JP2008186387A - Pos terminal and pos system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a POS terminal that has measures against malfunction, data loss, failure or life-shortening due to abnormal temperature rise. <P>SOLUTION: The POS terminal 20 has a temperature sensor 26 for detecting a temperature at a predetermined part of the terminal. When a detection result of the temperature sensor 26 exceeds a first threshold level, a display part 24 displays a caution message and a current temperature. Also, when the detection result of the temperature sensor 26 exceeds a second threshold level higher than that of the first threshold level, a display part 24 displays a warning message for urging a user to cut off the POS terminal 20 and a current temperature, which are printed out by a printing unit 25. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device that generates heat during operation, and more particularly to a POS terminal applied to a POS (Point Of Sale) system.

  POS terminals have become increasingly sophisticated in recent years, but on the contrary, the housing size tends to be reduced year by year. In addition, the space for installing terminals is also reduced.

  By the way, since the POS terminal has components such as a CPU (central control unit), a power supply unit, or a choke coil that can flow a large current, as in the case of all computers, the POS terminal generates heat during operation. When the POS terminal becomes abnormal temperature, it causes malfunction, data loss, failure, and shortened life.

  The cause of the abnormal temperature rise of the POS terminal is not only the rise in the temperature of the environment where the POS terminal is placed, but also dust that has entered from the surroundings accumulates to block the intake and exhaust ports. In particular, since the POS terminal is often placed in a harsh environment with respect to temperature and dust as compared with a normal information processing device, there is a high risk that the temperature rises abnormally.

  Conventional countermeasures against malfunctions due to abnormal temperature rise of POS terminals, data loss, failure, and shortening of service life include measures to prevent the entry and accumulation of dust etc. into the intake and exhaust ports, The use of parts with specifications that can withstand high temperatures so as not to cause failure has been performed, but it is difficult to say that it is a perfect measure, and there is a problem in terms of cost / performance ratio.

  No countermeasures other than those described above have been taken for malfunctions, data loss, failures, and shortening of service life due to abnormal temperature rise of POS terminals. Such measures are disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3. Some computers, in particular CPUs, have a function of monitoring the temperature of the CPU with a temperature sensor and controlling the operation of the cooling fan of the CPU according to the monitoring result.

JP 2000-214117 A JP 9-212233 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-11681

  An object of the present invention is to provide a POS terminal in which measures against malfunction, data loss, failure, and shortening of life due to abnormal temperature rise are taken.

  According to the present invention, a POS terminal having a display unit and a printing unit includes a temperature sensor that detects a temperature at a predetermined location of the POS terminal, and the detection result of the temperature sensor has a first threshold value. When it exceeds, a warning message and the current temperature are displayed on the display unit, and when the detection result of the temperature sensor exceeds a second threshold value that is higher than the first threshold value, A warning message for prompting the user to turn off the power of the POS terminal and the current temperature are displayed on the display unit, and the POS terminal is printed out by the printing unit.

  The POS terminal automatically turns off the power when the POS terminal is not turned off even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the warning message is displayed on the display unit and printed out by the printing unit. A message to that effect may be printed out by the printing unit.

  The POS terminal may further include a storage unit, and the detection result of the temperature sensor may be stored in the storage unit as a temperature log.

  The POS terminal may print out the temperature log stored in the storage unit by the printing unit.

  The POS terminal may be one in which the power of the POS terminal is turned on and temperature detection is performed for each accounting process.

  The POS terminal may be one in which the power of the POS terminal is turned on and temperature detection is performed every predetermined time.

  According to the present invention, it is also possible to obtain a POS system including a POS host and the POS terminal connected to the POS host.

  The POS terminal according to the present invention has countermeasures against malfunctions due to abnormal temperature rise, data loss, failure, and shortening of life.

  More specifically, the POS terminal according to the present invention has the following effects.

  By forcibly shutting down at a serious temperature, it becomes possible to prevent destruction of terminal data and mechanical failure due to thermal runaway.

  POS terminal failures and data loss can be minimized by applications.

  It is possible to analyze the temperature change of the POS terminal using the analysis temperature log, which is useful for improving problems such as the installation environment and the operation method.

  By providing the first and second threshold values, if a caution is required but the temperature is not as severe as that of a serious temperature, the forced shutdown is not performed and the user is given a grace period for improvement.

  By displaying cautions and warning messages on the screen, it is possible to easily grasp the situation and promote improvement.

  By printing out a caution or warning message, it is possible to convey accurate information not only to the user directly related to the POS terminal but also to the manager in charge and the person in charge of maintenance.

  It is also possible to inform the user of the current temperature in real time.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a POS terminal according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the POS terminal 20 according to the present embodiment is connected to the POS host 10 via a network, and the POS host 10 and the POS terminal 20 constitute a POS system.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a POS terminal 20 includes a control unit 21 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that operates according to an operation system, a storage unit 23 configured by a semiconductor memory or a hard disk drive, and a display such as a liquid crystal display. A printing unit 25 that is a printer for printing receipts and the like, and a temperature sensor 26 that detects a temperature at a predetermined location of the POS terminal 20. Note that reference numeral 22 in the figure denotes a memory associated with the CPU of the control unit 21.

  The temperature sensor 26 is installed in a housing (not shown) of the POS terminal 20. For example, the temperature sensor 26 is installed at a location that is far away from a heat source such as a CPU and a power supply unit to some extent and that can detect the temperature of the entire housing. The temperature sensor 26 is not limited to one location, and may be installed at a plurality of locations.

  The control unit 21 controls the timing of temperature detection by the temperature sensor 26. For example, the POS terminal is turned on, and temperature detection is performed for each accounting process. When no operation is performed, temperature detection is performed every predetermined time.

  The control unit 21 displays a caution message and the current temperature on the display unit 24 when the detection result of the temperature sensor 26 exceeds the first threshold value. Although the first threshold value is higher than the temperature during normal operation of the POS terminal 20 depending on the location where the temperature sensor 26 is installed, it does not cause a problem unless the temperature is operated at that temperature for a considerably long time. Temperature is set.

  The control unit 21 further includes a warning message prompting the user to turn off the POS terminal 20 when the detection result of the temperature sensor 26 exceeds a second threshold value that is higher than the first threshold value, and a current message. The temperature is displayed on the display unit 24 and printed out by the printing unit 25. The second threshold value is set to a temperature that is higher than the first threshold value according to the installation location of the temperature sensor 26 and is likely to cause a malfunction when the operation is continued at that temperature. The

  After the warning message is displayed on the display unit 24 and printed out by the printing unit 25, the control unit 21 automatically turns off the power when the POS terminal 20 is not turned off after a predetermined time has passed. That effect is printed out by the printing unit 25.

  The detection result of the temperature sensor 26 is stored in the storage unit 23 by the control unit 21 as a temperature log.

  The control unit 21 prints out the temperature log stored in the storage unit 23 by the printing unit 25 in accordance with a user instruction.

  Next, the operation of the POS terminal 20 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When the POS terminal 20 is turned on, in step S1, the control unit 21 detects the temperature by the temperature sensor 26 every accounting operation and at intervals of 5 minutes when there is no operation.

  In step S2, the control unit 21 causes the display unit 24 to display the temperature detected in step S1, and stores it in the storage unit 23 as a temperature log. This log is stored in the storage unit 23 for the past 30 days, for example.

  In step S <b> 3, the control unit 21 compares the temperature detected in step S <b> 1 with a first threshold value stored in advance in the storage unit 23. If the detected temperature is equal to or lower than the first threshold value as a result of the comparison, the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if the detected temperature is larger than the first threshold value, the process proceeds to step S4.

  In step S <b> 4, the control unit 21 compares the detected temperature with a second threshold value stored in advance in the storage unit 23. As a result of the comparison, if the detected temperature is equal to or lower than the second threshold value, the process proceeds to step S5, whereas if the detected temperature is greater than the second threshold value, the process proceeds to step S6.

  In step S5, since the detected temperature is greater than the first threshold value and less than or equal to the second threshold value, the control unit 21 displays a warning message as a warning temperature as shown in FIG. The temperature is displayed on the display unit 24 to alert the user. Then, it returns to step S1.

  In step S6, since the detected temperature is larger than the second threshold value, the control unit 21 displays a warning message and its temperature on the display unit 24 as a serious temperature as shown in FIG. And urge the user to shut down the power supply of the POS terminal 20 and perform an inspection or the like.

  In step S7, since the detected temperature is higher than the second threshold value, the control unit 21 determines that the abnormal temperature has occurred and its temperature as a serious temperature as shown in FIG. In addition to the screen display, the user is prompted to perform the printout by causing the user to shut down the power supply of the POS terminal 20 and perform an inspection or the like. This printed material can be used as a reference for later repairs and maintenance.

  In step S <b> 8, the control unit 21 determines whether a shutdown button (button for turning off the POS terminal 20) (not shown) has been pressed by the user. As a result of the determination, if not pressed, the process proceeds to step S9, and if pressed, the process proceeds to step S10.

  In step S <b> 9, the control unit 21 automatically shuts down the power source of the POS terminal 20 when the no-operation time has elapsed for 5 minutes.

  In step S <b> 10, the control unit 21 shuts down the power supply of the POS terminal 20. Note that when the shutdown is performed through the automatic shutdown activation in step S9, a screen display or a print output for informing the user may be displayed.

  FIG. 7 is an example of the temperature log stored in step S2. The control unit 21 can display the temperature log on the display unit 24 or print it out by the printing unit 25 in response to a user request by a button operation or the like. Alternatively, data can be transmitted to a personal computer, a mobile phone, or the like via the host 10 or an external network. By analyzing the temperature log, it is possible to search for the cause of the failure and to deal with it by performing the inspection and cleaning timing at the optimum time.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible within the technical scope described in the claims.

  For example, the present invention is not limited to a POS terminal, and can be applied to any electronic device that can cause malfunction, data loss, failure, and shortened life when an abnormal temperature occurs during operation. In particular, the present invention is preferably applied to industrial equipment in which it is assumed that there are an unspecified number of users or who are not accustomed to equipment maintenance.

1 is a block diagram of a POS system having a POS terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of a POS terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the POS terminal by embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of an attention message. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a warning message. It is a figure which shows the example of a printing of a warning message (serious state). It is a figure which shows the example of the temperature log memorize | stored in the POS terminal by embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 POS host 20 POS terminal 21 Control part 22 Memory 23 Storage part 24 Display part 25 Printing part 26 Temperature sensor

Claims (7)

In a POS terminal having a display unit and a printing unit,
A temperature sensor for detecting a temperature at a predetermined location of the POS terminal;
When the detection result of the temperature sensor exceeds a first threshold value, a warning message and the current temperature are displayed on the display unit, and
When the detection result of the temperature sensor exceeds a second threshold value that is higher than the first threshold value, a warning message that prompts the user to turn off the POS terminal and the current temperature are displayed on the display unit. And a POS terminal that prints out at the printing unit.   After the warning message is displayed on the display unit and printed out by the printing unit, if the POS terminal is not turned off even after a predetermined time has elapsed, the power is automatically turned off and the fact is printed The POS terminal according to claim 1, wherein the POS terminal prints out the data at one copy.   The POS terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit, wherein the detection result of the temperature sensor is stored in the storage unit as a temperature log.   The POS terminal according to claim 3, wherein the printing unit prints out the temperature log stored in the storage unit.   The POS terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the POS terminal is turned on and temperature detection is performed for each accounting process.   The POS terminal according to claim 1, wherein the POS terminal is turned on and temperature detection is performed every predetermined time.   A POS system comprising: a POS host; and the POS terminal according to claim 1 connected to the POS host.

Images