Method for judging failure of drawing brushing of electronic price tag

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for judging failure of drawing brushing of an electronic price tag, which belongs to the technical field of electronic price tags and comprises four steps of server-side task coding and issuing, base station-side task transmission, electronic price tag-side task processing and feedback and server-side judgment. The method has the following advantages: (1) code uniqueness: the task code corresponds to the updated content, so that the image brushing tracking accuracy is ensured; (2) heartbeat packet embedded feedback: carrying an update result by using a price tag conventional heartbeat packet without additional communication participation; (3) an active confirmation mechanism: the electronic price tag reports a heartbeat packet containing a task code, and the probability of misjudgment of image brushing is reduced through at least two times of heartbeat packet data comparison; and (4) task queue management: the server maintains a task execution state, task data can be stored for a certain time, expandability is achieved, multi-task concurrent management is supported, and the method is suitable for a batch price tag updating scene of a large-scale supermarket or warehousing system and the like. In conclusion, the method has a good application prospect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electronic price tag technology, and in particular to a method for determining when an electronic price tag fails to print an image. Background Technology

[0002] Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs) are intelligent devices that use electronic display technology to replace traditional paper labels. They connect to the back-end management system via wireless communication technology to display real-time data such as product prices, promotional information, and inventory status. They are widely used in the retail industry, warehousing and logistics, and chain stores. Their core uses low-power electronic ink screens (E-Ink) or liquid crystal displays (LCDs) to ensure long battery life. The main functions and advantages are as follows: (1) Real-time updates: Price changes can be synchronized with one click in the back-end, avoiding errors caused by manual replacement; (2) Cost reduction and efficiency improvement: Reduces paper waste and labor costs, improving operational efficiency; (3) Interactive marketing: Supports displaying QR codes, promotion countdowns, etc., enhancing customer experience; (4) Environmental protection and sustainability: The paperless design conforms to the trend of green retail.

[0003] In practical applications, the electronic shelf label subsystem needs to frequently update the displayed content (i.e., refresh the images, such as changing pictures or updating price information). Traditional transmission methods between the backend management system and the electronic shelf label involve large amounts of data. The e-ink screen refresh of the electronic shelf label requires transmitting complete bitmap data, which contains a large amount of repetitive pixel information. Furthermore, wireless network bandwidth is limited. Large data transmission between the backend management system's server, base station, and the electronic shelf label is time-consuming, has high latency, and consumes a lot of energy, thus increasing the probability of refresh failure. Traditional electronic shelf label refresh relies on base station active polling or a single-feedback mechanism from the shelf, which cannot accurately determine whether the update was successful, leading to a risk of misjudgment. If the shelf fails to update due to communication interruption or storage abnormalities but does not actively report it, the system cannot be aware of it in a timely manner. Moreover, it is inefficient, as frequent base station polling or the shelf actively reporting complete data consumes a large amount of network resources, thus restricting the effective and reliable application of electronic shelf labels. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To overcome the shortcomings of existing electronic price tag data transmission, where the receiving end (electronic price tag) cannot actively report image refresh failure data, as described in the background art, this invention provides an electronic price tag image refresh failure judgment method that, under the combined action of related processes, allows the electronic price tag to report a heartbeat packet containing a task code. By comparing at least two heartbeat packet data, the probability of false judgment is reduced, and the method can accurately determine whether there is an image refresh failure problem. This method has the advantages of reduced resource consumption, improved real-time performance, and scalability.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is: A method for determining the failure of electronic price tag image printing includes four steps: server-side task encoding and distribution, base station-side task transmission, electronic price tag terminal task processing and feedback, and server-side judgment. The server-side task encoding and distribution includes the following steps: (1): The server assigns a unique encoding name to the image or data task that needs to be updated; (2): The server sends the encoded task data to the base station. The base station task transmission includes the following steps: (1) The base station receives the task packet sent by the server; (2) The base station sends the encoded task data to the target electronic price tag through wireless transmission. The task processing and feedback of the electronic price tag terminal includes the following steps: (1) After receiving the task, the electronic price tag stores it in the local cache and records the task code; (2) The electronic price tag executes the update program; (3) The electronic price tag actively carries the task code in the heartbeat packet uploaded in the next cycle. The server-side judgment includes the following steps: (1) The base station receives the heartbeat packet data of the electronic price tag and uploads it to the server. The server parses the task code in the packet. (2) The server compares the task code in the heartbeat packet with the current list of tasks to be confirmed. If the server determines that the electronic price tag update has failed, it will trigger a retransmission or alarm mechanism within a certain period of time.

[0006] Furthermore, in the server-side task encoding and distribution sub-step (1), the encoding may include information such as task version number, timestamp, or unique identifier.

[0007] Furthermore, in the server-side task encoding and distribution sub-step (2), the task data includes update content and encoding information.

[0008] Furthermore, in the base station task transmission (2), the wireless transmission adopts 2.4G wireless technology, transmits data through a private protocol, and can also use Bluetooth to transmit data.

[0009] Furthermore, in the task processing and feedback sub-step (2) of the electronic price tag terminal, the update procedure includes image decoding, storage, and display screen refresh.

[0010] Furthermore, in the server-side judgment step (2), if all electronic price tags have reported heartbeat data and the code contained in the heartbeat packet is consistent with the current task in the task list, it is determined that the task of all target electronic price tags has been successfully updated.

[0011] Furthermore, in the server-side judgment step (2), if the code contained in the heartbeat packet reported by the electronic price tag is inconsistent with the current task in the task list, then the electronic price tag update is determined to have failed.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this invention are: (1) Uniqueness of encoding: The task encoding corresponds one-to-one with the updated content, ensuring the accuracy of image tracking; (2) Embedded feedback of heartbeat packets: The update results are carried by the regular heartbeat packets of the price tag (such as status reporting), without the need for additional communication; (3) Active confirmation mechanism: The electronic price tag reports a heartbeat packet containing the task encoding, and the probability of misjudgment of image tracking is reduced by comparing the heartbeat packet data at least twice; (4) Task queue management: The server maintains the task execution status and the task data is saved for a certain period of time; and it has scalability, supports multi-task concurrent management, and is suitable for batch price tag update scenarios in large supermarkets or warehouse systems. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining when an electronic price tag image fails to print. Detailed Implementation

[0014] Figure 1 As shown, the following content of this invention uses the example of a supermarket that needs to update 20 electronic shelf labels on its shelves. The content currently displayed on the electronic shelf labels is the content after the previous update. The task code for the previous update was TASK0_IMG01. The code contained in the heartbeat packet reported by the current electronic shelf labels is TASK0_IMG01. The electronic shelf labels need to be updated again. This example illustrates the usage process of this invention.

[0015] Figure 1As shown, a method for judging the failure of electronic price tag image printing includes the following process. 1: Server-side task encoding and distribution, specifically including the following two sub-steps: (1): The server encodes the image data of 20 electronic price tags as: TASK1_IMG01 to TASK1_IMG20. (2): The task package is sent to the base station, which contains all the encodings and corresponding image data. 2: Base station-side task transmission, specifically including the following sub-steps: (1): After receiving the task, the base station sends the data to the corresponding price tag according to the shelf area or the goods bound to the price tag. 3: Task processing and feedback at the electronic price tag end, specifically including the following steps: (1): Receive the task, store and update it; (2): After successful update, carry the TASK1_IMG001 code of this task in the heartbeat packet, overwriting the previous TASK0_IMG01. 4: Server-side judgment, specifically including the following steps: (1): If the received electronic price tag heartbeat packet data contains TASK1_IMG001, and the received codes are consistent with the current task in the task list, then mark the task as completed; (2): If the received electronic price tag heartbeat packet contains TASK0_IMG001, then the update is judged to have failed, and the TASK1_IMG001 task is automatically resent. If the electronic price tag is still not updated successfully after 3 consecutive resentments, then an alarm is issued to check whether the electronic price tag is damaged; Among them, the electronic price tag must meet two conditions to be successfully swiped: A: The price tag receives the task data completely without any abnormalities and stores it; B: The price tag executes the update program without any abnormalities, then the update will be successful. If an electronic price tag update fails, there could be several reasons, such as: a) During the data reception process, incomplete data reception due to external forces, network issues, or internal problems will cause the update to fail; b) Even if the data reception and storage are complete, abnormal situations such as low voltage preventing the update process from starting, damaged display screen, or program reset can all lead to update failure. Specifically, if an update fails, the heartbeat packet will not include the code for the failed update; instead, it will report the code from the previous update. The server compares the received heartbeat packet with the currently updating task; if they do not match, the update is considered failed.

[0016] Figure 1As shown, this invention, through the above-described scheme, ensures the uniqueness of the encoding, with a one-to-one correspondence between the task code and the updated content. This uniqueness guarantees a direct association between the task and the result, ensuring tracking accuracy and enabling precise judgment. By utilizing embedded feedback via heartbeat packets and employing a heartbeat communication channel (using regular heartbeat packets from price tags, such as status reports, to carry the update results), no additional data interaction is required, reducing network load and resource consumption. It features an active confirmation mechanism; specifically, the electronic price tag reports a heartbeat packet containing the task code. Periodic heartbeat reporting (e.g., once per minute) provides rapid feedback on the update status. Comparison of at least two heartbeat packet data reduces the probability of misjudgment, improves real-time performance, and allows for timely handling of failed tasks. The server can maintain the task execution status, retaining task data for a certain period and offering scalability: supporting concurrent management of multiple tasks, it is suitable for batch price tag update scenarios in large supermarkets or warehouse systems.

[0017] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles and main features of the present invention, as well as its advantages. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or basic characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be included within the present invention.

[0018] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes the embodiments, the embodiments do not necessarily contain only one independent technical solution. This way of describing the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in the embodiments can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. An electronic price tag brush drawing failure judgment method, characterized by, The method comprises four steps: server-side task coding and issuing, base station-side task transmission, electronic price tag-side task processing and feedback, and server-side judgment. The server-side task coding and issuing comprises the following steps: (1) the server uniquely codes and names pictures or data tasks to be updated; and (2) the server sends the coded task data to the base station. The base station-side task transmission comprises the following steps: (1) the base station receives the task package issued by the server; and (2) the base station sends the coded task data to the target electronic price tag through wireless transmission. The electronic price tag-side task processing and feedback comprises the following steps: (1) the electronic price tag stores the received task in the local cache and records the task code; (2) the electronic price tag executes the update program; and (3) the electronic price tag actively carries the task code in the next cycle of the heartbeat package. The server-side judgment comprises the following steps: (1) the base station receives the heartbeat package data uploaded by the electronic price tag to the server, and the server analyzes the task code in the heartbeat package; and (2) the server compares the task code in the heartbeat package with the current task list to be confirmed, and if the server determines that the electronic price tag fails to update, triggers the retransmission or alarm mechanism within a certain time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: In step (1) of the server-side task coding and issuing, the code can contain task version number, timestamp or unique identifier and the like.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: In step (2) of the server-side task coding and issuing, the task data comprises update content and code information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: In step (2) of the base station-side task transmission, the wireless transmission adopts 2.4G wireless technology and private protocol to transmit data, and can also adopt Bluetooth to transmit data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: In step (2) of the electronic price tag-side task processing and feedback, the update program comprises picture decoding, storage and display screen refreshing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: In step (2) of the server-side judgment, if all the electronic price tags report the heartbeat package data, and the code contained in the heartbeat package is consistent with the current task of the task list, it is determined that all the target electronic price tags successfully update the task.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: determining whether the electronic price tag is in a state of being unable to display an image based on the result of the comparison. In step (2) of the server-side judgment, if the code contained in the heartbeat package reported by the electronic price tag is inconsistent with the current task of the task list, it is determined that the electronic price tag fails to update.

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