Storage box with electronic tag

Abstract

To provide a storage box comprising an electronic tag.SOLUTION: An edition application includes an electronic device, a box, and an electronic tag module, and an edition application of the electronic device transmits article information. The electronic tag module is provided in the box, and comprises: a guiding radio antenna for receiving an information flow including the article information, the information flow including current; a rectifier circuit for collecting and stabilizing the current; a microprocessor for receiving the information flow, and subjecting the article information to format conversion; and an electronic ink screen for triggering the electronic ink screen by receiving current supplied by the rectifier circuit to receive the information flow transmitted by the microprocessor and displaying the article information. The present invention can update and display the article information without attaching a power supply to a storage box.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a storage box, and more particularly to a storage box having an electronic tag. [Background technology]

[0002] Storage boxes are used to store and organize items, and Tupperware is used to seal food and store it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] However, if the storage boxes are opaque and there are a large number of them, it becomes difficult for users to remember which items are stored in each storage box. Generally, labels are used to indicate the contents, but when changing items in a storage box, the old labels must be peeled off and new labels affixed, which is very inconvenient and makes the storage box look outdated. Similarly, labels are used to indicate the expiration date of food in Tupperware, but this also poses the problem of having to peel off the labels.

[0004] In addition, current technology involves installing electronic tags in storage boxes, but this requires the tag to be fitted with a battery, which increases the volume of the tag and the weight of the storage box, making it even more inconvenient.

[0005] Therefore, the inventors believed that the above drawbacks could be improved, and after extensive research, they arrived at the proposed storage box with an electronic tag of the present invention, which rationally and effectively improves the problems. That is, the various aspects of the present invention for achieving the above object are as follows.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to solve the above-mentioned problems. In other words, a main object of the present invention is to provide a storage box with an electronic tag. That is, by utilizing the characteristics of near-field communication (NFC), when the electronic tag module is not supplied with power, an electronic device equipped with NFC updates the display content on the electronic ink screen and simultaneously supplies current to the electronic tag module, thereby solving the problem of the large volume of electronic tags and the need to replace batteries in the prior art. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The storage box with electronic tags of the present invention, which solves the above problems, mainly includes the following configuration. An electronic device includes an editing application and an antenna module, the editing application comprising an electronic device that transmits item information, a box, and an electronic tag module installed in the box, the electronic tag module including: an inductive radio antenna that wirelessly connects to the antenna module when an electronic device approaches and receives an information stream including the item information, the information stream comprising a current; a rectifier circuit connected to the inductive radio antenna for collecting and stabilizing the current; a microprocessor electrically connected to the inductive radio antenna and the rectifier circuit for receiving the information stream and performing format conversion on the item information; and an electronic ink screen electrically connected to the rectifier circuit and the microprocessor for receiving the current provided by the rectifier circuit to trigger the electronic ink screen, and for receiving the information stream transmitted by the microprocessor and displaying the item information.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the rectifier circuit includes: an energy collection circuit connected to the inductive radio antenna for collecting current; and a rectifier voltage regulator circuit connected to the energy collection circuit, the microprocessor, and the electronic ink screen for rectifying the current and stabilizing the voltage, and then supplying the current to the microprocessor and the electronic ink screen.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the electronic tag module further comprises a wireless transceiver connected to the inductive radio antenna and the microprocessor to convert the format of the information stream of the item information.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the communication protocol adopted by the antenna module and the inductive wireless antenna is a short-range wireless communication protocol.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a wireless transceiver processes information flows of a short range wireless communication protocol.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the electronic device is not in proximity to the electronic tag module, the electronic ink screen continues to display the item information even in the absence of power supply.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the electronic ink screen receives the information stream sent by the microprocessor and then updates the display screen to display the product information.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the electronic tag module further includes a control device and a locking device. The control device is electrically connected to the microprocessor, and the locking device is electrically connected to the control device. The microprocessor sends current to the control device and drives the control device to control the locking or unlocking of the locking device.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the electronic ink screen is electronic paper.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device is a smartphone. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a storage box having an electronic tag according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a storage box having an electronic tag according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart showing a storage box having an electronic tag according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a storage box having an electronic tag including an electronic lock according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] 1 is a block diagram showing a storage box having an electronic tag including an electronic lock according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Furthermore, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention. It should be noted that the terms "comprise" and "include" used in this specification and the appended claims refer to the presence of the described feature, whole, step, operation, element, and / or component, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The terms used in this specification are used only to describe specific examples and do not limit the present invention. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "said" also include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Furthermore, the term "and / or" used in this specification and the appended claims refers to any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes combinations thereof.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a storage box 10 with an electronic tag according to one embodiment of the present invention. The storage box 10 with an electronic tag comprises a box 12, an electronic tag module 14, and an electronic device 16. The box 12 is a storage box, a Tupperware container, a container, or the like. The electronic tag module 14 is attached to the box 12 by adhesive. The electronic tag module 14 is used to display information about the contents of the box 12, such as the product name and expiration date. The electronic device 16 is a smartphone that is wirelessly connected to the electronic tag module 14, edits the content to be displayed on the electronic tag module 14, and transmits it for display on the electronic tag module 14.

[0020] Further, please also refer to Figure 2, which is a block diagram showing a storage box 10 with an electronic tag according to one embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device 16 includes an antenna module 162, an editing application 164, and a power module 166. The antenna module 162 is used to sense the electronic tag module 14 and transmit an information stream containing item information to the electronic tag module 14. A user inputs item information using the editing application 164 and transmits it to the antenna module 162. The power module 166 is a battery of the electronic device 16 that supplies current to the information stream and actively senses the electronic tag module 14.

[0021] The electronic tag module 14 includes an inductive radio antenna 142, a rectifier circuit, a microprocessor 147, and an electronic ink screen 148. The inductive radio antenna 142 is used to detect surrounding wireless signals. When the electronic device 16 approaches the electronic tag module 14, the inductive radio antenna 142 is wirelessly connected to the antenna module 162 and receives the information stream including the item information transmitted by the antenna module 162. The rectifier circuit is used to collect and stabilize the current of the information stream. Specifically, the rectifier circuit includes an energy collection circuit 144 and a rectifier voltage regulator circuit 146. The energy collection circuit 144 is connected to the inductive radio antenna 142 and the rectifier voltage regulator circuit 146, and collects the current before transmitting it to the rectifier voltage regulator circuit 146. The rectifier voltage regulator circuit 146 is connected to the energy collection circuit 144, the microprocessor 147, and the electronic ink screen 148. The rectifying voltage regulator circuit 146 rectifies the current and stabilizes the voltage, and then supplies the current to the microprocessor 147 and the electronic ink screen 148. The microprocessor 147 receives the information stream and performs format conversion on the product information contained therein, converting it into a file format that can be handled by the electronic ink screen 148. The electronic ink screen 148 is electrically connected to the rectifying voltage regulator circuit 146 and the microprocessor 147, and receives the current supplied by the rectifying voltage regulator circuit 146 to trigger the electronic ink screen 148, while receiving the information stream sent by the microprocessor 147 and displaying the product information on the electronic ink screen 148.

[0022] In one embodiment, the electronic tag module 14 further includes a wireless transceiver 143 connected to the inductive radio antenna 142 and the microprocessor 147. The wireless transceiver 143 is used to convert the format of the information stream of the item information and transmit the information stream, as indicated by the dashed arrow in the figure. For example, the communication protocol adopted by the antenna module 162 and the inductive radio antenna 142 is a near-field communication (NFC) protocol. Therefore, the wireless transceiver 143 is used to process the information stream of the near-field communication protocol and convert it into a file format that can be handled by the microprocessor 147. The microprocessor 147 then converts the item information in the information stream into a file format that can be handled by the electronic ink screen 148.

[0023] In one embodiment, the electronic ink screen 148 is electronic paper. The advantage of electronic paper is that the characters displayed on the electronic paper are clearly legible in any situation, even outdoors or in places with strong light, solving the problem of traditional screens and paper books being difficult to read in strong light. Furthermore, electronic paper consumes very little power, allowing characters to be displayed for a long time without power and then gradually disappear. Electronic paper consumes a small amount of current only when updating the characters. Therefore, when the electronic ink screen 148 is electronic paper, the electronic ink screen 148 updates the display screen with the product information after receiving the information stream sent by the microprocessor 147. The product information is then continuously displayed on the electronic ink screen 148 for a long time. When the electronic device 16 is not in close proximity to the electronic tag module 14, the electronic ink screen 148 continues to display the product information even without power. If the contents of the box 12 change and the text displayed on the electronic ink screen 148 also needs to be changed, the electronic device 16 re-enters the new item information using the editing application 164 and contacts the electronic tag module 14 to update the display on the electronic ink screen 148.

[0024] 3, which is a flowchart illustrating a storage box with an electronic tag according to an embodiment of the present invention. When storing an item in the box 12, in step S10, the editing application 164 of the electronic device 16 is used to input item information. In step S12, the electronic device 16 is brought close to the electronic tag module 14, and the inductive wireless antenna 142 senses the antenna module 162 to receive an information stream containing the item information. This information stream also includes a current. In step S14, the current is collected and stabilized by a rectifier circuit (which sequentially includes an energy collection circuit 144 and a rectifier voltage regulator circuit 146), and the information stream is transmitted to the microprocessor 147 via the wireless transceiver 143. In step S16, the rectifier voltage regulator circuit 146 of the rectifier circuit transmits current to the electronic ink screen 148, and the microprocessor 147 transmits the item information to the electronic ink screen 148. This ensures that the electronic ink screen 148 has enough power to update the display and change it to the product information sent by the microprocessor 147.

[0025] In one embodiment, the product information may be in the form of text or a barcode. The barcode may include a website, and the lens of the electronic device 16 may be used to scan the barcode and connect to the website to read the content. The product information may include the product name, expiration date, ingredients, etc. The ingredients of some foods are complex and cannot all be displayed on the electronic ink screen 148. Therefore, when there is too much product information to display on the electronic tag module 14 and the electronic ink screen 148 cannot display all the text, the product information is displayed in the form of a barcode.

[0026] Furthermore, when updating the product information when the box 12 is placed in a refrigerator, the inductive wireless antenna 142 cannot detect the antenna module 162 unless the product information is updated after the electronic tag module 14 has returned to normal temperature.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a storage box with an electronic tag and an electronic lock according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a storage box with an electronic tag and an electronic lock according to the present invention. In this embodiment, an electronic lock is further coupled to the electronic tag module 14. This electronic lock does not have a power module, but instead directly uses the current supplied by the electronic device 16 to lock or unlock the box 12. As shown in FIG. 4, the lock device 18 of the present invention is an electronic lock. When the electronic device 16 approaches the electronic tag module 14, it senses the current and drives the lock device 18 to lock or unlock the box 12. In the example of FIG. 5, the electronic tag module 14 further includes a control device 149 and a lock device 18 in addition to the components shown in FIG. 2. The control device 149 is electrically connected to the microprocessor 147 and the lock device 18. When the electronic device 16 approaches the electronic tag module 14, the inductive radio antenna 142 is wirelessly connected to the antenna module 162 and receives the current of information flow. The energy collection circuit 144 collects the current received by the inductive wireless antenna 142 and then transmits it to the rectifier voltage regulator circuit 146. The rectifier voltage regulator circuit 146 rectifies the current and stabilizes the voltage before supplying it to the microprocessor 147, the control device 149, and the locking device 18. The locking device 18 is an electromagnetic induction switch that operates using electricity. After transmitting current to the locking device 18, the control device 149 changes the state of the locking device 18, changing it from a locked state to an unlocked state, or from an unlocked state to a locked state. Because the locking device 18 and the electronic tag module 14 are combined, the locking device 18, unlike a typical electronic lock, has a display function using the electronic ink screen 148.

[0028] As described above, the storage box with electronic tags according to the present invention is provided with near-field communication (NFC) functions in its electronic tag module and electronic device. By utilizing the characteristics of near-field communication, even when power is not supplied to the electronic tag module, the electronic device with NFC can update the content displayed on the electronic ink screen and simultaneously supply current to the electronic tag module. This not only allows for sufficiently detailed item information to be displayed on the storage box, but also solves the problem of the large volume of electronic tags and the need for battery replacement in the prior art.

[0029] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 10. Storage box with electronic tag 12 boxes 14 Electronic tag module 142 Inductive Radio Antenna 143 Wireless Transceiver 144 Energy Harvesting Circuit 146 Rectifier voltage regulator circuit 147 Microprocessors 148 E-ink screen 149 Control Device 16 Electronic equipment 162 Antenna Module 164 Editing Applications 166 Power Module 18 Locking device

Claims

1. an electronic device including an editing application and an antenna module, the editing application transmitting product information; Box and an electronic tag module installed in the box, The electronic tag module includes: an inductive radio antenna wirelessly connected to the antenna module when the electronic device approaches to receive an information stream containing the product information, the information stream containing a current; a rectifier circuit connected to the inductive radio antenna for collecting and stabilizing the current; a wireless transceiver electrically connected to the inductive radio antenna; a microprocessor electrically connected to the wireless transceiver and the rectifier circuit; an electronic ink screen electrically connected to the rectifier circuit and the microprocessor, the electronic ink screen receiving the current supplied by the rectifier circuit to trigger the electronic ink screen, receiving the information stream sent by the microprocessor and displaying the product information; the wireless transceiver converts the format of the information stream of the product information received by the inductive radio antenna into a file format that can be handled by the microprocessor, and transmits the converted information stream to the microprocessor; A storage box having an electronic tag, characterized in that the microprocessor converts the format of the information stream received from the wireless transceiver into a file format that can be handled by the electronic ink screen, and transmits the converted information stream to the electronic ink screen.

2. The rectifier circuit includes: an energy collection circuit connected to the inductive radio antenna for collecting the current; A storage box with an electronic tag as described in claim 1, characterized in that it is equipped with a rectification voltage regulator circuit connected to the energy collection circuit, the microprocessor, and the electronic ink screen, which rectifies the current and stabilizes the voltage before supplying the current to the microprocessor and the electronic ink screen.

3. The storage box with an electronic tag according to claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver processes information flow according to a short-range wireless communication protocol.

4. The storage box with an electronic tag according to claim 1, wherein the communication protocol adopted by the antenna module and the inductive wireless antenna is a short-range wireless communication protocol.

5. The storage box with an electronic tag according to claim 1, characterized in that when the electronic device is not close to the electronic tag module, the electronic ink screen maintains displaying the item information in a state without power supply.

6. The storage box with an electronic tag according to claim 1, wherein the electronic ink screen updates the display screen to display the item information after receiving the information stream sent by the microprocessor.

7. 2. A storage box with an electronic tag as described in claim 1, characterized in that the electronic tag module further comprises a control device and a locking device, the control device being electrically connected to the microprocessor, the locking device being electrically connected to the control device, and the microprocessor transmitting the current to the control device and driving the control device to control the locking or unlocking of the locking device.

8. The storage box with an electronic tag according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic ink screen is electronic paper.

9. The storage box with an electronic tag according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a smartphone.

Images