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      Motion by Reference Point

      The motion by Reference Point mechanism is used for pick events that continuously return to the same approximate orientation. This mechanism works by learning its reference point, or “home base”, over time. This feature is intended to be used for products displayed on fixtures, like risers and holders, where products return to their “home base” after pick events. The SignMetrix app must be at least version 2.26.2.


      To Enable Motion by Reference Point

      Go to the SignMetrix Panel, open SmartBoxes > Settings > Motion by Reference. Turn on “End by Returning to Reference Pos.”. Click “OK” at the bottom.

      An explanation of each setting can be found by hovering over the ⓘ symbol. 

      Below are sample reference settings.


      To Set the Reference Point 

      There are two settings, “Reference Accept Count” and “Reference Accept Duration”, which determine how a SmartTag’s reference point, or “home base”, is set.

      • Reference Accept Count refers to the number of times after the first movement the SmartTag must be picked up before its reference point is set.
      • Reference Accept Duration refers to the amount of time a SmartTag must remain at a standstill before that position is set as its reference point.

      For example, when “Reference Accept Count” = 2 and “Reference Accept Duration” = 1800 the SmartTag must remain in a still position for at least 30 minutes (1800 seconds) 2 times for its reference point, or “home base”, to be set. That is, after the 1st and 2nd movements, the tag must have remained still for at least 30 minutes each time. If the tag was placed in the same standstill orientation both times, its reference point will be set once the tag is picked up a 3rd time. The visual below illustrates this example.

      Motion by Reference - example visual-1

      The reference point will not be set unless both criteria, “Reference Accept Count” and “Reference Accept Duration”, are met.

      If two different potential references that are not close to each other emerge, then one of the potential points must be overcome by a count of 2 times +1.

      After the reference point is set, motion starts when the SmartTag’s angle changes and ends when returned back to the reference angle.


      Reference Point Learning Phases

      After the Motion by Reference mechanism is enabled, it goes through two phases:

      1. Before Reference Acceptance 
      2. After Reference Acceptance
      1. The Before Reference Acceptance phase is before a reference point is learned. This phase follows PNW’s “Motion” mechanism settings as default.
      1. The After Reference Acceptance phase is after a reference point is learned. This phase uses the “Motion by Reference” settings. The event starts once the angle change surpasses a certain threshold and the event ends when the SmartTag returns to the reference angle.

      In both of these two phases, the motion start event produces a PICKSTART event and the motion end event produces a PICKEND event.


      SmartTags’ Reference Status

      To find out which SmartTags have learned their reference point, use the SmartTags dashboard.

      To navigate to the SmartTags dashboard:

      1. On the left navigation bar, click SmartBoxes.
      2. At the top, select the Dashboard tab.
      3. Below the device status display, select the SmartTags tab.
      4. Scroll down to the list and horizontally scroll until the “Has Referenced” column is found. Each row lists which SmartTags have learned their reference point.
      5. Use the search bar to filter the list by store name or SmartTag Id.