Automated article handling system and process

• US 4,776,464 A
• Filed: 06/17/1985
• Issued: 10/11/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Elite Line Services, LLC
• Original Assignee: BAE Automated Systems, Inc. (Five Star Airport Alliance, Inc.)
• Inventors: Goldstein, Kenneth S., Miller, Dale D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WACYRA, EDWARD MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US06/745,030
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: 209/3.1-3.3, 209/583, 209/584, 235/470, 235/471, 235/462-464, 235/494, 382/48, 382/61
• US Class Current: 209/3.3
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/14 using light-responsive detecting means for information carriers G06K7/14
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/18 Devices or arrangements for indicating destination, e.g. by code marks applying data to information carriers G06K1/12
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/368 Arrangements or installations for routing, distributing or loading baggage
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06243 concentric-code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1092 sensing by means of TV-scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/245 by locating a pattern; Special marks for positioning

Abstract

An article handling system, particularly for baggage routing, has a tag affixed to each article of baggage, each tag bearing human and machine readable destination data disposed immediately adjacent to a uniquely configured target symbol of predetermined and known characteristics. Video cameras disposed adjacent to the baggage transport assembly are effective, in combination with control networks, to detect the target symbol and electronically read the destination data on the tags, so that the baggage can be routed along transport paths respectively corresponding to the intended destination of each article of baggage. The control network is also effective to transform the video image of the target to a desired orientation and configuration, as well as to select for processing the destination data viewed by the camera having the best image of the target.

Claims

1. In an article handling system of the type having transport means for transporting articles along respectively different transport paths, the improvement comprising:

(a) means associated with each of said articles bearing data representative of the intended destination of said article,

(b) a uniquely configured target symbol of predetermined and known characteristics immediately adjacent said destination data, said target symbol including a set of geometrically similar parallelograms of contrasting colors superimposed in mutually concentric relation which, when intersected by a line through its center, defines a sequence of contrasting bars and spaces, said bars and spaces having predetermined widths along said center line,

(c) means responsive to the respective width ratios of adjacent bars and spaces for initially detecting the presence of said target symbol and thereafter reading the intended destination data adjacent said detected symbol, and

(d) control means responsive to the so read intended destination data for directing each article along a transport path corresponding to said intended destination.

2. The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein said data is human readable.

3. The improvement as defined in claim 1 further comprising electronic means for determining the width ratio sequence of adjacent bars and spaces of said detected target symbol and comparing said determined sequence with a known width ratio sequence of adjacent bars and spaces of a reference target symbol, thereby to identify said uniquely configured target symbol.

4. An automated baggage handling system, comprising:

(a) transport means for transporting baggage items along different transport paths corresponding to respectively different intended destinations of said baggage items,

(b) tag means affixed to each baggage item bearing data representative of the intended destination of said baggage item, said data being both machine and human readable,

(c) said tag means further bearing a uniquely configured target symbol immediately adjacent said intended destination data, said symbol having predetermined and known characteristics,

(d) camera means including a plurality of video cameras disposed adjacent said transport means, each video camera being directed to capture the image of information on tag means passing within its field of view,

(e) target identification means coupled with each video camera for detecting the presence of said target symbol within said field of view,

(f) means coupled to said target identification means for reading the intended destination data viewed by only that video camera having the largest image of said target symbol,

(g) optical character recognition means for reading said intended destination data, and

(h) control means responsive to the data read by said optical character recognition means for directing the baggage item along the transport paths corresponding to the intended destination of that baggage item.

5. The automated baggage handling system as defined by claim 4 further comprising electronic means for transforming the image of the target symbol detected by the target identification means to a desired orientation.

6. The automated baggage handling system as defined by claim 4 wherein the reading of said intended destination data by said optical character recognition means is dependent upon the initial detection of the presence of said target symbol by said target identification means.

7. The automated baggage handling system as defined by claim 4 wherein said target identification means comprises electronic means for comparing the characteristics of the image captured by said camera means with the predetermined and known characteristics of a reference symbol.

8. A method of automatically routing articles to respectively different destinations, said method comprising:

(a) affixing tags to each of said articles, each tag bearing human readable data representative of the intended destination of that article as well as bearing a target symbol of predetermined and known characteristics adjacent said data,

(b) identifying the data presence and a reference direction of said target symbol on said tags,

(c) thereafter electronically transforming the image of the so identified target symbol to an image of desired configuration and orientation,

(d) thereafter machine reading the intended destination data adjacent the transformed image of the said target symbol, and

(e) routing the baggage to the destination corresponding to the so read intended destination data.

9. Automated baggage handling system, comprising:

(a) transport means for transporting baggage items along different transport paths corresponding to respectively different intended destinations of said baggage items,

(b) tag means affixed to each baggage item bearing human readable alphanumeric data representative of the intended destination of said baggage item,

(c) said tag means further bearing a uniquely configured target symbol immediately adjacent said intended destination data, said symbol having predetermined and known characteristics,

(d) first camera means disposed adjacent said transport means for capturing and digitizing the image of scenes within its field of view,

(e) means for comparing the so digitized image with data representative of a reference target symbol,

(f) means solely responsive to a match between the digitized image and data representative of the reference target symbol for subsequently processing the intended destination data adjacent said target symbol, said processing including the optical character recognition of said alphanumeric data, and

(g) control means responsive to the optical character recognition of said alphanumeric data for directing the baggage item along a transport path corresponding to said alphanumeric data.

10. An automated baggage handling system, comprising:

(a) transport means for transporting baggage items along different transport paths corresponding to respectively different intended destinations of said baggage items,

(b) tag means affixed to each baggage item bearing data representative of the intended destination of said baggage item, said data being both machine and human readable,

(c) said tag means further bearing a uniquely configured target symbol immediately adjacent said intended destination data, said target symbol having a plurality of contrasting squares superimposed in mutually concentric relation which, when intersected by a line through its center, defines a sequence of contrasting bars and spaces, said bars and spaces having predetermined widths along said center line,

(d) camera means disposed adjacent said transport means so directed to scan tag means passing within its field of view,

(e) target identification means coupled with said camera means for detecting the presence of said target symbol within said field of view, said target identification means including means for determining the width sequence of adjacent bars and spaces of said detected target symbol and comparing said determined sequence with a known width sequence of adjacent bars and spaces of a reference target symbol, thereby to identify said uniquely configured target symbol,

(f) means responsive to said determined width sequence of said detected target symbol for transforming the detected images of the target symbol and of the intended destination data to a desired orientation for presentation to optical character recognition means,

(g) optical character recognition means for reading said transformed intended destination data, and

(h) control means responsive to the data read by said optical character recognition means for directing the baggage item along the transport paths corresponding to the intended destination of that baggage item.