EP3496874B1 - Method of merging postal objects with already sorted postal articles on a table - Google Patents

Method of merging postal objects with already sorted postal articles on a table Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3496874B1
EP3496874B1 EP17745435.2A EP17745435A EP3496874B1 EP 3496874 B1 EP3496874 B1 EP 3496874B1 EP 17745435 A EP17745435 A EP 17745435A EP 3496874 B1 EP3496874 B1 EP 3496874B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
postal
stack
sorting
station
operator
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EP17745435.2A
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German (de)
French (fr)
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EP3496874A1 (en
Inventor
Agnès Philippe
Bruno Volta
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Solystic SAS
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Solystic SAS
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C7/00—Sorting by hand only e.g. of mail
    • B07C7/005—Computer assisted manual sorting, e.g. for mail
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C2301/00—Sorting according to destination
    • B07C2301/0083—Merging of mail pieces of different categories, e.g. letters with flats

Definitions

  • the field of the invention is that of postal sorting.
  • the invention relates more particularly to a method for manually merging postal items with mail items already sorted by machine according to a certain sorting order, for example according to the postman's round.
  • These postal objects are in particular but not exclusively non-mechanized postal objects which are not currently sorted automatically in a sorting machine. These mail items could also be mail items that can be machined but which could not be machine sorted.
  • the postal sorting machines and processes used for the preparation of the postman's round may be fully automatic or may include stages in which the intervention of an Operator is necessary, in particular in the case of processing of postal items that cannot be mechanized. .
  • This aid consists in displaying on a display screen placed next to the operator, the image of a reference mail item which must precede or which must follow in the orderly sequence of mail items the mail item to be merged.
  • a digital image of the postal object to be merged is formed with a camera, and from the data contained in this image the destination of this postal object is determined. Then from the data of the mail items produced in the sorting machine during the previous sorting passes and from a sorting plan which corresponds to the ordering of these mail items in the sequence, and from the destination of the mail item to be merged the reference mail item is determined.
  • the operator scans the sequence of mail pieces until visually identifying the reference mail piece, after which he can place the mail piece in the correct place in the ordered sequence of mail pieces.
  • the aim of the invention is therefore to remedy these drawbacks.
  • the idea at the basis of the invention here consists in simplifying the preparation of the postman's round and in improving the ergonomics of the sorting operator's workstation.
  • the method according to the invention advantageously allows to reuse the tray of the electronic manual sorting assistance station, the camera and the control / command unit to carry out on the same workstation of a sorting Operator both a pre-sorting of postal items in a vertical slot bin and a table merge in the stack of already sorted mail items. It also allows sorting passes to be carried out in the upstream locker with the same material.
  • the sorting operator has the locker, the melting table and the tray of the electronic assistance station within easy reach, which improves the ergonomics of the station.
  • the tray of the electronic manual sorting assistance station, the camera and the control / command unit can form a mobile unit which can be moved between the sorting bin and the melting table.
  • Reusing the equipment also limits installation costs by using a so-called “passive” electronic locker and reduces floor space.
  • the simplification of the method according to the invention with respect to the known method allows the Operator to optimize the occupation of the vertical slot rack and to free up time of use of the rack for other Operators.
  • the idea of the invention also consists in making the merging of postal objects in the stack of mail items more intuitive and in better controlling handling errors by the Operator.
  • a stack of postal objects is created specifically for the merger from the postal objects pre-sorted in the locker slots.
  • the mail items in this stack are laid out flat on the tray of the electronic assistance station in a pre-sorted state which corresponds to the ordering of the mail items already sorted.
  • the Operator will no longer have to go back and forth in the stack of mail items to merge the mail items.
  • the Operator searches for the insertion position in the stack of mail items without ever going back in the stack. By eliminating back and forth in the stack, sorting errors are thus limited.
  • a sequence check can be performed to detect an Operator manipulation error.
  • Mail items 3 are for example letters, magazines or other flat postal items that can be mechanized, that is to say that can be sorted automatically in a postal sorting machine as is known to those skilled in the art.
  • the melting aid device 1 here comprises a sorting bin 4 with vertical slots 5 each capable of receiving a postal item 2 on edge.
  • the vertical slots 5 follow one another in parallel between two distal ends of the box 4 along its long length and the box has dividing walls 6 between two adjacent slots which extend in a plane perpendicular to the long length of the box.
  • the dividing walls 6 are L-shaped in the plane perpendicular to the long length of the rack so that the slots are open both on the front face and on the top face of the rack.
  • the walls 6 of the rack may be designed to be retractable at regular intervals from the walls 6, and as illustrated in FIG. figure 2 , walls can slide towards the rear of the rack 4 in the direction of arrow F1, while other walls at regular intervals remain fixed, which defines bundles of objects between the fixed walls which can each be removed from the rack per handle.
  • the melting aid device 1 further comprises a melting table 7 on which the mail items 3 already sorted are arranged in a stack on edge.
  • the merger assistance device 1 further comprises an electronic assistance station PE with a control / command unit 8 connected to a camera 8 which overlooks a plateau 10.
  • this assistance station PE is preferably arranged between the melting table 7 and the sorting bin 4, here the melting table to the left of the PE station and the bin 4 to the right of the PE station.
  • the unit 8 is able to keep sorting data in memory and in particular has in memory the sorting data of the mail items 3 already sorted arranged in a stack on edge on the melting table 10. These sorting data may have been transferred from a postal sorting machine. In addition, unit 8 has a sorting plan in memory which is that of mail items 3.
  • this electronic assistance station PE has two operating modes, one called “locker sorting mode” according to which it provides assistance to the Operator for sorting in the box, here a box with vertical slots “and another operating mode called” merge mode "according to which it provides assistance to the Operator for the insertion of a postal object 2 in the stack mail items 3.
  • These two operating modes of the PE station are here for example activated by the Operator by pressing a button on the screen 11 which is a touch screen.
  • the unit 8 is arranged to form with the camera 9 an image of the object 2A on top of the stack of objects 2 which is placed flat on the plate 10. and from an image of this flat postal object 2A containing a delivery address, automatically recognize this delivery address in particular by OCR processing and then with the sorting plan in memory, identify a slot 5 in the sorting box 4 where must be placed the postal object 2A.
  • the unit 8 causes on the display screen 11 to display a marking signal 12 representative of the location of this slot in the sorting bin.
  • this signal 12 is the number of the slot in the locker, here number 2.
  • Another type of display can be provided to identify the location of the slot in the locker.
  • the identification of the location of the slot in the locker is essentially done on the display screen 11 so that the locker can be a slot locker of very simple design and which does not embed electronic.
  • the postal object 2A is inserted on the edge following arrow F2 in a vertical slot 5 of the sorting bin 4.
  • the unit 8 is arranged so that a registration signal 12 is produced automatically as an object 2A is picked up from the top of the stack of objects 2 as shown in figure. figure 1 .
  • the unit 8 is arranged to further form with the camera 9 a digital image of the object 2B from above the stack of objects 2 placed flat on the plate 10 of the station PE .
  • the unit 8 is arranged to automatically recognize this distribution address, in particular by OCR and then from this recognized distribution address, data for sorting the mail items 3 and the sorting plan for mail items 2, the unit 8 is able to identify a location in the stack of mail items 3 where the mail item 2B must be inserted.
  • unit 8 in this second operating mode is able to display on screen 11 a location signal 13 representative of this location which is here a number, in the example at the bottom right of the screen the number 10, which is the number of mail pieces to pass from the start of the stack to arrive at the insert location.
  • the location signal 13 can indicate, where appropriate, the number of consecutive objects, here the number 1 at the top left of the screen 11, to be inserted at this fusion location.
  • the control / command unit 8 is designed so that a marking signal 13 is produced automatically as and as an object 2B is grabbed on top of the stack of objects 2 as shown in figure 3 . Each time an image of an object 2B is formed and the distribution address is recognized automatically, the unit 8 can be designed to check whether this object 2B is indeed the expected object in the sequence of objects which were sorted in the locker.
  • the unit 8 can be arranged to display on the screen 11 an error message.
  • an error can occur if an object to be merged was left in a slot when it had to be gripped in the Operator's handle.
  • the Operator scans the stack of articles 3 to the fusion location, then forms an insertion slot between two adjacent articles, then grabs the object 2B and inserts it into the insertion slot.
  • the unit 8 is arranged to automatically form a new image of the object 2B from the top of the stack and to display on the display screen 11 a new registration signal 13.
  • the figure 5 now illustrates the successive steps of an operation of merging postal objects with mail items already sorted, for example for the postman's round using the device 1 according to the invention.
  • step 100 the Operator manually places on the merge table 7 the mail items already sorted in stack on edge.
  • the Operator then places the postal objects to be merged in a flat stack on the plate 10 of the electronic assistance station PE as illustrated on the figure 1 .
  • step 110 the Operator activates the control / command unit 8 of the electronic assistance station in a “Locker Sorting Mode” operating mode.
  • the electronic assistance station displays on the screen 11 a marking signal 12 which designates a slot 5 of the rack where the object 2 must be inserted from above the stack of objects to be merged.
  • step 120 the Operator grabs the object 2 from the top of the stack and inserts it into the slot of the sort bin designated on the screen and the process returns to step 110.
  • Steps 110 and 120 are repeated until there is no longer any object on the plate 10 of the electronic assistance station PE. All postal objects to be merged are now in slots 5 of the locker as shown in the figure 2 and the process continues at step 130.
  • step 130 the Operator can manipulate the slot box 4 to retract the slot separators at regular intervals, which defines in the slot box larger slots which contain several postal objects 2 forming packages of postal objects. . These packages of postal items can each be seized by handful by the Operator, which speeds up the merging process.
  • step 140 the Operator then grabs a first handful of postal objects 2 from the box, starting with one of the distal ends of the box, and he places these objects with a gesture in a flat stack on the plate 10 of the box. electronic assistance post PE.
  • the Operator must ensure that postal objects 2 have their face bearing the address of distribution facing camera 9 of the PE station.
  • step 150 the Operator activates the control / command unit 8 of the electronic assistance station PE in a “Fusion Mode” operating mode.
  • the electronic assistance station PE displays on the screen 11 a registration signal 12 which designates a fusion location in the stack of mail items on edge placed on the fusion table 7, as shown. on the figure 3 , to insert a postal object to merge
  • step 160 the Operator scans the stack of edge mail items to find the merge location using the tracking signal displayed on screen 11.
  • the Operator forms an insertion slot between two adjacent mail items.
  • step 170 the Operator grasps the postal object 2 from the top of the stack in the assistance station PE and places it on edge in the slot indicated by the arrow F3 on the figure 4 .
  • step 150 the process returns to step 150 and repeats steps 160 and 170 until there are no more objects to be merged in the electronic assistance station PE.
  • the Operator can again place a new handful of postal items to be merged in a flat stack on the tray. 10 of the electronic assistance station PE. The process then loops through steps 140 to 170 again.
  • the operator deactivates the "merge mode" operating mode and resets the process of unit 8.
  • the operator can thus start the table merge process again with another stack of mail items already sorted, starting from step 100 ..

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Sorting Of Articles (AREA)

Description

Domaine techniqueTechnical area

Le domaine de l'invention est celui du tri postal.The field of the invention is that of postal sorting.

L'invention concerne plus particulièrement un procédé pour fusionner manuellement des objets postaux avec des articles de courrier déjà triés en machine selon un certain ordre de tri, par exemple selon la tournée du facteur.The invention relates more particularly to a method for manually merging postal items with mail items already sorted by machine according to a certain sorting order, for example according to the postman's round.

Ces objets postaux sont en particulier mais non exclusivement des objets postaux non mécanisables qui ne sont pas actuellement triés automatiquement en machine de tri. Ces objets postaux pourraient aussi être des articles de courrier mécanisables mais qui n'ont pas pu être triés en machine.These postal objects are in particular but not exclusively non-mechanized postal objects which are not currently sorted automatically in a sorting machine. These mail items could also be mail items that can be machined but which could not be machine sorted.

Technique antérieurePrior art

Les machines et les procédés de tri postal utilisés pour la préparation de la tournée du facteur peuvent être intégralement automatiques ou peuvent comporter des étapes dans lesquelles l'intervention d'un Opérateur est nécessaire, notamment dans le cas de traitement d'objets postaux non mécanisables.The postal sorting machines and processes used for the preparation of the postman's round may be fully automatic or may include stages in which the intervention of an Operator is necessary, in particular in the case of processing of postal items that cannot be mechanized. .

On connait du brevet DE 10 2010 043 389 un procédé pour fusionner manuellement des objets postaux non mécanisables avec du courrier trié en machine. Dans ce procédé connu, une aide à la fusion est apportée à l'Opérateur chargé de réaliser la fusion.We know from the patent FROM 10 2010 043 389 a process for manually merging non-mechanizable postal objects with machine-sorted mail. In this known process, a merger aid is provided to the operator responsible for carrying out the merger.

Cette aide consiste à afficher sur un écran d'affichage placé à côté de l'opérateur, l'image d'un article de courrier de référence qui doit précéder ou qui doit suivre dans la séquence ordonnée des articles de courrier l'objet postal à fusionner.This aid consists in displaying on a display screen placed next to the operator, the image of a reference mail item which must precede or which must follow in the orderly sequence of mail items the mail item to be merged.

Pour cela, on forme avec une caméra une image numérique de l'objet postal à fusionner, et à partir des données contenues dans cette image on détermine la destination de cet objet postal. Puis à partir des données des articles de courrier produites dans la machine de tri lors des passes de tri précédentes et d'un plan de tri qui correspond à l'ordonnancement de ces articles de courrier dans la séquence, et de la destination de l'objet postal à fusionner on détermine l'article de courrier de référence.For this, a digital image of the postal object to be merged is formed with a camera, and from the data contained in this image the destination of this postal object is determined. Then from the data of the mail items produced in the sorting machine during the previous sorting passes and from a sorting plan which corresponds to the ordering of these mail items in the sequence, and from the destination of the mail item to be merged the reference mail item is determined.

Ensuite, l'opérateur balaie la séquence d'articles de courrier jusqu'à identifier visuellement l'article de courrier de référence, suite à quoi il peut insérer au bon endroit l'objet postal dans la séquence ordonnée des articles de courrier.Then, the operator scans the sequence of mail pieces until visually identifying the reference mail piece, after which he can place the mail piece in the correct place in the ordered sequence of mail pieces.

Ce type de fusion manuelle dans la préparation de la tournée du facteur nécessite de faire des va-et-vient à l'avant et à l'arrière dans la pile d'articles de courrier pour insérer chaque objet postal au bon endroit ce qui augmente le risque d'erreur lors de la fusion.This type of manual fusion in the preparation of the postman's round requires going back and forth back and forth through the stack of mail items to insert each postal item in the right place, which increases the risk of error during the merger.

Exposé de l'inventionDisclosure of the invention

Le but de l'invention est donc de remédier à ces inconvénients.The aim of the invention is therefore to remedy these drawbacks.

A cet effet, l'invention a donc pour objet un procédé pour fusionner sur table des objets postaux avec des articles de courrier déjà triés, caractérisé en ce qu'il comprend les étapes suivantes :

  • placer les articles de courrier en pile sur chant sur une table de fusion;
  • placer les objets postaux à fusionner en pile à plat sur un plateau d'un poste électronique d'assistance au tri manuel, ce poste comprenant une caméra disposée en surplomb du plateau, un écran d'affichage et une unité de contrôle/commande;
  • faire fonctionner l'unité de contrôle/commande du poste de telle sorte qu'avant chaque prélèvement d'un objet postal du dessus de la pile d'objets postaux, une image numérique de cet objet est formée par la caméra et l'unité à partir de cette image produit sur l'écran d'affichage un premier signal de repérage qui désigne une fente verticale d'un casier de tri à fentes verticales dans laquelle doit être inséré cet objet postal;
  • lorsque les fentes verticales du casier de tri sont remplies avec des objets postaux, prélever par poignée du casier de tri un paquet d'objets postaux et le placer en pile à plat sur le plateau du poste électronique d'assistance au tri manuel; et
  • faire fonctionner l'unité de contrôle/commande du poste de telle sorte qu'avant chaque prélèvement d'un objet postal du dessus de la pile d'objets postaux, une image numérique de cet objet est formée par la caméra et l'unité à partir de cette image produit sur l'écran d'affichage un second signal de repérage qui est représentatif d'une position d'insertion dans la pile des articles de courrier sur la table de fusion dans laquelle l'objet postal courant doit être inséré.
To this end, the subject of the invention is therefore a method for merging postal items on a table with items of mail already sorted, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:
  • stack mail items on edge on a merge table;
  • placing the postal items to be merged in a flat stack on a tray of an electronic manual sorting assistance station, this station comprising a camera positioned overhanging the tray, a display screen and a control / command unit;
  • operate the control / command unit of the post so that before each removal of a postal item from the top of the stack of postal items, a digital image of this item is formed by the camera and the mailing unit from this image produces on the display screen a first registration signal which designates a vertical slot of a sorting bin with vertical slots into which this postal item is to be inserted;
  • when the vertical slots of the sorting bin are filled with postal items, take a package of postal items by handle from the sorting bin and place it in a flat stack on the tray of the electronic manual sorting assistance station; and
  • operate the control / command unit of the post so that before each removal of a postal item from the top of the stack of postal items, a digital image of this item is formed by the camera and the mailing unit from this image produces on the display screen a second registration signal which is representative of an insertion position in the stack of mail items on the merge table into which the current mail item is to be inserted.

L'idée à la base de l'invention consiste ici à simplifier la préparation de la tournée du facteur et à améliorer l'ergonomie du poste de travail de l'Opérateur de tri.The idea at the basis of the invention here consists in simplifying the preparation of the postman's round and in improving the ergonomics of the sorting operator's workstation.

Le procédé selon l'invention permet avantageusement de réutiliser le plateau du poste électronique d'assistance au tri manuel, la caméra et l'unité de contrôle/commande pour réaliser sur un même poste de travail d'un Opérateur de tri à la fois un pré-tri des objets postaux dans un casier à fentes verticales et une fusion sur table dans la pile d'articles de courrier déjà triés. Il permet également d'effectuer les passes de tri au casier en amont avec le même matériel.The method according to the invention advantageously allows to reuse the tray of the electronic manual sorting assistance station, the camera and the control / command unit to carry out on the same workstation of a sorting Operator both a pre-sorting of postal items in a vertical slot bin and a table merge in the stack of already sorted mail items. It also allows sorting passes to be carried out in the upstream locker with the same material.

On comprendra donc que l'Opérateur de tri a à portée de main le casier, la table de fusion et le plateau du poste électronique d'assistance ce qui améliore l'ergonomie du poste.It will therefore be understood that the sorting operator has the locker, the melting table and the tray of the electronic assistance station within easy reach, which improves the ergonomics of the station.

De manière avantageuse, le plateau du poste électronique d'assistance au tri manuel, la caméra et l'unité de contrôle/commande peuvent former une unité mobile qui peut être déplacée entre le casier de tri et la table de fusion.Advantageously, the tray of the electronic manual sorting assistance station, the camera and the control / command unit can form a mobile unit which can be moved between the sorting bin and the melting table.

La réutilisation du matériel limite également les coûts d'installation par l'utilisation d'un casier sans électronique dit « passif » et réduit l'encombrement au sol.Reusing the equipment also limits installation costs by using a so-called “passive” electronic locker and reduces floor space.

De plus, la simplification du procédé selon l'invention par rapport au procédé connu permet à l'Opérateur d'optimiser l'occupation du casier à fentes verticales et de libérer du temps d'utilisation du casier pour d'autres Opérateurs.In addition, the simplification of the method according to the invention with respect to the known method allows the Operator to optimize the occupation of the vertical slot rack and to free up time of use of the rack for other Operators.

L'idée de l'invention consiste également à rendre plus intuitif la fusion d'objets postaux dans la pile d'articles de courrier et à mieux contrôler des erreurs de manipulation de l'Opérateur.The idea of the invention also consists in making the merging of postal objects in the stack of mail items more intuitive and in better controlling handling errors by the Operator.

A ce titre, une pile d'objets postaux est créée spécifiquement pour la fusion à partir des objets postaux pré-triés dans les fentes du casier. Les objets postaux de cette pile sont disposés à plat sur le plateau du poste d'assistance électronique dans un état pré-trié qui correspond à l'ordonnancement des articles de courrier déjà triés.As such, a stack of postal objects is created specifically for the merger from the postal objects pre-sorted in the locker slots. The mail items in this stack are laid out flat on the tray of the electronic assistance station in a pre-sorted state which corresponds to the ordering of the mail items already sorted.

Ainsi on comprendra que l'Opérateur n'aura plus à faire des va et vient d'avant en arrière dans la pile d'articles de courrier pour fusionner les objets postaux. En d'autres termes, l'Opérateur cherche la position d'insertion dans la pile d'articles de courrier sans jamais revenir en arrière dans la pile. En supprimant les va-et-vient dans la pile on limite ainsi les erreurs de tri.Thus, it will be understood that the Operator will no longer have to go back and forth in the stack of mail items to merge the mail items. In other words, the Operator searches for the insertion position in the stack of mail items without ever going back in the stack. By eliminating back and forth in the stack, sorting errors are thus limited.

On comprendra également que l'insertion de plusieurs objets postaux ordonnés de la pile dans une même position d'insertion lève le risque d'ambiguïté et d'erreur de la part de l'Opérateur.It will also be understood that the insertion of several ordered postal objects from the stack in the same insertion position removes the risk of ambiguity and error on the part of the Operator.

Le marquage des objets postaux à fusionner et des articles de courrier déjà triés devient alors non nécessaire lors de la fusion sur table.Marking of postal items to be merged and already sorted mail items then becomes unnecessary during table merging.

A chaque placement d'un objet dans la pile des articles de courrier, un contrôle de séquence peut être réalisé pour détecter une erreur de manipulation de l'Opérateur.Each time an object is placed in the stack of mail items, a sequence check can be performed to detect an Operator manipulation error.

Le prélèvement par poignée des objets postaux du casier permet aussi de réduire les erreurs de manipulation de l'Opérateur.The removal of postal items from the locker by handfuls also makes it possible to reduce the Operator's handling errors.

Présentation sommaire des dessinsBrief presentation of the drawings

La présente invention sera mieux comprise et d'autres avantages apparaîtront à la lecture de la description qui suit et des dessins annexés.

  • Les figures 1 à 4 illustrent de façon schématique un dispositif d'aide à la fusion pour mettre en œuvre le procédé de fusion selon l'invention.
  • La figure 5 est un diagramme qui illustre les principales étapes du procédé de fusion selon l'invention.
The present invention will be better understood and other advantages will appear on reading the following description and the accompanying drawings.
  • The figures 1 to 4 schematically illustrate a fusion aid device for implementing the fusion method according to the invention.
  • The figure 5 is a diagram which illustrates the main steps of the melting process according to the invention.

Description d'un mode de réalisationDescription of an embodiment

Sur les figures 1 à 4, on a illustré de façon très schématique un dispositif d'aide 1 à la fusion d'objets postaux 2, notamment des objets postaux non mécanisables, avec des articles de courrier 3 déjà triés suivant un certain ordre de tri, par exemple selon la tournée du facteur.On the figures 1 to 4 , there is very schematically illustrated a device 1 for assisting the fusion of postal objects 2, in particular non-mechanizable postal objects, with mail items 3 already sorted according to a certain sorting order, for example according to the round of the postman.

Les articles de courrier 3 sont par exemple des lettres, magazines ou autre objets postaux plats mécanisables, c'est-à-dire pouvant être triés automatiquement dans une machine de tri postal comme cela est connu de l'Homme du métier.Mail items 3 are for example letters, magazines or other flat postal items that can be mechanized, that is to say that can be sorted automatically in a postal sorting machine as is known to those skilled in the art.

Le dispositif d'aide à la fusion 1 comprend ici un casier de tri 4 à fentes verticales 5 aptes à recevoir chacune un objet postal 2 sur chant.The melting aid device 1 here comprises a sorting bin 4 with vertical slots 5 each capable of receiving a postal item 2 on edge.

Les fentes verticales 5 se succèdent parallèlement entre deux extrémités distales du casier 4 suivant sa grande longueur et le casier présente des parois de séparation 6 entre deux fentes adjacentes qui s'étendent dans un plan perpendiculaire à la grande longueur du casier. Dans l'exemple illustré sur les figures 1 à 4, les parois de séparation 6 sont en forme de L dans le plan perpendiculaire à la grande longueur du casier de sorte que les fentes sont ouvertes à la fois sur la face frontale et sur la face du dessus du casier.The vertical slots 5 follow one another in parallel between two distal ends of the box 4 along its long length and the box has dividing walls 6 between two adjacent slots which extend in a plane perpendicular to the long length of the box. In the example shown on figures 1 to 4 , the dividing walls 6 are L-shaped in the plane perpendicular to the long length of the rack so that the slots are open both on the front face and on the top face of the rack.

Dans un mode de réalisation particulier du dispositif d'aide à la fusion selon l'invention, des parois 6 du casier peuvent être conçues rétractables à intervalles réguliers des parois 6, et comme illustré sur la figure 2, des parois peuvent coulisser vers l'arrière du casier 4 dans le sens de la flèche F1, tandis que d'autres parois à intervalles régulier restent fixe ce qui définit des paquets d'objets entre les parois fixes qui peuvent chacun être prélevé du casier par poignée.In a particular embodiment of the melting aid device according to the invention, the walls 6 of the rack may be designed to be retractable at regular intervals from the walls 6, and as illustrated in FIG. figure 2 , walls can slide towards the rear of the rack 4 in the direction of arrow F1, while other walls at regular intervals remain fixed, which defines bundles of objects between the fixed walls which can each be removed from the rack per handle.

Le dispositif 1 d'aide à la fusion comprend en outre une table de fusion 7 sur laquelle des articles de courrier 3 déjà triés sont disposés en pile sur chant.The melting aid device 1 further comprises a melting table 7 on which the mail items 3 already sorted are arranged in a stack on edge.

Selon l'invention, pour faciliter la fusion des objets postaux 2 avec les articles de courrier 3, le dispositif d'aide à la fusion 1 comprend encore un poste d'assistance électronique PE avec une unité de contrôle/commande 8 reliée à une caméra 8 qui surplombe un plateau 10.According to the invention, to facilitate the merging of the postal items 2 with the mail items 3, the merger assistance device 1 further comprises an electronic assistance station PE with a control / command unit 8 connected to a camera 8 which overlooks a plateau 10.

Comme visible sur les figures 1 à 4, ce poste d'assistance PE est disposé de préférence entre la table de fusion 7 et le casier de tri 4, ici la table de fusion à gauche du poste PE et le casier 4 à droite du poste PE.As visible on the figures 1 to 4 , this assistance station PE is preferably arranged between the melting table 7 and the sorting bin 4, here the melting table to the left of the PE station and the bin 4 to the right of the PE station.

L'unité 8 est apte à maintenir en mémoire des données de tri et en particulier a en mémoire les données de tri des articles de courrier 3 déjà triés disposés en pile sur chant sur la table de fusion 10. Ces données de tri peuvent avoir été transférées depuis une machine de tri postal. En plus, l'unité 8 a en mémoire un plan de tri qui est celui des articles de courrier 3.The unit 8 is able to keep sorting data in memory and in particular has in memory the sorting data of the mail items 3 already sorted arranged in a stack on edge on the melting table 10. These sorting data may have been transferred from a postal sorting machine. In addition, unit 8 has a sorting plan in memory which is that of mail items 3.

Selon l'invention, ce poste d'assistance électronique PE a deux modes de fonctionnement, l'un dit "mode tri au casier" selon lequel il fournit une assistance à l'Opérateur pour le tri au casier, ici un casier à fentes verticales" et un autre mode de fonctionnement dit "mode fusion" selon lequel il fournit une assistance à l'Opérateur pour l'insertion d'un objet postal 2 dans la pile d'articles de courrier 3.According to the invention, this electronic assistance station PE has two operating modes, one called "locker sorting mode" according to which it provides assistance to the Operator for sorting in the box, here a box with vertical slots "and another operating mode called" merge mode "according to which it provides assistance to the Operator for the insertion of a postal object 2 in the stack mail items 3.

Ces deux modes de fonctionnement du poste PE sont ici par exemple enclenchés par l'Opérateur par un appui sur une touche de l'écran 11 qui est un écran tactile.These two operating modes of the PE station are here for example activated by the Operator by pressing a button on the screen 11 which is a touch screen.

Dans le mode de fonctionnement "mode tri au casier", l'unité 8 est agencée pour former avec la caméra 9 une image de l'objet 2A sur le dessus de la pile d'objets 2 qui est placée à plat sur le plateau 10 et à partir d'une image de cet objet postal 2A à plat contenant une adresse de distribution, reconnaître automatiquement cette adresse de distribution notamment par traitement OCR et ensuite avec le plan de tri en mémoire identifier une fente 5 dans le casier de tri 4 où doit être placé l'objet postal 2A.In the "bin sorting mode" operating mode, the unit 8 is arranged to form with the camera 9 an image of the object 2A on top of the stack of objects 2 which is placed flat on the plate 10. and from an image of this flat postal object 2A containing a delivery address, automatically recognize this delivery address in particular by OCR processing and then with the sorting plan in memory, identify a slot 5 in the sorting box 4 where must be placed the postal object 2A.

Sur la base de cette identification, l'unité 8 fait afficher sur l'écran d'affichage 11 un signal de repérage 12 représentatif de l'emplacement de cette fente dans le casier de tri.On the basis of this identification, the unit 8 causes on the display screen 11 to display a marking signal 12 representative of the location of this slot in the sorting bin.

Sur la figure 1, ce signal 12 est le numéro de la fente dans le casier, ici le numéro 2. On peut prévoir un autre type d'affichage pour identifier l'emplacement de la fente dans le casier.On the figure 1 , this signal 12 is the number of the slot in the locker, here number 2. Another type of display can be provided to identify the location of the slot in the locker.

On comprend que l'identification de l'emplacement de la fente dans le casier se fait essentiellement sur l'écran d'affichage 11 de sorte que le casier peut être un casier à fentes de conception très simple et qui n'embarque pas d'électronique.It will be understood that the identification of the location of the slot in the locker is essentially done on the display screen 11 so that the locker can be a slot locker of very simple design and which does not embed electronic.

Comme montré sur la figure 1, l'objet postal 2A est inséré sur chant suivant la flèche F2 dans une fente verticale 5 du casier de tri 4.As shown on the figure 1 , the postal object 2A is inserted on the edge following arrow F2 in a vertical slot 5 of the sorting bin 4.

L'unité 8 est agencée pour qu'un signal de repérage 12 soit produit automatiquement au fur et à mesure qu'un objet 2A est saisi sur le dessus de la pile d'objets 2 comme montré sur la figure 1.The unit 8 is arranged so that a registration signal 12 is produced automatically as an object 2A is picked up from the top of the stack of objects 2 as shown in figure. figure 1 .

Dans le mode de fonctionnement "mode fusion", l'unité 8 est agencée pour encore former avec la caméra 9 une image numérique de l'objet 2B du dessus de la pile d'objets 2 posée à plat sur le plateau 10 du poste PE.In the "fusion mode" operating mode, the unit 8 is arranged to further form with the camera 9 a digital image of the object 2B from above the stack of objects 2 placed flat on the plate 10 of the station PE .

Puis à partir de cette image contenant l'adresse de distribution de l'objet 2B, l'unité 8 est agencée pour reconnaître automatiquement cette adresse de distribution notamment par OCR et ensuite à partir de cette adresse de distribution reconnue, des données de tri des articles de courrier 3 et du plan de tri des objets postaux 2, l'unité 8 est apte à identifier un emplacement dans la pile des articles de courrier 3 où doit être inséré l'objet postal 2B.Then from this image containing the distribution address of the object 2B, the unit 8 is arranged to automatically recognize this distribution address, in particular by OCR and then from this recognized distribution address, data for sorting the mail items 3 and the sorting plan for mail items 2, the unit 8 is able to identify a location in the stack of mail items 3 where the mail item 2B must be inserted.

En outre l'unité 8, dans ce second mode de fonctionnement est apte afficher sur l'écran 11 un signal de repérage 13 représentatif de cet emplacement qui est ici un nombre, dans l'exemple en bas à droite de l'écran le nombre 10, qui est le nombre d'articles de courrier à passer depuis le début de la pile pour arriver à l'emplacement d'insertion.In addition, unit 8, in this second operating mode is able to display on screen 11 a location signal 13 representative of this location which is here a number, in the example at the bottom right of the screen the number 10, which is the number of mail pieces to pass from the start of the stack to arrive at the insert location.

En plus, le signal de repérage 13 peut indiquer, le cas échéant le nombre d'objets consécutifs, ici le nombre 1 en haut à gauche sur l'écran 11, à insérer à cet emplacement de fusion.In addition, the location signal 13 can indicate, where appropriate, the number of consecutive objects, here the number 1 at the top left of the screen 11, to be inserted at this fusion location.

L'unité de contrôle/commande 8 est conçue pour qu'un signal de repérage 13 soit produit automatiquement au fur et à mesure qu'un objet 2B est saisi sur le dessus de la pile d'objets 2 comme montré sur la figure 3. A chaque fois qu'une image d'un objet 2B est formée et que l'adresse de distribution est reconnue automatiquement, l'unité 8 peut être conçue pour vérifier si cet objet 2B est bien l'objet attendu dans la séquence des objets qui ont été triés au casier.The control / command unit 8 is designed so that a marking signal 13 is produced automatically as and as an object 2B is grabbed on top of the stack of objects 2 as shown in figure 3 . Each time an image of an object 2B is formed and the distribution address is recognized automatically, the unit 8 can be designed to check whether this object 2B is indeed the expected object in the sequence of objects which were sorted in the locker.

Dans le cas contraire, l'unité 8 peut être agencée pour afficher sur l'écran 11 un message d'erreur.Otherwise, the unit 8 can be arranged to display on the screen 11 an error message.

Une erreur peut par exemple survenir si un objet à fusionner a été laissé dans une fente alors qu'il devait être saisi dans la poignée de l'Opérateur.For example, an error can occur if an object to be merged was left in a slot when it had to be gripped in the Operator's handle.

Lorsque le signal de repérage 13 est affiché sur l'écran 11, l'Opérateur balaie la pile d'articles 3 jusqu'à l'emplacement de fusion, puis forme une fente d'insertion entre deux articles adjacents, puis saisit l'objet 2B et l'insère dans la fente d'insertion.When the registration signal 13 is displayed on the screen 11, the Operator scans the stack of articles 3 to the fusion location, then forms an insertion slot between two adjacent articles, then grabs the object 2B and inserts it into the insertion slot.

L'unité 8 est agencée pour automatiquement former une nouvelle image de l'objet 2B du dessus de la pile et afficher sur l'écran d'affichage 11 un nouveau signal de repérage 13.The unit 8 is arranged to automatically form a new image of the object 2B from the top of the stack and to display on the display screen 11 a new registration signal 13.

La figure 5 illustre maintenant les étapes successives d'une opération de fusion d'objets postaux avec des articles de courrier déjà triés par exemple pour la tournée du facteur en utilisant le dispositif 1 selon l'invention.The figure 5 now illustrates the successive steps of an operation of merging postal objects with mail items already sorted, for example for the postman's round using the device 1 according to the invention.

A l'étape 100, l'Opérateur place manuellement sur la table de fusion 7 les articles de courrier déjà triés en pile sur chant. L'Opérateur place ensuite des objets postaux à fusionner en pile à plat sur le plateau 10 du poste électronique d'assistance PE comme illustré sur la figure 1.In step 100, the Operator manually places on the merge table 7 the mail items already sorted in stack on edge. The Operator then places the postal objects to be merged in a flat stack on the plate 10 of the electronic assistance station PE as illustrated on the figure 1 .

A l'étape 110, l'Opérateur active l'unité de contrôle/commande 8 du poste électronique d'assistance en dans un mode de fonctionnement « Mode Tri au Casier ». Dans ce mode de fonctionnement, le poste d'assistance électronique affiche sur l'écran 11 un signal de repérage 12 qui désigne une fente 5 du casier où doit être inséré l'objet 2 du dessus de la pile d'objets à fusionner.In step 110, the Operator activates the control / command unit 8 of the electronic assistance station in a “Locker Sorting Mode” operating mode. In this operating mode, the electronic assistance station displays on the screen 11 a marking signal 12 which designates a slot 5 of the rack where the object 2 must be inserted from above the stack of objects to be merged.

A l'étape 120, l'Opérateur saisit l'objet 2 du dessus de la pile et l'insère dans la fente du casier de tri désigné sur l'écran et le processus revient à l'étape 110.In step 120, the Operator grabs the object 2 from the top of the stack and inserts it into the slot of the sort bin designated on the screen and the process returns to step 110.

Les étapes 110 et 120 sont répétées jusqu'à ce qu'il n'y ait plus d'objet sur le plateau 10 du poste électronique d'assistance PE. Tous les objets postaux à fusionner sont maintenant dans les fentes 5 du casier comme représenté sur la figure 2 et le processus se poursuit à l'étape 130.Steps 110 and 120 are repeated until there is no longer any object on the plate 10 of the electronic assistance station PE. All postal objects to be merged are now in slots 5 of the locker as shown in the figure 2 and the process continues at step 130.

A l'étape 130, l'Opérateur peut manipuler le casier à fentes 4 pour rétracter les séparateurs de fentes à intervalle régulier ce qui définit dans le casier à fentes des plus grandes fentes qui contiennent plusieurs objets postaux 2 formant des paquets d'objets postaux. Ces paquets d'objets postaux peuvent être saisis chacun par poignée par l'Opérateur ce qui permet d'accélérer le processus de fusion.In step 130, the Operator can manipulate the slot box 4 to retract the slot separators at regular intervals, which defines in the slot box larger slots which contain several postal objects 2 forming packages of postal objects. . These packages of postal items can each be seized by handful by the Operator, which speeds up the merging process.

A l'étape 140, l'Opérateur saisit ensuite une première poignée d'objets postaux 2 du casier, en commençant par une des extrémités distales du casier, et il pose ces objets d'un geste en pile à plat sur le plateau 10 du poste électronique d'assistance PE.In step 140, the Operator then grabs a first handful of postal objects 2 from the box, starting with one of the distal ends of the box, and he places these objects with a gesture in a flat stack on the plate 10 of the box. electronic assistance post PE.

L'Opérateur doit faire en sorte que les objets postaux 2 ont leur face comportant l'adresse de distribution tournée vers la caméra 9 du poste PE.The Operator must ensure that postal objects 2 have their face bearing the address of distribution facing camera 9 of the PE station.

A l'étape 150, l'Opérateur active l'unité de contrôle/commande 8 du poste électronique d'assistance PE en dans un mode de fonctionnement « Mode Fusion ». Dans ce mode de fonctionnement, le poste d'assistance électronique PE affiche sur l'écran 11 un signal de repérage 12 qui désigne un emplacement de fusion dans la pile d'articles de courrier sur chant posée sur la table de fusion 7, comme représenté sur la figure 3, pour y insérer un objet postal à fusionnerIn step 150, the Operator activates the control / command unit 8 of the electronic assistance station PE in a “Fusion Mode” operating mode. In this mode of operation, the electronic assistance station PE displays on the screen 11 a registration signal 12 which designates a fusion location in the stack of mail items on edge placed on the fusion table 7, as shown. on the figure 3 , to insert a postal object to merge

Puis à l'étape 160, l'Opérateur balaie la pile d'articles de courrier sur chant pour trouver l'emplacement de fusion en s'aidant du signal de repérage affiché sur l'écran 11. Quand l'emplacement de fusion est trouvé, l'Opérateur forme une fente d'insertion entre deux articles de courrier adjacents.Then in step 160, the Operator scans the stack of edge mail items to find the merge location using the tracking signal displayed on screen 11. When the merge location is found , the Operator forms an insertion slot between two adjacent mail items.

Puis le processus se poursuit à l'étape 170 dans laquelle l'Opérateur saisit l'objet postal 2 du dessus de la pile dans le poste d'assistance PE et vient le placer sur chant dans la fente indiquée par la flèche F3 sur la figure 4.Then the process continues at step 170 in which the Operator grasps the postal object 2 from the top of the stack in the assistance station PE and places it on edge in the slot indicated by the arrow F3 on the figure 4 .

Puis le processus revient à l'étape 150 et répète les étapes 160 et 170 jusqu'à ce qu'il n'y ait plus d'objets à fusionner dans le poste d'assistance électronique PE.Then the process returns to step 150 and repeats steps 160 and 170 until there are no more objects to be merged in the electronic assistance station PE.

Si le mode de fonctionnement "mode fusion" est encore enclenché, et s'il reste encore des objets postaux 2 dans le casier, l'Opérateur peut de nouveau poser une nouvelle poignée d'objets postaux à fusionner en pile à plat sur le plateau 10 du poste d'assistance électronique PE. Le processus déroule alors de nouveau en boucle les étapes 140 à 170.If the "fusion mode" operating mode is still engaged, and if there are still 2 postal items in the locker, the Operator can again place a new handful of postal items to be merged in a flat stack on the tray. 10 of the electronic assistance station PE. The process then loops through steps 140 to 170 again.

Quand il ne reste plus d'objets postaux 2 dans le casier, l'opérateur désactive le mode de fonctionnement "mode fusion "et réinitialise le processus de l'unité 8. L'opérateur peut ainsi recommencer le procédé de fusion sur table avec une autre pile d'articles de courrier déjà triés en repartant de l'étape 100..When there are no more postal items 2 in the locker, the operator deactivates the "merge mode" operating mode and resets the process of unit 8. The operator can thus start the table merge process again with another stack of mail items already sorted, starting from step 100 ..

Claims (2)

  1. A method of merging, on a table, postal articles (2) with mailpieces (3) that are already sorted, said method being characterized in that it comprises the following steps:
    • placing (100) the mailpieces in a stack and on edge on a merge table;
    • placing (100) the postal articles to be merged in a stack and flat on a deck of an assistance electronic station (PE) for assisting with manual sorting, which station comprises a camera (9) disposed overlying the deck (10), a display screen (11), and a monitoring/control unit (8);
    • causing (110) the monitoring/control unit (8) of the station to operate in such a manner that, before each time a postal article (2A) is taken from the top of the stack of postal articles, a digital image of said article is formed by the camera (9), and, on the basis of said image, the unit (8) produces, on the display screen (11), a first marker signal (12) that designates a vertical slot (5) in a sorting frame (4), into which slot said postal article (2A) is to be inserted (120);
    • when the vertical slots (5) of the sorting slot (4) are filled with postal articles (2), taking (140) a bundle of postal articles, as a handful, from the sorting frame (2), and placing it in a stack and flat on the deck of the assistance electronic station (PE) for assisting with manual sorting; and
    • causing (150) the monitoring/control unit (8) of the station to operate in such a manner that, before each time a postal article (2B) is taken from the top of the stack of postal articles, a digital image of said article is formed by the camera (9), and, on the basis of said image, the unit (8) produces, on the display screen, a second marker signal (13) that is representative of an insertion position in the stack of mailpieces (3) on the merge table (7), at which position said postal article (2B) is to be merged (170).
  2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a step in which the walls (6) of the frame having vertical slots (5) are retracted at regular intervals to constitute bundles of postal articles (2) in the frame having slots.
EP17745435.2A 2016-08-12 2017-07-07 Method of merging postal objects with already sorted postal articles on a table Active EP3496874B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR1657734A FR3055009B1 (en) 2016-08-12 2016-08-12 METHOD FOR TABLE MERGING POSTAL OBJECTS WITH PREVIOUS MAIL ARTICLES
PCT/FR2017/051863 WO2018029405A1 (en) 2016-08-12 2017-07-07 Method for merging postal items with already sorted mail articles on a table

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EP3496874A1 EP3496874A1 (en) 2019-06-19
EP3496874B1 true EP3496874B1 (en) 2020-09-09

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EP (1) EP3496874B1 (en)
CA (1) CA3032208C (en)
DK (1) DK3496874T3 (en)
ES (1) ES2827503T3 (en)
FR (1) FR3055009B1 (en)
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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6692091B2 (en) * 2002-02-26 2004-02-17 Azanaw Mulaw Mail and related documents/items organizer
FR2872129B1 (en) * 2004-06-23 2008-12-12 Solystic Sa STORAGE BIN FOR LETTERS AND OBJECTS FLAT POSTAUX
DE102010043389A1 (en) * 2010-11-04 2012-05-10 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Method and apparatus for inserting items into a sorted stack of items
FR2999101B1 (en) * 2012-12-06 2016-11-18 Solystic METHOD FOR MERGING A POSTAL OBJECT IN COURIER TRIE INCLUDING AID BY VISUAL DESIGNATION OF THE POSTAL OBJECT INSERTION LOCATION
FR3008005B1 (en) * 2013-07-04 2015-06-19 Solystic METHOD FOR SORTING POSTAL OBJECTS AT THE RACK WITH DISPLAY OF A VIRTUAL CELL OF OBJECT IMAGES
FR3023736B1 (en) * 2014-07-21 2016-07-29 Solystic METHOD FOR SORTING POSTAL OBJECTS IN A SORT BIN WITH AUTOMATICALLY INVOLVING SORTED OBJECTS

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PT3496874T (en) 2020-10-29
FR3055009B1 (en) 2018-07-27
ES2827503T3 (en) 2021-05-21
WO2018029405A1 (en) 2018-02-15
EP3496874A1 (en) 2019-06-19
CA3032208C (en) 2020-07-07
DK3496874T3 (en) 2020-10-19
FR3055009A1 (en) 2018-02-16
US20180236497A1 (en) 2018-08-23
CA3032208A1 (en) 2018-02-15
US10259016B2 (en) 2019-04-16

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