Patent ID: 8046160

Claim:
A navigation system for a non-motor-propelled vehicle for a retail environment and having a wheel, the system comprising: a magnetic sensor configured to measure at least two components of a magnetic field; a wheel rotation sensor configured to measure an amount of rotation of the wheel; a processor configured to (a) combine the measured magnetic field components and the amount of rotation so as to estimate a position of the non-motor-propelled vehicle and (b) determine an inhibition signal based at least in part on the estimated position; an anti-theft system configured to inhibit motion of the non-motor-propelled vehicle in response to receipt of the inhibition signal; an activation system configured to receive a start navigation signal and information representative of a reference position at an entry to a tracking area, the start navigation signal received from a first source external to the non-motor propelled vehicle, the reference position comprising at least two coordinates indicative of the position of the entry to the tracking area, the processor configured to update the position of the non-motor-propelled vehicle based at least in part on the information representative of the reference position and to start estimating the position of the non-motor-propelled vehicle in response to the receipt of the start navigation signal, the activation system further configured to receive a stop navigation signal at an exit from the tracking area, the stop navigation signal received from a second source external to the non-motor propelled vehicle, the processor configured to stop estimating the position of the non-motor-propelled vehicle in response to the receipt of the stop navigation signal; wherein the first source and the second source are the same source or different sources; and wherein the navigation system is disposed in or on the non-motor-propelled vehicle.