Technology
Retailers are looking for an automated price update system that's fast, reliable and secure. Infrared (IR) technology fits all these requirements, and since the 1970s has matured to become the standard, inexpensive solution for many applications around the world.
Why bi-directional infrared communication?
Stable high-speed communication
With infrared you can transmit up to 90 000 updates in 1 hour - that's 30 000 updates every 20 minutes! Every single update is bi-directional so you know exactly when your updates have taken place.
Infrared is proven, secure technology
There are hundreds of millions remote controls in use with IR. Hundreds of millions of electronic devices have an infrared port to support wireless connections, such as notebooks, PDAs, printers, digital cameras, cellular phones. Infrared technology is license free and in use worldwide.
No interference, and no need for line of sight
Infrared does not interfere nor is it disturbed by other radiofrequency devices.
Have a look at the video for a live demonstration of how fast the infrared updates:
The Pricer electronic shelf label system uses diffuse infrared, so the transmitter and the receiver don't need to have line of sight. The signal reflects off all surfaces in the surroundings and the received signal is from those reflections.
Like the eye, Pricer receivers can see very low "light levels". For example, a person hiding under a bed would still notice if someone turned off the lights. Here the light might experience many tens of bounces before it reaches the eye. In the same way the modulated IR signal floods the area and reaches the sensitive IR receiver.