Shopping Cart Item Sorting With Optical Detection and Internal Crane
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of efficiently managing and collating multiple items during shopping, especially in large stores, is a hassle due to the large variety of items available, which can lead to adverse interactions and inefficient checkout processes.
Innovation Solution
A multi-functional shopping cart equipped with a main storage, a top cover, a gate, a crane, and an optical device, along with a computing device that detects and sorts items based on attributes, allowing controlled access and automated storage and transport within the cart.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual handling and collation of multiple items is used during shopping, then the shopping cart structure remains simple, but the efficiency and convenience of shopping deteriorates due to the large variety of items
Solution Approach 1:
The shopping cart system performs automatic item detection, classification, and sorting without requiring manual customer intervention. The optical devices automatically scan items, the computing device classifies them based on attributes, and the crane mechanism automatically sorts them into designated compartments, enabling the cart to serve itself
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical sorting by customers is replaced with an automated system combining optical detection devices, computing devices for classification, and a crane mechanism for physical sorting. This substitution of manual mechanical operations with automated systems resolves the contradiction between shopping efficiency and device complexity
2Reliability
If items are freely accessible in the shopping cart, then the cart is easy to use, but adverse interactions between different types of items may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The shopping cart storage space is divided into multiple segregated compartments based on item attributes such as category, temperature requirements, or compatibility. This segmentation physically separates items that might adversely interact while maintaining organized storage, thus improving reliability without significantly compromising ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
Different compartments within the shopping cart are assigned specific characteristics or conditions suitable for particular item types. This local differentiation ensures that items are stored in environments appropriate to their specific requirements, preventing adverse interactions while maintaining accessibility
3Productivity
If automated item detection and sorting is implemented, then shopping efficiency improves, but the device complexity and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shopping cart integrates multiple functions into a single system: optical devices for detection, computing devices for classification, and a crane mechanism for sorting. This multi-functional integration achieves automated efficient shopping while consolidating complexity into a unified system rather than separate components
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-functional shopping cart (100) for shopping includes a main storage (102) adapted for storage of items; a top cover (110) disposed on top of, and fixedly coupled to the main storage; a gate (112) provided at the main storage; a crane (130) provided within the main storage and configured to pick up items from the gate and move them to a designated location; an optical device (122) configured to detect the items. The shopping cart further includes a computing device (202) configured to: detect the items; extract one or more attributes of the items; operate the gate to allow the items to enter the main storage; operate the crane to transport the items to their designated location; and transmit the one or more attributes and a log of operations to a central database (250).