Electronic shelf label system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an electronic shelf label system. A power supply track of the system is provided with a sliding channel. A shelf label body is provided with a mounting portion configured for the arrangement of a display screen and a shelf label circuit board electrically connected to the display screen. The shelf label body is further provided with a connecting portion that extends backwards from the mounting portion and is formed to penetrate into a channel opening of the sliding channel, an upper stop portion that extends upwards from the connecting portion and a lower stop portion that extends downwards from the connecting portion, the upper stop portion and the lower stop portion respectively abutting against an upper front side wall and a lower front side wall of the sliding channel. A power supply circuit board is arranged on an upper front side wall of the power supply track. First ends of two power extraction members are located in the sliding channel and pass through the upper stop portion to come into electrical contact with two electrodes of the power supply circuit board, respectively, and second ends of the two power extraction members pass through the connecting portion, extend from the sliding channel and come into electrical contact with two electrodes of the shelf label circuit board. The power extraction members are in electrical contact with the power supply circuit board to extract power, and the two power extraction members are both located in the sliding channel of the power supply track. Condensate water only accumulates in a lower space of the power supply track, and a power extraction part of the system is not affected by the condensate water.

Description

Electronic shelf label system

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application number 202420008708.0, entitled “Electronic Price Label System,” filed with the Patent Office of China on January 2, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of electronic price labels, and in particular to an electronic price label system. Background Art

[0003] Electronic price tags (ESLs) are electronic labels that display price information in supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, and other locations. They are primarily placed on shelves and serve as an electronic display device to replace traditional paper price tags.

[0004] In some cases, an external power installation structure based on an electronic price tag is disclosed. In essence, it discloses an electronic price tag. Since the groove of the second conductive strip in the electronic price tag is close to the bottom placement groove, when it is used in refrigeration equipment such as freezers, condensed water can easily be deposited in the placement groove and contact the second conductive strip, causing the circuit to be disconnected and the electronic price tag to fail.

[0005] Patent application content

[0006] In order to solve technical problems that exist in some situations, the present disclosure provides an electronic price label system.

[0007] The electronic price tag system disclosed in the present invention includes: a power supply track, which has a slide groove; a price tag body, which has a mounting portion, and the mounting portion is constructed to set a display screen and a price tag circuit board electrically connected to the display screen. The price tag body also has a connecting portion extending backward from the mounting portion to form a notch to penetrate into the slide groove, and an upper stop portion extending upward from the connecting portion and a lower stop portion extending downward, the upper stop portion and the lower stop portion respectively abut against the upper front side wall and the lower front side wall of the slide groove; a power supply circuit board, which is arranged on the upper front side wall of the power supply track; two power pickup components, the first ends of the two power pickup components are located in the slide groove and pass through the upper stop portion to electrically contact the two electrodes of the power supply circuit board respectively, and the second ends extend from the slide groove through the connecting portion and electrically contact the two electrodes of the price tag circuit board. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] In the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise specified, the same reference numerals throughout the multiple drawings represent the same or similar components or elements. These drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. It should be understood that these drawings only depict some embodiments disclosed in this application and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application.

[0009] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0010] FIG1 shows a schematic structural diagram of an electronic price label system of the present disclosure in one embodiment.

[0011] FIG2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the electronic price label system along line EE shown in FIG1 .

[0012] FIG3 shows a schematic EE cross-sectional view of the electronic price label system shown in FIG1 , in which the electronic price label and the power supply track are separated.

[0013] FIG4 shows a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an electronic price label in one embodiment.

[0014] FIG5 shows a schematic diagram of the top structure of the electronic price tag shown in FIG4 .

[0015] FIG. 6 shows a schematic side view of the structure of the electronic price tag shown in FIG. 4 .

[0016] FIG7 shows a schematic structural diagram of a light-emitting assembly of the present disclosure in one embodiment.

[0017] The one-to-one correspondence between the component names and figure marks in Figures 1 to 7 is as follows: 1 Power supply track: 10 slide groove, 11 upper front side wall, 12 lower front side wall, 13 notch; 20 connecting part, 21 upper stop part, 22 lower stop part, 23 mounting part, 24 power taking part, 25 sliding resistor bar, 3 power supply circuit board, 4 price tag circuit board, 5 display screen, 6 light guide part, 60 arc-shaped notch, 7 front cover, 8 back cover, 9 light-emitting part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0019] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses.

[0020] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0021] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0022] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to like items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0023] The following describes the specific structure and working principle of the electronic price tag system of the present disclosure in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 6 in conjunction with an embodiment. It should be noted that the directional terms "up, down, front, and back" used in this disclosure to describe the electronic price tag system are based on Figure 3, and left and right are based on the side perpendicular to the paper in Figure 3 that is closer to the reader as left and farther from the reader as right.

[0024] Referring to Figures 1 and 3 , in one embodiment, the present disclosure includes a power supply track 1, a price tag body, a display screen 5, a price tag circuit board 4, a power supply circuit board 3, and two power supply components 24. For easier understanding, please also refer to Figures 2 and 4 . Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the electronic price tag system EE-axis depicted in Figure 1 , and Figure 4 is a schematic three-dimensional view of the electronic price tag in one embodiment.

[0025] The power supply track 1 has a slide groove 10 , which is configured to allow the price tag body to be slidably mounted on the power supply track 1 .

[0026] The price tag body has a mounting portion 23, which is configured to accommodate a display screen 5 and a price tag circuit board 4 electrically connected to the display screen 5. The price tag body also has a connecting portion 20 extending rearward from the mounting portion 23. When the price tag body and the power supply track 1 are assembled, the connecting portion 20 enters and exits the slot 13 of the chute 10. The price tag body also has an upper stop 21 extending upward from the end of the connecting portion 20 and a lower stop 22 extending downward. The upper stop 21 and the lower stop 22 respectively abut against the upper front side wall 11 and the lower front side wall 12 of the chute 10. The slot 13 is located between the upper front side wall 11 and the lower front side wall 12. In other words, the upper and lower front side walls 11 and 12 of the chute 10 limit the displacement of the price tag body from the slot 13 through the chute 10.

[0027] The power supply circuit board 3 is arranged on the upper front side wall 11 of the power supply track 1. Specifically, the power supply circuit board 3 is arranged in such a manner that it does not have relative movement relative to the power supply track 1. For example, the power supply circuit board 3 can be welded or riveted to the power supply track 1, or it can be detachably installed on the power supply track 1 using fasteners such as bolts and screws.

[0028] It should be noted that the power supply track 1 can be equipped with a rechargeable battery such as a battery, and the battery is electrically connected to the power supply circuit board 3. Of course, the power supply circuit board 3 on the power supply track 1 can also be electrically connected to an external power source through a wire.

[0029] The first ends of the two power-taking members 24 are located in the slide groove 10 and pass through the upper stop portion 21 to electrically contact the two electrodes of the power supply circuit board 3 respectively, and the second ends extend from the slide groove 10 through the connecting portion 20 and electrically contact the two electrodes of the price tag circuit board 4.

[0030] When the electronic price tag system is working, the switch between the power supply circuit board 3 and the power supply is turned on manually or automatically by the control element, and the current loop formed by the power supply, the power supply circuit board 3, the two power-taking components 24, the price tag circuit board 4 and the display screen 5 is connected, and the display screen 5 is powered to display the name, price, origin and other related information of the product.

[0031] The power supply circuit board 3 of the electronic price tag system disclosed herein is located on the upper front side wall 11 of the slide 10 of the power supply track 1. Its two power-taking parts 24 are in electrical contact with the power supply circuit board 3 to draw power. The other two power-taking parts 24 are both located in the slide 10 of the power supply track 1. When the electronic price tag system is used on the refrigeration equipment of the freezer, condensed water will only be deposited in the space formed between the lower stop portion 22 and the lower front side wall 12 of the power supply track 1. Its power-taking part is not affected by the condensed water, thereby ensuring the working safety and reliability of the system.

[0032] In one embodiment, the power extraction member 24 of the present disclosure is a torsion spring. The first and second ends of the power extraction member 24 respectively electrically contact the power supply circuit board 3 and the price tag circuit board 4 through their own torsional force, thereby ensuring the firmness and reliability of the electrical contact between the power extraction member 24 and the power supply circuit board 3 and the price tag circuit board 4. Furthermore, the torsion spring-type power extraction member 24 has a simple structure.

[0033] As previously mentioned, the electronic price tag of the electronic price tag system of the present disclosure slides relative to the power supply rail 1, so that the user can adjust the relative position of the corresponding electronic price tag on the power supply rail 1 according to the placement of the goods. If the first end of the power extraction element 24 of the electronic price tag slides along the power supply rail 1, it will easily cause wear and tear on the power supply circuit board 3.

[0034] To this end, referring to Figures 2 and 3, the first end of the power extraction member 24 of the present disclosure is bent into a U-shaped curved section, and the U-shaped curved section of the first end passes through the notch or through hole on the upper stop portion 21 and electrically contacts the power supply circuit board 3.

[0035] With such a configuration, when the electronic price tag slides along the slide groove 10 of the power supply track 1, the power extraction component 24 slides along the power supply circuit board 3 through the U-shaped bending section, avoiding scratches and other problems caused by sliding directly through the sharp end, thereby extending the service life of the power supply track 1.

[0036] Continuing to refer to FIG3 , a card slot is provided on the upper front side wall 11 of the slide 10 of the power supply track 1, and the power supply circuit board 3 is inserted into the card slot through the notch 13 of the card slot. That is, the power supply circuit board 3 is detachably arranged on the power supply track 1, so that the power supply circuit board 3 can be replaced quickly and conveniently.

[0037] 5 and 6 , in one embodiment, the electronic price tag system of the present disclosure further includes a sliding resistor bar 25 , the first end of which is located in the slide groove 10 and passes through the upper stopper 21 to electrically contact the resistor bar of the power supply circuit board 3 , and the second end passes through the connecting portion 20 to be examined from the slide groove 10 and electrically contact the resistor on the price tag circuit board 4 .

[0038] With this arrangement, when the electronic price tag slides along the slide groove 10 relative to the power supply track 1, the sliding resistor bar 25 will also move relative to the resistor bar on the power supply circuit board 3, thereby adjusting the resistance on the price tag circuit board 4. There is a proportional relationship between the resistor bar on the power supply track 1 and the length of the power supply track 1. As the resistance value changes, the specific position of the electronic price tag on the power supply track 1 can be determined, thereby enabling the background control system to accurately obtain the position of the corresponding product through the position of the electronic price tag.

[0039] 5 and 6 , it can be seen that in this embodiment, the two power extraction members 24 and the first ends of the sliding resistor strip 25 of the present disclosure are vertically layered and horizontally staggered.

[0040] With such a configuration, the electronic price tag system can reasonably utilize the space in the chute 10 and arrange multiple components in a reasonable and orderly manner within a relatively limited space, thereby making the overall structure of the electronic price tag relatively compact and lightweight.

[0041] In one embodiment, the upper stopper 21, the connecting portion 20, and the lower stopper 22 of the price tag body are arranged in sequence and extend in the same direction. When the electronic price tag and the power supply track 1 are assembled, the upper stopper 21 and the lower stopper 22 on the connecting portion 20 pass through the notch 13 and enter the chute 10. When the electronic price tag is rotated, the upper stopper 21 and the lower stopper 22 respectively abut against the upper front side wall 11 and the lower front side wall 12 of the chute 10. In other words, the width of the upper stopper 21, the connecting portion 20, and the lower stopper 22 in the left-right direction is less than the width of the notch 13 of the chute 10.

[0042] With such an arrangement, multiple electronic price tags can be installed on one power supply track 1, and if the electronic price tag in the middle position is to be replaced, it can be easily removed without being affected by other electronic price tags.

[0043] 2 and 3 , in one embodiment, the electronic price tag system of the present disclosure further includes a light-emitting component, which is disposed on the price tag body and electrically connected to the price tag circuit board 4 and is configured to make the electronic price tag emit light.

[0044] When the light-emitting component is working, the electronic price tag illuminates, allowing consumers to quickly find specific products. Of course, the light-emitting component can also be configured to emit different colors of light based on the type of product, such as red light for promotional products and green light for newly released products, thereby distinguishing different types of products through different colors.

[0045] In detail, referring to Figure 7 , in one embodiment, the light-emitting assembly of the present disclosure includes a light-emitting element 9 and a light-guiding element 6 . The light-emitting element 9 is mounted on the price tag body and electrically connected to the price tag circuit board 4 . The light-guiding element 6 is made of a light-transmitting material and is mounted on the price tag body. The light-guiding element 6 extends along at least a portion of the edge of the display screen 5 , and light from the light-emitting element 9 is incident on the light-guiding element 6 .

[0046] As shown in FIG. 7 , in one embodiment, the display screen 5 of the present disclosure is a rectangular display screen 5 , and the light guide 6 extends along the upper edge, left edge, and right edge of the display screen 5 , that is, the light guide 6 surrounds the three edges of the display screen 5 .

[0047] In this way, the light guide 6 can guide the light to the three edges that are easily seen by the user, while there is no need to introduce light to the lower edge that is easily ignored by the user. Therefore, the cost of the electronic price tag can be controlled to a minimum while meeting the light guiding requirements.

[0048] Of course, if the user has actual needs, the light guide 6 can also extend along the upper edge, left edge, right edge, and lower edge of the display screen 5 to surround the display screen 5.

[0049] It should also be noted that, in this embodiment, the display screen 5 is shown as a rectangular display screen 5. In other embodiments, the display screen 5 may also be circular, elliptical or other special-shaped structures, and the shape of the price tag body may also be adaptively adjusted based on the shape of the display screen 5.

[0050] 7 , the electronic price tag of the present disclosure includes three light-emitting elements 9 , and the light from the three light-emitting elements 9 is respectively incident from the end face of the left edge, the end face of the right edge, and the inner end face of the upper edge of the light guide 6 .

[0051] With such an arrangement, with the aid of the light-emitting component, the three edge portions of the electronic price tag have uniform light intensity and good consistency.

[0052] It should be noted that the light-emitting element 9 disclosed herein is an LED lamp, and the LED lamp power interface is electrically connected to the price tag circuit board 4 through a wire. The LED light source can emit a variety of different colors, and users can choose according to their own needs.

[0053] 7 , for example, an arc-shaped notch 60 is provided in the middle of the inner end surface of the upper edge of the light guide 6 , and the light-emitting element 9 is projected into the light guide 6 through the arc-shaped notch 60 .

[0054] With such an arrangement, the light incident from the light emitting element 9 is not limited to a local area, but can be diffused from both sides of the middle portion, thereby making the light intensity at the upper edge of the display screen 5 more uniform and consistent.

[0055] Specifically, the light guide 6 includes a bottom plate extending along the left, top, and left edges of the display screen 5. The rear end of the display screen 5 abuts against the bottom plate of the light guide 6. The edge of the bottom plate includes a rim extending forward and encompassing the left, top, and left edges of the display screen 5. Light from the light emitting element 9 enters the bottom plate, forming a light band surrounding the three edges of the display screen 5.

[0056] Continuing to refer to Figures 2 and 3, in one embodiment, the electronic price tag of the present disclosure further includes a back cover 8, which cooperates with the price tag body located in the slide slot 10 to form a chamber, and the L-shaped power pickup 24 at the bend is located in the chamber, thereby avoiding safety accidents such as electric shock caused by the power pickup 24 being exposed to the outside, and improving the safety and reliability of the electronic price tag.

[0057] Continuing to refer to Figures 2 and 3, in one embodiment, the electronic price tag of the present disclosure further includes a front cover 7, which is connected to the mounting portion 23 of the price tag body to enclose a chamber, and the price tag circuit board 4, display screen 5, light-emitting components and other structures are all arranged in the chamber, thereby playing a role in dust and collision prevention.

[0058] In addition, the front cover 7 is made of a transparent material such as glass or resin, so that the light from the light guide 6 can pass through the front cover 7 and the content displayed on the display screen 5 can also be seen.

[0059] Finally, it should be noted that the front cover 7, the rear cover 8 and the price tag body of the present invention can be connected by snap fastening, fasteners, welding, riveting and the like.

[0060] One of the beneficial effects of the electronic price tag system disclosed herein is that the power supply circuit board of the electronic price tag system disclosed herein is located on the upper front side wall of the power supply track slide, and its two power-taking parts are in electrical contact with the power supply circuit board to draw power, and the other two power-taking parts are both located in the slide of the power supply track. When the electronic price tag system is used on the refrigeration equipment of the freezer, condensed water will only be deposited in the space formed between the lower stop portion and the lower front side wall of the power supply track, and its power-taking part will not be affected by the condensed water, thereby ensuring the working safety and reliability of the system.

[0061] In addition, the electronic price tag system of the present disclosure further includes a light-emitting component, which is disposed on the price tag body and electrically connected to the price tag circuit board, and is configured to make the electronic price tag emit light.

[0062] When the light-emitting component is working, the electronic price tag illuminates, allowing consumers to quickly find specific products. Of course, the light-emitting component can also be configured to emit different colors of light based on the type of product, such as red light for promotional products and green light for newly released products, thereby distinguishing different types of products through different colors.

[0063] The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above. The above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terms used herein are selected to best explain the principles of the embodiments, their practical applications, or technical improvements in the marketplace, or to enable other persons skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electronic price tag system, the electronic price tag system comprising: A power supply rail (1), the power supply rail (1) having a chute (10); A price tag body, the price tag body having a mounting portion (23), the mounting portion (23) being configured to provide a display screen (5) and a price tag circuit board (4) electrically connected to the display screen (5), the price tag body further having a connecting portion (20) formed by extending backward from the mounting portion (23) to penetrate into a notch (13) of the chute (10), and an upper stop portion (21) extending upward and a lower stop portion (22) extending downward from the connecting portion (20), the upper stop portion (21) and the lower stop portion (22) respectively abutting against an upper front side wall (11) and a lower front side wall (12) of the chute (10); A power supply circuit board (3), the power supply circuit board (3) being disposed on the upper front side wall (11) of the power supply rail (1); Two power taking members (24), a first end of each of the two power taking members (24) being located within the chute (10) and passing through the upper stop portion (21) to be in electrical contact with two electrodes of the power supply circuit board (3) respectively, and a second end passing through the connecting portion (20) to extend out of the chute (10) and be in electrical contact with two electrodes of the price tag circuit board (4).

2. The electronic price tag system according to claim 1, wherein The power taking member (24) is a torsion spring member, and the first end and the second end of the power taking member (24) are in electrical contact with the power supply circuit board (3) and the price tag circuit board (4) respectively by means of torsion.

3. The electronic price tag system according to claim 1, wherein, The first end of the power taking member (24) is bent into a U-shaped bent section, and the U-shaped bent section passes through the upper stop portion (21) to be in electrical contact with the power supply circuit board (3).

4. The electronic price tag system according to claim 1, wherein The upper stop portion (21) has a card slot, and the power supply circuit board (3) is slidably clamped into the card slot.

5. The electronic price tag system according to claim 1, wherein, The electronic price tag system further comprises: A sliding resistance strip (25), a first end of the sliding resistance strip (25) being located within the chute (10) and passing through the upper stop portion (21) to be in electrical contact with the power supply circuit board (3), and a second end passing through the connecting portion (20) to extend out of the chute (10) and be in electrical contact with a resistor of the price tag circuit board (4).

6. The electronic price tag system according to claim 5, wherein, The first ends of the two power taking members (24) and the sliding resistance strip (25) are vertically stratified and horizontally staggered.

7. The electronic price tag system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The electronic price tag system further comprises: A light emitting assembly, the light emitting assembly being disposed on the price tag body and electrically connected to the price tag circuit board (4), and being configured to make the electronic price tag emit light.

8. The electronic price tag system according to claim 7, wherein, The light emitting assembly comprises: A light emitting element (9), the light emitting element (9) being disposed on the price tag body and electrically connected to the price tag circuit board (4); A light guiding member (6), the light guiding member (6) being made of a light transmissive material and disposed on the price tag body, the light guiding member (6) extending along at least a part of an edge of the display screen (5), and light of the light emitting element (9) being incident into the light guiding member (6).

9. The electronic price tag system according to claim 8, wherein, The light guiding member (6) extends along the upper edge, left edge and right edge of the display screen (5); The light-emitting component includes three light-emitting elements (9), and the light rays of the three light-emitting elements (9) enter the light guide (6) from the end face of the left edge, the end face of the right edge, and the inner end face of the upper edge of the light guide (6), respectively.

10. The electronic price tag system according to claim 9, wherein, An arc-shaped notch (60) is formed in the middle of the inner end face of the upper edge of the light guide (6), and the light-emitting element (9) enters the light guide (6) through the arc-shaped notch (60).

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