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.

An apparatus includes a shelf having a front edge, a solar cell circuit disposed at the front edge, a display screen, and a controller operatively coupled to the solar cell circuit and the display screen. The controller monitors the period of a waveform of a charging voltage of a storage capacitor of the solar cell circuit, displays an image on the display screen in response to a change in the waveform timing. A system includes a plurality of shelves each having a front edge, a solar cell circuit disposed at the front edge of each of the plurality of shelves, and a controller operatively coupled to the solar cell circuits. The controller monitors the frequency at which a power transfer of each solar cell circuit occurs, and signals a device in response to a change in the frequency at which the power transfer occurs.

The present invention provides an object storing apparatus, an object access method, an object obtaining service method, and an object indication method thereof. The object storing apparatus includes a cabinet body and a cabinet door, and storing positions are disposed inside the cabinet body. The object access method includes the following steps. Whether the cabinet door is opened is determined. In response to the cabinet door being opened, whether a scanning operation for a first external object is activated is determined. The first external object being not an existing external object at a storing position. In response to the scanning operation being activated, object storing is determined. In response to the existing external object being moved, object obtaining is determined. Accordingly, an automatic and convenient storing function can be provided.

An interactive display case having a first frame, a plurality of storage areas within the first frame, a second frame, and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to detect an object passing through the interior of the second frame, identify an area within the interior of the second frame in which the object passes, where the area corresponding to one of the storage areas, and generate interaction data corresponding to the identified area.

A goods sensing system includes: a sample collector that collects a plurality of sets of image samples, where each set of the image samples comprise sample images of a type of goods at multiple angles, where a set of the image samples of a same type of goods are provided with a same group identification, and the group identification is the type of the goods corresponding to the set of image samples; a model trainer that trains a convolutional neural network model according to each sample image and a group identification of the sample image to obtain a goods identification model; a real-time image collector that continuously acquires at least one real-time image of space in front of a shelf, each real-time image including part or all of images of goods; and a goods category deriver that obtains a type and quantity of the goods displayed in the real-time.

The disclosure provides a target positioning system and a target positioning method. The target positioning system includes: a 3D image acquisition device that acquires at least one frame of 3D image in real time, where the 3D image comprises all or part of images of at least one target object; and a target coordinate generator in a data processing equipment, that establishes a 3D coordinate system in a closed space, and acquires coordinates or a group of coordinates of the target object in the 3D coordinate system in real time according to the at least one frame of 3D image.

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.

Systems and methods are provided to address incorrectly placed items. Some systems comprise: a plurality of motorized transport units that are each configured to perform multiple different tasks at a retail shopping facility; and a central computer system configured to instruct various ones of the plurality of motorized transport units to implement at least one of the multiple different tasks relative to the retail shopping facility, receive and analyze input data detected and provided by the motorized transport units while the motorized transport units perform the at least one of the tasks, and detect and categorize each item of multiple items that are incorrectly placed within the retail shopping facility according to one of multiple different predefined categories.

A storage insert for inserting in a storage device, having a storage body with an upper side for receiving storage goods, a lower side with receiving structures in a receiving region for receiving a sensor rail, and at least one optically transparent section between the receiving region and the upper side, and having the sensor rail, which is configured to be received in the receiving region by the receiving structures, and which has at least one sensor element in the region of the at least one optically transparent section is illustrated and described. The storage body is formed as a punched and bent storage sheet.

In some embodiments, various systems, apparatuses and methods are described herein includes back end stocking shelving units that are configured to extend along sides of adjacent shopping aisles in a back-to-back configuration with a secure central aisle running between the shelving units to provide back end stocking access to both shelving units. The secure central aisle can have a restricted access point on one or both ends thereof.