Method for identifying transportation items, particularly luggage items
A method of identifying transportation items which are physically different from one another, particularly for identifying automatically sortable passenger luggage in air, rail, or ocean travel, using electronically readable information associated with the transportation item. To be able to automatically identify transportation items, particularly luggage items, even when information storage media fitted to them cannot be read or can be read only imperfectly, it is proposed that, before or when the transportation item is surrendered to a transport and/or sorting system, special sensors be used to ascertain specific physical features of the respective transportation item and that these specific physical features be stored in a database as an electronic feature data record (signature) together with an identification code associated with the transportation item, the stored feature data records being compared with a subsequently produced feature data record for a transportation item as required, in order to identify the transportation item using its associated identification code when there is at least a sufficient match between the subsequently produced feature data record and one of the feature data records stored in the database.
1. A method for transporting and sorting physically different transportation items, which comprises:
ascertaining, with one or more sensors, automatically readable information associated with each transportation item as specific physical features of the respective transportation item before or while the transportation item is surrendered to a transportation and/or sorting system;
storing the automatically readable information as an electronic feature data record (signature) together with an identification code associated with said transportation item in a database;
handling the transportation item in accordance with the respective identification code;
if it is impossible to identify a given transportation item using the electronically readable identification code:
preparing a further feature data record for the given transportation item and comparing with the feature data records stored in the database;
if an at least adequate match is found between the further feature data record and one of the feature data records previously stored in the database, identifying, sorting, and transporting the transportation item using the identification code associated with the previously stored feature data record and the information contained in the identification code.
2. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises acquiring, as one specific physical feature sensed by way of a sensor, a texture of a surface of the respective transportation item.
3. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises sensing a color and/or color distribution on a surface of the transportation item and adding same to the feature data record.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a specific physical feature is a shape and/or dimensional stability of the transportation item.
5. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises sensing one or more design features of the transportation item.
6. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises sensing and storing in the database at least one of the specific physical features selected from the group consisting of a depiction, a geometric dimension, and a mass of the transportation item.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transportation item is an item of automatically sortable passenger luggage in air, rail, or ocean travel.
8. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises assigning to the transportation item an identifier which is unique with regard to physical features of the transportation item.
9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the identifier is an identifier previously placed on the transportation item by a manufacturer thereof.
10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the transportation item is a piece of luggage.
11. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the identifier is present on a sticker affixed to the transportation item.
12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the identifier is present on a tag affixed to the transportation item.
13. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the identifier is a bar code or a 2D code.
14. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the identifier is in the form of an RFID tag.