Automated airport luggage system

• US 7,325,497 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2001
• Issued: 02/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Elishah Ben-Ezra
• Original Assignee: Elishah Ben-Ezra
• Inventors: Ben-Ezra, Elishah
• Primary Examiner(s): Morano; S. Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): McCarry, Jr.; Robert J.
• Application Number:
  US10/496,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20050192701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,261 Days
• Field of Search: 104/88.01, 104/88.02, 104/88.03, 104/88.04
• US Class Current: 104/88.01
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/36 Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution sorting according to destination B07C3/003, B07C3/02
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/366 Check-in counters
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/368 Arrangements or installations for routing, distributing or loading baggage
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations

Abstract

An airport terminal (100) has a department area (200) which includes at least one, and preferably a plurality of check-in counters (202), at least one, and preferably a plurality of airplane-loading zones (204), and a track system (110), arranged for the movement of wagons (10). Wagon (10) is for automatically transporting and sorting luggage, responsive to commands from a computerized management system (80). The wagon (10) includes a rigid frame for containing the luggage. The frame includes four sides and a double bottom having an upper plate, a lower plate, and an internal compartment.

Claims

1. A wagon for automatically transporting luggage, which includes:

a rigid frame, for containing the luggage, said frame including;

sides; and

a base;

at least one axle associated with said base and at least one wheel, mounted on said axle, for providing said wagon with linear motion;

at least two ball-bearings located in said base, said ball bearings arranged for transferring rolling motion to said frame;

a motor, in communication with said at least one axle, for providing motion to said at least one wheel;

a controller for controlling the operation of said motor;

a sensing apparatus associated with said rigid frame, said sensing apparatus positioned on said sides of said frame and operative for sensing an obstacle along a track on which said wagon travels at least part of the time, wherein said sensing apparatus communicates with said controller, and wherein said controller stops said motor when the track is blocked and wherein said controller re-starts said motor when the obstacle is removed; and

a coded identification for identifying said wagon from amount a plurality of such wagons, wherein said coded identification is operative to be read by track sensors, and wherein said track sensors include apparatus for transmitting said coded identification to a computerized management system.

2. A wagon according to claim 1, and further including a strip of coded gradation marks, extending along a dimension of said wagons, indicative of the fractional dimension of any point along said strip with respect to the dimension of said wagon, said strip of coded gradation marks further arranged to be read by said track sensor and wherein said dimension is selected from the group of dimensions of said wagon consisting of:

the length of the wagon and the width of the wagon.

3. A wagon and track system for automatically transporting and sorting luggage, which includes:

a computerized management system including threads;

a plurality of wagons each of said wagons including;

a rigid frame, for containing the luggage, said frame including;

sides; and

a base;

at least on axle associated with said base and at least one wheel, mounted on said axle, for providing said wagon with linear motion;

at least two ball-bearings located in said base, said ball bearings arranged for transferring rolling motion to said frame;

a motor, in communication with said at least one axle, for providing motion to said at least one wheel;

a controller for controlling the operation of said motor; and

a sensing apparatus associated with said rigid frame, said sensing apparatus positioned on said sides of said frame and operative for sensing an obstacle along a track on which said wagon travels at least part of the time, wherein said sensing apparatus communicates with said controller, and wherein said controller stops said motor when the track is blocked and wherein said controller re-starts said motor when the obstacle is removed;

a plurality of tracks, wherein each track includes;

a horizontal track strip, defining an x-axis, along which each of said wagons travels; and

vertical track walls against which said at least one wheel of each of said wagons rolls, for providing said wagon with linear motion along said x-axis,

wherein said threads of said computerized management system control the movement of said wagons along said tracks by commanding the stopping and starting of said motor.

4. A wagon and track system according to claim 3, wherein said vertical track walls further include dividing-wall sections along said horizontal track strip and external wall sections bounding said horizontal track strip.

5. A wagon and track system according to claim 3, wherein each of said wagons further includes a coded identification, and wherein each of said tracks further includes a track sensor arranged to read said wagon coded identification and arranged to report its reading to said computerized management system.

6. A wagon and track system according to claim 3, wherein said tracks are interconnected through junctions, said junctions selected from the group which consists of:

sorting junctions at which said wagons may be automatically distributed to different locations and merging junctions at which said wagons may be automatically collected from different locations.

7. A wagon and track system according to claim 3, and including means for selectably lowering said external-wall sections for allowing said wagons to be removed from said tracks, and for allowing said wagons to be mounted on said tracks.

8. A wagon and track system according to claim 3, wherein at least one of said tracks is operable as a multi-lane track, having dividing-wall sections, oriented along said x-axis, defining lanes therebetween, and having dividing-wall sections, oriented along a y-axis, so as to cross said lanes, wherein said dividing-wall sections are arranged to be raised and lowered in response to commands from said computerized management system, and wherein when said dividing-wall sections along said x-axis are raised, and said dividing-wall sections along said y-axis are lowered, said wagons are operable to move in either selected one of positive and negative x directions, and wherein when said dividing wall sections along said y-axis are raised, and said dividing wall sections along said x-axis are lowered, said wagons move in either selected one of positive and negative y directions.

9. A wagon and track system according to claim 8, wherein said threads of said computerized management system control the movements of said wagons within said tracks by commanding the stopping and starting of said motor and the raising and lowering of said dividing-wall sections along said x-axis and said y-axis.

10. A wagon and track system according to claim 8, wherein said multi-lane track is operable as a sorting array for automatically sorting said wagons on to different locations.

11. A wagon and track system according to claim 3, further including entry sensors associated with said tracks, wherein each of said entry sensors is operable to lower a single external-wall section associated with a track cell, responsive to an approach of one of said wagons on a pavement, to facilitate the entry of one of said wagons to said track cell, and wherein each of said entry sensors is further operable to activate said motor of one of said wagons, to facilitate the mounting of one of said wagons from said pavement onto said track cell.

12. A wagon and track system according to claim 3, and also including a departure area which includes:

at least one entry track, associated with a check-in counter, for mounting said wagons onto said track;

a sorting system for sorting said wagons according to a criterion selected from the group of criteria consisting of;

different tracks and different flights.

13. A wagon and track system according to claim 12, and further including an element selected from the group consisting of the following elements:

a wagon return track and an empty wagon pick-up station.

14. A wagon and track system according to claim 3, and also including an arrival area which includes:

at least one loading track at which said wagons are loaded;

at least one luggage pick-up track, for claiming luggage;

at least one loaded wagon track, through which load wagons are transferred towards said luggage pick-up track; and

at least one empty wagon track, through which empty wagons arrive at said loading track.

15. A wagon and track system according to claim 14, further including a tray means for automatically sorting and loading luggage onto said wagons and a conveyor means which includes a means for automatically sorting and loading luggage onto said wagons.

16. A wagon and track system according to claim 14, further including:

at least on wagon-loading track system for loading luggage onto wagons;

at least one loaded wagon transfer system for transferring loaded wagons from said wagon-loading track system to said luggage pick-up track;

at least one empty wagon collection track, for collecting wagons after their luggage has been claimed; and

at least one empty wagon transfer system for transferring empty wagons from said at least one empty-wagon track to said wagon-loading track system.