System and method for dynamic allocation for bin assignment

• US 20060070929A1
• Filed: 09/08/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Durand, Reed, Fry, Rick A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,671,293 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 209/583
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/00 Sorting according to destination collating the pages of a book B42C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/90 Sorting flat-type mail

Abstract

A sorting device and method for dynamically allocating bins to objects such as mail pieces. The device has at least one reading device for reading delivery information of objects and a conveying system which transports the objects. At least one feeder inducts the objects onto the conveying system. A plurality of physical bin locations are adjacent to the conveying system for storage of the object injected from the conveying system. A controller or processing dynamically assigns and reassigns sort locations, as required, to the plurality of physical bin locations during a sorting operation for each object of the objects.

Claims

1. A sorting device, comprising:

at least one reading device for reading delivery information of objects;

a conveying system which transports the objects;

at least one feeder for inducting the objects onto the conveying system;

a plurality of physical bin locations adjacent the conveying system for storage of the objects injected from the conveying system; and

a controller assigning and reassigning sort locations, as required, to the plurality of physical bin locations during a sorting operation for each object of the objects based on a predetermined criteria.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein a number of the plurality of physical bin locations is “

n” and

the sort locations is at least “

n+1”

.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller reassigns the sort locations as the objects are inducted.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller defines low density range bins and high density range bins of the plurality of physical bin locations based on the density range of each of the object based on the predetermined criteria.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the controller defines the high density range bins based on accessibility to the high density range bins.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller defines buffer bins which are interchangeably used as either low density range bins or high density range bins of the plurality of physical bin locations based on the density ranges.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the buffer bins store the objects when the controller determines that one of (i) all of the plurality of physical bin locations assigned sort locations are filled and (ii) a sort location for the objects has not been previously assigned or reassigned to one of the plurality of physical bins.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the object is a mail piece.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller:

determines whether a physical bin location of the plurality of physical bin locations has been assigned a sort location for a newly inducted object;

if yes, determines whether the physical bin location is not available;

if yes, defines a buffer bin of the plurality of physical bin locations as a sort location for the newly inducted object;

directs the newly inducted object to the defined buffer bin; and

defines the not available physical bin location as a new buffer bin after a swap of trays.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller:

determines whether a physical bin location of the plurality of physical bin locations has been assigned a sort location for a newly inducted object;

if no, defines a buffer bin of the plurality of physical bin locations as a sort location for a newly inducted object;

directs the newly inducted object to the defined buffer bin; and

defines a low density bin of the physical bin locations as a new buffer bin after a swap of trays.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller determines an error rate for a bin location of the plurality of bin locations and if the error rate is above a trigger, the controller stops induction to the objects into the bin location and reassigns another bin location as a same sort location for induction of the objects for that sort location

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined criteria is density ranges of the objects based on the delivery information as calculated by the controller.

13. A method of sorting, comprising the steps of:

reading delivery information from objects;

determining density range information of the objects from the delivery information;

assigning and reassigning sort locations to defined density bin locations associated with a plurality of physical bin locations based on the density range information and objects being inducted into the sort locations.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the reassigning of sort locations occurs when one of (i) the assigned sort locations are filled with objects and (ii) a sort location has not been assigned for a newly inducted object.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining whether a physical bin location of the plurality of physical bin locations has been assigned a sort location for a newly inducted object;

if yes, determining whether the physical bin location is not available;

if yes, defining a buffer bin of the plurality of physical bin locations as a sort location for the newly inducted object;

directing the newly inducted object to the defined buffer bin; and

defining the not available physical bin location as a new buffer bin after a swap of trays.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining whether a physical bin location of the plurality of physical bin locations has been assigned a sort location for a newly inducted object;

if no, defining a buffer bin of the plurality of physical bin locations as a sort location for a newly inducted object;

directing the newly inducted object to the defined buffer bin; and

defining the filled physical bin location as a new buffer bin after a swap of trays.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining an error rate for a bin location of the plurality of physical bin locations and if the error rate is above a trigger, stopping induction of the objects into the bin location and reassigning another bin location as a same sort location for induction of the objects for that sort location.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein same sort locations of the sort locations are assigned to different bin locations of the plurality of physical bin locations.

19. A method of sorting;

comprising the steps of;

reading delivery information from objects;

determining density range information of the objects from the delivery information;

assigning low density bin regions and high density bin regions associated with a plurality of physical bin locations based on the density range information; and

assigning and reassigning sort locations, based on the density information and availability of the plurality of physical bin locations, to the low density bin regions and high density bin regions for storing sorted low density range objects and high density range objects, respectively.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the assigning and reassigning of sort locations occurs when one of (i) the assigned sort locations are filled with objects and (ii) a sort location has not been assigned for a newly inducted object.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining whether a physical bin location of the plurality of physical bin locations has been assigned a sort location for a newly inducted object, and one of;

if yes, determining whether the physical bin location is not available, if yes, defining a buffer bin of the plurality of physical bin locations as a sort location for the newly inducted object, directing the newly inducted object to the defined buffer bin, and defining a not available physical bin location as a new buffer bin after a swap of trays, and

if no, defining a buffer bin of the plurality of physical bin locations as a sort location for a newly inducted object, directing the newly inducted object to the defined buffer bin, and defining the not available physical bin location as a new buffer bin after a swap of trays.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining an error rate for a bin location of the plurality of bin locations and if the error rate is above a trigger, stopping induction of the objects into the physical bin location and reassigning another physical bin location as a same sort location for induction of the objects for that sort location.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the objects are mail pieces.