APPLICATIONS

DISTRIBUTED SIGNAGE

Signs provide several functions in public buildings, campuses, offices, and stores: they help people find their way, show the schedules of classrooms or conference rooms, and indicate the price of merchandise. With the proliferation of digital information, there are many potential benefits to making signs that can be tied to a database and electronically changed. Difficulties in achieving such displays include the cost of the signs, the cost of installation, the need to supply a source of power to each sign, and the need for software and systems to control the information sent to each sign. Part of the problem can be solved using electronic-paper displays that are inexpensive, easy to read, and lightweight. These signs can run on batteries for months or years because they don't consume power to maintain an image, and they are easy to install because they use reflected light for illumination. A single computer and software system controls all the signs via a wireless connection, and all the signs run on batteries.