Camera system with inductive powering of wireless camera tags

An inventory management system for monitoring product displays, the inventory management system comprising:

• a mounting rail operatively mounted proximate to the display element, the mounting rail including a pair of electrical conductors extending along the length of the mounting rail and configured to connect to a power source;
• a wireless camera tag including an outer housing detachably coupled to the mounting rail, a digital camera mounted at least partially inside the outer housing and configured to generate image data signals indicative of the stock level of the product on the display element, and a coupling coil mounted at least partially inside the outer housing and electrically connected to the digital camera, the coupling coil being configured to inductively couple power from the electrical conductors of the mounting rail and transmit the power to the digital camera;
• a processor receiving said digital images from said camera, said processor
• detecting person stopped within the field of view of said camera, and
• activating a selected display feature in response to the detection of a stopped person.

An inventory management system for monitoring product displays, the inventory management system comprising:

• a mounting rail operatively mounted proximate to the display element, the mounting rail including a pair of electrical conductors extending along the length of the mounting rail and configured to connect to a power source;
• a wireless camera tag including an outer housing detachably coupled to the mounting rail, a digital camera mounted at least partially inside the outer housing and configured to generate image data signals indicative of the stock level of the product on the display element, and a coupling coil mounted at least partially inside the outer housing and electrically connected to the digital camera, the coupling coil being configured to inductively couple power from the electrical conductors of the mounting rail and transmit the power to the digital camera;
• a processor having access to said digital images from said camera, said processor
• operating an object recognition application that detects people in said images, and whether the detected people stop in front of a product display in the field of view of the camera,
• the number of people that stop in front of a product display in the field of view of the camera within each of successive preselected time intervals, and
• the identity of the product in the display in front of which the detected people stopped.

A method of assembling a wireless camera tag for a camera system with a mounting rail having electrical conductors connected to a power source, the method comprising:

• providing an outer housing with a housing cover and a housing base, the outer housing being configured to mount to the mounting rail proximate the electrical conductors;
• seating a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly on the housing base, the PCB assembly including a PCB, a digital camera mounted on the PCB and configured to generate image data signals, a wireless signal transmitter mounted on the PCB and configured to transmit the image data signals generated by the digital camera, a capacitor mounted on the PCB, and a diode bridge mounted on the PCB and electrically connected with the capacitor;
• attaching a coupling coil to the PCB assembly such that the coupling coil is electrically connected with the capacitor, the coupling coil being configured to inductively couple power from the electrical conductors of the mounting rail and transmit the power to the digital camera via the capacitor and the diode bridge;
• and
• rigidly securing the housing cover to the housing base such that the PCB assembly and the coupling coil are secured at least partially inside the outer housing.