Serial Electronic Label With Overlapping Display Frame Updates

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Solution Overview

Problem

Electronic paper labels require multiple flashes to update display frames, causing a prolonged blank display period exceeding 10 seconds, which is inconvenient and inefficient.

Innovation Solution

A serial electronic label design with a controller managing a sequence of energy-saving displays, where adjacent displays' frame update times partially overlap, allowing for a marquee-like display effect and reducing labor costs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If electronic paper with three colors or more is used to display multiple frames, then color display capability is improved, but update time exceeds 10 seconds causing blank display period

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecolor display capabilityVSAvoidupdate time
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The electronic label is divided into multiple independent energy-saving display units arranged in a row. Each unit can update its display frame independently and simultaneously, rather than updating the entire label sequentially. This segmentation allows parallel processing of frame updates, reducing the overall update time while maintaining full-color capability in each segment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from a single sequential update approach to a spatial parallel update approach by arranging multiple display units in a row. The controller updates multiple units simultaneously along the spatial dimension, converting a time-sequential process into a space-parallel process, thereby reducing total update time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If multiple flashes are required to update display frames, then correct frame display is achieved, but display effectiveness is lost during waiting time

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveframe display accuracyVSAvoiddisplay effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

While one energy-saving display unit is undergoing frame update (multiple flashes), adjacent units continue to display their frames effectively. The overlapping update timing ensures that the display system as a whole maintains continuous useful action, preventing complete display blackout and improving user experience during updates.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Solution Approach 2:

Adjacent energy-saving display units complete their frame updates in overlapping time windows, with some units finishing updates before others begin. This preliminary action approach ensures that as one unit is updating, others are already ready to provide display effectiveness, maintaining continuous visual output.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4651123A1Serial electronic label
Publication Date: 2025.11.19 HU CHUNG MING
  • EP4651123A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4651123A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4651123A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A serial electronic label (100), including a plurality of energy saving displays (110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119) arranged in a row and a controller (120). Each of the energy saving displays (110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119) has a frame update time when updating a display frame. The controller (120) is electrically connected to the energy saving displays (110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119), and configured to make the energy saving displays (110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119) update the display frames thereof in a sequence by a one-to-plurality control method, wherein the frame update times of any two energy saving displays (110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119) adjacent in the sequence partially overlap each other.