JP2012155552A - Shelf label management system, shelf label management method, shelf label management device and electronic shelf label terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To maintain system data even when a shelf label management device fails.SOLUTION: In the shelf label management system including a plurality of electronic shelf label terminals 3, and a shelf label management device 1, the shelf label management device 1 includes a system data holding section for dividing system data into a plurality of blocks and storing the divided data, a control section for selecting the electronic shelf label terminal 3 corresponding to each block of the system data holding section, and a transmitting section for transmitting the system data stored in each block of the system data holding section to the respectively corresponding electronic shelf label terminal 3 as external storage data, and the electronic shelf label terminals 3 include a receiving section for receiving the external storage data from the shelf label management device 1, and an external storage data holding section for storing the external storage data received by the receiving section.

Description

  The present invention relates to a shelf label management system, a shelf label management method, a shelf label management device, and an electronic shelf label terminal.

  Currently, electronic shelf label terminals that display product names, product prices, etc. are being used at retail stores such as supermarkets in order to reduce the labor required for changing shelf labels to change product names and product prices. Yes. Patent Document 1 describes an electronic shelf label system that manages the electronic shelf label terminal.

JP 2008-217476 A

  However, in the conventional electronic shelf label system, the server (shelf label management device) centrally manages system data (for example, product master data such as product name and product price) used in the system, In particular, when a hard disk failure occurs, there is a problem that system data cannot be maintained.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is a shelf label management system, a shelf label management method, and a system that can maintain system data even when the shelf label management device fails. It is to provide a shelf label management device and an electronic shelf label terminal.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and one aspect of the present invention is a shelf label management system including a plurality of electronic shelf label terminals and a shelf label management device, wherein the shelf label The management device includes a system data holding unit that divides and stores system data into a plurality of blocks, a control unit that selects the electronic shelf label terminal corresponding to each block of the system data holding unit, and the system data holding unit A transmission unit that transmits the system data stored in each block to the corresponding electronic shelf label terminal as external storage data, and the electronic shelf label terminal receives the external storage data from the shelf label management device. A shelf label management system comprising: a receiving unit that receives data; and an external storage data holding unit that stores external storage data received by the receiving unit.

  According to the present invention, the electronic shelf label terminal holds the system data stored in each block of the shelf label management apparatus as external storage data. Thereby, even if a failure occurs in the shelf label management device, the system data can be maintained.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, in the shelf label management system, the electronic shelf label terminal includes a transmission unit that transmits external storage data stored in the external storage data holding unit to the shelf label management device. The shelf label management device includes: a receiving unit that receives the external storage data from the electronic shelf label terminal; and a restoration unit that restores the system data based on the external storage data received by the receiving unit. It is characterized by providing.

  According to the present invention, the shelf label management device restores the system data based on the external storage data received from the electronic shelf label terminal. Therefore, when the shelf label management device fails, the shelf label management device easily restores the system data. be able to.

  Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the above shelf label management system, the restoration unit of the shelf label management device receives the external storage data of the same block from a plurality of the electronic shelf label terminals. The plurality of external storage data is compared, and the system data is restored based on the external storage data having a large number of external storage data having the same data contents.

  According to the present invention, when external storage data of the same block is received from a plurality of the electronic shelf label terminals, the external storage data used for restoration is selected by the majority method. Thereby, the original system data can be restored with higher accuracy.

  Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the shelf label management system, the system data holding unit of the shelf label management device blocks system data according to importance, and the control unit of the shelf label management device includes: Further, the number of the electronic shelf label terminals is associated with the block storing system data having a high importance level.

  According to the present invention, since more electronic system label terminals hold system data with higher importance, fault tolerance is further improved.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, in the above shelf label management system, the electronic shelf label terminal having a high terminal quality value indicating the quality of the electronic shelf label terminal is preferentially selected.

  According to this invention, since the electronic shelf label terminal having a high terminal quality value is preferentially selected, the reliability of the system data as an external storage device is further improved.

  Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the shelf label management system, the control unit of the shelf label management apparatus sets the terminal quality value of each electronic shelf label terminal to a battery remaining amount of each electronic shelf label terminal. And the transmission unit of the electronic shelf label terminal transmits its remaining battery level when communicating with the shelf label management device.

  According to the present invention, since the electronic shelf label terminal transmits its battery remaining amount to the shelf label management device every communication, the shelf label management device grasps the battery remaining amount of the terminal that has performed communication in real time. The terminal quality value can be calculated with higher accuracy.

  One aspect of the present invention is a shelf label management in a shelf label management system including a shelf label management device including a system data holding unit that stores system data divided into a plurality of blocks and a plurality of electronic shelf label terminals. A method in which the control unit of the shelf label management device selects the electronic shelf label terminal corresponding to each block of the system data holding unit, and the transmission unit of the shelf label management device includes the system data Transmitting the system data stored in each block of the holding unit to the corresponding electronic shelf label terminal as external storage data, and the receiving unit of the electronic shelf label terminal from the shelf label management device to the external storage data And a step in which the control unit of the electronic shelf label terminal stores the external storage data received by the reception unit in an external storage data holding unit. A shelf label management method according to claim Rukoto.

  Another aspect of the present invention is the shelf label management device in a shelf label management system including a plurality of electronic shelf label terminals and a shelf label management device, and stores the system data divided into a plurality of blocks. A system data holding unit, a control unit for selecting the electronic shelf label terminal corresponding to each block of the system data holding unit, and system data stored in each block of the system data holding unit correspond to external storage data, respectively. A transmission unit that transmits to the electronic shelf label terminal.

  One aspect of the present invention is the electronic shelf label terminal in a shelf label management system including a plurality of electronic shelf label terminals and a shelf label management device, wherein the system data is received from the shelf label management device. And an external storage data holding unit for storing system data received by the receiving unit.

  According to the present invention, the electronic shelf label terminal holds the system data stored in each block of the shelf label management apparatus as external storage data. Thereby, even if a failure occurs in the shelf label management device, the system data can be maintained.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the shelf label management system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the shelf label management apparatus by this embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the data structure and data example of the data importance degree definition table by this embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the data structure of the system data holding part by this embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the data structure and data example of the external storage data management table by this embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the data structure and data example of a terminal management table by this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electronic shelf label terminal by this embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the data structure of the memory | storage part of the electronic shelf label terminal by this embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the data structure of the external storage data holding part of the electronic shelf label terminal by this embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation | movement of the installation process by this embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the example of data of the terminal management table at the time of the end of the installation process by this embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the example of data of the external storage data management table at the time of the end of the installation process by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the data synchronization process by this embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation | movement of the external storage data transmission process by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the external storage data transmission process by this embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation | movement of the display data transmission process by this embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation | movement of the state confirmation process by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the display data transmission process by this embodiment, and a status confirmation process. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement of the terminal participation process by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the external storage data validity / invalidity determination processing by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the initialization process of the external storage data holding part in the electronic shelf label terminal by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process at the time of power activation in the electronic shelf label terminal by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process at the time of reconnection by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the system data update process by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the terminal quality management process by this embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation | movement of the data reference process by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the data reference process by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the data reconstruction process by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the data reconstruction process by this embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the data structure of the terminal data memorize | stored in the temporary buffer by this embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a shelf label management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The shelf label management system includes a shelf label management device 1, a plurality of relay devices 2, and a plurality of electronic shelf label terminals 3. Then, the shelf label management device 1 and the relay device 2, and the relay device 2 and the electronic shelf label terminal 3 are connected via a communication network. In the present embodiment, the relay device 2 and the electronic shelf label terminal 3 are connected by wireless communication.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the shelf label management apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.
The shelf label management device 1 is a server device that includes a control unit 101, a display unit 102, an operation unit 103, a communication unit 104, and a storage unit 105.
The control unit 101 controls the shelf label management apparatus 1 in an integrated manner. The display unit 102 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display that displays various data. The operation unit 103 is an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse. The communication unit 104 performs communication processing with the electronic shelf label terminal 3 via the relay device 2.

  The storage unit 105 includes a system data holding unit 105A, an external storage data management table 105B, a terminal management table 105C, a temporary buffer 105D, and a data importance level definition table 105E. The external system data holding unit 105A holds (stores) system data used in the system, such as product master data. The external storage data management table 105B is a table for managing which electronic shelf label terminal 3 is used as an external storage device for system data. The terminal management table 105C is a table for managing the electronic shelf label terminal 3 included in the shelf label management system. The temporary buffer 105D temporarily holds data for various processes. The data importance level definition table 105E is a table indicating the importance level of system data.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a data structure and a data example of the data importance level definition table 105E according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the data importance level definition table 105E is two-dimensional tabular data composed of rows and columns, and has columns of items of system data and importance levels. Each row of this table exists for each system data. The system data type is a type of system data used in the shelf label management system. The importance is an importance corresponding to the system data type. The smaller the value, the higher the importance, and the larger the value, the lower the importance.
In the illustrated example, the importance level corresponding to the product master data such as the product name and the product price is “1”, the importance level corresponding to the store information is “2”, and corresponds to the employee information. The importance is “3”, the importance corresponding to the error log is “4”, and the importance corresponding to various transaction data is “5”. In other words, system data necessary for configuring a shelf label management system such as product master data, store information, and employee information is highly important, and temporary system data such as error logs and various transaction data is important. The degree is low.
The system data may be data other than the data example shown in the figure as long as it is data used in the shelf label management system.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a data structure of the system data holding unit 105A according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the system data holding unit 105A that holds system data is divided into N data blocks from data block 1 to data block N. The data block i (i = 1, 2,..., N) holds system data that is more important as the value of i is smaller. That is, the system data holding unit 105A blocks the system data for each importance. The control unit 101 writes each system data in each data block based on the data importance level definition table 105E. For example, the control unit 101 writes the most important product master data in the data block 1, writes the next most important store information in the data block 2, and stores the next most important employee information in the data block 1. Write to block 3. Similarly, the control unit 101 determines data blocks to be written based on the importance of the data importance definition table 105E for other system data. In the present embodiment, the shelf label management apparatus 1 causes each electronic shelf label terminal 3 to hold the system data stored in the system data holding unit 105A as external storage data. That is, the shelf label management apparatus 1 uses the electronic shelf label terminal 3 as an external storage device for system data.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a data configuration and data example of the external storage data management table 105B according to the present embodiment.
The external storage data management table 105B manages the data block i of the system data holding unit 105A by further dividing it into a plurality (8 in this example) of blocks ij (j = 1, 2,..., 8). Hereinafter, the system data held by each block ij is referred to as external storage data. As shown in the figure, the external storage data management table 105B is two-dimensional tabular data composed of rows and columns, and includes a block logic No, a data version, a data date, a CS (Check Sum), and a terminal. Each item has a column of ID (k (k = 1, 2,..., 5)). Each row of this table exists for each block ij. The block logic No is identification information for identifying each block ij. The data version is a version of the external storage data held by the block ij. The data date is a date when the external storage data held by the block ij is updated. CS is a CS for confirming the validity of the block logic No, data version, data date, and external storage data body, and the corresponding area (block logic No, data version, data date, external storage data) The result of addition for each byte or word of the main body The terminal ID (k) is identification information of the electronic shelf label terminal 3 that holds the external storage data stored in the block ij. In the present example, the upper limit number of the electronic shelf label terminals 3 holding the external storage data of one block ij is set to 5, but the upper limit number may be 5 or more. The terminal ID (k) “0000” represents that the electronic shelf label terminal 3 holding the external storage data is not set. Further, the terminal ID (k) “−” represents that external storage data is not held. In the example shown in the figure, the external storage data of the block logic No “D11” is held by the five electronic shelf label terminals 3, and the external storage data of the block logic No “D31” is stored by the three electronic shelf label terminals 3. Hold. That is, more electronic shelf label terminals 3 hold external storage data with higher importance.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a data configuration and a data example of the terminal management table 105C according to the present embodiment.
As shown in the figure, the terminal management table 105C is two-dimensional tabular data consisting of rows and columns, and includes a terminal ID, external data presence / absence, remaining battery charge A, communication error count B, and terminal reconnection. Each column includes the number of times C and the terminal quality value Q. Each row of this table exists for each terminal ID. The terminal ID is an identifier for identifying each electronic shelf label terminal 3. The presence / absence of external data indicates whether or not external storage data is held in the corresponding electronic shelf label terminal 3. The presence / absence of external data “1” indicates that external storage data is held, and the presence / absence of external data “0” indicates that external storage data is not held. The battery remaining amount A is a value representing the remaining battery amount of the corresponding electronic shelf label terminal 3, and the unit is a percentage (range is 0 to 100). The communication error count B is, for example, the number of communication errors that have occurred in the past 10 days. For example, the shelf label management apparatus 1 determines that a communication error has occurred when there is no response to the transmitted data when data is transmitted to the electronic shelf label terminal 3.

  The terminal reconnection count C is, for example, the number of reconnections of the electronic shelf label terminal 3 that has occurred in the past 10 days. When the electronic shelf label terminal 3 is turned on from off, enters the wireless communication area from outside the wireless communication area, or the relay device 2 at the connection destination is changed due to movement of the electronic shelf label terminal 3 or the like To the shelf label management device 1 again. Here, the electronic shelf label terminal 3 determines its own wireless communication area or out of the wireless communication area based on reception of the wireless synchronization pattern. This wireless synchronization pattern is data of a predetermined character string transmitted from the relay device 2 at a predetermined cycle (for example, every 30 seconds). The electronic shelf label terminal 3 determines that the wireless communication pattern is within the wireless communication range when receiving the wireless synchronization pattern at a predetermined cycle, and determines that the electronic shelf label terminal is out of the wireless communication range when the wireless synchronization pattern has not been received for a predetermined time or longer. To do. The terminal quality value Q is a value representing the quality of the corresponding electronic shelf label terminal 3, and is represented by the following equation (1), for example.

Q = A × (k _B (N _B −B)) + k _c (N _c −C)) (1)

Here, k _B is a preset weighting parameter coefficient for the number of communication errors, and k _c is a preset weighting parameter coefficient for the number of reconnections. N _B is a preset allowable limit value for the number of communication errors, and N _c is a preset allowable limit value for the number of reconnections. However, the shelf label management apparatus 1 sets the terminal quality value Q = 0 when Q becomes a negative value in the above-described equation (1).

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electronic shelf label terminal 3 according to the present embodiment.
The electronic shelf label terminal 3 includes a control unit 301, a wireless communication unit 302, a power supply unit 303, a display unit 305, and a storage unit 306. The control unit 301 controls the electronic shelf label terminal 3 in an integrated manner. The wireless communication unit 302 performs communication processing with the shelf label management device 1 via the relay device 2. The power supply unit 303 supplies power to each unit. The display unit 305 displays display data such as product names and product prices. The storage unit 306 stores a terminal ID, display data, and external storage data.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a data configuration of the storage unit 306 of the electronic shelf label terminal 3 according to the present embodiment.
The storage unit 306 includes a terminal ID holding unit, a display data holding unit, and an external storage data holding unit. The terminal ID holding unit holds the terminal ID of the own terminal. The display data holding unit holds data to be displayed on the display unit 305 such as display data. The external storage data holding unit holds external storage data received from the shelf label management apparatus 1. That is, the external storage data holding unit is an area constituting the external storage device of the shelf label management device 1.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a data configuration of the external storage data holding unit of the electronic shelf label terminal 3 according to the present embodiment.
The external storage data holding unit holds a block logic No, a data version, a data date, a data body, and a CS. The block logic No is a block logic No of external storage data. The data version is a version of externally stored data. The data date is a date when the external storage data is updated. The data body is an external storage data body. The CS is a CS for confirming the validity of the data of the block logic No, the data version, the data date, and the data body.

FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the installation process according to this embodiment.
The terminal ID of the electronic shelf label terminal 3 is not stored in the external storage data management table 105B of the shelf label management device 1 before the installation process shown below.
The shelf label management apparatus 1 shifts to the “installing” mode by pressing a software function button or the like (step S101). During this time, the shelf label management apparatus 1 constructs a terminal management table 105C shown in FIG. Specifically, upon receiving a terminal participation request from the electronic shelf label terminal 3 during installation (step S102), the shelf label management apparatus 1 returns a terminal participation response “terminal participation OK / data invalid” (step S103). At the same time, information included in the received terminal participation request is written into the terminal management table 105C. The terminal participation request is data for participating in the shelf label management system managed by the shelf label management apparatus 1, and includes terminal participation identification, terminal ID, remaining battery level, block logic No, data version, data The date, CS, and other information are included (see FIG. 10B). The terminal participation identification is an identifier indicating a terminal participation request. The terminal participation response is response data for the terminal participation request, and includes “terminal participation OK / NG” and “data valid / invalid” (see FIG. 10C). “Terminal participation OK” indicates that the electronic shelf label terminal 3 is allowed to participate in the shelf label management system, and “Shelve label participation NG” does not permit the electronic shelf label terminal 3 to participate in the shelf label management system. Represents. “Data valid” indicates that the external storage data held by the electronic shelf label terminal 3 is valid. “Data invalid” indicates that the external storage data held by the electronic shelf label terminal 3 is invalid. Represents that.

  The shelf label management apparatus 1 performs the processing from step S102 to S103 for the number of electronic shelf label terminals 3 participating in the shelf label management system, and ends the installation process. Subsequently, the shelf label management apparatus 1 proceeds to data synchronization processing.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a data example of the terminal management table 105C at the end of the installation process according to the present embodiment.
As shown in the figure, the presence / absence of external data of all the electronic shelf label terminals 3 is “0”, the communication error count is “0”, and the terminal reconnection count is “0”. The remaining battery level of each electronic shelf label terminal 3 is the remaining battery level included in the terminal participation request received from each electronic shelf label terminal 3 in step S102 described above.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of data in the external storage data management table 105B at the end of the installation process according to the present embodiment.
As shown in the figure, the values of the terminal ID (k) corresponding to each block logic No are all “0000” and are not set. Note that the data version, data date, and CS are generated in advance.

Next, with reference to FIG. 13, data synchronization processing by the shelf label management apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of data synchronization processing according to the present embodiment.
The data synchronization process shown in the figure is started by pressing a software function button or the like when the participation of all the electronic shelf label terminals 3 is completed in the installation process. Alternatively, the shelf label management apparatus 1 periodically performs data synchronization processing such as once a day or once a week. The data synchronization process is a process for optimizing the distribution of the external storage data for all the electronic shelf label terminals 3 and all the blocks ij.

  First, the control unit 101 of the shelf label management apparatus 1 sets the presence / absence of external data of all the electronic shelf label terminals 3 in the terminal management table 105C to “0” (step S201). Next, the control unit 101 sets “D11” as the first block as the processing target block “block” (step S202). Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the processing from the next step S205 to S207 has been completed for all blocks (step S203). This is the case when the processing is completed for all blocks (step S203: Yes). End the data synchronization process.

  On the other hand, if the processing has not been completed for all the blocks ij (step S203: No), the electronic device having the largest terminal quality value among the electronic shelf label terminals 3 having the presence / absence of external data “0” in the terminal management table 105C. The shelf label terminal 3 is selected (step S204). Next, the control unit 101 transmits the external storage data of the block to the selected electronic shelf label terminal 3 by performing the external data transmission process shown in FIG. 15 (step S205). Details of the external storage data transmission processing will be described later. Then, the control unit 101 writes the terminal ID of the selected electronic shelf label terminal 3 in the external storage data management table 105B in association with the block (step S206). Then, the control unit 101 sets the presence / absence of external data corresponding to the selected electronic shelf label terminal 3 to “1” in the terminal management table 105C (step S207). The control unit 101 repeats the processing from step S204 to S207 described above until “0000” disappears in the terminal ID (k) corresponding to the block of the external storage data management table 105B. The control unit 101 sets the target block as the next block (step S208), and returns to step S203.

FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing an operation of external storage data transmission processing according to the present embodiment.
First, the shelf label management apparatus 1 transmits external storage data to the electronic shelf label terminal 3 (step S301). The external storage data transmitted here includes external storage data identification, block logic No., data version, data date, data body, and CS (see FIG. 14B). The external storage data identification is an identifier that represents external storage data. The data body is an external storage data body. When receiving the external storage data, the electronic shelf label terminal 3 performs CS check of the external storage data (step S302). Specifically, the control unit 301 of the electronic shelf label terminal 3 receives the addition value for each byte or word of the CS target area (block logic No., data version, data date, and data body) and the received CS. If they match, it is determined that the external storage data is valid (OK). On the other hand, the control unit 301 determines that the external storage data is invalid (NG) when the added value does not match the received CS. When the electronic shelf label terminal 3 determines that the external storage data is valid (step S302: Yes), it transmits an external storage data response “OK” to the shelf label management apparatus 1 (step S303). On the other hand, when the electronic shelf label terminal 3 determines that the external storage data is invalid (step S302: No), it transmits an external storage data response “NG” to the shelf label management apparatus 1 (step S304). The external storage data response is response data to the external storage data, and includes “OK / NG” and the remaining battery level (see FIG. 14C). The shelf label management apparatus 1 updates the external storage data management table 105B and the terminal management table 105C according to the external storage data response (step S305).

Next, the details of the external storage data transmission processing by the shelf label management apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a procedure of external storage data transmission processing according to this embodiment.
First, the control unit 101 of the shelf label management apparatus 1 transmits external storage data to the selected electronic shelf label terminal 3 (step S401). Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the external storage data response “OK” is received from the electronic shelf label terminal 3 that is the transmission destination of the external storage data (step S402). When the external storage data response “OK” is received (step S402: Yes), the control unit 101 determines that the external storage data has been successfully transmitted, and ends the process.

  On the other hand, when the external storage data response “OK” has not been received (step S402: No), the control unit 101 transmits the external storage data because the presence / absence of external data is “0” in the terminal management table 105C. Among the electronic shelf label terminals 3 that are not connected, the one having the largest terminal quality value is selected (step S403). And the control part 101 determines whether the electronic shelf label terminal 3 was able to be selected in step S403 (step S404). When the electronic shelf label terminal 3 cannot be selected (step S404: No), the control unit 101 determines that the transmission of the external storage data has failed and ends the process. On the other hand, when the electronic shelf label terminal 3 can be selected (step S404: Yes), the control unit 101 transmits the external storage data to the selected electronic shelf label terminal 3 (step S405). Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the external storage data response from the electronic shelf label terminal 3 that is the transmission destination of the external storage data is “OK” (step S406). When the external storage data response is “OK” (step S406: Yes), the control unit 101 determines that the external storage data has been successfully transmitted, and ends the process. On the other hand, when the external storage data response is “NG” (step S406: No), the control unit 101 returns to step S403.

FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram showing an operation of display data transmission processing according to the present embodiment.
First, the shelf label management apparatus 1 transmits display data such as a product name and a product price to the electronic shelf label terminal 3 (step S501). The electronic shelf label terminal 3 displays the received display data on the display unit 305 (step S502). And the electronic shelf label terminal 3 transmits the display data response which is a response with respect to the received display data to the shelf label management apparatus 1 (step S503). The display data response is data including “OK / NG”, the remaining battery level, the block logic No., the data version, the data date, and the CS (see FIG. 16B).

  When the shelf label management apparatus 1 receives the display data response, the shelf label management device 1 reads out the data version, data date, and CS corresponding to the block logic No included in the received display data response from the external storage data management table 105B. It is determined whether each data matches each data included in the display data response (step S504). If the display data response matches the external storage data management table 105B (step S504: Yes), the shelf label management apparatus 1 ends the process.

  On the other hand, when the display data response does not match the external storage data management table 105B (step S504: No), the shelf label management apparatus 1 transmits the external storage data (step S505). When receiving the external storage data, the electronic shelf label terminal 3 determines the validity of the received external storage data based on the received CS (step S506). When the electronic shelf label terminal 3 determines that the external storage data is valid (step S506: Yes), it transmits an external storage data response “OK” to the shelf label management apparatus 1 (step S507). On the other hand, when the electronic shelf label terminal 3 determines that the external storage data is not valid (step S506: No), it transmits an external storage data response “NG” to the shelf label management apparatus 1 (step S508). The shelf label management apparatus 1 updates the external storage data management table 105B and the terminal management table 105C in response to the external storage data response (step S509).

FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the state confirmation process according to the present embodiment.
The shelf label management apparatus 1 performs the following state check process periodically, for example, once a day.
First, the shelf label management apparatus 1 transmits a status confirmation command for confirming the status of the electronic shelf label terminal 3 to the electronic shelf label terminal 3 (step S601). When receiving the state confirmation command, the electronic shelf label terminal 3 acquires various states of the terminal itself (step S602). The various states are information indicating the state of each electronic shelf label terminal 3 such as wireless reception intensity, error count, data update count, and the like. Then, the electronic shelf label terminal 3 transmits a status response that is a response to the status confirmation command to the shelf label management device 1 (step S603). The status response includes status response identification, remaining battery level, block logic No, data version, data date, CS, and various statuses (see FIG. 17B). The status response identification is an identifier indicating that the data is a status response. The following processing is the same as the processing from steps S504 to S509 of the display data transmission processing described above.

Next, with reference to FIG. 18, the details of the display data transmission process and the state confirmation process by the shelf label management apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the procedure of display data transmission processing and status confirmation processing according to this embodiment.
First, the control unit 101 of the shelf label management apparatus 1 transmits display data or a status confirmation command to the electronic shelf label terminal 3 (step S701). Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a response to the transmitted display data or status confirmation command has been successfully received (step S702). If the control unit 101 fails to receive a response (step S702: No), the process ends. On the other hand, if the response has been successfully received (step S702: Yes), the data version, data date, and CS corresponding to the block logic No included in the received response are read from the external storage data management table 105B and read. It is determined whether each data matches each data included in the response (step S703). When the response matches the external storage data management table 105B (step S703: Yes), the control unit 101 determines that the external storage data has been successfully transmitted and ends the process. On the other hand, when the response does not match the external storage data management table 105B (step S703: No), the control unit 101 performs external storage data transmission processing shown in FIG. 15 (step S704).

FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the terminal participation process according to this embodiment.
This terminal participation process is a reconnection process of the electronic shelf label terminal 3. When receiving the terminal participation request, the shelf label management apparatus 1 determines that the electronic shelf label terminal 3 that has transmitted the terminal participation request has been reconnected. For example, the electronic shelf label terminal 3 performs this terminal participation process when the power is turned on from off or when the electronic shelf label terminal 3 enters the wireless communication area from the outside of the wireless communication area. For example, when the electronic shelf label terminal 3 itself is out of the wireless communication range, the electronic shelf label terminal 3 searches for a wireless synchronization pattern. .

  First, the electronic shelf label terminal 3 transmits a terminal participation request to the shelf label management apparatus 1 (step S801). When receiving the terminal participation request, the shelf label management apparatus 1 determines whether or not the electronic shelf label terminal 3 can participate based on the terminal ID included in the received terminal participation request (step S802). If the electronic shelf label terminal 3 cannot participate (step S802: No), the shelf label management apparatus 1 ends the process. On the other hand, when the electronic shelf label terminal 3 can participate (step S802: Yes), the shelf label management apparatus 1 determines that the external storage data of the block logical number included in the received terminal participation request is valid or It is determined whether it is invalid (step S803). Details of this external storage data valid / invalid determination process will be described later. If the external storage data is valid, the shelf label management apparatus 1 transmits a terminal participation response “participation OK / data valid” to the electronic shelf label terminal 3 (step S804). When receiving the terminal participation response “participation OK / data valid”, the electronic shelf label terminal 3 ends the terminal participation process. On the other hand, when it is determined that the external storage data is invalid, the shelf label management apparatus 1 transmits a terminal participation response “participation OK / data invalid” to the electronic shelf label terminal 3 (step S805). Upon receiving the terminal participation response “participation OK / data invalid”, the electronic shelf label terminal 3 initializes the external storage data holding unit (step S806). The initialization process of the external storage data holding unit will be described later.

Next, with reference to FIG. 20, the details of the external storage data valid / invalid determination process by the shelf label management apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a procedure of external storage data valid / invalid determination processing according to the present embodiment.
First, the control unit 101 of the shelf label management apparatus 1 acquires a terminal ID, a block logic No, a data version, a data date, and a CS from the received terminal participation request (step S901). Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the acquired block logic No (hereinafter referred to as the corresponding block logic No) is within a range from D11 to DN8 (step S902). If the corresponding block logic No is not within the range (step S902: No), the control unit 101 determines that the external storage data is invalid and ends the process. On the other hand, when the corresponding block logic No is within the range (step S902: Yes), the control unit 101 displays the data version, data date, and CS corresponding to the corresponding block logic No in the external storage data management table 105B. Read from. Then, the control unit 101 compares each read data with each data acquired from the terminal participation request (step S903).

  And the control part 101 determines whether each data corresponds as a result of the comparison (step S904). If the data do not match (step S904: No), the control unit 101 determines that the external storage data is invalid and ends the process. On the other hand, when the data match (step S904: Yes), the control unit 101 determines whether or not the terminal ID of the terminal participation request is associated with the corresponding block logic No in the external storage data management table 105B. (Step S905). When the control unit 101 is associated (step S905: Yes), the control unit 101 determines that the external storage data is valid, and ends the process. On the other hand, when the control unit 101 is not associated (step S905: No), the control unit 101 determines whether or not there is a free terminal ID area in the corresponding block logical No in the external storage data management table 105B (step S906). ). When there is no empty terminal ID area (step S906: No), the control unit 101 determines that the external storage data is invalid and ends the process. On the other hand, if there is an empty terminal ID area (step S906: Yes), the control unit 101 writes the terminal ID of the terminal participation request in association with the corresponding block logical No in the external storage data management table 105B (step S907). ). Then, the control unit 101 determines that the external storage data is valid, and ends the process.

Next, details of the initialization process of the external storage data holding unit by the electronic shelf label terminal 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a procedure of initialization processing of the external storage data holding unit according to the present embodiment.
The control unit 301 of the electronic shelf label terminal 3 assigns each area of the external storage data holding unit to “block logic No = 000, data version = 000, data date = 0, 0:00:00, data body = All (all) 0, CS = FFFF... (NG state) ”initializes the external storage data holding unit (step S1001).

Next, with reference to FIG. 22, processing when the electronic shelf label terminal 3 is turned on will be described. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing upon power-on according to the present embodiment.
First, the control unit 301 of the electronic shelf label terminal 3 initializes necessary hardware (H / W) (step S1101). Next, the control unit 301 initializes software (S / W) if necessary (step S1102). Next, the control unit 301 performs initialization processing of the external storage data holding unit shown in FIG. 21 (step S1103). Finally, the control unit 301 performs terminal participation processing shown in FIG. 19 (step S1104).

Next, with reference to FIG. 23, processing at the time of reconnection by the electronic shelf label terminal 3 will be described. FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure during reconnection according to the present embodiment.
First, the control unit 301 of the electronic shelf label terminal 3 determines whether or not wireless synchronization with the relay device 2 is maintained (step S1201). Specifically, the control unit 301 determines that wireless synchronization is maintained when wireless synchronization data is received at predetermined intervals, and wireless synchronization is performed when wireless synchronization data is not received for a predetermined time or more. Is determined not to be maintained. When the wireless synchronization with the relay apparatus 2 is maintained (step S1201: Yes), the control unit 301 performs normal processing (step S1202). On the other hand, when the wireless synchronization with the relay device 2 is not maintained (step S1201: No), the control unit 301 searches for the wireless synchronization pattern while changing the wireless frequency channel, and searches the relay device 2. (Step S1203). Then, the control unit 301 determines whether or not the search for the relay device 2 has succeeded (step S1204). If the search for the relay device 2 fails (step S1204: No), the control unit 301 returns to step S1203. On the other hand, when the search of the relay device 2 is successful (step S1204: Yes), the control unit 301 checks the CS of the external storage data stored in the external storage data holding unit. (Step S1205). Then, the control unit 301 determines whether the CS check is OK or NG (step S1206). If the CS check is NG (step S1206: No), the control unit 301 performs initialization processing of the external storage data holding unit illustrated in FIG. 21 (step S1207). And finally, the control part 301 performs the terminal participation process shown in FIG. 19 (step S1208).

Next, system data update processing by the shelf label management apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of system data update processing according to the present embodiment.
The shelf label management apparatus 1 performs the following system data update process when system data is updated in the system data holding unit 105A. Note that the shelf label management apparatus 1 may perform the data synchronization processing shown in FIG. 13 when the system data is changed greatly (more than a predetermined value).

  First, the control unit 101 of the shelf label management apparatus 1 extracts a block logic No that has been updated in the system data (step S1301). Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the following processing from steps S1303 to S1308 has been performed on all the blocks that have been changed (the block logic No has been extracted) (step S1302). The control unit 101 ends the process when all the changed blocks are ended (step S1302: Yes). On the other hand, when all the changed blocks have not been completed (step S1302: No), the control unit 101 stores the external storage data stored in the extracted block logic No (hereinafter referred to as the target block logic No). The version and data date are numbered (step S1303). Then, the control unit 101 calculates the CS of the external storage data (step S1304).

  Next, the control unit 101 reads out the terminal ID of the target block logic No from the external storage data management table 105B (step S1305). And the control part 101 performs the external storage data transmission process shown in FIG. 15 with respect to the electronic shelf label terminal 3 of the read terminal ID (step S1306). Next, the control unit 101 writes the read terminal ID in the external storage data management table 105B in association with the target block logic No (step S1307). Then, the control unit 101 sets the presence / absence of external storage data corresponding to the terminal ID read from the terminal management table 105C to “1” (step S1308). Then, the control unit 101 sets the target block logic No as the next extracted block logic No (step S1309), and returns to step S1302.

Next, with reference to FIG. 25, the terminal quality management process by the shelf label management apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 25 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of terminal quality management processing according to the present embodiment.
When communication with the electronic shelf label terminal 3 occurs, the shelf label management apparatus 1 performs terminal quality management processing shown in this figure. This terminal quality management process is a process for substituting the electronic shelf label terminal 3 holding the external storage data based on the terminal quality value Q.

  First, the control unit 101 of the shelf label management apparatus 1 determines whether or not communication is necessary (step S1401). If there is no need for communication, the control unit 101 returns to step S1401. On the other hand, the control unit 101 performs communication with the electronic shelf label terminal 3 when communication is necessary. The control unit 101 needs to communicate when there is data to be transmitted to the electronic shelf label terminal 3, for example, when the display data of the electronic shelf label terminal 3 is rewritten when the price information of the product is changed. Is determined. Then, the control unit 101 updates the terminal management table 105C based on the data received from the electronic shelf label terminal 3 that has performed communication (hereinafter referred to as the communication execution electronic shelf label terminal 3) (step S1402). Specifically, the control unit 101 writes the remaining battery level included in the data received from the communication execution electronic shelf label terminal 3 in the terminal management table 105C.

  Next, the control unit 101 recalculates and updates the terminal quality value of the communication execution electronic shelf label terminal 3 based on the updated data in the terminal management table 105C (step S1403). Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the presence / absence of external data of the communication execution electronic shelf label terminal 3 is “1” (step S1404). If the presence / absence of external data is “0” (step S1404: No), the process ends. On the other hand, when the presence / absence of external data is “1” (step S1404: Yes), the control unit 101 determines whether the terminal quality value of the communication execution electronic shelf label terminal 3 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. (Step S1405). If the terminal quality value is not less than or equal to the threshold value (step S1405: No), the process ends. On the other hand, when the terminal quality value is equal to or less than the threshold (step S1405: Yes), the control unit 101 determines that the presence or absence of external data in the terminal management table 105C is “0” and the terminal quality value is the communication execution electronic shelf An electronic shelf label terminal 3 larger than the tag terminal 3 is extracted (step S1406). Then, the control unit 101 performs external storage data transmission processing shown in FIG. 15 on the extracted electronic shelf label terminal 3 (hereinafter referred to as alternative candidate electronic shelf label terminal 3) (step S1407). Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the external storage data response “OK” has been received from the alternative candidate electronic shelf label terminal 3 (step S1408). When the control unit 101 receives the external storage data response “OK” (step S1408: Yes), the control unit 101 performs the terminal substitution process and ends the process as substitution success (step S1409). Specifically, in the terminal management table 105C, the control unit 101 sets the presence / absence of external data of the communication execution electronic shelf label terminal 3 to “0” and sets the presence / absence of external data of the alternative candidate electronic shelf label terminal 3 to “1”. . Then, the control unit 101 rewrites the terminal ID of the communication execution electronic shelf label terminal 3 in the external storage data management table 105B with the terminal ID of the alternative candidate electronic shelf label terminal 3.

  On the other hand, when the external storage data response “OK” is not received (step S1408: No), the control unit 101 finishes the external storage data transmission processing for all the extracted alternative candidate electronic shelf label terminals 3. It is determined whether or not (step S1410). When the process is completed for all the alternative candidate electronic shelf label terminals 3, the process ends as an alternative failure. On the other hand, if the processing has not been completed for all alternative candidate electronic shelf label terminals 3, the process returns to step S1407.

FIG. 26 is a sequence diagram showing an operation of data reference processing according to the present embodiment. This data reference process is a process in which the shelf label management apparatus 1 collects external storage data held by each electronic shelf label terminal 3.
First, the shelf label management apparatus 1 transmits an external storage data request, which is a command for requesting external storage data, to the electronic shelf label terminal 3 (step S1501). When receiving the external storage data request, the electronic shelf label terminal 3 reads the external storage data from the external storage data holding unit, and transmits the terminal data including the read external storage data to the shelf label management apparatus 1 (step S1502). The terminal data transmitted by the electronic shelf label terminal 3 includes external storage data identification, block logic No., remaining battery level, data version, data date, external storage data, and CS (FIG. 26 ( b)). The external storage data identification is an identifier indicating that external storage data is included.

Next, the data reference process by the shelf label management apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing a procedure of data reference processing according to the present embodiment.
First, the control unit 101 of the shelf label management apparatus 1 substitutes 1 for k (step S1601). Next, the control unit 101 reads the terminal ID (k) of the corresponding block from the external storage data management table 105B (step S1602). Next, the control unit 101 transmits an external storage data request to the electronic shelf label terminal 3 with the read terminal ID (k) (step S1603). Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not terminal data that is a response to the transmitted external storage data request has been received (step S1604). If the control unit 101 receives terminal data (step S1604: YES), the control unit 101 ends the process as a successful reference. On the other hand, the control part 101 adds 1 to k, when the response is not received (step S1604: No) (step S1605). Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a terminal ID is set for the terminal ID (k) of the corresponding block (step S1606). When the terminal ID is set (step S1606: No), the control unit 101 returns to step S1602. On the other hand, when the terminal ID is not set (step S1606: Yes), the control unit 101 ends the process as a reference failure.

Next, with reference to FIG. 28 and FIG. 29, the data reconstruction process by the shelf label management apparatus 1 will be described. 28 and 29 are flowcharts showing the procedure of the data reconstruction process according to this embodiment.
This data reconstruction process is a process for collecting external storage data from the electronic shelf label terminal 3 and restoring system data when the shelf label management device 1 is replaced due to a failure of the shelf label management device 1 or the like. . When this data reconstruction process is started, the external storage data management table 105B and the terminal management table 105C are all in an initial state.

  First, the control unit 101 of the shelf label management apparatus 1 broadcasts an external storage data request to all the electronic shelf label terminals 3 (step S1701). Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not terminal data has been received from the electronic shelf label terminal 3 (step S1702). When receiving the terminal data (step S1702: Yes), the control unit 101 updates the terminal management table 105C based on the received terminal data (step S1704). Specifically, the terminal ID included in the received terminal data, the presence / absence of external data “0”, the remaining battery level included in the received terminal data, the communication error count “0”, and the terminal reconnection count “0” ”And a terminal quality value calculated by the above-described equation (1) are newly added to the terminal management table 105C.

  Next, the control unit 101 performs a CS check of the received external storage data. (Step S1705). If the CS check is NG, the control unit 101 returns to step S1702. On the other hand, if the CS check is OK, the control unit 101 stores the received terminal data in the temporary buffer 105D (step S1706). At this time, the control unit 101 temporarily associates terminal data (terminal ID, data version, data date, CS, and external storage data) received from each electronic shelf label terminal for each block logic No. Write to the buffer 105D (see FIG. 30).

  On the other hand, when the terminal 101 has not been received from the electronic shelf label terminal 3 (step S1702: No), the control unit 101 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the broadcast transmission (time up) ( Step S1703). This predetermined time is a time for ensuring that external storage data has been received from all the electronic shelf label terminals 3. If the predetermined time has not elapsed (step S1703: NO), the control unit 101 returns to step S1702.

  On the other hand, when the predetermined time has elapsed (step S1703: Yes), the control unit 101 sets the target block No to “D11” (step S1707). Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the external storage data of the target block No is stored in the temporary buffer 105D (step S1708). When the external storage data is not stored in the temporary buffer 105D (step S1708: No), the control unit 101 ends the process as a reconstruction failure.

  On the other hand, when the external storage data is stored in the temporary buffer 105D (step S1708: Yes), the control unit 101 reads all the terminal data CS corresponding to the target block No. Then, the control unit 101 compares the read CSs, counts the number of CSs having the same value, and determines whether there is a CS indicating the majority of the read CSs (step S1709). . If there is no CS indicating the majority (step S1709: NO), the control unit 101 terminates the processing as a reconstruction failure. On the other hand, when there is a CS indicating the majority (step S1709: Yes), the control unit 101 reads out the terminal ID having the CS indicating the majority from the temporary buffer 105D, and associates the read terminal ID with the control block No. Writing to the external storage data management table 105B (step S1710). That is, when the control unit (restoration unit) 101 receives external storage data of the same block from a plurality of electronic shelf label terminals 3, the control unit (restore unit) 101 compares the received plurality of external storage data and matches the external storage data contents. The number of data is counted, and system data is restored based on the external storage data having a large number of external storage data.

  Next, the control unit 101 updates the terminal management table 105C (step S1711). Specifically, the control unit 101 sets the presence / absence of external data corresponding to the terminal ID written in the external storage data management table 105B to “1”. Next, the control unit 101 reads the external storage data corresponding to the terminal ID written in the external storage data management table 105B from the temporary buffer 105D, and writes the read external storage data in the block of the target block No. The holding unit 105A is updated (step S1712). Finally, the control unit 101 determines whether all blocks of the system data holding unit 105A have been completed (step S1713). When the process is completed for all blocks, the process ends as a successful reconstruction. On the other hand, if all blocks have not been completed, the target block No is set as the next block (step S1714), and the process returns to step S1708.

Note that the shelf label management apparatus 1 may perform the data synchronization process shown in FIG. 13 after the completion of the data reconstruction process.
In the data reconstruction process described above, in step S1709, the external storage data used for the reconstruction is selected by the majority method. For example, the external storage data with the latest data date and data version is selected. Also good.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, the shelf label management apparatus 1 divides the system data and causes the electronic shelf label terminal 3 to hold the divided system data. Thereby, when a failure occurs in the shelf label management apparatus 1, the system data can be easily restored by collecting the system data divided from the electronic shelf label terminal 3.
Further, since the existing electronic shelf label terminal 3 is used as an external storage device for system data, it is not necessary to prepare a new external storage device.
Also, since a plurality of electronic shelf label terminals 3 hold external storage data of one block, for example, when one electronic shelf label terminal 3 has an accident such as failure, battery exhaustion, theft, etc. Even if it exists, the system data can be restored using another electronic shelf label terminal 3.
In addition, since more electronic shelf label terminals 3 hold data with higher importance, fault tolerance is further improved.
Further, since the shelf label management apparatus 1 preferentially selects the electronic shelf label terminal 3 having a large terminal quality value as the electronic shelf label terminal 3 holding the external storage data, the reliability as the external storage device is further improved. .
In addition, when the shelf data management apparatus 1 receives different external storage data from a plurality of electronic shelf label terminals 3 for one block when reconstructing (restoring) the system data, the shelf label management device 1 uses the majority method. The external storage data used for reconstruction is determined. Thereby, for example, even when the external storage data held by one electronic shelf label terminal 3 is invalid, the system data can be restored using another electronic shelf label terminal 3.

Also, each process may be performed by recording a program for realizing each step shown in FIGS. 10 and 13 to 29 on a computer-readable recording medium. Here, the “computer system” may include an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices.
Further, the “computer system” includes a homepage providing environment (or display environment) if a WWW system is used.
The “computer-readable recording medium” means a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a writable nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory, a portable medium such as a CD-ROM, a hard disk built in a computer system, etc. This is a storage device.

Further, the “computer-readable recording medium” means a volatile memory (for example, DRAM (Dynamic DRAM) in a computer system that becomes a server or a client when a program is transmitted through a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. Random Access Memory)), etc., which hold programs for a certain period of time.
The program may be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the “transmission medium” for transmitting the program refers to a medium having a function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line.
The program may be for realizing a part of the functions described above. Furthermore, what can implement | achieve the function mentioned above in combination with the program already recorded on the computer system, and what is called a difference file (difference program) may be sufficient.

As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to the above, and various design changes and the like can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is possible to
For example, in this embodiment, the validity of the external storage data is checked using CS, but other error detection data such as CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) may be used.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Shelf label management apparatus 2 ... Relay apparatus 3 ... Electronic shelf label terminal 101 ... Control part 102 ... Display part 103 ... Operation part 104 ... Communication part 105 ... Memory | storage part 301 ... Control part 302 ... Wireless communication part 303 ... Power supply part 305 ... display unit 306 ... storage unit

Claims (9)

A shelf label management system comprising a plurality of electronic shelf label terminals and a shelf label management device,
The shelf label management device
A system data holding unit for storing system data divided into a plurality of blocks;
A control unit for selecting the electronic shelf label terminal corresponding to each block of the system data holding unit;
A transmission unit that transmits the system data stored in each block of the system data holding unit to the corresponding electronic shelf label terminal as external storage data;
With
The electronic shelf label terminal is
A receiving unit for receiving the external storage data from the shelf label management device;
An external storage data holding unit for storing external storage data received by the reception unit;
A shelf label management system characterized by comprising: The electronic shelf label terminal is
A transmission unit for transmitting external storage data stored in the external storage data holding unit to the shelf label management device;
The shelf label management device
A receiving unit for receiving the external storage data from the electronic shelf label terminal;
A restoring unit for restoring the system data based on the external storage data received by the receiving unit;
The shelf label management system according to claim 1, further comprising: When the restoration unit of the shelf label management device receives external storage data of the same block from a plurality of the electronic shelf label terminals, the restoration unit compares the received plurality of external storage data and matches the external storage data contents. The shelf label management system according to claim 2, wherein the system data is restored based on external storage data having a large number of data. The system data holding unit of the shelf label management device blocks system data for each importance,
The shelf according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit of the shelf label management device associates more electronic shelf label terminals with the block that stores system data with higher importance. Tag management system. The said control part of the said shelf label management apparatus selects preferentially from the said electronic shelf label terminal with a high terminal quality value which shows the quality of each electronic shelf label terminal, The any one of Claim 1 to 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. The shelf label management system described in 1. The control unit of the shelf label management device calculates the terminal quality value of each electronic shelf label terminal based on the remaining battery level of each electronic shelf label terminal,
The shelf label management system according to claim 5, wherein the transmission unit of the electronic shelf label terminal transmits a remaining battery level when communicating with the shelf label management device. A shelf label management method in a shelf label management system comprising a shelf label management device comprising a system data holding unit for storing system data divided into a plurality of blocks and a plurality of electronic shelf label terminals,
The control unit of the shelf label management device selecting the electronic shelf label terminal corresponding to each block of the system data holding unit;
Transmitting the system data stored in each block of the system data holding unit to the corresponding electronic shelf label terminal as external storage data, the transmitting unit of the shelf label management device;
A receiving unit of the electronic shelf label terminal receiving the external storage data from the shelf label management device;
The control unit of the electronic shelf label terminal stores the external storage data received by the reception unit in an external storage data holding unit;
A shelf label management method comprising: The shelf label management device in a shelf label management system comprising a plurality of electronic shelf label terminals and a shelf label management device,
A system data holding unit for storing system data divided into a plurality of blocks;
A control unit for selecting the electronic shelf label terminal corresponding to each block of the system data holding unit;
A transmission unit that transmits the system data stored in each block of the system data holding unit to the corresponding electronic shelf label terminal as external storage data;
A shelf label management device comprising: The electronic shelf label terminal in a shelf label management system comprising a plurality of electronic shelf label terminals and a shelf label management device,
A receiving unit for receiving system data from the shelf label management device;
An external storage data holding unit for storing system data received by the receiving unit;
An electronic shelf label terminal comprising:

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