公开(公告)号：CA2934736C

公开(公告)日：2017-10-17

申请号：CA2934736

申请日：2006-03-20

Applicant: GATEKEEPER SYSTEMS INC

Inventor： HANNAH STEPHEN E ,  CARTER SCOTT J ,  JAMES JESSE M

IPC: B60T7/12 ,  A47F10/04 ,  B62B5/00 ,  B62B5/04 ,  G05D1/02 ,  G08G1/127 ,  H04B7/26

Abstract: A system for use on a shopping cart to enable movement of the shopping cart to be monitored and controlled. The system includes a shopping cart wheel, a braking mechanism configured to inhibit movement of the shopping cart, and electronic circuitry coupled to the braking mechanism, the electronic circuitry configured to detect signals that reflect a current location of the shopping cart wheel, and to transmit status messages via a wireless radio frequency (RF) link, including status messages reflective of the signals detected by the electronic circuitry. The electronic circuitry includes a Very Low Frequency (VLF) receiver configured to detect VLF signals transmitted by a VLF transmitter, and an RF transceiver configured to communicate bi-directionally over the wireless RF link in a frequency band that falls substantially higher than a VLF frequency band. The electronic circuitry further includes a controller coupled to the VLF receiver, the RF transceiver, and the braking mechanism, the controller configured to control the braking mechanism. The electronic circuitry is configured to determine, based at least in part on messages received over the RF link with the RF transceiver, whether to respond to detection of a VLF signal by the VLF receiver by activating the braking mechanism.

公开(公告)号：CA2620062C

公开(公告)日：2015-10-27

申请号：CA2620062

申请日：2006-08-25

Applicant: GATEKEEPER SYSTEMS INC

Inventor： CARTER SCOTT J ,  JAMES JESSE M ,  HANNAH STEPHEN E

IPC: B60T7/16

Abstract: A system for controlling movement of a personal mobility vehicle near a restricted region is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system includes a detector that is configured to be disposed on the personal mobility vehicle and that is configured to receive an electromagnetic signal transmitted to the restricted region. The system also includes a control unit configured to communicate with the detector. The control unit is further configured to determine proximity of the detector to the restricted region using information related to the signal received by the detector. The control unit is also configured to provide a command to inhibit movement of the personal mobility vehicle in response to the determined proximity of the vehicle to the restricted region.

公开(公告)号：CA2601565C

公开(公告)日：2015-10-27

申请号：CA2601565

申请日：2006-03-20

Applicant: GATEKEEPER SYSTEMS INC

Inventor： HANNAH STEPHEN E ,  CARTER SCOTT J ,  JAMES JESSE M

IPC: G01C21/00

Abstract: A vehicle tracking system includes a wheel (32) containing sensor circuitry (88, 90, 92, 94, 96) 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 (82), which may but need not be included within the wheel. The wheel (32) may also include a brake mechanism (100). In one embodiment, the wheels (32) are placed on shopping carts (30) 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.

公开(公告)号：AU2019335011B2

公开(公告)日：2023-01-12

申请号：AU2019335011

申请日：2019-09-05

Applicant: GATEKEEPER SYSTEMS INC

Inventor： RAMANATHAN NARAYANAN V ,  CARTER SCOTT J ,  HANNAH STEPHEN E ,  JAMES JESSE M ,  JOHNSON JACK L ,  HARLING ROBERT M

IPC: B62B5/04 ,  G06V10/147 ,  G08B13/00 ,  G08B13/196

Abstract: A system for monitoring shopping baskets (e.g., baskets on human-propelled carts, motorized carts, or hand-carried baskets) can include a computer vision unit that can image a surveillance region (e.g., an exit to a store), determine whether a basket is empty or loaded with merchandise, and assess a potential for theft of the merchandise. The computer vision unit can include a camera and an image processor programmed to execute a computer vision algorithm to identify shopping baskets and determine a load status of the basket. The computer vision algorithm can comprise a neural network. The system can identify an at least partially loaded shopping basket that is exiting the store, without indicia of having paid for the merchandise, and execute an anti-theft action, e.g., actuating an alarm, notifying store personnel, activating a store surveillance system, activating an anti-theft device associated with the basket (e.g., a locking shopping cart wheel), etc.

公开(公告)号：ES2711748T3

公开(公告)日：2019-05-07

申请号：ES16179514

申请日：2006-03-20

Applicant: GATEKEEPER SYSTEMS INC

Inventor： HANNAH STEPHEN E ,  CARTER SCOTT J ,  JAMES JESSE M

IPC: B60C23/00 ,  B60T7/16 ,  B62B3/14 ,  B62B5/04 ,  G06Q10/08 ,  G08B13/24 ,  G08G1/00 ,  H02K7/102 ,  H02K7/18

Abstract: Un sistema para recuperar carritos de la compra, comprendiendo el sistema: una pluralidad de carritos de compra (30, 41), cada uno de los cuales incluye circuitería de comunicación de RF acoplada a un mecanismo de frenado (100), dicha circuitería de comunicación de RF siendo capaz de recibir transmisiones de RF de controles; y una unidad de recuperación de carrito mecanizado (40) que empuja o tira de un grupo de carros anidados para facilitar la recuperación, la unidad de recuperación del circuito mecanizado configurada para comunicarse con la circuitería de comunicación de RF de los carritos anidados para hacer que los mecanismos de frenado de los carritos anidados permanezcan desbloqueados durante la recuperación del carro mecanizado.

公开(公告)号：CA3054417A1

公开(公告)日：2018-09-13

申请号：CA3054417

申请日：2018-03-06

Applicant: GATEKEEPER SYSTEMS INC

Inventor： CARTER SCOTT J ,  HANNAH STEPHEN E ,  JAMES JESSE M ,  RAMANATHAN NARAYANAN V ,  HARLING ROBERT M ,  JOHNSON JACK

IPC: G08B21/18 ,  B62K3/00 ,  G01H11/06 ,  G08B13/14

Abstract: Examples of systems and methods for locating movable objects such as carts (e.g., shopping carts) are disclosed. Such systems and methods can use dead reckoning techniques to estimate the current position of the movable object. Various techniques for improving accuracy of position estimates are disclosed, including compensation for various error sources involving the use of magnetometer and accelerometer, and using vibration analysis to derive wheel rotation rates. Various techniques utilize characteristics of the operating environment in conjunction with or in lieu of dead reckoning techniques, including characteristic of environment such as ground texture, availability of signals from radio frequency (RF) transmitters including precision fix sources. Navigation techniques can include navigation history and backtracking, motion direction detection for dual swivel casters, use of gyroscopes, determining cart weight, multi-level navigation, multi-level magnetic measurements, use of lighting signatures, use of multiple navigation systems, or hard/soft iron compensation for different cart configurations.

公开(公告)号：CA2955623A1

公开(公告)日：2016-01-28

申请号：CA2955623

申请日：2015-07-24

Applicant: GATEKEEPER SYSTEMS INC

Inventor： HANNAH STEPHEN E ,  JAMES JESSE M ,  EKBOTE CHANDRASHEKHAR

IPC: B60L15/40 ,  G06F19/00

Abstract: Examples of systems and methods for controlling or monitoring a fleet of human- propelled, wheeled carts and cart retrievers are described. The carts can be shopping carts at a retail facility, and the cart retrievers can be used to collect and return the shopping carts from a parking lot near the facility to a cart collection area. The carts or cart retrievers can monitor various status or usage parameters (such as retriever battery charge, cart collection trip speed, cart collection path or duration, etc.) and transmit the parameters to a central control unit. The central control unit can analyze and process the status or usage parameters. The system can provide a user interface for access to the status or usage parameters of the cart and cart retriever fleet.

公开(公告)号：CA2934724A1

公开(公告)日：2006-09-28

申请号：CA2934724

申请日：2006-03-20

Applicant: GATEKEEPER SYSTEMS INC

Inventor： HANNAH STEPHEN E ,  CARTER SCOTT J ,  JAMES JESSE M

IPC: B62B5/04 ,  B62B3/00

Abstract: A method of monitoring shopping cart usage. The method involves generating shopping cart event data via two-way radio frequency (RF) communications with each of a plurality of shopping carts associated with a store, the event data including information reflective of zone entry events detected by particular shopping carts, each zone entry event representing entry of a particular shopping cart into a particular zone of a plurality of zones associated with the store, the zone entry events detected by the corresponding shopping carts based on transmissions received by the shopping carts from corresponding antennas mounted in a monitoring area associated with the store, the shopping cart event data additionally including battery level data reported by the shopping carts, the battery level data reflective of battery levels of batteries included in wheel assemblies of the shopping carts. The method further involves aggregating the shopping cart event data associated with the plurality of shopping carts in a data repository, and programmatically analyzing the aggregated shopping cart event data to generate statistical information regarding the shopping carts. The method involves, via circuitry included in the wheel assemblies of the shopping carts, generating received signal strength measurements based on the transmissions, and using the received signal strength measurements to detect the zone entry events.

公开(公告)号：CA2891641A1

公开(公告)日：2006-09-28

申请号：CA2891641

申请日：2006-03-20

Applicant: GATEKEEPER SYSTEMS INC

Inventor： CARTER SCOTT J ,  HANNAH STEPHEN E ,  JAMES JESSE M

IPC: B60R25/33 ,  A47F10/04 ,  B60R25/09 ,  B60T7/16 ,  G01C22/00 ,  G06K7/08

Abstract: A vehicle tracking system includes a wheel (32) containing sensor circuitry (88, 90, 92, 94, 96) 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 (82), which may but need not be included within the wheel. The wheel (32) may also include a brake mechanism (100). In one embodiment, the wheels (32) are placed on shopping carts (30) 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.

公开(公告)号：AU2021234279A1

公开(公告)日：2022-11-03

申请号：AU2021234279

申请日：2021-03-10

Applicant: GATEKEEPER SYSTEMS INC

Inventor： CARTER SCOTT J ,  RAMANATHAN NARAYANAN V ,  HANNAH STEPHEN E ,  JAMES JESSE M

IPC: G06K9/00 ,  H04N5/225

Abstract: A system for monitoring shopping carts uses cameras to generate images of the carts moving in a store. In some implementations, cameras may additionally or alternatively be mounted to the shopping carts and configured to image cart contents. The system may use the collected image data, and/or other types of sensor data (such as the store location at which an item was added to the basket), to classify items detected in the shopping carts. For example, a trained machine learning model may classify item in a cart as "non-merchandise," "high theft risk merchandise," "electronics merchandise," etc. When a shopping cart approaches a store exit without any indication of an associated payment transaction, the system may use the associated item classification data, optionally in combination with other data such as cart path data, to determine whether to execute an anti-theft action, such as locking a cart wheel or activating an alarm.