METHOD OF OPERATING AN INSTALLATION FOR CONVEYING AND SORTING BAGGAGE ITEMS

• US 20100300832A1
• Filed: 05/26/2010
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Logistics GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Schuderer, Christian, Fiedler, Alexander, Bacic, Mato, Plank, Günter
• Granted Patent: US 8,251,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 198/341.01
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 43/00 Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting

Abstract

A method of operating an installation for conveying and sorting baggage items within an airport building, preferably between the check-in area and reclaim area for the baggage items and the loading units assigned to a certain flight. The installation has a complex electrically and/or electronically driven and controlled conveying and handling system for transporting, sorting, transferring, storing and checking the baggage items, which are transported in a state in which they rest loosely on conveyors or are located in containers. In order to configure a method of operating the installation such that, along with relatively low energy costs and relatively low levels of wear, it is possible to reduce the operating costs of the installation and the maintenance costs, it is proposed that it is possible for the power supply to individual suitable installation parts or components to be switched on and off in dependence on the state of occupancy of the installation and/or on the varying loading.

Claims

1. A method of operating an installation for conveying and sorting baggage items within airport buildings, the method which comprises:

transporting, sorting, transferring, storing and checking the baggage items in the installation having a complex electrically and/or electronically driven and controlled conveying and handling system and thereby transporting the baggage items resting loosely on conveyors or disposed in containers; and

selectively switching on and off a power supply to individual suitable installation parts or components in dependence on a state of occupancy of the installation and/or on the varying loading.

2. The method of operating an installation according to claim 1, wherein the baggage items are transported between a check-in area and a reclaim area for the baggage items and loading units assigned to certain flights.

3. The method of operating an installation according to claim 1, which further comprises emptying installation regions once upstream installation parts have been switched off, or baggage items have been redirected, and then temporarily bringing the installation regions to a complete standstill.

4. The method of operating an installation according to claim 1, which further comprises bringing redundant installation regions to a standstill for maintenance purposes.

5. The method of operating an installation according to claim 1, which comprises influencing a state of occupancy of the installation by manual allocation.

6. The method of operating an installation according to claim 1, which comprises predicting a state of occupancy of the installation and using the predicted state of occupancy in order to change the loading.

7. The method of operating an installation according to claim 1, which comprises determining the state of occupancy of the installation on a basis of historical experimental values and deriving the state of occupancy therefrom.