Stock taking assistant method and system

Abstract

A method which comprises the following method steps, namely: automatically capturing a product location using a camera and producing a digital image of the product location using the camera, the product location serving for placing at least one product; automatically detecting that the product location is empty by computerized evaluation of the product location image; and digitally documenting any absence of the product from the product location.

Description

[0001] title

[0002] Inventory support procedures and system

[0003] Description

[0004] Technical field

[0005] The invention relates to a method and a system for inventory support.

[0006] background

[0007] During the legally required annual inventory in a store, every item in the store must typically be counted and the resulting quantity of each product recorded. However, this process is extremely time-consuming, especially when it has to be carried out in stores that carry several thousand items in their assortment.

[0008] Against this background, the invention has set itself the task of providing a method and a system which enables a more efficient inventory process.

[0009] Summary of the invention

[0010] This object is achieved by a method according to claim 1. The subject matter of the invention is therefore a method which comprises the following method steps, namely an automatic detection of a product location with the aid of a camera and generation of a digital product location image of the product location with the aid of the camera, wherein the product location serves for placing at least one product, an automatic detection that the product location is empty by computerized evaluation of the product location image, and a digital documentation of the absence of the product at the product location.

[0011] This object is further achieved by a system according to claim 10. The subject matter of the invention is therefore a system, in particular an electronic product and / or price display system, which comprises: cameras, wherein the cameras are provided for detecting product locations, wherein each product location serves to place at least one product, and wherein the cameras are provided for generating product location images for the detected product locations, wherein the system is designed to automatically detect that at least one of the product locations is empty by computerized evaluation of the product location image, and wherein the system is designed to digitally document the absence of the product at the product location that was detected as empty.

[0012] The procedure and system therefore allow for the automatic detection and documentation of a product reaching a zero quantity in the inventory level at the relevant product location, i.e., the automatic detection and documentation of the product's inventory level at the relevant product location being zero at a given point in time. The product for which the zero quantity was determined to have been reached during the year (i.e., at a time other than the time at which the complete inventory is carried out) must therefore no longer be included in the complete or main inventory - in those countries where the legal framework for inventory taking permits this. This is sometimes referred to in technical jargon as a zero inventory. The technical measures of the procedure and the system therefore significantly simplify the complete or main inventory because the product for which the zero quantity was determined to have been reached no longer needs to be manually recorded.

[0013] The measures according to the invention therefore have the advantage of drastically reducing the time required to conduct a general or main inventory, because product locations previously identified as empty are automatically identified and documented for the general or main inventory. This also significantly increases the reliability of the inventory process, because an empty product location is automatically detected and the corresponding information is automatically documented. Potential human-caused errors are thus completely eliminated, ensuring the necessary error-free documentation.

[0014] The method according to the invention as well as the system can be implemented excellently and, above all, with little additional effort in warehouses or in business premises in order to make the inventory process more efficient and consequently simplify it.

[0015] Further, particularly advantageous embodiments and developments of the invention emerge from the dependent claims and the following description.

[0016] Particularly in a retail store, but also in a warehouse, display units are usually attached to the shelves, displaying product and / or price information. These display units can be conventional paper-based display units. However, nowadays, electronic display units, commonly referred to in technical jargon as "Electronic Shelf Labels," or ESLs for short, are often used. These are controlled by a server or a cloud-based software application, usually with the help of a network of access points, and are supplied with product and / or price information, for example.

[0017] The camera used for automatic detection has a lens and an image sensor, whereby objects within the camera's detection range are projected or imaged through the lens onto the image sensor. Based on this projection, the image sensor creates a digital image of the object or scene within the camera's detection range. This can be, for example, a shelf containing one or more product locations. The digital image then contains at least one digital product location image representing the respective product location.

[0018] The camera can be designed to be freely movable. It can be a freely movable camera that is moved through the room to be inspected, such as a store or warehouse, as a standalone unit or attached to or integrated into a camera carrying device, for example glasses, a shopping cart, or a handheld device such as a mobile phone or a tablet computer. A freely movable camera allows the recording of several product locations at different points in the room in chronological order. This means that even large areas of the room can be completely recorded over time using as few cameras as possible, although not simultaneously. It has therefore proven particularly advantageous to carry out automatic recording with the help of a permanently installed camera whose recording area is focused, in particular permanently, on at least one product location.

[0019] Depending on the location, the lens used, or the camera's zoom function, a scene with multiple product locations or just a single product location can be within the camera's field of view. The camera can also be operated to successively focus or zoom on different areas of its maximum field of view, thus making sections of its field of view available for further image processing.

[0020] The permanently installed camera can be positioned, for example, on the ceiling of the room, on the shelf, in shelf dividers or in the electronic display unit, and from there automatically record one or more product locations. With a sufficiently large number of cameras, suitable positioning and alignment can ensure that all product locations in a warehouse or store are automatically recorded, especially simultaneously. Changes in the product inventory at a product location can be easily detected due to the permanently consistent alignment of the cameras, which means that the absence of a product at the respective product location can be reliably determined. A particularly advantageous aspect is that the time at which the zero quantity occurs at the respective product location can be clearly defined, thus essentially ensuring synchronized recording for all product locations.

[0021] It should be noted that a mixed configuration of fixed and movable cameras can also be used for automatic detection.

[0022] Furthermore, it has proven particularly advantageous that the automatic detection of an empty product location involves retrieving product information. Retrieving the product information determines which product is missing from the product location identified as empty, i.e., which product should be located there.

[0023] The product information can be retrieved directly from the server. For this purpose, the camera is connected to the server wirelessly or via cable (using a communication unit on the camera). The camera transmits the scene within its detection range, which may contain one or more product locations, as a captured product location image to the server, where it is automatically determined using software whether a product location is empty and, on the other hand, which product location it is. In this case, the latter can be done using image recognition, for example, whereby neighboring product locations that are not recognized as empty or the relevant display unit(s), in particular those of the product location recognized as empty, are taken into account in order to identify the product belonging to the empty product location.To identify the product, the image, or the objects identified therein, or the digitally analyzable information content (the readable content of the display unit(s)) is analyzed by software.

[0024] However, it has proven particularly advantageous if the server functionality discussed in the previous paragraph is provided directly by the camera or the camera's computer. This significantly reduces the data volume transmitted to the server because image data does not have to be continuously transferred to the server and the computing power of the camera's computer is fully utilized, thus implementing decentralized image processing directly in the camera.

[0025] It has therefore proven particularly advantageous if obtaining the product information involves receiving product information data, in particular provided by a server, at the camera, using the aforementioned communication unit of the camera, with the aid of which the product information data is transmitted from the server to the (respective) camera.

[0026] Obtaining the product information from the server now allows a fully automatic - decentralized - identification of the product intended for the product location identified as empty, because the product information indicates which product is in the affected empty product location.

[0027] For this purpose, the server knows the camera's respective detection range, i.e., the product locations contained therein, which was determined and saved in advance, and the shelf occupancy, i.e., the identity of the products at the product locations assigned to them, which is stored in an occupancy data structure. For the product locations located within the camera's respective detection range, the server transmits the relevant product information and, if applicable, the expected arrangement of the products, as previously saved.

[0028] Such an occupancy data structure can, for example, be implemented as a so-called three-dimensional (3D) "floor plan." Using the "3D floor plan," each product location can be represented or identified by its three spatial coordinates (or by a coordinate range that describes the respective product location) and a product identification number (e.g., a digital representation of an EAN code or the like) that identifies the product assigned to the product location.

[0029] By obtaining product information from the camera, which is generally only necessary when the product configuration on the shelf changes, usually only after extended periods of operation, the camera (ultimately its computer) is informed of the identity of the product intended for the respective product slot. As soon as the camera automatically detects an empty product slot within its detection range, it can transmit this information, along with the correct information about the missing product, to the server.

[0030] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the product information is obtained autonomously in the camera with the aid of the camera's computer, in particular using "computer vision".

[0031] In this form of training, the camera is designed to autonomously and automatically detect whether a product location in its detection area is empty and also to autonomously and automatically determine which product is affected at this product location that has been detected as empty.

[0032] In this case, "computer vision" refers to software that allows digital images to be analyzed to extract information from the real scene represented by the digital image. This is also consistent with the scientific field also known as "computer vision." Preferably, this software can also be self-learning in the sense of artificial intelligence. Of course, other software and / or hardware-based solutions can also be used to realize autonomous operation of the camera.

[0033] The camera's software therefore allows the camera to first determine, entirely on the camera side (decentrally), through automated image analysis, which product is located at the relevant product location, which relates to obtaining the product information, and then, over time, to also determine the occurrence of the product being missing at the relevant product location, which relates to the automatic recognition that the product location is empty.

[0034] To obtain product information, the software can be pre-trained with appropriate data sets, for example, based on the appearance of the product or products that are usually located at the product location or in the recorded product locations.

[0035] An empty product location can, for example, be identified on the one hand by detecting the full-surface product location and on the other hand by detecting the absence of the product that was located on this product location at an earlier point in time when the product location was recorded.

[0036] Particularly reliable identification of the product location, with regard to obtaining product information, is achieved, for example, if at least one product or product location code (hereinafter referred to as the code) is located within the camera's detection range, which allows conclusions to be drawn about the product that should be located in the product location and / or the product location itself. Such a code can be used, for example, in the form of a barcode, a QR code, a symbol or a combination of symbols, a text, or a pattern. This code can be located and interpreted—in particular, decoded—by the camera's computer in the product location image.

[0037] The code can, for example, be attached to the shelf base, so that the camera can detect it as soon as the shelf space is empty. The camera's computer recognizes the code, checks whether there are indeed no more products in the remaining shelf space, i.e., whether the shelf space is empty, and interprets the code to retrieve the corresponding product information, because this relationship was previously stored, for example, in a table available in the camera.

[0038] The code can also be attached to the free end of the shelf, for example, on a display unit attached to it (such as a shelf label). This shelf label, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the product location, is also captured by the camera and appears as part of the digital product location image. In this case, the camera's computer checks the product location image for the code to determine which product should be located in the product location. The computer also performs object recognition, which checks whether the corresponding product is located at the product location or whether the product location is empty.

[0039] As discussed at the beginning, electronic display units are increasingly being used these days. This method is particularly advantageous when the electronic display units are used to display the code. The code can be in the form of text, for example the product name, a barcode, or similar. The code can correspond to the identification code of the electronic display unit or the product logically linked to it. The code, i.e. the product information, can therefore simply be displayed on a screen of the electronic display unit. Typically, such a code is transmitted wirelessly or wired to the display unit after the electronic display unit has been attached to the shelf. The code displayed can also simply be the plain text describing the product.

[0040] In summary, the identity of the product assigned to the product location, or the identity of the product location itself, can be determined with the help of the camera's computer by automatically evaluating product information positioned corresponding to the product location.

[0041] If it is determined that the product location is empty, this is documented digitally. For this purpose, the product location image is preferably saved, particularly as an image or video file. Furthermore, such a documentation data structure in which the product location image is documented can contain the time, date, and / or location of the capture and / or a camera ID, as well as the product identity, etc., to ensure clear documentation and traceability.

[0042] In general, it is advantageous that digital documentation includes unalterable storage.

[0043] This allows for legally secure proof of reaching the zero quantity. Thus, digital documentation provides a reliable basis for inventory taking into account the zero quantity at a specific product location, allowing those products for which the absence of the product at the location has already been digitally documented in the past to be safely ignored.

[0044] It has proven particularly advantageous that digital documentation includes unalterable storage for a predefined period of time. Preferably, the digital documentation is retained or stored at least until the actual inventory. However, the predefined period of time particularly preferably extends beyond this. The predefined period of time can be based on the applicable regulations and laws of a country, ensuring that the zero quantity remains stored or traceably digitally documented for at least as long as required for proper, legally compliant documentation of the inventory.

[0045] Thus, when a zero quantity is reached at a product location, this is automatically detected and documented, so that those products that have reached a zero quantity no longer need to be considered in the subsequent inventory. For the actual inventory, it has proven particularly advantageous to visualize a status indicator using at least one electronic display unit, especially all electronic display units, that identifies the product location previously identified as empty.To implement this method feature, the system has electronic display units, each of these display units being provided for displaying product and / or price information for a product and being positioned corresponding to a product location, the system, in particular the electronic display units being designed such that with the aid of at least one electronic display unit, in particular with the aid of all electronic display units, the status display can be visualized which makes it possible to identify the product location that was previously recognized as empty.

[0046] This means that an employee carrying out the inventory can immediately see which products had already reached a zero quantity in the past and were therefore already digitally and automatically documented, so that the employee can ignore these products, making the inventory process much faster.

[0047] The status display can be visualized, for example, by a text, a pattern or a color on the screen of the electronic display unit or by the lighting or flashing of an LED on the electronic display unit.

[0048] In this case, those electronic display units can display a status indicator for which a zero quantity has been determined for the corresponding product location, i.e., those electronic display units whose associated products are no longer to be considered for inventory. In addition, those electronic display units can also display a status indicator for which no zero quantity has been determined for the corresponding product location, i.e., those electronic display units whose associated products are still to be considered for inventory.Electronic display units whose associated products are no longer to be considered for inventory can also display a status display, for example, an "OK" text on the screen, while electronic display units whose associated products are still to be considered for inventory can display a different status display, such as a "TO-DO" text on the screen and / or a flashing LED, or simply display the typically available product information without a specific status display. The server therefore decides which electronic display units should display a status display or not.

[0049] To enable the electronic display unit to visualize the status display, the information about the detection of zero quantity, i.e., that the product location is empty, is transmitted from the camera to the electronic display unit. This transmission can be done wirelessly directly from the camera to the electronic display unit. However, it has proven particularly advantageous to transmit the information to the electronic display unit via the server, since the entire inventory process is handled via the server.

[0050] Control information is therefore transmitted to the electronic display unit so that the electronic display unit visualizes the status display so that an employee involved in the inventory can see whether a product location or a product should be taken into account for the inventory or not.

[0051] The employee therefore only needs to inventory a portion of the product locations. It has proven advantageous to provide an inventory status for a specific product location via an electronic display unit or a portable user device.

[0052] The portable user device can be a device that allows the employee conducting the inventory to document the inventory or its progress. For example, the portable user device can be a tablet computer or a mobile phone with appropriate software or application.

[0053] The inventory status describes the number of products located at the product location or the counted products (quantity). The inventory status can include additional information such as the time and location of the inventory status creation. The employee can therefore enter the counted (or otherwise determined, e.g., weighed) quantity (or other corresponding size) of the respective product into the portable user device.

[0054] This measure allows for automatic confirmation of the product's inventory recording. For this purpose, a link can be established between the portable user device and the electronic display unit, for example, as a result of NFC communication, so that the entered size (quantity) can be immediately assigned to the electronic display unit. However, the link can also be established by scanning an optical code, such as a barcode or QR code, on the electronic display unit using the portable user device. This optical code can also be the status display, informing the employee that the product belonging to this electronic display unit still needs to be inventoried. The relevant product or product location can also be selected manually.

[0055] The inventory status can therefore be provided by the portable user device and / or the electronic display unit, i.e., sent, and received and processed by the server. On the server, the inventory status of the individual products is preferably stored digitally in an inventory status data structure. The inventory status data structure, with its individual entries, represents, for example, the quantity or mass of the individual products after the inventory has been completed.

[0056] According to a further aspect, it has proven advantageous for the electronic display unit, if the corresponding product location was previously detected as empty, to either refuse communication with the portable user device or transmit a notification record to it. The notification record causes the portable user device to display information informing the employee that a zero quantity was already automatically determined for the corresponding product in the past. The electronic display unit itself can also display this notification.

[0057] In this context, various authorizations can also be provided for the employee. For example, it can be stipulated that employees without special authorization are prevented from manually entering data for a product for which the zero quantity was already determined in the past. The employee can also be required to confirm that they wish to edit or add to an already recorded data record. This may require a higher authorization. It should be noted that even with such editing or additions, editing or deleting the digital product image itself created for the recorded zero quantity is preferentially excluded.

[0058] According to one aspect of the invention, for a product whose product location has been automatically detected as empty, the digitally documented absence of the product at the product location is stored as the inventory status for the product in question. Thus, the documentation data structure, which contains the product location image and the product identity, and possibly other information such as time and location, is stored in the inventory data structure as the inventory status for the affected product.

[0059] Thus, the inventory status data structure is designed in such a way that for those products for which a zero quantity existed in the past, the digital product location image is stored (as such or via a link), from which the actual achievement of the zero quantity can be seen and thus verifiable. For the remaining products, however, the product status, for example, the quantity, mass, etc. determined during the manual inventory, is stored.

[0060] Finally, it should be generally mentioned that the electronic devices and equipment discussed above naturally incorporate electronics. The electronics can be discrete, integrated, or a combination of both. Microcomputers, microcontrollers, and Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), possibly in combination with analog or digital electronic peripherals, can also be used. Many of the device functionalities mentioned above are implemented—possibly in conjunction with hardware components—using software running on an electronic processor. Devices designed for radio communication typically incorporate an antenna configuration for transmitting and receiving radio signals, as well as a modulator and / or demodulator, as part of a transceiver module.The electronic devices can also have an internal electrical power supply, which can be implemented, for example, with a replaceable or rechargeable battery. The devices can also be powered wired, either via an external power supply or via "Power over LAN." A wireless power supply via "Power over WiFi" can also be provided. Battery-operated electronic display units are preferably equipped with energy-saving electrophoretic screens.

[0061] These and other aspects of the invention are apparent from the figures discussed below.

[0062] Brief description of the figures. The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments, to which, however, the invention is not limited. It shows schematically:

[0063] Fig. 1 a camera that captures a shelf for inventory support.

[0064] Description of the embodiments

[0065] Figure 1 shows a section of a store with a single shelf 3, which has three shelf levels 3A, 3B, and 3C. A system 1 for executing an inventory support method is also installed in the store. The system 1 has a camera 2 with an integrated computer that captures the shelf 3 within its detection range. Each shelf level 3A, 3B, and 3C has three electronic display units on its front side, i.e., the side facing the camera, hereinafter referred to as ESLs 4A to 41. Each ESL 4A to 41 has a screen 11 for displaying information (such as product and / or price information) and an LED 12 (representative of all ESLs 4A-41 and displayed only on a single ESL 4A) for signaling. Each ESL 4A to 41 is installed corresponding to a product location 5A to 51 located above it in the respective shelf level 3A - 3C.With the exception of the middle product location 5E of the middle shelf level 3B, at the position of each product location 5A to 51 there is at least one product 6 assigned to the respective ESL 4A - 41, i.e., product location 5A to 51. The product 6 assigned to the middle product location 4E is therefore missing, so that product location 4E is unoccupied, i.e., empty.

[0066] Furthermore, the system 1 has a server 7 which is coupled to an access point 8, via which the server 7 is wirelessly connected to the camera 2 and the ESLs 4A to 4I, which is structurally indicated by two antenna configurations A1 and A2.

[0067] System 1 also includes a portable user device designed as a tablet computer, abbreviated to tablet 9, which can be operated by an employee (not shown). Tablet 9 is also wirelessly connected to server 7 via access point 8.

[0068] In the present case, it is assumed that in the scene shown here, the tablet 9 was already used to create a logical link between the ESLs 4A to 41 and the products 6 positioned corresponding to them. At the time the logical link was created, all product positions 5A - 51 were naturally occupied with products 6, such as after the products had been placed for the first time. To create the logical link, a camera on the tablet 9 scanned a barcode of the respective product 6 and a barcode displayed on the screen 11 of the associated ESL 4A to 41. Both barcodes were transmitted to the server 7, where the logical link was generated and saved. The barcode of product 6 contains the product identity or product information identifying the product or allows its identification.As an alternative to scanning the barcode from the screen 11 of the ESL 4A to 41, the respective ESL 4A to 41 can also identify itself using near-field communication (NFC) 10. The server 7 creates a link data structure from these related information pairs (on the one hand, the information concerning the identity of the respective ESL and, on the other hand, the information concerning the identity of the respective product) that represents which ESL 4A to 41 is linked to which product 6, i.e., the logical connection.

[0069] Furthermore, it is assumed that with the help of camera 2 and an image analysis of the digitally captured image of the scene, the location of the product locations 5A to 51 of the products 6 was determined. The image analysis can take place directly in camera 2 or the raw data generated (essentially) by the camera can be transmitted to server 7, where the image analysis then takes place. However, the product locations 5A - 51 can also be determined manually, for example with the help of tablet 9. With the help of the location of the products 6 at their product locations determined in this way, an occupancy data structure is generated which enriches the linkage data structure with location information which specifies where the relevant product locations 5A - 51 are located for the respective products 6 and, derived from this, also the location of the respective ESLs 4A - 41.

[0070] To assist with inventory, camera 2 now captures shelf 3 and the product locations 5A to 51 located therein (e.g., essentially continuously, to detect changes in the occupancy of the respective product location) and generates product location images. Using computer vision, the product location images are evaluated by the computer in camera 2.

[0071] Furthermore, it is now assumed that over time all products have been removed from product location 5E. As soon as this situation occurs, the computer of camera 2 determines, when evaluating the product location images, that the middle product location 5E of the middle shelf level 3B is empty. This is then documented by permanently saving the relevant product location images or a sequence of the relevant product location images showing the emptiness. For this purpose, the product location images are transmitted to server 7 and stored there in a non-modifiable memory 7A together with the product identification (possibly also the ESL identification), the time and date of generation of the product location images, and a camera ID that uniquely identifies the camera 2 generating the product location image, in a documentation data structure.

[0072] If an annual inventory is now being conducted at a specific time, as is common in retail, the employee starts a corresponding program via tablet 9. Tablet 9 then informs server 7 of the start of the inventory process, and server 7 then puts ESLs 4A to 41 into inventory mode. In this inventory mode, ESLs 4A to 41 visualize their status, which was previously transmitted to them by server 7, in a status display using their screens 11.

[0073] For those products 5A - 51 for which an entry already exists in the documentation data structure, the server causes the screen of the corresponding ESL 4A - 41 to display a large "X" as the status indicator. In this case, this applies to ESL 4E, whose corresponding product location 5E was already identified as empty in the past.

[0074] For those products 5A - 51 for which no entry yet exists in the documentation data structure, server 7 causes them to display the relevant product information on their screens 11 and flash their LED 12. In this case, this applies to ESLs 4A to 4D and 4F to 41, for which no empty product location 5A - 5D and 5F - 51 has yet been identified. Simultaneously with the start of inventory mode, the information represented by the documentation data structure is transferred by server 7 into an inventory status data structure. In this inventory data structure, the quantities of the respective products 6 manually recorded by employees, as well as the identification of the products 6, are documented, i.e., stored.However, when the information represented by the documentation data structure is transferred to the inventory status data structure, a link to the immutable product location images is saved for those products 6 for which an entry exists in the documentation data structure. Thus, an entry is automatically generated in the inventory data structure for those products 6 for which an entry already exists in the documentation data structure, making manual entry of the relevant quantities of these products 6 obsolete.The inventory data structure generated in this way contains, after the inventory has been completed, in addition to the inventory status of the manually entered products 6, the automatically created inventory statuses for those products 6 for which an empty product location was already identified at least once in the past, which was documented with the relevant product location image and to which the inventory data structure will now refer via the aforementioned link.

[0075] During the inventory activities, the staff can now immediately identify which product locations are already stored in the inventory status data structure based on the status display visualized by ESLs 4A to 51, because a large "X" is displayed on the screen of the associated ESLs (in this case, ESL 4E). They do not perform a manual inventory for this product location 5E. However, manual inventory is performed for all other product locations.

[0076] As shown in Figure 1 bottom left for the product location 5G, the employee holds the tablet 9 to the ESL 4G to manually inventory the products 6 located there. The ESL 4G and the tablet 9 initiate near-field communication 10 during which the identity of the ESL 4G is transmitted to the tablet 9. The employee then enters the number of products located at the product location 5G assigned to the ESL 4G on the tablet 9. In this case, there are two products 6 at this product location 5G. After confirming the entry, the tablet 9 transmits the data to the server 7, where it is imported into the inventory status data structure. The server 7 then instructs the ESL 4G to display an adjusted status, with the LED 12 of the ESL 4G now lit continuously, so that the employee knows that this ESL 4G or the associated product location 5G has already been inventoried.The ESL 4G in question is also deactivated for a further, potentially incorrect, because duplicate, inventory of the product 6 assigned to it.

[0077] After the inventory is complete, all LEDs 12 of the ESLs 4A to 4D or 4E to 41, for which an inventory status has been entered, light up continuously. Alternatively, the LEDs can, of course, be deactivated successively after the respective products 6 have been recorded to avoid energy waste during the inventory. After all manually recorded product locations 5A - 5D and 5F - 51 have been recorded, the tablet 9 receives information from the server 7 that the inventory is complete. The employee can now confirm this on the tablet 9, thus completing the inventory. Server 7 then returns all ESLs 4A - 41 to their normal operating mode and once again displays the respective product and / or price information.

[0078] According to a further embodiment, the automatically generated documentation data structure can also be supplemented with the results of the manual inventory and thus the inventory status data structure can be created, in particular also directly in the immutable memory.

[0079] According to a further embodiment, the LED 12 can also be used to visualize the status of the products already automatically recorded in the documentation data structure using the associated ESLs 4A - 41, whereas the LEDs 12 are switched off for those products that are still to be taken into account in the manual inventory.

[0080] According to another design, the 12 LEDs can be omitted and the entire status display can be handled using the screens. ESL 4A-41s, which do not have 12 LEDs, can also be used.

[0081] Finally, it should be mentioned that any number of product locations and cameras can be used in business premises or warehouses to implement the method according to the invention. Particularly in large stores with several thousand, often tens of thousands, of different products, the method presented here significantly speeds up inventory because only a fraction of the product locations, rather than all of them, need to be manually recorded. Finally, it should be noted once again that the figure described in detail above is only one exemplary embodiment, which can be modified in a variety of ways by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. For the sake of completeness, it should also be noted that the use of the indefinite articles "ein" or "eine" does not exclude the possibility that the features in question may be present multiple times.

Claims

Claims 1. A procedure comprising the following procedural steps, namely: - automatic detection of a product location (5A - 51) using a camera (2) and creation of a digital product location image of the product location (5A - 51) using the camera (2), wherein the product location (5A - 51) for placing at least one product (6), - automatic detection that the product location (5A - 51) is empty, through computerized evaluation of the product location image, - a digital documentation of the absence of the product (6) at the product location (5A - 51).

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the automatic detection is carried out using a fixedly installed camera (2), the detection range of which is directed, in particular permanently, towards at least one product location (5A - 51).

3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the automatic detection that the product space (5A - 51) is empty includes retrieving product information.

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein obtaining the product information includes receiving product information data, in particular provided by a server (7).

5. Method according to claim 3, wherein the product information is obtained autonomously in the camera (2) with the aid of a computer of the camera (2), in particular using “computer vision”.

6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the digital documentation comprises unalterable storage, in particular for a predefined period of time.

7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a status display is visualized using at least one electronic display unit (4A - 41), in particular using all electronic display units (4A - 41), which makes the product location (5A - 51) that was previously recognized as empty identifiable.

8. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein an inventory status for a specific product location (5A - 51) is provided from an electronic display unit (4A - 41) or from a portable user device (9).

9. Method according to one of the preceding claims 7 to 8, wherein for a product (6) for which it has been automatically recognized that the product location (5A - 51) is empty, the digitally documented absence of the product (6) at the product location (5A - 51) is stored as an inventory status.

10. System (1), in particular an electronic product and / or price display system (1) comprising: - Cameras (2), wherein the cameras (2) are provided for capturing product locations (5A - 51), each product location (5A - 51) serving to place at least one product (6), and wherein the cameras (2) are provided for generating product location images for the captured product locations (5A - 51), wherein the system (1) is configured by computerized evaluation of the product location image to automatically detect that at least one of the product locations (5A - 51) is empty, and wherein the system (1) is configured to digitally document the absence of the product (6) at the product location (5A - 51) that was detected as empty. 11 System (1) according to claim 10, wherein the system (1) comprises electronic display units (4A - 41), each of these display units (4A - 41) is intended for displaying product and / or price information for a product (6) and is positioned correspondingly to a product location (5A - 51), wherein the system (1), in particular the electronic display units (4A - 41) are designed in such a way that, with the help of at least one electronic display unit (4A - 41), in particular with the help of all electronic display units (4A - 41), a status display can be visualized which makes the product location (5A - 51) that was previously recognized as empty identifiable.

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