Interactive product display device

Abstract

Interactive merchandise display device (1), comprising - one or more display facilities (3, 3a, 3b) for the presentation of goods, products or the like to a buyer, - at least one projection element (7, 8), - a holding device (2) to which one or more load carrier devices (3, 3a, 3b) can be attached, - an optical projection device (5) which has an interface for receiving data, and wherein the projection device (5) interacts with at least one of the projection elements (7, 8) in the form of a rear projection element in such a way that content can be displayed on the at least one projection element (7, 8) for the buyer by means of the projection device (5), and - a detection device (31a, 31b, 31c) comprising at least one sensor element which cooperates with the at least one projection element (7, 8) to detect gestures of a buyer, wherein the at least one sensor element (31a, 31b, 31c) is designed as a photodiode, and the photodiode is integrated in the back wall (2) such that light which is reflected back into the shelf plane by the projection element (7) can be measured.

Description

Technical area

[0001] The invention relates to an interactive product presentation device, comprising one or more product carrier devices for presenting goods, products or the like to a buyer, and a holding device to which the one or more product carrier devices can be fixed.

[0002] The invention further relates to a method for the interactive presentation of goods, wherein goods, products or the like are arranged on one or more goods carrier devices, wherein the goods carrier devices are fixed to a holding device.

[0003] Although the present invention is applicable to any interactive merchandise display device, the present invention will be described with reference to a merchandise display device in the form of a merchandise shelf. State of the art

[0004] Product display devices, for example in a supermarket or the like, have become known in the form of a product shelf. Such product shelves have several shelves arranged one above the other, on each of which products or the like are placed. Printed product labels can be attached to an end of the shelf facing the supermarket visitor, for example, which then provide information about the corresponding products, such as price, weight, manufacturer, or the like. In addition, so-called electronic labels have become known; these are attached to the shelves or product shelves and statistically display pre-programmed content for a buyer, similar to the printed product selection labels. The display content of the electronic labels can be programmed, for example, using handheld devices.

[0005] DE 10 2012 107 689 B3 discloses a vacuum cleaner with control and display elements for its operation. Using a projection unit, the control and display elements are projected onto a projection surface. A light source for radiation in the invisible range and a camera for recording reflected radiation from the light source are provided to detect the user's operation of the control elements on the projection surface. The detailed illustration shows a projection unit that projects an image onto a surface. On this surface, the user can interact with the device, as their movements are registered by a detector.

[0006] DE 10 2010 039 371 B4 discloses a control device for a household appliance and a corresponding household appliance. The control device comprises a control unit and an optical recognition device with a detector configured to detect operating actions of an operator and / or the position of an object and / or the extent of an object within a detection range. The detector can thus detect gestures with spatial resolution within the detection range.

[0007] The documents DE 100 07 891 C2, DE 10 2010 039 371 B4, DE 10 2012 107 689 B3 and DE 10 2016 221 669 A1 describe interactive product presentation devices which partially have the features of the interactive product presentation device according to claim 1. Disclosure of the invention

[0008] In one embodiment, the invention provides an interactive product display device comprising - one or more merchandise display devices for presenting goods, products or the like to a buyer, - at least one projection element, - a holding device to which the one or more goods carrier devices can be fixed, - an optical projection device which has an interface for receiving data, and wherein the projection device interacts with at least one of the projection elements in the form of a rear projection element in such a way that contents can be displayed on the at least one projection element for the buyer by means of the projection device, and - a detection device comprising at least one sensor element which cooperates with the at least one projection element for detecting gestures of a buyer.

[0009] In a further embodiment, the invention provides a method for the interactive presentation of goods, wherein goods, products or the like are arranged on one or more goods carrier devices, wherein the one or more goods carrier devices are fixed to a holding device and wherein by means of a projection device which interacts with at least one projection element in a goods carrier device and / or in the holding device, in particular in the form of a rear projection element, contents are displayed on at least one projection element for a buyer and wherein by means of a detection device which comprises at least one sensor element which interacts with the at least one projection element, gestures of a buyer are detected and, depending on a gesture, contents are displayed on the at least one projection element.

[0010] One of the advantages achieved is that, for example, an image can be displayed at the point of sale without a monitor or electronics that can be recognized as a display disrupting the perception of the product presentation devices and products or distracting the attention of a supermarket visitor, for example, from the presentation of the product. A further advantage is that a wide variety of content such as text, graphics, images, videos or the like can be presented to a buyer or supermarket visitor in an extremely flexible way. A further advantage is that the product presentation device is easy to install, maintain and clean. A further advantage is that the flexibility and the so-called quality of experience for a customer or buyer is significantly increased.For example, the user can use gestures to access interactive information about the product or operate virtual control elements that are displayed via the projection device.

[0011] Further features, advantages and further embodiments of the invention are described below or will become apparent thereby: According to an advantageous development of the invention, the projection device is arranged in the holding device. This allows for a particularly compact design, particularly for the goods carrier devices. According to the invention, the at least one sensor element is designed as a photodiode. The design as a photodiode provides, in particular, a compact sensor element that can be flexibly arranged at suitable locations on the merchandise display device in order to reliably detect a shopper's gestures.

[0012] According to a further advantageous development, the at least one sensor element and / or the at least one projection element is arranged in the holding device. One of the advantages achieved is that damage, for example, caused by a buyer or the like, is largely avoided. Furthermore, the design of the goods support devices can be kept simple and cost-effective.

[0013] According to a further advantageous development, the at least one sensor element and / or the at least one projection element is arranged in the at least one goods carrier device, in particular the at least one sensor element is arranged in the projection element. When arranged in a goods carrier device, the sensor element can be positioned close to the customer, which enables improved recognition of the customer's gestures.

[0014] According to a further advantageous development, the projection device comprises a raster laser projector that is temporally synchronized with the detection device. Interactive laser projection eliminates the need for complex adjustment of the detection path relative to the projection path, enabling simple implementation.

[0015] According to a further advantageous development, at least two product support devices are arranged substantially spaced apart from one another and one above the other on the holding device, and the projection element is arranged in the lower of the at least two product support devices, and the at least one sensor element is arranged in the upper and / or lower of the at least two product support devices. In this way, the projection element can be projected from above, and at the same time, gestures of a buyer in the area of ​​the product or goods can be detected in a simple and reliable manner. Alternatively or additionally, one or more projection elements can also be arranged in the upper product support device.For example, if several product support devices are arranged one above the other in a product display device, a projection element in the uppermost product support device can also be illuminated by a beam path within it. Likewise, one or more sensor elements can then be arranged next to or in the uppermost product support device and / or in the holding device.

[0016] According to a further advantageous development, at least one projection element is arranged on an upper side of at least one of the merchandise support devices. This allows, in a particularly advantageous manner, representations to be placed directly in the expanded field of vision of a buyer of a product arranged on the corresponding merchandise support device, which not only improves the perception of the displayed information but can also provide a positive incentive to purchase.

[0017] According to a further advantageous development, a collecting optic is arranged in the beam path upstream of the detection device, in particular the sensor element. The advantage of this is that the measured detector signal can be improved.

[0018] According to a further advantageous development, a presentation server is connected to the interface of the projection device for providing presentation data and is arranged in the holding device. In this way, an integrated system can be provided, making implementation particularly easy for a supermarket operator or the like.

[0019] Further important features and advantages of the invention emerge from the subclaims, from the drawings, and from the associated description of the figures based on the drawings.

[0020] It is understood that the features mentioned above and those to be explained below can be used not only in the combination specified in each case, but also in other combinations or on their own, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0021] Preferred embodiments and embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and are explained in more detail in the following description, wherein the same reference numerals refer to the same or similar or functionally identical components or elements. Short description of the drawings Fig. 1 shows an interactive product display device according to an embodiment of the present invention and Fig. 2 shows an interactive product display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Embodiments of the invention

[0022] Fig. 1 shows an interactive product display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] In Fig. 1, a goods shelf 1 is shown schematically in cross-section. The goods shelf 1 comprises a main part 2 in the form of a rear wall, on which one or more shelf levels 3 are arranged. In this case, a server or player 11 is arranged in the rear wall 2, which receives data from a server 12 located outside the rear wall 2, which is located in a store branch or the like, information, control data and / or image data. The server 12 arranged outside the rear wall 2 can be connected to a central server 13, which is operated, for example, by a department store chain. The server 11 arranged in the rear wall 2 is further connected to a projector 5, which is arranged within the rear wall 2 of the goods shelf 1. The sensor 11 is designed as a control device for the projector 5. The projector 5 then emits a projection beam 9a based on the image data from the server 11.Subsequently, the beam path 9b of the projector 5 is redirected by an optical deflection device 6 such that the beam path 9b is projected behind the optical deflection device 6 onto a projection element 7, which is arranged at the front within the shelf level 3, i.e., facing a buyer or the like. The projection element 7 can be made of a suitable material or is designed such that the projected beam path 9b can be seen transmittively from the viewing surface 8 of the shelf level 3 by the viewer or user, which is known as rear projection.

[0024] In the embodiment of the Fig. 1, a deflection of the beam path 9a is provided by the optical deflection device 6. In this case, the optical deflection device 6 can, on the one hand, deflect the beam path 9a, but the beam path 9a can also be changed, for example, such that the projection angle of the projection beam 9a behind the optical deflection device 6 is enlarged or distorted, or the projection beam 9a is additionally focused on the projection element 7 in order to increase the resolution of the projection image. For this purpose, a beam shaping device is arranged, which can be integrated into the optical deflection device 6 or provided separately. Furthermore, by maximizing the length of the beam path 9a, it is possible to increase the image size in the projection element 7.

[0025] The projection element 7 is designed to be transmissive: This can be made of a material that enables a sharp image in transmission onto the viewing surface 8. The viewing surface 8 is preferably gray or black to absorb background light and thus enhance the contrast of the rear projection. However, it can also be any other color or be patterned. Furthermore, holographic elements can also be arranged to form the projection element 7, such as a diffuser or the like.

[0026] The shape of the projection element 7 can be arbitrarily designed, allowing the use of a three-dimensional surface, a surface with non-rectangular boundary edges, or even a curved surface. The material and internal structure of the projection element 7 can be selected in terms of its transmission radiation angle to achieve a large viewing angle or a highly directed radiation towards the viewer. The inner surfaces within the shelf levels 3 are preferably dark in order to absorb reflections from the projection element 7 into the shelf levels 3, thus achieving better contrast.

[0027] Furthermore, one or more photosensitive detectors 31a, 31b, 31c are arranged in the rear wall 2 and / or in the shelf level 3 and / or the projection element 7, which are connected to the projection unit 5. According to the invention, a photodiode 31a is integrated into the rear wall 2 such that light reflected back from the projection element 7 or viewing surface 8 into the shelf level 3 can be measured. The photodiode can "look into" the shelf level 3 through an opening in the rear wall 2 and measure time-resolved scattered light there.

[0028] In a further embodiment, a photodiode 31b can be integrated into the shelf level 3. This photodiode is used to measure the light reflected from the walls of the shelf level 3 or from the visible surface 8 in a time-resolved manner.

[0029] In a further embodiment, a photodiode 31c can be integrated in the projection element 7 and can detect the light scattered by the viewing surface 8 within the projection element 7.

[0030] The detectors 31a, 31b, 31c, embodied here as photodiodes, can detect that a user has touched the viewing surface 8 with an object, such as a finger of a hand, during the projection. The position of the touch can be detected from a time-dependent photodiode signal synchronized with the position of the projection scanner 5. The synchronization of the photodiodes 31a, 31b, 31c with the projection coordinate of the projection device 5 can also be accomplished with the server 11.

[0031] Fig. 2 shows an interactive product display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] In Fig. 2 is essentially a product presentation device 1 according to Fig. 1. In contrast to the product presentation device 1 according to Fig. 1 are in the goods presentation device 1 according to Fig. 2 now two shelf levels 3a, 3b spaced apart and arranged one above the other on the rear wall 2 and the projection element 7 with visible surface 8 is arranged on an upper side in the front area of ​​the lower of two shelf levels 3a, 3b.

[0033] Further in contrast to Fig. 1, the beam path 9b is now deflected behind the optical deflection element 6 by means of a further optical element 21 in such a way that the projection element 7 with the horizontal viewing surface 8 can be projected from above with projection content (beam path 9c).

[0034] This makes it possible to selectively change the projection direction onto the projection surface 7 when installed. The optical element 21 can be configured, for example, as a plane mirror, concave mirror, cylindrical mirror, aspherical mirror, or freeform mirror, which can be designed to be (electro-)mechanically controllable. This allows the beam path 9c to be changed.

[0035] As explained above, the optical deflection element 21 and the projection element 7 are arranged on different shelf levels 3a, 3b such that the projection element 7 is arranged in the upper area of ​​the lower shelf level 3b, and the optical deflection element 21 is arranged in the area closest to the lower shelf level 3b. Image content from the projector 5 is then projected from above onto the projection element 7 or its visible surface 8 via the upper shelf level 3a, the optical deflection element 6 in the rear wall 2, and the optical deflection element 21 in the shelf level 3a.

[0036] The projection surface 7 arranged in the shelf level 3b is designed for diffuse or diffusely directed light scattering, less for transmission. The viewing surface 8 can preferably have a scattering angle that is directed towards the viewer, i.e. in the representation of the Fig. 4 to the right, e.g., through the use of a holographic element. This makes it possible to project information from shelf level 3a onto objects located on shelf level 3b, and thus on the visible surface 8. Projection element 7 is optional, as projections can also be made only onto objects on the lower shelf level 3b.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a photodiode 31b is integrated into the shelf level 3a, which is vertically opposite the shelf level 3b. This photodiode can, among other things, detect the objects located underneath, i.e., the objects arranged on the shelf level 3b. This also applies to gestures performed by a user in its area. The photodiode 31b can be integrated into a shelf level, and a further photodiode 31c can be arranged next to the photodiode 31a in the rear wall 2, next to the projection element 7. Both photodiodes 31b, 31c are arranged on a side of the projection element 7 or the optical deflection element 21 facing away from the user. Alternatively or additionally, they can also be integrated into the rear wall 2. The viewing angle of the photodiodes 31a, 31b, 31c onto an object on the shelf level 3b is selected such that it differs from the projection angle as the projection beam 3c from the optical deflection element 21.

[0038] The photodiode 31a, 31b is thus arranged in such a way that the backscattered light from an object on the shelf level 3b or a gesture of a user performed between the two shelf levels can be detected by the photodiode 31a, 31b.

[0039] As explained, photodiode 31c is integrated into projection surface 7, which can act as a light guide. This makes it possible to detect contact of the visible surface 8 in projection element 7 by photodiode 31c. Photodiodes 31a, 31b, 31c are connected to projection device 5 or, alternatively or additionally, to a control unit or server 11 (dashed lines). To improve the measured photodetector signal, a collecting optics system can be arranged in front of the respective photodiode 31a, 31b, 31c.

[0040] In summary, at least one of the embodiments has at least one of the following advantages: • Interactive control • Presentation of information in a product presentation device • Appealing appearance for a buyer • Easy implementation for an operator • Simple and cost-effective maintenance

[0041] Although the present invention has been described using preferred embodiments, it is not limited thereto but can be modified in many ways.

Claims

[1] Interactive product presentation device (1), comprising - one or more goods carrier devices (3, 3a, 3b) for presenting goods, products or the like to a buyer, - at least one projection element (7, 8), - a holding device (2) to which the one or more goods carrier devices (3, 3a, 3b) can be fixed, - an optical projection device (5) which has an interface for receiving data, and wherein the projection device (5) interacts with at least one of the projection elements (7, 8) in the form of a rear projection element such that contents can be displayed on the at least one projection element (7, 8) for the buyer by means of the projection device (5), and - a detection device (31a, 31b, 31c) comprising at least one sensor element which cooperates with the at least one projection element (7, 8) to detect gestures of a buyer, wherein the at least one sensor element (31a, 31b, 31c) is designed as a photodiode, and the photodiode is integrated in the rear wall (2) in such a way that light which is reflected back into the shelf plane by the projection element (7) can be measured. [2] Product display device according to claim 1, wherein the projection device (5) is arranged in the holding device (2). [3] Goods presentation device according to one of claims 1-2, wherein the at least one sensor element (31a, 31b, 31c) and / or the at least one projection element (7, 8) is arranged in the holding device (2). [4] Goods presentation device according to one of claims 1-3, wherein the at least one sensor element (31a, 31b, 31c) and / or the at least one projection element (7, 8) is arranged in the at least one goods carrier device (3, 3a, 3b), in particular the at least one sensor element (31a, 31b, 31c) in the projection element (7, 8). [5] Product display device according to one of claims 1-4, wherein the projection device (5) comprises a raster laser projector which is temporally synchronized with the detection device (31a, 31b, 31c). [6] Goods presentation device according to one of claims 1-5, wherein at least two goods carrier devices (3a, 3b) are arranged substantially spaced from one another and one above the other on the holding device (2) and wherein at least one projection element (7, 8) is arranged in the lower one (3b) of the at least two goods carrier devices (3a, 3b) and the at least one sensor element (31b) is arranged in the upper one (3a) and / or the lower one (3b) of the at least two goods carrier devices (3a, 3b). [7] Goods presentation device according to claim 4, wherein at least one projection element (7, 8) is arranged on an upper side of at least one of the goods carrier devices (3, 3a, 3b). [8] Product presentation device according to one of claims 1-7, wherein a collecting optics is arranged in the beam path in front of the detection device (31a, 31b, 31c), in particular the sensor element. [9] Product presentation device according to one of claims 1-8, wherein a presentation server (11) is connected to the interface of the projection device (5) for providing presentation data and is arranged in the holding device (2).

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