Transport system for articles, in particular containers for baggage pieces

• US 20040200693A1
• Filed: 04/09/2004
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hoene, Albrecht, Graefer, Dominik, Brixius, Wolfgang
• Granted Patent: US 7,092,788 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 198/349
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/0264 Luggage
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/0267 Pallets
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 35/06 comprising a load-carrier moving along a path, e.g. a closed path, and adapted to be engaged by any one of a series of traction elements spaced along the path effecting drive at two or more points spaced along the length of an endless conveyor B65G23/32
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/50 according to destination signals stored in separate systems

Abstract

A transport system, in particular an airport baggage handling system, includes a container for receiving an article, a sensor assembly including an inductive sensor for monitoring a transport of the container along a transport path, and a screening device for completely scanning the article within the container together with the container. The container is provided with a marking in the form of a doped zone or a metal element so attached to the container body as to pass the sensor assembly in its response range for detection of the container. The container body is hereby constructed to allow scanning of the article together with the container body.

Claims

1. A transport system, in particular an airport baggage handling system, comprising:

a container for receiving an article;

a sensor assembly including an inductive sensor for monitoring a transport of the container along a transport path; and

a screening device for completely scanning of the article, received in the container, together with the container.

2. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the container includes a doped zone so disposed on the container as to pass the sensor assembly in its response range.

3. The transport system of claim 2, wherein the doped zone is realized by a dopant having an effective atomic number smaller than 6.5.

4. The transport system of claim 3, wherein the dopant is an element selected from the group consisting of lithium (Li), beryllium (Be), carbon (C), boron (B) and a mixture thereof.

5. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the container includes a metal element so disposed on the container as to pass the sensor assembly in its response range.

6. The transport system of claim 1, wherein the container has an outer side, said metal element configured in the form of a band on an underside of the container in a region of the outer side.

7. The transport system of claim 6, wherein the band is made of steel.

8. The transport system of claim 6, wherein the container is trough-shaped such that a lowest point of the article, as viewed in a vertical direction, is located above the metal element.

9. A container for receiving an article for movement along a transport system, in particular airport handling system, comprising a container body for receiving an article, said container body having a marking so attached to the container body as to pass a sensor assembly in its response range for detection of the container body, said container body being constructed to allow complete scanning of the article together with the container body.

10. The container of claim 9, wherein the marking is implemented as a doped zone applied on the container body.

11. The container of claim 9, wherein the marking is implemented as a metal element attached to the container body.

12. The container of claim 11, wherein the metal element is constructed in the form of a steel band having a width of 3 cm and a thickness of 1 mm.

13. The container of claim 9, wherein the container body has an underside formed with two sidewalls extending in a transport direction and bounding a grooved passageway extending in the transport direction for engagement by a driving and guide unit which bears upon at least partial area of the sidewalls, said two sidewalls being curved mirror-symmetrically.

14. The container of claim 13, wherein the sidewalls of the passageway are outwardly curved mirror-symmetrically to define a greatest distance between the sidewalls in mid-section of the sidewalls.

15. The container of claim 13, wherein the sidewalls of the passageway are inwardly curved mirror-symmetrically to define a smallest distance between the sidewalls in mid-section of the sidewalls.

16. The container of claim 13, wherein the sidewalls are curved outwardly mirror-symmetrically at a radius which corresponds to a curve radius of a curved conveyor.

17. The container of claim 13, wherein the sidewalls of the grooved passageway extend perpendicular to a bottom side of the container body.

18. The container of claim 13, wherein the sidewalls of the grooved passageway are positioned as mirror images in inclined relationship to form a configuration of the passageway in downwardly expanding direction.