Abstract: To replace traditional paper shelf labels, it proposes a power efficient bimodal electronic shelf label system, based on the technologies of the Internet of Things and wireless sensor networks. Focusing on the power efficiency, the proposed electronic shelf label adopts an electrophoretic electronic paper display and a Bluetooth module as the display and communication modules respectively. Moreover, this label has two working states: wake-up state and sleep state, enabling it to switch the working state under the server commands, to report label status, and to update display contents with low power consumption. The experimental results show that this system can meet the basic requirements of application scenarios. It has an advantage of comparatively low running costs over traditional paper labels.

Key words: electronic shelf labels, bimodality, power efficiency, electronic paper, Internet of Things