Kosan Crisplant A/s

Crisplant A/s

Apport Systems A/s

Ralph Kofoed

Ole Prydtz

Uffe Lykkegaard

A system for handling of items constituting a range of items is provided including at least one central control unit, at least one mobile communication unit designed to generate audio and/or visual location signals on the basis of preferably wireless communication signals generated by or the central control units, and at least one return signal path between the communication unit and the central control unit. The items are located in macro zones with at least one underlying hierarchy of elementary zones and each macro zone includes one visual indication system directly or indirectly controlled by the central control unit on the basis of the current location action.

Handling system and indication system for same

A conveyor comprises an endless loop of linked wheeled chassis members running in a guide track. The chassis members are T-shaped with the wheels of each member being attached to the ends of the cross-member of the T. A carrier is releasably attached to each of the chassis members and electrical power is generated by a hub-mounted generator attached to at least one of the wheels of each chassis member. The carriers are preferably in the form of cross-belt units driven by a.c. motors on the carriers whereby items placed on the units can be discharged transversely of the direction of movement of the conveyor.

Cross-belt sorter

A sorter conveyor having laterally tiltable transport trays, instead of comprising a conventional transport chain driven by a driving station, in which a driving wheel or worm cooperates with the chain links, these being advanced arranged with guiding rails along a small mutual spacing and carrying both the transport trays and the tilt mechanisms associated therewith, which conventional arrangement causes considerable problems with respect to tolerances for both the longitudinal pitch of the chain links and the mounting of the guiding rails, comprises carts that are advanced along mutually widely spaced guiding rails (2), whereby the tolerance demands on the latter are reduced considerably; the carts are advanced by way of stationary linear motors (26), which renders any tolerance demands on the longitudinal pitch of the tray units entirely superfluous. Also the tilting mechanisms may be given a very simple design.

Sorter conveyor

In airports, large amounts of luggage have to be sorted and transported. Departing the luggage comes from check-in areas (14) to various finger conveyors (4) that radiate from a central area. A large amount of transit luggage must be handled directly between different finger conveyors (4). Arriving luggage comes from the finger conveyors for delivery to a central delivery area. The invention provides for a transportation system having a high degree of simplicity and clearness both in construction and in operative control. A central rotating conveyor system (2) receives luggage both from the check-in areas (14) and from individual conveyor loops (4) that extend along the separate finger conveyors, whereby departing luggage, as well as transit luggage can easily be sorted out to the correct finger conveyors (4), and arriving luggage conveyed to the central delivery area. The transportation along the finger conveyors (4) is effected by means of carts (26), each having carrier sections (32) for conveying luggage to a selected destination. These carts are advanced with high velocity along the long stretches, but with a low velocity through the areas in which luggage is to be loaded or selectively unloaded.

Method and system for transport of good and luggage in an airport or

Method of controlling sorting systems, and a sorting system thus

In a sorting system for flight luggage it it well known to put individual pieces of luggage in totes (4) which are entered onto a conveyor with sideways tiltable carrying platforms (2), whereby the pieces of luggage may be selectively unloaded from the totes at their destinations (D1,D2) or at a storage unit (W) where the totes are released and stored with their content for later re-introduciton into the sorting system. This known art has required a particular construction of the sorting conveyor with a large-angle tilt and a complex mechanism for releasibly holding the totes. According to the invention the totes have upper surfaces (8) which are of a concave shape in order that the pieces of goods may be slid off the totes while secured, at the same moderate angle required for the sliding-off at the storage unit. Hence the conveyor itself may be quite conventional, at the same time as the holding mechanism may be limited to mere retractable flanges (14) on the sides of the carrying platform.

Growing community of inventors

Hornslet, Denmark

Ralph Kofoed