Point of sale device power management and under voltage protection

• US 10,733,589 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2017
• Issued: 08/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Douthat, Cory, Wade, Jeremy, Maibach, Matthew H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Charioui, Mohamed
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hagos, Eyob
• Application Number:
  US15/582,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20180316815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3234 Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3243 Power saving in microcontroller unit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3284 Power saving in printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/08 by means detecting the change of an electrostatic or magnetic field, e.g. by detecting change of capacitance between electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/206 comprising security or operator identification provisions, e.g. password entry
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/209 Monitoring, auditing or diagnose of functioning of ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00899 Detection of supply level or supply failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence

Abstract

A point-of-sale (POS) device includes a processor, a battery, a transaction object reader, a printer with a printer controller, and optionally a temperature sensor. The processor determines a present power discharge capability rate of the battery, optionally based on a temperature measured by the temperature sensor. The processor also calculates a first estimated power draw rate based on a first setting value for at least one of the components of the POS device, such as the printer. If the first estimated power draw rate is dangerously close to the present power discharge capability rate of the battery, a second estimated power draw rate is calculated based on a second setting value for the one or more components. If the second estimated power draw rate is no longer dangerously close to the present power discharge capability rate of the battery, the components are set to the second settings value.

Claims

1. A point of sale (POS) system, the POS system comprising:

a housing;

a transaction object reader disposed at least partially within the housing, the transaction object reader configured to read transaction data from a transaction object and to send the transaction data to a processor;

a temperature sensor disposed at least partially within the housing;

a printer connector disposed within the housing that is configured to connect to;

a printer, and

a printer controller that controls the printer according to a printer setting that is set to a first printer setting value;

a battery that provides power to at least the printer, the processor, and the transaction object reader;

a memory disposed within the housing, wherein the memory stores instructions; and

the processor coupled to the memory, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor causes the processor to;

detect a measured temperature within the housing via the temperature sensor,

determine a present power discharge capability rate of the battery based on the measured temperature within the housing,

calculate a first estimated power draw rate based on the first printer setting value for the printer setting,

identify that a first difference between the present power discharge capability rate and the first estimated power draw rate is less than a predetermined difference threshold value, indicating that the POS system is at risk of brownout under the first estimated power draw rate,

calculate a second estimated power draw rate based on a second printer setting value for the printer setting,

identify that a second difference between the present power discharge capability rate and the second estimated power draw rate is greater than the predetermined difference threshold value, indicating that the POS system is not at risk of brownout under the second estimated power draw rate, and

cause, via the printer connector, the printer controller to change the printer setting from the first printer setting value to the second printer setting value automatically in response to identifying that the first difference is less than the predetermined difference threshold value and that the second difference is greater than the predetermined difference threshold value.

2. The POS system of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is a thermistor.

3. The POS system of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is coupled to the battery.

4. The POS system of claim 1, further comprising:

the printer controller; and

the printer, wherein the printer is a thermal printer.

5. The POS system of claim 1, wherein the processor includes a central processing unit (CPU) and a graphics processing unit (GPU), and wherein at least one of the first estimated power draw rate or the second estimated power draw rate is calculated using at least the GPU.

6. The POS system of claim 1, wherein the printer setting corresponds to a print speed.

7. The POS system of claim 1, wherein the printer setting corresponds to one of a font thickness, a font size, a font spacing, a font, or a black darkness level.

8. The POS system of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor further causes the processor to:

identify that the measured temperature within the housing is outside of a safe printer operation temperature range in which the printer can safely operate; and

disable the printer in response to identifying that the measured temperature within the housing is outside of the safe printer operation temperature range.

9. The POS system of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor further causes the processor to:

identify that the measured temperature within the housing is outside of a safe battery operation temperature range in which the battery can safely operate,

disable the printer and the transaction object reader in response to identifying that the measured temperature within the housing is outside of the safe battery operation temperature range,

bring the processor and memory to a safe shutdown state in which it is safe to shut off power to the processor and memory in response to identifying that the measured temperature within the housing is outside of the safe battery operation temperature range, and

disable the battery in response to identifying that the measured temperature within the housing is outside of the safe battery operation temperature range.

10. The POS system of claim 1, further comprising a power discharge capability data structure, wherein determining a present power discharge capability rate of the battery based on the measured temperature within the housing includes querying power discharge capability data structure using the measured temperature within the housing.

11. A point of sale (POS) system, the POS system comprising:

a transaction object reader configured to read transaction data from a transaction object;

a printer connector configured to connect to;

a printer, and

a printer controller that controls the printer according to a printer setting that is set to a first printer setting value;

a power source connector configured to connect to a power source;

a memory that stores instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor causes the processor to;

determine a present power discharge capability rate of the power source;

calculate a first estimated power draw rate based on the first printer setting value for the printer setting,

identify that a first difference between the present power discharge capability rate and the first estimated power draw rate is within a brownout risk range of values,

calculate a second estimated power draw rate based on a second printer setting value for the printer setting,

identify that a second difference between the present power discharge capability rate and the second estimated power draw rate is outside of the brownout risk range of values, and

cause, via the printer connector, the printer controller to change the printer setting from the first printer setting value to the second printer setting value automatically in response to identifying that the first difference is less than a predetermined difference threshold value and that the second difference is greater than the predetermined difference threshold value.

12. The POS system of claim 11, further comprising a housing, wherein the transaction object reader, the printer connector, the printer controller, the printer, the power source connector, the memory, and the processor are disposed at least partially within the housing.

13. The POS system of claim 11, wherein the power source includes a battery, and wherein determining the present power discharge capability rate of the battery is based on at least one of a state of charge of the battery, a depth of discharge of the battery, a battery cycle life of the battery, a battery cycle count of the battery, a terminal voltage of the battery, an open-circuit voltage of the battery, or an internal resistance of the battery.

14. The POS system of claim 11, wherein the printer setting corresponds to one of a print speed, a font thickness, a font size, a font spacing, a font, or a black darkness level.

15. The POS system of claim 11, wherein the first printer setting value corresponds to allowing the printer to run in parallel with one or more other components of the POS system, and wherein the second printer setting value corresponds to prohibiting the printer from running in parallel with the one or more other components of the POS system.

16. The POS system of claim 11, further comprising a user interface, wherein calculating the first estimated power draw rate is based on at least a number of characters of a receipt to be printed by the printer, wherein the number of characters of the receipt is based on cart information, and wherein execution of the instructions by the processor causes the processor to receive cart information via a user interface.

17. A method for protecting a point of sale (POS) device, the method comprising:

detecting a measured temperature within a housing of the POS device;

determining a present power discharge capability rate of a battery of the POS device based on the measured temperature within the housing;

calculating a first estimated power draw rate based on a first component setting value for a component setting associated with a component of the POS device;

identifying that the first estimated power draw rate is within a brownout risk range that is based on the present power discharge capability rate;

calculating a second estimated power draw rate based on a second component setting value for the component setting;

identifying that the second estimated power draw rate is within a safe power draw range that is based on the present power discharge capability rate; and

causing the component to change the component setting from the first component setting value to the second component setting value automatically in response to identifying that the first estimated power draw rate is within the brownout risk range and that the second estimated power draw rate is within the safe power draw range.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the component is a printer, and wherein the component setting corresponds to one of a print speed, a font thickness, a font size, a font spacing, a font, or a black darkness level.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the component is a touch-sensitive display screen, and wherein the component setting corresponds to one of a brightness level, a backlight level, a touch sensitivity, or a touch surface poll rate.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the component is a processor, and wherein the component setting corresponds to one of a clock speed, a number of enabled cores, a graphics processor unit (GPU) usage level, a maximum number of parallel processes, a maximum number of parallel threads, or a maximum number of parallel component actions.