Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Mc10, Inc.

Nicholas McMahon

Jeremy Samuel De Bonet

Jacob Alex Siegel

Jonathan Evan Cohn

Brett Allen Skaloud

Oded Maron

James Merton Tidman

Thomas Duester

Matthew Clark Webster

Jeffrey Kevin Feiereisen

Nicholas Franklin

Robert P Irwin

Tomer Anor

Charles H Wood

Dawn Marie Pfund

Michael Nathan Danenberg

Nicholas Mendenhall

Zihui Zhang

Sydney Tye Minnis

Nathan Pius O'Neill

Paul Eugene Munger

Xianyan Wang

Bryan Keen

Brian Elolampi

Venkata Srikiran Bodapati

David G Garlock

James Olney

Midhun Harikumar

This disclosure is directed to an item-identifying, mobile cart that may be utilized by a user in a materials handling facility to automatically identify a user operating the cart and items that the user places into a basket of the cart. In addition, the cart may update a virtual shopping cart of the identified user to include items taken by the user. The mobile cart may include multiple imaging devices and oriented such that their respective optical axes are directed towards an interior of a perimeter of the top of the basket, and above the top of the basket. The mobile cart may also include an imaging device oriented away from the basket such that a user operating the mobile cart may scan a user identifier using this imaging device to enable recognition of the user.

Item-identifying carts

This disclosure is directed to an item-identifying cart that may be utilized by a user in a materials handling facility to automatically identify items that the user places in their cart, and update a virtual shopping cart to include items taken by the user. The mobile cart may include four capture assemblies that are disposed proximate to each of the four corners of a basket of the cart, and oriented such that their respective optical axes are directed towards an interior of a perimeter of the top of the basket, and above the top of the basket. The capture assemblies may include proximity sensors that are used to detect movement above the top of the basket, LEDs that illuminate items, and cameras that generate image data representing the items as they are placed in, or removed from, the cart.

Interposer assemblies may be inserted between a traditional shelf and traditional supports for the shelf. Each of the interposer assemblies may be configured to generate signals corresponding to changes in loading on the traditional shelf, and information regarding the changes may be determined to identify items placed onto or removed from the traditional shelf, and locations at which the items were placed or from which the items were removed. The interposer assemblies may include one or more load cells, such as strain-gage load cells, and analog signals generated by the load cells may be processed to determine a mass of an item placed on the shelf or removed therefrom. The item, and a location corresponding to the item, may be determined based on the mass and according to standard equilibrium procedures.

Interposers for converting traditional shelves into smart shelves

A fixture includes a plurality of brackets. Accessories such as wire hooks, shelves, bins, and so forth may be supported by one or more brackets. A load cell supports each bracket and generates a signal that is indicative of changes to the bracket as items are added or removed from the accessory. The brackets include features such as tabs that prevent accessories from moving laterally. The fixtures are easily reconfigured to accommodate accessories of different sizes that in turn may support items of different sizes.

Multi-lane weight measuring device

A parallel planar weight sensing device includes an accessory mounting bracket with an upper portion and a lower portion. Part of the accessory mounting bracket extends around a crossmember that also has an upper portion and a lower portion. Affixed to the upper portion of the crossmember is a first load cell while a second load cell is affixed to the lower portion of the crossmember. The upper portion of the accessory mounting bracket is affixed to the first load cell while the lower portion is affixed to the second load cell. An accessory, such as a shelf or hook, may be attached to the accessory mounting bracket and used to stow items. As the load on the accessory changes, such as due to a pick or place of items, a total weight change may be determined by summing the output from the load cells.

Parallel planar weight sensing device

Footprint data of an item that is representative of a boundary of the item and where that boundary is located is obtained using occlusion of a projected line. Line projectors are arranged at opposite sides of a conveyor belt and at an angle that is acute with respect to a plane of the conveyor belt and produce lines on the conveyor belt within a measurement area. As an item moves past the measurement area, the sides of the item occlude a portion of the projected lines. Cameras acquire a series of images as the object moves with respect to the measurement area. The images are processed to determine where the projected lines were occluded. An edge point is then determined representative of that location. One or more lines may be fitted to a plurality of edge points to determine the boundary of the item.

System to determine item footprint

Shelves or other fixtures may be used to support items at a facility. Weighing modules including load cells may be used at the fixtures to acquire weight data indicative of changes to the fixture as items are added or removed from the fixture. Weighing modules may be modular and repositionable with respect to a modular crossbar that provides electrical power and data connectivity. This allows for the fixtures to be easily reconfigured to accommodate items of different sizes.

Crossbar mechanism for coupling to fixture

Shelves or other fixtures may be used to support items at a facility. Weighing modules including load cells may be used at the fixtures to acquire weight data indicative of changes to the fixture as items are added or removed from the fixture. Accessories such as trays, bins, hangers, and so forth may be attached to the load cells, allowing the fixtures to be easily reconfigured to accommodate items of different sizes.

Fixture with brackets, crossbar mechanism, and weighing module

Smart shelves

Encapsulated conformal electronic devices, encapsulated conformal integrated circuit (IC) sensor systems, and methods of making and using encapsulated conformal electronic devices are presented herein. A conformal integrated circuit device is disclosed which includes a flexible substrate with electronic circuitry attached to the flexible substrate. A flexible encapsulation layer is attached to the flexible substrate. The flexible encapsulation layer encases the electronic circuitry between the flexible substrate and the encapsulation layer. For some configurations, the encapsulation layer and flexible substrate arc fabricated from stretchable and bendable non-conductive polymers. The electronic circuitry may comprise an integrated circuit sensor system with multiple device islands that are electrically and physically connected via a plurality of stretchable electrical interconnects.

Encapsulated conformal electronic systems and devices, and methods of making and using the same

An ink that is detectable using infrared (IR) light may be used to apply machine readable codes, such as a barcode. The indicia, once applied, may be either invisible or difficult to detect with visible light, such as with the human eye. The ink may include one or more materials such as titanium dioxide (TiO), particles of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), metals, and so forth. These materials may be used to enhance one or more of the reflectivity to IR light or the fluorescence of the ink under IR light. The fluorescent ink may be deposited in a single pass, or as part of a two-pass process in which a reflective substrate, such as a resin with encapsulated TiO, is applied and then the fluorescent ink is deposited atop the substrate. The markings are machine readable even when overprinting markings that are readable under visible light.

Infrared ink labeling system

Growing community of inventors

Bolton, MA, United States of America

Nicholas McMahon