Control method for electronic price tags, electronic price tag, and electronic price tag system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12020101-B2
Application number	US-202318365171-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2023
Priority date	Aug 3, 2022
Publication date	Jun 25, 2024
Grant date	Jun 25, 2024

Abstract

Disclosed are a control method for electronic price tags, an electronic price tag and an electronic price tag system. The control method comprises: receiving at least one first service instruction by a wireless communication module, and receiving at least one second service instruction by a short-distance communication module; and performing, by a fusion processing module, fusion processing on the at least one first service instruction and the at least one second service instruction, which are of a same service type and have an effective duration overlap therebetween, to enable a response module to respond synchronously according to control parameters obtained after fusion processing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control method for electronic price tags, wherein the control method is used for electronic price tags in an electronic price tag system, the electronic price tag system comprises a server, at least one base station, at least one electronic price tag, and a mobile terminal, the electronic price tag comprises a wireless communication module, a short-distance communication module, a fusion processing module and a response module, and the control method comprises:
receiving, by the wireless communication module, at least one first service instruction sent by the server through the base station, and receiving, by the short-distance communication module, at least one second service instruction sent by the mobile terminal;
performing, by the fusion processing module, fusion processing on the at least one first service instruction and the at least one second service instruction, which are of a same service type and have an effective duration overlap therebetween, to enable the response module to respond synchronously according to control parameters obtained after fusion processing; and
storing, by the fusion processing module, first service data in the first service instruction in a storage unit of the short-distance communication module, to allow the mobile terminal to obtain the first service data through the short-distance communication module.

2. The control method for electronic price tags according to claim 1 , wherein each service instruction comprises a total effective duration during which the service instruction is effective, and the fusion processing module obtains the effective duration overlap between the at least one first service instruction and the at least one second service instruction according to an issue time of each service instruction and the total effective duration of each service instruction; wherein, the effective duration overlap is a time period during which the at least one first service instruction and the at least one second service instruction are both effective.

3. The control method for electronic price tags according to claim 1 , wherein the control method further comprises:
storing, by the fusion processing module, second service data in the second service instruction in the storage unit of the wireless communication module, and uploading, by the wireless communication module, the second service data to the base station, to allow the base station to upload the second service data to the server.

4. The control method for electronic price tags according to claim 1 , wherein the service type of the first service instruction comprises a flashing service instruction, a parameter configuration instruction, a page switching instruction, or a data update instruction;
or/and, the service type of the second service instruction comprises a flashing service instruction, a parameter configuration instruction, a page switching instruction, or a data update instruction.

5. The control method for electronic price tags according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication module comprises a private protocol, Bluetooth or/and zigbee communication interface;
or/and, the short-distance communication module comprises an NFC or/and RFID communication interface.

6. The control method for electronic price tags according to claim 4 , wherein when the first service instruction and the second service instruction are both flashing service instructions and the response module comprises a flashing unit, performing, by the fusion processing module, fusion processing on the at least one first service instruction and the at least one second service instruction, which are of a same service type and have an effective duration overlap therebetween, to enable the response module to respond synchronously according to control parameters obtained after fusion processing comprises:
obtaining, by the fusion processing module, a current effective duration of each flashing service instruction according to an issue time and total effective duration of each flashing service instruction;
determining, by the fusion processing module, whether flashing colors of the at least two flashing service instructions are the same; and
when the fusion processing module determines that the flashing colors of the at least two flashing service instructions are the same, taking a maximum current effective duration of the at least two flashing service instructions as a current flashing duration, and controlling the flashing unit to flash according to the flashing color and the current flashing duration.

7. The control method for electronic price tags according to claim 6 , wherein the control method further comprises:
when the fusion processing module determines that the flashing colors of the at least two flashing service instructions are different, obtaining a crossed flashing service period and a separate flashing service period according to the current effective duration of each flashing service instruction; and
controlling, by the fusion processing module, the flashing unit to flash alternately according to the flashing colors of crossed service instructions within the crossed flashing service period, and to flash according to the flashing color of a separate service instruction within the separated flashing service period.

8. The control method for electronic price tags according to claim 7 , wherein when the at least two flashing service instructions comprise a first flashing service instruction and a second flashing service instruction, obtaining a crossed flashing service period and a separate flashing service period according to the current effective duration of each flashing service instruction comprises:
obtaining a minimum flashing duration of a first flashing duration and a second flashing duration, and taking the minimum flashing duration as the crossed flashing service period; and
obtaining the separate flashing service period, which starts from an end time of the crossed flashing service period and ends with an end time of a maximum flashing duration of the first flashing duration and the second flashing duration;
wherein, the first flashing duration is the current effective duration of the first flashing service instruction, and the second flashing duration is the current effective duration of the second flashing service instruction.

9. The control method for electronic price tags according to claim 7 , wherein when the at least two flashing service instructions comprise a first flashing service instruction, a second flashing service instruction and a third flashing service instruction, and the flashing colors of two of the first flashing service instruction, the second flashing service instruction and the third flashing service instruction are the same, obtaining a crossed flashing service period and a separate flashing service period according to the current effective duration of each flashing service instruction comprises:
taking a maximum flashing duration of the two flashing service instructions with the same flashing color as a target flashing duration;
obtaining a minimum flashing duration of the target flashing duration and a third flashing duration, and taking the minimum flashing duration as the crossed flashing service period; and
obtaining the separate flashing service period, which starts from an end time of the crossed flashing service period and ends with an end time of a maximum flashing duration of the target flashing duration and the third flashing duration;
wherein, the third flashing duration is the corresponding current effective duration of the flashing service instruction other than the two flashing service instructions with the same flashing color.

10. The control method

Assignees

• Hanshow Technology Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hou Shiguo
• Zhao Jianguo
• Zhao Yang
• Jiang Qi
• Wang Yujing
• Liang Min
• Ji Yaping

Classifications

• G06Q10/08

  Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management · CPC title

• G08C17/02

  using a radio link · CPC title

• G06K2019/06253

  for a specific application · CPC title

• G06K17/00

  Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations · CPC title

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title