WO2010064060A1

WO2010064060A1 - Parcel distribution system

Info

Publication number: WO2010064060A1
Application number: PCT/IB2008/000152
Authority: WO
Inventors: Heine Blach Jensen
Original assignee: Blach Holding Aps
Priority date: 2008-01-24
Filing date: 2008-01-24
Publication date: 2010-06-10
Also published as: EP2252412A1; WO2010064060A4; EP2252412B1

Abstract

A parcel distribution system with special emphasis on a rational system avoiding delays e.g. caused by repeated sorting steps and reloading of trucks and containers. A hub-and-spoke topology is being used as the backbone of the distribution system according to the invention, which means that all sorting is performed in the hub or central terminal only. Containers to be loaded with the sorted parcels are oriented across the length of the truck bed for entering parcels from at least one lateral side of the truck bed.

Description

PARCEL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The presently described technology relates to a parcel distribution system with special emphasis on a rational system avoiding delays e.g. caused by repeated sorting steps and reloading.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The basic idea of an efficient parcel distribution system is to avoid a lot of intermediate sorting stations between a sender and a receiver of parcels. The solution to this could be the adoption of a hub-and-spoke topology rather than point-to-point solutions.

The way it has worked for many senders or shippers is to have a carrier service pick up a load or parcels from a shipper and bring the load to a warehouse owned by the carrier. Here it awaits enough cargo to arrive from other shippers to justify sending a full truck to another warehouse near the destination. From that point, a third truck takes the load from the warehouse to the final destination. Improvements to such a system are proposed in e.g. published US patent application no. 2005/0197876 A1. However, said publication aims at optimized use of truck space available, so the unit shipping price can be as low as possible, i.e. by knowing the physical dimensions and destinations of all parcels and feeding this information into a computer processing system, it can be decided which parcels should go on the same truck.

UPS, Universal Parcel Services, makes use of a hub-and-spoke structure in their freight distribution System, described as comprising three major functions:

Consolidation, Distribution and Fragmentation.

Consolidation involves collection of parcels by trucks assigned to specific routes and bringing the parcels to a local distribution centre. All parcels will be known by the system, because the shippers enter all such information online before the parcels are picked up.

Distribution involves picked up parcels being transported from the distribution centres to a central hub, where they are unloaded, sorted and again loaded according to their destinations.

Finally, Fragmentation is the inverse of consolidation, as parcels have to be delivered to each individual destination. Commonly, fragmentation is combined with distribution as a delivery truck route can be integrated with a pick-up route. In a common carrier system it is not possible to postpone delivery of any parcels for the sake of optimization of truck capacity. So the trucks have to depart at fixed times. At the hubs trucks are usually backed up to a ramp from where the cargo is unloaded onto a conveyor belt with scanners at the entry point leading the sorted parcels to at least one exit point. Here again trucks will usually be backed up to a ramp and loaded from behind.

Loading the big cargo space needs to be done very carefully and in such a way that the position of each parcel can be retrieved easily and precisely by the truck driver when he makes deliveries (fragmentation). The trucks are usually in service even if there is still free space when they depart.

Accordingly, a system is needed, where sorting is performed only once for each parcel and where the reloading of trucks is more flexible and parcels are easy to distribute.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, a system is proposed wherein the needs defined above have been addressed.

A distribution system according to the invention comprises:

- a central distribution terminal or hub for unloading and loading parcels into containers and/or pallets,

- conveyor means having entry and exit points to receive and dispatch parcels at respective ends thereof, - scanning means to identify incoming parcels at an entry point and to direct them to a specific exit point,

- a computer processing system receiving, storing and processing input data of parcels in order to provide calculated data defining the pertinent exit point, the pertinent container, and the order of loading each parcel based on a fixed area for the subsequent distribution,

- primary trucks to bring a number of containers and/or pallets to a number of transfer points along a standard route or "spoke",

- secondary trucks each picking up containers and/or pallets at said transfer points and delivering the parcels to recipients along a logistically optimized route. The system has a characterising feature in that said containers to be loaded with the sorted parcels are oriented across the length of the truck bed for entering parcels from at least one lateral side of the truck bed.

The fact that a hub-and-spoke topology is being used as the backbone of the distribution system according to the invention means that all sorting is performed in the hub or central terminal. From the hub are spokes extending out into a defined area to be serviced by primary trucks carrying containers to be transferred to smaller secondary trucks and containing parcels in a position ready for dispatch in a distinct order following an optimized route. The secondary trucks also visit clients who have made reservations for parcels to be picked up, and they are loaded in no particular order.

Having finished their daily route, each secondary truck returns to the transfer point and leaves the container to be picked up by the primary truck when it passes by on its return trip to the central terminal or hub.

The primary trucks will usually also visit larger clients to unload and reload parcels for which reservations are made beforehand.

Having returned to the central terminal, the primary trucks are emptied onto a conveyor, and the contents are sorted and moved on to selected exit points, where a number of containers are lined up along loading platforms or exit points and oriented across the length of the truck bed for loading each container from at least one lateral side of the truck bed, i.e. at the ends of the containers. This is a complete breakaway from traditional container traffic, and it has proved to be a very timesaving solution.

The big advantage obtained thereby is that several containers can be loaded simultaneously at the same exit point in less time. Moreover, the dispatch route for the secondary trucks is calculated before the parcels are loaded and, consequently, parcels can be positioned in the most suitable place in the containers for the next day's dispatch. Further, the truck driver will know where to stop and in which position in the container to pick parcels at each stop. Moreover, he need not care about where he puts the new parcels picked up from client shippers.

According to the invention, clients enter at least recipient data for each parcel into the data processing system used in the distribution terminal. Clients could also be entering physical data for each parcel into the data processing system. Other types of information could be requirements regarding the temperature, express delivery, COD etc.

Taking a broader perspective of the distribution system according to the invention, a larger system comprising several of said distribution systems could be established, wherein the distribution terminals are linked to each other and parcels are transferred between the terminals via land transport or air transport depending on the distance. In this way, a literally global distribution system could be set up, wherein the only sorting of parcels not to be distributed in the originating system would serve to identify which other hub or central distribution terminal they were to go to before the detailed sorting and loading into a final container.

The computer processing system receives, stores and processes data of parcels entered by the client shippers, whereby the calculated data defines the pertinent exit point from the conveyor, the pertinent container, and the order of loading the parcels into the container based on a calculated route for the subsequent distribution by a secondary truck.

BRIEF DISCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments thereof and referring to the drawings, where

Fig.1 is a diagram showing a parcel distribution system according to the invention,

Fig.2 is a layout showing a distribution terminal according to the invention, and Fig.3 is an example of a truck loaded with containers and pallets

The parcel distribution system illustrated in Fig. 1 is based on a hub-and-spoke topology, wherein the hub 10 serves as a central distribution terminal (see Fig.2) comprising a) conveyor means 110 connecting an entry point 111 or ramp with one or more exit points 112 or ramps, b) scanning means 120 identifying arriving parcels and transferring the parcel ID to c) a computer processing system 130 for issuance of a command to have the conveyor drop the parcel at an exit point and determining the container and position in the container to be taken up by the parcel.

Moreover, the ramps 111 , 112 in said terminal 10 are arranged in such a manner that trucks T can line up along a ramp, and each truck T carries containers 140 positioned across the length of the truck bed for fast unloading of parcels to be sorted, by tilting the containers towards an entry ramp 111 with a conveyor and for easy access to several containers 140 from one exit ramp 112, where parcels as sorted are placed in a container 140 and in a position in said container determined by the computer system 130 based on the route plan 11, 21 for said container 140, so they are easily picked therefrom the next day.

Clients reserve pick-up of parcels online by entering into the computer processing system 130 parcel data, i.e. ID codes, dimensions, weights, recipient details, as required by the computer system 130.

When new parcels arrive in the distribution terminal 10 said parcels are recognised by the scanner 120, and the computer system 130 receives parcel IDs from the scanner 120 and having already calculated route plans 21 for each container to be loaded, instructions can be sent to the conveyor to drop off the individual parcels at a specific exit point 112, where operators supported by the computer system are ready to bring the parcel to the correct container 140 and to place it in a correct position within the container 140. The operators can confirm by means of a scanner "shooting" the parcel ID that each parcel is put in the pertinent container. On a PDA terminal this will initiate information showing the proper container and position of the parcel, and then "shooting" an ID marked on the container will confirm to the computer system, that the parcel is in place.

Fig 3 illustrates how a road train could look with pallets P in the front vehicle and different sizes of containers (140a, 140b, 140c) on the two hooked-up trailers.

The next day, primary trucks will bring the containers from the terminal 10 along a standard route 11 to transfer points 20 on semi-trailers or road trains, where containers 140 are transferred to secondary trucks, which run daily calculated routes 21 based on a route plan determined by the computer system and communicated to a PDA in the truck.

The secondary trucks dispatch and receive parcels along the route 21 and finally leave the containers for pick-up by the primary trucks as they return - also with new parcels to be shipped from the central terminal 10. A larger distribution system (not shown) could be established by integrating several distribution systems according to the one in Fig. 1. The larger system could be a regional or global system while the distribution system in Fig. 1 would be a national system.

Depending on the distance and route between hubs 10 in such a system, the parcels will be driven or flown, so a short delivery time can be guaranteed. A fully developed European network could be capable of providing a 24 hour service. The inventor contemplates choosing the Frankfurt area as the World European hub, through which all European parcels leave for other continents.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. Parcel distribution system comprising:

- a central distribution terminal (10) or hub for unloading and loading parcels into containers (140) and/or onto pallets (P), - conveyor means (110) having entry and exit points (111 ; 112) to receive and dispatch parcels at respective ends thereof,

- scanning means (120) to identify incoming parcels at an entry point (111) and to direct them to a specific exit point (112),

- a computer processing system (130) receiving, storing and processing input data of parcels in order to provide calculated data defining the pertinent exit point (112), the pertinent container (140), and the order of loading each parcel in the container (140) based on a fixed route area (21) for the subsequent distribution,

- primary trucks to bring a number of containers (140) and/or pallets (P) to a number of transfer points (20) along a standard route (11), and

- secondary trucks each picking up containers (140) and/or pallets (P) at specific transfer points (20) and delivering the parcels to recipients along a logistically optimized route (21), characterized by said containers (140), to be loaded with the parcels as sorted, are oriented across the length of the truck bed for loading parcels from at least one lateral side of the truck bed.

2. Distribution system according to claim 1 , wherein the primary trucks also receive parcels for distribution by clients on their return trip to the distribution terminal (10), and the clients enter at least recipient data for each parcel into the data processing system (130) used in the distribution terminal (10).

3. Distribution system according to any of claims 1 or 2, wherein clients enter also physical data for each parcel into the data processing system (130) used in the distribution terminal (10).

4. Distribution system according to any of claims 1 , 2 or 3, wherein the secondary trucks receive parcels from clients on respective routes (21) and deliver said parcels in the containers (140) for subsequent pick-up by the corresponding primary truck.

5. Distribution system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the trucks before setting out on their routes receive a complete route plan comprising the stops along their route (11; 21) and data on the parcels to dispatch or pick up.

6. Distribution system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said system is one of several similar systems integrated in a larger system wherein the distribution terminals (10) are linked to each other and parcels are transferred between the terminals via land transport or air transport depending on the distance and road conditions.