EP1619152A1 - Method for identifying overlapping mailings - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves passing mails (A-D) in a machine along a sorting plane during a sorting pass, and measuring references (GPA-GPD) for each mail, and finding an expected mail sequence (10) for another sorting pass. Volumes (GP` a, GP`B, GP`D) is measured for each current mail. The reference (GPB) and volume (GP`B) are compared to identify presence of overlapping mails, between the two passes. The reference (GPB) and volume (GP`B) are compared during the two passes, if the current mail is not an expected mail in the sequence (10). An independent claim is also included for a mail sorting machine.

Description

The present invention relates to a method of processing postal items in a postal sorting machine, wherein the postal items are passed several times in a machine according to a sorting plan for preparing a tour of the factor.

The introduction of postal items in a postal sorting machine is carried out by means of a destacker which separates one by one the postal items in stack for injecting them into a conveyor serving the sorting outlets of the machine. Unstacking is a very important and delicate step in the processing of postal items. A known malfunction of a sorting machine is related to the fact that postal items may not be correctly unstacked and are therefore injected "multiple catch" in the conveyor, ie overlapping or overlapping. This type of malfunction can occur during successive sorting passes.

DE19625043 already discloses a method for identifying the presence of multiple-mailed postal items by the combination of probabilities on measurements of the length, height and thickness of postal items.

Also known from GB2279634 is another method for detecting multiple taps by means of a belt system driven at different speeds combined with a length measurement of the incoming and outgoing shipments of the belt system.

Other methods for identifying the presence of multiple taped mail items are further described in US3955812, US4121716 and FR2841487.

The object of the present invention is to propose another method of processing postal items capable of detecting multiple taps occurring between two sorting passes.

• lors de la première passe de tri, on mesure pour chaque envoi courant une grandeur physique propre à l'envoi et à l'issue de la première passe de tri, on détermine, sur la base du passage des envois postaux en première passe de tri et du plan de tri, une séquence attendue des envois postaux pour la seconde passe de tri qui est l'ordre dans lequel les envois postaux doivent se présenter dans la machine pour la seconde passe de tri;
• lors de la seconde passe de tri, on mesure de nouveau pour chaque envoi courant la même grandeur physique et si on détermine que cet envoi courant n'est pas l'envoi attendu dans ladite séquence, on compare les grandeurs physiques mesurées pour un même envoi postal respectivement lors de la première passe et de la seconde passe pour identifier la présence d'envois postaux en prise multiple.

To this end, the subject of the invention is a method for processing postal items in a postal sorting machine, in which the postal items are passed a first time and then a second time in a machine according to a sorting plan, characterized in that that it includes the following steps:

• during the first sorting pass, a physical quantity specific to the sending and at the end of the first sorting pass is measured for each current item, it is determined, on the basis of the passage of the mail items in the first sorting pass, and the sorting plan, an expected sequence of postal items for the second sorting pass which is the order in which the postal items must appear in the machine for the second sorting pass;
• during the second sorting pass, the same physical quantity is measured again for each current item and if it is determined that this current item is not the expected item in said sequence, the physical quantities measured for the same item are compared. at the first pass and the second pass to identify the presence of multiple-catch postal items.

Preferably, the physical quantity measured during the first and second passes is compared for the mailpiece preceding the current mailpiece in the second sorting pass so as to verify that the expected mailing detected as absent is or is not in progress. multiple catch with the shipment preceding the current shipment.

According to various particular embodiments of the method according to the invention, the measured physical quantity is the thickness and / or the height and / or the length and / or the volume and / or the weight of the current shipment.

According to another embodiment of the method according to the invention, distribution points are assigned to the postal items and if the presence of at least two postal items is identified, the distribution points of the postal items are compared. in multiple socket for directing them to the same sorting outlet.

The invention also extends to a postal sorting machine arranged to implement the method defined above.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows and the examination of the figures which accompany it. This description is given as an indicative and non-limiting example of the invention.

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a sorting machine arranged to implement the method according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the different steps of the method according to the invention in connection with a particular case of sorting.

The postal sorting machine 1 shown in FIG. 1 comprises an introductory bench 2 for postal items, a destacker 3, an automatic address reading unit 4 and a conveyor 5 for postal items to sorting outlets 6.

During a first sorting pass, an operator lays singing postal items on the introductory bench 2 which are separated one by one by the 3, and injected into the automatic address reading unit 4. Different members of the automatic address reading unit 4, such as an OCR / VCS address recognition device or a code reader. identification bars, determine in which sorting outlet 6 must be sent each postal item according to the distribution point to which it is assigned and the predetermined sorting plan. The postal items contained in the sorting outlets 6 are reintroduced into the sorting machine 1 while keeping a precise order for a second sorting pass at the end of which they are sorted according to the predetermined sorting plan, for example for the postman's tour. .

In the method according to the invention, the sequence of postal items observed during the first pass is memorized, that is to say that for each current mail item, an identifier of the mail item is matched with its order of passage in first sorting pass or with its unloading order in each sorting outlet in the first sorting pass. For each current mailpiece, it also stores its distribution point and a physical quantity specific to the mailpiece capable of distinguishing a multiple plug. The identifier of the postal item is for example the identification code known as "Chronomarque" or the digital print of the postal item as described in the patent application FR-2841673. From the sequence of mailings observed during the first pass, the knowledge of the distribution points assigned to the postal items and the sorting plan, it is possible to calculate an expected sequence of postal items for the second sorting pass which is the order in which the postal items must appear in the machine for the second sorting pass. Therefore, by simple comparison between the expected sequence and the real sequence obtained in the second pass, it is able to detect if a mailpiece present in the first pass is not in the second pass. The non-detection of one or more postal items may be due to a multiple plug or to a non-unloading or manipulation error. In order to improve the efficiency of the sorting machine as much as possible by avoiding unnecessary rejection of postal items, it is interesting to know if this non-detection is linked or not to a multiple plug. For this purpose, a comparison is made between the physical quantity of a postal item of the sequence expected for the second sorting pass and the physical quantity of the corresponding mail piece of the actual sequence for the second pass. The The physical quantity specific to the postal item suitable for distinguishing a multiple plug is, for example, the thickness, the height, the length, the volume, the surface or the weight and is measured by means of appropriate known detectors which are preferably already available. In the sorting machine 1, for example, methods for detecting multiple taps from the length of postal items are known from FR2842127 and US6737633. Other techniques can still be employed to distinguish multiple taps such as the known contour analysis of FR2841487.

Figure 2 provides a better understanding of the invention with respect to a particular example. During a first sorting pass, a sequence of mailings passes into the automatic address reading unit 4 in front of an identification barcode reader, a thickness sensor and a height and weight sensor. width and each mail item is routed to a sorting outlet 6 determined from the predetermined sorting plan and the distribution point obtained from the identification code. The thickness, the height and the length of the mailpiece make it possible to determine its volume. On the basis of the order of passage of the postal items at the end of the first sorting pass, the distribution points assigned to the postal items and the sorting plan, the sorting machine 1 calculates the sequence of postal items expected. for the second pass, ie the expected identification code sequence, keeping in correspondence the distribution points and the volume.

Figure 2 shows an expected sequence of four consecutive mail items, designated respectively by A, B, C, D and recognized by their identification codes. The references Pd _A , Pd _B , Pd _C , Pd _D represent the respective distribution points of the postal items and the references GP _A , GP _B , GP _C , GP _D represent the respective physical quantities of the postal items measured during the first pass. and more particularly the volumes. FIG. 2 also shows a corresponding real sequence 11 obtained during the second pass which has a difference with respect to the expected sequence 10 with regard to the consecutive postal items which are the postal items A, B and D, with respective volumes GP ' _A , GP' _B , GP ' _D.

Successively, it is determined whether the current mailing of the actual sequence 11 is indeed the expected mailing in the expected sequence 10. In the example of Figure 2, the first mailing has passed matches well with the first mailing expected. Also, the second mailpiece B passed corresponds well with the second mailpiece B expected. On the other hand, the third mail piece D that has passed does not correspond with the third mail piece C expected but is a close mail item in the expected sequence 11. The comparison between the expected sequence 10 and the actual sequence 11 shows that the mail piece C which should have been between postal items B and D was not detected in step 12. Mailing C is not in the actual sequence 11 either because of an error or because it is in multiple engagement with the mailpiece B preceding the current mailing (or with the current mailpiece D according to the configuration of the postal sorting machine with regard to the unstacker 3 and the automatic reading unit of address 4). In order to avoid sorting the shipment C incorrectly, which would have serious consequences for the postal distributor, it is considered that the shipment C is in multiple connection with the shipment B. It is therefore necessary to know if sort out postal item B or reject it. For this purpose, a step of the method according to the invention, noted under the reference 13 in FIG. 2, makes it possible to determine from the information stored in correspondence with the expected sequence 10 whether the postal items B and C must be sent in the same output of sorting 6 or more particularly if the distribution point Pd _B of the consignment B is the same as the distribution point Pd _C of the consignment C. In the second sorting pass, postal items having the same distribution point have a good probability to be consecutive in the sequence. In the case where the distribution points Pd _B and Pd _C are identical as at the output 14 of step 13, the sending B is sent to step 15 and therefore, in the case of a multiple decision, the sending is sorted. C correctly. In the opposite case, at the exit 16 of the step 13, it is checked whether the items B and C are in multiple engagement during a step 17 in which the volume GP _B of the postal item B measured at during the first sorting pass at the volume GP ' _B of the postal item B measured during the second pass. If the difference between the volumes GP _B and GP ' _B does not exceed a given threshold, it is considered that the transmission B is not in multiple connection with the shipment C and the shipment B is sorted at the step 15, otherwise the sending B is rejected in step 18 and therefore the shipment C. The postal items B and C will then be manually sorted later.

This method according to the invention reliably allows rejection of multi-taped postal items when this is necessary and avoids as much as possible rejecting the postal items assumed to be multiple-ended while they are not.

The method according to the invention described with reference to FIG. 2 in the case where a single postal item has not been detected can obviously apply when two or more postal items have not been detected. For this, the unit between all the distribution points of the mail items supposed to be multiple-taped is considered during step 13 and the threshold for the comparison of the volumes is adapted during step 17.

Steps 13 and 17 can be reversed or independent.

The method described above for a treatment of postal items in two sorting passes can of course be applied for a postal item processing in addition to two sorting passes.

The knowledge of the expected sequence for the second sorting pass and the thickness (physical quantity) of the postal items measured during the first sorting pass can also serve to size the logistical requirements, in particular number of bins needed, number of rounds simultaneous packaging of objects by distribution point or group of distribution points, etc., for the downstream sorting and distribution process.

Claims (9)

Method of processing postal items in a postal sorting machine (1), in which the postal items are first and secondly placed in a machine according to a sorting plan, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: during the first sorting pass, for each current item (A, B, C, D) a physical quantity (GP _A , GP _B , GP _C , GP _D ) specific to the sending and the exit is measured. of the first sorting pass, it is determined, based on the passage of the postal items in the first sorting pass and the sorting plan, an expected sequence (10) of the postal items for the second sorting pass which is the order in which postal items must appear in the machine for the second sorting pass; during the second sorting pass, the same physical quantity (GP ' _A , GP' _B , GP ' _D ) is measured again for each current item (A, B, _D ) and if it is determined that this current item n is not the expected sending in said sequence (10), one compares (17) the physical quantities (GP _B , GP ' _B ) measured for the same mailing respectively during the first pass and the second pass to identify the presence of mail items in multiple take. Method according to claim 1, wherein the physical quantity measured during the first pass and the second pass is compared for the mailpiece preceding the current mailing. Method according to one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the measured physical quantity is the thickness of the current shipment. Method according to one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the measured physical quantity is the height of the current shipment. Method according to one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the measured physical quantity is the length of the current shipment. Method according to one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the measured physical quantity is the volume of the current shipment. Method according to one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the measured physical quantity is the weight of the current shipment. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein distribution points (Pd _A , Pd _B , Pd _C , Pd _D ) are assigned to the postal items (A, B, C, D) and in which if the presence is identified. of at least two mailpieces in multiple take, we compare (13) the distribution points of the mail items in multiple take to direct them to the same sorting outlet. Postal sorting machine (1) arranged to implement the method according to one of the preceding claims.

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