SORTING ARRANGEMENT FOR SORTING OBJECTS AND A CORRESPONDING METHOD

Abstract

A sorting arrangement for sorting objects, in particular mail items, of different shapes, volumes and/or weights, wherein the sorting arrangement has a deck sorter with a plurality of load receiving means for objects to be sorted, which are moved along a sorting path of the deck sorter and can be individually controlled for discharging an object resting on it into at least one first end point of the sorting arrangement, wherein the sorting arrangement has a pouch sorter with a plurality of load receiving means designed as hanging pouches for objects to be sorted, wherein the pouch sorter has a pouch emptying, from which the pouches are emptied into at least one second end point different from the at least one first end point, the same sorting target being assigned to these two end points. A corresponding method is also described.

Claims

1-21. (canceled)

22. A sorting arrangement for sorting objects comprising: wherein the sorting arrangement has a deck sorter with a plurality of load receiving means for objects to be sorted, which are moved along a sorting path of the deck sorter and can be individually controlled for discharging an object resting on them into at least one first end point of the sorting arrangement, wherein the sorting arrangement has a pouch sorter with a plurality of load receiving means designed as hanging pouches for objects to be sorted, wherein the pouch sorter has a pouch emptying, from which the pouches are emptied into at least one second end point different from the at least one first end point, the same sorting target being assigned to these two end points.

23. The sorting arrangement according to claim 22, which has a combination with which at least one of the first end points and at least one of the second end points, which have the same sorting target, are combined.

24. The sorting arrangement according to claim 22, in which the deck sorter has a fixed number of load receiving means and preferably has a linear sorter and/or a circulating sorter or is a linear sorter or a circulating sorter.

25. The sorting arrangement according to claim 22, in which, depending on an object-specific selection criterion, an object to be sorted is fed either into the deck sorter or into the pouch sorter and the object-specific selection criterion is an object weight, an object volume, an object shape, an object dimension or an object target, the sorting arrangement preferably having a dimensioning-weighing-scanning system for detecting the object-specific selection criterion.

26. The sorting arrangement according to claim 22, in which the pouch sorter has at least one pouch buffer with at least one buffer circuit, in which a plurality of the pouches of the pouch sorter are kept available, which are intended to be emptied into the same second end point.

27. The sorting arrangement according to claim 26, in which the plurality of the pouches are assigned to at least one group and preferably a plurality of groups, wherein for each group the pouches of the group are intended to be emptied into the same second end point.

28. The sorting arrangement according to claim 26, in which the pouch buffer has a plurality of buffer circuits connected parallel to one another with a discharge, wherein the buffer circuits are set up for the individual or group-wise discharge of the pouches.

29. The sorting arrangement according to claim 26, in which the plurality of the pouches of the same group or a plurality of groups is fed to the second end point as a compact group of pouches.

30. The sorting arrangement according to claim 26, in which the pouch sorter is set up to produce a compact group of pouches with a specific sequence by sequenced discharge of the pouches from the pouch buffer and to feed the group to the second end point.

31. The sorting arrangement according to claim 26, in which the pouch sorter for producing a sequence of the pouches downstream of the pouch buffer has sequencing which is set up to bring the pouches of the same group discharged from the pouch buffer into a sequence in which they are fed to the second end point.

32. A method for sorting objects, in particular mail items, of different shapes, volumes and/or weights, the method having the sorting of a plurality of objects to be sorted with a deck sorter into at least one first end point of the deck sorter, the method having the sorting of a plurality of objects to be sorted with a pouch sorter with a plurality of load receiving means designed as hanging pouches for objects to be sorted, wherein the method has the emptying of the pouches of the pouch sorter into at least one second end point different from the at least one first end point, the same sorting target having been assigned to these two end points.

33. The method according to claim 32, which has the consolidating of pairs from one of the first and one of the second end points to which the same sorting target is assigned.

34. The method according to claim 32, which has the determining of an object-specific selection criterion for each of the plurality of objects to be sorted, the objects to be sorted being fed into the deck sorter or into the pouch sorter depending on the determined object-specific selection criterion.

35. The method according to claim 34, in which the determining of the object-specific selection criterion has the determining of an object target, an object weight, an object shape, an object dimension or an object volume and the comparing of the object-specific selection criterion determined in this case with a respectively permissible value range for the feeding into the pouch sorter.

36. The method according to claim 35, in which in the case where the determined object-specific selection criterion lies outside the permissible value range for the feeding into the pouch sorter, the object to be sorted is fed into the deck sorter or fed out for the manual sorting.

37. The method according to claim 32, which has the buffering of a plurality of groups of in each case a plurality of the pouches of the pouch sorter, wherein the pouches of the same group are intended to be emptied into the same second end point, wherein the method has the discharging of a plurality of groups, wherein the pouches of the discharged groups are fed in any desired sequence to a sequencing, preferably a sorting matrix.

38. The method according to claim 37, in which the pouches of the groups fed to the sequencing are discharged from the sequencing by the sequencing in a sequence with respect to one another, in which the pouches of the same group are arranged directly successively.

39. The method according to claim 38, in which, after discharging, each of the groups of pouches are fed to the second end point as a compact group of pouches and preferably the objects received in the pouches are emptied into the second end point simultaneously or in a continuous sequence.

40. The method according to claim 39, which has the further sequencing of the pouches of the same group before the emptying of the pouches into the second end point, wherein the pouches of the same group are brought into a specific sequence with respect to one another, in which they are fed to the second end point.

41. The method according to claim 32, in which the objects to be sorted are sorted by the deck sorter directly into their assigned first end point, wherein the objects to be sorted are sorted by the pouch sorter after the feeding into the pouch sorter into their assigned second end point only when a sorting criterion for the consolidated sorting of all objects fed into the pouch sorter and assigned to the same end point is reached or a sorting command is generated.

42. The method according to claim 32, which has the summing up of at least one physical variable, preferably a weight and/or a volume, of all objects assigned to the same second end point and to be sorted which have been fed into the pouch sorter, these objects to be sorted being emptied into the second end point when a threshold value for the physical measurement variable is reached.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0048] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0049] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are explained with reference to the following figures. In the figures shows:

[0050] FIG. 1 a sorting material feed of a sorting arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0051] FIG. 2 a sorting arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0052] FIG. 3 a first exemplary embodiment of a pouch sorter;

[0053] FIG. 4 a second exemplary embodiment of a pouch sorter; and

[0054] FIG. 5 a third embodiment of an exemplary pouch sorter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0056] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a sorting material feed for a sorting arrangement according to the invention. In principle, it can be provided that an object to be sorted is fed either into the deck sorter 1 or into the pouch sorter 5 depending on an object-specific selection criterion. The object-specific selection criterion can be, for example, an object weight, an object volume, an object dimension or an object target. The sorting arrangement or the illustrated sorting material feed can have a dimensioning-weighing-scanning system 9 for detecting the object-specific selection criterion. For example, particularly bulky or heavy objects can be detected as such by the dimensioning-weighing-scanning system 9 and fed into the deck sorter 1, in particular can be placed on or inserted into one of the load receiving means 2 of the deck sorter 1. The deck sorter can be, for example, a cross-belt sorter sufficiently known from the prior art.

[0057] In particular, light objects which are not suitable for transport via the deck sorter 1 can be detected as such by the dimensioning-weighing-scanning system 9 and discharged in the direction of the pouch sorter 5. For example, these objects can be transferred to an automatic feed 11 of the pouch sorter 5, in which the objects are inserted into a pouch which forms the load receiving means 2 of the pouch sorter. In order to increase the operational reliability, a further dimensioning-weighing-scanning system 9 can be connected directly upstream of the automatic feed 11, in order, for example, to avoid blocking the automatic feed, or in order to add up a plurality of objects which are inserted into the same pouch with regard to their dimensions, weights or the like, in order to achieve optimized filling of the pouch. The pouch sorter 5 furthermore has a manual small-material feed 10 which allows the manual insertion of objects which cannot be sorted in an automatable manner or which can be introduced into the sorting arrangement.

[0058] An exemplary sorting arrangement is shown in FIG. 2. This can be used, for example, in a distribution center of the CEP industry and there has the task of receiving parcels, packages and other items of goods, in general items of mail, within certain dimensions and weights and distributing them to shipping directions.

[0059] In contrast to a warehouse shipping center, the CEP distribution center does not handle orders, but rather distributes the delivered volume of items of mail as completely as possible in a defined time window, during the so-called shift. The items of mail arrive in a temporally uncorrelated manner in various transport means. In this case, the items of mail can already be separated according to size, but do not have to. The items of mail can be unloaded automatically, semi-automatically or manually.

[0060] Loosely loaded items of mail are placed immediately on the sorting system, and for packaged items of mail, for example, on pallets or in roll containers, the order can be placed on the sorter if personnel and free capacity are available on the sorter. If the CEP service provider processes parcels and packages separately in his network, different sorters matched to the product spectrum are usually also found in his distribution center. The items of mail are distributed after the address label which contains the direction information has been read electronically. The direction information predominantly forms the only sorting criterion which is obtained from an address database. During a shift, the assignment of the directions to the end points 4 is usually fixed, with the result that there is little scope for optimizations with regard to personnel use (travel routes, etc.).

[0061] The deck sorter 1 is generally embodied as a closed loop (loop) or in line form as a so-called line sorter. Both types have in common that their number of load receiving means 2 on which the items of mail or objects to be sorted are transported to the end points is small in relation to the distributed number of items of mail per hour, typically less than 1:10. Thus, for example, a package sorter 500 meters long can have 500 load receiving means 2 with a distribution capacity of 9000 items of mail per hour. The reason for this is inter alia the comparatively high cost share of the load receiving means 2 in the entire deck sorter 1.

[0062] The distribution capacity of a deck sorter has its practical limits at approximately 10,000 to 20,000 items per hour. In order to achieve higher capacities within a distribution center, a plurality of sorters must therefore be used, which usually discharge into common end points 4. The relatively small number of load receiving means 3 has the consequence that a load receiving means 2 is only occupied by one item of mail as intended from the task until it reaches the end point 4 and is again available for a new occupation after the discharge of the item of mail into the end point 4. Otherwise, the distribution capacity of the deck sorter 1 falls significantly. A deck sorter 1 is therefore not suitable for the intermediate storage of items of mail.

[0063] The function of the intermediate storage of the items of mail which have the same shipping direction is performed by the end points 4. For operational reasons, the items of mail are collected in the end point 4 before an employee removes them and loads them. The loading can take place as loose in swap decks or trucks, roll containers, sacks or containers. Small items of mail are often also discharged directly into transport means, in particular when small goods sorters are used. A specific sequence of the items of mail in the end points 4 corresponding to a delivery list (stop list of the parcel carriers) cannot be generated. The number of end points results from the operational requirement of how many directions are loaded by the distribution center in question. The number and the storage volume of the end points 4 determine the area requirement of the end points 4 in the distribution center and therefore significantly influence the size and the costs of the building and of the sorter 1 which has to reach all the end points 4. The end points 4 are usually located on the hall floor for operational reasons and compete with the rest of the logistic management. They therefore constitute a cost-intensive storage medium.

[0064] The emptying of the end points 4 and the loading of the items of mail takes place predominantly by persons. The actual loading activity is accompanied by the unproductive travel routes in order to go to a full end point 4 and empty it. If full end points 4 are not emptied immediately, the items of mail intended for these end points 4 remain on the sorter 1 and reduce the distribution capacity.

[0065] The last minutes of a shift before the so-called cut-off time constitute a particular challenge. It is true that as many items of mail as possible are to be distributed and sent in order to achieve a high degree of service. However, the personnel requirement increases significantly as a result in order to empty all the end points 4 shortly before the cut-off time.

[0066] To solve this problem, the sorting arrangement according to the invention shown in FIG. 2 proposes a combination of a deck sorter 1 and a pouch sorter 5, it being possible in particular to shift the intermediate storage capacity from the end points 4 to the pouch sorter. Since pouch sorters 5 are particularly well suited in principle to arranging essential functional assemblies, for instance a pouch buffer 7 or a sequencing 8, one above the other in a vertical arrangement, the pouch sorter has a comparatively smaller footprint while maintaining at least the functionality of the deck sorter.

[0067] Furthermore, pouch sorters 5 offer the property that the number of load receiving means 2, consequently of the pouches, can be scaled virtually as desired. In addition, there are relatively low costs per load receiving means 2, with the result that a functional expansion of the pouch sorter 5 is possible without considerable additional costs. Furthermore, the pouch sorter also offers, not only the pure transport and sorting task, the already aforementioned essential functions of the buffering and sequencing of items of mail which can be provided by a deck sorter only to a limited extent or not at all.

[0068] The intermediate buffering in the pouch sorter 5 can typically be installed in a free space of a hall by the hanging arrangement of the load receiving means 2. Since no access to the system is required, this assembly can be implemented in the vertical direction above the hall floor, without occupying functional and cost-intensive floor space. Furthermore, the use of a pouch sorter with its buffer and sequencing function allows a decoupling of logical sorting targets (LAM unloading stations) and physical end points. This also results in significant saving potentials in the infrastructure of a distribution center.

[0069] The automatic sorting processes can be structured, for example, as follows. Small items of mail are conveyed automatically for loading a load receiving means 2 of the pouch sorter 5. Conveyable items of mail are divided into those that can be transported both on a deck sorter 1 and on a pouch sorter 5, and those that can only be sorted on a deck sorter 1. Items of mail which run via a deck sorter 1 are discharged directly to the respective end point 4. The same applies to the manually treated non-conveyable items of mail which are brought manually directly to the end point 4 or wait for the respective distribution on a manual intermediate store.

[0070] Items of mail which are sorted via the pouch sorter 5 can be buffered on the latter. For this purpose, a pouch buffer 7.1 can be provided. This pouch buffer 7.1 is typically designed as a dynamic buffer which can consist of any desired number of load receiving means 2, in this case pouches, and therefore ensures the greatest possible flexibility. Only when at least one criterion for the discharge occurs are the items of mail in question discharged from the pouch buffer 7.1 in a targeted manner. However, this criterion is typically not limited to a departure time, a volume calculation, a prioritization, a weight class, a size class, but it can also be another criterion according to which sorting can take place.

[0071] After discharging from the pouch buffer 7.1, the sorting capacity can be increased via a further buffer. This pre-sorting can be carried out fully automatically on the basis of various criteria. The criteria are usually, but not exclusively, at least one of departure time, forwarding agent, volume calculation, prioritization, weight class, size class, but it can also be any other criterion according to which classification can take place.

[0072] The comparatively higher sorting capacity in relation to pure deck sorter arrangements allows the end points 4 to be made more compact and therefore the space requirement in the distribution center to be reduced. For this purpose, the load receiving means 2 are transported in the sequence produced to one or more unloading stations 6, which can be designed as pouch emptying. These unloading stations 6 can be designed both for manual emptying and also allow fully automatic emptying of the load receiving means 2. If required, the items of mail separated fully automatically from the load receiving means 2 are consolidated with the items of mail separated manually. Further consolidation can take place between the items of mail which have been sorted via the pouch sorter 5 and the items of mail sorted with the aid of the deck sorter 1. However, consolidation within the meaning of the invention generally does not require the items of mail to be recombined, consequently to form a uniform sorting volume. In particular, it does not have to be provided that the items of mail are combined with one another, for example tilted together, in a single unloading station. Rather, different end points 4 which have the same sorting target but have been loaded by different sorters, for example by the deck sorter 1 on the one hand and by a pouch sorter 5 on the other hand, can be combined in order to be loaded uniformly, for example onto the same transport vehicle, without the items of mail of both end points 4, for example of both grid boxes, being mixed with one another in the process.

[0073] Furthermore, the productivity of the employee can be increased since distances between the end points 4 are reduced by the goods being transported to the employee. The employee no longer has to go to the end point 4. This is implemented in particular in that the load receiving means 2 of the pouch sorter 5 can be buffered and sequenced, for which purpose the already mentioned pouch buffer 7.1 and the sequencing 8 can be provided. As a result of the buffering and sequencing, the load receiving means 2 can serve in a targeted manner precisely those items of mail which are also required for loading at a specific time to an employee. As a result, many end points 4 no longer have to be open simultaneously in order to be filled sporadically over the course of an entire shift. This buffering which takes place in the deck sorter 1 substantially at the end points 4 is performed by the at least one pouch buffer 7.1 in the pouch sorter 5. As a result, valuable functional floor space is available for other tasks and is no longer occupied by buffer media, in particular by end points 4.

[0074] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of a pouch sorter 5 according to the invention. The pouch sorter 5 has a dynamic buffer 14 into which the pouches 2.1 are introduced after their loading and are stored up to a request. The dynamic buffer 14 has, in particular, the function of acting on the first pouch buffer 7.1, which is designed as a dynamic batch buffer, with further pouches 2.1 to be sorted precisely to the extent that the sorting capacity of the first pouch buffer 7.1 is optimized. While the dynamic buffer 14 can be scaled virtually as desired, the first pouch buffer 7.1 has a limited sorting capacity and scalability.

[0075] The first pouch buffer 7.1 has a plurality of buffer circuits 12 arranged parallel to one another. The buffer circuits 12 in each case have a discharge 13 which combine downstream (cf. FIGS. 4 and 5). It is provided that those pouches 2.1 which form a group of pouches 2.1 which have the same sorting target, consequently an assignment to the same end point 4, are kept available in the same buffer circuit 12. In this respect, therefore, during the transfer of the pouches 2.1 from the dynamic buffer 14 into the 1. pouch buffer 7.1, a pre-sorting takes place, although a plurality of the groups of pouches 2.1 described above are kept available per buffer circuit 12. In response to a request, the pouches 2.1 which are assigned to the same group, consequently have the same sorting target, can be discharged from the buffer circuit 12 into the connected discharge 13. The pouches 2.1 of the same group can be discharged in such a way that, after discharging, they form a compact group of pouches 2.1 of the same group, consequently are sorted in relation to their sorting target. This is shown in FIG. 4. In the embodiment according to FIG. 4, the sorted groups can be fed to an end point 4 in question in accordance with their sorting target.

[0076] In the embodiment according to FIG. 5, by contrast, during the discharging of the groups of pouches 2.1 with the same sorting target, a mixed group of pouches 2.1 of different sorting targets is generated, wherein all pouches 2.1 of the discharged groups are contained in the group in an arbitrary sequence. Preferably, after discharging, no more pouches 2.1 of a previously discharged group are kept available in the first pouch buffer 7.1 or in the buffer circuit 12 in question.

[0077] The separation of the pouches 2.1 according to their groups or sorting targets takes place in a sorting matrix 8 to which the pouches 2.1 are fed via the discharge 13 after discharging. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the plurality of complete groups of pouches 2.1 of the same sorting target are fed to the sorting matrix 8 in an arbitrary sequence. The pouches 2.1 leave the sorting matrix 8 in a sorted manner, i.e. as a compact group of pouches 2.1, wherein all pouches 2.1 assigned to a group of pouches with the same sorting target are discharged from the sorting matrix 8 directly successively.

[0078] It can furthermore be seen from FIG. 5 that the sorting matrix 8 can be set up to additionally produce a sequence of the pouches 2.1 within the same group in addition to the sorted purity, consequently to generate sequencing of the pouches 2.1. This sequencing can be provided, for example, to achieve a further sorting stage in a mail distribution center, for example sorting to a smaller postal code spectrum.

[0079] Compared with the sorting arrangements known from the prior art, the number of sortable items of mail per unit time is therefore increased. Buffer capacities are increased and the space in a distribution center is used more efficiently, in particular in the vertical. As a result, structural infrastructure requirements are reduced and sequencing in the sorting is produced by the use of the pouch sorters 5, as a result of which downstream processes are simplified.

[0080] The features of the invention disclosed in the above description, in the drawing and in the claims can be essential both individually and in any desired combination for implementing the invention.

[0081] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.