Baggage Handling Systems Research Articles

An Overview of Demand Analysis and Forecasting Algorithms for the Flow of Checked Baggage among Departing Passengers

The research on baggage flow plays a pivotal role in achieving the efficient and intelligent allocation and scheduling of airport service resources, as well as serving as a fundamental element in determining the design, development, and process optimization of airport baggage handling systems. This paper examines baggage checked in by departing passengers at airports. The crrent state of the research on baggage flow demand is first reviewed and analyzed. Then, using examples of objective data, it is concluded that while there is a significant correlation between airport passenger flow and baggage flow, an increase in passenger flow does not necessarily result in a proportional increase in baggage flow. According to the existing research results on the influencing factors of baggage flow sorting and classification, the main influencing factors of baggage flow are divided into two categories: macro-influencing factors and micro-influencing factors. When studying the relationship between the economy and baggage flow, it is recommended to use a comprehensive analysis that includes multiple economic indicators, rather than relying solely on GDP. This paper provides a brief overview of prevalent transportation flow prediction methods, categorizing algorithmic models into three groups: based on mathematical and statistical models, intelligent algorithmic-based models, and combined algorithmic models utilizing artificial neural networks. The structures, strengths, and weaknesses of various transportation flow prediction algorithms are analyzed, as well as their application scenarios. The potential advantages of using artificial neural network-based combined prediction models for baggage flow forecasting are explained. It concludes with an outlook on research regarding the demand for baggage flow. This review may provide further research assistance to scholars in airport management and baggage handling system development.

Roles of accessibility and air-rail intermodality in shaping mobility patterns in mega-city regions: Behavioural insights from China

This paper aims to understand mobility patterns in mega-city regions from perspectives of accessibility and air-rail intermodality. Travellers' preferences for intercity mode and its access and egress modes were simultaneously collected in the context of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei mega-city region. The accessibility of transport hubs and destinations was measured to enable interpreting mobility behaviour in three dimensions, i.e., travel mode decisions, departure transport hub decisions, and transport service decisions. The calibrated behavioural model highlights a series of determinants regarding level-of-service attributes, travel characteristics, accessibility, socio-demographics, and their interaction. Based on the behavioural insights, twenty domestic cities were selected as destinations for analysing the dynamics of mobility patterns in terms of the competition within the multi-airport system and air-rail cooperation potential in the long-haul market. The elasticity of shifts in transport demand between the primary and secondary airports in the Beijing multi-airport system was assessed under various pricing strategies, highlighting the vital role of the most accessible airport in air traveller decision-making. Moreover, the results underline the effect of air-rail intermodal service upgrades, e.g., offering baggage handling systems and flexible tickets, on stimulating air-rail intermodal mobility in the mega-city region.

Bio-Inspired Circular-Polarized UHF RFID Tag Design Using Characteristic Mode Analysis

This paper presents a bio-inspired circularly polarized ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) tag antenna for metallic and low-permittivity substances. This tag design is based on a leaf-shaped radiator, two shorting stubs and slots etched on F4B substrate. Initially, the tag antenna is designed using characteristics mode analysis (CMA) by analyzing the first six CM modes and characteristic angles. The width of orthogonal slots is varied to get the resonance of CM modes in the required US RFID band. Moreover, the edges are blended to get orthogonal current distribution, which is necessary for circular polarization. Additionally, the proposed tag design is optimized further using CST Microwave studio and an RFID chip is exploited as a capacitive coupling element (CCE) to run CM modes with the orthogonal current pattern. This tag can also be tunable to European RFID (EU) band (866 – 868 MHz) by changing the length of shorter diagonal slot. The tag design offers a read range of 7 m and 4.5 m on 100 × 100 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> metals plate and low-permittivity substrates, respectively (for 902 – 928 MHz band). In EU band, the corresponding read ranges are 5.7 m and 3.5 m above metal and low-permittivity objects, respectively. This circularly polarized tag antenna is advantageous in terms of cost, circular polarization feature, and ease of fabrication due to the absence of vias, shorting pins, and matching circuits. Therefore, this tag design is suitable for labeling various low-permittivity objects, industrial conveyer belt applications, baggage handling systems, and IoT applications.

The Utilization of Blockchain Technology in The Airport Industry: A Review

Blockchain is a digital ledger technology in which transactions are stored in a continuously growing list of blocks that cannot be changed and distributed without a centralized server. In recent years, the airport industry has become one of the industries that have implemented blockchain into its business processes. For this reason, we would like to review existing research on the implementation of blockchain in the airport industry to provide an overview of how far blockchain has developed in the industry and also to identify which business processes in the airport industry can be optimized by implementing Blockchain. The review results show that there are three business processes that take place in airports, namely baggage handling systems, cargo handling, and passenger management for aircraft. Blockchain Technology can also be combined with other supporting technology, such as IoT, Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML), Big Data, etc. From the research literature that we analyzed, the combined use of blockchain technology with IoT and AI/ML can increase security in the process of data transactions in the system.

Predictive maintenance of baggage handling conveyors using IoT

This article discusses issues related to the maintenance of airports’ baggage handling systems and assesses the feasibility of using predictive maintenance instead of periodic maintenance. The unique issues related to baggage handling systems are discussed — namely random noise captured by the IoT sensors due to the movement of the luggage and complex interconnected components that constitute the conveyors. The paper presents a scalable and economical maintenance 4.0 solution for such a system using data from sensors installed (on a live system in absence of historical data). Differentiating between anomaly detection and outlier detection the paper presents an algorithm that can be used to remove idle and noisy data from the datasets. Using integrated machine learning approaches, it tries to detect and diagnose incumbent defects in the early stage to avoid breakdowns. The paper proposes an automated machine-learning pipeline by processing unstructured industrial data. The performance of various machine learning algorithms on the collected data is compared. Finally, the paper discusses avenues for future research.

ОПТИМИЗАЦИЯ СИСТЕМЫ ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ ЗАПАСНЫМИ ЧАСТЯМИ ПРОИЗВОДСТВЕННЫХ ПОДРАЗДЕЛЕНИЙ АЭРОПОРТОВОЙ СЕТИ

The problem of optimal design of the spare parts supply system for the baggage handling systems of a group of airports is solved. It is assumed that the airports belonging to the group will be equipped with baggage systems of one manufacturer, which will supply them with spare parts during the operational phase. One of the airports will function as a passenger transfer center (hub) for a hub-forming airline, which will organize mass transfer flights between the airports of the group. The proposed system will consist of a tiered system for spare parts supply, including warehouses at the manufacturer's, hub airport and other (peripheral) airports, and a combined strategy of spare parts supplies, including periodic supplies from the manufacturer's warehouse to the warehouses of airports, on-line supplies from the hub warehouse to the warehouses of peripheral airports, and, in case of deficit, on-line supplies to the hub airport's warehouse. The aim of the solution of the problem is to determine the volume of spare parts production which is optimal by the criterion of minimum costs of production, storage and stock replenishment. The results of model examples, testifying to the validity of the considered statement of the problem and efficiency of the proposed system of spare parts supply, are presented.

Internet-of-Things-augmented dynamic route planning approach to the airport baggage handling system

This paper proposes a dynamic route planning approach to the airport baggage handling systems. In previous studies, when planning the baggage transmission routes, real-time conditions of the baggage handling system are often neglected. This study incorporates the real-time baggage tracking information and device disruption information into the baggage route planning algorithm based on Internet-of-Things technologies. Taking Hierarchical Cooperative A* algorithm (HCA*) as the basic routing core, we propose a comprehensive algorithmic framework for the dynamic baggage route planning problem, in order to iteratively generate conflict-free baggage transmission routes while adapting to varying system conditions. We propose a unified prioritizing scheme so that baggage can be handled in proper order according to their arrival, departure and waiting time. This solution approach also contains a disruption handling mechanism by which the affected transportation links and baggage can be appropriately handled. A real airport case is used to verify the proposed solution approach. The results show that our proposed method is around 10% more efficient than the decentralized heuristic algorithm. Meanwhile, the average baggage throughput time decreases about 5% when real-time information is included. This paper also shows how to identify susceptible transmission links so specific maintenance plans can be arranged.

Preference rationality analysis for the best–worst method and its application to quality assessment

A primary concern in most decision-making problems using pairwise comparisons is the consistency issue of individual preference information. The existence of inconsistencies may lead to unrealistic and unreasonable results. This paper focuses on the consistency improvements for the best–worst method (BWM), which seeks to retain the original preference information as much as possible. To do this, some optimization models are designed as a preference-modification advice tool to interact with a decision maker (DM). Firstly, several systems of constraints are designed to explicitly control the ordinal consistency for the BWM. A mixed-integer linear programming model is proposed to provide optimal suggestions of preference-modification for ensuring the ordinal consistency. Furthermore, an optimization model is constructed to offer optimal suggestions of preference-modification for simultaneously meeting an acceptable cardinal consistency level and the ordinal consistency. Then, a framework for preference rationality analysis based on the two optimization-based advice tools is designed for the BWM. Finally, a real case study about the quality assessment of airline baggage handling systems is used to validate the proposed approach.

Optimal maintenance period and maintenance sequence planning under imperfect maintenance

AbstractMaintenance is essential for today's equipment or systems and maintenance costs account for a significant portion of the overall expenditure of devices. Maintenance period optimization and maintenance sequence planning are primary aspects of maintainability. To this end, this paper proposes an approach for maintenance period optimization and maintenance sequence planning, with the consideration of imperfect maintenance. A model of the total maintenance cost per unit time is set up, and the optimal time period for preventive maintenance is calculated. In addition, a new index is created to evaluate the maintenance efficiency of optimal maintenance sequences in different scenarios. The performance of the proposed method is validated by a maintenance sequence optimization and maintenance sequence planning of baggage handling systems. The results indicate that the proposed method is efficient and contributes to maintenance cost savings.

Evaluation of Chemical Aging on Carousel Properties Due to the COVID-19 Anti-Pandemic Measures at Airports

The study's research question in the broader context of the fight against the pandemic is the impact of disinfectants on selected surfaces of materials used in air transport. The main scientific goal of this work was to verify the assumption that disinfectant solutions cause degradation of mechanical and physical properties, i.e., chemical aging, in samples from airport conveyors, and to determine the degree of change in the properties of the samples depending on the time spent in solution and on aging. The research methodology was developed based on the ISO 1817: 2011 standard, STN EN ISO 868, and the ISO 283 standard, and applied infrared spectroscopy, specifically the Attenuated Total Reflectance method. Research suggests that constant disinfection of baggage handling systems will require the replacement of carrying parts. Otherwise, there will be significant costly breakdowns (damage to luggage, interruption of its flow, delays/inability to check in the aircraft, and the resulting legal consequences). The longer the samples were left in the disinfectant solution, the higher and more uneven the degradation. The hardness of the samples changed after immersion but was not directly proportional to the change in tensile properties. During disinfection, chemical changes occurred, which varied in length and effect depending on the disinfection used.

Inferring Unobserved Events in Systems with Shared Resources and Queues

To identify the causes of performance problems or to predict process behavior, it is essential to have correct and complete event data. This is particularly important for distributed systems with shared resources, e.g., one case can block another case competing for the same machine, leading to inter-case dependencies in performance. However, due to a variety of reasons, real-life systems often record only a subset of all events taking place. To understand and analyze the behavior and performance of processes with shared resources, we aim to reconstruct bounds for timestamps of events in a case that must have happened but were not recorded by inference over events in other cases in the system. We formulate and solve the problem by systematically introducing multi-entity concepts in event logs and process models. We introduce a partial-order based model of a multi-entity event log and a corresponding compositional model for multi-entity processes. We define PQR-systems as a special class of multi-entity processes with shared resources and queues. We then study the problem of inferring from an incomplete event log unobserved events and their timestamps that are globally consistent with a PQR-system. We solve the problem by reconstructing unobserved traces of resources and queues according to the PQR-model and derive bounds for their timestamps using a linear program. While the problem is illustrated for material handling systems like baggage handling systems in airports, the approach can be applied to other settings where recording is incomplete. The ideas have been implemented in ProM and were evaluated using both synthetic and real-life event logs.

Fuzzy control in the simulation model of airport baggage handling systems

The object of the research is the airport baggage handling system with a significant share of transfer passengers. It is proposed to include into the composition of simulation models used in solving problems of efficiency analysis and design of baggage handling systems, a fuzzy algorithm that simulates the strategy of a human operator who controls the process of pre-flight passenger service and baggage handling in the airport terminal. In practice, management ensures the economy of the airport resources, the ability to maneuver personnel and technical means in order to reduce the unproductive time spent on ground handling and improve its quality. An algorithm of fuzzy inference on a singleton rule base is described, which can be considered as a special case of the Mamdani algorithm. The results of solving problems of computer statistical modeling using a fuzzy control algorithm are presented, indicating the need to take into account the control of ground processes to increase the adequacy and accuracy of simulation models of baggage handling systems.

Condition-based maintenance for major airport baggage systems

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to develop a contribution to knowledge that adds to the empirical evidence of predictive condition-based maintenance by demonstrating how the availability and reliability of current assets can be improved without costly capital investment, resulting in overall system performance improvementsDesign/methodology/approachThe empirical, experimental approach, technical action research (TAR), was designed to study a major Middle Eastern airport baggage handling operation. A predictive condition-based maintenance prototype station was installed to monitor the condition of a highly complex system of static and moving assets.FindingsThe research provides evidence that the performance frontier for airport baggage handling systems can be improved using automated dynamic monitoring of the vibration and digital image data on baggage trays as they pass a service station. The introduction of low-end innovation, which combines advanced technology and low-cost hardware, reduced asset failures in this complex, high-speed operating environment.Originality/valueThe originality derives from the application of existing hardware with the combination of edge and cloud computing software through architectural innovation, resulting in adaptations to an existing baggage handling system within the context of a time-critical logistics system.

Routing in congested baggage handling systems using deep reinforcement learning

Routing in congested baggage handling systems using deep reinforcement learning

Improving maintenance quality in airport baggage handling operations

Purpose: The findings of a recent study at Heathrow are presented. The objective of the study was an operational quality issue with the baggage reclaim process and addressed the problem of unexpected downtime of baggage carousels during operational hours. For airlines and airports, the reclaim carousel is a key element in the process whereby passengers decide about the quality of their journey. Failure that leads to longer waiting times or even the relocation of baggage to another carousel results in passenger dissatisfaction and therefore needs to be avoided. The current regime of ‘time-based’ or ‘preventative’ maintenance can be classified as ‘run-to-break’ or ‘reactive’, causing frequent and costly downtime. A novel condition-based monitoring method to improve the reliability of the time-critical baggage reclaim process is described. Reclaim carousel maintenance quality was improved by the development of innovative condition-based maintenance systems designed to meet the requirements of twenty-first century airport systems and Industry 4.0 in cooperation with Siemens DF (digital factory) and their internet of things (IoT) platform Mindsphere. Methodology: A technical action research approach was undertaken at one of the biggest capital airport baggage handling systems in Europe. From June 2016 a condition monitoring pilot system on one operational carousel was established using engineering cycle theory. A solution was designed, installed, continually monitored and the results discussed with practitioners from the operation and maintenance (O&M) department. Root cause analysis was used to identify reasons for abrasive wear, followed by failure simulations during operation. Technical vibration data was collected so that an adequate condition monitoring system could be developed and optimised that improved the maintenance quality of reclaim carousels and reduced the costs associated with unexpected failure of the baggage handling system. Findings: Run-to-break maintenance is never conducive to quality maintenance and control and results in great uncertainty and unreliability. Meeting the objective of improving quality was difficult because the assets are hidden and baggage carousels are in constant use; however using wireless beacon technology it was possible to identify what problems might occur and when. Using the cloud-based IoT and Airport 4.0 also necessitated many sophisticated checks and measures, which are now in development. This study highlights the value of changing from the antiquated ‘run to break’ maintenance of hidden assets in airport baggage handling carousels to high-quality maintenance through the use of condition monitoring using wireless vibration sensors linked to a cloud-based IoT ecosystem. Originality/Value: With this solution in operation, maintenance quality has been approved and heavy damage can be avoided. The solution addresses problems caused by a variety of hidden equipment needing the highest possible maintenance quality. It can instantly secure the best quality of service for critical assets in an operation that cannot afford any unplanned downtime.

A differentiated model for inbound baggage handling systems at airports

To improve airline service quality, this paper proposes a model to minimise the mishandling and mismatching of inbound baggage by providing a differentiated service through an optimal classification towards passenger segments. The feasibility of the proposed model is then analysed through mixed methods. By implementing a reverse-engineered model of auto-baggage-drop, passengers will be able to individually claim their bags via an automated baggage reclaim device. Finally, the option to provide this differentiated service to premium passengers will add value to specific segments of passengers, and it will be advantageous to stakeholders: airlines, airports, passengers and third party suppliers, in the foreseeable future.

Application of Queuing Process in the Optimization of Baggage Handling System of Murtala Muhammed International Airport

Baggage handling systems (BHS) take up a significant portion of an airport's overall operation. As an entryway BHS is an essential component as it facilitates a smooth transition for baggage flowing from the check-in area to the departure gates (loading points) by reconstituting a dynamic baggage flow into a stable flow on a conveyor system. The main purpose of this paper is to review different baggage models and their usage in the BHS line shared by multiple airlines. This is particularly relevant in the Nigerian context, as imbalances have been observed in the BHS designed for Murtala Mohammed international Airport. These imbalances lead to a lower customer satisfaction rates for most airline as well as a reduction in the level of service provided by the airport during peak hours. In this study, we shall consider several work of different researchers on the baggage handling systems using different models to solve the entryway BHS. We shall also consider the most appropriate operation of BHS in Nigerian Airport which will improve efficiency and reduce waiting time of passenger baggage. The results indicate that this suggested algorithm reduces the imbalances for the airlines sharing the BHS collection conveyor, while maintaining overall BHS performance at an acceptable level. The relationships between the variables used in the algorithm and overall performance are discussed further.

Quality assessment of airline baggage handling systems using SERVQUAL and BWM

The baggage handling system is a crucial part of ground handling operations, which significantly contributes to the overall satisfaction of passengers. Although several studies have investigated airline service quality, little attention has been paid to this crucial part of the system. This study proposes the SERVQUAL model to assess the perceived quality of service for the baggage handling system. A literature review provides a list of criteria per dimension of the SERVQUAL model. The best worst method (BWM) is used to calculate the weights of the criteria. The data for the BWM are collected via a sample of passengers from different nationalities. It is found that ‘reliability’ is perceived as the most important dimension followed by ‘responsiveness’. The ‘assurance’ criterion is third closely followed by ‘tangibles’ and lastly ‘empathy’. A cluster analysis further sheds light on how passengers might have different service quality priorities.

Model-based design of supervisory controllers for baggage handling systems

The complexity of airport baggage handling systems in combination with the required high level of robustness makes designing supervisory controllers for these systems a challenging task.We show how a state of the art, formal, model-based design framework has been successfully used for model-based design of supervisory controllers for an actual industrial baggage handling system, and for a real-time emulation model of an actual international airport.The high level modeling elements of the applied CIF model-based design framework allow the modeler to concentrate on implementing the baggage handling system design requirements, instead of programming PLC code. It also allows a modular and hierarchical design of the supervisory controller, and provides flexibility in adapting and extending the model. Validation of the controller and the uncontrolled plant by means of simulation and visualization made it possible to catch all modeling errors, leading to very short modeling, testing and error correction iteration loops.To the best of our knowledge, this is the first successful employment of formal, model-based design in the context of supervisory control for actual, industrial size baggage handling systems, that covers the entire development process from requirements up to and including validation, real-time PLC code generation and implementation.We give an overview of the model-based design framework, discuss several modeling issues, and analyze the results of the industrial applications. We do not go into full technical detail, due to nondisclosure agreements, but tell the story, and give lessons learned that we consider useful for practitioners.

A simulation approach to modelling baggage handling systems at an international airport

The baggage handling system is a critical component of an airport’s operations, coordinating many different elements and agents in different areas of the facility. Due to the complexity of their interrelationships, an effective analysis of the impact of different operating strategies on the system must consider these elements and agents not in isolation from each other but rather as an integrated whole. This paper presents a microscopic simulation model for a baggage handling system that fully integrates all baggage-related subsystems. These include passenger arrival to check-in queues, baggage check-in, security screening, sorting, transport to the aircraft and loading. Under this approach, not only the individual subsystems but also their interactions can be simulated and studied. The proposed simulator is applied to the case of Santiago International Airport in Chile where passenger demand has grown beyond the existing baggage handling system’s operating capacity. The principal contributions of this study are the extension and adaptation of a vehicle traffic simulator software to the baggage handling problem and the development of a platform that models baggage handling as an integrated unit. The tool is applied to the analysis of the overall system and its components under a number of different real-world scenarios. In this application, the movement of bags and their interactions with the rest of the system are simulated in great detail for a given period. This level of granularity permits the simulator to analyse accurately the effects of different scenarios and how they are propagated through the system.