Apparatuses, components and methods are provided herein useful to provide assistance to customers and/or workers in a shopping facility. In some embodiments, a shopping facility personal assistance system comprises: a plurality of motorized transport units located in and configured to move through a shopping facility space; a plurality of user interface units, each corresponding to a respective motorized transport unit during use of the respective motorized transport unit; and a central computer system having a network interface such that the central computer system wirelessly communicates with one or both of the plurality of motorized transport units and the plurality of user interface units, wherein the central computer system is configured to control movement of the plurality of motorized transport units through the shopping facility space based at least on inputs from the plurality of user interface units.

Some embodiments provide methods, systems and apparatus to enhance safety. In some embodiments, a system comprises: a central computer system comprising: a transceiver; a control circuit; and a memory coupled to the control circuit and storing computer instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to perform the steps of: communicate positioning routing instructions to the plurality of motorized transport units directing the motorized transport units to one or more external areas of a shopping facility that are exposed to weather conditions; and communicate separate area routing instructions to each of the motorized transport units that when implemented cause the motorized transport units to cooperatively and in concert travel in accordance with the area routing instructions over at least predefined portions of one or more external areas to cause ground treatment systems to address ground level conditions.

Systems, apparatuses and methods for providing passenger transport are provided. A system for providing passenger transport includes a plurality of passenger carriers, a plurality of motorized transport units each configured to mechanically couple at least one of the plurality of passenger carriers, and a central computer system communicatively coupled to the plurality of motorized transport units. The central computer system being configured to receive a ride request from a customer, instruct a motorized transport unit to travel to a passenger carrier and couple to the passenger carrier, and instruct the motorized transport unit coupled to the passenger carrier to travel to the customer to provide transportation to the customer.

Methods and apparatuses are provided, some apparatuses comprise: a location controller separate from a motorized transport unit, comprising: a transceiver configured to receive communications from the motorized transport unit; a control circuit; a memory storing computer instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to perform the steps of: obtain, from the communications, a unique light source identifier of a light source detected by the motorized transport unit, and relative distance information determined by the motorized transport unit through an optical measurement; process the at least one unique light source identifier and the relative distance information relative to a mapping of the shopping facility; and determine, in response to the processing, a location of the motorized transport unit within the shopping facility as a function of the at least one unique light source identifier and the relative distance information.

A central computer system identifies a mobile item container in a retail shopping facility as being abandoned. The central computer system then directs a motorized transport unit through the retail shopping facility to the abandoned mobile item container and causes that motorized transport unit to physically attach to the abandoned mobile item container. The central computer system then directs that motorized transport unit through the retail shopping facility with the attached abandoned mobile item container to a specified destination within the retail shopping facility. Abandonment can be determined as a function, at least in part, of determining that the mobile item container is both stationary and unattended for at least a predetermined amount of time. By one approach the central computer system can use different predetermined amounts of time when assessing abandonment depending upon where in the retail shopping facility the mobile item containers are located.

A modular smart shelf for use in detecting and reading in real time, via Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), RFID-tagged or labeled articles disposed on or proximate the smart shelf. The smart shelf has a non-metallic low density core layer having opposed top and bottom faces, and an outer perimeter edge, antennae disposed on the top and/or bottom face of the core layer, and a thermoplastic or resinous surface sheet covering the antennae and secured to the top and bottom faces of the core layer. The modular shelf can additionally have a molded frame secured along the outer perimeter of the core layer, an RF transceiver electrically connected to the antennae and secured within a cavity of the rear molded member, and a power and communications connector connecting the RF transceiver with a front video display panel and with power and communications components in a support base of a shelf gondola.

Described in detail herein are systems and methods for an electronic shelf label system. An electronic shelf-label disposed on shelving units and including an LED display can display a first set of information and a second set of information associated with like physical objects disposed on the supporting surfaces of shelves of the shelving units. Sensors disposed on the supporting surfaces of the shelves of the shelving unit, can detect attributes associated with the at least one set of like physical objects disposed on the shelving unit. The sensors can encode the attributes into electrical signals and transmit the electrical signals to a computing system. The computing system, can control an output of the at least one electronic shelf-label to change the display of the first and second set of information based on the plurality of attributes detected by the plurality of sensors.

A modular shopping structure is disclosed. The modular shopping structure may include a compartment configured to store a plurality of items, and a plurality of wheels disposed at a compartment bottom portion. The modular shopping structure may further include a compartment docking unit configured to move the compartment between a compartment elevated position and a compartment docking position. The modular shopping structure may further include a sensor and a processor. The sensor may be configured to detect a user purchase action associated with an item, when the compartment is in the compartment docking position. The processor may obtain information associated with the item when the sensor detects the user purchase action, determine a cost associated with the item based on the information, and transmit a command signal to a third party payment module to deduct the cost from an account associated with a user.

Methods and apparatuses are provided for use in monitoring product placement within a shopping facility. Some embodiments provide an apparatus configured to determine product placement conditions within a shopping facility, comprising: a transceiver configured to wirelessly receive communications; a product monitoring control circuit coupled with the transceiver; a memory coupled with the control circuit and storing computer instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to: obtain a composite three-dimensional (3D) scan mapping corresponding to at least a select area of the shopping facility and based on a series of 3D scan data; evaluate the 3D scan mapping to identify multiple product depth distances; and identify, from the evaluation of the 3D scan mapping, when one or more of the multiple product depth distances is greater than a predefined depth distance threshold from the reference offset distance of the product support structure.

Some embodiments include a motorized transport unit providing customer assistance at a shopping facility, comprises: a transceiver; a control circuit; a motorized wheel system; a lift system; and a memory coupled to the control circuit and storing computer instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to: activate a motorized wheel system, while continuing to monitor location information, to position the motorized transport unit under the item container and aligned, based on the location information, relative to a frame of the item container; and activate the lift system to lift on the frame of the item container lifting a first portion of the item container such one or more wheels of the item container are lifted off of a floor while two or more other wheels of the item container remain in contact with the floor.