System and method for storing and sequencing luggage items
First Claim
1. A method for storing and sequencing a plurality of luggage items, said method including:
- receiving at least one of the luggage items into a loading area from an entrance conveyor disposed in the loading area;
moving the luggage item with a loading assembly from the entrance conveyor onto one of a plurality of shelves of a container positioned on a carrier automatic guided vehicle;
providing instructions to the carrier automatic guided vehicle from the control system to transport the container from the loading area to a storage area, and transporting the container from the loading area to the storage area with the carrier automatic guided vehicle with the luggage item disposed on the shelf of the container;
storing the luggage item in the storage area with the luggage item positioned on the container;
providing instructions to the carrier automatic guided vehicle from the control system to transport the container from the storage area to an unloading area, and transporting the container from the storage area to the unloading area with the carrier automatic guided vehicle with the received luggage item disposed on the shelf of the container;
moving the luggage item from the shelf of the container to an exit conveyor disposed in the unloading area with an unloading assembly;
wherein the loading assembly includes a plurality of platform conveyors disposed in vertically stacked relationship with one another with each of the platform conveyors disposed at the same height as one of the shelves of the container, a loading conveyor extending from the entrance conveyor and pivotable relative to the entrance conveyor for being aligned with one of the platform conveyors, and a plurality of first pushing devices each disposed at the same height as one of the platform conveyors;
said method further includes pivoting the loading conveyor into alignment with a selected one of the platform conveyors;
moving the luggage item from the entrance conveyor to the selected first platform conveyor with the loading conveyor; and
pushing the luggage item from the selected first platform conveyor onto a selected one of the shelves of the container with the pushing device.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for storing and sequencing a plurality of luggage items. The method includes receiving at least one of the luggage items into a loading area from an entrance conveyor disposed in the loading area. Once received, the luggage items are moved from the entrance conveyor onto a shelf of a container with a loading assembly. The method continues with transporting the container from the loading area to the storage area with an automatic guided vehicle with the luggage item disposed on the shelf of the container. When the luggage items are ready to be processed, the method continues with transporting the first container from the storage area to the unloading area with the automatic guided vehicle with the received luggage item disposed on the shelf of the container. Different embodiments of the loading and unloading assemblies are provided.
28 Citations
17 Claims
-
1. A method for storing and sequencing a plurality of luggage items, said method including:
-
receiving at least one of the luggage items into a loading area from an entrance conveyor disposed in the loading area; moving the luggage item with a loading assembly from the entrance conveyor onto one of a plurality of shelves of a container positioned on a carrier automatic guided vehicle; providing instructions to the carrier automatic guided vehicle from the control system to transport the container from the loading area to a storage area, and transporting the container from the loading area to the storage area with the carrier automatic guided vehicle with the luggage item disposed on the shelf of the container; storing the luggage item in the storage area with the luggage item positioned on the container; providing instructions to the carrier automatic guided vehicle from the control system to transport the container from the storage area to an unloading area, and transporting the container from the storage area to the unloading area with the carrier automatic guided vehicle with the received luggage item disposed on the shelf of the container; moving the luggage item from the shelf of the container to an exit conveyor disposed in the unloading area with an unloading assembly; wherein the loading assembly includes a plurality of platform conveyors disposed in vertically stacked relationship with one another with each of the platform conveyors disposed at the same height as one of the shelves of the container, a loading conveyor extending from the entrance conveyor and pivotable relative to the entrance conveyor for being aligned with one of the platform conveyors, and a plurality of first pushing devices each disposed at the same height as one of the platform conveyors; said method further includes pivoting the loading conveyor into alignment with a selected one of the platform conveyors; moving the luggage item from the entrance conveyor to the selected first platform conveyor with the loading conveyor; and pushing the luggage item from the selected first platform conveyor onto a selected one of the shelves of the container with the pushing device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
-
-
5. A system for storing and sequencing a plurality of luggage items, said system including:
-
at least one container including a plurality of shelves being vertically stacked on top of one another; at least one carrier automatic guided vehicle supporting said at least one container; a storage area for holding said container; a loading area including an entrance conveyor for receiving the luggage items into said loading area; a loading assembly disposed in said loading area including a packing automatic guided vehicle having a chassis and a cart belt supported by said chassis for holding the luggage items; said packing automatic guided vehicle further including a lifting mechanism interconnecting said chassis and said cart belt and providing movement of said cart belt relative to said chassis for aligning said cart belt with one of said shelves of said container; said packing automatic guided vehicle further including a pusher being moveable with said cart belt for pushing the luggage item from said cart belt onto said shelf of said container with said container positioned on said carrier automatic guided vehicle; an unloading area including an exit conveyor for removing the luggage items from said unloading area; an unloading assembly disposed in said unloading area and configured to move the luggage item from said shelf of said container onto said exit conveyor; a control system wirelessly connected to said carrier automatic guided vehicle for controlling the movement of said carrier automatic guided vehicle; and said control system further connected to said packing automatic guided vehicle and said unloading assembly and configured to instruct said packing automatic guided vehicle to move the luggage item from said entrance conveyor onto one of said plurality of shelves of said container with said container positioned on said carrier automatic guided vehicle, and configured to instruct said carrier automatic guided vehicle to move said container with the luggage item disposed thereon from said loading area to said storage area, and configured to instruct said carrier automatic guided vehicle to store said container with the luggage item disposed thereon for a period of time, and configured to instruct said automatic guided vehicle to move said container with the luggage item disposed thereon from said storage area to said unloading area, and configured to instruct said unloading assembly to move the luggage item from said shelf of said container positioned on said automatic guided vehicle onto said exit conveyor. - View Dependent Claims (6)
-
-
7. A system for storing and sequencing a plurality of luggage items, said system including:
-
at least one container including a plurality of shelves being vertically stacked on top of one another; a storage area for holding said container; a loading area including an entrance conveyor for receiving the luggage items into said loading area; an unloading area including an exit conveyor for removing the luggage items from said unloading area; at least one pathway extending between said storage area, said loading area, and said unloading area; at least one carrier automatic guided vehicle supporting said at least one container for transporting said container between said storage area, said loading area, and said unloading area; a loading assembly disposed in said loading area and configured to move the luggage item from said entrance conveyor onto one of said shelves of said container with said container positioned on said carrier automatic guided vehicle; an unloading assembly disposed in said unloading area and configured to move the luggage item from said shelf of said container onto said exit conveyor; a control system wirelessly connected to said carrier automatic guided vehicle for controlling the movement of said carrier automatic guided vehicle along said at least one pathway between said storage area, said loading area, and said unloading area; said control system further connected to said loading assembly and said unloading assembly and configured to instruct said loading assembly to move the luggage item from said entrance conveyor onto one of said plurality of shelves of said container with said container positioned on said carrier automatic guided vehicle, and configured to instruct said carrier automatic guided vehicle to move said container with the luggage item disposed thereon from said loading assembly to said storage area, and configured to instruct said carrier automatic guided vehicle to store said container with the luggage item disposed thereon in said storage area for a period of time; and
configured to instruct said automatic guided vehicle to move said container with the luggage item disposed thereon from said storage area to said unloading assembly, and configured to instruct said unloading assembly to move the luggage item from said shelf of said container positioned on said automatic guided vehicle onto said exit conveyor; andwherein said loading assembly includes a plurality of platform conveyors disposed in vertically stacked relationship with one another with each of said platform conveyors disposed at the same height as one of said shelves of said conveyor; and said loading assembly further includes a loading conveyor extending from said entrance conveyor and pivotable relative to said entrance conveyor for being aligned with one of said platform conveyors for moving the luggage item from said entrance conveyor onto one of said platform conveyors, and a plurality of pushing devices each disposed at the same height as one of said platform conveyors for pushing the luggage item from said platform conveyor onto one of said shelves of said container. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A method for storing a plurality of luggage items, said method including:
-
receiving at least one of the luggage items into a loading area from an entrance conveyor disposed in the loading area; providing a container including a plurality of shelves being vertically stacked on top of one another supported by a carrier automatic guided vehicle; providing at least one loading assembly in the loading area including a plurality of platform conveyors disposed in vertically stacked relationship with one another with each of the platform conveyors disposed at the same height as one of the shelves of the container, a loading conveyor extending from the entrance conveyor and pivotable relative to the entrance conveyor for being aligned with one of the platform conveyors, and a plurality of first pushing devices each disposed at the same height as one of the platform conveyors; pivoting the loading conveyor into alignment with a selected one of the platform conveyors; moving the luggage item from the entrance conveyor to the selected first platform conveyor with the loading conveyor; pushing the luggage item from the selected first platform conveyor onto a selected one of the shelves of the container with the pushing device while the container is supported by the carrier automatic guided vehicle; transporting the container from the loading area to the storage area with the carrier automatic guided vehicle with the luggage item disposed on the selected shelf of the first container; storing the luggage item in the storage area with the luggage item positioned on the container; and transporting the container from the storage area to the unloading area with the carrier automatic guided vehicle with the received luggage item disposed on the shelf of the container. - View Dependent Claims (12)
-
-
13. A method for storing and sequencing a plurality of luggage items, said method including:
-
receiving at least one of the luggage items into a loading area from an entrance conveyor disposed in the loading area; moving the at least one luggage item from the entrance conveyor onto a horizontally-oriented belt-conveyor type cart belt of a packing automatic guided vehicle, wherein the packing automatic guided vehicle has a chassis, the cart belt a lifting mechanism interconnecting the chassis and the cart belt and providing movement of the cart belt relative to the chassis, and a pusher being moveable relative to the chassis; moving the cart belt of the packing automatic guided vehicle into alignment with a selected one of a plurality of shelves of a container with the lifting mechanism, wherein the shelves of the container are vertically stacked on top of one another; transporting the container from the loading area to a storage area with a carrier automatic guided vehicle with the container supported by the carrier automatic guided vehicle and with the luggage item disposed on the selected shelf of the container; storing the luggage item in the storage area with the luggage item positioned on the shelf of the container for a period of time; transporting the container from the storage area to an unloading area with the carrier automatic guided vehicle with the luggage item disposed on the selected shelf of the first container; and wherein said packing automatic guided vehicle is movable independent and apart from said carrier automatic guided vehicle; wherein the unloading area includes an exit conveyor for removing the luggage item from the unloading area; providing at least one unloading assembly in the unloading area including a plurality of pushing mechanisms each disposed at the same height as one of the shelves of the container and a chute being pivotable relative to the exit conveyor for being aligned with one of the shelves of said container; pivoting a chute of an unloading assembly such that it is aligned with the selected shelf of the container, wherein the unloading assembly includes a plurality of pushing mechanisms each disposed at the same height as one of the shelves of the container and the chute being pivotable relative to the exit conveyor for being aligned with one of the shelves of the container; and pushing the luggage item with one of the pushing mechanisms from the selected shelf onto the chute to deliver the luggage item to the exit conveyor. - View Dependent Claims (14)
-
-
15. A system for storing and sequencing a plurality of luggage items, said system including:
-
at least one container including a plurality of shelves being vertically stacked on top of one another; a storage area for holding said container; a loading area including an entrance conveyor for receiving the luggage items into the loading area; a loading assembly disposed in said loading area including a plurality of platform conveyors disposed in vertically stacked relationship with one another with each of said platform conveyors disposed at the same height as one of said shelves of said container; and said loading assembly further including a loading conveyor extending from said entrance conveyor and pivotable relative to said entrance conveyor for being aligned with one of said platform conveyors for moving the luggage item from said entrance conveyor onto one of said platform conveyors, and a plurality of pushing devices each disposed at the same height as one of said platform conveyors for pushing the luggage item from said platform conveyor onto one of said shelves of said container. - View Dependent Claims (16)
-
-
17. A method for storing and sequencing a plurality of luggage items, said method including:
-
receiving a plurality of luggage items into a loading area from an entrance conveyor disposed in the loading area; moving each of the luggage items from the entrance conveyor onto one of a plurality of shelves of one of a plurality of containers with a loading assembly; providing instructions to a carrier automatic guided vehicle from a control system to transport each of the containers having luggage items disposed thereon to a loaded region of a storage area that is separate from an unloaded region of the storage area which includes at least one container without luggage items stored thereon; wherein said loading assembly is detached from said carrier automatic guided vehicle; storing the luggage item in the loaded region of the storage area with the luggage item positioned on the container and with the container positioned on the carrier automatic guided vehicle; and providing instructions to the carrier automatic guided vehicle from the control system to transport the container from the loaded region of the storage area to an unloading area, and transporting the container from the loaded region of the storage area to the unloading area with the carrier automatic guided vehicle with the received luggage item disposed on the one of the plurality of shelves of the container; wherein the loaded region of the storage area is defined by a plurality of loaded region pathways upon which the carrier automatic guided vehicle is configured to follow during transportation of the containers with the luggage items disposed thereon, and wherein the unloaded region of the storage area is defined by a plurality of unloaded region pathways upon which the carrier automatic guided vehicle is configured to follow during transportation of the containers without luggage items disposed thereon.
-
Specification