Authors:
Kimberly Wood, Suzanne Bleakley, Dan Kelaher, David Steiner
Abstract:
This disclosure describes the use of a capacitive handle and regenerative braking that requires a human touch in order to release the cart wheels for motion.
Background:
Loose shopping carts in parking lots may cause unwanted car dings or roll into traffic lanes, This disclosure describes the use of a capacitive cart handle that requires a human touch in order to disengage the wheel brakes and get the cart to roll freely. The wheels would implement regenerative braking. Regenerative brakes would capture kinetic energy to charge a capacitor to power the simple circuit. )
Description:
A shopping cart handle would include capacitive touch. The capacitive coating would be in the inside surface of the handle so that it is durable, washable and will not wear or be scratched off. The cart wheels would implement regenerative braking. Power to run this simple circuit would be generated by pushing the cart and charging a capacitor. The default state of the wheel brakes would be in the braked (no motion) position. When a person touched the capacitive handle of the cart, the braking of the wheel(s) would be released. If a cart has been sitting inactive for a extended period of time and has an uncharged capacitor, the cart will be harder to push for the first few rotations of the wheel(s) while charging the capacitor and enabling the circuit to release the brakes on the wheel(s).
Typically when an associate gathers the carts from the parking lot, they attach a rope with a hook to the first cart and pull the rope back to the last cart. They hold this rope tight so the carts stay nested while bussing the carts back to the store. The same containment system could be used with the capacitive carts if there is conductive fiber through the length of the rope with conductive clips to attach to each of the cart's capacitive handles being bussed back to the store. The associate's touch to the last cart would make an active touch to each cart through the conductive rope/clips and release the wheel brakes. Another idea for an active touch while bussing carts is to have magnets on the front and back of each cart, when the second cart is nested into the first cart, the magnets could activate a switch that deactivates the braking of the first cart. The last cart does not have its brakes deactivated as it has no cart nested within to activate the magnet switch and it would require the associates active touch on the capacitive handle to de activate the brakes. and have the ability to move all the nested carts in the line.
TGCS Reference 2713
