USAGE MONITORING OF SHOPPING CARTS OR OTHER HUMAN-PROPELLED VEHICLES

• US 20090002160A1
• Filed: 08/29/2008
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jesse M. James, Scott J. Carter, Stephen E. Hannah
• Original Assignee: Jesse M. James, Scott J. Carter, Stephen E. Hannah
• Inventors: Hannah, Stephen E., Carter, Scott J., James, Jesse M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,433,507 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/568.500
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 10/04 for storing or handling self-service hand-carts or baskets
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 25/08 from a ground wheel, e.g. engaging the wheel tread or rim
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/16 operated by remote control, i.e. initiating means not mounted on vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/18 operated by wayside apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/14 characterised by provisions for nesting or stacking, e.g. shopping trolleys collapsible shopping trolleys B62B3/027
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/1404 Means for facilitating stowing or transporting of the trolleys; Antitheft arrangements B62B5/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/1412 mounted on the frame
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/1424 Electronic display devices
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/1492 Wheel arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/0003 Adaptations for loading in or on a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/0423 braking or blocking when leaving a particular area
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/0438 hand operated
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/048 Hub brakes; drum brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/12 executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2434 Tag housing and attachment details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2448 Tag with at least dual detection means, e.g. combined inductive and ferromagnetic tags, dual frequencies within a single technology, tampering detection or signalling means on the tag
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/246 Check out systems combined with EAS, e.g. price information stored on EAS tag anti-theft systems in point of sale systems G07G3/003
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 : Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2474 : Antenna or antenna activator geometry, arrangement or layout loop antennae H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2477 : Antenna or antenna activator circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2482 : EAS methods, e.g. description of flow chart of the detection procedure
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 : Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1846 : structurally associated with wheels or associated parts dynamos arranged in the wheel hub of cycles B62J6/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 : Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 : Assembling or joining

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.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring the usage of human-propelled wheeled vehicles, the system comprising:

a control unit coupled to a radio frequency (RF) communication system; and

a plurality of human-propelled vehicles that lack motors for vehicle propulsion, each vehicle including a wheel assembly with sensor circuitry for sensing at least one type of condition, each vehicle further including an RF transceiver system coupled to the sensor circuitry, said RF transceiver system configured to communicate bi-directionally with the RF communication system as the vehicle moves in a vehicle monitoring area, and configured to report events detected via the sensor circuitry;

wherein the control unit receives and aggregates vehicle status data collected via bi-directional RF communications with the RF transceiver systems of the vehicles, said status data including data reflective of locations of the vehicles.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit sends commands to the vehicles via said RF communication system, including commands that are dependent upon locations of the vehicles in the vehicle monitoring area.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the RF communication system includes a plurality of access points mounted at selected locations in the vehicle monitoring area, said access points configured to communicate with the control unit and with the RF transceiver systems of the vehicles.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein at least some of the access points include directional antennas that are mounted so as to create respective zones within the monitoring area, and wherein the system monitors the locations of the vehicles, at least in part, by detecting entry of particular vehicles into particular zones.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein at least one of the access points uses a directional antenna to create a lock zone, and wherein the RF transceiver systems of the vehicles are responsive to entry into the lock zone by activating a vehicle brake mechanism.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the access points communicate with the RF transceiver systems of the vehicles using a protocol in which an access point issues a command to one or more of the RF transceiver systems by sending a plurality of wakeup messages, each of which includes the command and specifies a timing of a response window for responding to the command.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the RF transceiver system automatically switches between an active state in which it listens for RF transmissions, and a low-power state in which it does not listen for said RF transmissions, and wherein the system is configured such that a frequency with which the RF transceiver system enters into said active state is dependent upon its location in the vehicle monitoring area.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system additionally includes at least one magnetic marker that is encoded with a unique code and positioned at a selected location in the monitoring area, said magnetic code being readable by the sensor circuitry when a corresponding wheel assembly passes over the magnetic marker, and wherein the RF transceiver systems of the vehicles are configured to report detection of the magnetic marker via the RF communication system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the magnetic marker is positioned in a checkout lane of a store, and the unique code identifies the checkout lane.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes at least one VLF signal line that generates a VLF signal that is detectable via said sensor circuitry, and wherein the RF transceiver systems of the vehicles are configured to report detection of the VLF signal to the RF communications system.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor circuitry includes an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) receiver capable of detecting an EAS signal.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein each vehicle'"'"'s RF transceiver system and sensor circuitry are fully contained in a wheel of the respective vehicle.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicles comprise shopping carts, and the RF transceiver systems are mounted to respective handles of said shopping carts.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein each wheel assembly includes a brake mechanism capable of being activated by the wheel assembly'"'"'s RF transceiver system, and wherein the system additionally includes a component that programmatically analyzes detected events associated with a vehicle to determine whether to activate the vehicle'"'"'s brake mechanism.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said component determines whether to activate the vehicle'"'"'s brake mechanism, at least in part, by assessing whether the vehicle has passed through a checkout lane.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the brake mechanism, when activated, inhibits vehicle movement without placing a vehicle wheel in a locked state.

17. A method of monitoring shopping cart usage, comprising:

generating shopping cart event data via two-way radio frequency (RF) communications with each of a plurality of shopping carts associated with a store, said event data including information reflective of paths followed by the shopping carts in the store;

aggregating the shopping cart event data in a data repository; and

programmatically analyzing the aggregated shopping cart event data to generate statistical information regarding said shopping carts.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the statistical information comprises an indication of a number of shopping carts currently in active use.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the statistical information comprises information regarding amounts of time spent by customers in particular store areas.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising using the information reflective of said paths to make automated determinations of whether particular shopping carts are authorized to exit the store.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein generating said shopping cart event data comprises, via electronic circuitry of said shopping carts, detecting transmissions from each of a plurality of devices located in said store, and transmitting information regarding the detected transmissions from said devices on a radio frequency link.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the information regarding the detected transmissions comprises RSSI (received signal strength indication) data derived from said transmissions.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein programmatically analyzing the aggregated shopping cart event data comprises associating particular shopping cart paths followed by customers with particular transaction records generated by a point-of-sale system.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein programmatically analyzing the aggregated shopping cart event data comprises associating particular shopping cart paths followed by customers with particular customer identifiers.

25. A system configured to perform the method of claim 17.