Following system and automatic following shopping cart

Abstract

The utility model discloses a following system and an automatic following shopping cart, the following system comprises a flat rectangular shell, the width of the shell is smaller than the width of the front side face of an inner cavity of the shopping cart, and the length of the shell is smaller than the height of the front side face of the inner cavity of the shopping cart; the middle part of the shell is provided with a lifting mechanism arranged along the length direction, and the top of the lifting mechanism is provided with a camera module; a battery module and a controller unit are arranged in the shell, and the lifting mechanism, the camera module and the battery module are all electrically connected to the controller unit. The following system and the automatic following shopping cart have the advantages of being reasonable in structural design, capable of keeping the stacking function of the shopping cart, convenient to transform and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of automatic following technology, and in particular to a following system and an automatic following shopping cart. Background Technology

[0002] Shopping is an essential part of people's daily lives and occupies an important place in people's lives. With the continuous development of technology, people have put forward higher requirements for the speed and convenience of shopping, and automatic following shopping carts with automatic operation functions have emerged.

[0003] Currently, automatic following technology mainly includes wireless positioning technology and camera-based target recognition and tracking technology. Wireless positioning technology primarily uses UWB technology, which features high precision and strong anti-interference capabilities, and is widely used in indoor positioning applications to achieve real-time and accurate positioning of target objects. Camera-based visual recognition, on the other hand, can achieve following and path planning for a specified user based on image data. Both of these technologies are already maturely applied in navigation and tracking systems for automated guided vehicles, smart suitcases, and industrial mobile robots.

[0004] To maximize the number of shopping carts available for customers within limited space, supermarkets typically employ stackable carts, allowing one cart to pass from behind into the next, thus minimizing space usage. However, adding an auto-following module to existing automatic following carts usually disrupts this stacking functionality, increasing the storage space required for each cart. Therefore, developing an automatic following cart that retains the stacking capability is a pressing issue. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the technical problem to be solved by this utility model is: how to provide a following system and automatic following shopping cart with a reasonable structural design that can retain the stacking function of the shopping cart and is easy to modify.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A following system is characterized by comprising a housing that is generally flat and rectangular, wherein the width of the housing is less than the width of the front side of the shopping cart cavity, and the length is less than the height of the front side of the shopping cart cavity; a lifting mechanism is provided in the middle of the housing along the length direction, and a camera module is mounted on the top of the lifting mechanism; a battery module and a controller unit are disposed inside the housing, and the lifting mechanism, the camera module and the battery module are all electrically connected to the controller unit.

[0008] In the aforementioned structure, the housing is generally flat and rectangular, with its length and width being smaller than the height and width of the front side of the shopping cart's interior cavity, respectively. In use, the housing can be attached to the inner or outer side of the front side of the shopping cart, with the lifting mechanism facing upwards. Since there is usually a gap between the front sides of two stacked shopping carts, attaching the housing to the front side minimizes the impact of the housing installation on the stacking function, achieving a non-destructive modification of existing shopping carts. Furthermore, by installing a camera module on top of the lifting mechanism, the camera module can be kept below the height of the front side of the shopping cart when the lifting mechanism is lowered, preventing the camera module from protruding and affecting the stacking function. When in operation, the lifting mechanism can be raised to provide the camera with a higher field of view, thus offering better tracking capabilities.

[0009] Furthermore, a rotatable and pitchable gimbal mechanism is installed on the top of the lifting mechanism, and the gimbal mechanism is electrically connected to the controller unit.

[0010] This allows the camera to obtain a better field of view by rotating and tilting the pan-tilt mechanism.

[0011] Furthermore, the controller unit is electrically connected to at least three distributed UWB positioning modules.

[0012] In this way, the positioning tag carried by the target can be located by at least three UWB positioning modules, thereby enabling assisted positioning and following.

[0013] Furthermore, the UWB positioning module is distributed inside the housing or detachably connected to the outside of the housing via wires.

[0014] By placing the UWB positioning module inside the housing, installation and maintenance can be improved. Conversely, by detachably connecting it to the outside of the housing via wires, the UWB module can be flexibly placed on the shopping cart, thus improving positioning accuracy.

[0015] Furthermore, one of the UWB positioning modules is located at the top of the lifting mechanism, while the other UWB positioning modules are distributed and arranged inside the housing.

[0016] In this way, the lifting mechanism can increase the distance between one UWB positioning module and other UWB positioning modules, thereby improving positioning accuracy.

[0017] Furthermore, it also includes two electrically controlled drive wheels for mounting on the shopping cart, the two electrically controlled drive wheels being detachably electrically connected to the controller unit via wires.

[0018] By installing two electrically controlled drive wheels on the shopping cart, it is possible to achieve following movements such as turning or going straight by controlling the rotation speed of the two electrically controlled drive wheels.

[0019] Furthermore, the lifting mechanism is an electric push rod installed inside the housing.

[0020] An automatic following shopping cart includes stackable shopping carts, characterized in that the shopping cart is equipped with a following system as described above, the housing is vertically attached to the front side of the inner cavity of the shopping cart, so that the lifting mechanism is vertically upward; the two front wheels or the two rear wheels of the shopping cart are independently controllable electric drive wheels, and the electric drive wheels are connected to the controller unit through wires.

[0021] Furthermore, the electrically controlled drive wheel is a wheel equipped with a hub motor.

[0022] In summary, the following system and automatic following shopping cart of this utility model have the advantages of reasonable structural design, retention of the shopping cart's stacking function, and easy modification. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the shopping cart in this embodiment.

[0024] Figure 2 and Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the camera module in its raised state.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the stacked shopping cart configuration.

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the internal layout of the casing of the following system. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments.

[0028] In practical implementation: such as Figures 1-5 As shown, an automatic following shopping cart includes stackable shopping carts. A following system is installed on the shopping carts. The following system includes a shell 1 that is generally flat and rectangular. The width of the shell 1 is smaller than the width of the front side of the shopping cart's interior cavity, and its length is smaller than the height of the front side of the shopping cart's interior cavity. Figure 5As shown, the housing 1 has a lifting mechanism 2 arranged along its length in the middle, and a camera module 3 is mounted on the top of the lifting mechanism 2. A battery module 4 and a controller unit 5 are disposed inside the housing 1, and the lifting mechanism 2, camera module 3, and battery module 4 are all electrically connected to the controller unit 5. Specifically, a rotatable and tiltable gimbal mechanism 6 is mounted on the top of the lifting mechanism 2, and the gimbal mechanism 6 is electrically connected to the controller unit 5. The camera module 3 is mounted on the gimbal mechanism 6.

[0029] The housing 1 is vertically attached to the front side of the inner cavity of the shopping cart, so that the lifting mechanism 2 is vertically upward; the two front wheels of the shopping cart are independently controllable electric drive wheels 8, and the electric drive wheels 8 are connected to the controller unit 5 through wires; in this embodiment, the electric drive wheels 8 are wheels equipped with hub motors, and the lifting mechanism 2 is an electric push rod installed in the housing 1.

[0030] Because the shell is generally flat and rectangular, and its length and width are smaller than the height and width of the front side of the shopping cart's interior, the shell is vertically attached to the front side of the shopping cart's interior. Figure 1 As shown, this minimizes the space occupied by the casing without requiring significant modifications to the existing shopping cart structure. This allows for non-destructive or minimal-destructive modification, facilitating restoration. Furthermore, the casing can be placed within the gap between two stacked carts, without affecting the cart's stacking function. Additionally, by mounting a camera module on the gimbal mechanism at the top of the lifting mechanism, the camera module can be raised, lowered, rotated vertically, and rotated horizontally. During use, the lifting module raises the camera module from inside the shopping cart, and the vertical and horizontal rotation of the gimbal mechanism allows the camera module to obtain a better field of view. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown; when stacking and organizing, the gimbal mechanism is reset, and the camera module is lowered into the shopping cart via the lifting module, as shown. Figure 1 As shown, this method protects the camera module without affecting the stacking of shopping carts. Figure 4 As shown.

[0031] In this embodiment, considering both positioning accuracy and integration, the controller unit 5 is electrically connected to three distributed UWB positioning modules 7. Two of the UWB positioning modules 7 are located inside the housing 1, at both ends of the bottom of the housing 1, while the third UWB positioning module 7 is located at the top of the lifting mechanism 2. The lifting mechanism increases the distance between one UWB positioning module and the others, thereby improving positioning accuracy. In practical implementation, the three UWB positioning modules 7 can also be arranged in a triangular pattern within the housing 1; or they can be connected by wires for easy placement at different locations on the shopping cart as needed.

[0032] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A following system, characterized in that, The device includes a flat rectangular housing (1), the width of which is less than the width of the front side of the shopping cart cavity and the length of which is less than the height of the front side of the shopping cart cavity; the housing (1) has a lifting mechanism (2) arranged along the length direction in the middle, and a camera module (3) is installed on the top of the lifting mechanism (2); a battery module (4) and a controller unit (5) are arranged inside the housing (1), and the lifting mechanism (2), the camera module (3) and the battery module (4) are all electrically connected to the controller unit (5).

2. The following system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the lifting mechanism (2) is equipped with a rotatable and pitchable gimbal mechanism (6), which is electrically connected to the controller unit (5).

3. The following system as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The controller unit (5) is powered on and connected to at least three distributed UWB positioning modules (7).

4. The following system as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The UWB positioning module (7) is distributed inside the housing (1) or detachably connected to the outside of the housing (1) via a wire.

5. The following system as described in claim 3, characterized in that, One of the UWB positioning modules (7) is located on top of the lifting mechanism (2), and the other UWB positioning modules (7) are distributed and arranged inside the housing (1).

6. The following system as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, It also includes two electrically controlled drive wheels (8) for mounting on the shopping cart, the two electrically controlled drive wheels (8) being detachably electrically connected to the controller unit (5) via wires.

7. The following system as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism (2) is an electric push rod installed inside the housing (1).

8. An automatic following shopping cart, comprising shopping carts that can be stacked and stored together, characterized in that, The shopping cart is equipped with a following system as described in any one of claims 1 to 5. The housing (1) is vertically attached to the front side of the inner cavity of the shopping cart, so that the lifting mechanism (2) is vertically upward. The two front wheels or two rear wheels of the shopping cart are independently controllable electric drive wheels (8), and the electric drive wheels (8) are connected to the controller unit (5) through wires.

9. The automatic following shopping cart as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The electrically controlled drive wheel (8) is a wheel equipped with a hub motor.

Images