Shopping cart

Abstract

To provide a shopping cart capable of implementing registration processing or settlement processing when a number of products are purchased.SOLUTION: A shopping cart 1 includes: a cart main body 2 which can have an electronic device 6 used for registration processing or settlement processing for products at the upper part and which has casters 3 at the lower part; a placement part 5b at the upper stage; and a placement part 5a at the lower stage. The placement part 5b at the upper stage and the placement part 5a at the lower stage are respectively supported by the cart main body 2 through a detection device 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shopping cart that is used mainly in stores such as supermarkets and shopping malls. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, in stores such as supermarkets and shopping malls, payment processing is carried out by store clerks or customers at cash registers installed within the store. This means that during busy times, for example, customers waiting to pay tend to crowd around the cash registers, not only making customers wait for long periods of time, but also creating a heavy workload for store clerks who perform the product registration process to register products or the payment process to pay for registered products.

[0003] Therefore, a system has been proposed in which a shopping cart is equipped with electronic devices such as a reading device that can read product information and a display device that can display payment information, etc., as well as a battery that supplies power to these electronic devices, so that when a customer selects a product, the product information is read on the spot, allowing payment processing to be completed without the customer having to go to the cash register.

[0004] A shopping cart used in this type of system is equipped with a reading device that reads product information and a detection device installed on the product placement area. When the reading device reads a barcode or the like attached to a product, the shopping cart obtains information such as the price of the product from a database. When the detection device detects that an item has been placed on the placement area, it adds the item to the total quantity of the products placed on the placement area, preventing reading errors or users forgetting to read the item, and enabling accurate payment processing for the products (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-70441 A (Page 7, Figure 2) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The shopping cart described in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a detector only on the upper loading section, and is unable to weigh items placed on the lower loading section. As a result, the lower loading section cannot be used as a place to place items for which payment is to be processed on the shopping cart, and is therefore unable to accommodate registering or paying for many items at once.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to provide a shopping cart that can handle the registration process or payment process when purchasing many products. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the shopping cart of the present invention comprises: A shopping cart comprising a cart body on the upper part of which an electronic device used for product registration processing or payment processing can be mounted and which has casters on the lower part, an upper loading section and a lower loading section, The upper and lower placement sections are each supported on the cart body via a detection device. According to this feature, regardless of whether an item is placed on the upper or lower loading section, the detection device can detect its presence, so that both the upper and lower loading sections can be effectively utilized to handle registration or payment processes when purchasing a large number of items.

[0009] The detection device is characterized by being a load sensor using a strain gauge and a strain generating element. According to this feature, the presence of products placed on the upper and lower placement sections can be detected in an integrated manner using a simple configuration.

[0010] The strain body is characterized in that one longitudinal end is connected to the cart body, the upper surface of the other end is connected to the upper stage mounting portion, and the lower surface of the other end is connected to the lower stage mounting portion. According to this feature, the load of both the upper and lower loading sections is applied directly to the strain element that constitutes the load sensor via the load-receiving main body, and the presence of products placed on the upper and lower loading sections can be detected in an integrated manner using a simple configuration.

[0011] The strain body is characterized in that one strain body is disposed at the center in the width direction of the cart body, between the upper and lower placement sections. According to this feature, a single strain generating body can detect the presence of products on both the upper and lower placement sections in an integrated manner, which not only eliminates any difference in product detection accuracy between the upper and lower placement sections, but also reduces manufacturing costs.

[0012] The strain body is characterized in that it is disposed between a pair of frames that constitute the cart body and are spaced apart in the width direction. According to this feature, by placing the shopping cart between a pair of high-strength frames, it is possible to effectively prevent or suppress objects from coming into contact with the strain-generating body and the impact transmitted thereto while the shopping cart is being transported. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a shopping cart according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from the front side; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shopping cart as seen from the rear side. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a shopping cart. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the relationship between the upper stage placement portion and the detection device. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the relationship between the lower placement portion and the detection device. [Figure 6]FIG. 10 is a side view showing shopping carts nested one behind the other. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A shopping cart according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the following examples. [Example]

[0015] A shopping cart according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6. In the following description, the diagonally lower left side of Figure 1 is the front of the shopping cart, and the up, down, left, and right directions when viewing the shopping cart from the front side are used as references.

[0016] 1 to 3, a shopping cart 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as a cart) is a cart used by customers in, for example, supermarkets, shopping malls, etc. The cart 1 mainly comprises a cart body 2, a plurality of (for example, four) casters 3 provided on the bottom of the cart body 2, a handle 4 operated by a user, two upper and lower mounting sections 5a and 5b on which baskets (not shown) capable of containing products can be placed, an electronic device 6 used in a registration process for registering a product as a target product for purchase by a user or in a payment process for a product registered by this registration process, a battery capable of supplying power to the electronic device 6, a power receiving section 40 for receiving power, and a power transmitting section 41 for transmitting power, and as will be described later, the cart 1 is capable of being nested in the front-to-back direction.

[0017] The cart body 2 is mainly composed of a lower body 2a that is roughly bifurcated in plan view and is placed along the floor surface, and an upper body 2b that stands upright at the front end of the lower body 2a, forming a roughly S-shape in side view. Casters 3 are attached to the lower front and rear ends of the lower body 2a, allowing it to be moved on the floor surface.

[0018] A power receiving unit 40 is provided on the front of the base portion 23 on the base side of the lower main body 2a, and a power transmitting unit 41 is provided on the rear of the base portion 23 of the lower main body 2a.The power supplied to the power receiving unit 40 can be supplied to a battery (not shown) and the power transmitting unit 41, and power can be supplied to the power receiving unit 40 of the other cart 1 that is nested and connected to its own power transmitting unit 41.

[0019] The upper main body portion 2b has a first frame portion 33a extending substantially vertically upward and forward from the upper surface of the base portion 23, a second frame portion 33b extending obliquely upward and rearward from the upper end of the first frame portion 33a, and a third frame portion 33c extending substantially vertically upward and rearward from the upper end of the second frame portion 33b. The first frame portion 33a, the second frame portion 33b, and the third frame portion 33c are each composed of two frames 7 erected on the base portion 23 on the base side of the upper main body portion 2b and spaced apart from each other on the left and right.

[0020] The upper body portion 2b is provided with a cover member 20 that is provided to cover the first frame portion 33a and the second frame portion 33b. The cover member 20 is provided with a cover portion 21 that covers the front surface of the first frame portion 33a and a cover portion 22 that covers the upper surface of the second frame portion 33b, and the cover portion 22 covers a battery (not shown) that is mounted in the position of the first frame portion 33a.

[0021] The lower mounting portion 5a, which is located behind the first frame portion 33a and below the second frame portion 33b, and the upper mounting portion 5b, which is located in front of the third frame portion 33c and above the second frame portion 33b, are formed in a box shape that opens at the top by bending a linear member.

[0022] The lower loading section 5a is arranged to slope downward toward the rear, and the second frame section 33b is arranged to slope upward toward the rear, so that the vertical distance between the second frame section 33b and the lower main body section 2a becomes wider toward the rear, making it easier for customers to place items into a basket (not shown) placed on the loading section 5a from the rear of the cart 1.

[0023] In this embodiment, the electronic device 6 includes, although not described in detail here, a reading device such as a reader for reading information on products selected by customers using the cart 1, and an information terminal capable of displaying the product information read by the reading device and performing various operations. Note that other devices than those described above may also be provided for the registration process, payment process, or both the registration process and the payment process of products selected by customers.

[0024] 4, the upper mounting portion 5b has a main body 50 formed in a box shape with an open top by bending a linear member, and a metal plate-like fixing portion 51 provided at the lower end of the main body 50. A plurality of holes 51a penetrating vertically are formed in the fixing portion 51, and these holes 51a are used to fix the fixing portion 51 to the strain element 15 of the detection device 10, which will be described in detail later.

[0025] 5, the lower placement section 5a has a main body 52 formed in a box shape with an open top by bending a linear member, and suspending sections 53 fixed to the left and right ends of the main body 52. The suspending section 53 has a fixing section 54 formed in the center in the left-right direction, and tubular frames 55, 55 extending left and right from the fixing section 54 and also extending downward.

[0026] The frames 55, 55 are generally L-shaped in side view, and their lower ends are bent along the front-to-rear direction of the main body 52 and are welded and fixed at multiple points in the front-to-rear direction to the linear members at the left and right ends of the main body 52. The fixing portion 54 has a flat portion 54b at its upper end, and the fixing portion 54 is fixed to the strain element 15 of the detection device 10, which will be described in detail later, using multiple holes 54a formed in this flat portion 54b.

[0027] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the detection device 10 is a load sensor (load cell) composed of a strain element 15 arranged with its longitudinal axis in the front-to-rear direction of the cart body 2 and a strain gauge (not shown) attached to the strain element 15.

[0028] A plurality of holes 15e that penetrate vertically are formed in the rear end 15a of the flexure body 15, and the flexure body 15 is fixed to the second frame portion 33b using these holes 15e. More specifically, the flexure body 15 is fixed in a cantilevered state to a base portion 8 that is mounted on two frames 7, 7 that make up the second frame portion 33b by fastening bolts and nuts 11 that are inserted through holes 8a formed in the base portion 8 and through holes 15e in the flexure body 15, respectively.

[0029] The flexure body 15 is a thick, elastically deformable metal member, and is arranged with its longitudinal axis at the front and rear of the cart body 2 (see FIG. 4). A strain gauge (not shown) is attached to approximately the center of the flexure body 15, so that when the flexure body 15 elastically deforms, the resistance value of the strain gauge attached to the flexure body 15 changes. The strain gauge is connected to an information terminal of the electronic device 6 by wiring (not shown), and transmits this resistance value to the information terminal as detection information.

[0030] A plurality of holes 15e penetrating vertically are formed in the front end 15b of the strain body 15, and with the fixing portion 51 of the upper stage mounting portion 5b abutting against the top surface 150 of the front end 15b, the upper stage mounting portion 5b is connected to and supported by fastening bolts and nuts 11 inserted into the holes 15e formed in the front end 15b and the holes 51a formed in the fixing portion 51 of the upper stage mounting portion 5b, respectively. In other words, the upper stage mounting portion 5b is attached to the second frame portion 33b of the cart main body 2 via the detection device 10, and its load is supported by the second frame portion 33b of the cart main body 2 via the detection device 10.

[0031] A flat portion 54b of a fixing portion 54 of the suspending support portion 53 of the lower mounting portion 5a abuts against a lower surface 151 of the front end portion 15b of the flexure body 15, and similarly to the fixing portion 51 of the upper mounting portion 5b, the fixing portion 54 of the suspending support portion 53 of the lower mounting portion 5a is connected by fastening bolts and nuts 11, thereby connecting the lower mounting portion 5a to the front end portion 15b of the flexure body 15. In this way, the lower mounting portion 5a is attached to the second frame portion 33b of the cart main body 2 via the detection device 10, and its load is supported by the second frame portion 33b of the cart main body 2 via the detection device 10. Furthermore, the fixing points between the flexure body 15 and the second frame portion 33b, the fixing points between the flexure body 15 and the lower mounting portion 5a (described later), and the fixing points between the flexure body 15 and the upper mounting portion 5b are covered by a cover portion 22 and are not exposed to the outside (see FIG. 1 ).

[0032] As described above, both the upper placement portion 5b and the lower placement portion 5a are configured such that a load is applied to the front end portion 15b of the flexure body 15, and when a product is placed directly on placement portion 5b or placement portion 5a, or when a product is placed in a basket (not shown) placed on placement portion 5b or placement portion 5a, the weight of the product causes the flexure body 15 to elastically deform, more specifically, the cantilever-shaped flexure body 15 with the rear end portion 15a as its base point elastically deforms. Conversely, when a product is removed from placement portion 5b or placement portion 5a, the flexure body 15 elastically returns to its original position due to a reduction in weight by the product, and the resistance value changes.

[0033] When a product load is applied to or removed from either the upper placement section 5b or the lower placement section 5a, the resistance value of the strain gauge in the detection device 10 changes, and the resistance value is transmitted from the strain gauge to the information terminal of the electronic device 6. The information terminal of the electronic device 6 uses the change in the resistance value received from the strain gauge to detect a change in the presence of the product on either the upper placement section 5b or the lower placement section 5a.

[0034] When a customer reads product information using the reading device of electronic device 6, the information terminal begins the product registration process and monitors changes in the resistance value received from the strain gauge. If a change in the resistance value received from the strain gauge, in this case an increase in load, is detected, the product registration process is completed. Conversely, if an increase in load is not detected, the product registration process is interrupted and an error message is displayed. In this way, the information terminal performs various calculations using the resistance value received from the strain gauge, and therefore can be said to constitute a part of detection device 10.

[0035] As described above, the cart body 2 of the cart 1 of the present invention can detect the presence of an item using the detection device 10 regardless of whether the item is placed on the upper loading section 5b or the lower loading section 5a, so that both the upper and lower loading sections 5a, 5b can be effectively utilized to handle registration and payment processes when purchasing many items.

[0036] Furthermore, the detection device 10 can comprehensively detect the presence of products placed on the upper placement section 5b and the lower placement section 5a with a simple configuration by using a load sensor that uses a strain gauge and a strain generating body 15. Moreover, the upper placement section 5b and the lower placement section 5a are directly connected to the strain generating body 15, so the structure is simple and the strain detection accuracy is high.

[0037] Moreover, one longitudinal end of the strain body 15 is connected to the second frame portion 33b of the cart main body 2, the upper placement portion 5b is connected to an upper surface 150 of the other end, and the lower placement portion 5a is connected to a lower surface 151 of the other end. In this way, the loads of the upper placement portion 5b and the lower placement portion 5a are respectively applied directly to the strain body 15 constituting the detection device 10, and the presence of products placed on the upper placement portion 5b and the lower placement portion 5a can be detected in an integrated manner with a simple configuration.

[0038] Furthermore, one flexure element 15 is disposed in the center of the width of the cart body 2, between the upper and lower placement sections 5b and 5a. This arrangement eliminates uneven distribution of the flexure element 15 on one side of the width of the cart body 2 and ensures consistent product detection accuracy between the upper and lower placement sections 5b and 5a, respectively. Furthermore, using only one flexure element 15 reduces manufacturing costs. Furthermore, since the flexure element 15 does not protrude to the left or right of the cart body 2, the detection device 10 can be compactly configured. Furthermore, when carts 1, 1′ are nested one behind the other, the second frame section 33b of the following cart 1′ can be inserted below the second frame section 33b on which the detection device 10 is installed. This minimizes the influence of the detection device 10 on the nesting of the carts 1, 1′. In other words, the carts 1, 1′ can be nested close to each other, allowing multiple carts 1 to be stored compactly.

[0039] 4, the flexure element 15 is disposed between a pair of frames 7, 7 that constitute the second frame portion 33b. By disposing the flexure element 15 between a pair of high-strength frames 7, 7 in this manner, it is possible to effectively prevent or suppress objects from coming into contact with the flexure element 15 and shocks being transmitted thereto while the cart 1 is being transported, and it is therefore possible to maintain the accuracy of the product detection by the detection device 10.

[0040] In addition, the lower loading section 5a is positioned open to the rear relative to the cart body 2, so that products read by a reading device located at the rear of the cart body 2, i.e., on the customer side, can be easily placed from the customer side onto the lower loading section 5a.

[0041] For example, multiple carts 1 can be stored in a cart storage area installed at a predetermined location within a store. In the cart storage area, carts 1, 1' can be nested one behind the other as shown in Figure 6.

[0042] Although not shown in detail in the figures, the lower body 2a of the trailing cart 1' enters the space that is roughly trapezoidal in plan view and open to the rear, which is formed between the left and right V-shaped side frame portions 24 of the lower body 2a of the leading cart 1. At this time, the trailing side frame portion 24 is guided by the inner surface of the leading side frame portion 24, so that the left and right positions of the nested front and rear carts 1, 1' are aligned with each other and are guided so that the power receiving unit 40 of the trailing cart 1' is electrically connected to the power transmitting unit 41 of the leading cart 1.

[0043] Furthermore, the rear end 15a of the flexure element 15 is fixed to the rear end side of the second frame portion 33b. That is, the flexure element 15 extends forward from the rear end side of the second frame portion 33b, with the front end 15b located approximately in the center of the second frame portion 33b. Therefore, the fixing portion 51 with which the flexure element 15 is fixed on the upper mounting portion 5b and the fixing portion 54 with which the flexure element 15 is fixed on the lower mounting portion 5a are each located approximately in the center in the front-to-rear direction of the second frame portion 33b, and the detection device 10 can accurately detect products that are unevenly distributed in the front-to-rear direction on the upper and lower mounting portions 5a, 5b.

[0044] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and additions and modifications within the scope of the present invention are also included in the present invention.

[0045] For example, in the above embodiment, the cart 1 is described as being capable of being nested in the front-to-rear direction and equipped with electronic devices 6 used for product registration processing, payment processing, or both product registration processing and payment processing. However, the cart 1 does not necessarily need to be equipped with the electronic devices 6, and may be, for example, a cart to which the electronic devices 6 can be detachably attached. In this case, the cart 1 preferably has an attachment member that allows the electronic devices 6, or mobile terminals such as smartphones or tablet terminals, to be detachably attached to the cart body 2, and connection terminals for electrically connecting these terminals to a battery.

[0046] Furthermore, the detection means capable of detecting the presence of products placed on the upper and lower placement sections 5a and 5b in the detection device 10 is not limited to a load sensor using a strain gauge as in the above embodiment, but may also be, for example, a photo sensor or an infrared sensor.

[0047] Furthermore, the number of detectors 10 is not limited to one, and two detectors 10 may be arranged on the left and right sides of the cart body 2, for example.

[0048] Furthermore, the installation position of the detection device 10 is not limited to the front-rear direction of the cart body 2.

[0049] In addition, in the above embodiment, the cart 1 is exemplified as having a configuration in which the cart body 2 is approximately S-shaped in side view, composed of a lower main body portion 2a which is approximately bifurcated in plan view and an upper main body portion 2b which stands upright from the front of the lower main body portion 2a, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the shape of the cart body 2 is not limited to the above and may be various shapes.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the mounting portions 5a and 5b can be fixed to the flexure body 15 simultaneously with the same bolts and nuts 11, the assembly workability is excellent, but this is not limiting, and for example, the mounting portions 5a and 5b may be fixed to the flexure body 15 with different holes and bolts and nuts 11. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1. Shopping Cart 2 Cart body 2a Bottom of the main body 2b Top of the main body 5a Lower loading section 5b Upper loading section 6 Electronic equipment 6a Reading device 6b Information terminal 7 frames 8 Base 10. Detection Device 11 Bolts and nuts 15 Strain body 15a Rear end 15b Front end 15e hole 20 カバー parts 33a Part 1 33b Part 2 フレーム 33c Part 3 Fura 40 Power receiving part 41 Power transmission department 50 body part 51 fixed part 52 body part 53 hanging branch 54 fixed part 54b flat surface 55,55 フレーム 150 From the top of the crooked body 151 The crooked body

Claims

1. A shopping cart comprising a cart body on the upper part of which an electronic device used for product registration processing or payment processing can be mounted and which has casters on the lower part, an upper loading section and a lower loading section, A shopping cart characterized in that the upper and lower loading sections are supported on the cart body via respective detection devices.

2. 2. The shopping cart according to claim 1, wherein the detection device is a load sensor using a strain gauge and a strain element.

3. 3. The shopping cart according to claim 2, wherein the strain element has one longitudinal end connected to the cart body, the upper mounting portion connected to an upper surface of the other longitudinal end, and the lower mounting portion connected to a lower surface of the other longitudinal end.

4. 4. The shopping cart according to claim 3, wherein the strain element is disposed at the center of the width of the cart body between the upper and lower placement sections.

5. 3. The shopping cart according to claim 2, wherein the strain element is disposed between a pair of frames that constitute the cart body and are spaced apart in the width direction.

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