Two-way communication system for tracking locations and statuses of wheeled vehicles
US8463540B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 20, 2006 |
| Grant date | Jun 11, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 24, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/49826
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A vehicle tracking system includes a wheel containing sensor circuitry capable of sensing various types of conditions, such as wheel rotation, wheel vibration caused by skidding, and specific electromagnetic and/or magnetic signals indicative of particular wheel locations. The sensor circuitry is coupled to an RF transceiver, which may but need not be included within the wheel. The wheel may also include a brake mechanism. In one embodiment, the wheels are placed on shopping carts and are used to collect and monitor shopping cart status and location data via a wireless network. The collected data may be used for various purposes, such as locking the wheel of an exiting cart if the customer has not paid, estimating numbers of queued carts, stopping wheel skid events that occur during mechanized cart retrieval, store planning, and providing location-based messaging to customers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.