A device for dispensing and locking carts disposed in a stack, comprising: a dual-lever mechanism, comprising: a locking lever which is blocking movement of a first cart of a plurality of carts disposed in a stack when in open position; a base adjacent to said locking lever which is movable forward and backward with respect to the stack; and a dispensing lever mounted on the base which is blocking movement of a second cart of the plurality of carts when in open position; and a drive belt driving the plurality of carts in parallel to movement of said base by moving forward and backward in coordination with the base.

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.

A motorized cart retriever, which may be a cart pusher or a cart puller, can apply a force to a nest of human-propelled, wheeled carts to facilitate retrieval of the carts. The cart retriever can include a transceiver configured to wirelessly receive cart status information from cart transmitters of the wheeled carts and wirelessly report event data to a control unit. The cart status information may include an identification of the cart transmitter, a location of the cart, a lock or unlock status of a cart wheel, a misuse condition, etc. The event data can include the cart status information, a number of wheeled carts being retrieved, etc. The cart wheel may include a brake. The transceiver may communicate a message to the cart wheel to keep the brake unactuated during retrieval. The control unit may analyze the event data to detect traffic patterns of the carts.

A dual directional gate that allows an object to move freely in one direction over the gate, but limits the removable of one object over the gate in the opposite direction. The gate assembly includes a blocking arm, a cam element and a protruding arm mounted on a rotating driver shaft. The gate assembly also includes a drive shaft parallel to said driver shaft. Mounted on the drive shaft is a latch mounted on the drive shaft with a proximal end that presses against the cam element and prevents rotation of the blocking arm towards the latch. Also mounted on the drive shaft is a biased follower rod with a distal end that contacts the protruding arm when rotated towards the drive shaft. The gate also includes a pivotally mounted sub-assembly coupled to a solenoid. When the solenoid is activated, the sub-assembly rotates which allows the latch to rotate and unblock the blocking arm and allow an object to forcibly move the blocking arm. Movement of the blocking arm causes the gate toy reset.

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.

According to some embodiments, an improved tugger and rider cart assembly system is presented. The system comprising a tugger cart with a central space to receive a rider cart; the tugger cart having both front side and rear side pluralities of transport wheels approximately parallel to, but not touching, ground; a front side and a rear side loading wheel positioned closer to the ground than the transport wheels; a rider cart having a first wing and a second wing, both wings having a curved portion; and wherein the loading wheels and wing curved portions can be operatively connected to allow a user to move the rider cart onto the tugger cart thereby allowing the tugger cart to transport the rider cart.

A stackable control device is equipped with a plurality of casters provided on a side of a bottom surface, and a support member provided on an upper surface and configured to support a control device that is stacked on a side of the upper surface. Two from among the plurality of casters sandwich the support member of a control device that is stacked on the side of the bottom surface.

According to one embodiment, a power transmission device includes a wheel guide for a cart. The wheel guide extends in a first direction. A plurality of power transmission coils is arranged adjacently to one another other along the first direction at a spacing interval in the first direction corresponding to spacing between power reception coils on a plurality of carts when the carts are nested in the wheel guide along the first direction. One or more foreign matter storage groove is provided adjacent to each power transmission coil.

A power transmission system includes a base unit that includes a guide rail extending along a first direction for guiding a cart, and a plurality of first recesses separated from each other at first predetermined intervals along the guide rail. The power transmission system further includes a plurality of power transmitters attached to the respective first recesses. Each of the first recesses is positioned such that the corresponding power transmitter faces a power receiver of a cart guided along the guide rail.

A system for charging a vehicle-mounted battery comprising a vehicle, a battery, a plurality of electrical contacts, wherein the plurality of electrical contacts is coupled to the vehicle and at least one of the plurality of electrical contacts is electrically connected to the battery, a plurality of electric power transfer components, wherein at least one of the plurality of electric power transfer components rotates about an axis, and wherein each of the plurality of electric power transfer components is configured to prevent undesired connections between the plurality of electric power transfer components and the vehicle, and a power source.