WO2009142144A1

WO2009142144A1 - Information display system, information display device, and information display method

Info

Publication number: WO2009142144A1
Application number: PCT/JP2009/059017
Authority: WO
Inventors: 陽子清家
Original assignee: シャープ株式会社
Priority date: 2008-05-22
Filing date: 2009-05-14
Publication date: 2009-11-26

Abstract

Provided are an information display system, an information display device, and an information display method. A CPU (11) of an electronic shelf tag (10) detects as an overlap region, a region having a luminous intensity measured to be lower than a threshold value by a photo sensor unit (191) arranged on a display screen of a display unit (14). If the detected overlap region infringes a display region indicated by the electronic shelf tag display data received from a shelf tag server (20), the CPU (11) calculates the ratio of the vertical and the horizontal size between the display region indicated by the electronic shelf tag display data and the display region indicated by the electronic shelf tag display data from which the overlap region is subtracted. The CPU (11) performs thinning of the article information data to be displayed when reallocating the data so that the article information to be displayed is contained in the reduced size with the calculated ratio and rewrites the display unit (14) by the reallocated data.

Description

Information display system, information display device, and information display method

The present invention relates to an information display system, an information display device, and an information display method for displaying information.

Electronic shelf labels that display information such as product names and prices have different widths that can be used for installing electronic shelf labels depending on the width and number of products. The electronic shelf label is desirable because it is easy to see a large electronic shelf label that fits in the installation space. However, for manufacturers, producing electronic shelf labels consisting of various types of liquid crystal and housings increases production costs, and it is more convenient for users. It takes time and effort to manage various types of electronic shelf labels.
FIG. 43A to FIG. 43C are diagrams showing examples of displaying products using electronic shelf labels according to the conventional technology. FIG. 43A shows five products, soda S1, health drink S2, mandarin orange juice S3, sports drink S4 and natural water S5, in the horizontal direction, and in front of each product group displayed in order from the left side toward the product. In the display example 91, electronic shelf labels T1 to T5 corresponding to each product are arranged so that the contents displayed on the electronic shelf labels are not blocked by other electronic shelf labels. The electronic shelf label T3 deviates from the position of the corresponding orange juice S3, and the electronic shelf label T4 deviates from the position of the corresponding sports drink S4, making it difficult to understand the correspondence with the product. The electronic shelf label T5 cannot be disposed because the space R left on the display stand is narrow.
FIG. 43B shows a display example 92 in which the arrangement of products is the same as that of FIG. 43A, but each electronic shelf label is arranged in front of the corresponding product. The product names and prices displayed on the products with a narrow width in the range in which the products are displayed, for example, the electronic shelf label T2 corresponding to the health drink S2 and the electronic shelf label T5 corresponding to the natural water S5, are as follows. The part is obstructed by other electronic shelf labels. FIG. 43C shows a display example 93 in which the arrangement of products is the same as the arrangement in FIG. 43A, but two types of electronic shelf labels are used. The electronic shelf labels T6 to T8 are electronic shelf labels having a width smaller than the width of the electronic shelf labels T1 and T4. Each electronic shelf label is displayed by the corresponding product name and price without being shielded by other electronic shelf labels, but it is necessary to use a plurality of types of electronic shelf labels.
In a display device having a multi-window display function described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-199391, when a plurality of windows are displayed in a superimposed manner, a part of the lower window is covered with the upper window, and display data When a part of the window is hidden, the display data of the lower window is condensed and displayed on the part not covered by the upper window. By condensing and displaying, it is possible to display without missing characters.
Electronic shelf labels that use ultra-thin display devices such as electronic paper are also appearing, but if it becomes such a thin housing, it will be possible to place electronic shelf labels on top of each other, overlapping each other However, it is desirable that the information to be displayed such as the product name and price can be seen without missing.
However, the display device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-199391 can display an invisible portion due to the overlap of multiple windows displayed on one screen, but information display devices such as electronic shelf labels can be displayed. In the case of overlapping, there is a problem that a portion that cannot be seen due to the overlap cannot be made visible.
An electronic shelf label system described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-30151 displays sales promotion data created in the first format on an electronic shelf label. When the format of the promotional data obtained from another computer is a second format different from the first format, the second format is reformatted into the first format and displayed on the electronic shelf label.
In the price tag system described in JP-A-1-195596, product information to be displayed on the electronic price tag device is first input to the data input device by the key input means and stored in the storage means. And the merchandise information memorize | stored in the data input device is transmitted and displayed on the electronic price tag apparatus arrange | positioned in the position corresponding to goods by an optical signal.
However, in any conventional technique, product information is shielded when a part of the display screen of the electronic shelf label, for example, a part of the display screen of the information display device such as the electronic shelf label is shielded by the shield. There is a problem that it is not possible to display all necessary product information only in a region that is not present.

An object of the present invention is to provide an information display system, an information display device, and an information display device capable of displaying all information to be displayed in an unshielded area even if a part of the display screen of the information display device is shielded by a shield. It is to provide an information display method.
The present invention is an information display system including an information display device including a display unit having a display screen for displaying information, and a management device including a storage unit for storing display information for display on the display screen. And
The information display device includes:
Detecting means for detecting a shielding area in which the display screen is shielded by a shielding object;
First transmission means for transmitting shielding area information indicating the shielding area detected by the detection means to the management device;
The management device
First receiving means for receiving shielding area information transmitted by the first transmitting means;
Drawing for generating drawing information in which display information stored in the storage means is arranged in a remaining area excluding the shielding area indicated by the shielding area information received by the first receiving means in the display screen area Information generating means;
Second transmitting means for transmitting drawing information generated by the drawing information generating means to the information display device;
The information display device includes:
Second receiving means for receiving drawing information transmitted by the second transmitting means;
An information display system comprising: control means for causing the display means to display the drawing information received by the second receiving means.
According to the present invention, an information display system comprising an information display device comprising a display means having a display screen for displaying information, and a management device comprising a storage means for storing display information for display on the display screen. Thus, when displaying the display information on the display means, in the information display device, the detection means detects the shielding area where the display screen is shielded by the shielding object, and the first transmission means uses the detection means. The shielding area information indicating the detected shielding area is transmitted to the management apparatus.
In the management device, the shielding area information transmitted by the first transmission unit is received by the first reception unit, and the display information stored in the storage unit by the drawing information generation unit is displayed on the display screen. Drawing information arranged in the remaining area excluding the shielding area indicated by the shielding area information received by the first receiving means is generated among the areas, and is generated by the drawing information generating means by the second transmitting means. The drawn information is transmitted to the information display device.
In the information display device, the second receiving unit receives the drawing information transmitted by the second transmitting unit, and the control unit displays the drawing information received by the second receiving unit in the display. Displayed on the means.
Therefore, even if a part of the display screen of the information display device is shielded by the shielding object, the information to be displayed can be displayed in the unshielded area. Since the management device performs rearrangement of display information in an unshielded area, the information display device does not need to have a function for rearrangement, and the cost of the information display device can be reduced. In this way, the information display device can display information such as the product name in a rearranged manner even if the display screen is covered with a shield, so that only one type of size can be handled. it can. The manufacturer can reduce the types of sizes to be produced, and the user does not have to manage electronic shelf labels of various types. Since the electronic shelf labels can be arranged so as to overlap each other, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the electronic shelf labels cannot be installed by being protruded when the width of the installation shelf is narrow. Furthermore, it is possible to eliminate the difference between the product and the electronic shelf label, and to reduce the customer's mistake in the relationship between the product and the electronic shelf label.
The present invention also provides a display means having a display screen for displaying information,
Storage means for storing display information for display on the display screen;
Detecting means for detecting a shielding area in which the display screen is shielded by a shielding object;
Control means for displaying and displaying the display information stored in the storage means in a remaining area of the display screen area excluding the shielding area detected by the detection means. It is a display device.
According to the present invention, information is displayed by the display means having the display screen, the display information for display on the display screen is stored by the storage means, and the display screen is shielded by the shielding means by the detection means. The display information stored in the storage means is arranged and displayed in the remaining area excluding the shielding area detected by the detection means in the display screen area by the control means. Is done.
Therefore, even if a part of the display screen of the information display device is shielded by the shielding object, it is possible to display information to be displayed in an unshielded area only by the information display device. In this way, this information display device can display information such as the product name in a rearranged manner even if the display screen is partially covered by a shield, so only one type of size can be handled. be able to. The manufacturer can reduce the types of sizes to be produced, and the user does not have to manage electronic shelf labels of various types. Since the electronic shelf labels can be arranged so as to overlap each other, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the electronic shelf labels cannot be installed by being protruded when the width of the installation shelf is narrow. Furthermore, it is possible to eliminate the difference between the product and the electronic shelf label, and to reduce the customer's mistake in the relationship between the product and the electronic shelf label.
Further, the present invention is an information display method for displaying display information stored in a storage unit of a management device on the display screen of an information display device including a display unit having a display screen for displaying information,
A detection step of detecting a shielding area where the display screen is shielded by a shielding object;
A first transmission step of transmitting shielding area information indicating the shielding area detected in the detection step from the information display device to the management device;
A first reception step of receiving the shielding area information transmitted in the first transmission step from the information display device;
Generation for generating drawing information in which display information stored in the storage unit is arranged in a remaining area of the display screen area excluding the shielding area indicated by the shielding area information received in the first reception step. Steps,
A second transmission step of transmitting the drawing information generated in the generation step from the management device to the information display device;
A second reception step of receiving the drawing information transmitted in the second transmission step from the management device;
A display step of displaying the drawing information received in the second receiving step on the display unit.
According to the present invention, in displaying the display information stored in the storage unit of the management device on the display screen of the information display device including a display unit having a display screen for displaying information, in the detection step, A shielding area where the display screen is shielded by the shielding object is detected. In the first transmission step, shielding area information indicating the shielding area detected in the detection step is transmitted from the information display device to the management device. In the first reception step, the shielding area information transmitted in the first transmission step is received from the information display device.
Further, in the generation step, the display information stored in the storage unit is arranged in a remaining area excluding the shielding area indicated by the shielding area information received in the first reception step in the display screen area. Generate drawing information. In the second transmission step, the drawing information generated in the generation step is transmitted from the management device to the information display device. In the second receiving step, the drawing information transmitted in the second transmitting step is received from the management device. In the display step, the drawing information received in the second reception step is displayed on the display unit.
Therefore, if the information display method according to the present invention is applied to an information display system, even if a part of the display screen of the information display device is shielded by a shielding object, information to be displayed is displayed in an unshielded area. be able to. Since the management device performs rearrangement of display information in an unshielded area, the information display device does not need to have a function for rearrangement, and the cost of the information display device can be reduced. In this way, the information display device can display information such as the product name in a rearranged manner even if the display screen is covered with a shield, so that only one type of size can be handled. it can. The manufacturer can reduce the types of sizes to be produced, and the user does not have to manage electronic shelf labels of various types. Since the electronic shelf labels can be arranged so as to overlap each other, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the electronic shelf labels cannot be installed by being protruded when the width of the installation shelf is narrow. Furthermore, it is possible to eliminate the difference between the product and the electronic shelf label, and to reduce the customer's mistake in the relationship between the product and the electronic shelf label.
The present invention is also an information display method for displaying display information on a display screen of a display unit,
A detection step of detecting a shielding area where the display screen of the display unit is shielded by a shielding object;
And a control step of arranging and displaying the display information in the remaining area excluding the shielding area detected in the detection step in the display screen area.
According to the present invention, when displaying the display information on the display screen of the display unit, the detection step detects a shielding area where the display screen of the display unit is shielded by the shielding object. In the control step, display information is arranged and displayed in the remaining area excluding the shielding area detected in the detection step in the area of the display screen.
Therefore, if the information display method according to the present invention is applied to an information display device, even if a part of the display screen of the information display device is shielded by a shielding object, the information display device displays only in the unshielded area. Information to be displayed can be displayed. In this way, the information display device can display information such as the product name in a rearranged manner even if the display screen is covered with a shield, so that only one type of size can be handled. it can. The manufacturer can reduce the types of sizes to be produced, and the user does not have to manage electronic shelf labels of various types. Since the electronic shelf labels can be arranged so as to overlap each other, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the electronic shelf labels cannot be installed by being protruded when the width of the installation shelf is narrow. Furthermore, it is possible to eliminate the difference between the product and the electronic shelf label, and to reduce the customer's mistake in the relationship between the product and the electronic shelf label.
The present invention also provides a display means having a display screen for displaying information,
Storage means for storing display information for display on the display screen;
A setting means for setting an area for displaying display information among areas of the display screen;
Drawing information generating means for generating drawing information for arranging the display information stored in the storage means in the display area set by the setting means;
An information display device comprising: control means for displaying the drawing information generated by the drawing information generating means in the display area.
According to the present invention, the display means includes a display screen for displaying information, the storage means stores the display information for display on the display screen, and the setting means stores the area of the display screen. Of these, an area for displaying the display information is set, and the drawing information generating means generates drawing information for arranging the display information stored in the storage means in the display area set by the setting means. The drawing information generated by the drawing information generation means is displayed in the display area.
Therefore, even if a part of the display screen of the information display device is shielded by the shielding object, the display information can be arranged and displayed in an area that is not shielded only by the information display device. In this way, this information display device can display information such as product names in a rearranged manner even if the display screen is covered with a shield, so that only one type of size can be handled. Can do. The manufacturer can reduce the types of sizes to be produced, and the user does not have to manage electronic shelf labels of various types. Since the electronic shelf labels can be arranged so as to overlap each other, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the electronic shelf labels cannot be installed by being protruded when the width of the installation shelf is narrow. Furthermore, it is possible to eliminate the difference between the product and the electronic shelf label, and to reduce the customer's mistake in the relationship between the product and the electronic shelf label.
The present invention is also an information display system including an information display device including a display unit having a display screen for displaying information and a management device including a storage unit for storing display information to be displayed on the display screen. There,
The information display device includes:
A setting means for setting an area for displaying display information among areas of the display screen;
First display means for transmitting display area information indicating the display area set by the setting means to the management device;
The management device
First receiving means for receiving display area information transmitted by the first transmitting means;
Drawing information generating means for generating drawing information for arranging display information stored in the storage means in a display area indicated by the display area information received by the first receiving means;
Second transmitting means for transmitting drawing information generated by the drawing information generating means to the information display device;
The information display device includes:
Second receiving means for receiving drawing information transmitted by the second transmitting means;
The information display system further includes control means for displaying the drawing information received by the second receiving means in the display area.
According to the present invention, an information display system comprising an information display device comprising a display means having a display screen for displaying information, and a management device comprising a storage means for storing display information for display on the display screen. In displaying the display information on the display means, in the information display device, the setting means sets an area for displaying the display information among the areas of the display screen, and the first transmission means sets the setting means. Display area information indicating the display area set by is transmitted to the management apparatus.
In the management apparatus, the display area information transmitted by the first transmission unit is received by the first reception unit, and the display information stored in the storage unit is received by the drawing information generation unit. Drawing information to be arranged in the display area indicated by the display area information received by the receiving means is generated, and the drawing information generated by the drawing information generating means is transmitted to the information display device by the second transmitting means. In the information display device, the second receiving unit receives the drawing information transmitted by the second transmitting unit, and the control unit displays the drawing information received by the second receiving unit in the display. Displayed in the area.
Therefore, even if a part of the display screen of the information display device is shielded by the shielding object, the display information can be arranged and displayed in an unshielded area. Since the management device performs rearrangement of display information in an unshielded area, the information display device does not need to have a function for rearrangement, and the cost of the information display device can be reduced. In this way, this information display device can display information such as product names in a rearranged manner even if the display screen is covered with a shield, so that only one type of size can be handled. Can do. The manufacturer can reduce the types of sizes to be produced, and the user does not have to manage electronic shelf labels of various types. Since the electronic shelf labels can be arranged so as to overlap each other, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the electronic shelf labels cannot be installed by being protruded when the width of the installation shelf is narrow. Furthermore, it is possible to eliminate the difference between the product and the electronic shelf label, and to reduce the customer's mistake in the relationship between the product and the electronic shelf label.
The present invention is also an information display system including an information display device including a display unit having a display screen for displaying information, and a management device including a storage unit for storing display information to be displayed on the display screen. There,
The management device
A setting means for setting an area for displaying display information among areas of the display screen;
Drawing information generating means for generating drawing information for arranging the display information stored in the storage means in the display area set by the setting means;
Transmitting means for transmitting drawing information generated by the drawing information generating means to the information display device,
The information display device includes:
Receiving means for receiving drawing information transmitted by the transmitting means;
And an information display system including control means for displaying the drawing information received by the receiving means in the display area.
According to the present invention, an information display system comprising an information display device comprising a display means having a display screen for displaying information, and a management device comprising a storage means for storing display information for display on the display screen. In displaying the display information on the display means, in the management device, an area for displaying the display information is set out of the display screen area by the setting means, and stored in the storage means by the drawing information generating means. The drawing information for arranging the displayed information in the display area set by the setting means is generated, and the drawing information generated by the drawing information generating means is transmitted to the information display device by the transmitting means. In the information display device, the receiving means receives the drawing information transmitted by the transmitting means, and the control means displays the drawing information received by the receiving means in the display area.
Therefore, even if a part of the display screen of the information display device is shielded by the shielding object, the display information can be arranged and displayed in an unshielded area. Since the management device performs rearrangement of display information in an unshielded area, the information display device does not need to have a function for rearrangement, and the cost of the information display device can be reduced. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to provide a slide switch or the like for designating a display area in the information display device, the information display device can be downsized and cost can be further reduced. In this way, this information display device can display information such as product names in a rearranged manner even if the display screen is covered with a shielding object, so that only one type of size can be handled. Can do. The manufacturer can reduce the types of sizes to be produced, and the user does not have to manage electronic shelf labels of various types. Since the electronic shelf labels can be arranged so as to overlap each other, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the electronic shelf labels cannot be installed by being protruded when the width of the installation shelf is narrow. Furthermore, it is possible to eliminate the difference between the product and the electronic shelf label, and to reduce the customer's mistake in the relationship between the product and the electronic shelf label.

Objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and drawings.
It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the store system which concerns on the electronic shelf label system which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an electronic shelf label. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a shelf label server. It is a graph which shows the structure of a shelf label management table. It is a chart which shows the structure of a ROM management table. It is a chart which shows the structure of a RAM management table. It is a chart which shows an example of basic display layout data. It is a graph which shows an example of the rearranged display layout data. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen by a basic display layout. It is a figure which shows an example of an overlap area | region. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen by the rearranged display layout. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the goods using an electronic shelf label. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the goods using an electronic shelf label. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the 1st electronic shelf label display rewriting process which CPU of a shelf label server performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the 1st electronic shelf label display data generation process called from the 1st electronic shelf label display rewriting process. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the overlap detection command process which CPU of an electronic shelf label performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the overlap detection process called from an overlap detection command process. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the 1st rewrite command process which CPU of an electronic shelf label performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the 2nd electronic shelf label display rewriting process which CPU of a shelf label server performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the 2nd electronic shelf label display data generation process called from the 2nd electronic shelf label display rewriting process. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the 2nd rewriting command process which CPU of an electronic shelf label performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the 1st self-detection process which CPU of an electronic shelf label performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the 2nd self-detection process which CPU of an electronic shelf label performs. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the store system 1 which concerns on the electronic shelf label system 2 which is other embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an electronic shelf label. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of a handy terminal. It is a chart which shows the structure of a RAM management table. Area No. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen which displayed. When product information is displayed, the area No. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen which displayed. When product information is displayed, the area No. It is a figure which shows an example of the other display screen which displayed. Area No. It is a figure which shows an example of the overlap area | region in the state which displayed. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen by a display layout different from the rearranged display screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the overlap area instruct | indicated by slide SW. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen by the display layout produced | generated based on the overlap area instruct | indicated by the slide SW. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the 3rd electronic shelf label display rewriting process which CPU of a shelf label server performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the 3rd electronic shelf label display data generation process called from the 3rd electronic shelf label display rewriting process. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the 3rd rewriting command process which CPU of an electronic shelf label performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the display area input process which a handy terminal performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the display screen switching process by the button which CPU of an electronic shelf label performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the 4th electronic shelf label display rewriting process which CPU of a shelf label server performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the 4th electronic shelf label display data generation process called from the 4th electronic shelf label display rewriting process. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the 4th rewriting command process which CPU of an electronic shelf label performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the display area change redrawing process which CPU of an electronic shelf label performs. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the goods using the electronic shelf label by a prior art. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the goods using the electronic shelf label by a prior art. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the goods using the electronic shelf label by a prior art.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a store system 1 according to an electronic shelf label system 2 which is an embodiment of the present invention. The store system 1 is a system that manages products in the store, and includes an electronic shelf label system 2, a POS (Point Of Sales) system 3, and a LAN (Local Area Network) 4 that connects them. The information display method according to the present invention is executed by the electronic shelf label system 2. The LAN 4 is a communication line for transmitting and receiving information, and is configured by, for example, Ethernet (registered trademark).
An electronic shelf label system 2 that is an information display system includes an electronic shelf label 10, a shelf label server 20, a transceiver 21, a base station 22, and a printer 23. The electronic shelf label 10, which is an information display device, is a display device that displays product information instructed from the shelf label server 20. The information display method according to the present invention is executed by the electronic shelf label 10. The product information that is display information is information related to the product such as a product name and a price, and is information to be displayed on the electronic shelf label 10. The shelf label server 20 that is a management device is a server that manages product information to be displayed on each electronic shelf label 10, and is configured by a computer, for example. The base station 22 and the printer 23 are connected to the shelf label server 20 via the LAN 4.
The transceiver 21 transmits the product information instructed from the base station 22 to the plurality of electronic shelf labels 10 arranged in the controlled area. The base station 22 sends the product information instructed from the shelf label server 20 to the transceiver 21 having jurisdiction over the electronic shelf label 10 to which the product information is to be transmitted. The transceiver 21 and the base station 22 are connected by a wireless LAN, Ethernet (registered trademark), or a dedicated interface. The printer 23 is a printing device that prints information instructed from the shelf label server 20 or the store server 30.
The POS system 3 includes a store server 30, a POS terminal (referred to as “POS” in FIG. 1) 31, a handy terminal 32, and a wireless LAN access point 33. The store server 30 manages the number of items sold in the store, sales, inventory, and the like based on information from each POS terminal 31, and stores product information such as a product name, product code, and price information in the POS terminal 31. For example, a computer. The POS terminal 31 and the wireless LAN access point 33 are connected to the store server 30 via the LAN 4. The POS terminal 31 receives product information from the store server 30, for example, price information, and uses it for sales processing, and transmits information such as the number of products sold and the sales amount to the store server 30.
The handy terminal 32 is a portable terminal device for transmitting to the store server 30 via the wireless LAN access point 33 by radio for the number of products displayed by the store clerk. The handy terminal 32 displays information sent from the shelf label server 20 via the display store server 30 and the wireless LAN access point 33 for displaying information on the display. The wireless LAN access point 33 sends the information received from the handy terminal 32 to the store server 30 and sends the information received from the store server 30 to the handy terminal 32.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electronic shelf label 10. The electronic shelf label 10 includes a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as “CPU”) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a display unit 14, an input unit 15, an operation unit 16, an RTC (Real Time Clock). ) 17, battery 18, wireless communication unit 19, antenna 190, optical sensor unit 191, and pressure sensor unit 192.
The CPU 11 serving as a control means executes an electronic shelf label control program for controlling the electronic shelf label 10 stored in the ROM 12, thereby displaying the display unit 14, the input unit 15, the operation unit 16, the wireless communication unit 19, the light The sensor unit 191 and the pressure sensor unit 192 are controlled. The ROM 12 is constituted by a read-only storage device such as a flash memory, and stores an electronic shelf label control program and a ROM management table 42 described later. The RAM 13 serving as a storage unit is configured by a storage device such as a writable and readable semiconductor memory, and stores electronic shelf label control information necessary when the CPU 11 executes the electronic shelf label control program. The electronic shelf label control information includes a RAM management table 43 described later.
The display unit 14 serving as a display unit is configured by a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and displays information instructed from the CPU 11 on a display screen. The display screen of the display unit 14 is provided with at least one of the optical sensor unit 191 and the pressure sensor unit 192 in order to detect an area where the display screen is shielded by the shielding object. The input unit 15 is an input device for inputting information, and the operation unit 16 is an operation device for operating the electronic shelf label 10. The input unit 15 and the operation unit 16 may not be mounted if not necessary.
The RTC 17 is a time measuring unit that measures time, and the CPU 11 can check the time by referring to the RTC 17. The battery 18 is a direct current power source such as a battery that supplies power to the CPU 11, ROM 12, RAM 13, display unit 14, input unit 15, operation unit 16, RTC 17, wireless communication unit 19, optical sensor unit 191, and pressure sensor unit 192. is there. The wireless communication unit 19, which is a transmission unit, a first transmission unit, a reception unit, and a second reception unit, receives a radio signal representing product information transmitted from the transceiver 21 by the antenna 190 and decodes the received radio signal. The sent merchandise information is sent to the CPU 11. Or the information instruct | indicated from CPU11, for example, the shielding area information mentioned later which shows a shielding area, is transmitted as a radio signal by the antenna 190. FIG.
The optical sensor unit 191 is provided on the display screen of the display unit 14, and detects a shielding area where the display screen is shielded by a shielding object, using received light. The optical sensor unit 191 sends shielding area information representing the detected shielding area to the CPU 11. The pressure sensor unit 192 is provided on the display screen of the display unit 14 and detects a shielding area where the display screen is shielded by the shielding object based on pressure when the shielding object is in contact with the display screen. The pressure sensor unit 192 sends shielding area information representing the detected shielding area to the CPU 11. Hereinafter, the “shielding region” is also referred to as “overlapping region”. The CPU 11 and the optical sensor unit 191 or the CPU 11 and the pressure sensor unit 192 are detection means.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the shelf label server 20. The shelf label server 20 includes a CPU 201, a ROM 202, a RAM 203, a display unit 204, an input unit 205, an external storage unit 206, a communication unit 207, a time measuring unit 208, and a power supply unit 209.
The CPU 201, which is a drawing information generation unit, executes a shelf label server control program for controlling the shelf label server 20 stored in the ROM 202, thereby displaying the display unit 204, the input unit 205, the external storage unit 206, and the communication unit 207. To control. The ROM 202 is configured by a read-only storage device such as a flash memory, and stores a shelf label server control program. A RAM 203 serving as a storage unit is configured by a storage device such as a writable and readable semiconductor memory, and stores the shelf label server control information necessary when the CPU 201 executes the shelf label server control program. The shelf label server control information includes a later-described shelf label management table 41 that stores product information to be displayed on each electronic shelf label 10.
A display unit (hereinafter also referred to as “display device”) 204 serving as notification means is a display device such as a liquid crystal display, displays information instructed by the CPU 201, and an input unit 205 is an input device for inputting information. The input information is sent to the CPU 201. The external storage unit 206 is configured by a storage device such as a hard disk device. A communication unit 207 serving as a first receiving unit, a second transmitting unit, and a transmitting unit is connected to the LAN 4 and transmits / receives information to / from the base station 22, the printer 23, the store server 30, and the like. The communication unit 207 transmits information instructed from the CPU 201 to the instructed transmission destination, and sends the received information to the CPU 201.
The clock unit 208 is a clock unit that clocks time, and the CPU 201 can check the time by referring to the clock unit 208. The power supply unit 209 is a power supply that supplies power to the CPU 201, ROM 202, RAM 203, display unit 204, input unit 205, external storage unit 206, communication unit 207, and timing unit 208.
FIG. 4 is a chart showing the configuration of the shelf label management table 41. The shelf label management table 41 is a table that stores product information to be displayed on each electronic shelf label 10 and information related to the display layout, and is stored in the RAM 203 of the shelf label server 20. The shelf label management table 41 includes an “electronic shelf label ID (Identification)” column 411, a “display area” column 412, a “product code” column 413, a “product name” column 414, and a “price” column 415. For each electronic shelf label ID shown in the “electronic shelf label ID” column 411, a display area, a product code, a product name, and a price are stored.
The “electronic shelf label ID” column 411 indicates an electronic shelf label ID for identifying each electronic shelf label 10. Each electronic shelf label 10 is assigned a unique electronic shelf label ID. For example, the “electronic shelf label ID” column 411 shown in FIG. 4 shows the electronic shelf label IDs “000001001” to “000001006”, “0000010100”, and “0000010101”.
The “display area” column 412 indicates a non-overlapping area, that is, an area where the display screen is not shielded by XY coordinates. The origin of the XY coordinates is the upper left of the display screen, and the area is represented by a rectangle determined by the start point that is the upper left coordinates of the area and the end point that is the lower right coordinates. Hereinafter, the entire area of the display screen of the electronic shelf label 10 will be described as a rectangle with the XY coordinates of the start point being (1, 1) and the XY coordinates of the end point being (320, 160). However, the present invention is not limited to this.
The “product code” column 413 indicates a product code for identifying each product. Each product has a unique product code, such as JAN (Japanese article
number) code is assigned. The product code “00000-000” is an initial value and indicates that the electronic shelf label 10 is not assigned a product. The “product name” column 414 indicates the name given to each product. The “product name” column 414 indicates “(not linked)” for the electronic shelf label 10 to which no product is assigned. The “price” column 415 indicates the price of the product in the unit “yen”.
The “display area” column 412, “product code” column 413, “product name” column 414 and “price” column 415 shown in the shelf label management table 41 shown in FIG. 4 are related to the electronic shelf label ID “00000101”. , “(21,1)-(260,160)”, “12345-001”, “apple juice” and “120”, and the electronic shelf label ID “00000102” is “(1,1)-( 280, 160) ”,“ 12345-090 ”,“ soda ”and“ 75 ”, and the electronic shelf label ID“ 00000003 ”is“ (1, 1)-(140, 160) ”,“ 12345-082 ”. ”,“ Health drink ”and“ 200 ”, and the electronic shelf label ID“ 00000004 ”is“ (1,1)-(200,160) ”,“ 12345-077 ”. , “Mandarin orange juice” and “130”, and the electronic shelf label ID “000001005” is “(1,1)-(320,160)”, “12345-056”, “sport drink” and “120” The electronic shelf label ID “000001006” is “(161,1)-(320,160)”, “12345-043”, “natural water”, and “90”, and the electronic shelf label ID “0000010100”. "-", "00000-000", "(unlinked)" and "-", and for the electronic shelf label ID "0000010101", "-", "00000-000", "( Unlinked) ”and“ − ”.
FIG. 5 is a chart showing the configuration of the ROM management table 42. The ROM management table 42 is a table for storing the electronic shelf label ID of the electronic shelf label 10 and is stored in the ROM 12 of the electronic shelf label 10. The ROM management table 42 includes an “item” column 421 and a “value” column 422. The “item” column 421 indicates an item in each row, and the “value” column 422 indicates the value of the item indicated in the “item” column 421. In the ROM management table 42 shown in FIG. 5, “00000101” is shown in the “value” column 422 corresponding to the item whose “item” column 421 is “electronic shelf label ID”. That is, the ROM management table 42 shown in FIG. 5 indicates that the electronic shelf label ID of the electronic shelf label 10 storing the ROM management table 42 is “00000101”. In the ROM management table 42, for example, when the electronic shelf label 10 is shipped from the factory, a unique electronic shelf label ID assigned to the electronic shelf label 10 is set.
FIG. 6 is a chart showing the configuration of the RAM management table 43. The RAM management table 43 is a table that stores electronic shelf label control information used by the electronic shelf label 10, and is stored in the RAM 13 of the electronic shelf label 10. The RAM management table 43 includes an “item” column 431 and a “value” column 432. The “item” column 431 indicates the item of each line, and the “value” column 432 indicates the value of the item indicated in the “item” column 431.
The item shown in the “item” column 431 shown in FIG. 6 and the value in the “value” column 432 corresponding to each item are the item “product code” value “12345-001” and the item “display area” "Is" (21,1)-(260,160) ", the value of the item" acquired latest overlap area 1 "is" (1,1)-(20,160) ", and the item The value of “acquired latest overlapping area 2” is “(261, 1) − (320, 160)”, and the value of the item “counter A” and the value of the item “counter B” are blank. That is, a product with a product code “12345-001” is assigned to the electronic shelf label 10, and the display area is from the entire area “(1, 1)-(320, 160)” of the display screen. The area “(21, 1)-(260, 160)” excluding the overlapping area 1 “(1, 1)-(20, 160)” and the overlapping area 2 “(261, 1)-(320, 160)”. It is shown that. The counters A and B are variable counters used in the processing of the flowchart described later.
FIG. 7 is a chart showing an example of the basic display layout data 51. The basic display layout data 51 is data generated by the shelf label server 20 in order to display product information on the entire display screen of the electronic shelf label 10. The basic display layout data 51 includes “display area” data 511, “product name display area” data 512, “price display area” data 513, and “fixed character string“ yen ”display area” data 514. The “display area” data 511 is a column indicating the entire area of the display screen by the XY coordinates of the start point and the end point, and the “product name display area” data 512 is the XY coordinates of the start point and the end point of the product name. The “price display area” data 513 is a column indicating the price display area by the XY coordinates of the start point and the end point, and the “display area of the fixed character string“ yen ”” data 514 is the price This is a column indicating the area for displaying the character “circle”, which is the unit of, by the XY coordinates of the start point and the end point.
In the example shown in FIG. 7, the “display area” data 511 is “(1, 1)-(320, 160)”, and the “product name display area” data 512 is “(1, 1)-(320 , 60) ”, the“ price display area ”data 513 is“ (1, 61) − (280, 160) ”, and the“ display area of the fixed character string “yen” ”data 514 is“ (281, 101)-(320, 160) ".
FIG. 8 is a chart showing an example of the rearranged display layout data 52. The rearranged display layout data 52 is data after rearrangement generated by the shelf label server 20 when rearrangement is performed by the shelf label server 20, and when rearrangement is performed by the electronic shelf label 10. Is the rearranged data generated by the electronic shelf label 10. The rearrangement is to rearrange the basic display layout data 51 in the display area or rearrange the rearranged display layout data in a new display area in order to display the product information in the display area. .
Similar to the basic display layout data 51, the rearranged display layout data 52 includes “display area” data 521, “product name display area” data 522, “price display area” data 523, and “fixed character string“ Circle "display area" data 524 is included. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the “display area” data 521 is “(21, 1)-(260, 160)”, and the “product name display area” data 522 is “(21, 1)-(260 , 60) ", the" price display area "data 523 is" (21, 61)-(230, 160) ", and the" display area of the fixed character string "yen""data 524 is" (231, 101)-(260, 160) ".
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display screen 61 based on the basic display layout. The display screen 61 based on the basic display layout (hereinafter also referred to as “basic shelf label display layout”) displays the electronic shelf label 10 when the product information is displayed based on the basic display layout data 51 shown in FIG. It is a screen. In the basic display layout, the start point of the display screen is XY coordinates (1, 1), and the end point is XY coordinates (320, 160). Among the areas of the display screen 61, the product name “apple juice” is displayed in the product name display area 611, the price “120” is displayed in the price display area 612, and the display area 613 of the fixed character string “yen”. The price unit “Yen” is displayed.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overlapping region. In the display screen 62 shown in FIG. 10, an overlapping area (non-display area) 621 includes an overlapping area 1 (non-display area 1) “(1, 1)-(20, 160)” and an overlapping area 2 (non-display). Area 2) It is composed of two overlapping areas (non-display areas) of “(261, 1)-(320, 160)”. Therefore, the display area 622, that is, the display area is “(21, 1)-(260, 160)”.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display screen 63 based on the rearranged display layout. The display screen 63 is a display screen in which product information is displayed on the display area 622 shown in FIG. 10 based on the rearranged display layout data 52 shown in FIG. In the display area 622 of the display screen shown in FIG. 10, the product name “apple juice” is displayed in the rearranged product name display area 631, and the price “120” is displayed in the rearranged price display area 632. Is displayed, and the unit of price “yen” is displayed in the display area 633 of the rearranged fixed character string “yen”.
FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B are diagrams showing a display example 81 of products using the electronic shelf label 10. FIG. 12A shows five products, a soda S1, a health drink S2, a mandarin orange juice S3, a sports drink S4, and a natural water S5, in the horizontal direction, and the electronic shelf labels 101 to 105 in order from the left toward the product before the product. The display example 81 which has arrange | positioned is shown.
FIG. 12B is a diagram seen from the upper side of the electronic shelf labels 101 to 105, and shows the overlapping of the electronic shelf labels 101 to 105. The right portion of the electronic shelf label 101 is shielded by the electronic shelf label 102, the right portion of the electronic shelf label 102 is shielded by the electronic shelf label 103, and the right portion of the electronic shelf label 103 is shielded by the electronic shelf label 104. The left part of the electronic shelf label 105 is shielded by the electronic shelf label 104.
However, since the electronic shelf label system 2 rearranges and displays the display information to be displayed on each electronic shelf label 10 based on the overlapping area detected by each electronic shelf label 10, each electronic shelf label system shown in FIG. As displayed on the display screen of the shelf label 10, any product information is displayed without being shielded by other electronic shelf labels 10. For example, the product information of the product soda S1 is displayed in the display area of the display screen of the electronic shelf label 101 excluding the area shielded by the electronic shelf label 102, and the product information “soda 75 yen” is shielded by the electronic shelf label 102. It is displayed without being.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a first electronic shelf label display rewriting process executed by the CPU 201 of the shelf label server 20. The first electronic shelf label display rewriting process is a process when the shelf information server 20 changes or rearranges the product information display of the electronic shelf label 10. When the shelf label server 20 needs to display product information on the electronic shelf label 10, for example, when it receives a request for changing the shelf label display from the standard price display to the sale price display from the store server 30 or the shelf label system application, Move to A1.
In step A1, the electronic shelf label 10 that transmits the display change command is selected. Specifically, one electronic shelf label 10 is selected from the confirmed electronic shelf labels 10 that can be communicated. Hereinafter, “instruction” is also referred to as “request” or “command”. In step A2, the status of the selected electronic shelf label 10 is confirmed. Specifically, the communication unit 207 transmits a status confirmation command for confirming a status such as a battery voltage and a communication state to the selected electronic shelf label 10 and is sent in response to the status confirmation command. Check the status information that comes. In step A3, it is determined whether the status is normal. If normal, the process proceeds to step A4, and if not normal, the process proceeds to step A12.
In step A4, the display unit overlap detection request is transmitted to the electronic shelf label 10 by the communication unit 207. In step A5, the communication unit 207 receives from the electronic shelf label 10 the display unit overlap detection result, which is a response to the display unit overlap detection request. In step A6, it is determined whether or not the overlap area size is equal to or smaller than a threshold value. The threshold value that is a predetermined size is, for example, half the area of the entire display screen. The overlap area size is the size of the overlap area indicated by the overlap detection result received from the electronic shelf label 10. The overlapping region is a shielding region detected by the optical sensor unit 191 or the pressure sensor unit 192. If the overlapping area size is equal to or smaller than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step A7. If the overlapping area size is not equal to or smaller than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step A12.
In step A7, the display area of the electronic shelf label 10, that is, the display area and the display layout are determined, and electronic shelf label display data is generated. In step A8, the communication unit 207 transmits the electronic shelf label display data and the display unit rewrite request to the electronic shelf label 10. Electronic shelf label display data (hereinafter also referred to as “display data”) is drawing information including product information and a display layout. In step A9, the communication unit 207 receives a response to the display unit rewrite request from the electronic shelf label 10. In step A10, it is determined whether or not the response to the command, that is, the display portion rewriting request is normal. If the response to the command is normal, the process proceeds to step A11. If the response to the command is not normal, the process proceeds to step A12.
In Step A11, it is determined whether or not it is continuation. Continuation is continued when there is another electronic shelf label 10 that needs to be changed to display product information. If it is continuation, the process returns to step A1, and if it is not continuation, the first electronic shelf label display rewriting process is terminated. In step A12, the store clerk is notified of the abnormality, for example, error information indicating the abnormality is displayed on a display provided in the shelf label server 20 or the handy terminal (HT) 32, a warning is displayed, and the process proceeds to step A11. Steps A4 and A5 shown in FIG. 13 are first reception steps, step A7 is a generation step, steps A8 to A10 are second transmission steps, and step A12 is a notification step. .
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of a first electronic shelf label display data generation process called from the first electronic shelf label display rewriting process. When step A7 shown in FIG. 13 is executed, the process proceeds to step B1.
In step B1, the vertical / horizontal size ratio between the display area of the electronic shelf label 10 and the basic shelf label display layout is calculated. Specifically, the basic shelf label display layout, that is, the size of the entire area of the display screen of the electronic shelf label 10 is 320 pixels wide and 160 pixels long, and the display region size, that is, the size of the display region is 240 pixels wide. In the case of pixels and 160 vertical pixels, the horizontal ratio RX is obtained from (SX2-SX1 + 1) / (BX2-BX1 + 1), and the vertical ratio RY is obtained from (SY2-SY1 + 1) / (BY2-BY1 + 1).
Here, SX1 is the X coordinate of the start point of the display area, SY1 is the Y coordinate of the start point of the display area, SX2 is the X coordinate of the end point of the display area, and SY2 is the end point of the display area. Y coordinate, BX1 is the X coordinate of the start point of the basic shelf label display layout, BY1 is the Y coordinate of the start point of the basic shelf label display layout, and BX2 is the X coordinate of the end point of the basic shelf label display layout BY2 is the Y coordinate of the end point of the basic shelf label display layout. In the case of the electronic shelf label 10 with the electronic shelf label ID “00000101”, the horizontal ratio RX is 240/320, and the vertical ratio RY is 160/160.
In step B2, an electronic shelf label display layout corresponding to the display area is generated from the basic display layout. Specifically, it is generated by calculating the start point and end point of each frame by the following equation. XY coordinates (SX3, SY3) = ((SX1 + (BX3-BX1 + 1) × RX), ((SY1 + (BY3-BY1 + 1) × RY)) of the start point of the product name frame, and XY coordinates (SX4) of the product name frame , SY4) = ((SX1 + (BX4-BX1 + 1) × RX), ((SY1 + (BY4-BY1 + 1) × RY)), and the XY coordinates (SX5, SY5) of the starting point of the price frame = ((SX1 + (BX5-BX1 + 1 ) × RX), ((SY1 + (BY5−BY1 + 1) × RY)), and the XY coordinates (SX6, SY6) of the end point of the price frame = ((SX1 + (BX6−BX1 + 1) × RX), ((SY1 + (BY6−)) BY1 + 1) × RY), and the XY coordinates (SX7, SY7) = ((SX1 + (BX7−BX1 + 1) × RX), ((SY1 + (BY7−BY1 + 1)) ×) A Y), "circle" frame of the end point of the XY coordinates (SX8, SY8) = ((SX1 + (BX8-BX1 + 1) × RX), a ((SY1 + (BY8-BY1 + 1) × RY).
Here, the start point and end point of each area of the basic display layout are XY coordinates (BX1, BY1) and XY coordinates (BX2, BY2) for the display area, and XY coordinates (BX3, BY3) for the product name frame. ) And XY coordinates (BX4, BY4), XY coordinates (BX5, BY5) and XY coordinates (BX6, BY6) for the price frame, and XY coordinates (BX7, BY7) for the “circle” frame and XY coordinates (BX8, BY8).
For example, in the case of the electronic shelf label 10 with the electronic shelf label ID “00000101”, the XY coordinates (SX3, SY3) of the start point of the product name frame are (21, 1), and the XY coordinates (SX4, SX) of the end point of the product name frame. SY4) = (260, 60), the XY coordinates (SX5, SY5) of the start point of the price frame are (21, 61), and the XY coordinates (SX6, SY6) of the end point of the price frame are (230, 160) XY coordinates (SX7, SY7) = (231, 101) of the start point of the “circle” frame, and XY coordinates (SX8, SY8) of the end point of the “circle” frame are (260, 160).
In step B3, the number of characters displayed in each frame is counted. For example, in the case of the electronic shelf label 10 with the electronic shelf label ID “00000101”, the product name is “apple juice”, and the number of characters displayed in the product name frame is “7” characters. The price is “120”, and the number of characters displayed in the price frame is “3” characters. The unit is “yen”, and the number of characters displayed in the “yen” frame is “1”.
In step B4, the character size of each frame is determined. Specifically, the width of the character size of the product name frame = (SX4-SX3 + 1) / (number of characters), the height of the character size of the product name frame = (SY4-SY3 + 1) / (number of lines), and the price The character size width of the frame = (SX6-SX5 + 1) / (number of characters), the height of the character size of the price frame = (SY6-SY5 + 1) / (number of lines), and the character size width of the “circle” frame = (SX8−SX7 + 1) / (number of characters), and the height of the character size of the “circle” frame = (SY8−SY7 + 1) / (number of lines). For example, in the case of the electronic shelf label 10 with the electronic shelf label ID “00000101”, the width of the character size of the product name frame = 34 remainder 2, the height of the character size of the product name frame = 60, and the character size of the price frame. The width = 86 remainder 2, the character size height of the price frame = 100, the character size width of the “circle” frame = 30, and the character size height of the “circle” frame = 60. Here, the number of lines is “1” in all cases, the remainder is ignored, and the quotient represents the font size.
In step B5, characters are expanded from the font according to the designated character size, that is, the font size obtained in step B4, arranged in a layout frame, that is, each frame, display data is generated, and the first electronic shelf label display is performed. The data generation process ends.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the overlap detection command process executed by the CPU 11 of the electronic shelf label 10. When the display overlap detection request is received from the shelf label server 20, the process proceeds to Step C1.
In step C1, the counter A is initialized. Specifically, “0” is set in the counter A of the RAM management table 43. In step C2, the counter B is initialized. Specifically, “0” is set in the counter B of the RAM management table 43. Counter A is a counter that counts the number of times the most recently detected overlapping area matches the previously stored overlapping area, and Counter B counts the number of times that the most recently detected overlapping area does not match the previously stored overlapping area. It is a counter to count.
In step C3, an overlap detection process for detecting the overlap of the display units is called to detect the overlap region. In step C4, it is determined whether the counter A is “1” or more or the counter B is “1” or more. If the counter A is “1” or more or the counter B is “1” or more, that is, if the overlap area is already detected and the overlap area information is stored, the process proceeds to step C5. If neither the counter A nor the counter B is “1” or more, that is, if the overlapping area has not been detected yet and the overlapping area information is not stored, the process proceeds to step C11.
In step C5, it is determined whether or not the previously stored area and the current area are the same, that is, whether or not they match. If they match, the process proceeds to step C13, and if they do not match, the process proceeds to step C6. In step C6, the counter A is initialized. Specifically, “0” is set in the counter A of the RAM management table 43. In step C7, the counter B is incremented by “1”. Specifically, “1” is added to the value of the counter B of the RAM management table 43, and the added value is set. In Step C8, it is determined whether or not the counter B is “3” or more. If the counter B is “3” or more, that is, if the overlap area is indefinite for 4 seconds, the process proceeds to Step C19, and if the counter B is not “3” or more, the process proceeds to Step C9.
In step C9, the previous area information, that is, the previously stored area information is discarded, and the current area information is stored. In step C10, after waiting for 1 second, the process returns to step C3. In step C11, the overlapping area information of the display unit representing the overlapping area detected in step C3 is stored. In Step C12, the counter A is incremented by “1”, and the process proceeds to Step C10. Specifically, “1” is added to the value of the counter A in the RAM management table 43, the added value is set, and the process proceeds to Step C10.
In step C13, the counter B is initialized. Specifically, “0” is set in the counter B of the RAM management table 43. In Step C14, the counter B is incremented by “1”. Specifically, “1” is added to the value of the counter B of the RAM management table 43, and the added value is set. In Step C15, it is determined whether or not the counter A is “4” or more. If the counter A is “4” or more, that is, if the overlap area detected by the overlap detection process in step C3 is the same for 4 seconds or if the overlap area is not detected by the overlap detection process in step C3 for 4 seconds, step C16 If the counter A is not "4" or more, the process proceeds to Step C10.
In Step C17, it is determined whether or not there is an overlapping area. If there is an overlapping area, the process proceeds to step C17, and if there is no overlapping area, the process proceeds to step C18. In step C17, the wireless communication unit 19 transmits the coordinate information indicating the overlapping region, that is, the overlapping region information of the display unit, to the shelf label server 20 as a response to the display unit overlapping detection request, and ends the overlapping detection command processing. .
In step C18, the wireless communication unit 19 transmits information indicating that there is no overlapping area to the shelf label server 20 as a response to the display unit overlap detection request, and ends the overlap detection command processing. In step C19, the wireless communication unit 19 transmits information indicating that the overlapping area is indefinite as a response to the display unit overlap detection request to the shelf label server 20, and ends the overlap detection command processing. Step C17 shown in FIG. 15 is a first transmission step.
FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the overlap detection process called from the overlap detection command process. When Step C3 shown in FIG. 15, Step H3 shown in FIG. 20, Step J3 shown in FIG. 21, or Step K3 shown in FIG. 22 is executed, the process proceeds to Step D1.
In step D1, a temporary storage unit of an overlapping area (hereinafter also referred to as “overlapping area”), for example, a temporary storage unit in the RAM management table 43 is initialized. In step D2, a region to be detected is selected. For example, the entire area of the display screen of the electronic shelf label 10 is divided into areas each consisting of 10 pixels vertically and 10 pixels horizontally, and one of the areas is selected. In step D 3, the light intensity or the pressure sensor unit 192 measures the light intensity by the light sensor unit 191 provided on the display screen of the display unit 14. In Step D4, it is determined whether or not the light intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold value, or whether or not the pressure is equal to or greater than the threshold value. If it is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the process proceeds to step D9, and if not greater than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step D5.
In step D5, an area less than the threshold is set as an invisible area, and the XY coordinates of the pixels in the area are stored in the temporary storage unit. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 10, after determining whether or not all the areas are less than the threshold value, the XY coordinates (1, 1), (1, 2), (1, 3), ..., (20, 159), (20, 160), and XY coordinates (261, 1), (261, 2), (261, 3), ..., (320, 159), (320) in the overlapping region 2 , 160) is stored in the temporary storage unit.
In step D6, it is determined whether it is the last area. If it is the last area, the process proceeds to Step D7, and if it is not the last area, the process returns to Step D2. In step D7, it is determined whether there are mottled areas below the threshold, and the number or ratio thereof is greater than or equal to the threshold. If there are mottled areas less than the threshold and the number or ratio is greater than or equal to the threshold, the process proceeds to step D10. If areas less than the threshold are mottled and the number or percentage is not greater than or equal to the threshold, step D8 is performed. Proceed to
In step D8, the area below the threshold and the area above the threshold are converted into rectangular data, stored in the storage unit, and the overlap detection process ends. Specifically, based on the XY coordinate data temporarily stored as the invisible area in step D5, the rectangular area determined as the invisible area, that is, the overlapping area, for example, “(1, 1) − ( 20, 160) "and" (261, 1)-(320, 160) "are stored as rectangular data in the storage unit, and further, based on the XY coordinate data temporarily stored as the display area in step D9, the display area The rectangular area “(21, 1)-(260, 160)” to be determined is stored as rectangular data in the storage unit, and the overlap detection process is terminated.
In step D9, an area equal to or larger than the threshold is set as a display area, and the XY coordinates of pixels in the area are stored in the temporary storage unit, and the process proceeds to step D6. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 10, after determining whether or not all the areas are less than the threshold value, the XY coordinates (21, 1), (21, 2), (21, 3) to ( 320, 159) and (320, 160) are stored in the temporary storage unit. In step D10, dirt such as dust is considered, so the wireless communication unit 19 transmits warning notification information indicating a warning notification to the shelf label server 20, and the process proceeds to step D8. Steps D1 to D10 shown in FIG. 16 are detection steps.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a first rewrite command process executed by the CPU 11 of the electronic shelf label 10. When the display part rewriting request is received from the shelf label server 20, the process proceeds to Step E1. In step E1, whether or not the received data received from the shelf label server 20 by the wireless communication unit 19, that is, the electronic shelf label display data received together with the display unit rewrite request, is normal, the received data size, check digit, etc. Judgment from. If normal, the process proceeds to step E2, and if not normal, the process proceeds to step E5. In step E2, the wireless communication unit 19 transmits a response indicating “normal reception” to the shelf label server 20, for example, ACK.
In step E3, the display area indicated by the received data is stored as a display write area in the “value” column 432 of the item “display area” of the RAM management table 43, for example. In step E4, the display unit 14 is rewritten based on the received electronic shelf label display data, and the first rewrite command process is terminated. In step E5, the wireless communication unit 19 transmits a response indicating “reception abnormality” to the shelf label server 20, for example, NAK, and ends the first rewrite command processing. Steps E1 and E2 shown in FIG. 17 are second reception steps, and step E5 is a display step.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the second electronic shelf label display rewriting process executed by the CPU 201 of the shelf label server 20. The second electronic shelf label display rewriting process is a process performed when the shelf label server 20 changes or rearranges the product information display of the electronic shelf label 10. When the shelf label server 20 needs to display product information on the electronic shelf label 10, for example, when it receives a request for changing the shelf label display from the standard price display to the sale price display from the store server 30 or the shelf label system application, Move to F1.
In step F1, the electronic shelf label 10 to which the display change command is transmitted is selected. Specifically, one electronic shelf label 10 is selected from the confirmed electronic shelf labels 10 that can be communicated. In step F2, the status of the selected electronic shelf label 10 is confirmed. Specifically, the communication unit 207 transmits a status confirmation command for confirming a status such as a battery voltage and a communication state to the selected electronic shelf label 10 and is sent in response to the status confirmation command. Check the status information that comes. In step F3, it is determined whether the status is normal. If normal, the process proceeds to step F4, and if not normal, the process proceeds to step F9.
In step F4, electronic shelf label display data is generated. In step F5, the communication unit 207 transmits the electronic shelf label display data and the display unit rewrite request to the electronic shelf label 10. In step F 6, the communication unit 207 receives a response to the display unit rewrite request from the electronic shelf label 10. In step F7, it is determined whether or not the response to the command, that is, the display portion rewriting request is normal. If the response to the command is normal, the process proceeds to step F8, and if the response to the command is not normal, the process proceeds to step F9.
In step F8, it is determined whether or not it is continuation. Continuation is continuation when there are other shelf labels that require product information display change. If it is continuation, the process returns to step F1, and if it is not continuation, the second electronic shelf label display rewriting process is terminated. In step F9, the store clerk is notified of the abnormality, for example, a warning is displayed on a display provided in the shelf label server 20 or the handy terminal 32, and the process proceeds to step F8.
FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a second electronic shelf label display data generation process called from the second electronic shelf label display rewriting process. When Step F4 shown in FIG. 18 is executed, the process proceeds to Step G1.
In step G1, the number of characters displayed in each frame is counted. For example, in the case of the electronic shelf label 10 with the electronic shelf label ID “00000101”, the product name is “apple juice”, and the number of characters displayed in the product name frame is “7” characters. The price is “120”, and the number of characters displayed in the price frame is “3” characters. The unit is “yen”, and the number of characters displayed in the “yen” frame is “1”.
In step G2, the character size of each frame is determined. Specifically, the width of the character size of the product name frame = (BX4-BX3 + 1) / (number of characters), the height of the character size of the product name frame = (BY4-BY3 + 1) / (number of lines), and the price The character size width of the frame = (BX6-BX5 + 1) / (number of characters), the character size height of the price frame = (BY6-BY5 + 1) / (number of lines), and the character size width of the “circle” frame = (BX8−BX7 + 1) / (number of characters), and the height of the character size of the “circle” frame = (BY8−BY7 + 1) / (number of rows).
For example, in the case of the electronic shelf label 10 with the electronic shelf label ID “00000101”, the width of the character size of the product name frame = 45 remainder 5, the height of the character size of the product name frame = 60, and the character size of the price frame. The width = 93 remainder 1, the character size height of the price frame = 100, the character size width of the “circle” frame = 40, and the character size height of the “circle” frame = 60. Here, the number of lines is “1” in all cases, the remainder is ignored, and the quotient represents the font size.
FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of second rewrite command processing executed by the CPU 11 of the electronic shelf label 10. When the display part rewriting request is received from the shelf label server 20, the process proceeds to Step H1.
In step H1, whether or not the received data received from the shelf label server 20 by the wireless communication unit 19, that is, the electronic shelf label display data received together with the display unit rewrite request, is normal, the received data size, the check digit, etc. Judgment from. If normal, the process proceeds to step H2, and if not normal, the process proceeds to step H7. In step H2, the wireless communication unit 19 transmits a response indicating “normal reception” to the shelf label server 20, for example, ACK.
In step H3, an overlap detection process for detecting the overlap of the display units is called to detect the overlap region. In step H4, it is determined whether the display area of the received data, that is, the display area indicated by the received electronic shelf label display data is overlapped. If the received data display areas overlap, the process proceeds to step D8. If the received data display areas do not overlap, the process proceeds to step D5. In step H5, the display area indicated by the received data is stored as a display writing area in the “value” column 432 of the item “display area” of the RAM management table 43, for example.
In step H6, the display unit 14 is rewritten based on the received electronic shelf label display data, and the second rewrite command process is terminated. In Step H7, the wireless communication unit 19 transmits a response indicating “reception abnormality” to the shelf label server 20, for example, NAK, and ends the second rewrite command processing. In step H8, the wireless communication unit 19 transmits notification information indicating that the rewrite areas of the received display data are overlapped to the shelf label server 20, and the process proceeds to step H5. When the notification information is transmitted to the shelf label server 20, the shelf label server 20 executes the first electronic shelf label display rewriting process shown in FIG. 13 to rearrange and rewrite the information to be displayed. be able to.
In FIG. 21, it is a flowchart which shows an example of the 1st self-detection process which CPU11 of the electronic shelf label 10 performs. The first self-detection process proceeds to step J1 after the power is turned on and becomes operable.
In step J1, the counter is initialized. Specifically, the counter is a counter provided in the RAM management table 43, and “0” is set in the counter. In step J2, it is determined whether or not the item is linked. If the value of the item “product code” in the RAM management table 43 is “00000-000”, it is determined that the item is not linked to an item, for example, a product in a store or a part in a factory warehouse. Then, the process proceeds to Step J8. If the value of the item “product code” in the RAM management table 43 is not “00000-000”, it is determined that the item is associated with the product, that is, the process proceeds to step J3.
In step J3, an overlap detection process for detecting the overlap of the display units is called to detect the overlap region. In Step J4, it is determined whether or not the overlapping area infringes the display writing area stored in Step E3 shown in FIG. If the overlapping area infringes the display writing area stored at the time of display rewriting, the process proceeds to step J5. If the overlapping area does not infringe the display writing area stored at the time of display rewriting, the process proceeds to step J9.
In step J5, the counter is incremented by “1”. Specifically, “1” is added to the counter value of the RAM management table 43, and the added value is set. In Step J6, it is determined whether or not the counter is “9” or more. If the counter is “9” or more, it indicates that the overlapping state continues for 100 seconds. If the counter of the RAM management table 43 is “9” or more, the process proceeds to Step J10, and if the counter is not “9” or more, the process proceeds to Step J7. In step J7, after 10 seconds have elapsed, the process returns to step J2.
In step J8, after 4 hours elapses, the process returns to step J1. In step J9, after one hour has passed, the process returns to step J1. In Step J10, it is determined that there is an abnormality, and the clerk is notified, for example, the abnormal information indicating the abnormality is transmitted to the shelf label server 20 by the wireless communication unit 19, or the buzzer is sounded or the alarm lamp blinks. The first self-detection process is terminated. When the abnormal information is transmitted to the shelf label server 20, the shelf label server 20 executes the first electronic shelf label display rewriting process shown in FIG. 13 to rearrange and rewrite the information to be displayed. be able to.
FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the second self-detection process executed by the CPU 11 of the electronic shelf label 10. The second self-detection process is a process that starts after the power is turned on and the apparatus becomes operable. When the second rewrite command process shown in FIG. 20 is completed, the process proceeds to step K1. Steps K1 to K9 are the same processing as steps J1 to J9 shown in FIG. 21, and a description thereof will be omitted to avoid duplication. The display rewriting at step K4 is different from the rewriting at step J4, specifically, step H5 shown in FIG.
In step K10, the vertical / horizontal size ratio between the display area of the electronic shelf label 10 and the display display data display area, that is, the display area indicated by the electronic shelf label display data received from the shelf label server 20 is calculated. The calculation method is the same as the calculation method in step B1 shown in FIG. In step K11, the electronic shelf label is set so that the display reception data has a size that can be displayed in the display area size, in other words, the product information to be displayed falls within the size reduced by the ratio calculated in step K10. Of the display data, the data is deleted from the product information data, that is, the data is thinned out and rearranged. In step K12, the rearranged display area is stored in the RAM 13 as a display writing area. In step K13, the display unit 14 is rewritten with the rearranged data, and the second self-detection process is terminated. After the second self-detection process, the process returns to step K1. Steps K10 to K13 shown in FIG. 21 are control steps.
Although not shown in the flowchart shown in FIG. 22, after the overlap area is detected in step K3, it is determined whether or not the overlap area size is equal to or smaller than the threshold, as in the process in step A6 shown in FIG. When the overlap area size is equal to or smaller than the threshold value, error information indicating an abnormality may be transmitted to the shelf label server 20 in order to notify the store clerk of an abnormality as in step A12. When receiving the error information, the shelf label server 20 displays the error information on a display provided in the shelf label server 20 or the handy terminal 32 and displays a warning.
As described above, an electronic shelf including the electronic shelf label 10 including the display unit 14 having a display screen for displaying information and the shelf label server 20 including the RAM 203 for storing product information to be displayed on the display screen. When displaying product information on the display unit 14 in the bill system 2, in the electronic shelf label 10, the CPU 11 and the optical sensor unit 191 or the CPU 11 and the pressure sensor unit 192 shield the display screen with a shielding object. Is detected, and the wireless communication unit 19 transmits shielding area information indicating the shielding area detected by the CPU 11 and the optical sensor unit 191 or the CPU 11 and the pressure sensor unit 192 to the shelf label server 20.
In the shelf label server 20, the shielding area information transmitted by the wireless communication unit 19 is received by the communication unit 207, and the product information stored in the RAM 203 by the CPU 201 is transmitted by the communication unit 207 out of the display screen area. Display data arranged in the remaining area excluding the shielding area indicated by the received shielding area information is generated, and the display data generated by the CPU 201 is transmitted to the electronic shelf label 10 by the communication unit 207.
In the electronic shelf label 10, the display data transmitted by the communication unit 207 is received by the wireless communication unit 19, and the display data received by the wireless communication unit 19 is displayed on the display unit 14 by the CPU 11.
Therefore, even if a part of the display screen of the electronic shelf label 10 is shielded by the shielding object, information to be displayed can be displayed in an unshielded area. Since the rearrangement of the display information in the unshielded area is performed by the shelf label server 20, it is not necessary to provide the electronic shelf label 10 with a function for rearrangement, and the cost of the electronic shelf label 10 can be reduced. . In this way, the electronic shelf label 10 can display information such as the product name in a rearranged manner even if the display screen is covered with a shielding object, so that only one type of size can be handled. it can. The manufacturer can reduce the types of sizes to be produced, and the user does not have to manage electronic shelf labels of various types. Since the electronic shelf labels 10 can be arranged so as to overlap each other, the possibility that the electronic shelf labels 10 cannot protrude and be installed when the width of the installation shelf is narrow can be reduced. Furthermore, the deviation between the product and the electronic shelf label 10 can be eliminated, and it is possible to reduce that the customer mistakes the relationship between the product and the electronic shelf label 10.
Furthermore, in the shelf label server 20, when the size of the shielding area indicated by the shielding area information received by the communication unit 207 is larger than the threshold by the CPU 201, the display unit 204 or the POS system of the shelf label server 20 that notifies the abnormality. Since the abnormality is notified by the handy terminal 32 of No. 3, since the shielding area is large, when the product information cannot be displayed so that the person can recognize it, the abnormality is notified to the store clerk and the electronic shelf label 10 is arranged. Can be confirmed.
Further, information is displayed by the display unit 14 having a display screen, product information to be displayed on the display screen is stored by the RAM 13, and the display is performed by the CPU 11 and the optical sensor unit 191 or the CPU 11 and the pressure sensor unit 192. The shielding area where the screen is shielded by the shielding object is detected, and the product information stored in the RAM 13 by the CPU 11 is detected by the CPU 11 and the optical sensor unit 191 or the CPU 11 and the pressure sensor unit 192 in the display screen area. It is arranged and displayed in the remaining area excluding the shielded area.
Therefore, even if a part of the display screen of the electronic shelf label 10 is shielded by the shielding object, information to be displayed can be displayed in an area not shielded only by the electronic shelf label 10. In this way, the electronic shelf label 10 can display information such as the product name in a rearranged manner even if the display screen is covered with a shielding object, so that only one type of size can be handled. it can. The manufacturer can reduce the types of sizes to be produced, and the user does not have to manage electronic shelf labels of various types. Since the electronic shelf labels 10 can be arranged so as to overlap each other, the possibility that the electronic shelf labels 10 cannot protrude and be installed when the width of the installation shelf is narrow can be reduced. Furthermore, the deviation between the product and the electronic shelf label 10 can be eliminated, and it is possible to reduce that the customer mistakes the relationship between the product and the electronic shelf label 10.
Further, in displaying the product information stored in the RAM 203 of the shelf label server 20 on the display screen of the electronic shelf label 10 including the display unit 14 having a display screen for displaying information, the steps shown in FIG. In D1 to D10, a shielding area where the display screen is shielded by a shielding object is detected. In step C17 shown in FIG. 15, shielding area information indicating the shielding area detected in steps D1 to D10 shown in FIG. 16 is transmitted from the electronic shelf label 10 to the shelf label server 20. In steps A4 and A5 shown in FIG. 13, the shielding area information transmitted in step C17 shown in FIG.
Further, in step A7 shown in FIG. 13, the product information stored in the RAM 203 is excluded from the display screen area except for the shielding area indicated by the shielding area information received in steps A4 and A5 shown in FIG. Display data arranged in the remaining area is generated. In steps A 8 to A 10 shown in FIG. 13, the display data generated in step A 7 shown in FIG. 13 is transmitted from the shelf label server 20 to the electronic shelf label 10. In steps E1 and E2 shown in FIG. 17, the display data transmitted in steps A8 to A10 shown in FIG. 13 is received from the shelf label server 20. In step E5 shown in FIG. 17, the display data received in steps E1 and E2 shown in FIG.
Therefore, if the information display method according to the present invention is applied to the electronic shelf label system 2, even if a part of the display screen of the electronic shelf label 10 is shielded by the shielding object, the information to be displayed in the unshielded area. Can be displayed. Since the rearrangement of the display information in the unshielded area is performed by the shelf label server 20, it is not necessary to provide the electronic shelf label 10 with a function for rearrangement, and the cost of the electronic shelf label 10 can be reduced. . In this way, the electronic shelf label 10 can display information such as the product name in a rearranged manner even if the display screen is covered with a shielding object, so that only one type of size can be handled. it can. The manufacturer can reduce the types of sizes to be produced, and the user does not have to manage electronic shelf labels of various types. Since the electronic shelf labels 10 can be arranged so as to overlap each other, the possibility that the electronic shelf labels 10 cannot protrude and be installed when the width of the installation shelf is narrow can be reduced. Furthermore, the deviation between the product and the electronic shelf label 10 can be eliminated, and it is possible to reduce that the customer mistakes the relationship between the product and the electronic shelf label 10.
Further, when displaying the product information on the display screen of the display unit 14, in steps D1 to D10 shown in FIG. 16, a shielding area where the display screen of the display unit 14 is shielded by the shielding object is detected. In steps K10 to K13 shown in FIG. 21, the product information is arranged and displayed in the remaining area of the display screen excluding the shielding area detected in steps D1 to D10 shown in FIG.
Therefore, if the information display method according to the present invention is applied to the electronic shelf label 10, even if a part of the display screen of the electronic shelf label 10 is shielded by the shielding object, the area is not shielded only by the electronic shelf label 10. Information to be displayed can be displayed. In this way, the electronic shelf label 10 can display information such as the product name in a rearranged manner even if the display screen is covered with a shielding object, so that only one type of size can be handled. it can. The manufacturer can reduce the types of sizes to be produced, and the user does not have to manage electronic shelf labels of various types. Since the electronic shelf labels 10 can be arranged so as to overlap each other, the possibility that the electronic shelf labels 10 cannot protrude and be installed when the width of the installation shelf is narrow can be reduced. Furthermore, the deviation between the product and the electronic shelf label 10 can be eliminated, and it is possible to reduce that the customer mistakes the relationship between the product and the electronic shelf label 10.
Further, in step A12 shown in FIG. 13, when the size of the shielding area detected in steps D1 to D10 shown in FIG. 16 is larger than the threshold value, it is notified that there is an abnormality. If the display method is applied to the electronic shelf label system 2 or the electronic shelf label 10, when the product information cannot be displayed so that the person can recognize it because the shielding area is large, an abnormality is notified to the store clerk. The arrangement of the shelf labels 10 can be confirmed.
FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a store system 1A according to an electronic shelf label system 2A that is another embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof may be omitted. The store system 1A is a system that manages products in the store, and includes an electronic shelf label system 2A, a POS (Point Of Sales) system 3A, and a LAN (Local Area Network) 4 that connects them.
An electronic shelf label system 2A that is an information display system includes an electronic shelf label 10A, a shelf label server 20, a transceiver 21, a base station 22, and a printer 23. The configuration of the electronic shelf label system 2A of the present embodiment is the same as the configuration of the electronic shelf label system 2 of the above-described embodiment except for the electronic shelf label 10A. The shelf label server 20, the transceiver 21, the base station 22, and the printer The description of 23 is omitted. The electronic shelf label 10 A that is an information display device is a display device that displays product information instructed from the shelf label server 20. The merchandise information that is display information is information related to the merchandise such as the merchandise name and price, and is information to be displayed on the electronic shelf label 10A.
The POS system 3A includes a store server 30, a POS terminal (referred to as “POS” in FIG. 1) 31, a handy terminal 32A, and a wireless LAN access point 33. The configuration of the POS system 3A of the present embodiment is the same as the configuration of the POS system 3 of the above-described embodiment except for the handy terminal 32A, and description of the store server 30, the POS terminal 31, and the wireless LAN access point 33 is omitted. .
The handy terminal 32A, which is the area input unit, wirelessly transmits information such as the number of products displayed by the store clerk or the shielding area shielded by the shielding object to the store server 30 via the wireless LAN access point 33. It is the portable terminal device for doing. The handy terminal 32A includes a display for displaying information and an operation unit for inputting information such as numbers and characters. The handy terminal 32 A displays the information sent from the shelf label server 20 on the display device via the store server 30 and the wireless LAN access point 33, and sends the information input by the operation unit to the shelf label server 20.
FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the electronic shelf label 10A. The electronic shelf label 10A includes a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as “CPU”) 11A, ROM (Read Only
Memory (RAM) 12, RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, display unit 14, button 15A, slide switch (hereinafter referred to as "slide SW") 16A, RTC (Real Time Clock) 17, battery 18A, wireless communication unit 19 and antenna 190 Including. The configuration of the electronic shelf label 10A of the present embodiment is similar to the configuration of the electronic shelf label 10 of the above-described embodiment, and the description of the ROM 12, the display unit 14, the RTC 17, the wireless communication unit 19, and the antenna 190 is omitted.
The CPU 11A, which is a drawing information generation unit and a control unit, executes an electronic shelf label control program for controlling the electronic shelf label 10A stored in the ROM 12, whereby the display unit 14, the button 15A, the slide SW 16A, and the wireless communication unit 19 is controlled. The RAM 13A, which is a storage unit, is configured by a storage device such as a writable and readable semiconductor memory, and stores electronic shelf label control information necessary when the CPU 11A executes the electronic shelf label control program. The electronic shelf label control information includes a RAM management table 43A described later.
The button 15A has an area No. as shown in FIGS. Are displayed on the display screen, and when pressed, the area No. Appears on the display screen. Area No. Is area identification information for identifying each divided area obtained by dividing the area of the display screen into areas of predetermined units, for example, divided into 8 equal areas in the horizontal direction. Area No. Is not displayed by the button 15A, but the area number. May be affixed to the upper surface or front surface of the electronic shelf label 10A, or may be directly stamped or printed on the upper surface or front surface of the electronic shelf label 10A.
A slide SW 16A as a setting means and an instruction unit is a switch for instructing a display area. The display area is represented by, for example, a boundary between a shielding area shielded by a shielding object and an area not shielded by the shielding object. Hereinafter, the “shielding region” is also referred to as “overlapping region”.
The slide SW 16A is composed of, for example, two slide switches arranged in a row so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. The left switch on the left side of the two slide switches indicates the position of the boundary between the shielding area on the left side and the unshielded area among the shielding areas shielded by the shielding object. The right switch on the right side of the two slide switches indicates the position of the boundary between the shielded area on the right side and the unshielded area among the shielded areas shielded by the shield. In other words, the area between the boundary indicated by the left switch and the boundary indicated by the right switch is an area not covered by the shielding object. The handy terminal 32A and the slide SW 16A are setting means.
The CPU 11A can detect the position of the left switch and the position of the right switch of the slide SW 16A using, for example, a voltage divided by a resistance value. The slide SW 16A is not limited to a slide switch. You may comprise by the push button etc. which are provided for every.
The battery 18A is a DC power source such as a battery that supplies power to the CPU 11A, the ROM 12, the RAM 13, the display unit 14, the button 15A, the slide SW 16A, the RTC 17, and the wireless communication unit 19.
FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an appearance of the handy terminal 32A. The handy terminal 32 A includes a display unit 320 and an operation unit 326. Display unit 320 is configured by a display device such as a liquid crystal display. A display area input screen is displayed on the display screen of the display unit 320 shown in FIG. 24. The display area input screen displays a title column 321 “display area input” and “shelf label ID (Identification)”. Are displayed, a display area input field 323 labeled “display area”, a send button 324, and an end button 325. The operation unit 326 includes operation buttons for inputting information such as numbers or characters, and can input information such as a shelf label ID and a display area.
The shelf label ID input field 322 is an input field for inputting the shelf label ID of the electronic shelf label 10 A instructing the display area by the operation button of the operation unit 326. The display area input field 323 is an input field for instructing a display area with the operation button of the operation unit 326. The display area is an area number indicated on the display screen. Is represented by The send button 324 is an operation button for sending the shelf label ID input in the shelf label ID input field 322 and information indicating the display area input in the display area input field 323 to the shelf label server 20. The end button 325 is an operation button for transmitting to the shelf label server 20 to end the display area input screen. The display unit 320 is, for example, a touch panel, and the transmission button 324 or the end button 325 can be pressed by touching the screen.
In the display area input screen shown in FIG. 25, a shelf label ID “00000101” is entered in the shelf label ID entry field 322, and a display area “0.5 to 6.5” is entered in the display area entry field 323. “0.5” input in the display area input field 323 indicates that the boundary between the left shielding area and the non-shielding area is the area number. “6.5” is in the middle position of “1”, and “6.5” indicates that the boundary between the right shielded area and the unshielded area is area No. It indicates that the position is in the middle of “7”.
FIG. 26 is a chart showing a configuration of the RAM management table 43A. The RAM management table 43A is a table that stores electronic shelf label control information used by the electronic shelf label 10A, and is stored in the RAM 13A of the electronic shelf label 10A. The RAM management table 43A includes an “item” column 431A and a “value” column 432A. The “item” column 431A indicates an item in each row, and the “value” column 432A indicates a value of the item indicated in the “item” column 431A.
The item shown in the “item” column 431A shown in FIG. 26 and the value in the “value” column 432A corresponding to each item are the item “product code” value “12345-001” and the item “display area” The value of “(21,1) − (260,160)”. The value of the item “non-display area 1” is “(1, 1) − (20, 160)”, and the value of the item “non-display area 2” is “(261, 1) − (320, 160)”. Yes, the value of the item “area number display flag” is “TRUE”. That is, a product with the product code “12345-001” is assigned to the electronic shelf label 10A, and the display area is from the entire area “(1, 1)-(320, 160)” of the display screen. The area “(21,1)-(260,160) excluding the non-display area 1“ (1,1)-(20,160) ”and the non-display area 2“ (261,1)-(320,160) ”. ) ". The “area number display flag” is a flag used in the processing of the flowchart to be described later. Used to switch whether or not to display.
FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen 64 which displayed. The display screen 64 displays the area No. when product information is not displayed. Is an example. The display screen 64 shown in FIG. 27 is an example in which the display area 64 is divided into eight divided areas 641 in the horizontal direction. “1” to “8” are displayed in two places, the upper row and the lower row, in order from the left.
FIG. 28 shows an area No. when product information is displayed. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen 65 which displayed. The display screen 65 has an area No. displayed below the display screen 61 according to the basic display layout shown in FIG. This is an example in which divided areas 651 marked with are superimposed and displayed. In the example shown in FIG. The unit of price displayed in the display area 613 of the price “120” displayed in the price display area 612 and the fixed character string “yen” is displayed by overlapping and displaying the divided area 651 with Some of the information on the “circle” is invisible.
FIG. 29 shows an area No. when product information is displayed. It is a figure which shows an example of the other display screen 66 which displayed. The display screen 66 has an area No. on the lower side of the display screen 61 according to the basic display layout shown in FIG. The product name display area 661, the price display area 662, and the fixed character string “yen” display area 663 are assigned to areas excluding the split area 651, and the product name “ In this example, the “apple juice”, the price “120”, and the price unit “yen” are rearranged and displayed in the corresponding display areas.
In the example shown in FIG. Even if the divided area 651 with “” is displayed, the price “120” displayed in the price display area 662 and the price unit “yen” displayed in the display area 663 of the fixed character string “yen” It is possible to avoid that part of the information becomes invisible.
FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the overlap area | region in the state which displayed. The overlapping area has a boundary between the shielded area and the non-shielded area. The boundary between the left shielding area 671 in the middle of “1” and the shielding area and the non-shielding area is Area No. It consists of a right shielding area 673 in the middle of “7”.
FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen 68 having a display layout different from that of the rearranged display screen 63. In the display screen 63 shown in FIG. 10, the boundary between the shielding area and the non-shielding area is used as the boundary of the display area. However, the display screen 68 shown in FIG. It is a display screen with a combined display layout. Specifically, the display area of the display screen 68 shown in FIG. This is an area composed of divided areas “3” to “6”. That is, when the overlap region is the overlap region shown in FIG. 30, the display screen 63 shown in FIG. 10 uses the region excluding the overlap region shown in FIG. 30 as the display region, but the display shown in FIG. On the screen 68, an area composed of divided areas not including an overlapping area is set as a display area.
FIG. 32 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overlapping area designated by the slide SW 16A. 32, an electronic shelf label 71 whose electronic shelf label ID is “00000101”, an electronic shelf label 72 whose electronic shelf label ID is “00000002”, and an electronic shelf label 73 whose electronic shelf label ID is “00000003”. The three electronic shelf labels 10A are shown. To the display screen of the electronic shelf label 71, the right side of the display screen of the electronic shelf label 71 is shielded by the electronic shelf label 72, and the left side of the display screen of the electronic shelf label 71 is shielded by the electronic shelf label 73.
Each electronic shelf label 10A is provided with a slide SW 16A at the top. On the upper surface of the slide SW 16A, the numeral “0” and the area No. The numbers “1” to “8” corresponding to are displayed at equal intervals in order from the left, and two

slide switches

16a and 16b are provided. The user aligns the left switch 16a on the left side of the two

slide switches

16a and 16b with the position of the boundary between the shielding area on the left side and the unshielded area, and the right switch 16b on the right side on the right side. Align to the position of the boundary between the shielded area and the unshielded area. In the electronic shelf label 74 shown in FIG. 32, the left switch 16a has a number “0” and an area number. The right switch 16b is set to the area No. “6” and area no. It is set to the middle position of “7”.
FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen based on a display layout generated based on the overlapping area designated by the slide SW 16A. The electronic shelf label 75 is the electronic shelf label 10A displaying the display screen 61 shown in FIG. The electronic shelf label 76 is the electronic shelf label 10A displaying the display screen 65 shown in FIG. 28 when the button 15A provided on the slide SW 16A is pressed. The electronic shelf label 77 is the electronic shelf label 10A displaying the display screen 66 shown in FIG. 29 when the button 15A is pressed. The electronic shelf label 78 is the electronic shelf label 10A displaying the display screen 63 shown in FIG. 11 based on the display layout generated based on the overlapping area designated by the slide SW 16A.
As an example of the display of products using the electronic shelf label 10A, there is the one shown in FIG. 12A, and five products of soda S1, health drink S2, mandarin juice S3, sports drink S4 and natural water S5 are arranged in the horizontal direction. The electronic shelf labels 101 to 105 are arranged in order from the left side toward the product in front of the product.
The overlapping of the electronic shelf labels 101 to 105 is the same as that shown in FIG.
However, since the electronic shelf label system 2A rearranges and displays the display information to be displayed on each electronic shelf label 10A based on the overlapping area detected by each electronic shelf label 10A, each electronic shelf label system 2A shown in FIG. As displayed on the display screen of the shelf label 10A, any product information is displayed without being blocked by the other electronic shelf label 10A. For example, the product information of the product soda S1 is displayed in the display area of the display screen of the electronic shelf label 101 excluding the area shielded by the electronic shelf label 102, and the product information “soda 75 yen” is shielded by the electronic shelf label 102. It is displayed without being.
FIG. 34 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a third electronic shelf label display rewriting process executed by the CPU 201 of the shelf label server 20. The third electronic shelf label display rewriting process is a process performed when the shelf information server 20 changes or rearranges the product information display of the electronic shelf label 10A. When the shelf label server 20 needs to display product information on the electronic shelf label 10A, for example, when it receives a shelf label display change request from standard price display to sale price display from the store server 30 or the shelf label system application, Move to L1. The third electronic shelf label display rewriting processing steps L1 to L3 and L6 to L10 of the present embodiment are the same as the first electronic shelf label display rewriting processing steps A1 to A3 and A8 to A12 shown in FIG. Yes, the description is omitted.
In step L4, the display unit overlap information input by the user is acquired. The display unit overlap information represents the display region information indicating the display region input in the display region input field 323 of the display region input screen displayed on the display unit 320 of the handy terminal 32A, or the display region designated by the slide SW 16A. Display area information. The display area information indicating the display area input in the display area input field 323 of the display area input screen displayed on the display unit 320 of the handy terminal 32A is display area designation information. The CPU 201 of the shelf label server 20 acquires the display area information input in the display area input field 323 from the handy terminal 32A, and acquires the display area information instructed by the slide SW 16A from the electronic shelf label 10A.
In step L5, a display area and a display layout are determined based on the acquired display area information, and electronic shelf label display data is generated.
FIG. 35 is a flowchart showing an example of a third electronic shelf label display data generation process called from the third electronic shelf label display rewriting process. When step L5 shown in FIG. 34 is executed, the process proceeds to step M1. The third electronic shelf label display data generation processing steps M1 to M5 of the present embodiment are the same as the first electronic shelf label display data generation processing steps B1 to B5 shown in FIG.
FIG. 36 is a flowchart illustrating an example of third rewrite command processing executed by the CPU 11A of the electronic shelf label 10A. When the display part rewrite request is received from the shelf label server 20, the process proceeds to Step N1. In step N1, the wireless communication unit 19 determines whether the received data received from the shelf label server 20, that is, the electronic shelf label display data received together with the display unit rewrite request is normal. If normal, the process proceeds to step N2, and if not normal, the process proceeds to step N4. In step N2, the wireless communication unit 19 transmits a response indicating “normal reception” to the shelf label server 20, for example, ACK.
In step N3, the display unit 14 is rewritten based on the received electronic shelf label display data, "TRUE" is set in the "area number display flag", and the third rewrite command process is terminated. In step N4, the wireless communication unit 19 transmits a response indicating “reception abnormality” to the shelf label server 20, for example, NAK, and ends the third rewrite command processing.
FIG. 37 is a flowchart showing an example of display area input processing executed by the handy terminal 32A. The handy terminal 32A displays the display area input screen shown in FIG. 25, and then proceeds to Step P1.
In step P1, the shelf label ID input in the shelf label ID input field 322 is fetched. In step P2, the left end position of the display area input in the display area input field 323 is captured. In step P3, the right end position of the display area input in the display area input field 323 is captured. In step P4, when the send button 324 is pressed, the shelf label ID input in step P1 and the display area information indicating the left and right end positions of the display areas input in steps P2 and P3 are sent to the shelf label server 20. Send. In Step P5, it is determined whether or not to end, that is, whether or not there is a next input. When the end button 325 is pressed, it is determined to end, and the display area input process is ended. When the end button 325 is not pressed, it is determined not to end, and the process returns to step P1.
FIG. 38 is a flowchart showing an example of display screen switching processing by the button 15A executed by the CPU 11A of the electronic shelf label 10A. When the third rewrite command process shown in FIG. 36 is finished, the routine goes to Step Q1.
In step Q1, it is determined whether or not the button 15A is ON. If the button 15A is pressed, it is determined that the button 15A is ON, and the process proceeds to step Q2. If the button 15A is not pressed, it is determined that the button 15A is not ON, and the process returns to step Q1. In step Q2, it is determined whether there is linked data. If display data has been received from the shelf label server 20, it is determined that there is associated data, and the process proceeds to step Q3. If display data has not been received from the shelf label server 20, it is determined that there is no associated data. Return to step Q1.
In step Q3, it is determined whether or not “TRUE” is set in the “area number display flag”. If “TRUE” is set in the “area number display flag”, the process proceeds to step Q4. If “TRUE” is not set in the “area number display flag”, the process proceeds to step Q6. In step Q4, an area number, that is, an area number is displayed at the bottom of the display screen. Is displayed. In step Q5, “FALSE” is set in the “area number display flag”, and the process returns to step Q1. At step Q6, the area number displayed at the bottom of the display screen, that is, the area number. Hide. In step Q7, "TRUE" is set in the "area number display flag", and the process returns to step Q1.
FIG. 39 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a fourth electronic shelf label display rewriting process executed by the CPU 201 of the shelf label server 20. The fourth electronic shelf label display rewriting process is a process performed when the electronic shelf label 10A changes the product information display or the display rearrangement of the electronic shelf label 10A. When the shelf label server 20 needs to display product information on the electronic shelf label 10A, for example, when it receives a shelf label display change request from standard price display to sale price display from the store server 30 or the shelf label system application, Move to R1. The fourth electronic shelf label display rewriting processing steps R1 to R9 of this embodiment are the same as the second electronic label display rewriting processing steps F1 to F9 shown in FIG.
FIG. 40 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a fourth electronic shelf label display data generation process called from the fourth electronic shelf label display rewriting process. When Step R4 shown in FIG. 39 is executed, the process proceeds to Step U1. The fourth electronic shelf label display data generation processing steps U1 to U3 of the present embodiment are the same as the second electronic shelf label display data generation processing G1 to G3 shown in FIG.
FIG. 41 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a fourth rewrite command process executed by the CPU 11A of the electronic shelf label 10A. When called from step W7 shown in FIG. 42, the process proceeds to step V1.
In step V1, the wireless communication unit 19 determines whether the received data received from the shelf label server 20, that is, the electronic shelf label display data received together with the display unit rewrite request is normal. If normal, the process proceeds to step V2, and if not normal, the process proceeds to step V9. In step V2, the wireless communication unit 19 transmits a response indicating “normal reception” to the shelf label server 20, for example, ACK. In Step V3, the display data received from the shelf label server 20, that is, the electronic shelf label display data is stored in the memory, specifically, the RAM management table 43A.
In step V4, the display area information designated by the user using the slide SW 16A is acquired from the slide SW 16A. In step V5, the acquired display area information is stored in a memory, specifically, the RAM management table 43A. In step V6, the vertical / horizontal size ratio between the display area indicated by the display area information acquired in step V4 and the display data display area, that is, the display area indicated by the electronic shelf label display data received from the shelf label server 20 is calculated. . The calculation method is the same as the calculation method in step B1 shown in FIG.
In step V7, the display reception data, that is, the received electronic shelf label display data is reduced to a size that can be displayed in the display area size. In other words, the size of the product information to be displayed is reduced by the ratio calculated in step V6. As shown, the data is deleted from the product information data in the electronic shelf label display data, that is, the data is thinned and rearranged. In step V7, the display unit 14 is rewritten with the rearranged data, and the fourth rewrite command process is terminated. In Step V9, the wireless communication unit 19 transmits a response indicating “reception abnormality” to the shelf label server 20, for example, NAK, and ends the fourth rewrite command processing.
FIG. 42 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the display area change redrawing process executed by the CPU 11A of the electronic shelf label 10A. When the electronic shelf label 10A is turned on and becomes operable, the process proceeds to step W1.
In step W1, the wireless communication unit 19 determines whether a display unit rewrite command, that is, a display unit rewrite request is received from the shelf label server 20. If the display unit rewrite command is received, the process proceeds to step W7. If the display unit rewrite command is not received, the process proceeds to step W2. In Step W2, display area information is acquired from the slide SW 16A. In step W3, it is determined whether or not the display area indicated by the acquired display area information is the same as the display area stored in the display rewrite command process. If they are the same, the process proceeds to Step W8, and if they are not the same, the process proceeds to Step W4.
In step W4, it is determined whether or not there is display data on the display unit. If there is display data, the process proceeds to step W9, and if there is no display data, the process proceeds to step W5. In step W5, the non-display area, that is, the non-display area is cleared. In step W6, the display area is stored in the memory, and the display area change redrawing process is terminated. When the display area change redrawing process ends, the process returns to step W1.
In step W7, the fourth rewrite command process shown in FIG. 41 is called to execute the display section rewrite process, that is, the fourth rewrite command process, and then the process returns to step W1. In step W8, after WAIT for 1 second, that is, after waiting for 1 second, the process returns to step W1. In step W9, the display area indicated by the display area information acquired in step W2 and the display area indicated by the display data stored in the memory by the display unit rewriting process, that is, the display indicated by the electronic shelf label display data received from the shelf label server 20 are displayed. Calculate the aspect ratio of the area to the area. The calculation method is the same as the calculation method in step B1 shown in FIG.
In step W10, the electronic shelf label is set so that the display reception data has a size that can be displayed in the display area size, in other words, the product information to be displayed falls within the size reduced by the ratio calculated in step W9. Of the display data, the data is deleted from the product information data, that is, the data is thinned out and rearranged. In step W11, the display unit 14 is rewritten with the rearranged data, and the process proceeds to step W6.
In this way, the display unit 14 is provided with a display screen for displaying information, the RAM 13A stores product information for display on the display screen, and the slide SW 16A stores, among the areas of the display screen, An area for displaying the product information is set, and the CPU 11A generates drawing information for arranging the product information stored in the RAM 13A in the display area set by the slide SW 16A. The CPU 11A generates the drawing information generated by the CPU 11A. It is displayed in the display area.
Therefore, even if a part of the display screen of the electronic shelf label 10A is shielded by the shielding object, the product information can be arranged and displayed in an area that is not shielded only by the electronic shelf label 10A. In this way, the electronic shelf label 10A can display information such as a product name in a rearranged manner even if the display screen is covered with a shield, so that only one type of size can be handled. Can do. The manufacturer can reduce the types of sizes to be produced, and the user does not have to manage the electronic shelf labels 10A of various types. Since the electronic shelf labels 10A can be arranged so as to overlap each other, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the electronic shelf label 10 cannot be installed by being protruded when the width of the installation shelf is narrow. Furthermore, it is possible to eliminate the deviation between the product and the electronic shelf label 10A, and it is possible to reduce that the customer mistakes the relationship between the product and the electronic shelf label 10A.
Further, an electronic shelf label system including an electronic shelf label 10A having a display unit 14 having a display screen for displaying information, and a shelf label server 20 having a RAM 203 for storing product information to be displayed on the display screen. 2A, when displaying the product information on the display unit 14, in the electronic shelf label 10A, an area for displaying the product information is set out of the display screen area by the slide SW 16A, and the wireless communication unit 19 sets the slide SW 16A. Display area information indicating the display area set by is transmitted to the shelf label server 20.
In the shelf label server 20, the display area information transmitted by the wireless communication unit 19 is received by the communication unit 207, and the product information stored in the RAM 203 is indicated by the display region information received by the communication unit 207 by the CPU 201. Drawing information to be arranged in the display area is generated, and the communication unit 207 transmits the drawing information generated by the CPU 201 of the shelf label server 20 to the electronic shelf label 10A. In the electronic shelf label 10A, the wireless communication unit 19 receives the drawing information transmitted by the communication unit 207, and the CPU 11A displays the drawing information received by the wireless communication unit 19 in the display area.
Therefore, even if a part of the display screen of the electronic shelf label 10A is shielded by the shielding object, the product information can be arranged and displayed in an unshielded area. Since the shelf label server 20 performs the rearrangement of the product information in the unshielded area, it is not necessary to provide the electronic shelf label 10A with a function for rearrangement, and the cost of the electronic shelf label 10A can be reduced. . In this way, the electronic shelf label 10A can display information such as a product name in a rearranged manner even if the display screen is covered with a shield, so that only one type of size can be handled. Can do. The manufacturer can reduce the types of sizes to be produced, and the user does not have to manage the electronic shelf labels 10A of various types. Since the electronic shelf labels 10A can be arranged so as to overlap each other, the possibility that the electronic shelf label 10A cannot be installed by being protruded when the width of the installation shelf is narrow can be reduced. Furthermore, it is possible to eliminate the deviation between the product and the electronic shelf label 10A, and it is possible to reduce that the customer mistakes the relationship between the product and the electronic shelf label 10A.
Furthermore, the movable slide SW 16A instructs an area for displaying display information among the areas of the display screen, and the area designated by the slide SW 16A is set as a display area. In other words, for example, the slide SW 16A provided on the electronic shelf label 10A can indicate an area that is not shielded by the shielding object, so that the user can easily specify the display area.
Further, an electronic shelf label system including an electronic shelf label 10A having a display unit 14 having a display screen for displaying information, and a shelf label server 20 having a RAM 203 for storing product information to be displayed on the display screen. 2A, when displaying the product information on the display unit 14, in the shelf label server 20, an area for displaying the product information is set from the display screen area by the handy terminal 32A, and is stored in the RAM 203 by the CPU 201. Drawing information for arranging the product information in the display area set by the handy terminal 32A is generated, and the communication unit 207 transmits the drawing information generated by the CPU 201 to the electronic shelf label 10A. In the electronic shelf label 10A, the wireless communication unit 19 receives the drawing information transmitted by the communication unit 207, and the CPU 11A displays the drawing information received by the wireless communication unit 19 in the display area.
Therefore, even if a part of the display screen of the electronic shelf label 10A is shielded by the shielding object, the product information can be arranged and displayed in an unshielded area. Since the shelf label server 20 performs the rearrangement of the product information in the unshielded area, it is not necessary to provide the electronic shelf label 10A with a function for rearrangement, and the cost of the electronic shelf label 10A can be reduced. . Furthermore, since it is not necessary to provide the electronic shelf label 10A with the slide SW 16A for designating the display area, the electronic shelf label 10A can be downsized and the cost can be further reduced. In this way, the electronic shelf label 10A can display information such as a product name in a rearranged manner even if the display screen is covered with a shield, so that only one type of size can be handled. Can do. The manufacturer can reduce the types of sizes to be produced, and the user does not have to manage the electronic shelf labels 10A of various types. Since the electronic shelf labels 10A can be arranged so as to overlap each other, the possibility that the electronic shelf label 10A cannot be installed by being protruded when the width of the installation shelf is narrow can be reduced. Furthermore, it is possible to eliminate the deviation between the product and the electronic shelf label 10A, and it is possible to reduce that the customer mistakes the relationship between the product and the electronic shelf label 10A.
Furthermore, display area information for designating an area for displaying display information among the display screen areas is input by the handy terminal 32A, and an area indicated by the display area information input by the handy terminal 32A is set as a display area. The That is, for example, the user can instruct by inputting an area that is not shielded by the shielding object to the handy terminal 32A near the electronic shelf label 10A, so that the user can easily designate the display area. .
Further, the CPU 11A of the electronic shelf label 10A uses an area No. for identifying each divided area obtained by dividing the display screen area into predetermined unit areas. Is displayed on the display screen, the area that is not shielded by the shielding object is displayed in the area No. Therefore, the user can easily specify the display area.
In the above-described embodiment, the store system has been described as an example. However, the electronic shelf labels 10 and 10A that are information display devices and the electronic

shelf label systems

2 and 2A that are information display systems arrange and display or store articles. It can be applied to a system such as a warehouse or a book.
The present invention can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the spirit or main features thereof. Therefore, the above-described embodiment is merely an example in all respects, and the scope of the present invention is shown in the claims, and is not restricted by the text of the specification. Further, all modifications and changes belonging to the scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

An information display system comprising an information display device comprising display means having a display screen for displaying information, and a management device comprising storage means for storing display information for display on the display screen,
The information display device includes:
Detecting means for detecting a shielding area in which the display screen is shielded by a shielding object;
First transmission means for transmitting shielding area information indicating the shielding area detected by the detection means to the management device;
The management device
First receiving means for receiving shielding area information transmitted by the first transmitting means;
Drawing for generating drawing information in which display information stored in the storage means is arranged in a remaining area excluding the shielding area indicated by the shielding area information received by the first receiving means in the display screen area Information generating means;
Second transmitting means for transmitting drawing information generated by the drawing information generating means to the information display device;
The information display device includes:
Second receiving means for receiving drawing information transmitted by the second transmitting means;
An information display system comprising: control means for causing the display means to display the drawing information received by the second receiving means.
The information display device further includes notification means for notifying abnormality,
The drawing information generating means causes the notifying means to report an abnormality when the size of the shielding area indicated by the shielding area information received by the first receiving means is larger than a predetermined size. Item 4. The information display system according to Item 1.
Display means having a display screen for displaying information;
Storage means for storing display information for display on the display screen;
Detecting means for detecting a shielding area in which the display screen is shielded by a shielding object;
Control means for displaying and displaying the display information stored in the storage means in a remaining area of the display screen area excluding the shielding area detected by the detection means. Display device.
An information display method for displaying display information stored in a storage unit of a management device on the display screen of an information display device including a display unit having a display screen for displaying information,
A detection step of detecting a shielding area where the display screen is shielded by a shielding object;
A first transmission step of transmitting shielding area information indicating the shielding area detected in the detection step from the information display device to the management device;
A first reception step of receiving the shielding area information transmitted in the first transmission step from the information display device;
Generation for generating drawing information in which display information stored in the storage unit is arranged in a remaining area of the display screen area excluding the shielding area indicated by the shielding area information received in the first reception step. Steps,
A second transmission step of transmitting the drawing information generated in the generation step from the management device to the information display device;
A second reception step of receiving the drawing information transmitted in the second transmission step from the management device;
A display step of displaying the drawing information received in the second receiving step on the display unit.
5. The information display method according to claim 4, further comprising a notification step of notifying that an abnormality is present when the size of the shielding area detected in the detection step is larger than a predetermined size.
An information display method for displaying display information on a display screen of a display unit,
A detection step of detecting a shielding area where the display screen of the display unit is shielded by a shielding object;
And a control step of arranging and displaying display information in a remaining area excluding the shielding area detected in the detection step in the display screen area.
The information display method according to claim 6, further comprising a notifying step of notifying that an abnormality is present when the size of the shielding area detected in the detecting step is larger than a predetermined size.
Display means having a display screen for displaying information;
Storage means for storing display information for display on the display screen;
A setting means for setting an area for displaying display information among areas of the display screen;
Drawing information generating means for generating drawing information for arranging the display information stored in the storage means in the display area set by the setting means;
An information display device comprising: control means for displaying the drawing information generated by the drawing information generating means in the display area.
An information display system comprising an information display device comprising display means having a display screen for displaying information, and a management device comprising storage means for storing display information for display on the display screen,
The information display device includes:
A setting means for setting an area for displaying display information among areas of the display screen;
First display means for transmitting display area information indicating the display area set by the setting means to the management device;
The management device
First receiving means for receiving display area information transmitted by the first transmitting means;
Drawing information generating means for generating drawing information for arranging display information stored in the storage means in a display area indicated by the display area information received by the first receiving means;
Second transmitting means for transmitting drawing information generated by the drawing information generating means to the information display device;
The information display device includes:
Second receiving means for receiving drawing information transmitted by the second transmitting means;
The information display system further comprising: a control unit that displays the drawing information received by the second receiving unit in the display area.
The setting means includes a movable instruction unit that indicates an area for displaying display information among areas of the display screen, and sets the area instructed by the instruction unit as a display area. 9. The information display system according to 9.
10. The information display according to claim 9, wherein the control means displays area identification information for identifying each divided area obtained by dividing the area of the display screen into predetermined unit areas on the display screen. system.
An information display system comprising an information display device comprising display means having a display screen for displaying information, and a management device comprising storage means for storing display information for display on the display screen,
The management device
A setting means for setting an area for displaying display information among areas of the display screen;
Drawing information generating means for generating drawing information for arranging the display information stored in the storage means in the display area set by the setting means;
Transmitting means for transmitting drawing information generated by the drawing information generating means to the information display device,
The information display device includes:
Receiving means for receiving drawing information transmitted by the transmitting means;
Control means for displaying the drawing information received by the receiving means in the display area.
The setting means includes an area input unit for inputting display area designation information for designating an area for displaying display information among areas of the display screen, and an area indicated by the display area designation information input by the area input unit. The information display system according to claim 12, wherein the information display system is set as a display area.
13. The information display according to claim 12, wherein the control means displays area identification information for identifying each divided area obtained by dividing the area of the display screen into predetermined unit areas on the display screen. system.