Electronic shelf label communication system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12541665-B2
Application number	US-202418609957-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2024
Priority date	Aug 9, 2019
Publication date	Feb 3, 2026
Grant date	Feb 3, 2026

Abstract

An electronic shelf label communication system and method. The system includes a processor, a plurality of wireless access points and an electronic shelf label. The electronic shelf label is configured to actively send a heartbeat data package to the plurality of wireless access points after periodically waking up. Each of the plurality of wireless access points is configured to: receive the heartbeat data package of the electronic shelf label, obtain signal strength data when the heartbeat data package of the electronic shelf label is received, and send the signal strength data to the processor. The processor is configured to: receive the signal strength data corresponding to the heartbeat data package sent by the plurality of wireless access points, and determine an optimal wireless access point corresponding to the electronic shelf label according to the signal strength data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electronic shelf label communication system, comprising a processor, a plurality of wireless access points and an electronic shelf label, wherein
the electronic shelf label is configured to actively send a heartbeat data package to the plurality of wireless access points after periodically waking up; each of the plurality of wireless access points is configured to: receive the heartbeat data package of the electronic shelf label, obtain signal strength data when the heartbeat data package of the electronic shelf label is received, and send the signal strength data to the processor; the processor is configured to: receive the signal strength data corresponding to the heartbeat data package sent by the plurality of wireless access points, and determine an optimal wireless access point corresponding to the electronic shelf label according to the signal strength data; the processor is configured to: generate and send wireless channel information to the optimal wireless access point, wherein the wireless channel information comprises an electronic shelf label identifier, and a set wireless channel instruction; and the optimal wireless access point is configured to send the set wireless channel instruction to the electronic shelf label corresponding to the electronic shelf label identifier, to allow the electronic shelf label to establish a corresponding relationship between the optimal wireless access point and the electronic shelf label according to the set wireless channel instruction.

2 . The electronic shelf label communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
network the electronic shelf label according to the optimal wireless access point, when the optimal wireless access point corresponding to the electronic shelf label is inconsistent with a current wireless access point.

3 . The electronic shelf label communication system according to claim 2 , wherein the system comprises a plurality of electronic shelf label groups, each of the wireless access points is corresponding to a plurality of electronic shelf label groups, and each of the electronic shelf label groups comprises a plurality of electronic shelf labels;
the processor is further configured to: modify a group number of the electronic shelf label group where the electronic shelf label is located into a group number of one of the electronic shelf label groups corresponding to the optimal wireless access point.

4 . The electronic shelf label communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the system comprises a plurality of electronic shelf labels;
the processor is configured to send update data, wherein the update data comprises a plurality of update data packages; the wireless access point is configured to:
receive the update data; and
send the update data packages to the electronic shelf labels, wherein the update data packages sent adjacent in time by the wireless access point are sent to different electronic shelf labels.

5 . The electronic shelf label communication system according to claim 4 , wherein
the system comprises a plurality of electronic shelf label groups, each of the wireless access points is corresponding to a plurality of electronic shelf label groups, and each of the electronic shelf label groups comprises a plurality of electronic shelf labels; the processor is configured to send the update data to the wireless access point corresponding to the electronic shelf label group where the electronic shelf label requiring data update is located; the wireless access point is configured to:
send, upon receipt of the update data sent by the processor, a group wakeup message to the electronic shelf label requiring data update, wherein the group wakeup message comprises a plurality of countdown durations for receiving update data by the electronic shelf label requiring data update; and
send, after the electronic shelf label requiring data update wakes up according to each of the countdown durations for receiving update data, the unsent update data packages corresponding to the electronic shelf labels to the electronic shelf labels requiring data update in a same electronic shelf label group simultaneously, until all of the update data packages corresponding to the electronic shelf labels are sent;
the electronic shelf label is configured to:
wake up periodically, receive the group wakeup message after waking up, and obtain the plurality of countdown durations for receiving update data; and
wake up again according to each of the countdown durations for receiving update data, and receive the unreceived update data package once, until all of the update data packages are received, wherein there is a countdown duration for receiving update data between different batches of update data packages that are received by the same electronic shelf label.

6 . The electronic shelf label communication system according to claim 4 , wherein the update data comprises electronic shelf label display control information and at least one picture;
the wireless access point is configured to:
send the update data package that includes the picture and does not include the electronic shelf label display control information; and
send the update data package that includes the electronic shelf label display control information and does not include the picture.

7 . The electronic shelf label communication system according to claim 4 , wherein the update data comprises an electronic shelf label identifier and at least one picture;
the processor is configured to:
generate, according to attribute information of a commodity, the at least one picture of the commodity; and
generate the electronic shelf label identifier corresponding to the at least one picture of the commodity according to a binding relationship between the commodity and the electronic shelf label.

8 . The electronic shelf label communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless access point is configured to turn on a heartbeat receiving function on a public wireless channel; and
the electronic shelf label is configured to sends the heartbeat data package on the public channel to the wireless access point.

9 . The electronic shelf label communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to send update data that comprises a plurality of update data packages;
wherein the update data comprises electronic shelf label display control information and at least one picture, and the wireless access point is configured to: receive the update data from the processor; send the update data package that includes the picture and does not include the electronic shelf label display control information to the electronic shelf label; and send the update data package that includes the electronic shelf label display control information and does not include the picture to the electronic shelf label.

10 . An electronic shelf label communication method comprising:
actively sending, by an electronic shelf label, a heartbeat data package to a plurality of wireless access points after the electronic shelf label periodically wakes up, wherein signal strength data when the heartbeat data package is received by the wireless access points is obtained by the wireless access points and is sent to a processor by the wireless access points for being used by the processor to determine an optimal wireless access point corresponding to the electronic shelf label; receiving, by the electronic shelf label corresponding to an electronic shelf label identifier in wireless channel information, a set wireless channel instruction in the wireless channel information sent by the optima

Assignees

• Hanshow Technology Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hou Shiguo
• Li Liangyan
• Feng Yunliang
• Gao Bo
• Chen Jun
• Jiang Qi
• Shen Ming

Classifications

• G06K7/10475 Primary

  arrangements to facilitate interaction with further interrogation devices, e.g. such that at least two interrogation devices may function and cooperate in a network of such devices · CPC title

• H04W52/0235

  where the received signal is a power saving command · CPC title

• G06Q10/063

  Operations research, analysis or management · CPC title

• G06Q30/06

  Buying, selling or leasing transactions · CPC title

• H04L67/62

  Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests · CPC title