Power management for an automated banking machine
View Patent ↗An automatic banking machine operates responsive to data read from data bearing records corresponding to authorized user or financial account data. The machine includes a card reader for reading data from user cards. The automated banking machine causes financial transfers related to financial accounts that correspond to data read from user cards. The automated banking machine also includes devices that control the supply of power to included devices to avoid exceeding power supply capacity.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a power supply;
a power controller coupled with the power supply;
a dispensing mechanism coupled with the power controller;
a stepper motor coupled with the dispensing mechanism and the power controller, the stepping is operable to operate the dispensing mechanism; and
a transaction processor coupled with the power controller;
wherein the transaction processor is operable to operate the stepper motor to operate the dispensing mechanism for a transaction;
wherein the stepper motor is a voltage boosted stepper motor; and
wherein the stepper motor further comprises a stator; and
a body diode coupled with the stator.
2. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 , wherein the stepper motor is a unipolar stepper motor.
3. The apparatus set forth in claim 2 , further comprising a boost capacitor coupled with the body diode.
4. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 , wherein the stepping motor is a bipolar stepping motor.
5. The apparatus set forth in claim 4 , wherein the stepper motor further comprises a boost capacitor coupled with the blocking diode.
6. The apparatus set forth in claim 5 , further comprising two H-bridge control circuits coupled with the stepping motor.
7. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 , wherein the dispensing mechanism is a cash dispenser.
8. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 , further comprising an uninterruptable power supply coupled with the power controller and the processor.
9. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a card reader coupled with the transaction processor.
10. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a printer coupled with the transaction processor.
11. An apparatus comprising:
an automated banking machine, the automated banking machine comprises:
a card reader, wherein the card reader is operative to read from user cards, card data that corresponds to financial accounts,
a display,
a receipt printer,
a cash dispenser,
a voltage boosted stepper motor coupled with the cash dispenser and operable to operate the cash dispenser,
a terminal processor,
wherein the terminal processor is in operative communication with the card reader, the display, the receipt printer, the stepper motor and the cash dispenser,
wherein the terminal processor is operative in carrying out a financial transaction to:
cause user card data to be read from a user card through operation of the card reader,
determine that the user card data corresponds to a financial account authorized to have the transaction conducted through operation of the machine,
operate the cash dispenser to dispense cash responsive at least in part to determining that the user card data corresponds to a financial account authorized to have the transaction conducted through operation of the machine,
asses the financial account to a value corresponding to the dispensed cash, and
produce a receipt corresponding to the value via the receipt printer;
a battery,
a plurality of power sources other than the battery, wherein the plurality of power sources include a solar panel,
a power control processor, wherein the power control processor is in operative connection with the at least one battery and each of the plurality of power sources,
wherein the at least one power control processor is operative to cause the at least one battery to be charged by power supplied by a battery charger,
wherein the at least one power control processor is operative to cause power to be delivered from the solar panel to at least one of the card reader, the display, or the receipt printer,
wherein during the transaction, the at least one power control processor is operative to:
(a) determine at least one amount of power required to operate at least one of the display, the card reader, or the receipt printer,
(b) determine power currently available from each of the plurality of power sources,
(c) cause power to be delivered to the cash dispenser from the at least one battery, and
(d) cause power to be delivered from the plurality of power sources to at least one of the card reader, the display, or the receipt printer, responsive at least in part to at least one of the (a) or (b) determinations.