Method for identifying electronic price tag and server

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for identifying an electronic price tag and a server, and the method comprises the steps: obtaining an identifier of a communication module in a goods shelf camera needing to participate in price tag identification, and transmitting a shooting instruction to the goods shelf camera corresponding to the identifier; the camera is used for shooting a first shelf image according to the instruction; identifying the first shelf image to obtain commodity features, obtaining a current commodity of which the feature similarity is greater than a threshold value, obtaining an electronic price tag neighbor relation list in a surrounding range of a price tag bound with the current commodity, and configuring information: a task of displaying each price tag in the list in a unique display mode and a task of triggering a camera to shoot; according to the configuration information, communicating with a shelf camera corresponding to each price tag and identifier in the list, so that each electronic price tag in the list is displayed in a unique display mode, and the camera shoots a second shelf image; and identifying the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the to-be-identified electronic price tag, and further obtaining an identifier of the electronic price tag. The electronic price tag can be identified with high efficiency and low power consumption.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of electronic price tags, and in particular to a method and a server for identifying electronic price tags. Background Art

[0002] This section is intended to provide a background or context to the embodiments of the invention that are recited in the claims. No statement herein is admitted to be prior art by virtue of its inclusion in this section.

[0003] Electronic price tags are widely used in supermarkets. How to identify electronic price tags, and then identify the goods on the shelves and judge the display of goods has become an important business in the retail industry.

[0004] Currently, supermarkets and other application locations deploy a large number of price tags, often numbering in the tens of thousands. To quickly identify the IDs of all price tags, each can be configured to display a unique pattern or flashing light sequence. A camera positioned in front of the shelf where the price tags are located can then take a photo or video, and then parse the image / video information to identify the corresponding price tag ID. However, since each price tag must use its own unique pattern or flashing light sequence, the price tag system's backend must encode each price tag and then issue commands. The time required to send all the commands is proportional to the number of price tags. In this case, the camera must record for a very long time to capture the display of all price tags. This time poses a significant challenge to the camera's power consumption and storage space. Therefore, existing technologies cannot achieve efficient and low-power electronic price tag recognition. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for identifying electronic price tags, which is used to identify electronic price tags with high efficiency and low power consumption. The method is applied to a server and includes:

[0006] Obtaining an identifier of a communication module in a shelf camera that needs to participate in price tag recognition, and sending a shooting instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier of the communication module; the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is used to capture a first shelf image according to the shooting instruction, and send the first shelf image to the server;

[0007] Perform image recognition on the first shelf image to obtain product features, match the product features to the product database, obtain current product information with feature similarity greater than a preset similarity threshold, obtain a neighbor relationship list of electronic price tags within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information, and configure the following information: a task to display each electronic price tag in a unique display mode in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and a task to trigger the camera to capture the corresponding shelf;

[0008] According to the configured information, the system communicates with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier captures a second shelf image;

[0009] Perform image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified; obtain the identifier of the electronic price tag based on the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and a pre-configured binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag.

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for identifying electronic price tags, which is used to identify electronic price tags with high efficiency and low power consumption. The method is applied to a shelf camera server and includes:

[0011] Obtaining an identifier of a communication module within a shelf camera that is required to participate in price tag recognition, and sending a shooting instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier of the communication module; the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is configured to capture a first shelf image according to the shooting instruction, and send the first shelf image to a shelf camera server;

[0012] Perform image recognition on the first shelf image to obtain product features, match the product features to the product database, and obtain current product information whose feature similarity is greater than a preset similarity threshold;

[0013] Obtain a list of neighbor relationships of electronic price tags within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information;

[0014] Configure the following information: the task of displaying each electronic shelf tag in a unique display mode in the electronic shelf tag neighbor relationship list, and the task of triggering the camera to shoot the corresponding shelf tag;

[0015] The configured information is sent to the electronic price tag server; the electronic price tag server is used to communicate with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification captures the second shelf image;

[0016] Performing image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be recognized;

[0017] The identification of the electronic price tag is obtained according to the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and the pre-configured binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identification of the electronic price tag.

[0018] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a server for identifying electronic price tags, which is used to identify electronic price tags with high efficiency and low power consumption. The server includes:

[0019] The first module is configured to obtain an identifier of a communication module in a shelf camera that is required to participate in price tag recognition, and to send a shooting instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier of the communication module; the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is configured to capture a first shelf image according to the shooting instruction, and to send the first shelf image to a server;

[0020] The second module is configured to perform image recognition on the first shelf image to obtain product features, match the product features to the product database, obtain current product information with feature similarity greater than a preset similarity threshold, obtain a neighbor list of electronic price tags within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information, and configure the following information: a task to display each electronic price tag in a unique display mode in the electronic price tag neighbor list, and a task to trigger the camera to capture the corresponding shelf;

[0021] The third module is configured to communicate with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier captures a second shelf image;

[0022] The fourth module is used to perform image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified; and obtain the identifier of the electronic price tag based on the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and the binding relationship between the pre-configured unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag.

[0023] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a shelf camera server for identifying electronic price tags, which is used to identify electronic price tags with high efficiency and low power consumption. The shelf camera server includes:

[0024] An acquisition unit is configured to acquire an identifier of a communication module within a shelf camera that is required to participate in price tag recognition, and to send a capture instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier of the communication module; the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is configured to capture a first shelf image according to the capture instruction, and to send the first shelf image to a shelf camera server; and to obtain a list of electronic price tag neighbor relationships within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information;

[0025] An image recognition unit is configured to perform image recognition on the first shelf image to obtain product features, match the product features to a product database, and obtain current product information with feature similarity greater than a preset similarity threshold; perform image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode for the electronic price tag to be identified;

[0026] A configuration unit configured to configure the following information: a task to display each electronic price tag in a unique display mode in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and a task to trigger a camera to shoot a picture on the shelf corresponding to the label;

[0027] The sending unit is configured to send the configured information to the electronic price tag server; the electronic price tag server is configured to communicate with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier captures a second shelf image;

[0028] The electronic price tag identification unit is used to obtain the identification of the electronic price tag according to the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and the pre-configured binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identification of the electronic price tag.

[0029] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer device, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the above-mentioned method for identifying electronic price tags when executing the computer program.

[0030] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method for identifying an electronic price tag is implemented.

[0031] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method for identifying an electronic price tag is implemented.

[0032] Compared with the existing technology for identifying electronic price tags, in which the overall time required to display all electronic price tags in a unique manner in the entire venue is too long, the time to send all instructions is proportional to the number of price tags, and the camera needs to record for a very long time to ensure that the display process of all price tags is captured, resulting in low efficiency and high power consumption, and the inability to achieve high-efficiency and low-power technical solutions for identifying electronic price tags, the solution for identifying electronic price tags provided by the embodiments of the present invention can enable the camera to automatically discover target electronic price tags in a local range, so that the electronic price tags in the local range and the camera can perform the task of identifying the electronic price tags together with low power consumption, solving the problem of the overall time required to display all price tags in a unique manner being too long and the power consumption being too high, reducing the power consumption of electronic price tag identification, and achieving high-efficiency and low-power electronic price tag identification. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work. In the drawings:

[0034] Figure 1Schematic diagram of the process of identifying an electronic price tag in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of determining an electronic price tag neighbor relationship list in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 1 is a flow chart of a method for identifying an electronic price label in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 4 1 is a flow chart of a method for identifying an electronic price label in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a flow chart of a method for identifying an electronic price label in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of a flow chart of a method for identifying an electronic price label in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the flow of a method for identifying electronic price tags applied to a shelf camera server in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of a server for identifying electronic price tags in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the system architecture for identifying electronic price tags in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the structure of a system architecture for identifying electronic price tags in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a shelf camera server for identifying electronic price tags in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 12 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] To make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clear, the embodiments of the present invention are further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention, but are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0047] The acquisition, storage, use, and processing of data in the technical solution of this application comply with relevant laws and regulations.

[0048] Figure 1: This is a flow chart of a method for identifying an electronic price tag in an embodiment of the present invention. The method is applied to a server and includes:

[0049] Step 101: Obtaining an identifier of a communication module within a shelf camera that needs to participate in price tag recognition, sending a shooting instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier of the communication module; the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is configured to capture a first shelf image according to the shooting instruction and send the first shelf image to a server;

[0050] Step 102: Perform image recognition on the first shelf image to obtain product features, match the product features to the product database, obtain current product information with feature similarity greater than a preset similarity threshold, obtain a neighbor list of electronic price tags within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information, and configure the following information: a task to display each electronic price tag in a unique display mode in the electronic price tag neighbor list, and a task to trigger the camera to capture the corresponding shelf.

[0051] Step 103: Communicate with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier captures a second shelf image;

[0052] Step 104: Perform image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified; obtain the identifier of the electronic price tag based on the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and the pre-configured binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag.

[0053] The method for identifying electronic price tags provided by an embodiment of the present invention comprises the following steps: obtaining an identifier of a communication module within a shelf camera required to participate in price tag identification, sending a capture instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier of the communication module; the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is configured to capture a first shelf image according to the capture instruction and transmit the first shelf image to a server; performing image recognition on the first shelf image to obtain product features, matching the product features with a product database to obtain current product information with a feature similarity greater than a preset similarity threshold; obtaining a neighbor relationship list of electronic price tags within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information, and configuring the following information: a task for displaying each electronic price tag in a unique display mode in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and a task for triggering the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier to capture the image; communicating with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier based on the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier captures a second shelf image; performing image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode for the electronic price tag to be identified; and obtaining the identifier of the electronic price tag based on the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and the pre-configured binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag.

[0054] Compared with the existing technology for identifying electronic price tags, which takes too long to execute the unique display of all electronic price tags in the entire venue, and the time to send all instructions is proportional to the number of price tags, the camera needs to record for a very long time to ensure that the display process of all price tags is captured, which is inefficient and power-consuming, and cannot achieve efficient and low-power-consumption identification of electronic price tags, the method for identifying electronic price tags provided by the embodiment of the present invention can enable the camera to automatically discover the target electronic price tags in a local range, so that the electronic price tags in the local range and the camera can perform tasks together with low power consumption to identify the electronic price tags, solving the problem of the long overall time and high power consumption of executing the unique display method for all price tags in the entire venue, reducing the power consumption of electronic price tag identification, and achieving efficient and low-power-consumption identification of electronic price tags. The method for identifying electronic price tags is introduced in detail below.

[0055] Considering the problems existing in the existing technology, the embodiments of the present invention urgently need a low-power method for identifying electronic price tags. The method uses the communication protocol between the camera and the price tag system to automatically discover the target price tags. After obtaining the price tags corresponding to the local range captured by the camera, these price tags are processed in a unique display mode such as lighting up and switching the screen, and the camera is simultaneously started to record video or take pictures.

[0056] 1) Shelf camera with built-in electronic price tag hardware module (such as Figure 9 The communication module in the Figure 10 The low-power communication module in the shelf camera enables the shelf camera to also have various functions supported by the electronic shelf label protocol.

[0057] 2) The electronic price tag has positioning technology and can obtain a list of all the electronic price tag neighbor relationship IDs within the surrounding area of ​​a specified electronic price tag.

[0058] 3) By obtaining the IDs of the electronic price tags within the local area captured by the shelf camera and calling out names, the price tags in this area (which can be in a list of neighboring IDs of a specific electronic price tag within the camera's range) are flashed or paged with specific content (the electronic price tags are displayed in a unique manner). This solves the problem of excessive power consumption when flashing and page-switching all price tags in the display using a camera. This is explained in detail below.

[0059] In step 101, after obtaining the identifier of the communication module within the shelf camera to be used for price tag recognition, a capture instruction is sent to the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier of the communication module. The shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is used to capture a first shelf image in accordance with the capture instruction and transmit the first shelf image to the server. There can be multiple shelf cameras, each located at a different location in a supermarket or any other location to be located. By obtaining the identifier of the communication module (which can be a low-power communication module) within each shelf camera, each camera can capture an image of the electronic price tag within the local area captured by the camera, achieving efficient and low-power electronic price tag recognition.

[0060] In specific implementation, when deploying equipment in an embodiment of the present invention, there can be multiple shelf cameras. The number of shelf cameras can be set according to the scale of the supermarket, and they are respectively set at positions where they can capture images of the opposite shelves. Each shelf camera is set to capture an image of the opposite shelf, and the shelf image includes a preset number of electronic price tags.

[0061] In specific implementation, in an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic price tag is an IoT device with radio frequency communication capabilities. In an embodiment of the present invention, a camera with the same communication capabilities as the electronic price tag is designed, so that the camera can also be managed as an electronic price tag IoT device. The shelf camera can have a built-in communication module (such as a low-power communication module). The electronic price tag can communicate with the server through narrowband communication, and the camera and the electronic price tag have the same narrowband communication capabilities.

[0062] In the above step 102, image recognition is performed on the first shelf image to obtain product features, and the product features are matched to the product database to obtain current product information (such as Coke) with feature similarity greater than a preset similarity threshold. A neighbor relationship list of electronic price tags within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information is obtained, and the following information is configured: the task of displaying each electronic price tag in a unique display mode in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and the task of triggering the corresponding shelf camera to shoot.

[0063] In specific implementation, the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list can be: electronic price tags with a signal strength greater than or equal to a preset threshold, and the number of electronic price tags is limited by the signal strength threshold to form an electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, so that only those electronic price tags with a signal strength greater than or equal to the preset threshold are displayed in a unique display mode, and electronic price tags with a signal strength less than the preset threshold are not displayed, that is, the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list within the preset range is determined, which can reduce the power consumption of the electronic price tags.

[0064] In specific implementation, the product information and the electronic price tag are bound in advance, that is, all product information and its corresponding price tag ID are bound in advance, and the binding relationship between the product information and the electronic price tag can be pre-stored in the supermarket database.

[0065] In step 102, in one embodiment, the method for identifying an electronic price tag may further include obtaining an electronic price tag neighbor relationship list according to the following method:

[0066] Initiate a full-field positioning command to all base stations; each base station is used to broadcast a notification to the electronic price tag to detect neighbors and feedback the neighbor relationship list to the server; each electronic price tag is used to detect neighbors by randomly sending and continuously receiving external electronic price tag signals in a predetermined time window, and the obtained neighbor relationship list of each electronic price tag is fed back to the base station;

[0067] Receive the neighbor relationship list fed back by the base station based on the full-field positioning command.

[0068] In the specific embodiment, by executing Figure 1 The server of the method for identifying electronic price tags communicates with the base station and the electronic price tag to obtain the neighbor relationship list, which can achieve efficient and low-cost acquisition of the neighbor relationship list. Of course, the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list can also be obtained through the following electronic price tag positioning system, and then sent to the application Figure 1 The server for identifying electronic price tags is shown:

[0069] The positioning server initiates a full-field positioning command and sends it to all base stations through the communication control center;

[0070] Each base station broadcasts a notification to the electronic price tag to detect neighbors by randomly sending and continuously receiving external electronic price tag signals in a predetermined time window, and obtains a neighbor relationship list for each electronic price tag;

[0071] After each electronic price tag obtains the neighbor relationship list, it sends the neighbor relationship list to the communication control center through the base station, and then sends it to the positioning server.

[0072] In specific implementation, the positioning server initiates a full-field positioning command and sends a message to all base stations almost simultaneously through the communication control center. The base stations almost simultaneously broadcast and notify all price tags to start detecting neighbors by random sending and continuous receiving in the predetermined time window. Each price tag obtains a neighbor relationship list (such as Figure 2 As shown in the figure, ESL is an electronic price tag), the price tag sends the neighbor relationship list to the communication control center through the base station in a time-sharing manner, and then sends it to the positioning server, and the positioning server then sends the neighbor relationship list to Figure 1 The method shown is applied to a server for identifying electronic price tags.

[0073] In specific implementation, the following method can also be used to obtain the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list: the electronic price tag system is based on the existing neighbor learning positioning mechanism, such as Figure 2 As shown in FIG, the positioning server collects the neighbor relationship list of all price tags in a certain store and obtains the neighbor relationship list through machine learning.

[0074] In specific implementation, the working principle of the shelf camera to obtain the electronic price tags in the local area of ​​the camera is as follows:

[0075] The server obtains the identification of the communication module in the shelf camera that needs to do (participate in) electronic price tag recognition, and sends a shooting instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identification of the communication module. The shelf camera captures a first shelf image, and the server recognizes the first shelf image to obtain at least one product feature. The server matches the product feature to the product database and calculates the similarity between the product feature and the product feature in the product database. When the feature similarity is greater than the preset similarity threshold, the server obtains the current product information corresponding to the product feature in the product database, and obtains a list of electronic price tag neighbor relationships within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information. As described above, this can be done by executing Figure 1 The server of the method for identifying electronic price tags shown communicates with the base station and the electronic price tags to obtain a neighbor relationship list; if the server deploys an electronic price tag positioning system (including the positioning server, communication control center, and base station mentioned in the above solution), the electronic price tag positioning system can be used to search for the IDs of all electronic price tags within a preset range (for example, 3 meters) of the product-bound electronic price tags identified by the shelf image captured by the shelf camera; if the electronic price tag positioning system is not deployed, the server can call the neighbor learning interface of the communication system to obtain a neighbor relationship table of these price tag IDs through machine learning.

[0076] In the above step 102, after obtaining the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, the following information is configured: the task of displaying each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list in a unique display mode, and the task of triggering the corresponding shelf camera to shoot, laying the foundation for the subsequent step 103.

[0077] In specific implementation, the electronic price tag is displayed in a unique display mode, and the display mode of each electronic price tag is different.

[0078] In one embodiment, in the above step 103, according to the configuration information, communication is performed with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification captures a second shelf image.

[0079] During specific implementation, the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier may capture an image of the second shelf in which the electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode.

[0080] In one embodiment, in step 103, communicating with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification, based on the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification captures the second shelf image, may include:

[0081] Sending the task displayed in the unique display mode to the corresponding electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list through the first communication channel, wherein each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is configured to execute the task displayed in the unique display mode, so that the electronic price tag is displayed in the unique display mode;

[0082] The task of triggering the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier to shoot is sent to the communication module in the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier through the first communication channel; the communication module in the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier is used to execute the task of triggering the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier to shoot, so that the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier shoots a second shelf image.

[0083] In specific implementation, the above-mentioned time alignment of the first communication channel is used to realize the identification of the corresponding shelf camera and the electronic price tag within the corresponding shooting range to perform the task together with low power consumption to identify the electronic price tag, thereby improving the recognition efficiency and accuracy of the electronic price tag and reducing the power consumption of the electronic price tag recognition.

[0084] In specific implementation, in the embodiment of the present invention, the first communication channel is preferably a narrowband (such as Figure 10As shown), the narrowband can be such as Bluetooth, BLE. The bandwidth range of the narrowband of the electronic price tag can be a preset bandwidth range, specifically a preset kilobits per second bandwidth range, such as 100kbps to 500kbps. The narrowband system described in the embodiment of the present invention is a private protocol communication system based on 2.4GHz carrier radio frequency. The reason why this system has lower power consumption than WIFI is that in addition to the relatively low communication bandwidth, the communication protocol between the electronic price tag device and the narrowband system base station is also simpler. Therefore, there is lower standby power consumption in the non-communication listening frame state. The listening frame standby power consumption of WIFI devices is generally at the level of hundreds of microwatts, while the standby power consumption of the electronic price tag narrowband system mentioned in the embodiment of the present invention can be below 40 microwatts. As Figure 10 As shown, narrowband communication is the network communication between the server and multiple electronic price tags, similar to Bluetooth communication, which is a low-data-volume and low-power communication mode. Broadband (i.e., the second communication channel) communication is achieved through WIFI connection in TCP communication mode, which enables the shelf camera to communicate with the camera management server (such as Figure 10 Communicate with the shelf camera server in the

[0085] In specific implementation, the narrowband communication protocol of electronic price tags supports task storage (such as the color and on-off time sequence of the flashing light or the content of a special page), and supports executing tasks according to the set time (the internal timer and timing alignment mechanism can be used to ensure the time consistency of all price tags).

[0086] In a further preferred embodiment of step 103, the following information may be configured in advance in step 102: the first wake-up time of each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and the second wake-up time of the communication module in the corresponding shelf camera. Then, in step 103, based on the configured information, communication is performed with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the corresponding shelf camera, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the corresponding shelf camera captures a second shelf image. This may include:

[0087] The first wake-up time and the task of displaying in a unique display mode for each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list are sent to the corresponding electronic price tag via the first communication channel; each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is configured to set the timing of the electronic price tag real-time clock to the first wake-up time, and to set the task of displaying in a unique display mode to be executed at the timing, so that the electronic price tag is displayed in a unique display mode;

[0088] The second wake-up time of the communication module in the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier and the task of triggering the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier to shoot are sent to the communication module in the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier through the first communication channel; the communication module in the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is used to set the timing of the communication module to the second wake-up time, and set to execute the task of triggering the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier to shoot at the timing of the communication module, so that the shelf camera captures the second shelf image.

[0089] In specific implementation, the embodiment of the present invention further configures the first wake-up time of each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and identifies the second wake-up time of the communication module in the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier. The above implementation scheme enables the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier to capture the second shelf image of the electronic price tag to be identified in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list at the second wake-up time, thereby realizing time alignment through the first communication channel, and the price tag and the camera jointly perform the timing task with low power consumption to identify the electronic price tag, thereby improving the recognition efficiency and accuracy of the electronic price tag and further reducing the power consumption of the electronic price tag recognition.

[0090] In specific implementation, after the electronic price tag receives the timed task through the narrowband, it sets the timer according to the timed time and associates the task to be executed with the timed interrupt. When the timer reaches the timed time, the electronic price tag module wakes up and enters the task execution function through the interrupt vector, that is, the electronic price tag sets the timer of the electronic price tag real-time clock to the first wake-up time, and sets the task of executing the electronic price tag in a unique display mode at the timer of the electronic price tag real-time clock, such as Figure 5 After the electronic price tag receives the scheduled task and executes the timing, it sets the timer to wait for the task execution time to arrive; at the same time, the shelf camera sets the timing of the built-in low-power communication module to the second wake-up time, and sets the task of triggering the camera to shoot at the timing of the communication module, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 After the shelf camera receives the scheduled task and executes the timing, it sets the timer and waits for the time to execute the task to arrive.

[0091] When the task timing is reached, the electronic price tag wakes up and executes the sequence flashing or page switching display. That is, when the timing of the electronic price tag real-time clock is reached, the electronic price tag is woken up and the task of triggering the electronic price tag to display in a unique display mode is executed, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode, such as Figure 5 After the timing task shown is reached, the timer interrupt wakes up the price tag, and the price tag starts flashing according to the stored sequence (the flashing cycle is at least 6 cycles) or switches to display a special page.

[0092] In one embodiment, the electronic price tag may include a first receiving module, a first control module, and a display module. When working: when the timing moment of the real-time clock of the electronic price tag is reached, the first receiving module wakes up the first control module when receiving the interrupt wake-up instruction of the timer, and the electronic price tag wakes up. The first control module executes the task of triggering the electronic price tag to be displayed in a unique display mode, and the display module displays in a unique display mode, thereby realizing that the electronic price tag is displayed in a unique display mode.

[0093] The electronic price tag module of the shelf camera wakes up the camera system to perform the recording operation, that is, when the timing of the communication module is reached, the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera is woken up to perform the task of triggering the camera to shoot, that is, it can trigger Figure 9 or Figure 10 The camera shooting and image processing module shown in FIG. 1 performs shelf image shooting to control the shelf camera to shoot the corresponding shelf image, such as Figure 5 When the timed task is reached, the timer interrupt wakes up the price tag module and activates the camera system. The camera then starts recording video, which can last for two flash sequence cycles.

[0094] In one embodiment, the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera may include an MCU and a wireless communication module. When working: when the timing moment is reached, the wireless communication module wakes up the MCU upon receiving the interrupt wake-up instruction of the timer, executes the task of triggering the camera to shoot, and the camera's shooting module executes the shooting task, thereby enabling the shelf camera to shoot the second shelf image.

[0095] In specific implementation, both the electronic price tags and cameras have the function of a timer. The embodiment of the present invention provides a method to send a timed task to all electronic price tags and cameras in the same place or store. For the price tag, this timed task may be to switch the content of the display screen, or to light up an LED light of a specific color. For example, the electronic price tag uses different LED light colors or price tag display contents, combined into a sequence. Each element of these sequences is a light-up (this light-up sequence includes different combinations of light colors and timings) or an action to refresh the price tag display. For the camera, it may be to record a video or take a photo.

[0096] In practice, when identifying the ID of a price tag, the server first encodes all price tags. This code can be a combination of n light colors and related timings, or the display status of n electronic ink screens.

[0097] In implementation, the server sends scheduled tasks, defining the trigger time for each task. For a price tag, task i means executing the i-th color of the LED light sequence or displaying the i-th EPD page at the specified time. For a shelf camera, this means taking a photo or recording a video at the specified time. For photos, the camera takes one or more photos based on the actual situation. For videos, the camera backend determines the recording duration, which is the recording duration.

[0098] In practice, the timing mechanism used throughout the above process allows all price tags ample time to process their flashing or swiping actions, ensuring that all price tags initiate their corresponding actions at the same time (possibly with a slight time lag). Simultaneously, the camera can initiate photo or video recording at a specific time. For the camera, a scheduled task can be set to upload the recorded file to the cloud at the end.

[0099] In practice, electronic price tags and cameras can be woken up almost synchronously. Each time a price tag wakes up, it lights up or refreshes the screen, while each time the camera wakes up, it takes a photo or records a video. This timed sequence effectively solves the problem of inconsistent time when enumerating a large number of price tags one by one, making it difficult for the camera to accurately capture information from all the price tags in a short period of time.

[0100] In one embodiment, the first wake-up time is before the second wake-up time, and a difference between the first wake-up time and the second wake-up time is within a preset threshold range.

[0101] In a specific implementation, the difference between the first wake-up time of each electronic price tag and the second wake-up time of the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera is within a preset threshold range. More specifically, the difference between the wake-up time of each electronic price tag and the wake-up time of the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera is within a preset millisecond threshold range, for example, within 10ms. This ensures that the camera and electronic price tag operate nearly synchronously, improving acquisition efficiency and ultimately improving the efficiency of electronic price tag recognition. Of course, the difference between the wake-up time of each electronic price tag and the wake-up time of the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera can be larger. Regardless of which starts working first, the camera or the electronic price tag, as long as the camera can capture at least one complete display operating cycle of the electronic price tag, it can be sufficient. Preferably, the first wake-up time is before the second wake-up time, that is, the shelf camera communication module wakes up after the electronic price tag wakes up, which can ensure minimal power consumption.

[0102] In one embodiment, in the above step 104, image recognition is performed on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified; based on the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and the binding relationship between the pre-configured unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag, the identifier of the electronic price tag is obtained.

[0103] In one embodiment, in step 104, the method for identifying an electronic price tag may further include: pre-configuring a binding relationship between a unique display mode and an identifier of the electronic price tag according to the following method:

[0104] Get the IDs of all electronic price tags in supermarkets;

[0105] Configure the unique display mode for each electronic shelf label;

[0106] The unique display mode of each electronic price tag is bound to the identifier of the electronic price tag to obtain a binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag.

[0107] During specific implementation, the server encodes each electronic price tag into a unique display mode, such as a unique flashing light sequence or display pattern, and binds the unique display mode to the ID (identification) of the electronic price tag to obtain a binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identification of the electronic price tag. The above-mentioned configuration binding relationship implementation method can improve the efficiency of electronic price tag recognition.

[0108] In one embodiment, after step 104, the method for identifying an electronic price tag may further include: querying corresponding bound product information through the electronic price tag identifier.

[0109] In specific implementation, the corresponding bound product information is queried through the electronic price tag, achieving efficient product identification.

[0110] In one embodiment, after step 104, the method for identifying an electronic price tag may further include: finally determining the display status of the shelf photographed by the camera based on the product information.

[0111] During specific implementation, the server can ultimately determine the display of the shelf photographed by the camera based on the product information.

[0112] During specific implementation, the server ultimately determines the out-of-stock situation and display compliance of the shelf photographed by the camera based on the product information. The specific solution can be found in the following embodiment.

[0113] In one embodiment, the server may include a shelf camera server and an electronic price tag server. Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method for identifying an electronic price tag in another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 As shown, the method for identifying an electronic price tag specifically includes:

[0114] Step 201: The shelf camera server obtains the identifier of the communication module in the shelf camera that needs to participate in price tag recognition, and sends a shooting instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier of the communication module; the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is used to capture a first shelf image according to the shooting instruction and send the first shelf image to the shelf camera server;

[0115] Step 202: The shelf camera server performs image recognition on the first shelf image to obtain product features, matches the product features to the product database, obtains current product information with feature similarity greater than a preset similarity threshold, obtains a neighbor list of electronic price tags within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information, configures the following information: a task to display each electronic price tag in a unique display mode in the electronic price tag neighbor list, and a task to trigger the corresponding shelf camera capture; and sends the configured information to the electronic price tag server;

[0116] Step 203: The electronic price tag server communicates with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier captures a second shelf image;

[0117] Step 204: The shelf camera server performs image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified; and obtains an identifier of the electronic price tag based on the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and a pre-configured binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag.

[0118] When implementing it specifically, Figure 9 As shown, the server architecture can be implemented by a shelf camera server and an ESTA server. The shelf camera server is responsible for image recognition, obtaining ESTA neighbor lists, and other key ESTA identification functions, while the ESTA server is responsible for information transmission and communication. Each server performs its own functions, achieving optimal allocation of computing resources. This server architecture conserves computing resources and ensures system stability.

[0119] In specific implementations, the present invention utilizes a battery-powered camera and implements a set of protocols and methods to enable the camera and electronic price tags to work together to obtain the ID information of the electronic price tags. Using the lowest possible power consumption, the shelf camera captures the unique display mode of the electronic price tag, such as a special light signal sequence. A background algorithm recognizes this sequence, thereby identifying the electronic price tag ID at each location and obtaining the product information at that location.

[0120] In a specific implementation, in an embodiment of the present invention, the shelf camera server can obtain a list of the IDs of all ESTs in a corresponding store from the EST server via an HTTPS interface. The shelf camera server encodes each EST into a unique display mode, such as a unique flashing light sequence or display pattern, and binds the unique display mode to the EST ID (identifier). This binding relationship is then stored in the server's database for subsequent use in identifying ESTs.

[0121] In one embodiment, in the above step 201, the shelf camera server can directly send a shooting instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identification of the communication module. Of course, the shelf camera server can also send a shooting instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identification of the communication module through the electronic price tag server.

[0122] In one embodiment, a further preferred solution of the above step 203 is as follows.

[0123] During specific implementation, in an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic price tag server can obtain the IDs (identifications) of all electronic price tags bound to a specified store and a list of product information bound to each electronic price tag ID (identification).

[0124] In one embodiment, in the above step 203, the electronic price tag server communicates with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and identifies the corresponding shelf camera according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the corresponding shelf camera captures the second shelf image, which may include:

[0125] The electronic price tag server sends the task of displaying in a unique display mode to the corresponding electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list through the first communication channel, and sends the task of triggering the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier to the communication module in the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier through the first communication channel; each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is used to execute the task of displaying in a unique display mode, so that the electronic price tag is displayed in a unique display mode; the communication module in the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier is used to execute the task of triggering the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier to shoot, so that the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier captures a second shelf image.

[0126] During specific implementation, the electronic price tag server uses the first communication channel time alignment to identify the corresponding shelf camera and the electronic price tag within the corresponding shooting range, thereby performing tasks together with low power consumption to identify the electronic price tag, thereby improving the recognition efficiency and accuracy of the electronic price tag and reducing the power consumption of the electronic price tag recognition.

[0127] In one embodiment, the shelf camera server further configures a first wake-up time for each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and identifies a second wake-up time for the communication module in the corresponding shelf camera;

[0128] The electronic price tag server communicates with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification captures a second shelf image, including:

[0129] The electronic price tag server sends the first wake-up time and the task of displaying in a unique display mode for each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list to the corresponding electronic price tag through the first communication channel, and sends the second wake-up time of the communication module in the corresponding shelf camera and the task of triggering the corresponding shelf camera to shoot to the communication module in the corresponding shelf camera through the first communication channel; each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is used to set the timing of the electronic price tag real-time clock to the first wake-up time, and is set to execute the task of displaying in a unique display mode at the timing, so that the electronic price tag is displayed in a unique display mode; the communication module in the corresponding shelf camera is used to set the timing of the communication module to the second wake-up time, and is set to execute the task of triggering the corresponding shelf camera to shoot at the timing, so that the shelf camera shoots a second shelf image.

[0130] During specific implementation, the shelf camera server also configures the first wake-up time of each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and identifies the second wake-up time of the communication module in the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier. The above implementation scheme enables the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier to capture the second shelf image of each electronic price tag to be identified in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list at the second wake-up time, thereby realizing time alignment through the first communication channel, and the price tag and the camera together perform timing tasks with low power consumption to identify the electronic price tag, thereby improving the recognition efficiency and accuracy of the electronic price tag and further reducing the power consumption of the electronic price tag recognition.

[0131] During specific implementation, the shelf camera server will generate a unique display mode for each electronic price tag, such as a coding sequence, and the timer for executing the task (i.e., the pre-configured first wake-up time for each electronic price tag and the task of displaying each electronic price tag in a unique display mode in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, as well as the pre-configured second wake-up time for the communication module built into the shelf camera and the task of triggering the shelf camera to capture the corresponding image). The task that triggers the electronic price tag to display in a unique display mode may be a task that triggers the electronic price tag to cut pages, flash lights, and flash light sequence. The task that triggers the camera to capture the image may include the name of the triggered task, the task command word, and the start and / or end time of the camera capture.

[0132] In one embodiment, the first wake-up time is before the second wake-up time, and the difference between the first wake-up time and the second wake-up time is within a preset threshold range. The specific solution can be described in detail in the following embodiment.

[0133] In a specific implementation, the difference between the first wake-up time of each electronic price tag and the second wake-up time of the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera is within a preset threshold range. More specifically, the difference between the wake-up time of each electronic price tag and the wake-up time of the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera is within a preset millisecond threshold range, for example, within 10ms. This ensures that the camera and electronic price tag operate nearly synchronously, improving acquisition efficiency and ultimately improving the efficiency of electronic price tag recognition. Of course, the difference between the wake-up time of each electronic price tag and the wake-up time of the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera can be larger. Regardless of which starts working first, the camera or the electronic price tag, as long as the camera can capture at least one complete display operating cycle of the electronic price tag, it can be sufficient. Preferably, the first wake-up time is before the second wake-up time, that is, the shelf camera communication module wakes up after the electronic price tag wakes up, which can ensure minimal power consumption.

[0134] In the above step 203, after the electronic price tag receives the timed task via the narrowband, it sets the timer according to the timed time and associates the task to be executed with the timed interrupt. When the timer reaches the timed time, the electronic price tag module wakes up and enters the task execution function through the interrupt vector, that is, the electronic price tag sets the timer of the electronic price tag real-time clock to the first wake-up time, and sets the task of executing the electronic price tag in the unique display mode at the timer of the electronic price tag real-time clock, such as Figure 5 After the electronic price tag receives the scheduled task and executes the timing, it sets the timer to wait for the task execution time to arrive; at the same time, the shelf camera sets the timing of the built-in low-power communication module to the second wake-up time, and sets the task of triggering the camera to shoot at the timing of the communication module, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 After the shelf camera receives the scheduled task and executes the timing, it sets the timer and waits for the time to execute the task to arrive.

[0135] When the task timing is reached, the electronic price tag wakes up and executes the sequence flashing or page switching display. That is, when the timing of the electronic price tag real-time clock is reached, the electronic price tag is woken up and the task of triggering the electronic price tag to display in a unique display mode is executed, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode, such as Figure 5 After the timing task shown is reached, the timer interrupt wakes up the price tag, and the price tag starts flashing according to the stored sequence (the flashing cycle is at least 6 cycles) or switches to display a special page.

[0136] The electronic price tag module of the shelf camera wakes up the camera system to perform the recording operation, that is, when the timing of the communication module is reached, the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera is woken up to perform the task of triggering the camera to shoot, that is, it can trigger Figure 9 or Figure 10 The camera shooting and image processing module shown in FIG. 1 performs shelf image shooting to control the shelf camera to shoot the corresponding shelf image, such as Figure 5 When the timed task is reached, the timer interrupt wakes up the price tag module and activates the camera system. The camera then starts recording video, which can last for two flash sequence cycles.

[0137] In one embodiment, the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera may include an MCU and a wireless communication module. When working: when the timing moment is reached, the wireless communication module wakes up the MCU upon receiving the interrupt wake-up instruction of the timer, executes the task of triggering the camera to shoot, and the camera's shooting module executes the shooting task, thereby enabling the shelf camera to shoot the second shelf image.

[0138] In specific implementation, both the electronic price tags and cameras have the function of a timer. The embodiment of the present invention provides a method to send a timed task to all electronic price tags and cameras in the same place or store. For the price tag, this timed task may be to switch the content of the display screen, or to light up an LED light of a specific color. For example, the electronic price tag uses different LED light colors or price tag display contents, combined into a sequence. Each element of these sequences is a light-up (this light-up sequence includes different combinations of light colors and timings) or an action to refresh the price tag display. For the camera, it may be to record a video or take a photo.

[0139] In practice, when identifying the ID of a price tag, the server first encodes all price tags. This code can be a combination of n light colors and related timings, or the display status of n electronic ink screens.

[0140] In implementation, the shelf camera server sends scheduled tasks, defining the trigger time for each task. For a price tag, task i means switching to the i-th color of the LED light sequence or displaying the i-th EPD page at the specified time. For the shelf camera, this means taking a photo or recording a video at the specified time. For photos, the camera takes one or more photos based on the actual situation. For videos, the camera backend determines the recording duration, which is the recording duration.

[0141] In practice, the timing mechanism used throughout the above process allows all price tags ample time to process their flashing or swiping actions, ensuring that all price tags initiate their corresponding actions at the same time (possibly with a slight time lag). Simultaneously, the camera can initiate photo or video recording at a specific time. For the camera, a scheduled task can be set to upload the recorded file to the cloud at the end.

[0142] In practice, electronic price tags and cameras can be woken up almost synchronously. Each time a price tag wakes up, it lights up or refreshes the screen, while each time the camera wakes up, it takes a photo or records a video. This timed sequence effectively solves the problem of inconsistent time when enumerating a large number of price tags one by one, making it difficult for the camera to accurately capture information from all the price tags in a short period of time.

[0143] In one embodiment, the method for identifying an electronic price label may further include: sending the captured second shelf image to a shelf camera server according to the following method:

[0144] The shelf camera server sends an instruction to obtain a second shelf image to the electronic price tag server after a preset period of time at the timed moment;

[0145] The electronic shelf label server sends an instruction to obtain the second shelf image to the shelf camera through the first communication channel;

[0146] After receiving the instruction to obtain the second shelf image, the shelf camera sends the captured second shelf image to the shelf camera server through the second communication channel.

[0147] In one embodiment, the method for identifying an electronic price label may further include: sending the captured second shelf image to a shelf camera server according to the following method:

[0148] The shelf camera server pushes a pre-configured task of sending the captured second shelf image after a preset period of time at the second wake-up moment to the electronic price label server;

[0149] The electronic price label server pushes the task of sending the captured second shelf image after a preset period of time at the second wake-up moment to the shelf camera through the first communication channel;

[0150] The shelf camera sends the captured second shelf image to the shelf camera server through the second communication channel after a preset period of time at the second wake-up moment.

[0151] In specific implementation, the above two methods of sending the captured second shelf image to the shelf camera server can improve the flexibility of transmitting the second shelf image, thereby improving the flexibility of electronic price tag recognition. The specific solution can be described in detail in the following embodiments.

[0152] In specific implementation, in the embodiment of the present invention, Figure 10 As shown, the shelf camera also has a built-in Wi-Fi module, enabling broadband communication (i.e., the aforementioned second communication channel) with the shelf camera server. Communication between the shelf camera server and the ESL server occurs via the HTTPS protocol. Instructions sent from the shelf camera server to the shelf camera are sent to the ESL server via the HTTPS interface, which then forwards them to the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera.

[0153] The embodiment of the present invention obtains images captured by shelf cameras to identify the IDs of all electronic price tags within the surrounding area of ​​the electronic price tags bound to the products, performs display operations such as flashing or page cutting of the price tags in the local area, and allows the corresponding shelf cameras to take pictures or videos, thereby achieving the purpose of gradually identifying and generating display information for all price tags in the store according to the local area corresponding to each camera. The price tags are gradually identified through the local area information corresponding to each camera, and low-power consumption is achieved for identifying electronic price tags.

[0154] In summary, the embodiments of the present invention can solve the problem of electronic price tag recognition in the entire store while most effectively saving the power consumption of the shooting system, and then use this recognition result information to conduct inventory of all goods in the store, solve the problems of out-of-stock status of shelves, or non-compliant displays, etc.

[0155] above Figure 1 、 Figure 3 The principle of solving the problem in the embodiment described is the same as the following Figure 4 The principles of solving the problems in the embodiments described are similar, therefore, the above Figure 1 、 Figure 3 The contents of the described embodiments can also be referred to below Figure 4 The content of the described embodiment.

[0156] Currently, in the existing technology, a server sets a timer and sends point-to-point instructions to all electronic price tags and cameras via a base station to perform tasks to identify electronic price tags. This electronic price tag recognition method has low efficiency and accuracy, and also consumes high power. Therefore, embodiments of the present invention provide the following low-power electronic price tag recognition solution.

[0157] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method for identifying an electronic price tag in another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0158] Step 301: The shelf camera server sends the pre-configured first wake-up time of each electronic shelf tag and the task of triggering the electronic shelf tag to display in a unique display mode, as well as the pre-configured second wake-up time of the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera and the task of triggering the camera to take pictures to the electronic shelf tag server;

[0159] Step 302: The electronic shelf tag server sends the first wake-up time of each electronic shelf tag and the task of triggering the electronic shelf tag to be displayed in a unique display mode to the corresponding electronic shelf tag through the first communication channel, and sends the second wake-up time of the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera and the task of triggering the camera to shoot to the shelf camera through the first communication channel;

[0160] Step 303: The electronic price tag sets the time of the real-time clock of the electronic price tag to the first wake-up time, and sets a task of triggering the electronic price tag to be displayed in a unique display mode to be executed at the time of the real-time clock of the electronic price tag; when the time of the real-time clock of the electronic price tag is reached, the electronic price tag wakes up and executes the task of triggering the electronic price tag to be displayed in a unique display mode, so that the electronic price tag is displayed in the unique display mode;

[0161] Step 304: The shelf camera sets the timer of the built-in low-power communication module to the second wake-up time, and sets the built-in low-power communication module to execute a task of triggering the camera to shoot at the timer. When the built-in low-power communication module's timer is reached, the built-in low-power communication module in the shelf camera wakes up and executes the task of triggering the camera to shoot, so that the shelf camera captures the second shelf image.

[0162] Step 305: The shelf camera server performs image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified; and obtains an identifier of the electronic price tag to be identified based on the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and a pre-configured binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag.

[0163] The method for identifying electronic price tags provided by an embodiment of the present invention is as follows: when working: the shelf camera server sends the pre-configured first wake-up time of each electronic price tag and the task of triggering the electronic price tag to be displayed in a unique display mode, as well as the pre-configured second wake-up time of the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera and the task of triggering the camera to shoot to the electronic price tag server; the electronic price tag server sends the first wake-up time of each electronic price tag and the task of triggering the electronic price tag to be displayed in a unique display mode to the corresponding electronic price tag through the first communication channel, and sends the second wake-up time of the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera and the task of triggering the camera to shoot to the shelf camera through the first communication channel; the electronic price tag sets the timing of the real-time clock of the electronic price tag to the first wake-up time, and sets the execution of triggering the electronic price tag to be displayed in a unique display mode at the timing of the real-time clock of the electronic price tag When the timing of the real-time clock of the electronic price tag is reached, the electronic price tag wakes up and executes the task of triggering the electronic price tag to be displayed in a unique display mode, so that the electronic price tag is displayed in a unique display mode; the shelf camera sets the timing of the built-in low-power communication module to the second wake-up time, and sets the task of triggering the camera to shoot at the timing of the built-in low-power communication module; when the timing of the built-in low-power communication module is reached, the built-in low-power communication module in the shelf camera wakes up and executes the task of triggering the camera to shoot, so that the shelf camera shoots a second shelf image; the shelf camera server performs image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified; according to the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and the pre-configured binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag, the identifier of the electronic price tag to be identified is obtained.

[0164] Compared to the prior art method of identifying electronic price tags by using a server to perform timing and sending point-to-point instructions to all electronic price tags and cameras through a base station, which has low efficiency and accuracy and high power consumption, the solution for identifying electronic price tags provided by the embodiment of the present invention achieves time alignment through the first communication channel, and the price tags and cameras jointly perform timing tasks to identify electronic price tags with low power consumption, thereby improving the efficiency and accuracy of electronic price tag recognition and reducing the power consumption of electronic price tag recognition. The following is a detailed description of the method for identifying electronic price tags provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0165] This embodiment of the present invention utilizes a battery-powered camera and implements a set of protocols and methods to enable the camera and electronic price tags to work together to obtain the ID information of the electronic price tags. Using minimal power consumption, this embodiment uses a shelf camera to capture the unique display of the electronic price tag, such as a special light signal sequence. A background algorithm then recognizes this sequence, identifying the electronic price tag ID at each location and subsequently obtaining the corresponding product information. This is described in detail below.

[0166] 1. For ease of understanding, first combine Figures 9 and 10 The system architecture for identifying electronic price tags in an embodiment of the present invention, components in the architecture, and pre-configuration preparation steps are introduced.

[0167] In specific implementation, a device architecture for identifying electronic price tags is as follows: Figure 9 As shown. Figure 9 As shown, the first wake-up time of each electronic price tag and the task of displaying the electronic price tag in a unique display mode can be sent to the corresponding electronic price tag through the first communication channel, and the second wake-up time of the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera and the task of triggering the camera to shoot can be sent to the shelf camera through the first communication channel, wherein the first communication channel is preferably a narrowband (such as Figure 10 As shown), the narrowband can be such as Bluetooth, BLE. The bandwidth range of the narrowband of the electronic price tag can be a preset bandwidth range, specifically a preset kilobits per second bandwidth range, such as 100kbps to 500kbps. The narrowband system described in the embodiment of the present invention is a private protocol communication system based on 2.4GHz carrier radio frequency. The reason why this system has lower power consumption than WIFI is that in addition to the relatively low communication bandwidth, the communication protocol between the electronic price tag device and the narrowband system base station is also simpler. Therefore, there is lower standby power consumption in the non-communication listening frame state. The listening frame standby power consumption of WIFI devices is generally at the level of hundreds of microwatts, while the standby power consumption of the electronic price tag narrowband system mentioned in the embodiment of the present invention can be below 40 microwatts. As Figure 10 As shown, narrowband communication is an important component of electronic price tag systems (such as Figure 10 The network communication between the backend (electronic price tag server) of the multiple electronic price tags and the built-in low-power communication module of the shelf camera is similar to Bluetooth communication, which is a low-data-volume and low-power communication mode. Broadband communication is achieved through WIFI connection in TCP communication mode, which enables the shelf camera to communicate with the camera management server (such as Figure 10 Communicate with the shelf camera server in the Figure 9 and Figure 10 The ellipsis in indicates that the electronic price tag system can also include many electronic price tags.

[0168] In specific implementation, when deploying equipment in an embodiment of the present invention, there can be multiple shelf cameras. The number of shelf cameras can be set according to the scale of the supermarket, and they are respectively set at positions where they can capture images of the opposite shelves. Each shelf camera is set to capture an image of the opposite shelf, and the shelf image includes a preset number of electronic price tags.

[0169] In specific implementation, in the embodiment of the present invention, the electronic price tag is an IoT device with radio frequency communication capability. In the embodiment of the present invention, a camera with the same communication capability as the electronic price tag is designed, so that the camera can also be managed as an electronic price tag IoT device in a unified manner, for example Figure 10 As shown, the shelf camera can have a built-in low-power communication module. The electronic price tag module can communicate with the electronic price tag server through narrowband. The electronic price tag server manages the shelf camera and the electronic price tag in a unified manner. The camera and the electronic price tag have the same narrowband communication capability.

[0170] During specific implementation, in an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic price tag server can obtain the IDs (identifications) of all electronic price tags bound to a specified store and a list of product information bound to each electronic price tag ID (identification).

[0171] In specific implementation, in the embodiment of the present invention, Figure 10 As shown, the shelf camera also has a built-in Wi-Fi module, enabling broadband communication with the shelf camera server. Communication between the shelf camera server and the ESL server occurs via the HTTPS protocol. Commands sent from the shelf camera server to the shelf camera are then sent to the ESL server via the HTTPS interface. The ESL server then forwards these commands to the shelf camera's built-in low-power communication module.

[0172] In a specific implementation, in an embodiment of the present invention, the shelf camera server can obtain a list of the IDs of all ESTs in a corresponding store from the EST server via an HTTPS interface. The shelf camera server encodes each EST into a unique display mode, such as a unique flashing light sequence or display pattern, and binds the unique display mode to the EST ID (identifier). This binding relationship is then stored in the server's database for subsequent use in identifying ESTs.

[0173] As can be seen from the above, in one embodiment, the method for identifying an electronic price tag may further include: the shelf camera server pre-configuring a binding relationship between a unique display mode and an identifier of the electronic price tag according to the following method:

[0174] Obtain the identifiers of all electronic price tags in the supermarket. Specifically, you can obtain the identifiers of all electronic price tags in the supermarket from the electronic price tag server;

[0175] Configure the unique display mode for each electronic shelf label;

[0176] The unique display mode of each electronic price tag is bound to the identifier of the electronic price tag to obtain a binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag.

[0177] During specific implementation, the shelf camera server encodes each electronic price tag into a unique display mode, such as a unique flashing light sequence or display pattern, and binds the unique display mode to the ID (identification) of the electronic price tag to obtain a binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identification of the electronic price tag. The above-mentioned configuration binding relationship implementation method can improve the efficiency of electronic price tag recognition.

[0178] 2. Combine the following Figure 5 and Figure 6 Introduce the process of electronic price tag recognition based on the above "1".

[0179] In step 301, the shelf camera server sends the generated unique display mode for each electronic price tag, such as a coding sequence, and the timed execution times for executing tasks (i.e., the pre-configured first wake-up time for each electronic price tag and the task of triggering the electronic price tag to display in the unique display mode, and the pre-configured second wake-up time for the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera and the task of triggering camera photography) to the electronic price tag server. The task that triggers the electronic price tag to display in the unique display mode may include triggering electronic price tag page cutting, flashing, and the flashing sequence. The task that triggers camera photography may include the name of the triggered task, the task command word, and the start and / or end time of camera photography.

[0180] In specific implementation, the narrowband communication protocol of electronic price tags supports task storage (such as the color and on-off time sequence of the flashing light or the content of a special page), and supports executing tasks according to the set time (the internal timer and timing alignment mechanism can be used to ensure the time consistency of all price tags).

[0181] In the above step 301, the shelf camera server sends the encoded flash sequence or special page and the time of executing the task to the electronic price tag server in advance, that is, Figure 5 As shown, the camera backend server (shelf camera server) sends a scheduled task during non-business hours to the price tag backend (electronic price tag server), and the task is sent at least two hours before the actual execution time. In the above step 302, the electronic price tag server pushes the display mode, such as the flashing sequence encoding, the execution cycle of the flashing sequence (to obtain the content of the special display page), and the execution time of the task to the electronic price tag through the electronic price tag base station in the store in a point-to-point manner. At the same time, it pushes the scheduled recording task and execution time to the shelf camera via a point-to-point instruction.

[0182] In specific implementation, regarding step 301, the electronic price tag is displayed in a unique display mode, and the display mode of each electronic price tag is different.

[0183] In one embodiment, the first wake-up time is before the second wake-up time, and a difference between the first wake-up time and the second wake-up time is within a preset threshold range.

[0184] In a specific implementation, the difference between the first wake-up time of each electronic price tag and the second wake-up time of the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera is within a preset threshold range. More specifically, the difference between the wake-up time of each electronic price tag and the wake-up time of the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera is within a preset millisecond threshold range, for example, within 10ms. This ensures that the camera and electronic price tag operate nearly synchronously, improving acquisition efficiency and ultimately improving the efficiency of electronic price tag recognition. Of course, the difference between the wake-up time of each electronic price tag and the wake-up time of the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera can be larger. Regardless of which starts working first, the camera or the electronic price tag, as long as the camera can capture at least one complete display operating cycle of the electronic price tag, it can be sufficient. Preferably, the first wake-up time is before the second wake-up time, that is, the shelf camera communication module wakes up after the electronic price tag wakes up, which can ensure minimal power consumption.

[0185] In the above step 302, the electronic price tag server pushes the sequence of tasks such as flashing lights (or the content of timed page switching display) to the electronic price tag through point-to-point instructions before the scheduled task, that is, the wake-up time of each electronic price tag and the task of triggering the electronic price tag to display in a unique display mode are sent to the corresponding electronic price tag through narrowband; and pushes the instruction of regularly shooting shelf images (such as taking pictures or videos) to the electronic price tag module of the shelf camera, that is, the wake-up time of the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera and the task of triggering the camera to shoot are sent to the shelf camera through narrowband. That is, Figure 5 The electronic price tag backend (electronic price tag server) shown pushes the scheduled tasks to all electronic price tags and shelf cameras in the store in a point-to-point manner through the store base station. And performs timing alignment operations with all electronic price tag modules. The timing alignment operation can be a command to set a unified time for the electronic price tag and the shelf camera. After the command is sent to the electronic price tag modules of each electronic price tag and shelf camera respectively, the time difference of each electronic price tag and shelf camera's electronic price tag module is within the preset threshold range, for example, within 10ms to ensure the accuracy of electronic price tag recognition. The purpose of the time system difference being within the preset threshold range is to ensure that the price tag and the camera perform the recognition task at almost the same time, avoiding waiting for each other due to time errors, and essentially ensuring that the time to execute the task is reduced on the basis of correct recognition of the price tag, thereby saving power consumption.

[0186] In specific implementations, the difference between the first wake-up time and the second wake-up time is within a preset threshold. The internal clock errors of the ESLs and shelf cameras in the same store can be within a second-level error. This error is within a preset millisecond threshold, for example, 10ms. Because the camera's recording time is two flashing cycles of the price tag, a one-cycle fault tolerance delay is allowed. The timing error of the ESL system will not exceed 10ms. That is, the internal clock errors of the ESLs and shelf cameras in the same store are within 10ms. Therefore, scheduled tasks for the ESLs and shelf cameras can be executed essentially simultaneously, with an error of no more than 10ms. This ensures precise and controllable timing of task execution.

[0187] In the above steps 303 and 304, after the electronic price tag receives the timed task via the narrowband, it sets the timer according to the timed time and associates the task to be executed with the timed interrupt. When the timer reaches the timed time, the electronic price tag module wakes up and enters the task execution function through the interrupt vector, that is, the electronic price tag sets the timer of the electronic price tag real-time clock to the first wake-up time, and sets the task of triggering the electronic price tag to display in a unique display mode at the timer of the electronic price tag real-time clock, such as Figure 5 After the electronic price tag receives the scheduled task and executes the timing, it sets the timer to wait for the task execution time to arrive; at the same time, the shelf camera sets the timing of the built-in low-power communication module to the second wake-up time, and sets the task of triggering the camera to shoot at the timing of the communication module, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 After the shelf camera receives the scheduled task and executes the timing, it sets the timer and waits for the time to execute the task to arrive.

[0188] In the above step 303, after the task timing is reached, the electronic price tag wakes up and executes the sequence flashing or page switching display, that is, when the timing of the electronic price tag real-time clock is reached, the electronic price tag wakes up and executes the task of triggering the electronic price tag to display in the unique display mode, so as to control the electronic price tag to display in the unique display mode, such as Figure 5 After the timing task shown is reached, the timer interrupt wakes up the price tag, and the price tag starts flashing according to the stored sequence (the flashing cycle is at least 6 cycles) or switches to display a special page.

[0189] In one embodiment, the electronic price tag may include a first receiving module, a first control module, and a display module. When working: when the timing moment of the real-time clock of the electronic price tag is reached, the first receiving module wakes up the first control module when receiving the interrupt wake-up instruction of the timer, and the electronic price tag wakes up. The first control module executes the task of triggering the electronic price tag to be displayed in a unique display mode, and the display module displays in a unique display mode, thereby realizing that the electronic price tag is displayed in a unique display mode.

[0190] In the above step 304, the electronic price tag module of the shelf camera wakes up the camera system to perform the recording operation, that is, when the timing of the communication module is reached, the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera is woken up to perform the task of triggering the camera to shoot, that is, it can trigger the camera to shoot. Figure 9 or Figure 10 The camera shooting and image processing module shown in FIG. 1 performs shelf image shooting to control the shelf camera to shoot the corresponding shelf image, such as Figure 5 When the timed task is reached, the timer interrupt wakes up the price tag module and activates the camera system. The camera then records the video for two flashing light cycles.

[0191] In one embodiment, the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera may include an MCU and a wireless communication module. When working: when the timing moment is reached, the wireless communication module wakes up the MCU upon receiving the interrupt wake-up instruction of the timer, executes the task of triggering the camera to shoot, and the camera's shooting module executes the shooting task, thereby enabling the shelf camera to shoot the corresponding shelf image.

[0192] When implementing it specifically, Figure 5 As shown, the above steps 303 and 304 can be performed simultaneously, regardless of the order.

[0193] In specific implementation, both the electronic price tags and cameras have the function of a timer. The embodiment of the present invention provides a method to send a timed task to all electronic price tags and cameras in the same place or store. For the price tag, this timed task may be to switch the content of the display screen, or to light up an LED light of a specific color. For example, the electronic price tag uses different LED light colors or price tag display contents, combined into a sequence. Each element of these sequences is a light-up (this light-up sequence includes different combinations of light colors and timings) or an action to refresh the price tag display. For the camera, it may be to record a video or take a photo.

[0194] In practice, when identifying the ID of a price tag, the server first encodes all price tags. This code can be a combination of n light colors and related timings, or the display status of n electronic ink screens.

[0195] In implementation, the shelf camera server sends scheduled tasks, defining the trigger time for each task. For a price tag, task i means switching to the i-th color of the LED light sequence or displaying the i-th EPD page at the specified time. For the camera, this means taking a photo or recording a video at the specified time. For photos, the decision is made to take one or more photos based on the actual situation. For video recording, the camera backend determines the recording duration, which is the recording duration.

[0196] In practice, the timing mechanism used throughout the above process allows all price tags ample time to process their flashing or swiping actions, ensuring that all price tags initiate their corresponding actions at the same time (possibly with a slight time lag). Simultaneously, the camera can initiate photo or video recording at a specific time. For the camera, a scheduled task can be set to upload the recorded file to the cloud at the end.

[0197] In practice, electronic price tags and cameras can be woken up almost synchronously. Each time a price tag wakes up, it lights up or refreshes the screen, while each time the camera wakes up, it takes a photo or records a video. This timed sequence effectively solves the problem of inconsistent time when enumerating a large number of price tags one by one, making it difficult for the camera to accurately capture information from all the price tags in a short period of time.

[0198] In step 305, the shelf camera server sends an instruction to the shelf camera to retrieve the stored video file. In one embodiment, the method for identifying electronic price tags may further include: sending the captured shelf image to the shelf camera server according to the following method:

[0199] After a preset period of time at a predetermined time, the shelf camera server sends an instruction to obtain a second shelf image to the electronic price tag server; Figure 6 The camera backend server (shelf camera server) shown sends the task of obtaining video data through the electronic price tag backend server 2 hours after the scheduled task execution time.

[0200] The electronic shelf label server sends an instruction to obtain the second shelf image to the shelf camera through the first communication channel;

[0201] After receiving the instruction to obtain the second shelf image, the shelf camera sends the captured second shelf image to the shelf camera server. Figure 6 The shelf camera shown transmits the previously recorded video file through a second communication channel, such as a broadband (such as Figure 10 The broadband can be WIFI broadband.

[0202] In a specific implementation, the above-mentioned embodiment of sending the captured second shelf image to the shelf camera server, that is, the shelf camera server sends an instruction to the shelf camera to pull the stored video file, can reduce the power consumption of the electronic price tag recognition.

[0203] In specific implementation, the above instruction to obtain shelf images is sent to the electronic price tag server, which may include: sending the instruction to obtain shelf images to the electronic price tag server via the HTTPS interface. Sending the captured shelf images to the shelf camera server may include: transmitting the captured shelf images via WIFI broadband (which may be Figure 10The WIFI communication transmission module shown) is sent to the shelf camera server.

[0204] In specific implementation, in addition to the above-mentioned implementation method in which the shelf camera server sends instructions to the shelf camera to pull the stored video files, the following implementation method 2 may also be included:

[0205] In one embodiment, the method for identifying an electronic price label may further include: sending the captured second shelf image to a shelf camera server according to the following method:

[0206] The shelf camera server pushes the pre-configured task of sending the captured second shelf image after the preset time period of the second wake-up moment to the electronic price tag server. The “task of sending the captured shelf image after the preset time period of the second wake-up moment” can be pushed simultaneously when executing the above step 301;

[0207] The electronic price tag server uses a first communication channel, such as Figure 10 The narrowband in the wake-up moment sends the task of shooting the second shelf image to the shelf camera after the preset period of time. At the same time, this step can also be performed together with the above step 302, that is, it can belong to the above step 302;

[0208] After a preset period of time at the second wake-up moment, the shelf camera sends the captured second shelf image to the shelf camera server via a second communication channel, such as WIFI broadband.

[0209] In specific implementation, the second embodiment of sending the captured shelf image to the shelf camera server can reduce the power consumption of electronic price tag recognition.

[0210] In specific implementation, the shelf camera server pushes the task of shooting shelf images to the electronic price tag server after the preset period of the second wake-up moment, which may include: the shelf camera server sends the task of shooting shelf images to the electronic price tag server via HTTPS (such as Figure 10 The interface (shown) pushes the pre-configured task of sending the shelf image capture after a preset period of time at the wake-up moment to the electronic price tag server.

[0211] In the above step 305, if Figure 6 As shown in the figure, the shelf camera server performs image content recognition and analysis based on the video file, and obtains the corresponding product information of the price tags at different locations on the shelf based on the corresponding relationship between the code and the price tag ID. The details are as follows.

[0212] In the above-mentioned step 305, the embodiment of the present invention further uses a computer vision algorithm to parse the flashing light sequence in the video or identify the special display content of the price tag, and determines the price tag ID corresponding to the price tag at a certain position in the image based on the correspondence between the electronic price tag ID and the coding sequence. That is, the shelf camera server performs image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified; based on the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and the binding relationship between the pre-configured unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag, the identifier of the electronic price tag to be identified is obtained.

[0213] In the above step 305, the embodiment of the present invention also queries the electronic price tag backend server for the corresponding bound product information through the price tag ID, and finally determines the accurate display information of the shelf photographed by the camera based on this information.

[0214] As can be seen from the above, in one embodiment, the method for identifying an electronic price tag may further include: the shelf camera server queries the corresponding bound product information through the electronic price tag identifier.

[0215] In specific implementation, the shelf camera server queries the corresponding bound product information through the electronic price tag, achieving efficient product identification.

[0216] As can be seen from the above, in one embodiment, the method for identifying electronic price tags may further include: the shelf camera server finally determines the display status of the shelf photographed by the camera based on the product information.

[0217] During specific implementation, the shelf camera server can ultimately determine the display and other conditions of the shelf photographed by the camera based on the product information.

[0218] In summary, the embodiments of the present invention can effectively solve the problem of price tag recognition throughout a store, and further use this information to conduct inventory checks of all merchandise, identify out-of-stock conditions on shelves, or address issues with non-compliant displays. Compared to methods where a server sets the time and sends point-to-point instructions to all price tags and cameras via a base station, the method of executing scheduled tasks in this embodiment of the present invention, using narrowband system time alignment and the price tag camera, allows for precise and controllable execution of tasks, saving both time and energy.

[0219] The present invention also provides a method for identifying electronic price tags for use with a shelf camera server, as described in the following embodiments. Because the principles underlying this method are similar to those of the method for identifying electronic price tags, the implementation of this method for identifying electronic price tags for use with a shelf camera server can be referenced to the implementation of the aforementioned method, and any repetitions will not be repeated.

[0220] Figure 7 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method for identifying an electronic price tag applied to a shelf camera server in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0221] Step 401: Obtain an identifier of a communication module within a shelf camera that is required to participate in price tag recognition, and send a shooting instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier of the communication module; the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is configured to capture a first shelf image according to the shooting instruction, and send the first shelf image to a shelf camera server;

[0222] Step 402: Perform image recognition on the first shelf image to obtain product features, match the product features to the product database, and obtain current product information whose feature similarity is greater than a preset similarity threshold;

[0223] Step 403: Obtain a list of neighbor relationships of electronic price tags within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information;

[0224] Step 404: Configure the following information: a task to display each electronic price tag in a unique display mode in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and a task to trigger the camera to shoot the corresponding shelf;

[0225] Step 405: Send the configured information to the electronic price tag server; the electronic price tag server is used to communicate with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier captures the second shelf image;

[0226] Step 406: Perform image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the electronic price label to be recognized;

[0227] Step 407: Obtain the identifier of the electronic price tag according to the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and the pre-configured binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag.

[0228] The present invention also provides a server for identifying electronic price tags, as described in the following embodiments. Since the principle of solving the problem of the server is similar to the method for identifying electronic price tags, the implementation of the server can refer to the implementation of the method for identifying electronic price tags, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0229] Figure 8 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a server for identifying electronic price tags in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 As shown, the server includes:

[0230] The first module 100 is configured to obtain an identifier of a communication module within a shelf camera that is required to participate in price tag recognition, and to send a shooting instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier of the communication module; the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is configured to capture a first shelf image according to the shooting instruction and send the first shelf image to a server;

[0231] The second module 200 is configured to perform image recognition on the first shelf image to obtain product features, match the product features to a product database, obtain current product information with feature similarity greater than a preset similarity threshold, obtain a neighbor list of electronic price tags within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information, and configure the following information: a task to display each electronic price tag in a unique display mode in the electronic price tag neighbor list, and a task to trigger a camera to capture the corresponding shelf.

[0232] The third module 300 is configured to communicate with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier captures a second shelf image;

[0233] The fourth module 400 is used to perform image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified; and obtain the identifier of the electronic price tag based on the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and the binding relationship between the pre-configured unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag.

[0234] In one embodiment, the third module is specifically configured to:

[0235] Sending the task displayed in the unique display mode to the corresponding electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list through the first communication channel, wherein each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is configured to execute the task displayed in the unique display mode, so that the electronic price tag is displayed in the unique display mode;

[0236] The task of triggering the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier to shoot is sent to the communication module in the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier through the first communication channel; the communication module in the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier is used to execute the task of triggering the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier to shoot, so that the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier shoots a second shelf image.

[0237] In one embodiment, the second module is further configured with the following information: the first wake-up time of each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and the second wake-up time of the communication module in the corresponding shelf camera;

[0238] The third module is specifically used for:

[0239] The first wake-up time and the task of displaying in a unique display mode for each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list are sent to the corresponding electronic price tag via the first communication channel; each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is configured to set the timing of the electronic price tag real-time clock to the first wake-up time, and to set the task of displaying in a unique display mode to be executed at the timing, so that the electronic price tag is displayed in a unique display mode;

[0240] The second wake-up time of the communication module in the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier and the task of triggering the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier to shoot are sent to the communication module in the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier through the first communication channel; the communication module in the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is used to set the timing of the communication module to the second wake-up time, and set to execute the task of triggering the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier to shoot at the timing of the communication module, so that the shelf camera captures the second shelf image.

[0241] Figure 9 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the system architecture for identifying electronic price tags in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 As shown, the server includes:

[0242] The shelf camera server 01 is configured to obtain the identifier of the communication module within the shelf camera that needs to participate in price tag recognition and send a shooting instruction to the shelf camera 04 corresponding to the identifier of the communication module; the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is configured to capture a first shelf image according to the shooting instruction and send the first shelf image to the shelf camera server; perform image recognition on the first shelf image to obtain product features, match the product features with the product database, obtain current product information with feature similarity greater than a preset similarity threshold, obtain a neighbor relationship list of electronic price tags within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information, and configure the following information: a task for displaying each electronic price tag in a unique display mode in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and a task for triggering the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier to shoot; send the configured information to the electronic price tag server; perform image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be recognized; obtain the identity of the electronic price tag 03 based on the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be recognized and the pre-configured binding relationship between the unique display mode and the electronic price tag identifier;

[0243] The electronic price tag server 02 is configured to communicate with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification captures a second shelf image;

[0244] As can be seen from the above, in one embodiment, the functions of the first module 100, the second module 200 and the fourth module 400 can be realized by the shelf camera server, and the function of the third module 300 can be realized by the electronic price tag server. Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the server architecture can be implemented by a shelf camera server and an ESTA server. The shelf camera server is responsible for image recognition, obtaining ESTA neighbor lists, and other key ESTA identification functions, while the ESTA server is responsible for information transmission and communication. Each server performs its own functions, achieving optimal allocation of computing resources. This server architecture conserves computing resources and ensures system stability.

[0245] In specific implementation, the shelf camera server 01 in the embodiment of the present invention can also be called a shelf camera management background system, and the electronic price tag server can also be called an electronic price tag management background system. Figure 10 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture for identifying electronic price tags in another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10 As shown, the electronic price tag server 02 can send the wake-up time of each electronic price tag and the task of triggering the electronic price tag to be displayed in a unique display mode to the corresponding electronic price tag 03 through narrowband, and can send the wake-up time of the low-power communication module built into the shelf camera and the task of triggering the camera to shoot to the shelf camera 04 through narrowband, that is, the first communication channel can be narrowband, and the second communication channel can be Figure 10 Broadband in.

[0246] In one embodiment, the electronic price tag server communicates with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and identifies the corresponding shelf camera according to the configuration information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the corresponding shelf camera is identified to capture a second shelf image, which may include:

[0247] The electronic price tag server sends the task of displaying in a unique display mode to the corresponding electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list through the first communication channel, and sends the task of triggering the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier to the communication module in the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier through the first communication channel; each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is used to execute the task of displaying in a unique display mode, so that the electronic price tag is displayed in a unique display mode; the communication module in the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier is used to execute the task of triggering the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier to shoot, so that the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier captures a second shelf image.

[0248] In one embodiment, the shelf camera server is further configured to configure a first wake-up time for each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and identify a second wake-up time for the communication module in the corresponding shelf camera;

[0249] The electronic price tag server communicates with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification captures a second shelf image, including:

[0250] The electronic price tag server sends the first wake-up time and the task of displaying in a unique display mode for each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list to the corresponding electronic price tag through the first communication channel, and sends the second wake-up time of the communication module in the corresponding shelf camera and the task of triggering the corresponding shelf camera to shoot to the communication module in the corresponding shelf camera through the first communication channel; each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is used to set the timing of the electronic price tag real-time clock to the first wake-up time, and is set to execute the task of displaying in a unique display mode at the timing, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode; the communication module in the corresponding shelf camera is used to set the timing of the communication module to the second wake-up time, and is set to execute the task of triggering the corresponding shelf camera to shoot at the timing, so that the shelf camera shoots a second shelf image.

[0251] In one embodiment, the shelf camera server is further configured to send an instruction to obtain a second shelf image to the electronic price tag server via an HTTPS interface after a preset period of time at the timed moment;

[0252] The electronic price label server is further configured to send an instruction for acquiring an image of the second shelf to the shelf camera via a narrowband;

[0253] The shelf camera is further configured to send the captured second shelf image to the shelf camera server via the second communication channel after receiving an instruction to acquire the second shelf image.

[0254] In one embodiment, the shelf camera server is further configured to push a pre-configured task of sending a second captured shelf image after a preset period of time at the second wake-up moment to the electronic price tag server;

[0255] The electronic price label server is further configured to push a task of sending the captured second shelf image to the shelf camera via the first communication channel after a preset period of time at the second wake-up moment;

[0256] The shelf camera is further configured to send the captured second shelf image to the shelf camera server via the second communication channel after a preset period of time at the second wake-up moment.

[0257] In one embodiment, the shelf camera server is further configured to pre-configure a binding relationship between a unique display mode and an electronic price tag identifier according to the following method:

[0258] Get the IDs of all electronic price tags in supermarkets;

[0259] Configure the unique display mode for each electronic shelf label;

[0260] The unique display mode of each electronic price tag is bound to the identifier of the electronic price tag to obtain a binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag.

[0261] In one embodiment, the shelf camera server is further configured to query corresponding bound commodity information through an electronic price tag.

[0262] In one embodiment, the shelf camera server is further configured to ultimately determine the out-of-stock situation and / or display situation of the shelf photographed by the camera based on the product information.

[0263] In one embodiment, the first wake-up time is before the second wake-up time, and a difference between the first wake-up time and the second wake-up time is within a preset threshold range.

[0264] In one embodiment, the method for identifying an electronic price tag may further include obtaining an electronic price tag neighbor relationship list according to the following method:

[0265] The positioning module is used to initiate full-field positioning instructions to all base stations. Each base station is used to broadcast notifications to the electronic price tag to detect neighbors and feedback the neighbor relationship list to the server. Each electronic price tag is used to detect neighbors by randomly sending and continuously receiving external electronic price tag signals starting in a predetermined time window, and the obtained neighbor relationship list of each electronic price tag is fed back to the base station.

[0266] The receiving module is used to receive the neighbor relationship list fed back by the base station according to the full-field positioning instruction.

[0267] The present invention also provides a shelf camera server for identifying electronic price tags, as described in the following embodiments. Because the principles of this server are similar to those of the method for identifying electronic price tags, the implementation of this server can be referenced to the implementation of the method for identifying electronic price tags, and any repetitions will not be repeated.

[0268] Figure 11 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a shelf camera server for identifying electronic price tags in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 11 As shown, the server includes:

[0269] Acquisition unit 011 is configured to obtain an identifier of a communication module within a shelf camera that is required to participate in price tag recognition, and to send a capture instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier of the communication module; the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is configured to capture a first shelf image according to the capture instruction, and to send the first shelf image to a shelf camera server; and to obtain a list of electronic price tag neighbors within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information;

[0270] Image recognition unit 012 is used to perform image recognition on the first shelf image to obtain product features, match the product features to the product database, and obtain current product information with feature similarity greater than a preset similarity threshold; perform image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified;

[0271] Configuration unit 013, configured to configure the following information: a task to display each electronic price tag in a unique display mode in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and a task to trigger the camera to shoot the corresponding shelf;

[0272] The sending unit 014 is configured to send the configured information to the electronic price tag server; the electronic price tag server is configured to communicate with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier based on the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier captures a second shelf image;

[0273] The electronic price tag identification unit 015 is configured to obtain the identification of the electronic price tag according to the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and the pre-configured binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identification of the electronic price tag.

[0274] Based on the above invention concept, Figure 12 As shown, the present invention also proposes a computer device 500, including a memory 510, a processor 520, and a computer program 530 stored in the memory 510 and executable on the processor 520. When the processor 520 executes the computer program 530, the above-mentioned method for identifying electronic price tags is implemented.

[0275] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method for identifying an electronic price tag is implemented.

[0276] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method for identifying an electronic price tag is implemented.

[0277] Compared with the existing technology for identifying electronic price tags, in which the overall time required to display all electronic price tags in a unique manner in the entire venue is too long, the time to send all instructions is proportional to the number of price tags, and the camera needs to record for a very long time to ensure that the display process of all price tags is captured, resulting in low efficiency and high power consumption, and it is impossible to achieve a technical solution for identifying electronic price tags with high efficiency and low power consumption, the solution for identifying electronic price tags provided by the embodiment of the present invention can enable the camera to automatically discover target electronic price tags in a local range, so that the electronic price tags in the local range and the camera can perform the task of identifying the electronic price tags together with low power consumption, solving the problem of the overall time required to display all price tags in a unique manner being too long and the power consumption being high, reducing the power consumption of electronic price tag identification, and achieving high-efficiency and low-power consumption electronic price tag identification.

[0278] Compared with the prior art method of identifying electronic price tags by using a server to set the time and sending point-to-point instructions to all electronic price tags and cameras through a base station, which has low efficiency and accuracy and high power consumption, the solution for identifying electronic price tags provided by the embodiment of the present invention realizes time alignment through the first communication channel, and the price tags and cameras jointly perform the same timing task with low power consumption to identify electronic price tags, thereby improving the recognition efficiency and accuracy of electronic price tags and reducing the power consumption of electronic price tag recognition.

[0279] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Thus, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0280] The present invention is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, as well as combinations of processes and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0281] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to work in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0282] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operational steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device for implementing the process. Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A step that specifies a function in one or more boxes.

[0283] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the objectives, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention in detail. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for identifying an electronic price label, characterized in that: The method is applied to a server and includes: Obtaining an identifier of a communication module in a shelf camera that needs to participate in price tag recognition, and sending a shooting instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier of the communication module; the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is used to capture a first shelf image according to the shooting instruction, and send the first shelf image to the server; Perform image recognition on the first shelf image to obtain product features, match the product features to the product database, obtain current product information with feature similarity greater than a preset similarity threshold, obtain a neighbor relationship list of electronic price tags within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information, and configure the following information: a task to display each electronic price tag in a unique display mode in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and a task to trigger the camera to capture the corresponding shelf; According to the configured information, the system communicates with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier captures a second shelf image; Perform image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified; obtain the identifier of the electronic price tag based on the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and a pre-configured binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein According to the configured information, communicating with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification captures a second shelf image, including: Sending the task displayed in the unique display mode to the corresponding electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list through the first communication channel, wherein each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is configured to execute the task displayed in the unique display mode, so that the electronic price tag is displayed in the unique display mode; The task of triggering the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier to shoot is sent to the communication module in the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier through the first communication channel; the communication module in the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier is used to execute the task of triggering the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier to shoot, so that the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier shoots a second shelf image.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The following information is also configured: the first wake-up time of each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and the second wake-up time of the communication module in the corresponding shelf camera; According to the configured information, communicating with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification captures a second shelf image, including: The first wake-up time and the task of displaying in a unique display mode for each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list are sent to the corresponding electronic price tag via the first communication channel; each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is configured to set the timing of the electronic price tag real-time clock to the first wake-up time, and to set the task of displaying in a unique display mode to be executed at the timing, so that the electronic price tag is displayed in a unique display mode; The second wake-up time of the communication module in the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier and the task of triggering the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier to shoot are sent to the communication module in the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier through the first communication channel; the communication module in the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is used to set the timing of the communication module to the second wake-up time, and set to execute the task of triggering the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier to shoot at the timing of the communication module, so that the shelf camera captures the second shelf image.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The server includes a shelf camera server and an electronic price tag server, and the method for identifying the electronic price tag specifically includes: The shelf camera server obtains the identifier of the communication module in the shelf camera that needs to participate in price tag recognition, and sends a shooting instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier of the communication module; the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is used to capture a first shelf image according to the shooting instruction, and sends the first shelf image to the shelf camera server; The shelf camera server performs image recognition on the first shelf image to obtain product features, matches the product features to the product database, obtains current product information with feature similarity greater than a preset similarity threshold, obtains a neighbor relationship list of electronic price tags within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information, configures the following information: a task to display each electronic price tag in a unique display mode in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and a task to trigger the corresponding shelf camera to capture the image; and sends the configured information to the electronic price tag server; The electronic price tag server communicates with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier captures the second shelf image; The shelf camera server performs image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified; and obtains an identifier of the electronic price tag based on the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and a pre-configured binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The electronic price tag server communicates with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification captures a second shelf image, including: The electronic price tag server sends the task of displaying in a unique display mode to the corresponding electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list through the first communication channel, and sends the task of triggering the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier to the communication module in the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier through the first communication channel; each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is used to execute the task of displaying in a unique display mode, so that the electronic price tag is displayed in a unique display mode; the communication module in the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier is used to execute the task of triggering the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier to shoot, so that the camera of the shelf corresponding to the identifier captures a second shelf image.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein Also includes: The shelf camera server also configures a first wake-up time for each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and identifies a second wake-up time for the communication module in the corresponding shelf camera; The electronic price tag server communicates with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification captures a second shelf image, including: The electronic price tag server sends the first wake-up time and the task of displaying in a unique display mode for each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list to the corresponding electronic price tag through the first communication channel, and sends the second wake-up time of the communication module in the corresponding shelf camera and the task of triggering the corresponding shelf camera to shoot to the communication module in the corresponding shelf camera through the first communication channel; each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is used to set the timing of the electronic price tag real-time clock to the first wake-up time, and is set to execute the task of displaying in a unique display mode at the timing, so that the electronic price tag is displayed in a unique display mode; the communication module in the corresponding shelf camera is used to set the timing of the communication module to the second wake-up time, and is set to execute the task of triggering the corresponding shelf camera to shoot at the timing, so that the shelf camera shoots a second shelf image.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein The first wake-up time is before the second wake-up time, and a difference between the first wake-up time and the second wake-up time is within a preset threshold range.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein The method further includes: sending the captured second shelf image to the shelf camera server according to the following method: The shelf camera server sends an instruction to obtain a second shelf image to the electronic price tag server after a preset period of time at the timed moment; The electronic shelf label server sends an instruction to obtain the second shelf image to the shelf camera through the first communication channel; After receiving the instruction to obtain the second shelf image, the shelf camera sends the captured second shelf image to the shelf camera server through the second communication channel.

9. The method according to claim 4, wherein The method further includes: sending the captured second shelf image to the shelf camera server according to the following method: The shelf camera server pushes a pre-configured task of sending the captured second shelf image after a preset period of time at the second wake-up moment to the electronic price label server; The electronic price label server pushes the task of sending the captured second shelf image after a preset period of time at the second wake-up moment to the shelf camera through the first communication channel; The shelf camera sends the captured second shelf image to the shelf camera server through the second communication channel after a preset period of time at the second wake-up moment.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method also includes pre-configuring a binding relationship between a unique display mode and an electronic price tag identifier according to the following method: Get the IDs of all electronic price tags in supermarkets; Configure the unique display mode for each electronic shelf label; The unique display mode of each electronic price tag is bound to the identifier of the electronic price tag to obtain a binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein Also includes: Query the corresponding bound product information through the electronic price tag.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein It also includes obtaining the ESL neighbor relationship list as follows: Initiate a full-field positioning command to all base stations; each base station is used to broadcast a notification to the electronic price tag to detect neighbors and feedback the neighbor relationship list to the server; each electronic price tag is used to detect neighbors by randomly sending and continuously receiving external electronic price tag signals in a predetermined time window, and the obtained neighbor relationship list of each electronic price tag is fed back to the base station; Receive the neighbor relationship list fed back by the base station based on the full-field positioning command.

13. A method for identifying an electronic price label, characterized in that: The method is applied to a shelf camera server, and the method includes: Obtaining an identifier of a communication module within a shelf camera that is required to participate in price tag recognition, and sending a shooting instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier of the communication module; the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is configured to capture a first shelf image according to the shooting instruction, and send the first shelf image to a shelf camera server; Perform image recognition on the first shelf image to obtain product features, match the product features to the product database, and obtain current product information whose feature similarity is greater than a preset similarity threshold; Obtain a list of neighbor relationships of electronic price tags within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information; Configure the following information: the task of displaying each electronic shelf tag in a unique display mode in the electronic shelf tag neighbor relationship list, and the task of triggering the camera to shoot the corresponding shelf tag; The configured information is sent to the electronic price tag server; the electronic price tag server is used to communicate with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification captures the second shelf image; Performing image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be recognized; The identification of the electronic price tag is obtained according to the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and the pre-configured binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identification of the electronic price tag.

14. A server for identifying electronic price tags, characterized in that: include: The first module is configured to obtain an identifier of a communication module in a shelf camera that is required to participate in price tag recognition, and to send a shooting instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier of the communication module; the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is configured to capture a first shelf image according to the shooting instruction, and to send the first shelf image to a server; The second module is configured to perform image recognition on the first shelf image to obtain product features, match the product features to the product database, obtain current product information with feature similarity greater than a preset similarity threshold, obtain a neighbor list of electronic price tags within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information, and configure the following information: a task to display each electronic price tag in a unique display mode in the electronic price tag neighbor list, and a task to trigger the camera to capture the corresponding shelf; The third module is configured to communicate with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier captures a second shelf image; The fourth module is used to perform image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified; and obtain the identifier of the electronic price tag based on the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and the binding relationship between the pre-configured unique display mode and the identifier of the electronic price tag.

15. A shelf camera server for identifying electronic price tags, characterized in that: include: An acquisition unit is configured to acquire an identifier of a communication module within a shelf camera that is required to participate in price tag recognition, and to send a capture instruction to the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier of the communication module; the shelf camera corresponding to the identifier is configured to capture a first shelf image according to the capture instruction, and to send the first shelf image to a shelf camera server; and to obtain a list of electronic price tag neighbor relationships within a preset range around the electronic price tag bound to the current product information; An image recognition unit is configured to perform image recognition on the first shelf image to obtain product features, match the product features to a product database, and obtain current product information having a feature similarity greater than a preset similarity threshold; Performing image recognition on the second shelf image to obtain a unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be recognized; A configuration unit configured to configure the following information: a task to display each electronic price tag in a unique display mode in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list, and a task to trigger a camera to shoot a picture on the shelf corresponding to the label; A sending unit, used to send the configured information to the electronic price label server; The electronic price tag server is used to communicate with each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification according to the configured information, so that each electronic price tag in the electronic price tag neighbor relationship list is displayed in a unique display mode and the shelf camera corresponding to the identification captures the second shelf image; The electronic price tag identification unit is used to obtain the identification of the electronic price tag according to the unique display mode of the electronic price tag to be identified and the pre-configured binding relationship between the unique display mode and the identification of the electronic price tag.

16. A computer device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein: When the processor executes the computer program, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is implemented.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is implemented.

18. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is implemented.

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