METHOD, SYSTEM, AND DEVICE FOR DETERMINING A LOCATION OF MICRO DIGITAL SIGNAGE DEVICES

• US 20140091985A1
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Michael J. Kasper, Thomas A. Birch
• Inventors: BIRCH, THOMAS A., KASPER, MICHAEL J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,947,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/2.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/04 Electronic labels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/06 Remotely controlled electronic signs other than labels

Abstract

A device, system, and method for determining a location of micro digital signage devices includes generating and transmitting a unique identifier corresponding to each micro digital signage device. Each micro digital signage device is to display its corresponding unique identifier and capture an image of other micro digital signage devices located on an opposite side of an aisle. The captured images are to be stitched together to generate a composite image. The unique identifiers of the micro digital signage devices are to be identified and the location of each micro digital signage device is to be determined using a known location of one of the micro digital signage devices as a reference. Each micro digital signage device identified from the composite image is to clear its corresponding unique identifier from display.

Claims

1. A server for determining a location of micro digital signage devices, the server comprising:

a display generation module to (i) generate a unique identifier corresponding to each of a plurality of micro digital signage devices and (ii) instruct each of the plurality of micro digital signage devices to display its corresponding unique identifier; and

an image analysis module to (i) receive images of a first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices captured by a second group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices, (ii) generate a composite image of the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices from the captured images of the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices, (iii) identify, from the composite image, a first unique identifier corresponding to a first micro digital signage device having a known location, (iv) identify, from the composite image, a second unique identifier corresponding to a second micro digital signage device that is adjacent to the first micro digital signage device, and (v) determine a location of the second micro digital signage device as a function of the known location of the first micro digital signage device.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the display generation module is further to instruct one or more of the plurality of micro digital signage devices to stop displaying its corresponding unique identifier.

3. The server of claim 2, wherein to instruct one or more of the plurality of micro digital signage devices to stop displaying its corresponding unique identifier comprises to instruct one or more of the plurality of micro digital signage devices to at least one of:

gray out, dim, shade, or clear its corresponding unique identifier.

4. The server of claim 2, wherein to instruct one or more of the plurality of micro digital signage devices to stop displaying its corresponding unique identifier comprises to instruct the first and second micro digital signage devices to stop displaying their corresponding unique identifiers in response to identifying the corresponding first and second unique identifiers.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein to generate a composite image of the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices from the captured images comprises to perform at least one of (i) an edge detection process and (ii) a pattern recognition process on the captured images of the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices.

6. The server of claim 1, wherein the display generation module is further to instruct at least one of the micro digital signage devices to capture an image of one or more other micro digital signage devices.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the display generation module is further to generate product information to be displayed on a display of one or more of the micro digital signage devices.

8. The server of claim 7, wherein the product information to be displayed on the display of one or more of the micro digital signage devices comprises at least one of a product price, product reviews, product discount information, a recipe, product nutrition information, or a promotion.

9. The server of claim 1, further comprising a data storage to store the unique identifier, location data, and an Internet Protocol address corresponding to each of the plurality of micro digital signage devices, and wherein the image analysis module is further to update the location data corresponding to the second micro digital signage device in the data storage in response to determining the location of the second micro digital signage device.

10. The server of claim 1, further comprising a communication module to communicate over a network with one or more of the plurality of micro digital signage devices, and wherein to communicate over a network with one or more of the plurality of micro digital signage devices comprises to (i) transmit each generated unique identifier to a corresponding micro digital signage device, (ii) transmit instructions to each of the micro digital signage devices to capture an image, and (iii) receive captured images and information from one or more of the plurality of micro digital signage devices.

11. The server of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier for each of the plurality of micro digital signage devices comprising at least one of:

a unique number, a unique character string, a unique image, or a unique barcode.

12. The server of claim 1, wherein the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices is attached to a shelving unit located on a first side of an aisle,

wherein the second group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices is attached to a different shelving unit located on a second side of the aisle opposite the first side, and

wherein to receive images of a first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices captured by a second group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices comprises to receive images of the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices attached to the shelving unit located on the first side of the aisle captured by the second group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices attached to the different shelving unit located on the second side of the aisle.

13. The server of claim 12, wherein the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices are attached to one or more rows of the shelving unit located on the first side of the aisle, and

wherein the second group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices are attached to one or more rows of the different shelving unit located on the second side of the aisle.

14. A method for determining a location of micro digital signage devices, the method comprising:

generating a unique identifier corresponding to each of a plurality of micro digital signage devices;

instructing each of the plurality of micro digital signage devices to display its corresponding unique identifier;

receiving images of a first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices captured by a second group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices;

generating a composite image of the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices from the captured images of the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices;

identifying, from the composite image, a first unique identifier corresponding to a first micro digital signage device having a known location;

identifying, from the composite image, a second unique identifier corresponding to a second micro digital signage device that is adjacent to the first micro digital signage device; and

determining a location of the second micro digital signage device as a function of the known location of the first micro digital signage device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising instructing one or more of the plurality of micro digital signage devices to stop displaying its corresponding unique identifier.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein instructing one or more of the plurality of micro digital signage devices to stop displaying its corresponding unique identifier comprises instructing one or more of the plurality of micro digital signage devices to at least one of:

gray out, dim, shade, or clear its corresponding unique identifier.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein generating a composite image of the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices from the captured images comprises performing at least one of (i) an edge detection process and (ii) a pattern recognition process on the captured images of the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising instructing at least one of the micro digital signage devices to capture an image of one or more other micro digital signage devices.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating product information to be displayed on a display of one or more of the micro digital signage devices.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

storing the unique identifier, location data, and an Internet Protocol address corresponding to each of the plurality of micro digital signage devices in a data storage; and

updating the location data corresponding to the second micro digital signage device in the data storage in response to determining the location of the second micro digital signage device.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising communicating over a network with one or more of the plurality of micro digital signage devices.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices is attached to a shelving unit located on a first side of an aisle,

wherein the second group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices is attached to a different shelving unit located on a second side of the aisle opposite to the first side, and

wherein receiving images of a first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices captured by a second group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices comprises receiving images of the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices attached to the shelving unit located on the first side of the aisle captured by the second group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices attached to the different shelving unit located on the second side of the aisle.

23. One or more machine readable media comprising a plurality of instructions stored thereon that in response to being executed result in a server computing device:

generating a unique identifier corresponding to each of a plurality of micro digital signage devices;

instructing each of the plurality of micro digital signage devices to display its corresponding unique identifier;

receiving images of a first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices captured by a second group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices;

generating a composite image of the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices from the captured images of the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices;

identifying, from the composite image, a first unique identifier corresponding to a first micro digital signage device having a known location;

identifying, from the composite image, a second unique identifier corresponding to a second micro digital signage device that is adjacent to the first micro digital signage device;

determining a location of the second micro digital signage device as a function of the known location of the first micro digital signage device; and

instructing the first and second micro digital signage devices to stop displaying their corresponding unique identifiers in response to identifying the unique identifiers corresponding to each of the first and second micro digital signage devices.

24. The one or more machine readable media of claim 23, wherein generating a composite image of the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices from the captured images comprises performing one or more of edge detection or pattern recognition on the captured images of the first group of the plurality of micro digital signage devices.

25. The one or more machine readable media of claim 23, wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the server computing device:

storing the unique identifier, location data, and an Internet Protocol address corresponding to each of the plurality of micro digital signage devices in a data storage; and

updating the location data corresponding to the second micro digital signage device in the data storage in response to determining the location of the second micro digital signage device.

26. A micro digital signage device for determining a location of another micro digital signage device, the micro digital signage device comprising:

communication circuitry to receive a unique identifier from a micro digital signage server;

a data storage to store the unique identifier received from the micro digital signage server;

a display to display the unique identifier in response to the communication circuitry receiving instructions from the micro digital signage server;

a camera to capture an image of one or more other micro digital signage devices in response to the communication circuitry receiving instructions from the micro digital signage server; and

wherein the communication circuitry further to transmit the captured image of the one or more other micro digital signage devices to the micro digital signage server for identification, and wherein the display is to stop displaying the unique identifier in response to the communication circuitry receiving instructions from the micro digital signage server.

27. The micro digital signage device of claim 26, wherein to stop displaying the unique identifier in response to the communication circuitry receiving instructions from the micro digital signage server comprises to at least one of gray out, dim, shade, or clear the unique identifier.

28. The micro digital signage device of claim 27, wherein the display is further to display product information received from the micro digital signage server.

29. The micro digital signage device of claim 28, wherein the product information received from the micro digital signage server comprising at least one of:

a product price, product reviews, product discount information, a recipe, product nutrition information, or a promotion, and

wherein the unique identifier comprises at least one of a unique number, a unique character string, a unique image, or a unique barcode.

30. The micro digital signage device of claim 26, wherein the micro digital signage device is attached to a shelving unit located on a first side of an aisle,

wherein the one or more other micro digital signage devices are attached to a different shelving unit located on a second side of the aisle opposite the first side, and

wherein to capture an image of one or more other micro digital signage devices comprises to capture an image of one or more other micro digital signage devices attached to the different shelving unit located on the second side of the aisle.