TWI485675B - Non-volatile type display apparatus and damage detection method thereof - Google Patents

Description

Non-volatile display device and damage inspection method thereof

The present invention relates to a non-volatile display device and a damage inspection method thereof.

With the rapid development of display technology, various display devices have been found everywhere in modern people's lives, and the e-paper technology included in the non-volatile display device has been disadvantaged due to its low energy consumption. Widely used in electronic labels, e-books, or electronic photo frames and other products. In the case of electronic tags, it is used by many stores or stores to replace old-fashioned sticker labels to indicate product information, such as product names, unit prices, or discounted prices. In response to environmental protection, it also saves costs and facilitates centralized management.

However, since the non-volatile display device has a bistable characteristic, the content cannot be updated once the electronic tag is broken. In this way, if the content displayed on the electronic label is still the content before the update, the displayed product information error may occur. For store managers, it is necessary to be able to find problems before the customer to repair or replace them. Otherwise, the customer's perception may be poor or the purchase intention may be lowered, and even the trust of the store may be degraded.

Therefore, how to provide a non-volatile display device and its damage inspection method can effectively confirm whether the non-volatile display device is damaged, and further pass the confirmation result back to the manager, so that the manager can find in the shortest time. The non-volatile display device has failed and can be repaired Re-removal or replacement has become one of the important topics.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a non-volatile display device and a damage inspection method thereof, which can effectively confirm whether a non-volatile display device is damaged, and further return the confirmation result to the manager to allow the user It is found that the non-volatile display device has failed in the shortest time and can be repaired or replaced.

To achieve the above object, a non-volatile display device according to the present invention is coupled to an external electronic device. The non-volatile display device includes a communication unit, a control unit, and a display unit. The communication unit is coupled to the external electronic device, and the communication unit receives an inquiry signal from the output of the external electronic device, and outputs a confirmation signal according to the inquiry signal. The control unit is electrically connected to the communication unit, and the control unit receives the confirmation signal. The display unit is electrically connected to the control unit, wherein when the control unit receives the confirmation signal, the control unit confirms whether the display unit is broken.

In an embodiment, the communication unit and the external electronic device are wired or wirelessly coupled.

In an embodiment, the control unit includes a sensor that senses temperature, power, vibration, or a combination of the foregoing.

In an embodiment, the control unit actively outputs a detection signal to the display unit to actively confirm whether the display unit is damaged.

In an embodiment, the display unit further includes at least one conductor disposed on or in the display area of the display unit, and electrically connected to the control list yuan.

In an embodiment, the control unit outputs a detection signal to the conductor, and determines whether the display unit is damaged according to whether the detection signal is returned or not.

In order to achieve the above object, a damage inspection method for a non-volatile display device according to the present invention is combined with a non-volatile display device, and the non-volatile display device is coupled to an external electronic device. The damage inspection method includes: receiving external electrons The device outputs one of the inquiry signals; and confirms whether the display unit of one of the non-volatile display devices is broken.

In an embodiment, the non-volatile display device further includes a communication unit and a control unit. The communication unit, the control unit and a display unit are electrically connected to each other. When the communication unit receives the inquiry signal, the communication unit sends a confirmation signal to the control. Unit, the control unit confirms whether the display unit is damaged according to the confirmation signal.

In one embodiment, when it is confirmed whether or not the display unit is damaged, the number of times is continuously confirmed. If the result of the confirmation is more than one time, the display unit is judged to be damaged.

In an embodiment, the external electronic device outputs an inquiry signal, and the operator activates the external electronic device to make an inquiry or the external electronic device periodically initiates an inquiry.

In an embodiment, the method further includes the step of: transmitting a confirmation result to the external electronic device.

In an embodiment, the control unit outputs a detection signal to one of the conductors of the display unit, and the guiding system is disposed around or inside one of the display areas of the display unit, and the control unit determines whether the display unit is broken according to whether the detection signal is feedback or not. damage.

In one embodiment, when the temperature, power, vibration, or a combination of the foregoing of the non-volatile display device is abnormal, the external electronic device initiates confirmation.

According to the present invention, in a non-volatile display device and a damage inspection method thereof, when the external electronic device inquires about the damage of the non-volatile display device, the display unit can be performed by the cooperation of the communication unit and the control unit. Confirm and further pass the confirmation result back to the manager, so that the manager can find that the non-volatile display device has failed in the shortest time and can be repaired or replaced.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a non-volatile display device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same elements will be described with the same reference numerals.

Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a system block diagram of a non-volatile display device 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The non-volatile display device 1 includes a communication unit 11, a control unit 12, and a display unit 13. The non-volatile display device 1 is coupled to an external electronic device 2, and the non-volatile display device 1 is a bistable display device, which may be, for example, an e-paper. The electrophoretic display type electronic paper or the cholesteric liquid crystal display type electronic paper may be made, for example, by microcapsule electronic ink technology, or microcup structure technology, or electronic powder fluid technology. The external electronic device 2 can be, for example, a computer or a server. Give a specific example of an external electronic device 2 is a computer of a store manager, the plurality of non-volatile display devices 1 are electronic tags for indicating goods in the store, and the manager can manage the product information displayed by the plurality of electronic tags in the store through the computer, such as the trade name or Prices, etc.

The communication unit 11 is coupled to the external electronic device 2, and the two can be coupled by wire, for example, by a conductor line or wirelessly by a wireless network. Regardless of whether the communication unit 11 is coupled to the external electronic device 2 in a wired or wireless manner, the function of the communication unit 11 is to "communicate with the external electronic device 2 to exchange information", for example, to receive signals from the external electronic device 2 or The transmission of the signal to the external electronic device 2 is within the scope of the present invention as long as it can meet the above functions. In this embodiment, the communication unit 11 receives an inquiry signal S1 outputted from the external electronic device 2, and outputs a confirmation signal S2 according to the inquiry signal.

The control unit 12 is electrically connected to the communication unit 11. The control unit 12 can be, for example, a control chip for receiving the confirmation signal S2 for subsequent actions. In various embodiments, based on process considerations or implementation requirements, the communication unit 11 and the control unit 12 can be integrated to become a multi-function wafer having the functions of the communication unit 11 and the control unit 12, and the present invention Not limited.

The display unit 13 is electrically connected to the control unit 12. The display unit 13 can be, for example, a unit for displaying an image in the non-volatile display device 1. For example, the electronic paper can include an electrophoretic display type or a cholesteric liquid crystal display type, which is not limited by the present invention.

In this embodiment, when the control unit 12 receives the confirmation signal S2, the control The unit 12 confirms whether the display unit 13 is broken, so as to further transmit a confirmation result back to the external electronic device 2 through the communication unit 11. The external electronic device 2 is a computer of a manager of a store, and the non-volatile display device 1 is an electronic tag for indicating a product in a store, and the management of the store is confirmed by a mechanism for confirming whether the display unit 13 is damaged or returned. The user can efficiently know the fault condition of the electronic label, and can repair or replace it as soon as possible, so as to avoid the product information of the electronic label being marked incorrectly, causing troubles for the customer, thereby helping to improve the customer's trust in the store.

The non-volatile display device 1 can further include an alert unit, and the alert unit can be electrically coupled to the control unit 12, and the alert unit can be configured, for example, to facilitate the administrator to see which one of the non-volatile display devices 1 is damaged. It is a unit that emits sound or light to inform the administrator whether the non-volatile display device 1 is damaged. Taking the warning unit that emits a sound as an example, when the non-volatile display device 1 is broken, a sound is emitted for the manager or the detector to receive; the warning unit that emits light is an LED unit, for example, when it is non-volatile. When the display device 1 is broken, it can emit red light to make it obvious to the manager (normally, it can be green light).

In this embodiment, the control unit 12 can also actively output a detection signal to the display unit 13 according to whether the detection signal is feedback or not to actively confirm whether the display unit 13 is damaged, without waiting for the communication unit 11 to issue. Confirm the signal. For example, the control unit 12 can periodically output a detection signal to the display unit 13 at a fixed time. Further, if the control unit 12 receives the detection signal that is sent back by the display unit 13, it is determined that the display unit 13 is not damaged; otherwise, if the control unit 12 does not receive the display The detection signal sent back by the unit 13 determines that the display unit 13 has been damaged.

In addition, the control unit 12 may include a sensor that senses temperature, electric power, vibration, or a combination thereof, and determines whether an abnormality of an environment such as temperature, electric power, or vibration occurs according to the result of the sensing. If an abnormality occurs, the detection signal can be actively outputted to the display unit 13 to confirm whether the display unit 13 is damaged.

In this embodiment, the display unit 13 may include at least one conductor (for example, a conductive wire or a conductive pattern with a large area, etc.), and the conductor is disposed around or inside the display area of the display unit 13 (for example, disposed on the display unit) The upper substrate or the lower substrate of 13 is electrically connected to the control unit 12. The control unit 12 can output the detection signal to the conductor, and judge whether the display unit 13 is damaged according to whether the detection signal is feedback or not. When the conductor is disposed inside the display area of the display unit 13, the conductor is disposed on the display unit. The same substrate of 13 internal lines (for example, scanning lines, data lines, etc.) but different circuit layers may be disposed on the substrates of different blocks but in the projection direction corresponding to the inside of the display area. Further, if the control unit 12 receives the detection signal that is sent back by the display unit 13, it is determined that the display unit 13 is not damaged; otherwise, if the control unit 12 does not receive the detection returned by the display unit 13 The signal judges that the display unit 13 has been broken.

Please refer to FIG. 2, which is a flow chart of a method for inspecting damage of a non-volatile display device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The damage inspection method of the present embodiment is combined with a non-volatile display device. Hereinafter, the non-volatile display device 1 of the above-described embodiment will be described as an example. Therefore, please refer to FIG. 1 for convenience of understanding. The non-volatile display device 1 is coupled to an external device The electronic device 2, the hardware implementation of the two has been described above, and will not be described again. The damage inspection method includes steps S01 and S02.

In step S01, the receiving external electronic device 2 outputs an inquiry signal S1. In detail, the non-volatile display device 1 may include a communication unit 11, a control unit 12, and a communication unit 13. The communication unit 11 is responsible for receiving one of the output signals S1 of the output of the external electronic device 2, and outputs a confirmation signal S1 to the control unit 12.

In step S02, it is confirmed whether or not the display unit 13 of the non-volatile display device 1 is broken. In detail, when the control unit 12 receives the confirmation signal S2, it will confirm whether the display unit 13 is broken.

For further technical features of the communication unit 11, the control unit 12, and the display unit 13, please refer to the foregoing, and no further details are provided herein.

In addition, step S03 may further include step S03. In step S03, a confirmation result confirmed by the control unit 12 is transmitted back to the external electronic device 2 via the communication unit 11, thereby notifying the manager whether the display unit 13 is damaged. .

In this embodiment, when it is confirmed whether the display unit 13 is damaged, the control unit 12 can continuously confirm the plurality of times. If the result of the confirmation is more than one time, the display unit 13 is determined to be damaged; otherwise, if all the confirmation results are not In the case of breakage, it is judged that the display unit 13 is not broken, thereby reducing the chance of misjudgment when the display unit 13 is actually broken, and the control unit 12 judges that it is not broken.

In this embodiment, the inquiry signal S1 output by the external electronic device 2 may be initiated by the administrator to initiate an inquiry by the external electronic device 2, in other words, The administrator can decide the timing of the inquiry for manual inspection, or the external electronic device 2 can periodically initiate an inquiry, for example, three times a day, and an inquiry every eight hours for routine inspection. Of course, it can also be a routine check and a self-starting manual check if necessary, and the invention is not limited. In addition, when the temperature, electric power, vibration, or the combination of the foregoing non-volatile display device 1 is abnormal, the external electronic device 2 can also automatically initiate an inquiry to find the damage in the shortest time.

In addition, in this embodiment, the control unit 12 can also output a detection signal to one of the conductors of the display unit, and the guiding system is disposed around or inside a display area of the display unit 13, and the control unit 12 feeds back according to the detection signal. Whether or not the display unit is damaged. Specifically, if the control unit 12 receives the detection signal that is sent back by the display unit 13, it is determined that the display unit 13 is not damaged; otherwise, if the control unit 12 does not receive the detection returned by the display unit 13 The signal judges that the display unit 13 has been broken.

In summary, according to a non-volatile display device and a damage inspection method thereof according to the present invention, when the external electronic device inquires about the damage of the non-volatile display device, the display unit can be confirmed by the cooperation of the communication unit and the control unit. The confirmation result is further transmitted back to the manager, so that the manager can find that the non-volatile display device has failed in the shortest time and can be repaired or replaced.

The above is intended to be illustrative only and not limiting. Any equivalent modifications or changes made to the spirit and scope of this case shall be included in the scope of the appended patent application.

1‧‧‧Nonvolatile display device

11‧‧‧Communication unit

12‧‧‧Control unit

13‧‧‧Display unit

2‧‧‧External electronic devices

S1‧‧‧ inquiry signal

S2‧‧‧ confirmation signal

S01~S03‧‧‧Steps

1 is a block diagram of a system of a non-volatile display device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a method for inspecting damage of a non-volatile display device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

1‧‧‧Nonvolatile display device

11‧‧‧Communication unit

12‧‧‧Control unit

13‧‧‧Display unit

2‧‧‧External electronic devices

S1‧‧‧ inquiry signal

S2‧‧‧ confirmation signal

Claims (10)

A non-volatile display device is coupled to an external electronic device. The non-volatile display device includes: a communication unit coupled to the external electronic device, the communication unit receives an inquiry signal from the external electronic device, and is based on The inquiry signal outputs a confirmation signal; a control unit electrically connected to the communication unit, the control unit receives the confirmation signal; and a display unit electrically connected to the control unit, the display unit further comprising at least one conductor, wherein The control unit receives the confirmation signal, and the control unit outputs a detection signal to the conductor, and determines whether the display unit is damaged according to whether the detection signal is returned or not. The non-volatile display device of claim 1, wherein the communication unit and the external electronic device are wired or wirelessly coupled. The non-volatile display device of claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a sensor that senses temperature, power, vibration, or a combination thereof. The non-volatile display device of claim 1, wherein the conductor is disposed around or inside the display area of the display unit and electrically connected to the control unit. A method for inspecting damage of a non-volatile display device, which is coupled with a non-volatile display device, the non-volatile display device being coupled to an external device The electronic device, the non-volatile display device further includes a communication unit, a control unit and a display unit, the communication unit, the control unit and the display unit are electrically connected to each other, the display unit further comprises a conductor, and the damage inspection method The communication unit receives an inquiry signal from the external electronic device and sends a confirmation signal; the control unit receives the confirmation signal and outputs a detection signal to the conductor; and the control unit feeds back according to the detection signal Whether or not the display unit is damaged or not. In the damage inspection method according to item 5 of the patent application, in which it is confirmed that the display unit is damaged, the number of times is determined continuously, and if the result of the confirmation is more than one time, the display unit is judged to be damaged. The damage inspection method according to claim 5, wherein the external electronic device outputs the inquiry signal, and the operator activates the external electronic device to make an inquiry or the external electronic device periodically initiates an inquiry. The damage inspection method according to item 5 of the patent application scope further includes the following steps: returning a confirmation result to the external electronic device. The damage inspection method of claim 5, wherein the guide system is disposed around or inside a display area of the display unit. For example, the damage inspection method described in claim 5, wherein The non-volatile display device has an abnormality in temperature, electric power, vibration, or a combination thereof, and the external electronic device activates confirmation.