Time-Controlled Shopping Cart Immobilizer Activation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shopping trolley immobilizers fail to prevent movement outside permissible areas, especially during non-operational hours, leading to vandalism and increased collection efforts due to scattered trolleys.
Innovation Solution
A time-controlled immobilizer activation system that engages when shopping carts are parked outside the shop's opening hours, using underground signal lines to activate immobilizers and prevent movement, with deactivation upon return to the garage during operational hours, and strategic signal line placement to ensure consistent activation and battery longevity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If shopping carts are left freely movable in parking areas, then customers can easily access and return them during operating hours, but the carts can be removed and scattered outside the permissible area when the shop is closed
Solution Approach 1:
The immobilizer system dynamically changes its state based on time and location. During operating hours, the immobilizer is deactivated allowing free movement. Outside operating hours, the immobilizer is activated to prevent movement. This dynamic switching resolves the contradiction by adapting the restriction level to the operational context.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary activation of the immobilizer before the shop closes and preliminary deactivation before opening. The time-controlled system ensures that immobilizers are activated in advance of closing hours and deactivated in advance of opening hours, preventing any gap where carts could be freely removed or restricting access during operational periods.
2Reliability
If immobilizers are activated continuously to prevent cart removal, then security against vandalism is improved, but the carts cannot be moved freely during operating hours
Solution Approach 1:
The immobilizer system operates periodically based on predetermined time intervals corresponding to shop operating hours. The system alternates between active (restricted) and inactive (free movement) states according to the operational schedule, ensuring security only when needed while maintaining operational freedom during business hours.
3Reliability
If deposit locks are added to prevent unauthorized removal, then security is improved, but the complexity of the system increases and requires additional manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical deposit lock systems with an electromagnetic or electronic immobilizer system controlled by time and position signals. Instead of requiring physical deposit elements and manual locking mechanisms, the system uses automated electronic control to activate or deactivate wheel immobilization based on location and time, reducing mechanical complexity while maintaining or improving security.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively prevents trolley removal from parking areas outside shop hours, reduces vandalism by making trolley movement difficult, and incentivizes return through deposit refunds, while ensuring secure and efficient collection.
Implementation Method 1
The signals emitted by the signal line 5 cause the immobilizer attached to the shopping cart to be activated without contact as soon as the shopping cart drives over this signal line
Implementation Method 2
these magnetic fields can be generated by an electromagnet in the area of the portal of the garage outside opening hours
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
To generally prevent people from being able to take out and move shopping carts from shopping cart parking areas (4) at times when the store is not open, the blocking devices on the shopping carts are activated when the shopping carts are parked in shopping cart parking areas when the store is not open.