Description

The invention relates to a system for handling pieces of luggage at an airport, comprising at least one make-up station for handling pieces of luggage intended for a particular flight at said at least one make-up station prior to the departure of said flight; a first storage system comprising at least one rack with storage positions located beside and above each other for buffering pieces of luggage therein and at least one lift for pieces of luggage, which lift is movable along at least one rack for conveying pieces of luggage from and to the storage positions of the associated at least one rack; a supply conveyor system for supplying pieces of luggage from a supply source to the at least one lift of the first storage system; and a discharge conveyor system for discharging pieces of luggage from the at least one lift of the first storage system to the at least one make-up station.

The present invention also relates to a method for handling pieces of luggage.

For various reasons it may be desirable to store pieces of luggage temporarily. At airports, for example, pieces of luggage such as suitcases and bags are checked in well in advance of the departure time of the flight in question, before the aeroplane in question is available for loading. The period of time that passes between the checking-in of luggage and the loading of a plane with the checked-in luggage can vary from a few hours to a few days. I n addition to that, situations occur where pieces of luggage for transfer flights arrive so much earlier at an airport that they cannot be directly loaded into the aeroplane of the connecting flight.

International patent application WO 2005/002999 A1 discloses a storage system according to the preamble of claim 1 for temporary storage of pieces of luggage, in which use is made of a number of storage racks extending parallel to each other. Each storage rack has a number of storage positions at different vertical levels. Each storage position is designed for accommodating a uniform tray carrying a piece of luggage, in which tray pieces of luggage are presented to the storage system. Lifts are provided between all adjacent storage racks for placing trays into storage positions and removing trays from storage positions. Pieces of luggage are supplied to the lifts via a supply conveyor and discharged from the lifts via a discharge conveyor. When a so-called make-up window opens for a particular flight, all the pieces of luggage associated with the flight in question are to be conveyed to a make-up station for being loaded into the plane. To that end, the aforesaid pieces of luggage are successively collected from storage positions by means of lifts and transferred to the discharge conveyor, from where the pieces of luggage are conveyed to the make-up station. The pieces of luggage arrive at irregular intervals at the make-up station, since the time interval is determined by the amount of time that lifts require for removing an individual piece of luggage from a storage position and transferring it to the discharge conveyor. At the make-up station an operator is present, who loads the pieces of luggage supplied to said station onto for example a luggage cart or a ULD ("Unit Load Device").

Another known storage system for temporary storage of luggage on a number of parallel conveyor belts is disclosed in International patent application WO 02/06141 A1 . According to said system, one buffer conveyor belt or a number of buffer conveyor belts arranged in a parallel configuration can be assigned to a particular flight, so that the conveyor belt(s) in question can deliver its/their load to a conveyor system for transport to the aeroplane in question as soon as the aeroplane is ready for loading, whilst the other buffer conveyor belts need not be activated. An important drawback of such a temporary storage system, however, is the fact that the occupation degree thereof that can be attained in practice is limited, for example because only part of the length of a parallel conveyor belt can be utilised. I n addition to that, if a parallel conveyor belt should break down for whatever reason, luggage temporarily stored on said conveyor belt cannot be released and no new luggage can be temporarily stored on said conveyor belt. Another drawback is the large amount of space taken up by the storage system.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for handling luggage which takes up a limited amount of space and wherein pieces of luggage can efficiently be stored and be handled at a make-up station.

The above object is achieved with the system according to the present invention, wherein the system further comprises a second storage system with at least two buffer conveyors in a parallel configuration for buffering pieces of luggage thereon, that the supply conveyor system is also arranged for supplying pieces of luggage from the supply source to the at least two buffer conveyors, and that the discharge conveyor system is also arranged for discharging pieces of luggage from the at least two buffer conveyors to the at least one make-up station and is further arranged to make it possible to discharge pieces of luggage originating from the first storage system and pieces of luggage originating from the second storage system to one and the same make-up station.

The system according to the present invention thus comprises two storage systems, each of a different type, viz. a storage system comprising racks and a storage system comprising buffer conveyors, wherein luggage from both storage systems can be discharged to one and the same make-up station. The effect achieved in this way is on the one hand that luggage, such as transfer luggage, can be stored in the first storage system relatively long before the departure of the flight, whilst the buffer conveyors of the second storage system thus need not be assigned to the flight in question yet and can be used for other flights, therefore. It is noted in this regard that the number of such early-arriving pieces of luggage is relatively low, so that the use of a buffer conveyor at that stage would be inefficient. At a later point in time, usually one hour to a few hours prior to the departure of the flight, the number of pieces of luggage to be stored in the system will strongly increase, at which point storage on a buffer conveyor of the second storage system will be more efficient, since said buffer conveyor can be filled quickly and to a significant extent and will be emptied again relatively shortly thereafter. When subsequently the makeup window for loading the aeroplane opens, pieces of luggage both from the first system and from the second storage system can be discharged to said make-up station by means of the system according to the invention. It is then possible, for example, to impart a more regular rhythm to the relatively irregular flow of pieces of luggage from the first storage system, which irregular rhythm is an inherent feature of a storage system of the rack type as described above, by adding pieces of luggage originating from the second storage system to the flow or, for example, by discharging pieces of luggage from the first storage system via the second storage system, since pieces of luggage can be discharged from the second storage system very quickly and with a fixed rhythm. In this way it is achieved that luggage is presented in a very regular rhythm to an operator who transfers luggage at a make- up station to, for example, a luggage cart for transport across the platform to the aeroplane, which has a positive effect on the efficiency with which the operator works but also on that of the loading aids used by the operator. Hence, the make-up stations are used more optimal. The total amount of space taken up by the system according to the invention and the required hardware for the system are limited as a result of the advantageous combination of the different storage systems.

Preferably, the supply conveyor system comprises a first supply conveyor which is connected to the at least one lift, and preferably a second supply conveyor which is connected to the at least two buffer conveyors.

Preferably, the discharge conveyor system comprises a first discharge conveyor which is connected to the at least one lift, and preferably a second discharge conveyor which is connected to the at least two buffer conveyors.

The present invention also relates to a method according to claim 14.

Advantages of the method according to the invention are analogous to the above-described advantages of the system according to the invention. According to said method, a largely regular rhythm has been imparted to the flow of pieces of luggage arriving at a make-up station by combining pieces of luggage originating from the first storage system and pieces of luggage originating from the second storage system, using the discharge conveyor system.

The present invention will now be described in more detail by means of a description of a preferred embodiment of a system according to the present invention, in which reference is made to the following figures, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic top plan view of a preferred embodiment of a system according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic top plan view of another preferred embodiment of a system according to the invention; and

Figure 3 is a diagram which schematically depicts the flow of a number n of pieces of luggage associated with a flight plotted against time t.

The system 1 for handling luggage shown in figure 1 comprises a number of make-up stations 2, a supply source formed by a check-in system 3, a first storage system 4 and a second storage system 5.

The first storage system 4 comprises a number of parallel racks 10, each provided with storage positions 1 1 disposed beside and above each other for storing pieces of luggage (not shown) therein. The first storage system 4 further comprises a number of lifts 12, one such lift 12 for pieces of luggage being provided between each pair of adjacent racks 10, which lift is movable between the racks in the longitudinal direction of said racks. The lift is arranged for placing pieces of luggage into storage positions 1 1 disposed beside and above each other or removing pieces of luggage therefrom, as the case may be. A supply station 13 and a discharge station 14 are provided at one end of each of the racks 10, which stations are disposed above each other in the embodiment shown in figure 1. The supply stations 13 are arranged for transferring pieces of luggage to a lift 12, and the discharge stations 14 are arranged for taking over pieces of luggage from a lift 12.

The system 1 further comprises a supply conveyor system 6 comprising a first supply conveyor 15 for supplying pieces of luggage to the various supply stations 13 from the check-in system 3. The supply conveyor is to that end provided with branches 16 at the location of each of the supply stations 13, by means of which a piece of luggage can be selectively supplied to a supply station and thus to a lift 12. The first supply conveyor 15 is connected to a supply source of pieces of luggage, to a check-in conveyor 19 which extends along various check-in counters of the check-in system in the embodiment shown in figure 1 . The first supply conveyor 15 may also be connected, possibly via the check-in conveyor 19, to a transfer system (not shown) that also forms part of the supply source, for conveying pieces of luggage of transfer passengers to the first storage system 4.

The system 1 also comprises a discharge conveyor system 7 comprising a first discharge conveyor 17, which extends above the first supply conveyor 15, at least at the location of the supply and discharge stations 13, 14. The first discharge conveyor 17 is provided with branches 18 at the location of each of the discharge stations 14 for discharging pieces of luggage from each of the discharge stations 14, and thus from the lifts 12, via the discharge conveyor 17 in an irregular rhythm caused by the location of pieces of luggage in the racks in combination with the use of the lifts.

The check-in conveyor 19 extends downstream of the branch to the first supply conveyor 15, around the first storage system 4, and merges with the first supply conveyor 17 into a common discharge conveyor 20. Thus, pieces of luggage both from the first storage system 4 and from the check-in conveyor 19 can land on the common discharge conveyor 20. The common discharge conveyor 20 connects to the at least one make-up station 2.

The system 1 also comprises a second storage system 5, comprising a number of buffer conveyors 22 arranged in a parallel configuration. A number of pieces of luggage can be buffered on each of the buffer conveyors 22. A buffer conveyor 22 may be built up of a number of successive accumulator conveyors arranged in series. An individual buffer conveyor 22 of said number of buffer conveyors 22 may be assigned to one specific flight and thus only carry pieces of luggage for that flight, or even a separate segment of said flight, such as Economy Class. According to another possibility, several buffer conveyors may be assigned to a flight or a segment of a flight.

The supply conveyor system 6 also comprises a second supply conveyor 23, which is provided with branches 24 via which the supply conveyor is connected to an upstream end of each of the buffer conveyors 22 for supplying pieces of luggage at least from the supply source to buffer conveyors 22. The second supply conveyor 23 is connected to the check-in conveyor 19 with an upstream end thereof. Thus, pieces of luggage can also be supplied to the second storage system 5 from the check-in system 3 and optionally also from the transfer system.

The discharge conveyor system 7 also comprises a second discharge conveyor 25, which is provided with branches 26 via which the discharge conveyor is connected to an upstream end of each of the buffer conveyors 22 for discharging pieces of luggage from the buffer conveyors 22 to the make-up stations 2.

The discharge conveyor system is arranged for discharging pieces of luggage originating from the first storage system 4 and pieces of luggage originating from the second storage system 5 to one and the same make-up station 2. The second discharge conveyor 25 connects to the above-described common discharge conveyor 20. The flow of pieces of luggage from the first storage system 4, to which optionally pieces of luggage originating from the check-in conveyor 19 have been added, takes place in an irregular rhythm. By introducing a piece of luggage into the flow on the discharge conveyor 20 from the second discharge conveyor 25 in the case of a larger interval than desired between two successive pieces of luggage in the flow, a regular rhythm is imparted to the flow of pieces of luggage, so that the pieces of luggage arriving at a make-up station 2 can be handled in a very efficient manner by an operator at the make-up station.

The system 100 shown in figure 2 is quite similar to the system 1 as described in the foregoing. Components having a corresponding function are indicated by corresponding numerals. The system 100 comprises a first discharge conveyor 17, 17' having an upstream part 17 and a downstream part 17', between which a junction 30 is provided. The first discharge conveyor 17 shown in figure 1 does not comprise said junction. The junction 30 connects the part 17 not only to the part 17' but also to the second supply conveyor 23. This makes it possible to let pieces of luggage originating from the first storage system 4 or from the second storage system 5 pass via the part 17' of the first discharge conveyor, or, in other words, to supply said pieces of luggage to the second storage system 5 via the second supply conveyor 23. As a result, it becomes possible to remove a number of pieces of luggage from the first storage system 4 and supply them to the second storage system 5, for example if the number of pieces of luggage intended for a particular flight, which are stored in the first storage system 4, exceeds a predetermined threshold number, and to subsequently discharge said pieces of luggage in a regular rhythm to the make-up stations 2 from the second storage system 5. Said threshold number may be the maximum number of pieces of luggage to be loaded onto a luggage cart, for example. It would be possible, therefore, to load said luggage onto a luggage cart for a specific flight at a relatively early point in time already, for example if capacity is available at a make-up station prior to the opening of the make-up window for the flight for which the luggage is intended.

In another alternative preferred embodiment of a system according to the invention, the downstream part 17' of the first discharge conveyor and 17, 17' is missing in comparison with the system 100, so that thus all pieces of luggage originating from the first storage system 4 are to be discharged to the make-up stations 2 via the second storage system 5. The second discharge conveyor connects to the common conveyor 20, which can in that case be regarded as a downstream part of the check-in conveyor 19.

A preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, using the above-described system 1 , 100 according to the invention will now be described with reference to figure 3. In said figure, the time t is plotted on the horizontal axis and the number of pieces of luggage associated with a specific passenger flight that are present in the system 1 is plotted on the vertical axis. The changes shown in the number of pieces of luggage in the system, which number initially increases very slowly and subsequently very quickly, whereupon it decreases quickly again, is typical for an average passenger flight.

The departure time of the flight is indicated td in the diagram. After a first point in time t1 , pieces of luggage associated with the flight are supplied to the first storage system 4 from the supply source. In fact, t1 is determined by the moment at which the first piece of luggage for the flight in question presents itself, for example via a check-in system or a transfer system.

After a second point in time t2, which is later than t1 but before td, pieces of luggage associated with the flight are supplied to the second storage system 5, without making use of the first storage system 4, and possibly in parallel with the supply of pieces of luggage to the first storage system 4. Point in time t2 may have been determined in advance on the basis of known data from prior, similar flights, or be determined on the basis of the fact that at that point in time the number of pieces of luggage being presented per unit time increases more strongly than a predetermined threshold value.

In the system 100 according to the invention as described above and in the alternative to the system 100, likewise described above, it is further conceivable to discharge pieces of luggage originating from the first storage system 4 to the make-up stations 2 via a buffer conveyor 22 of the second storage system 5, which may or may not take place prior to t2.

After a third point in time t3, which is later than t2, pieces of luggage associated with the flight and originating from the first storage system 4 and from the second storage system 5 are discharged to a make-up station 2 to which the flight has been assigned.

While pieces of luggage originating from the first storage system 4 are being discharged, said pieces of luggage originating are received by the discharge conveyor 7 in a first rhythm, and the pieces of luggage from the first storage system 4 and the pieces of luggage originating from the second storage system 5 are combined by the discharge conveyor system 7 into a common flow of pieces of luggage to the make-up station 2, in such a manner that the rhythm with which the pieces of luggage arrive at the make-up station 2 is a more regular rhythm than the first rhythm.

If pieces of luggage originating from the first storage system 4 are at least in part discharged to the make-up stations 2 without making use of the second storage system 5, pieces of luggage originating from the second storage system 5 via the second discharge conveyor 25 are added to a flow of pieces of luggage originating from the first storage system 4 via the first discharge conveyor 17, with the possible addition of pieces of luggage added to the flow of pieces of luggage on the conveyor 17 via the check-in conveyor 19, during the discharge of pieces of luggage to the make-up station, such that the rhythm of pieces of luggage in the resulting common flow of pieces of luggage on the common discharge conveyor 20 will be a more regular rhythm than the rhythm of pieces of luggage on the first discharge conveyor 17. In a practical embodiment, the gap between two successive pieces of luggage is measured either on the first discharge conveyor 17 or on the common discharge conveyor 20 at a location upstream of the location where the second discharge conveyor 25 connects thereto, and if the measured value exceeds a predetermined threshold limit value, said overly large gap is filled with a piece of luggage from the second discharge conveyor 25 either at the location where the second discharge conveyor 25 discharges onto the first discharge conveyor 17 or at the location where the second discharge conveyor 25 discharges onto the common discharge conveyor 20. Eventually, the rhythm of the flow of pieces of luggage on the common discharge conveyor 20 is thus largely regular, and the pieces of luggage can be handled in a highly efficient manner by an operator at a make-up station 2.

In the method according to the invention, a number of pieces of luggage associated with the flight, which number is larger than or equal to a predetermined threshold number, originating from the first storage system 4 may optionally be discharged to a make-up station 2 to which the flight is assigned, via a buffer conveyor 22 of the second storage system 5, if desired, prior to point in time t3 in order to increase the regularity of the rhythm of the flow of pieces of luggage. The aforesaid threshold number may be the maximum number of pieces of luggage to be loaded onto a luggage cart, for example. Said luggage could already be loaded onto a luggage cart for a particular flight at a relatively early moment, for example if capacity is available at a make-up station 2 prior to the opening of the make-up window at t3 for the flight for which the luggage is intended.

It is also possible to discharge a number of pieces of luggage associated with the flight, which number is larger than or equal to a predetermined threshold number, originating from the first storage system 4 to a buffer conveyor of the second storage 5 prior to t3. The threshold number may be selected so that a buffer conveyor 22 can be filled for the greater part and thus be used efficiently. The subsequent further discharge to the make-up station, at a highly regular rhythm, can take place at a desired point in time, for example after t3. In the method according to the invention, pieces of luggage originating from the supply source can moreover be added to a flow of pieces of luggage being discharged to a make-up station 2 without making use of the first storage system 4 and the second storage system 5, or at least be supplied directly to a make-up station 2 without making use of the first storage system and the second storage system.