Abstract:
A bi-directional communication system communicates between a control station, which receives and outputs control signals, and one or more display cabinets. LEDs illuminate objects disposed about the cabinets. Addressable nodes interactively communicate with the control station and selectively operate the LEDs, each node being coupled to the control station and to associated LEDs.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     The present application relates to the LED lighting systems. It finds particular application in conjunction with a display illumination within refrigeration cabinets, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the present application is also amenable to other retail environments.  
         [0002]     Typically, products in the retail environment are contained in the cabinets, which are often refrigerated. A cabinet typically has a form of a chest defining an environment intended to contain the products and having an access such that the products can be easily removed either directly by a customer or by a sales representative. Such cabinets are widely used for the distribution of products in supermarkets and other points of distribution or sale, such as cafés and other retail establishments. Historically, the essential functional requirement of such cabinets has been the containment of the products and a maintenance of environmental conditions within the cabinets, e.g., temperature and humidity.  
         [0003]     Recently, a great deal of attention has been given to the aesthetics of the design to give the cabinet a more attractive and pleasant appearance, which would encourage interaction with the customer and make it generally more appealing and more likely to promote the purchase of the products. The systems and methods have been proposed, in which traditional lights or LEDs are controlled by a processor to alter the brightness and/or color of the generated light to provide predetermined patterns of light. One drawback of such computer-controlled LED lighting systems is that an operator or user is required to interactively control it.  
         [0004]     The present application provides a new interactive display system for retail environments.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION  
       [0005]     In accordance with one aspect of the present application, a bi-directional communication system for communicating between a control station, which receives and outputs control signals, and one or more display cabinets is disclosed. LEDs illuminate objects disposed about the cabinets. Addressable nodes interactively communicate with the control station and selectively operate the LEDs, each node being coupled to the control station and to associated LEDs.  
         [0006]     In accordance with another aspect of the present application, method for bi-directionally controlling a light show is disclosed. An input signal of a sensor is received at a control station coupled to a network, the sensor being disposed about a display cabinet. In response to receiving the sensor signal, an output signal sequence is generated to produce a predetermined light show effect. Activation states of associated LEDs disposed about the display cabinet are selectively changed based on the generated output signal sequence via associated nodes.  
         [0007]     One advantage of the present application resides in the display system bi-directionality.  
         [0008]     Another advantage resides in a fast and effective change of display.  
         [0009]     Still further advantages and benefits of the present application will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     The application may take form in various components and arrangements of components, and in various process operations and arrangements of process operations. The drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the application.  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic illustration of the two-directional communication system; and  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic illustration of a portion of the two-directional communication system. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]     With reference to  FIG. 1 , a bi-directional communication system  10  is established between a control or computer station  12  and one or more display cabinets  14 . The display cabinets  14  each typically includes a case  16  and at least one shelf  18 . In one embodiment, a door (not shown) is mounted to a front  20  of the case  16 . Optionally, the door can be mounted to a top  22  or a side  24 . The door includes glass panel, through which the customer can observe objects  26  which are positioned on the shelf  18 . Of course, it is also contemplated that the cabinet might not have the door. In this case, the glass panel can be mounted to one of the sides  24 . LEDs  28  are disposed in the vicinity of the case  16 . The LEDs  28  are arranged or configured in a specific manner. For example, the LEDs  28  are arranged to form a variable message, provide illumination of the objects  26 , provide special effects using red, green, blue, white LEDs, or monochromatic LEDs, and other displays. The LEDs  28  can be mounted to the shelf  18 , to the glass panel door (not shown), or any other suitable place for mounting the LEDs  28 . If the LEDs  28  are arranged to illuminate the objects  26 , in one embodiment, a reflector is positioned to direct the light emitted from the LEDs  28  toward the objects  26 . The reflector can comprise metal, plastic, plastic covered with a film, and transparent plastic using the method of total internal reflection to direct light to conventional reflector as well as other conventional materials. The surfaces inside the case  16  can be polished to further increase the efficacy.  
         [0014]     The control station  12  interactively communicates with a plurality of nodes  30 , which are electrically or otherwise connected with the control station  12  and the LEDs  28 . In one embodiment, the nodes  30  and the control station  12  are coupled to a network  32 . Each node  30  includes a sensor or sensors  34 , which detect a change in the environment near an associated display cabinet  14 , such as a passage of a person, a temperature within the case  16 , a case door opening, a customer standing in front of the display cabinet  14 , and other like events, and provides a corresponding input signal to the control station  12 . Optionally, the computer station  12  collects the information of customers&#39; consumption habits, e.g., which display cabinets  14  have been visited the most frequently, and stores the information as a look up table which identifies the location, the frequency of visits, and other appropriate information. The selected collected information might be printed on paper, stored in a non-volatile electronic or magnetic storage medium, transmitted over a local area network or the Internet, or otherwise processed. The examples of the sensor  34  are a proximity sensor, a motion detector, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a digital camera, and any other appropriate sensor. In response to receiving the input control signal from the sensor  34 , the control station  12  sends back appropriate control output signals to the corresponding nodes  30 . More specifically, an applications database  38  includes a set of predetermined instructions or LEDs&#39; activation state sequences which are configured by a user in advance to generate predetermined visual displays at the display cabinets  14 . Upon receiving the information from the sensors  34 , a signal generator  36  consults the applications database  38  and generates corresponding output signals which are indicative of a desired activation state sequence for the associated LEDs  28 . E.g., a special lighting or special effects are generated by using dimming, flashing, variable messaging, selective displaying of red, green and blue colors, and other effects.  
         [0015]     With continuing reference to  FIG. 1  and further reference to  FIG. 2 , each node  30  includes an addressable power supply  40 , which is addressed by an addressing device  42  such that only the selected nodes  30  receive the output control signals from the signal generator  36 . Such addressable power supplies are known in the art and are available, for example, from ZigBee, DALI, DMX, and other suppliers. Each addressed power supply  40  directly controls each LED  28  by changing the LED&#39;s activation state such as turning the LED ON, OFF, dimming, flashing, etc. For example, the power supply  40  is controlled such that some objects  26  stored in the cases  16  are lit differently than other objects  26  (i.e., different colors, different brightness, flashing) to differentiate the objects  26  stored in the cases  16 . Optionally, the power supply  40  is controlled to illuminate the objects  26  only when the sensor  34  detects a passerby, which leads to substantial energy savings. The power supply can be controlled to generate messages to attract customers in “standby” conditions. In one embodiment, the power supply  40  includes on-board electronics to transmit data from the sensors  34  and receive data from the signal generator  36 .  
         [0016]     With continuing reference to  FIG. 1 , the control station  12 , for example, is preferably a personal computer, a workstation, a laptop computer, or the like, and includes any appropriate software and hardware to manage the bi-directional communications with the nodes  30  including a software technique or process  50 , an interface database  52 , and a CPU  54 . The operator uses interface screens  56  displayed on a monitor  58  to enter or change instructions in the applications database  38  by a use of a keyboard, mouse, touch screen, or any other appropriate operator interface input means  60 .  
         [0017]     The application has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the application be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.