Of the roughly 17 million packages handled each and every day by the largest handling companies, Federal Express, United Parcel Service, and RPS, more than 7 million are of a priority nature with 1 to 3 day service obligations. With these incredible, and ever increasing volumes, parcel bar code sorting conveyor systems are more complicated and operating at speeds faster than ever before.
Unlike a manufacturer, who has control of bar code placement, parcel handling companies can specify a bar code, but not its placement. The end result of these factors is a highly diverse random orientation of packages traveling at speeds approaching 3 m/sec. The handling process cannot be slowed down for reorientation in order to keep the obligations to the customers. The question is not how to maintain the package orientation and present the bar code to the scanner. The question is how to read packages in this random orientation. The answer is an omni-directional scanning tunnel.
Almost identical to an airport bar code scanning tunnel, the freight tunnel is an array of bar code scanners integrated into a single read point. Omni-directional scanners read the codes from every direction - top, sides, front, back and bottom. Together, the omni-directional scanners can read bar codes in any orientation, on any side, on packages from the smallest to the largest at high conveyor speeds with minimal spacing. The omni-directional bar code scanners work together to determine which bar codes present need to be read, and then output a single message to the host computer or control system.
Freight scanning tunnels also offer an excellent opportunity for further collection of package data. By adding in-motion scales, the latest generation of omni-directional bar code scanning tunnels can simultaneously collect a package's unique bar code identifier, the actual package dimensions, and the weight of a package at high speed without manual intervention. Since package handlers charge for their service by package size and weight, this dimensioning and weight information is essential to revenue flow, and can now be captured accurately and efficiently at the speeds required in order to meet the demands of the customer.
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Accu-Sort solutions for the parcel sortation industry use these products:
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VisionCapture® Image Depot Server for the AccuVision® Camera Product Line
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AXIOM-X™ Omni-directional Laser Bar Code Scanning System
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