Spacer For A Shelf Support, Comprising A Light Emitter
AssigneeVusionGroup Deutschland GmbH
InventorsThomas Schwarz, Michael Unmüssig
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a spacer adapted to be fixed on a shelf support so as to delimit a column of the shelf support, wherein the spacer comprises a light-emitter integrated in the spacer and configured to emit light, wherein the light emitted by said light emitter forms a signal corresponding to a blinking sequence which is specific to said light emitter and allows identification of the spacer in which the light emitter is integrated.
Claims17
A spacer used to segment products on a shelf support which extends substantially in a shelf support plane and is configured to receive articles placed on the shelf support, the spacer being adapted to delimit an area of the shelf support where articles are to be placed, wherein the spacer comprises a light-emitter integrated in the spacer and a communication module adapted to trigger the emission of a blinking sequence by the light emitter according to an order from a base station, wherein the blinking sequence is specific to said light emitter and allows identification, by a blinking sequence identification unit, of the spacer in which the light emitter is integrated.
A blinking sequence identification unit adapted to receive a blinking sequence emitted by a light emitter of a spacer of a set of spacers comprising a plurality of spacers, wherein each spacer of the set of spacers is adapted to segment products on a a shelf support which extends substantially in a shelf support plane and is configured to receive articles placed on the shelf support, wherein each spacer of the set of spacers is adapted to delimit an area of the shelf support where articles are to be placed, wherein each spacer of the set of spacers comprises a light-emitter integrated in the spacer and a communication module adapted to trigger the emission of a blinking sequence by the light emitter of the spacer according to an order from a base station, wherein the blinking sequence is unique, specific to said light emitter and different from the blinking sequence(s) of the light emitter(s) of the other spacer(s) of the set of spacers, and wherein the blinking sequence identification unit is adapted to identify the spacer of the set of spacers corresponding to the acquired blinking sequence based on the acquired blinking sequence.
A method for spacer identification performed by a shelf system, wherein the shelf system comprises a set of spacers, a blinking sequence identification unit a camera, wherein the set of spacers comprises a plurality of spacers, wherein each spacer of the set of spacers is adapted to segment products on a a shelf support which extends substantially in a shelf support plane and is configured to receive articles placed on the shelf support, wherein each spacer of the set of spacers is adapted to delimit an area of the shelf support where articles are to be placed, wherein each spacer of the set of spacers comprises a light-emitter integrated in the spacer and a communication module adapted to trigger the emission of a blinking sequence by the light emitter of the spacer according to an order from a base station, wherein the blinking sequence is unique, specific to said light emitter and different from the blinking sequence(s) of the light emitter(s) of the other spacer(s) of the set of spacers, and wherein the method comprises the following steps:
- S1:
- triggering a blinking sequence of a light emitter integrated in a spacer of the set of spacers by the communication module of the spacer;
- S2:
- performing the blinking sequence by the light emitter of the spacer;
- S3:
- visually acquiring the blinking sequence by the camera;
- S4:
- receiving, by the blinking sequence identification unit, the blinking sequence acquired by the camera;
- and
- S5:
- identifying, by the blinking sequence identification unit, the spacer of the set of spacers corresponding to the acquired blinking sequence, based on the acquired blinking sequence.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.