Wireless charger design for smart shopping carts

The smart retail system is focused on developing two integrated products, a smart AI-powered shopping cart and a state-of-the-art mobile application, where each product is packed with abundant features. The cart features cameras and sensors to autonomously detect products placed inside it using Computer Vision and Product Classification technologies. Such products are automatically updated on the user’s account eliminating the need for checkout lanes and its long queues with faster and cheaper solution on the long run. The cart also features an autonomous motion technology, where the cart will follow its user which aids the elderly and disabled people with heavy items leading to the ease of mobility within aisles. In this paper the charging of the smart cart is addressed. Two methods of charging are proposed in two modes of cart operation whether it was in static mode in its parking slot or was in dynamic mode. A bidirectional converter is being used to achieve the charging method in dynamic mode. The second method is charging the battery of the cart in its static mode by using wireless charging system using two technologies of charging: Induction power transfer (IPT) and Capacitive power transfer (CPT). The choice between IPT and CPT depends on factors like transfer distance, power requirements, and device size. Simulation of both the bidirectional converter and the wireless power transfer methods using MATLAB/Simulink is presented to analyze the system performance. Furthermore, a prototype of an IPT design is being presented.