Luggage loading system

A system for facilitating loading of articles into a container, the system comprising:

• a platform unit and an elevator unit configured to adjust its elevation relative to said container, said platform unit comprising:
• an opening for facing said container and defining a container-facing edge of the platform unit;
• a transfer arrangement comprising a plurality of parallely-arranged transfer members, each transfer member extending along a loading direction being transverse to said container-facing edge and each of said transfer members being configured to extend in the loading direction through said opening independently of the others, upper surfaces of the transfer members defining a receiving surface of the platform unit configured for receipt thereon of at least one of said articles;
• and
• a positioning arrangement configured to orient said article to a predetermined loading orientation on said receiving surface and position said article at a predetermined loading position along an axis perpendicular to said loading direction;
• wherein said transfer arrangement is configured to extend a subset of said transfer members in the loading direction through said opening, thereby facilitating placement of said article at a predetermined location within said container;
• being configured to retract the transfer members one at a time once the article has been placed at the predetermined location.

A system for facilitating loading of articles into a container, the system comprising:

• a platform unit and an elevator unit configured to adjust its elevation relative to said container, said platform unit comprising:
• an opening for facing said container and defining a container-facing edge of the platform unit;
• a transfer arrangement comprising a plurality of parallely-arranged transfer members, each transfer member extending along a loading direction being transverse to said container-facing edge and each of said transfer members being configured to extend in the loading direction through said opening independently of the others, upper surfaces of the transfer members defining a receiving surface of the platform unit configured for receipt thereon of at least one of said articles;
• and
• a positioning arrangement configured to orient said article to a predetermined loading orientation on said receiving surface and position said article at a predetermined loading position along an axis perpendicular to said loading direction;
• wherein said transfer arrangement is configured to extend a subset of said transfer members in the loading direction through said opening, thereby facilitating placement of said article at a predetermined location within said container;
• the system further comprising one or more lateral transfer arrangements configured to move an article disposed on said subset of transfer member when extended into the container, in a lateral direction substantially perpendicular to said loading direction.