Electronic price tag system

Abstract

This disclosure discloses an electronic price tag system relating to the price tag field, comprising a transducer, a transducer reverse current protection circuit, a primary battery, a primary battery reverse charge protection circuit, and an electronic price tag body module, wherein the electronic price tag body module includes a microcontroller unit (MCU) that transmits a first control signal to the primary battery reverse charge protection circuit to control the power supply to the primary battery, the transducer converts at least one energy into electrical energy to supply power to the electronic price tag body module, the transducer reverse current protection circuit prevents current in the electronic price tag system from flowing back to the transducer, the primary battery supplies power to the electronic price tag body module based on a second control signal, and the primary battery reverse charge protection circuit prevents the transducer or other energy source from charging the primary battery. This disclosure provides an electronic price tag with a complementary multi-power supply system of various clean energy sources and a primary battery that is long-lasting and flexible in deployment.

Description

Related Applications

[0001] This application claims the priority of a Chinese patent application with application number 202310725168.8 filed on June 19, 2023, and all the contents disclosed in the above patent application are incorporated herein by reference as part of this application.

Technical Field

[0002] The disclosure relates to the technical field of price tags, and particularly to an electronic price tag system.

Background Art

[0003] This section is intended to provide the background or context of the embodiments of the present disclosure described in the claims. The descriptions herein should not be regarded as prior art by inclusion in this section.

[0004] The energy sources for operations such as screen price changes, blinking displays, and wireless communications of electronic price tags generally use primary batteries such as button-type lithium manganese primary batteries, soft-pack-type lithium manganese primary batteries, thionyl chloride lithium primary batteries, or power supply by introducing a DC (Direct Current) power supply. Since the volume of the electronic price tag itself is limited and the equipped one is a primary battery, the capacity is limited. In addition to actual operations such as screen updates, blinking displays, and data communications, the standby current of the internal devices of the price tag, the standby current of the communication system, and the self-discharge of the primary battery itself in the electronic price tag all result in capacity loss of the primary battery. As a result, the life of the primary battery of the electronic price tag is severely limited, and multiple battery replacements are required during its life cycle. Otherwise, the electronic price tag may cause the failure of the screen update function, resulting in phenomena such as information display errors, and ultimately, serious consequences such as price fraud and customer claims may occur. At the same time, battery replacement is an operation by the operator side of the electronic price tag, which increases additional personnel and cost input. In the case of the power supply method by introducing a DC power supply, for electronic price tags that strongly require attributes such as portability and deployment flexibility, the deployment cost of the DC power supply lead wire is high, complicated, and lacks flexibility as a whole.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] An embodiment of the present disclosure is an electronic price tag system for providing an electronic price tag body with a complementary multi-power supply system of various long-life clean energy sources and a primary battery, It includes a transducer, a transducer reverse current prevention circuit, a primary battery, a primary battery reverse charge prevention circuit, and an electronic price tag main module. The transducers are electrically connected to the electronic price tag main module and the primary battery, respectively, via a transducer reverse current prevention circuit. The primary battery and the electronic price tag main module are electrically connected via a primary battery reverse charge protection circuit. The electronic price tag main module includes a microcontroller unit (MCU). The MCU is used to control the power supply to the primary battery by transmitting a first control signal to the primary battery reverse charging prevention circuit based on the operating state of the electronic price tag main module. The transducer is used to convert at least one energy source in the environment into electrical energy in order to power the electronic price tag main module. The transducer reverse current protection circuit is used to prevent current from flowing back into the transducer within the electronic price tag system. The primary battery is used to supply power to the electronic price tag main module based on the second control signal. A primary battery reverse charge protection circuit is used to prevent a transducer or other energy source from charging the primary battery. We provide an electronic price tag system.

[0006] In one embodiment, the electronic price tag system further includes an energy intensity detection circuit electrically connected to the electronic price tag main module. The energy intensity detection circuit is used to detect the energy intensity of at least one energy source in the environment and to transmit a second control signal to the MCU based on the detection result. The MCU is further used to control the power supply to the primary battery by transmitting a first control signal to the primary battery reverse charge prevention circuit based on a second control signal.

[0007] In one embodiment, the operating states of the electronic price tag main module include sleep standby state, timing operation state, and wireless data communication state.

[0008] In one embodiment, the electronic price tag system further includes an energy storage device electrically connected to the transducer via a transducer reverse current prevention circuit and electrically connected to the electronic price tag body module, the energy storage device being used to receive and store surplus energy determined by the amount of power supplied to the transducer and the power consumption of the electronic price tag body module, and the energy storage device being used to supply power to the electronic price tag body module.

[0009] In one embodiment, the energy storage device is further electrically connected to a primary battery via a primary battery reverse charge protection circuit, and the primary battery is further used to trickle charge the energy storage device when the energy stored in the energy storage device is below a preset threshold.

[0010] In one embodiment, the energy storage device includes one or any combination of a capacitor, a battery capacitor, a secondary battery, and a supercapacitor.

[0011] In one embodiment, if the energy storage device is a secondary battery, the energy storage device further includes an external power interface for supplying external electrical energy to activate the secondary battery in the event of over-discharge of the secondary battery.

[0012] In one embodiment, the electronic price tag system further includes a first voltage-current limiter and a second voltage-current limiter. The transducer reverse current prevention circuit is electrically connected to the energy storage device, the primary battery, and the second voltage-current limiter, respectively, via the first voltage-current limiter. The energy storage device is electrically connected to the electronic price tag body module via the second voltage-current limiter. The first and second voltage-current limiters are used to limit current or convert voltage on the circuit.

[0013] In one embodiment, at least one energy in the environment includes one or any combination of light energy, radio energy, electromagnetic energy, mechanical energy, and thermal energy.

[0014] In one embodiment, the energy intensity detection circuit is specifically: This is used to detect the energy intensity of at least one energy source in the environment, and if the detected energy intensity is lower than a preset threshold, it sends a second control signal to the MCU.

[0015] In one embodiment, the transducer includes one or any combination of a photoelectric energy converter, a wireless energy converter, an electromagnetic energy converter, a mechanical energy converter, and a thermal energy converter.

[0016] In one embodiment, the electronic price tag main module includes a controller electrically connected to a transducer reverse current prevention circuit, and a display and a wireless communication module electrically connected to the controller, respectively. The wireless communication module is used to receive display information and transmit it to the controller. The controller is used to generate control commands based on the display information and transmit the control commands to the display. The display is used to display the price based on the control commands. The wireless communication module includes an NFC communication module and / or an RF communication module.

[0017] In embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic price tag system includes a transducer, a transducer reverse current protection circuit, a primary battery, a primary battery reverse charge protection circuit, and an electronic price tag body module, specifically, the transducer is electrically connected to the electronic price tag body module and the primary battery, respectively, via the transducer reverse current protection circuit; the primary battery and the electronic price tag body module are electrically connected via the primary battery reverse charge protection circuit; the electronic price tag body module includes a microcontroller unit (MCU), which is used to control the power supply to the primary battery by transmitting a first control signal to the primary battery reverse charge protection circuit based on the operating state of the electronic price tag body module; the transducer is used to convert at least one energy source in the environment into electrical energy to power the electronic price tag body module; the transducer reverse current protection circuit is used to prevent current in the electronic price tag system from flowing back to the transducer; the primary battery is used to power the electronic price tag body module based on the first control signal; and the primary battery reverse charge protection circuit is used to prevent the transducer or other energy source from charging the primary battery. Compared to prior art systems that use a primary battery alone or introduce a DC power supply, the electronic price tag system of this disclosure can provide the electronic price tag main module with a complementary multi-power supply system of various long-life clean energy sources and a primary battery. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of this disclosure or the technical concepts in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings that may be used in the descriptions of the embodiments or the prior art. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the drawings in the following descriptions represent only a few embodiments of this disclosure, and that other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative effort. [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of an electronic price tag system in an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of a specific example of an electronic price tag system in an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] A schematic diagram of a specific example of an electronic value tag system in other embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] A schematic diagram of a specific example of an electronic value tag system in other embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] A schematic diagram of a specific example of an electronic value tag system in other embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] A schematic diagram of micro energy in an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] A schematic diagram of a transducer in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, while referring to the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely. It is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0020] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure clearer and easier to understand, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below while referring to the drawings. Here, the schematic embodiments of the present disclosure and their descriptions are for interpreting the present disclosure, but not for limiting the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic value tag system in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, in one embodiment, the present disclosure is an electronic value tag system, including a transducer, a transducer backflow prevention circuit, a primary battery, a primary battery reverse charging prevention circuit, and an electronic value tag body module. The transducer is electrically connected to the electronic price tag main module and the primary battery, respectively, via a transducer reverse current protection circuit. The primary battery and the electronic price tag main module are electrically connected via a primary battery reverse charge protection circuit. The electronic price tag main module includes a microcontroller unit (MCU). The MCU is used to control the power supply to the primary battery by transmitting a first control signal to the primary battery reverse charging prevention circuit based on the operating state of the electronic price tag main module. The transducer is used to convert at least one energy source in the environment into electrical energy in order to power the electronic price tag main module. The transducer reverse current protection circuit is used to prevent current from flowing back into the transducer within the electronic price tag system. The primary battery is used to supply power to the electronic price tag main module based on the first control signal. We provide an electronic price tag system.

[0022] In one embodiment, at least one energy in the environment includes one or any combination of light energy, radio energy, electromagnetic energy, mechanical energy, and thermal energy.

[0023] In one embodiment, the Primary Battery is one of the main power sources for the electronic price tag main module. In the electronic price tag system, when the electronic price tag main module is in standby mode and a micro-energy source is available, this power source (primary battery, e.g., backup primary battery in the electronic price tag) basically does not output power. However, when the electronic price tag main module is performing tasks such as screen updates, continuous communication, or NFC (Near Field Communication) communication, and a continuous output of a large current from the power source is required, this battery (primary battery, e.g., backup primary battery in the electronic price tag) outputs a large current to replenish or subsequently replenish the energy storage device.

[0024] In one embodiment, the transducer (Various Transducers) includes photoelectric energy conversion devices, wireless energy conversion devices, mechanical energy conversion devices, and thermal energy conversion devices, and is used to collect various forms of microenergy from the head end and convert them into electrical energy, and to output this electrical energy to terminal equipment such as an energy storage device or an electronic price tag main module via a power management module such as a transformer, thereby realizing the provision of various types of microenergy sources to the electronic price tag main module.

[0025] In one embodiment, the transducer reverse current prevention circuit may prevent current from the energy storage device or primary battery from flowing back into the transducer, and may be, for example, a device with a reverse blocking function such as a diode or an MOS (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor) tube, or a switch-type device.

[0026] In one embodiment, the primary battery reverse charge prevention circuit may prevent the converted microenergy current from flowing back into the primary battery, and may be a device with a reverse blocking function such as a diode or MOS tube, or a switch-type device, and there are two control methods: programmed control and non-programmed control.

[0027] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a specific example of an electronic price tag system in an embodiment of the present disclosure, and as shown in Figure 2, in one embodiment, the electronic price tag system further includes an energy storage device electrically connected to the transducer via a transducer reverse current prevention circuit and electrically connected to the electronic price tag body module, the energy storage device being used to receive and store surplus energy determined by the amount of power supplied to the transducer and the power consumption of the electronic price tag body module, and the energy storage device being used to supply power to the electronic price tag body module.

[0028] In one embodiment, the energy storage device is further electrically connected to a primary battery via a primary battery reverse charge prevention circuit, and the primary battery is further used to trickle charge the energy storage device when the energy stored in the energy storage device falls below a preset threshold. When each type of microenergy is converted into electrical energy and supplied to terminal equipment such as the electronic price tag main module, if there is excess energy, the energy storage device stores the energy; that is, the transducer converts the microenergy into electrical energy and supplies a standby current to the electronic price tag main module, charging the energy storage device. If the electronic price tag main module needs to consume power but the transducer's power supply is insufficient, the energy storage device can supply power to the load equipment or replenish the power supply. If the energy supply to the energy storage device is insufficient, it automatically switches to charging the primary battery to the energy storage device or to power output from the primary battery, and after the energy storage device is fully filled, the charging current is automatically reduced to cut off the charge. The transducer, energy storage device, and primary battery may work together to supply power; for example, the transducer, energy storage device, and primary battery may supply power to the electronic price tag main module in that order.

[0029] In one embodiment, the energy storage device includes one or any combination of a capacitor, a battery capacitor, a secondary battery, and a supercapacitor.

[0030] In this embodiment, if the energy storage device is a secondary battery, the energy storage device further includes an external power interface for supplying external electrical energy to activate the secondary battery in the event of over-discharge. When a secondary battery is used in the energy storage device, it is necessary to reactivate the secondary battery when the power stored in the battery is depleted and an extreme state of over-discharge occurs. Activation of the secondary battery in the electronic price tag main module includes, but is not limited to, activation by adding a DC power supply, activation by near-field electromagnetic field induction of the ESL (Electronic system level) main module (one of the wireless activation methods), activation by a strong signal of radio waves received by the ESL main module, and activation by a large current in a strong light environment.

[0031] In one embodiment, the electronic price tag system further includes an energy intensity detection circuit, as shown in Figure 2, which is electrically connected to the electronic price tag body module, and is used to detect the energy intensity of at least one energy in the environment and to transmit a second control signal to the MCU based on the detection result, which is further used to control the power supply to the primary battery by transmitting a first control signal to the primary battery reverse charge prevention circuit based on the second control signal.

[0032] In one embodiment, the energy intensity detection circuit specifically detects the energy intensity of at least one energy in the environment and transmits a first control signal to the MCU if the detected energy intensity is lower than a preset threshold. The preset threshold may be set by a hardware circuit, issued to the electronic price tag module by the background system of the electronic price tag module, and further sampled and determined by the MCU of the electronic price tag module to determine whether the energy intensity is lower than the preset threshold. Specifically, the energy intensity detection circuit includes a micro-energy sampling and conversion circuit for sampling environmental energy, converting it by an analog-to-digital circuit, and obtaining a sampled digital signal. The sampled digital signal is transmitted to the electronic price tag module, where it is determined by the MCU of the electronic price tag module to determine whether the energy intensity is lower than the preset threshold. The energy intensity detection circuit may include multiple energy sensor modules or devices, i.e., sensors for micro-energy intensity detection realize intensity detection for micro-energy, and different types of sensors need to be adapted for different types of micro-energy. For example, a photosensor such as a photoresistor may be selected to detect light intensity.

[0033] In one embodiment, the operating states of the electronic price tag main module include a sleep standby state (for example, a deep sleep standby state, i.e., a state in which only basic circuits such as the clock are in standby), a timing operation state, and a wireless data communication state. Specifically, the operating states of the electronic price tag main module may further include a sleep standby state (including wireless frequency transmission and reception pulses), a timing trigger operation state of the price tag itself, a wireless data communication state, and operations or timing operations issued from a higher-level system (including screen update display and flashing display), and a second control signal may be transmitted to the primary battery reverse charge prevention circuit to control the power supply switching.

[0034] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a specific example of an electronic price tag system in an embodiment of the present disclosure, and as shown in Figure 3, in one embodiment, the electronic price tag system further includes a first voltage-current limiter and a second voltage-current limiter, and the transducer reverse current prevention circuit is electrically connected to an energy storage device, a primary battery, and the second voltage-current limiter, respectively, via the first voltage-current limiter, the energy storage device is electrically connected to the electronic price tag body module via the second voltage-current limiter, and the first and second voltage-current limiters are used to limit current or convert voltage on the circuit. The first and second voltage-current limiters are intended to limit current or convert voltage on the circuit and may be devices such as a resistor and an LDO (Low Dropout Regulator), respectively. The transducer converts microenergy into electrical energy, which is also output via a power regulating circuit such as a first voltage-current limiter. A second voltage-current limiter is provided in the connection path between the electronic price tag body module and the first voltage-current limiter and energy storage device, and is used for current limiting or voltage conversion on the circuit.

[0035] In this embodiment, a first voltage-current limiter or a second voltage-current limiter may be selected depending on the specific circuit design.

[0036] In one embodiment, when managing the power supply of the electronic price tag main module, the power supply to the electronic price tag main module is preferentially supplied from the transducer, and after the transducer supplies electrical energy to the electronic price tag main module, any excess energy is stored in the energy storage device, the energy supplied from the transducer is continuously consumed, and if the energy collection at the head end is insufficient to compensate for the energy consumption of the electronic price tag main module, the system automatically switches to power supply from the energy storage device or cooperative power supply from the energy storage device and the transducer, and the electrical energy of the energy storage device is, The head end collects and converts various forms of microenergy, which are then replenished after being consumed by the electronic price tag body module (for example, any excess energy remaining after the various forms of microenergy collected at the head end have been consumed by the electronic price tag body module may be replenished in the energy storage device). If the transducer and energy storage device are insufficient to supply the energy consumption of the electronic price tag body module, the system automatically switches to direct power supply by a primary battery to power loads such as the electronic price tag body module, and the primary battery may trickle charge the energy storage device. Specifically, automatic switching may be achieved by the following steps: the energy intensity detection circuit detects an external micro-energy environment and transmits a second control signal to the MCU based on the detection result; and the MCU transmits a first control signal to the primary battery reverse charge prevention circuit to control the power supply switching based on the second control signal and / or the operating state of the self-tested electronic price tag main module, which includes the second control signal and / or sleep standby state (including radio frequency transmission / reception pulses), the operational state of the timing trigger of the price tag itself, the radio data communication state, and operations or timing operations issued from a higher-level system (including screen update display and flashing display).

[0037] In this embodiment, power management may be achieved by matching electrical parameters between various electronic components, with the assistance of simple electronic components such as diodes, capacitors, and MOS tubes, and the logic control of an MCU, and does not require a complex dedicated power management device or apparatus.

[0038] In one embodiment, when controlling the prevention of reverse charging of the primary battery, after the various types of microenergy from the head end are collected and converted to obtain electrical energy, and while charging the energy storage device, a control circuit is used to shut off the primary battery reverse charging prevention circuit so that the converted electrical energy does not reverse charge the primary battery. When the primary battery reverse charging prevention circuit is shut off, the primary battery can still discharge in the forward direction through the primary battery reverse charging prevention circuit. That is, this reverse charging prevention only prevents reverse charging of the primary battery and does not shut off the power output of the primary battery (the shut-off state has only a small effect on the magnitude of the output voltage). The control of the state of the primary battery reverse charging prevention circuit may be controlled by an MCU inside the electronic price tag main module or by another dedicated circuit.

[0039] In one embodiment, the transducer includes one or any combination of a photoelectric energy converter, a wireless energy converter, an electromagnetic energy converter, a mechanical energy converter, and a thermal energy converter.

[0040] In one embodiment, the electronic price tag body module includes, but is not limited to, a communication module, a display module, a processor, a multicolor LED (Light Emitting Diode), an NFC and an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) module. The electronic price tag body module may further include, for example, a controller electrically connected to a transducer reverse current prevention circuit, and a display and a wireless communication module electrically connected to the controller, the wireless communication module being used to receive display information and transmit it to the controller, the controller being used to generate control commands based on the display information and transmit the control commands to the display, the display being used to display the price based on the control commands, and the wireless communication module being used to include an NFC communication module and / or an RF (Radio Frequency Identification) communication module.

[0041] In one embodiment, an energy collection management, storage, and conversion device or circuit can achieve specific functions such as energy collection, storage, and conversion at low cost and in real time by matching the electrical parameters between the primary battery, transducer, and energy storage device, without the need for complex dedicated charge / discharge management devices. This is done by defining the electrical connection between the collected microenergy output, the primary battery output, and the energy storage device as a series connection, and with the assistance of simple electronic components such as diodes, capacitors, and MOS tubes, and logic control of an ESL MCU.

[0042] In one embodiment, if an energy source necessary for a predetermined operation is secured, the transducer, primary battery, energy intensity detection circuit, and energy storage device may all be used in combination with the electronic price tag main module as optional separate components of the electronic price tag main module. That is, the transducer, primary battery, energy intensity detection circuit, and energy storage device may be independent of the electronic price tag system, and the electronic price tag system may include only the electronic price tag main module, the electronic price tag main module and a transducer, the electronic price tag main module and a primary battery, the electronic price tag main module and an energy storage device, or any combination of the electronic price tag main module, primary battery, energy intensity detection circuit, and energy storage device. The transducer reverse current prevention circuit and the primary battery reverse charge prevention circuit correspond to the transducer and primary battery, respectively, and may be optional separate components of the electronic price tag main module. The first voltage-current limiter and the second voltage-current limiter may be optional separate components of the electronic price tag main module.

[0043] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a specific example of an electronic price tag system in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4, the electronic price tag system may integrate a microenergy collection and conversion circuit for light energy, radio energy, mechanical energy, thermal energy, etc., into the electronic price tag main module, forming a complementary multi-power system together with a primary battery.

[0044] In one embodiment, the clean energy source transducer device (transducer) may be provided as, for example, light energy collected by a solar cell that can be designed on or inside the surface of the electronic price tag body module, radio energy collected by a radio or electromagnetic field energy collection antenna and circuit arranged in the electronic price tag body module, mechanical energy collected by a vibration or sound energy collection and conversion module arranged in the electronic price tag body module, and thermal energy collected by a thermal energy collection and conversion module arranged in the electronic price tag body module.

[0045] In one embodiment, depending on the type of transducer device, a corresponding signal-adaptive circuit or device may be fitted to the output terminal of the transducer to realize various methods of energy collection and energy conversion.

[0046] In one embodiment, energy such as light energy, radio energy, mechanical energy, and thermal energy may be converted by corresponding transducers and then converted by a linear / nonlinear conversion circuit into a power source suitable for the load of an energy storage device or an electronic price tag body module.

[0047] In one embodiment, after various energies are collected and converted, they may be output to an electronic price tag main module or energy storage device after being subjected to current limiting or voltage limiting (or boosting, etc.) via a linear / nonlinear conversion circuit using a resistor or a dedicated chip (e.g., an LDO (low dropout regulator)).

[0048] In one embodiment, the device or circuit for managing, storing, and converting energy collection is managed and controlled by matching the electrical parameters between the primary battery, the microenergy conversion device, and the energy storage device, thereby creating a series connection between the three electrical connections: the output of the collected microenergy, the output of the primary battery, and the energy storage device, with the assistance of simple electronic components such as diodes, capacitors, and MOS tubes, and the logic of an ESL MCU.

[0049] In one embodiment, a specific reverse charge prevention circuit may be provided for the primary battery.

[0050] In one embodiment, the energy storage device may be various types of capacitors, secondary batteries, and battery capacitors.

[0051] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a specific example of an electronic price tag system in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, a microenergy collection and conversion circuit, such as light energy, radio energy, mechanical energy, and thermal energy, is used as a component of the electronic price tag body module or as a common component for multiple electronic price tag body modules, forming a complementary multi-power system together with a primary battery.

[0052] In one embodiment, various energy collection and conversion modules, i.e., converters, are independent components of the electronic price tag main module.

[0053] In one embodiment, the energy collection and conversion circuit and the converter may be a single integrated component shared by multiple terminals such as electronic price tag body modules.

[0054] In one embodiment, the microenergy transducer device is configured to collect light energy from a solar cell that can be designed on the surface or internally within the components of the electronic price tag body module, radio energy collected by a radio or electromagnetic field energy collection antenna and circuit placed on the components of the electronic price tag body module, mechanical energy collected by a vibration or sound energy collection and conversion module placed on the components of the electronic price tag body module, and thermal energy collected by a thermal energy collection and conversion module placed on the components of the electronic price tag body module.

[0055] In one embodiment, depending on the type of transducer device, a corresponding signal-adaptive circuit or device may be fitted to the output terminal of the transducer to realize various methods of energy collection and energy conversion.

[0056] In one embodiment, energy such as light energy, radio energy, mechanical energy, and thermal energy may be converted by corresponding transducers and then converted by a linear / nonlinear conversion circuit into a power source suitable for the load of an energy storage device or an electronic price tag body module.

[0057] In one embodiment, the device or circuit for managing, storing, and converting microenergy collection is managed and controlled by matching the electrical parameters between the primary battery, the microenergy conversion device, and the energy storage device, thereby creating a series connection between the output of the collected microenergy, the output of the primary battery, and the energy storage device, with the assistance of simple electronic components such as diodes, capacitors, and MOS tubes, and the logic of an ESL MCU.

[0058] In one embodiment, after various energies are collected and converted, they may be output to an electronic price tag main module or energy storage device after being current-limited or voltage-limited (or boosted, etc.) via a linear / nonlinear conversion circuit using a resistor or a dedicated chip (e.g., LDO, DC / DC).

[0059] In one embodiment, a specific reverse charge prevention circuit may be placed as a component of the electronic price tag main module for the primary battery.

[0060] In one embodiment, the energy storage device may be various types of capacitors, secondary batteries, and battery capacitors.

[0061] In one embodiment, in a certain scenario, the operational power consumption of the electronic price tag main module can be met solely by micro-energy input, and since an energy storage device is present, in such cases, the primary battery may be selectively placed as a multi-system power supply component according to the product's deployment environment (i.e., a non-standard component).

[0062] In one embodiment, the various micro-energy intensity detection circuit devices may also serve as control signals for power supply circuits, for example, and the MCU may sample the signals to use as a data source for the price tag to control the power supply circuit or the price tag circuit.

[0063] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of microenergy in an embodiment of the present disclosure, and as shown in Figure 6, in one embodiment, at least one energy in the environment includes one or any combination of light energy, radio energy, electromagnetic energy, mechanical energy, and thermal energy. The electronic price tag system realizes complementary multi-power supply of various clean energy sources and primary batteries, and the green energy includes, but is not limited to, light energy, radio energy, near-field coupled magnetic fields, mechanical vibrations, and thermal energy, and the clean energy source may be a light source, especially weak indoor light, or mechanical vibrations, or radio waves, or heat. The transducer realizes the collection and conversion of the above energy, and a stable, reliable, and simple circuit realizes the storage and charge / discharge control of the converted electrical energy (without requiring a dedicated charge management circuit or module), and finally realizes real-time automatic switching control of the power output between the above clean energy sources and primary batteries.

[0064] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a transducer in an embodiment of the present disclosure, and as shown in Figure 7, in one embodiment, the transducer includes one or any combination of a photoelectric energy converter, a wireless energy converter, an electromagnetic energy converter, a mechanical energy converter, and a thermal energy converter.

[0065] In embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic price tag system includes a transducer, a transducer reverse current protection circuit, a primary battery, a primary battery reverse charge protection circuit, and an electronic price tag body module, specifically, the transducer is electrically connected to the electronic price tag body module and the primary battery, respectively, via the transducer reverse current protection circuit; the primary battery and the electronic price tag body module are electrically connected via the primary battery reverse charge protection circuit; the electronic price tag body module includes a microcontroller unit (MCU), which is used to control the power supply to the primary battery by transmitting a first control signal to the primary battery reverse charge protection circuit based on the operating state of the electronic price tag body module; the transducer is used to convert at least one energy source in the environment into electrical energy to power the electronic price tag body module; the transducer reverse current protection circuit is used to prevent current in the electronic price tag system from flowing back to the transducer; the primary battery is used to power the electronic price tag body module based on the first control signal; and the primary battery reverse charge protection circuit is used to prevent the transducer or other energy source from charging the primary battery. Compared to prior art systems that use primary batteries alone or introduce DC power supplies, the electronic price tag system of this disclosure can provide electronic price tags with a complementary multi-power supply system of various clean energy sources and primary batteries, which has a long lifespan and flexible deployment.

[0066] Furthermore, the hybrid power supply management system according to the embodiments of this disclosure employs a simple and reliable circuit design without using complex or dedicated power management devices or equipment, and by realizing control and management of electrical energy converted from microenergy and primary batteries, it significantly reduces the cost of the power supply system throughout the lifecycle of the electronic price tag. Under conditions of green energy sources such as light irradiation, mechanical vibration, thermal energy, or radio waves, some, and ultimately all, of the power supply of the electronic price tag main module can be provided after conversion from green energy. In this case, the primary battery is an optional component of the electronic price tag main module or its components, and the electronic price tag main module can realize that all energy sources, at a certain frequency of operation and throughout its entire lifecycle, originate from green energy sources (Note: In such cases, the primary battery may be an optional component of the electronic price tag system). The primary battery serves as a backup power supply. In the event of insufficient input from the clean energy source, a seamless real-time switchover is achieved to maintain the operating and operational status of the electronic price tag main module. The reverse charge prevention function specially equipped for the primary battery completely eliminates the risk of reverse charging of the primary battery, significantly extending the battery life of the electronic price tag main module. The power supply system, which combines energy collection and storage from green energy sources with backup from a primary battery, has extremely high compatibility with other power supply systems, greatly increases the effective output capacity of the primary battery, effectively reduces costs and extends the lifespan of the electronic price tag power supply system. The design format of the circuits or devices for green energy collection, storage, and management is flexible and can be integrated into the electronic price tag or deployed as separate components. Realizing a complementary multi-power supply system of various clean energy sources and a primary battery for the electronic price tag aligns with the development of energy conservation and emission reduction.

[0067] Those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments of this disclosure can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Accordingly, this disclosure may take the form of complete hardware embodiments, complete software embodiments, or embodiments combining software and hardware. Furthermore, this disclosure may take the form of computer program products implemented on one or more computer-compatible storage media (including, but not limited to, magnetic disk memory, CD-ROM, optical memory, etc.) containing computer-compatible program code.

[0068] This disclosure is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this disclosure. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, can be realized by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to create a machine, thereby creating a device for realizing one or more flows in a flowchart and / or one or more blocks in a block diagram, by instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device.

[0069] These computer program instructions may be stored in computer-readable memory that can guide a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a particular manner, thereby creating a product that includes an instruction unit that enables the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory to perform functions specified in one or more flows of a flowchart and / or one or more blocks of a block diagram.

[0070] These computer program instructions may be loaded into a computer or other programmable data processing device, and a series of operational steps may be executed on the computer or other programmable device to generate processing that is implemented by the computer, thereby providing steps for implementing one or more flows in a flowchart and / or one or more blocks in a block diagram.

[0071] The specific examples described above have provided further details regarding the purpose, technical proposals, and beneficial effects of this disclosure. However, these descriptions are merely examples of the specific examples of this disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of protection. It should be understood that any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection.

Claims

1. It is an electronic price tag system, It includes a transducer, a transducer reverse current prevention circuit, a primary battery, a primary battery reverse charge prevention circuit, and an electronic price tag main module. The transducers are electrically connected to the electronic price tag main module and the primary battery, respectively, via a transducer reverse current prevention circuit. The primary battery and the electronic price tag main module are electrically connected via a primary battery reverse charge protection circuit. The electronic price tag main module includes a microcontroller unit (MCU). The MCU is used to control the power supply to the primary battery by transmitting a first control signal to the primary battery reverse charge prevention circuit based on the operating state of the electronic price tag main module. The transducer is used to convert at least one energy source in the environment into electrical energy in order to power the electronic price tag main module. The transducer reverse current protection circuit is used to prevent current from flowing back into the transducer within the electronic price tag system. The primary battery is used to supply power to the electronic price tag main module based on the first control signal. A primary battery reverse charge protection circuit is used to prevent a transducer or other energy source from charging the primary battery. An electronic price tag system characterized by the following features.

2. The electronic price tag main module further includes an energy intensity detection circuit that is electrically connected to the main module. The energy intensity detection circuit is used to detect the energy intensity of at least one energy source in the environment and to transmit a second control signal to the MCU based on the detection result. The MCU is further used to control the power supply to the primary battery by transmitting a first control signal to the primary battery reverse charge prevention circuit based on a second control signal. The system according to feature 1.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating states of the electronic price tag main module include a sleep standby state, a timing operation state, and a wireless data communication state.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an energy storage device electrically connected to the transducer via a transducer reverse current prevention circuit and electrically connected to an electronic price tag body module, wherein the energy storage device is used to receive and store surplus energy determined by the amount of power supplied to the transducer and the power consumption of the electronic price tag body module, and the energy storage device is further used to supply power to the electronic price tag body module.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the energy storage device is further electrically connected to a primary battery via a primary battery reverse charge protection circuit, and the primary battery is further used to trickle charge the energy storage device when the energy stored in the energy storage device is below a preset threshold.

6. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that the energy storage device includes one or any combination of a capacitor, a battery capacitor, a secondary battery, and a supercapacitor.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein, if the energy storage device is a secondary battery, the energy storage device further includes an external power interface for supplying external electrical energy to activate the secondary battery in the event of over-discharge of the secondary battery.

8. Further including a first voltage-current limiter and a second voltage-current limiter, The transducer reverse current prevention circuit is electrically connected to the energy storage device, the primary battery, and the second voltage-current limiter via a first voltage-current limiter, the energy storage device is electrically connected to the electronic price tag main module via a second voltage-current limiter, and the first and second voltage-current limiters are used to limit current or convert voltage on the circuit. The system according to feature 4.

9. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one energy in the environment includes one or any combination of light energy, radio energy, electromagnetic energy, mechanical energy, and thermal energy.

10. The energy intensity detection circuit specifically, The system according to claim 2, characterized in that it is used to detect the energy intensity of at least one energy in the environment, and to transmit a second control signal to the MCU if the intensity of the detected energy is lower than a preset threshold.

11. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the transducer includes one or any combination of a photoelectric energy converter, a wireless energy converter, an electromagnetic energy converter, a mechanical energy converter, and a thermal energy converter.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic price tag main module includes a controller electrically connected to a transducer reverse current prevention circuit, and a display and a wireless communication module electrically connected to the controller, the wireless communication module is used to receive display information and transmit it to the controller, the controller is used to generate control commands based on the display information and transmit the control commands to the display, the display is used to display the price based on the control commands, and the wireless communication module includes an NFC communication module and / or an RF communication module.

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