be possible to use a gravity roller conveyor (that is to say a series of free running rollers connected together in parallel to allow objects to be pushed over the rollers with minimum force), or a slide plate (that is to say a flat surface over which objects can be pushed with only limited force). Both these alternatives will enable items of baggage to be moved with minimum force if the conveyor concerned is angled downwards.

It will be apparent that the articulated belt conveyor described above facilitates and speeds up the loading/unloading of an airport baggage trolley. Thus, an entire loading or unloading operation can be carried out by a single operator positioned towards the free end (knife edge roller end) of the main belt conveyor, from which position the operator can easily extend/retract, and rotate or tilt the main belt conveyor with one hand, whilst using the other hand to manoeuvre items of baggage on or off that end of the main belt conveyor. Consequently, airport baggage trolleys can be loaded and unloaded without the operator having to carry items of baggage from a feed conveyor to the trolley, thereby substantially reducing the loading/unloading time, and hence the cost of the operation. In other words, the articulated belt conveyor described above allows the operator to position the main belt conveyor accurately and flexibly to load/unload baggage with the minimum of effort. Another advantage of this articulated belt conveyor is the ability to power the belt conveyor which forms part of the airport baggage trolley to be loaded or unloaded. Consequently, the trolley belt conveyor does not need an independent power source, which makes the trolley cheaper to manufacture, and enables it to be towed by any tug rather than a specialised tug provided with its own power supply.

Other advantages are that the powered tilt function allows baggage to be stacked on top of previously stacked baggage, as well as allowing stacked baggage to be unloaded starting at the top and ending at the bottom of a baggage stack. Moreover, the power slide function allows the main belt conveyor to be withdrawn as baggage is deposited on a trolley, or to reach baggage to be unloaded from a trolley. Furthermore, the rotate function allows the main belt conveyor to be aligned with items of baggage stacked on a trolley, and to load items of baggage side-by-side on a wide trolley. A further advantage is that, while loading a trolley, the provision of the load detect sensor allows the auxiliary belt conveyor and the feed conveyor to be stopped automatically, if a second item of baggage is presented while the first is being positioned and/or loaded/unloaded.

Claims

1. A baggage-handling conveyor system comprising a main belt conveyor slidably mounted on a base, wherein the main belt conveyor is mounted for pivotal movement in both a substantially vertical plane and a substantially horizontal plane.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main belt conveyor is mounted on the base for movement in a direction parallel to the direction of belt movement.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising means for sliding the main belt conveyor relative to the base.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3, wherein a first hydraulic ram constitutes the means for sliding the main belt conveyor relative to the base.

5. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an auxiliary conveyor mounted above the main belt conveyor in such a manner that a first end of the auxiliary belt conveyor is positioned above the upper surface of the main belt conveyor in every position of the main belt conveyor relative to the base.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the auxiliary conveyor is a belt conveyor.

7. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the auxiliary conveyor is a gravity roller conveyor.

8. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the auxiliary conveyor is a slide plate.

9. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the base is pivotally mounted on a support member for pivotal movement in both a substantially vertical plane and a substantially horizontal plane.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9, further comprising means for pivoting the base relative to the support member in a substantially vertical plane.

11. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein a second hydraulic ram constitutes the means for pivoting the base relative to the support member.

12. A system as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the base is mounted on the support member for rotation relative thereto in a substantially horizontal plane.

13. A system as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 12 when appendant to claim 6, wherein the auxiliary belt conveyor is mounted above the main belt conveyor by first and second mounting means at opposite end portions thereof, the first and second mounting means being such that the first end of the auxiliary belt conveyor is positioned closely adjacent to the upper surface of the main belt conveyor in every pivotal position of the main belt conveyor relative to the support member.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the first mounting means is constituted by a pair of supports which pivotally support a second end of the auxiliary belt conveyor substantially at a predetermined height above the support member.

15. A system as claimed in claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the second mounting means is constituted by a rod whose opposite ends are fixed to the base, the intermediate portion of the rod pivotally supporting the first end of the auxiliary belt conveyor.

16. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the main belt conveyor is provided with a drum drive at one end thereof.

17. A system as claimed in claim 6, or in any one of claims 9 to 16 when appendant to claim 6, wherein the auxiliary belt conveyor is provided with a drum drive at one end thereof.

18. A system as claimed in claim 17 when appendant to claim 16, wherein a respective electric drive motor is associated with each of the drum drives.

19. A system as claimed in claim 18, further comprising ^' switch means for controlling the supply of electric power to the electric motors.

20. A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the switch means is such as to control the direction of movement of the belts of the two belt conveyors.

21. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 20, further comprising control means for controlling the slidable movement of the main belt conveyor relative to the base.

22. A system as claimed in claim 21 when appendant to claim 4, wherein the control means controls the operation of the first hydraulic ram.

23. A system as claimed in either of claims 21 and 22 when appendant to claim 11, wherein the control means controls the actuation of the second hydraulic ram.

24. A system as claimed in any one of claims 21 to 23, further comprising a power support cable leading from the control means to power the drive drum of an additional belt conveyor aligned with that end of the main belt conveyor remote from the support member.