ELECTRONIC LABEL SYSTEM

• US 20130176288A1
• Filed: 01/08/2013
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SiPix Technology Inc. (E Ink Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SiPix Technology Inc. (E Ink Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hung, Chi-Mao, Sun, Wei-Min, Hsieh, Yao-Jen, Jou, Ming-Jong
• Application Number:
  US13/736,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20130176288A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/00 Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field H04B10/00, H04B15/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An electronic label system, which includes a control unit, a first net unit, a second net unit and a plurality of electronic label units is provided. The control unit is configured for sending out a display information. The first net unit is coupled to the control unit for converting the display information into a wireless display signal. The second net unit is coupled to the first net unit for receiving the wireless display signal and outputting a display control signal. The electronic label units are coupled in series to the second net unit to receive the display control signal and to respectively display according to the corresponding display control signal. In this way, the cost of the electronic label system is reduced.

Claims

1. An electronic label system, comprising:

a control unit, configured for sending out a display information;

a first net unit, coupled to the control unit for converting the display information into a wireless display signal;

a second net unit, coupled to the first net unit for receiving the wireless display signal and outputting a display control signal; and

a plurality of electronic label units, coupled in series to the second net unit to receive the display control signal and to respectively display according to the corresponding display control signal.

2. The electronic label system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the electronic label units comprises:

a network connection unit, wherein the network connection unit of each of the electronic label units is coupled to the network connection unit of the adjacent electronic label unit or the second net unit; and

a display unit, coupled to the network connection unit to receive the display control signal through the network connection unit and display according to the display control signal.

3. The electronic label system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the display unit comprises:

a display panel; and

a driving circuit, coupled to the display panel and the network connection unit to drive the display panel according to the display control signal.

4. The electronic label system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the display panel is one of a liquid crystal display panel and an electrophoretic display panel.

5. The electronic label system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic label units are respectively corresponding to an address.

6. The electronic label system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second net unit sends out an address setting instruction and a starting address so that the electronic label units sequentially set the corresponding address respectively according to the coupling relationship.

7. The electronic label system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the address range of the electronic label units are corresponding to the quantity of connected address lines of the electronic label units.

8. The electronic label system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the electronic label units are respectively corresponding to a fixed address.

9. The electronic label system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first net unit is coupled to the control unit through one of an Ethernet network, an internal integrated circuit (I2C) interface, a serial peripheral interface (SPI), an RS232 interface and an ARM bus.

10. The electronic label system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit is coupled to a server through the Ethernet network so as to obtain the display information corresponding to each of the electronic label units from the server.

11. The electronic label system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the server is coupled to a database through a virtual private-area network so as to update the display information corresponding to each of the electronic label units through the database.

12. The electronic label system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the virtual private-area network is established in wide-area network.

13. The electronic label system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second net unit is coupled to the first net unit through one of a WiFi protocol, a ZigBee protocol and a third generation (3G) mobile communications protocol.

14. The electronic label system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic label units are coupled in series to the second net unit through one of an internal integrated circuit (I2C) interface, a serial peripheral interface (SPI), an RS232 interface and an ARM bus.