US 4,227,607 AGranted

High volume method and system for dynamically storing articles for sorting and routing

OwnerPeter P. Malavendainventor

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Abstract

An integrated high volume method and system for transporting and dynamically storing articles, such as luggage, baggage, identified items of cargo, parcels, and the like, for sorting and routing them is provided. The method and system are completely integrated, synchronized, and controlled to facilitate sorting and routing and to permit stopping of the entire system without loss of position or timing of any of the designated articles in the system. The article handling system includes a series of individually operable intermediate conveyors arranged in a continuous path between an input station and a coding or routing station. These intermediate conveyors are individually operable and have article-sensing means and control means which activate and deactivate the individual conveyors. When the system is operating in the conventional operating mode, all the conveyors are activated to transport articles. The buffer conveyors near the coding station are selectively stopped as articles become stored thereon. When all of the buffer conveyors become full, the intermediate conveyors are all simultaneously stopped. At this time, the system goes into the dynamic storage mode of operation, which involves selectively operating upstream intermediate conveyors when an article is sensed on an input conveyor, until the article on the input conveyor is removed and deposited on the first intermediate conveyor. The next successive intermediate conveyors are selectively operated when the preceding intermediate conveyor is filled with stored articles thereby advantageously, cumulatively utilizing the entire length of all intermediate conveyors for dynamically storing articles throughout the system.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A method for automatically handling individually identified articles such as parcels, baggage, items of cargo and the like on a conveyor system comprising a series of individually operable conveyors arranged in a continuous path for the transport of the articles between a check-in station having input conveyor means and a coding station including a plurality of short buffer conveyors with a plurality of intermediate conveyors arranged end-to-end between said input conveyor means and said buffer conveyors comprising the steps of:

(a) simultaneously activating all of said intermediate conveyors and all of said buffer conveyors for operating said conveyor system in a conventional transport mode;
(b) placing checked-in articles on said input conveyor means to be transported via said intermediate conveyors to said buffer conveyors at said coding station;
(c) sensing for the presence of an article near the downstream end of each of said short buffer conveyors at said coding station;
(d) sensing for the presence of an article near the downstream end of each intermediate conveyor;
(e) selectively stopping the downstream buffer conveyor and each preceeding buffer conveyor at said coding station when a stored article is sensed as being present near the downstream end of the respective conveyor;
(f) deactivating said intermediate conveyors when all of said buffer conveyors have articles sensed as being present thereon and have been stopped, thereby placing the system in a dynamic storage mode of operation, while allowing said input conveyor means to continue running;
(g) sensing the presence of each checked-in article near the downstream end of said input conveyor means;
(h) selectively briefly activating the first intermediate conveyor until each such checked-in article has been removed from the end of said input conveyor means and has been transferred onto the upstream end of the first intermediate conveyor;
(i) selectively briefly activating each succeeding intermediate conveyor whenever an article is sensed as being present near the downstream end of the preceeding intermediate conveyor.
thereby progressively filling all of the space on all the intermediate conveyors with articles slightly spaced one from another as checked-in articles are fed from the input conveyor means;
(j) returning to the conventional transport mode of operation when the upstream buffer conveyor is cleared of the article temporarily stored thereon;
and
(k) deactivating the input conveyor means whenever it happens that all of the space on all of the intermediate conveyors has become full of temporarily stored articles.

10 more elements

An airline baggage handling system for transporting articles from a check-in station to a coding station where the articles are routed to specific destinations comprising:

(a) a series of individually operable intermediate conveyors arranged in a continuous path between said check-in station having input conveyor means and said coding station having a plurality of short buffer conveyors;
(b) sensing means for detecting the presence of an article at the downstream end of said input conveyor means;
(c) sensing means for detecting the presence of articles at the downstream end of each of said intermediate and buffer conveyors;
(d) means for simultaneously activating each of said intermediate and buffer conveyors for transporting articles from said input conveyor means at said check-in station to said coding station;
(e) means for selectively stopping each of said buffer conveyors in progressive order from the downstream buffer conveyor to the upstream buffer conveyor as an article is detected as being present at the downstream end of the respective buffer conveyor;
(f) means for stopping said intermediate conveyors while allowing said input conveyor means to continue running for changing the system over into a dynamic storage mode of operation so long as the upstream buffer conveyor has an article stored thereon as a result of the fact that all of said buffer conveyors have articles stored thereon;
(g) means for selectively briefly operating the first intermediate conveyor when an article is detected as being present at the downstream end of said input conveyor means for transferring the article from said input conveyor means to the upstream end of said first intermediate conveyor;
(h) means for selectively briefly operating in sequence each succeeding intermediate conveyor whenever an article is detected as being present at the downstream end of the preceeding intermediate conveyor for transferring the detected article from the preceeding intermediate conveyor to the upstream end of the succeeding intermediate conveyor,
thereby progressively filling the entire lengths of all immediate conveyors to dynamically store articles throughout the system;
and
means for activating all of said intermediate conveyors for changing the system over into the normal conveyor mode of operation when an article is no longer detected as being present on the upstream buffer conveyor.

8 more elements

Dynamic storage method for automatically storing individual articles on a conveyor system comprising a series of individually operable conveyors arranged in a continuous path for the transport of the articles between input conveyor means and a downstream station including a plurality of short buffer conveyors with a plurality of intermediate conveyors arranged end-to-end between said input conveyor means and said buffer conveyors comprising the steps of:

(a) simultaneously activating all of said intermediate conveyors and all of said buffer conveyors for operating said conveyor system in a conventional transport mode;
(b) placing incoming articles on said input conveyor means to be transported via said intermediate conveyors to said buffer conveyors near said downstream station;
(c) sensing for the presence of an article near the downstream end of each of said short buffer conveyors;
(d) sensing for the presence of an article near the downstream end of each intermediate conveyor;
(e) selectively stopping the downstream buffer conveyor and each preceding buffer conveyor when a stored article is sensed as being present near the downstream end of the respective buffer conveyor;
(f) deactivating said intermediate conveyors when all of said buffer conveyors have articles sensed as being present thereon and have been stopped, thereby placing the system in a dynamic storage mode of operation, while allowing said input conveyor means to continue running;
(g) sensing the presence of each incoming article near the downstream end of said input conveyor means;
(h) selectively briefly activating the first intermediate conveyor until each such sensed incoming article has been removed from the downstream end of said input conveyor means and has been transferred onto the upstream end of the first intermediate conveyor;
(i) selectively briefly activating each succeeding intermediate conveyor whenever an article is sensed as being present near the downstream end of the preceding intermediate conveyor,
thereby progressively filling available space on the respective intermediate conveyors with articles slightly spaced one from another as incoming articles are fed from the input conveyor means;
(j) returning to the conventional transport mode of operation when the upstream buffer conveyor is cleared of the article temporarily stored thereon;
and
(k) deactivating the input conveyor means whenever it happens that the available space on all of the intermediate conveyors has become full of temporarily stored articles.

10 more elements

A dynamic storage system for conveying articles from an input location to a downstream station and for temporarily storing the articles comprising:

(a) input conveyor means at said input location;
(b) a plurality of short buffer conveyors arranged in sequence near said downstream station;
(c) a series of individually operable intermediate conveyors arranged in a continuous path between said input conveyor means and said plurality of short buffer conveyors;
(d) sensing means for detecting the presence of an article at the downstream end of said input conveyor means;
(e) sensing means for detecting the presence of articles at the downstream end of each of said intermediate and buffer conveyors;
(f) means for simultaneously activating each of said intermediate and buffer conveyors for transporting articles from said input conveyor means to the first of said buffer conveyors;
(g) means for selectively stopping each of said buffer conveyors in progressive order from the downstream buffer conveyor to the first buffer conveyor whenever an article is detected as being present at the downstream end of the respective buffer conveyor;
(h) means for stopping said intermediate conveyors while allowing said input conveyor means to continue running for changing the system over into a dynamic storage mode of operation so long as the first buffer conveyor has an article stored thereon as a result of the fact that all of said buffer conveyors temporarily have articles stored thereon;
(i) means for selectively briefly operating the first intermediate conveyor when an article is detected as being present at the downstream end of said input conveyor means for transferring the article from said input conveyor means to the upstream end of said first intermediate conveyor;
(j) means for selectively briefly operating in sequence each succeeding intermediate conveyor whenever an article is detected as being present at the downstream end of the preceding intermediate conveyor for transferring the detected article from the preceding intermediate conveyor to the upstream end of the succeeding intermediate conveyor,
thereby progressively filling the lengths of the respective immediate conveyors to dynamically store articles throughout the system;
and
means for activating all of said intermediate conveyors for changing the system over into the normal conveyor mode of operation when an article is no longer detected as being present on the first buffer conveyor.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 06/030,081Filed 16 Apr 1979
Granted: 14 Oct 1980
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

B64F 1/368
Other airport installations: arrangements or installations for routing, distributing or loading baggage
B65G 43/08
Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting: control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged
B65G 43/10
Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting: sequence control of conveyors operating in combination
B65G 47/50
And distributing, e.g. automatically, to desired points: according to destination signals stored in separate systems