Opticon ESL User Manual

Electronic Shelf Label

The ESL demo kit is intended for demonstration and

development purposes of the Opticon ESL solution.

User Manual

DEMO KIT

Opticon ESL

Model Number:

ESL DEMO KIT

Specification Number:

Edition:

0.2

Original Spec Number:

Date:

2011

SUPPORT

USA

Europe

Phone: [phone]

Phone: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

Email: [e-mail]

Web: www.opticonusa.com

Web: www.opticon.com

DEMO KIT

User Manual

All information subject to change without notice.

Document History

Copyright 2011 Opticon. All rights reserved.

This manual may not, in whole or in part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or converted to any
electronic or machine readable form without prior written consent of Opticon.

Limited Warranty and Disclaimers
PLEASE READ THIS MANUAL CAREFULLY BEFORE INSTALLING OR USING THE

PRODUCT.

Serial Number

A serial number appears on all Opticon products. This official registration number is directly related to the device
purchased. Do not remove the serial number from your Opticon device. Removing the serial number voids the
warranty.

Warranty

Unless otherwise agreed in a written contract, all Opticon products are warranted against defects in materials and
workmanship for two years after purchase. Opticon will repair or, at its option, replace products that are defective in
materials or workmanship with proper use during the warranty period. Opticon is not liable for damages caused by
modifications made by a customer. In such cases, standard repair charges will apply. If a product is returned under
warranty and no defect is found, standard repair charges will apply. Opticon assumes no liability for any direct, indirect,
consequential or incidental damages arising out of use or inability to use both the hardware and software, even if
Opticon has been informed about the possibility of such damages.

Packaging

The packing materials are recyclable. We recommend that you save all packing material to use should you need to
transport your scanner or send it for service. Damage caused by improper packaging during shipment is not covered
by the warranty.

Trademarks

Trademarks used are the property of their respective owners.
Opticon Inc. and Opticon Sensors Europe B.V. are wholly owned subsidiaries of OPTOELECTRONICS Co., Ltd., 12-

17, Tsukagoshi 4-chome, Warabi-shi, Saitama, Japan 335-0002. TEL [phone]; FAX [phone]

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Opticon ESL

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User Manual

Contents

1. Features and Specifications .................................................................................................... 6

1.1. Abstract ............................................................................................................................. 6

1.2. Contents ............................................................................................................................ 6

1.3. Physical Features .............................................................................................................. 6

1.3.1. Dimensions ................................................................................................................................ 6

1.3.2. Weight ........................................................................................................................................ 6

1.4. Environmental Specifications ............................................................................................. 7

1.4.1. Operating Temperature and Humidity (EE200) ......................................................................... 7

1.4.2. Storage Temperature and Humidity (EE200) ............................................................................ 7

1.5. Interface Specifications ..................................................................................................... 7

1.6. Hardware Specifications .................................................................................................... 7

1.7. Electrical Specifications ..................................................................................................... 8

1.7.1. Electrical Characteristics ............................................................................................................ 8

1.7.2. Main Battery: .............................................................................................................................. 8

1.8. Serial Number ................................................................................................................... 9

1.8.1. EBS-10 ....................................................................................................................................... 9

1.8.2. EE200 ........................................................................................................................................ 9

1.9. Safety ................................................................................................................................ 9

1.9.1. Shock ......................................................................................................................................... 9

1.9.2. Temperature Conditions ............................................................................................................ 9

1.9.3. Foreign Materials ....................................................................................................................... 9

1.9.4. Other .......................................................................................................................................... 9

2. Solution Overview .................................................................................................................. 10

3. Getting started ........................................................................................................................ 11

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3.1. Setting up the hardware and software ............................................................................. 11

3.1.1. Installing the ESL Demo kit ...................................................................................................... 11

3.1.2. Installing the base station ........................................................................................................ 12

3.1.3. Installing the ESLs ................................................................................................................... 12

3.1.4. Installing the bar code terminal ................................................................................................ 13

3.2. Linking a back office system to the ESL server ................................................................ 13

3.3. Resetting the ESL system ............................................................................................... 13

3.4. Designing the ESL image layout ...................................................................................... 14

4. Back office .............................................................................................................................. 15

4.1. Database format .............................................................................................................. 15

5. ESL Server application ........................................................................................................... 16

5.1. Handling of incoming CSV-files from the back office ........................................................ 17

5.2. Handling of modified ESL-product links (linked.csv) ........................................................ 17

5.3. Detecting new/changed ESL image and configuration files .............................................. 18

5.4. Configuring of ESLs ................................................................................................ ......... 19

5.4.1. Associate interval ..................................................................................................................... 20

5.4.2. Poll Info Ratio ........................................................................................................................... 20

5.4.3. Poll Interval .............................................................................................................................. 20

5.4.4. Poll timeout .............................................................................................................................. 21

5.4.5. Scan channels ......................................................................................................................... 21

5.5. ESL status information .................................................................................................... 21

5.6. Configuring of base stations ............................................................................................ 21

5.6.1. Configuring the RF channel ..................................................................................................... 21

5.6.2. Changing the name of a base station ...................................................................................... 23

5.6.3. Configuring the Ethernet settings ............................................................................................ 23

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5.7. Setup of the ESL server application ................................................................ ................. 25

6. Middleware applications ........................................................................................................ 28

6.1. CSV-parser ..................................................................................................................... 28

6.2. Image generator .............................................................................................................. 28

7. Barcode terminal application ................................................................................................. 29

7.1. Setting up the barcode terminal ....................................................................................... 29

7.2. Loading the database files on the terminal ...................................................................... 30

7.3. Creating links between ESLs and products/locations ....................................................... 30

7.4. Deleting existing links ...................................................................................................... 31

7.5. Verifying existing links ................................ ..................................................................... 31

7.6. Sending the modified link-database to the PC ................................................................. 31

7.7. Settings menu ................................................................................................................. 31

7.8. Version ............................................................................................................................ 31

8. Version history ....................................................................................................................... 32

Appendix A: Editing the ESL template files ................................................................................ 33

A.1. Editing the Information template ...................................................................................... 33

A.2. Editing the Image layout template .................................................................................... 34

A.2.1. Text ................................................................................................................................ 36

A.2.2. Rectangles ..................................................................................................................... 37

A.2.3. Lines............................................................................................................................... 37

A.2.4. Images ........................................................................................................................... 38

A.2.5. Barcodes ........................................................................................................................ 38

A.3 Trouble shooting ................................................................................................................. 39

Appendix B: Demo barcodes ....................................................................................................... 40

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1. Features and Specifications

1.1. Abstract

This manual provides a preliminary description on how to set-up a customized Electronic
Shelf Labels (ESL) demonstration and how to set-up a pilot project with e-Paper ESLs from
Opticon Sensors Europe BV.

1.2. Contents

The ESL demo kit consists of the following components:

 Ethernet ESL base station (EBS-10)
 6 2” e-paper ESLs (EE200) including 6x2 CR2450 batteries
 UTP cable
 6.0V 2A Power supply (European)
 PC Installation Software + examples

Opticon ESL

DEMO KIT

User Manual

 Opticon Demo Kit User Manual

The demo kit does NOT include a barcode terminal with communication cradle, which can
be used to link ESLs to products using barcodes. Any of the following Opticon Barcode
Terminals can be used for this purpose:

 OPH1004 (+ CRD1001 cradle)
 H13 (+ CRD13 cradle)
 OPL9728 (+ CRD9723RU cradle)

1.3. Physical Features

1.3.1. Dimensions

2” e-paper ESL (EE200): W 70.0 x D 32.0 x H 15.0 mm

Base station (EBS-10): W 129.0 x D 102.0 x H 28.0 mm (excl. antenna)

1.3.2. Weight

2” e-paper ESL (EE200): 25 g (incl. 2 batteries)

Base station (EBS-10): 125 g (excl. power supply)

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1.4. Environmental Specifications

Items

Specifications

Remarks

CPU

Type

CC2530-F128 (EE200)
CC2530-F256 (EBS-10)

Internal ROM

256 KB (EBS-10)
128 KB (EE200)

Internal RAM

8 KB

Clock frequency

32 MHz

Display
(EE200)

Active area

W 45 x H 22 mm

Number of dots

W 200 x H 96

Model

EG020AS183

Gray scale level

1 bit

Black and white

Contrast ratio

10:1

Pixel pitch

111 dpi

Connector
(EBS-10)

Ethernet

10/100 Mbit

Radio
Frequency

2.4gHz

Protocol

IEEE 802.15.4

1.4.1. Operating Temperature and Humidity (EE200)

Temperature: 0 to 50° C
Humidity: 0-85%

1.4.2. Storage Temperature and Humidity (EE200)

Temperature: -20 to 60° C
Humidity: 0-85%

1.5. Interface Specifications

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The radio interface of both the base stations and ESLs have the following
specifications:

 2.4gHz IEEE 802.15.4 compatible
 Transmission speeds: up to 250 kbps

1.6. Hardware Specifications

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1.7. Electrical Specifications

Parameter

Typical

Unit

Remarks

Operating voltage

2.8–3.2 V 2 x CR2450 Lithium battery

Operating current

7-33

mA

During RF and image refresh only

Sleep current

1

uA

EE200 in sleep state >99,9%

Parameter

Typical

Unit

Remarks

Operating voltage

6.0

V

Power adapter

Operating current

<200

mA

Factor

Default values and
estimated averages

Correlation *
(Higher is better)

Influence

Polling for data &
reporting settings

Interval: 20 seconds
Retransmissions: 10%
Report ratio: 1 to 39

Yes
No
Yes

61%
Display updates

4 per day
Temperature: 15-25° C

No
No

20%

Out of range /
base station OFF %

Not connected: 2%
Number of channels: 5

No
No

4%
Sleep time

99,9%

Yes

9%

Battery self-discharge

1 % / year

No

6%

1.7.1. Electrical Characteristics

EE200:

EBS-10:

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DEMO KIT

User Manual

1.7.2. Main Battery:

The main batteries in the EE200 are 2 CR2450 Li-Mn batteries:

 Nominal capacity: 2x600 mAh
 Nominal voltage: 3V.
 Low voltage: Less than 2.8 V
 Operating time: >7 years (default settings; 4 refreshes/day; 15-25° C)

The operating time of the batteries is based on a realistic estimation of any of the
following factors that influence the battery life:

* The correlation shows whether increasing the listed value increases or decreases the
power consumption.

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For example:

 Increasing the poll interval lowers the power consumption
 Turning off the base stations increases the power consumption
 A lower operating temperature increases the power consumption
 More display updates per day increase the power consumption

1.8. Serial Number

1.8.1. EBS-10

The serial number can be found on the back of the Base station. The EBS-10 is
currently only available as Engineering Sample, which can be recognized by the
serial number starting with „ES‟. The EBS-10 will soon be replaced by a more
powerful, faster and advanced model with a more sophisticated design.

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1.8.2. EE200

The serial number of the ESLs is based on the 16 hexadecimal digits MAC-address
of the RF-module. However, the first 6 digits of the MAC address (00124B) have
been replaced by the letter „A‟.

The default barcode that is shown on the display of the ESL is identical to the bar
code on the back of the ESL.

1.9. Safety

Handle this product carefully. Do not deliberately subject it to any of the following.

1.9.1. Shock

Do not throw or drop the devices

1.9.2. Temperature Conditions

Do not use the devices at temperatures outside the specified range.
Do not pour boiling water on the devices.
Do not throw the devices into the fire.
Do not forcibly bend the cable at low temperatures.

1.9.3. Foreign Materials

Do not immerse the devices in liquids.
Do not subject the devices to chemicals.

1.9.4. Other

Do not plug/unplug the connectors before disconnecting the power.
Do not disassemble this product.
The device may be damaged by power surges

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Opticon ESL

IEEE 802.15.4

Barcode terminal (OPH1004/
H13/OPL9728)

- Receives product and link

databases from server application

- Creates/modifies links between

ESLs and products

- Sends link database back to

server application.

ESL server application

- Detects incoming CSV-files (from the back office)

and processes them by calling DbConv.exe

- Detects any new/changed ESL-product links (from

the barcode terminal) and processes them by
calling DbConv.exe

- Detects and processes new/changed ESL images

and product XML-files (from DbConv.exe)

- Sends image data to ESLs (via base stations)

- Configures ESLs and base stations

- Shows status / settings of all ESLs and base stations

- Logs all events and executed tasks

- Installs software updates on base stations and ESLs

Middleware applications
CSV-parser:

- Parse product modifications

into a combined CSV-database
containing all product info.

- Generate truncated article

database (CSV-format) for the
barcode terminal.

Image Generator:

- Generate ESL images and XML-

files for the server application
from the link- and product­database.

Base stations

- Forwards ESL status & settings

information to PC

- Sends images / commands

from server application to ESLs

- Handles software updates for

ESLs

ESLs

- Show images

- Provide status reports

- Poll for data

- Search base stations

Back office

- Places product modifications
as CSV-file into shared folder.

Rename file event

Cradle

(RS232 / OseComm)

Ethernet

DEMO KIT

User Manual

2. Solution Overview

The current solution operates by running the provided ESL server application that monitors an
incoming folder in which any mutations in the product database are being placed by the back
office system of the user. Any detected changes will be automatically processed and sent to the
ESLs and displayed.

A global overview of the current solution is shown below. The following chapters will describe the
different parts of this system in more detail and how to get started.

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3. Getting started

3.1. Setting up the hardware and software

This SDK contains the following pieces of hardware and software that will have to be
installed in order to get an ESL demonstration or pilot up and running:

 The ESL Demo kit installer containing:

o The ESL server application
o Middleware applications
o Example database files and image templates
o Firmware for the barcode terminal, base station and ESLs
o Appload (optional)
o USB drivers for the barcode terminal cradle (optional)
o XTAdminXXL (optional)
o User manual

 1 EBS10 Base station(s) that includes:

o 6V Power supply
o Ethernet cable

 6 EE200 2-inch e-paper ESLs (batteries included)

If you want to be able to quickly link ESLs to products, you will also need an OPH1004, H13 or
OPL9728 barcode terminal that includes:

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DEMO KIT

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 A communication cradle
 An RS232 and/or USB cable.
 A 6V Power supply

To install and run the software you will also need a PC running Windows 7 or Windows XP
(with server pack 3) as server.

3.1.1. Installing the ESL Demo kit

Make sure you have administrator rights before installing the software. Run the SDK

installer by starting the „setup.exe‟ file.

If your PC doesn‟t have .NET Framework 3.5 (or higher) installed, the installer will

automatically install it on your system, since the ESL Server application requires it to run.

Select the components that you wish to install. If you haven‟t installed Appload or the

Opticon USB drivers on your PC before, make sure you install those components as well.
The XTAdminXXL tool is a 3rd party tool from AK-NORD that allows you to discover your

base stations on an Ethernet network and configure the Ethernet settings of base
stations. (See chapter 5.6.3)

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Opticon ESL

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Note that only the installer of XTAdminXXL will be copied to the „Tools‟-folder of your
installation. To actually install the program this installer needs to be run manually.

3.1.2. Installing the base station

The base station can be easily installed by powering it up, connecting it to the Ethernet
and placing it within 10 meter (the actual maximum range is bigger) of your ESLs. The PC
will need to be connected to the same LAN, so it can communicate with the base station
*. See chapter 5.6.3 for more information on configuring the Ethernet settings of your
base station. Other information on how to configure the base stations (i.e. selecting the
best RF channel) can be found in chapter 5.6.

* Note: The base station can also be controlled over the Internet or via a public network,
but it won’t be a secure solution, since SSL isn’t supported yet in this SDK.

3.1.3. Installing the ESLs

On arrival the ESLs usually already have their two CR2450 batteries inserted. If not, the
batteries can be easily inserted by removed the back shell. When the batteries are

inserted the ESL‟s will be periodically seeking for an Opticon base station, so as soon as

an Opticon base station is within range, they will associate with it and start sending data
requests and status information to it. When a base station is turned off or an ESL is
moved out of range, an ESL will time out after a couple of minutes and starts seeking for
another base station in range. See chapter 5.4 for more information about configuring
ESLs.

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