Systems and methods for autonomous assistance and routing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10445791-B2
Application number	US-201715677647-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2017
Priority date	Sep 8, 2016
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

An example customer assistance system and associated methods are described. The example customer assistance system includes a shopping cart, a customer assistance unit mounted on the shopping cart, and a location system disposed remotely from the shopping cart and the customer assistance unit. The customer assistance unit includes a light source oriented upwards relative to horizontal, and an actuator for actuating the light source into an illumination position. In the illumination position, the light source projects a light beam over the shopping cart. The locating system includes at least one image capturing device configured to scan a ceiling for the light beam and to determine a source location of the shopping cart based on a ceiling location of the light beam.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A customer assistance system, comprising:
a shopping cart;
a customer assistance unit mounted on the shopping cart, the customer assistance unit including (i) a light source oriented upwards relative to horizontal when the customer assistance unit is mounted on the shopping cart, and (ii) an actuator for actuating the light source into an illumination position, wherein actuation of the light source into the illumination position projects a light beam over the shopping cart; and
a locating system disposed remotely from the shopping cart and the customer assistance unit, the locating system comprising at least one image capturing device configured to scan a ceiling for the light beam and to determine a source location of the shopping cart based on a ceiling location of the light beam.

2. The customer assistance system of claim 1 , wherein the customer assistance unit comprises an audible signal source, and wherein actuation of the light source into the illumination position with the actuator simultaneously actuates the audible signal source to output an audible signal.

3. The customer assistance system of claim 1 , wherein the light source is configured to project the light beam in one or more different light colors.

4. The customer assistance system of claim 3 , wherein a difference between the one or more different light colors is outside of a human visible spectrum.

5. The customer assistance system of claim 1 , wherein the customer assistance unit comprises a radio frequency transmitter, and wherein actuation of the light source into the illumination position with the actuator simultaneously actuates the radio frequency transmitter to output a radio frequency signal.

6. The customer assistance system of claim 1 , wherein the locating system comprises an unmanned vehicle configured to scan the ceiling for the light beam and to determine the source location of the shopping cart based on the ceiling location of the light beam.

7. The customer assistance system of claim 6 , wherein the unmanned vehicle is an aerial drone or an autonomous vehicle.

8. The customer assistance system of claim 6 , wherein the unmanned vehicle comprises an audio system configured to detect statements spoken by a user of the shopping cart.

9. The customer assistance system of claim 8 , wherein based on the statements spoken by the user of the shopping cart, the unmanned vehicle is configured to guide the user of the shopping cart to a location of a specific item in a retail environment.

10. The customer assistance system of claim 9 , wherein the unmanned vehicle comprises a light source configured to illuminate a path in the retail environment to guide the user of the shopping cart to the location of the specific item.

11. The customer assistance system of claim 9 , wherein the unmanned vehicle comprises a light source configured to illuminate at least a portion of the specific item.

12. A customer assistance unit, comprising:
a body configured to be mounted on a shopping cart;
a light source associated with the body, the light source being oriented upwards relative to horizontal when the body is mounted on the shopping cart; and
an actuator for actuating the light source into an illumination position,
wherein actuation of the light source into the illumination position projects a light beam over the shopping cart.

13. The customer assistance unit of claim 12 , comprising an audible signal source associated with the body.

14. The customer assistance unit of claim 13 , wherein actuation of the light source into the illumination position with the actuator simultaneously actuates the audible signal source to output an audible signal.

15. The customer assistance unit of claim 12 , wherein the light source is configured to project the light beam in one or more different light colors.

16. The customer assistance unit of claim 15 , wherein a difference between the one or more different light colors is outside of a human visible spectrum.

17. The customer assistance unit of claim 12 , comprising a radio frequency transmitter associated with the body.

18. The customer assistance unit of claim 17 , wherein actuation of the light source into the illumination position with the actuator simultaneously actuates the radio frequency transmitter to output a radio frequency signal.

19. A method of assisting a customer, comprising:
providing a customer assistance system, the customer assistance system including (i) a shopping cart, (ii) a customer assistance unit mounted on the shopping cart and including a light source oriented upwards relative to horizontal when the customer assistance unit is mounted on the shopping cart and an actuator, and (iii) a locating system disposed remotely from the shopping cart and the customer assistance unit, the locating system comprising at least one image capturing device;
actuating the light source into an illumination position with the actuator to project a light beam onto a ceiling over the shopping cart;
scanning the ceiling for the light beam with the at least one image capturing device; and
determining a source location of the shopping cart based on a ceiling location of the light beam.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the locating system comprises an unmanned vehicle, the unmanned vehicle traveling to the source location of the shopping cart, and guiding a user of the shopping cart to a specific item in a retail environment with the unmanned vehicle.

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Taylor Robert James
• Jones Matthew Allen
• Vasgaard Aaron James
• Jones Nicholaus Adam

Classifications

• G06Q30/06

  Buying, selling or leasing transactions · CPC title

• G06Q20/20

  Point-of-sale [POS] network systems · CPC title

• G06Q30/0281 Primary

  Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting · CPC title

• G07G1/0081

  the reader being a portable scanner or data reader (G07G1/009 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62B3/1472

  Supports for specific articles (B62B3/1468 takes precedence) · CPC title