WHEEL SKID DETECTION DURING MECHANIZED CART RETRIEVAL
First Claim
1. A method of reducing wheel damage to carts retrieved by a mechanized cart retrieval unit, the method comprising:
- detecting a wheel skid event via a vibration sensor included in a wheel assembly of a cart being retrieved by the mechanized cart retrieval unit; and
in response to detecting the wheel skid event, transmitting a message to the mechanized cart retrieval unit over a wireless communication link to cause the mechanized cart retrieval unit to take a corrective action.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle tracking system includes a wheel containing sensor circuitry capable of sensing various types of conditions, such as wheel rotation, wheel vibration caused by skidding, and specific electromagnetic and/or magnetic signals indicative of particular wheel locations. The sensor circuitry is coupled to an RF transceiver, which may but need not be included within the wheel. The wheel may also include a brake mechanism. In one embodiment, the wheels are placed on shopping carts and are used to collect and monitor shopping cart status and location data via a wireless network. The collected data may be used for various purposes, such as locking the wheel of an exiting cart if the customer has not paid, estimating numbers of queued carts, stopping wheel skid events that occur during mechanized cart retrieval, store planning, and providing location-based messaging to customers.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method of reducing wheel damage to carts retrieved by a mechanized cart retrieval unit, the method comprising:
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detecting a wheel skid event via a vibration sensor included in a wheel assembly of a cart being retrieved by the mechanized cart retrieval unit; and in response to detecting the wheel skid event, transmitting a message to the mechanized cart retrieval unit over a wireless communication link to cause the mechanized cart retrieval unit to take a corrective action. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system for reducing wheel damage, comprising:
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a wheel configured for use on a shopping cart; a vibration sensor included in the wheel and capable of detecting vibration caused by skidding of the wheel during mechanized cart retrieval; and a communication circuit connected to the vibration sensor and configured to respond to vibration detection by the vibration sensor by transmitting an alert message via a radio frequency (RF) communication link. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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- 14. A mechanized cart retrieval unit configured to push or pull a plurality of nested shopping carts, said mechanized cart retrieval unit comprising a motor, and comprising electronic circuitry capable of receiving a skid event message from a shopping cart that experiences a wheel skid event during retrieval, said electronic circuitry being responsive to the wheel skid event by initiating a corrective action.
Specification