Electronic display equipment for fixing on shelf rails

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electronic display device (2), in particular a product information and / or price information display device, comprising: a screen (3); a housing or housing cover (6), in which the screen (3) is accommodated; and a display device reinforcement structure, which is configured to reinforce the display device (2) against external forces.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an electronic display device and a shelf rail to which the electronic display device can be fastened. Background Art

[0002] Such an electronic display device (hereinafter referred to as ESL) and such a shelf rail are known, for example, from PCT / EP2014 / 053376.

[0003] In practice, it has been demonstrated that screens tend to break or develop cracks when misused. This tendency has been particularly observed in ESLs whose screen dimensions exceed the dimensions of the rear housing mounting structure for attachment to the shelf rails. Such screen damage is often caused by customers accidentally bumping their shopping carts against the ESLs attached to the shelf rails in a store, or bumping products against them while removing them. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Against this background, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved electronic display device and an improved shelf rail, which avoid the problems discussed.

[0005] This object is achieved by an electronic display device according to claim 1. The subject matter of the present invention is an electronic display device, in particular a product information and / or price information display device, comprising: a screen; a housing or housing cover in which the screen is accommodated; and a display device reinforcement structure designed to reinforce the display device against external forces.

[0006] The object is further achieved by a shelf rail according to claim 14. The subject matter of the invention is a shelf rail for accommodating at least one electronic display device, in particular a product information and / or price information display device, wherein the display device comprises a screen and a housing or housing cover, in which the screen is accommodated, wherein the housing or housing cover comprises a fastening structure on its rear side, which surrounds the screen, the fastening structure being designed to fasten the display device to the shelf rail, wherein the shelf rail comprises a first clamping element extending along the shelf rail and a second clamping element extending substantially parallel to the first clamping element, wherein the two clamping elements are designed to interact with the fastening structure of the display device in a clamp-like manner, wherein at least one of the two clamping elements is designed such that it forms a shelf rail reinforcement structure, which reinforces the housing of the display device inserted as intended into the shelf rail at the rear side of the housing of the display device adjacent to the fastening structure, in particular substantially up to the edge of the rear side of the housing.

[0007] Such electronic display devices have a screen, which is usually implemented as an extremely energy-saving electrophoretic screen, also known as an "Electronic Paper Display" (EPD for short). The screen is held in the housing of the display device by fixing elements that ensure that the screen is positioned in its desired position in the housing. Furthermore, the housing usually contains electronics for operating the screen, thereby displaying, for example, product information or price information on the screen. This product information or price information is transmitted to the electronics by an external controller, such as an access point, via radio communication. The access point is usually connected to a digital merchandise management system, or more precisely, its server, and receives the information from there.

[0008] The advantage associated with the measures according to the present invention is that, in addition to the housing or housing cover and the mounting structure, a display device reinforcement structure is also provided. This reinforcement structure reinforces the display device against external forces, minimizing deformation of the screen and thereby substantially eliminating the tendency of the screen to break due to external forces. A similar approach applies to the shelf rail, which extends behind the display device in the direction of view of the display device mounted on the shelf rail and, as it were, acts as an external reinforcement structure at the rear of the display device against forces primarily acting from the front. Since the clamping elements are configured on both sides (relative to the mounting structure of the display device), external reinforcement structures can also be present on both sides of the mounting structure. However, the display device is sometimes mounted on the shelf rail such that it extends upwards almost flush with the shelf floor or terminates flush with a protruding edge of the shelf floor or the front of the shelf rail. This is primarily for aesthetic reasons. However, for the display device, this often means that the downward extension of the display device relative to the mounting structure is longer than its upward extension. Therefore, the external reinforcement structure provided by the shelf rails can also take this fact into account and be configured to be longer toward one side of the fixed structure and shorter toward the other side of the fixed structure, so that the rear side of the display device is supported or reinforced as fully as possible on both sides of the fixed structure. This absorbs the effects of forces that are eccentric with respect to the fixed structure and that could cause bending moments in the structure of the display device and thus also in the screen.

[0009] Further, particularly advantageous embodiments and developments of the invention are apparent from the dependent claims and the following description.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, the display device reinforcement structure may have a front reinforcement element that at least partially surrounds (or is referred to as fassen) the screen from a conventional viewing side of the screen.

[0011] The front reinforcement element can be designed, for example, as a frame and can enclose the screen in a frame-like manner. The frame can be made, for example, of a dimensionally stable plastic, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The frame can also be made of a composite material, such as a plastic reinforced with carbon fibers.

[0012] The frame can be present substantially without a viewing window or the like in order to ensure optimal readability of the screen content. However, in order to achieve increased reinforcement, it can be advantageous if the frame has a viewing window.

[0013] In this regard, the viewing window can, for example, consist of a transparent plastic, such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), so that the viewing window has the highest impact and scratch resistance. The viewing window can also be made of polycarbonate.

[0014] The frame and the viewing window may be made of different materials or the same material and may be present as one component or separate components.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, the display device reinforcement structure may have a rear side reinforcement element that directly encases the screen at a rear side of the screen facing away from the normal viewing side.

[0016] The rear reinforcement element can be implemented, for example, in the form of ribs. It is preferably designed as a plate and is materially connected to the rear side of the screen, in particular, glued or laminated thereto. This effectively "enlarges" the screen's cross section, i.e., makes it thicker and increases the moment of resistance, thereby reinforcing the screen itself.

[0017] The plate can be realized as a multilayer structure, preferably as a sandwich structure. A multilayer structure can be understood as a plurality of composite materials, the layers of which are either connected to one another flatly and / or in a spatially structured manner.

[0018] According to another aspect of the invention, the display device reinforcement structure can have a space-filling reinforcement element, which fills the interior space of the housing (in particular behind the screen) in a reinforcing manner, at least partially. The advantage that comes with this is that in the context of the present invention, the following interior space area of the housing is utilized for reinforcement purposes, which in known display devices is usually left empty for reasons of saving material. This measure has therefore proven to be particularly advantageous, since the trend in modern electronic display devices is towards larger and larger screens. However, since the space requirement for the battery that may be provided and the electronic devices mentioned at the beginning does not increase proportionally with the size of the screen, the interior space of the housing behind the screen also increases. Without the space-filling reinforcement element, the housing of a conventional display device would not be able to resist the action of external forces to an extent that the tendency of the screen to break could be reliably avoided. This is only possible by arranging the space-filling reinforcement element in a way that utilizes the space.

[0019] Regardless of the size of the filled space, a variant which saves as much material as possible can also be advantageous. Thus, the space-filling reinforcement element can be realized by at least one spatial structure from the group listed below, namely:

[0020] -Honeycomb-shaped spatial structures, especially honeycomb-shaped spatial structures,

[0021] - Rib-shaped spatial structure,

[0022] - the spatial structure of the waveform,

[0023] - cylindrical space structure,

[0024] -Spiral space structure.

[0025] This is to be understood in particular as a structure having an elongated base surface. The cross section of the base surface can vary with the height of the structure. Thus, the cross section can taper in one direction, making it easier to manufacture by injection molding.

[0026] A rib-shaped spatial structure is understood to mean a structure in which the material webs extend, for example, in a straight or curved manner. These material webs may extend parallel to one another. The spatial structure may consist of multiple material webs constructed as a full surface or as partial surfaces. These material webs may also intersect, for example, so that the material-free spaces between them form prisms. However, the material webs do not necessarily have to extend in a straight line; other extensions are also possible. That is, the material webs may also be wavy or spiral-shaped. These material webs may also intersect. However, non-ribbon-shaped spatial structures are also possible. That is, the space-filling reinforcement elements may be implemented, for example, by multiple cylindrical sections. These cylindrical sections may have a curved (preferably circular) cross-section or a cross-section with corners. The cylindrical sections may exist without contact points or may have intersections. However, honeycomb-shaped, particularly hexagonal, honeycomb structures have proven particularly advantageous, especially when the cavity of such structures extends between the inner side of the housing or housing cover and the screen or its rear side, which may be covered by a rear reinforcement element. Different spatial structures can also be combined.

[0027] It has proven to be particularly advantageous if the space-filling reinforcement element is arranged at least partially behind the screen, in particular adjacent to an electronic device or an electronic device module arranged behind the screen, and supports the screen at the rear side of the screen in the direction of the housing. There, the space-filling reinforcement element reinforces the housing at the location of what is usually a cavity behind the screen. This allows, for example, for forces acting, for example, planarly from the outside on the screen or on (multiple) layers protecting the screen outward (e.g. viewing windows, scratch protection, etc.), to be absorbed, more precisely without causing a break-causing bending of the screen. This essentially involves supporting the screen at the rear side in order to capture normal forces acting on the screen. However, the space-filling reinforcement element can also be mounted or integrated into the housing or housing cover in such a way that it reinforces against other forces which, when acting on the display device, could lead to break-causing bending of the screen or general deformation of the screen. For this purpose, the space-filling reinforcement element must be integrated into the housing in such a way that it prevents the otherwise foreseeable (especially severe) bending of the housing under the action of forces acting on the housing, which could ultimately also lead to severe bending of the screen and thus to screen breakage. Therefore, the space-filling reinforcement element must interact with the walls of the housing of the display device, for example, those arranged behind the screen, with the side walls, and with the rear wall, in such a way that under the action of forces acting on the display device from the outside, the space-filling reinforcement element reinforces the interior of the display device in such a way that such bending does not occur at all or only occurs to an acceptable minimum.

[0028] In this context, it has proven particularly advantageous to design the space-filling reinforcement element as a component of the housing. This design also allows the space-filling reinforcement element to be produced together with at least a part of the housing in a single process step. This can take place, for example, during the production of the rear housing side or the housing cover in an injection molding process. In this case, the rear wall, the side walls, the internal fixing elements for the electronics and the screen are essentially produced together with the space-filling reinforcement element in a single working step. This results in a construction that is integral with the housing part, which results in an optimal transmission of forces acting on the housing from the outside to the space-filling reinforcement element. In this way, the space-filling reinforcement element can achieve optimal reinforcement of the housing or the housing cover, in particular with a low expenditure of material.

[0029] In the case of a one-piece design, it may also be advantageous to fill the remaining space or the space structured by the space-filling reinforcement element with plastic (for example epoxy resin) in order to increase the reinforcement effect.

[0030] It can also be provided that a space-filling reinforcement element, which is not integrally formed with the housing part or housing shell, is placed in a hardenable plastic (e.g., epoxy resin, etc.), this hardenable plastic is introduced into the space to be filled in the housing part or housing shell, and after the plastic has hardened, the connection between the space-filling reinforcement element and the housing part or housing shell is established, which improves the reinforcement. Similarly, after the space-filling reinforcement element is placed, the remaining space, or the space structured by the space-filling reinforcement element, can be poured or filled with the plastic.

[0031] Likewise, the entire space-filling reinforcing element can be formed by the plastic itself, which then fills the available space at least to such an extent that the desired reinforcing effect is achieved, or optionally fills the available space as completely as possible in order to achieve maximum reinforcement.

[0032] The housing can also have a fastening structure on its rear side, which surrounds the screen, and which is designed to fasten the display device to a shelf rail. This fastening structure can, for example, be formed flat on the rear side of the housing. However, it is preferred that the fastening structure be raised toward the shelf rail so that it can interact there with the shelf rail, for example, in a rail-like and / or clamp-like manner. This means that the fastening structure itself also has a reinforcing effect, so it can generally be sufficient to position a space-filling reinforcement element adjacent to the fastening structure and thereby reinforce areas of the housing that are not reinforced by the fastening structure.

[0033] However, the fixing structure does not necessarily need to be self-enclosed or encapsulated. Specifically, at least a portion of the fixing structure can be configured as a battery compartment cover. In this case, the fixing structure can house the battery used to power the electronic device or electronic device module and the display. This allows the fixing structure to be utilized in a triple manner: first, it serves to secure the display device to the shelf rails; second, it serves to reinforce the housing in the area of the housing; and third, it serves to house the battery.

[0034] With respect to the shelf rail, according to another aspect of the invention, at least one of the two clamping elements of the shelf rail can have an actuating projection that is dimensioned such that it projects beyond the housing edge of a housing of a display device inserted as intended into the shelf rail. The clamping element with the actuating projection is designed so that a force acting on the actuating projection can release the clamp-like interaction with the fastening structure of the display device. Preferably, the actuating projection is formed along the entire shelf rail. The actuating projection can be formed on both clamping elements. Particularly preferably, the actuating projection is formed on the clamping element that forms the longer outer reinforcement structure. This has the advantage that, when the relevant clamping element is appropriately coupled to the shelf rail, a long lever arm is formed for actuation, which allows the clamping action to be easily released.

[0035] According to another aspect, at least one of the clamping elements has a fastening element designed to cooperate with a mounting structure for the display device. This fastening element, which serves to secure the position of the display device, is preferably designed as a plastic element, particularly preferably as a plastic web extruded onto the clamping element. This fastening element prevents the display device from slipping sideways in the clamp-type mounting arrangement (either under normal manual force or, for example, by accidentally bumping the display device with a shopping cart or products). In other words, the position of the display device along the shelf rail is secured by friction, wherein, of course, the freely selectable positioning of the display device along the shelf rail is maintained when the clamping action is released (i.e., when the actuating projection has been actuated).

[0036] These and other aspects of the invention are apparent from the accompanying drawings discussed below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Next, the present invention will be explained in detail again based on an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In this case, the same components are provided with the same reference numerals in different figures.

[0038] Figure 1 Schematically shows a display device fixed to a shelf rail;

[0039] Figure 2 The display device is schematically shown in an exploded view;

[0040] Figure 3 schematically illustrates a cross section of a shelf rail adjacent to a display device;

[0041] Figure 4 A detail of the lower end of the rack rail is shown schematically. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] exist Figure 1 1 shows an electronic display device 2 fixed to a shelf rail 1 , which is called an Electronic Shelf Label (ESL) in industry terminology and is also listed as ESL2 below.

[0043] The details of ESL2 are shown in the form of exploded diagrams. Figure 2 ESL 2 has a screen 3. Screen 3 is implemented as an electronic paper display (EPD) and therefore has its own EPD controller (not shown). Screen 3 is connected to the electronics 5 of ESL 2 via a flat cable 4. This electronics 5 communicates via radio with an access point (not shown), via which data related to product and / or price information is transmitted to ESL 2 for visualization on screen 3. Details regarding the electronic architecture used here, the radio communication or radio protocol, and the overall system are disclosed, for example, in PCT / EP2014 / 053376.

[0044] The ESL2 also has a housing cover 6 that surrounds the rear portion of the screen 3 from the rear side of the screen. The housing cover is made of plastic using an injection molding process. First, the electronic device 5 is placed in the housing cover 6 into the receiving area provided therefor. The electronic device 5 is connected to the screen 3 via the flat cable 4. Then, the screen 3 is placed in the housing cover 6 above the electronic device 4.

[0045] A fastening structure 7 for fastening the ESL 2 to the rack rail 1 is formed on the rear side of the housing shell 6. Inside the fastening structure 7, the fastening structure 7 is designed as a battery compartment for accommodating three batteries 8. The electronics 5 contacts the inserted batteries 8 via contact elements (not visible in this view), so that the batteries 8 can supply energy to all electronic components of the ESL 2. The battery compartment formed by the fastening structure 7 is closed with a battery compartment cover 9.

[0046] For reinforcement, ESL2 has a display device reinforcement structure implemented as follows.

[0047] The display device reinforcement structure first has a front reinforcement element 10, which can be installed on the front side for visibility reasons. Figure 2The front reinforcement element 10 can be constructed in one of the three configurations shown one above the other. Thus, for example, the front reinforcement element 10 can be formed by a stable frame 10A without an observation window. Furthermore, the front reinforcement element 10 can be implemented by a stable, possibly transparent, frame 10B with an observation window 13. Furthermore, the front reinforcement element 10 can be implemented by a stable frame 10C with a high-strength observation window 14.

[0048] The display device reinforcement structure further comprises a plate as a rear reinforcement element 11 , which is in the manner of a sandwich structure and covers the screen 3 over its entire surface at the rear side and is laminated or adhesively bonded directly to the rear side of the screen 3 .

[0049] The display device reinforcement structure also includes a space-filling reinforcement element 12, which is integrally formed with the housing shell 6 and is therefore an integral part of the housing of the ESL 2. The space-filling reinforcement element 12 is structured in the shape of a honeycomb and fills the interior of the housing shell 7, located behind the screen 3 and adjacent to the electronic device 5 or the mounting structure 7. This honeycomb structure is clearly visible in the enlarged view of the space-filling reinforcement element 12.

[0050] Next reference Figure 3 Here, a cross section through the rack rail 1 with the ESL 2 inserted into the rack rail 1 can be seen. The rack rail 1 has a first (upper) clamping element 15 and a second (lower) clamping element 16, between which the fastening structure 7 of the ESL 2 is clamped. In this case, the first clamping element 15 engages in the upper channel 24 and the second clamping element 17 engages in the lower channel 25 (see Figure 1 Channels 24 and 25 are formed between the flat surface of the rear wall of the housing shell 7 and the recessed area of the fixing structure 7 adjoining this flat surface. The enlarged view of the upper area of the clamp-like interaction between the fixing structure 7 and the first clamping element 15 of the ESL 2 clearly shows that a plastic web 17 (optionally rubber-coated) is formed at the outermost end of the first clamping element 15. This plastic web presses against the fixing structure and thus prevents the ESL 2 from slipping out of the rack rail. This plastic web forms a fastening element for the rack rail 1.

[0051] The first (upper) clamping element 15 and the second (lower) clamping element 16 have a section extending parallel to the rear side of the housing cover 7, which forms an (upper or lower) shelf rail reinforcement structure 18 and can be in contact with the housing cover 6 and thus also contribute to the reinforcement of ESL2.

[0052] The rack rail 1 has a channel 21 on the head side, which is designed for snapping on or inserting a label 22 based on paper and / or plastic, as can be seen in the example of a label 22. Figure 1 and3 As seen in.

[0053] Furthermore, the rack rail 1 has an actuating projection 19 which can be actuated manually and which, when actuated in the direction of the arrow 20, releases the clamping action between the second clamping element 16 and the fastening structure 7. The actuating projection is positioned at a distance from the (lower) rack rail reinforcement structure 18 which bears essentially tightly against the housing shell 6 so that it can be actuated in a targeted manner.

[0054] For this purpose, the section in the region of the second clamping element 16 is shown. Figure 4 Another design is shown in Figure 2, which makes actuation of the actuating projection 19 easier because it extends beyond the lower edge of the ESL 2. The movement of the second clamping element 16 during actuation in the direction of arrow 20 is also schematically shown. This movement is the elastic deformation of the projection of the second clamping element 16 of the rack rail 1. To this end, the (lower) rack rail reinforcement 18 is designed or shaped so that, when the actuating projection 19 is actuated, it firstly moves the second clamping element 16 away from the first clamping element 15, thereby releasing the clamping force, and secondly, the pivoting of the actuating projection causes the ESL 2 to be slightly pushed out of the rack rail 1 toward the operator. When the actuating projection 19 is actuated, the ESL 2 is released and tilted slightly forward (toward the actuating hand), making removal of the ESL 2 easier.

[0055] Finally, it should be mentioned that when assembling the ESL 2, the housing shell 6 is joined to the corresponding front reinforcement element 10A, 10B, or 10C. This can be achieved by simple form-fitting plug-in connection, screwing, gluing, or even welding, thereby creating a closed housing. When using the front reinforcement element 10A (i.e., a frame without a viewing window), the screen 3 itself also forms a component of the housing within the area formed by the frame.

[0056] Finally, it should be pointed out again that the drawings described in detail above are merely exemplary embodiments, which can be modified in various ways by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. For the sake of completeness, it should also be pointed out that the use of the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude that the relevant features may also be present in a plurality.

Claims

1. An electronic display device (2), comprising: - screen (3); and a housing or housing cover (6) in which the screen is accommodated; and - a display device reinforcement structure configured to reinforce the display device against external force, in, The display device reinforcement structure has a space-filling reinforcement element, which fills the inner space of the housing or housing cover (6) behind the screen (3) in a reinforcing manner at least partially. wherein the space-filling reinforcement element (12) is realized by at least one honeycomb-shaped space structure, The housing or housing cover (6) has a fixing structure (7) at the rear side of the housing that surrounds the screen (3), and the fixing structure is configured to enable the display device (2) to be fixed to the shelf rail (1). Wherein, at least a portion of the fixing structure (7) is configured as a battery compartment covering portion (9).

2. The display device (2) according to claim 1, wherein The display device (2) is a product information and / or price information display device.

3. The display device (2) according to claim 1, wherein The space-filling reinforcement element (12) is realized by at least one honeycomb-shaped space structure.

4. The display device (2) according to claim 1, wherein The display device reinforcement structure has a front reinforcement element (10A; 10B; 10C) which at least partially surrounds the screen (3) from a conventional viewing side of the screen.

5. The display device (2) according to claim 4, wherein The front reinforcement element (10A; 10B; 10C) is configured as a frame and surrounds the screen (3) in a frame-like manner.

6. The display device (2) according to claim 5, wherein The frame has an observation window (13; 14).

7. The display device (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The display device reinforcement structure has a rear reinforcement element, which directly encases the screen (3) at the rear side of the screen facing away from the normal viewing side.

8. The display device (2) according to claim 7, wherein The rear reinforcement element is designed as a plate (11) and is connected to the rear side of the screen (3) in a material-fitting manner.

9. The display device (2) according to claim 8, wherein The rear side reinforcement element is designed as a plate (11) and is laminated onto the rear side.

10. The display device (2) according to claim 8, wherein The plate (11) is realized as a multi-layer structure.

11. The display device (2) according to claim 10, wherein The plate (11) is realized as a sandwich structure.

12. The display device (2) according to claim 1, wherein The space-filling reinforcement element (12) is arranged at least partially behind the screen (3) and supports the screen (3) at its rear side in the direction of the housing or housing shell (6).

13. The display device (2) according to claim 12, wherein The space-filling reinforcement element (12) is arranged adjacent to an electronic device (5) disposed behind the screen (3).

14. The display device (2) according to claim 1, wherein The space-filling reinforcing element (12) is designed as a component of the housing or the housing shell (6).

15. A shelf rail (1) for accommodating at least one electronic display device (2), wherein: The display device (2) has a screen (3) and a housing or housing cover (6), wherein the screen (3) is accommodated in the housing / housing cover, wherein the housing or housing cover (6) has a fixing structure (7) at the rear side of the housing that surrounds the screen (3), and the fixing structure is configured to enable the display device (2) to be fixed to the shelf rail (1), wherein at least a part of the fixing structure (7) is configured as a battery compartment cover (9), Wherein, the shelf rail (1) has: A first clamping element (15) extending along the shelf rail (1) and a second clamping element (16) extending substantially parallel to the first clamping element, wherein the two clamping elements (15, 16) are configured to interact with the fixing structure (7) of the display device (2) in a clamp-like manner, wherein at least one of the clamping elements (15, 16) has a fastening element (17) determined for interacting with the fixing structure (7) of the display device (2), the position of the fastening element for fastening the display device (2) being realized as a plastic web extruded onto the clamping element (15), so that the clamping element (15) forms a shelf rail reinforcement structure, which reinforces the housing or housing cover (6) of the display device (2) inserted into the shelf rail (1) in accordance with regulations, adjacent to the fixing structure (7) at the rear side of the housing of the display device.

16. The rack rail (1) according to claim 15, wherein: The electronic display device (2) is a product information and / or price information display device.

17. The rack rail (1) according to claim 15, wherein: The shelf rail reinforcement structure reinforces the housing or housing cover (6) of a display device (2) inserted into the shelf rail (1) in accordance with regulations, adjacent to the fixing structure (7) on the rear side of the housing of the display device substantially up to the edge of the rear side of the housing.

18. The rack rail (1) according to claim 15, wherein: At least one of the two clamping elements (15, 16) has an actuating projection (19) which is dimensioned such that it projects beyond the housing edge of a housing or housing cover (6) of a display device (2) inserted into the shelf rail (1) as required, wherein the clamping element (16) having the actuating projection (19) is designed such that a clamp-like interaction with a fixing structure (7) of the display device (2) can be released under the action of a force acting on the actuating projection (19).

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