Innovative automated unloading of parcels

In modern powerful logistics the courier express and parcel market (CEP) is of special interest. Same-day and one-hour-delivery are demanding for providers to efficiently handle large piece goods volumes nowadays even in bulk form. Loading and unloading of vehicles within the CEP-sector is the most crucial part in the whole process, with sorting and conveying working sufficiently nowadays.
The authors describe a completely new solution to unload vehicles, developed by simulation, tested in laboratories and implemented in real processes. The device is to be installed in trailers/trucks with minimal effort and connects automatically to a stationary device within a typical CEP-hub at a loading/unloading bay. Identifying bulky amounts of piece goods therein was proven with RFID. Furthermore the within this bmvit funded project developed prototype "EAGLE" was realized within the laboratories at Graz University of Technology. Project partners from RFID-business (TAGpilot) as well as from parcel business (Österreichische Post AG) were engaged in the whole project. Lab tests showed great performance and a decreasing unloading time, compared to the actual manual unloading, by 70%.
The contribution outlines main steps within the development, where an extensive use of simulation methods powered a broad variation in design. Specially engineered methods for simulating motion behaviour of large amounts of piece goods were the scientific output of the project. The lab tests are described by depicting innovative measuring methods for bulky piece goods. Furthermore broad fields of different parcels and piece goods were used to analyse their behaviour at the virtual prototype for DoE. A performance analysis concludes the paper outlining possible fields of installation in the CEP-sector.