Shopping cart

Abstract

To provide a shopping cart capable of precisely detecting a commodity placed at a loading portion.SOLUTION: A shopping cart 1 includes: a cart main body 2 which allows an electronic apparatus 6 to be loaded on an upper portion, the electronic apparatus being utilized for a registration process of a commodity or for a payment process, and which has casters 3 provided at a lower portion; an upper loading portion 5b; and a lower loading portion 5a. The cart main body 2 includes a main-body lower section 2a that includes the casters 3, and a standing-upright section 2b that stands upright from the main-body lower section 2a. The loading portion 5a is suspended and supported via a detecting device 10 relative to the standing-upright section 2b. A reinforcement member 35 is provided across between the main-body lower section 2a of the cart main body 2 and the standing-upright section 2b thereof.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

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] WO 2003 / 054822 (page 7, Figure 2) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The shopping cart described in Patent Document 1 weighs products using a weight sensor installed at the bottom of the basket-shaped loading section, but the basket-shaped loading section has casters directly below it, making it susceptible to vibrations from the running surface, making it difficult to weigh accurately.

[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 accurately detect products placed on the placing section. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the shopping cart of the present invention comprises: A shopping cart having a cart body on an upper part of which an electronic device used for product registration processing or payment processing can be mounted and a cart base having casters on a lower part, and a placing part on which products can be placed, the cart body includes a lower body portion having the casters and a standing portion standing upright from the lower body portion; the placement portion is suspended from the standing portion via a detection device, The cart is characterized in that a reinforcing member is installed between the lower part of the cart body and the upright part. According to this feature, the loading section on which products can be placed is suspended from the upright part of the cart body, thereby separating the lower part of the main body which has casters from the loading section and the detection device, thereby suppressing the impact of vibrations received from the running surface on the loading section and the detection device.In addition, the rigidity of the cart body is increased by the reinforcing member installed between the lower part of the main body and the upright part, so that the amplitude of vibrations in the cart body, particularly in the upright part, can be reduced and products placed on the loading section can be detected with high accuracy.

[0009] The reinforcing member has one end fixed to the upright portion between the lower portion of the main body and the detection device. According to this feature, the influence of vibrations from the traveling surface on the detection device can be effectively suppressed.

[0010] The detection device is a load sensor that uses a strain gauge and a strain body, and is characterized in that the strain body is connected to a suspension support part on the mounting part located below the cart body, and the strain body is connected to another mounting part located above the cart body. This feature allows for integrated detection of the presence of products placed on both the upper and lower placement sections with a simple configuration. Furthermore, the placement section is suspended by a support, but is reinforced by a reinforcing member, making it less likely to cause resonance.

[0011] the upright portion of the cart body has a first frame portion upright from the front end side of the lower portion of the body, a second frame portion extending rearward and upward from the upper end of the first frame portion, and a third frame portion upright from the upper end of the second frame portion, and is generally S-shaped; the detection device is fixed to the second frame portion, the lower mounting portion is disposed on the rear side of the first frame portion and below the second frame portion, The upper mounting portion is characterized in that it is disposed on the front side of the third frame portion and above the second frame portion. According to this feature, a single strain body can comprehensively detect the presence of products placed on either the upper or lower placement section, and there is no difference in the accuracy of product detection between the upper and lower placement sections.

[0012] The suspension support portion of the lower mounting portion is formed in a generally downward U-shape, and is characterized in that the center portion in the left-right direction is connected to the strain generating body. According to this feature, the hanging support portion does not get in the way when the scanned product is placed on the lower loading portion from the rear of the shopping cart, i.e., the customer side.

[0013] The reinforcing member is characterized in that it is arranged in parallel to and near the front of the hanging support portion of the lower mounting portion. According to this feature, the reinforcing member is aligned parallel to the hanging support and positioned forward of the hanging support, so it does not get in the way when products scanned from the side of the shopping cart are placed on the lower loading section. In addition, because the hanging support and the reinforcing member are aligned parallel, the reinforcing member is easily recognized as a frame with the same function as the hanging support, and its presence is reduced regardless of the thickness of the reinforcing member, resulting in excellent design. Furthermore, because the reinforcing member functions as a guard for the hanging support, the hanging support is less likely to come into contact with the outside, and the accuracy of product detection is stable. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [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 unit 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] 10 is an exploded perspective view showing the relationship between the reinforcing member, the cart body, and the suspending support portion. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a side view showing shopping carts nested one behind the other. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] 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]

[0016] A shopping cart according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 7. 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.

[0017] 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.

[0018] The cart body 2 is mainly composed of a lower body part 2a that is roughly bifurcated in plan view and is placed along the floor surface, and an upper body part 2b that is an upright part erected at the front end side of the lower body part 2a, and is roughly S-shaped in side view. Casters 3 are attached to the lower front and rear ends of the lower body part 2a, allowing it to be moved on the floor surface.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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 formed by 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.

[0021] 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 cover portions 22a and 22b that cover the upper surface of the second frame portion 33b, and the cover portion 21 covers a battery (not shown) that is mounted on the first frame portion 33a.

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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. The fixing portion 51 of the upper stage mounting portion 5b is covered by the cover portion 22a and is not exposed to the outside (see FIGS. 1 and 4).

[0032] The flat portion 54b of the fixing portion 54 of the suspending support portion 53 of the lower mounting portion 5a abuts against the underside 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 and the fixing points between the flexure body 15 and the lower mounting portion 5a are covered by the cover portion 22b and are not exposed to the outside (see FIGS. 1 and 7).

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 3, reinforcing members 35 are installed between the lower body 2a and the upright upper body 2b of the cart body 2. The reinforcing members 35 are made of a pipe-shaped frame structure similar to the suspending support members 53 of the lower mounting section 5a, and a pair of reinforcing members 35 are installed on the left and right sides of the cart body 2.

[0037] As shown in Figure 6, the upper ends of the pair of left and right reinforcing members 35 are welded and fixed to the frame 7 that constitutes the upper main body 2b, and the lower ends are welded and fixed to the left and right V-shaped side frame portions 24 in the lower main body 2a.

[0038] The welded portion between the frame 7 and the upper end of the reinforcing member 35 is covered by a cover portion 22b that covers the upper surface of the second frame portion 33b. A recess 26 that avoids the reinforcing member 35 is formed in the cover portion 22b. In addition, the fixing portion between the fixing portion 54 of the suspending support portion 53 and the strain element 15 on the lower mounting portion 5a is also covered by the cover portion 22b that covers the upper surface of the second frame portion 33b. A recess 27 that avoids the frame 55 of the suspending support portion 53 is provided adjacent to and behind the recess 26 that avoids the reinforcing member 35 on the cover portion 22b.

[0039] More specifically, the upper end of the reinforcing member 35 is fixed to the second frame portion 33b forward of the fixing portion 54 of the suspending support portion 53. Similarly, the lower end of the reinforcing member 35 is fixed to the side frame portion 24 forward of the frame 55 of the suspending support portion 53, and the reinforcing member 35 and the frame 55 do not intersect laterally but are aligned parallel to each other in the front-to-rear direction.

[0040] As described above, by suspending the placing section 5a on which products can be placed from the second frame section 33b, which is the upright section of the cart body 2, the placing section 5a and the detection device 10 can be spaced apart from the main body lower section 2a, which has the casters 3. This reduces the effect of vibrations received from the traveling surface on the placing section 5a and the detection device 10, and the stiffness of the cart body 2 is increased by the reinforcing member 35 installed between the main body lower section 2a and the second frame section 33b, thereby reducing the amplitude of vibrations in the cart body 2, particularly in the upper second frame section 33b, and therefore the detection device 10 can accurately detect products placed on the placing section 5a.

[0041] In addition, one end of the reinforcing member 35 is fixed to the second frame portion 33b between the lower main body portion 2a and the detection device 10, thereby effectively suppressing the impact of vibrations received from the running surface on the detection device 10.

[0042] The detection device 10 is a load sensor that uses a strain gauge and a strain generator 15, and the strain generator 15 is connected to a suspension support 53 on a mounting portion 5a located below the cart body 2, and the strain generator 15 is connected to another mounting portion 5b located above the cart body 2. This allows for integrated detection of the presence of products placed on the upper mounting portion 5b and the lower mounting portion 5a with a simple configuration. Furthermore, the upper mounting portion 5b and the lower mounting portion 5a are directly connected to the strain generator 15, resulting in a simple structure and high strain detection accuracy.

[0043] Furthermore, the upper body 2b of the cart body 2 has a first frame portion 33a, a second frame portion 33b, and a third frame portion 33c and is generally S-shaped, the detection device 10 is fixed to the second frame portion 33b, the lower placement portion 5a is disposed on the rear side of the first frame portion 33a and below the second frame portion 33b, and the upper placement portion 5b is disposed on the front side of the third frame portion 33c and above the second frame portion 33b. In this way, a single strain body can comprehensively detect the presence of products placed on either the upper placement portion 5b or the lower placement portion 5a, and there is no difference in product detection accuracy between the upper placement portion 5b and the lower placement portion 5a.

[0044] As described above, by bridging the side frame portions 24 of the lower body 2a of the cart body 2 and the frame 7 constituting the second frame portion 33b with the reinforcing members 35, the side frame portions 24, the frame 7, and the reinforcing members 35 form a triangular shape, thereby increasing the rigidity of the cart body 2, particularly on the inside of the triangle. Therefore, vibrations transmitted from the running surface to the flexure body 15 of the detection device 10 fixed to the second frame portion 33b in the vicinity of this triangle and to the lower mount portion 5a suspended from the flexure body 15 are effectively attenuated. In addition, vibrations transmitted from the running surface to the upper mount portion 5b supported directly on the flexure body 15 in the vicinity of the triangle are also effectively attenuated.

[0045] Furthermore, the hanging support portion 53 of the lower placement portion 5a is formed in a generally downward U-shape, and a fixed portion 54 at the center in the left-right direction is connected to the strain body 15. This prevents the hanging support portion 53 from getting in the way when the scanned product is inserted from the rear of the cart 1, i.e., the customer side, onto the lower placement portion 5a.

[0046] Furthermore, the reinforcing member 35 is inclined obliquely backward from its upper end fixed to the second frame portion 33b to its lower end fixed to the side frame portion 24. This makes it possible to more effectively increase the rigidity of the cart body 2 compared to when the reinforcing member 35 is installed vertically.

[0047] Furthermore, because the reinforcing members 35 are arranged parallel to and near the hanging support portions 53 of the lower placement portion 5a, they do not get in the way when products scanned from the side of the cart 1 are placed on the lower placement portion 5a. In addition, because the frame 55 of the hanging support portions 53 and the reinforcing members 35 are arranged parallel to each other, the reinforcing members 35 are easily recognized as members having the same function as the frame 55 of the hanging support portions 53, and regardless of the thickness of the reinforcing members 35, that is, even if they are thick enough to effectively increase the rigidity of the cart body 2, their presence does not stand out, resulting in a design that is not intimidating.

[0048] Furthermore, the welded portion between the frame 7 and the upper end of the reinforcing member 35 and the fixed portion between the fixing portion 54 of the suspending support portion 53 on the lower mounting portion 5a and the flexure body 15 are covered by the cover portion 22b that covers the upper surface of the second frame portion 33b. By being covered by the same cover portion 22b, it is possible to enhance the perceived unity between the frame 55 of the suspending support portion 53 and the reinforcing member 35. In addition, the cover portion 22 is provided with a recess 26 that avoids the reinforcing member 35 and a recess 27 that avoids the frame 55 of the suspending support portion 53, so that the welded portion between the frame 7 and the upper end of the reinforcing member 35 and the fixed portion between the fixing portion 54 of the suspending support portion 53 on the lower mounting portion 5a and the flexure body 15 are not exposed to the outside.

[0049] 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.

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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 7.

[0052] Although not shown in detail in the figures, the lower body 2a of the trailing cart 1' enters the generally trapezoidal space in plan view that is open to the rear and is formed between the left and right side frame portions 24 of the lower body 2a of the leading cart 1. The trailing second frame portion 33b also enters the lower rear space of the leading second frame portion 33b. 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 nested front and rear carts 1, 1' are positioned relative to each other in the left-right direction 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] Furthermore, the cart 1 is not limited to a configuration having two placement sections, the upper placement section 5b and the lower placement section 5a, but may be configured to have only one placement section that is synchronized with the detection device 10, for example.

[0057] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to a configuration in which one detector 10 is capable of detecting the presence of products placed on the upper and lower placement sections 5a, 5b, but may also be configured to include a plurality of detectors corresponding to the placement sections, for example.

[0058] 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 pressure-sensitive sensor.

[0059] 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.

[0060] Furthermore, the installation position of the detection device 10 is not limited to the front-rear direction of the cart body 2.

[0061] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the reinforcing member 35 is configured with a pipe-shaped frame structure similar to that of the hanging support portion 53, but is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a plate-shaped member, or a metal plate of a triangular or polygonal shape other than a triangle, with different sides fixed to the second frame portion 33b and the side frame portion 24. Furthermore, it is not limited to a configuration in which a pair of separate members are provided on the left and right sides of the cart body 2, and may be, for example, an integrated shape with a downward U-shape.

[0062] Furthermore, the number of reinforcing members provided between the second frame portion 33b and the side frame portion 24 is not limited, and more than one may be provided on each of the left and right sides.

[0063] Furthermore, the position of the reinforcing member 35 is not limited to the front side of the lower main body 2a as in the above embodiment, but may be, for example, the rear side of the lower main body 2a, or behind the hanging support portion 53, or may be positioned so as to intersect with the hanging support portion 53.

[0064] 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.

[0065] 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]

[0066] 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 Cover member 21 Cover 22a, 22b Cover part 24 Side frame part 33a First frame section 33b Second frame section 33c Third frame section 35 Reinforcement member 50 Main body 51 Fixed part 52 Main body 53 Hanging Branch 54 Fixed part 54b Plane part 55,55 frames 150 Upper surface of flexure element 151 Lower surface of strain body

Claims

1. A shopping cart having a cart body on an upper part of which an electronic device used for product registration processing or payment processing can be mounted and a cart base having casters on a lower part, and a placing part on which products can be placed, the cart body includes a lower body portion having the casters and a standing portion standing upright from the lower body portion; the placement portion is suspended from the standing portion via a detection device, A shopping cart characterized in that a reinforcing member is installed between the lower part of the cart body and the upright part.

2. 2. The shopping cart according to claim 1, wherein one end of the reinforcing member is fixed to the upright portion between the lower portion of the main body and the detector.

3. 2. The shopping cart according to claim 1, wherein the detection device is a load sensor using a strain gauge and a strain element, the strain element is connected to a suspension support portion of the mounting portion located below the cart body, and the strain element is connected to another mounting portion located above the cart body.

4. the upright portion of the cart body has a first frame portion upright from the front end side of the lower portion of the body, a second frame portion extending rearward and upward from the upper end of the first frame portion, and a third frame portion upright from the upper end of the second frame portion, and is generally S-shaped; the detection device is fixed to the second frame portion, the lower mounting portion is disposed on the rear side of the first frame portion and below the second frame portion, 4. The shopping cart according to claim 3, wherein the upper storage section is disposed on the front side of the third frame section and above the second frame section.

5. 4. The shopping cart according to claim 3, wherein the lower support portion is formed in a generally downward U-shape, and the center portion in the left-right direction is connected to the strain body.

6. 4. The shopping cart according to claim 3, wherein the reinforcing member is disposed in parallel with and near the front of the hanging support portion of the lower placement portion.

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