Granted Patent B2

US 12,066,846 · App. 17/956,016 · Granted Aug 20, 2024

Inventors: Paul David Rutherford (Dundee, GB); Adam Delaney Boyd (Fife, GB); Donald Iain MacInnes (Angus, GB); He Ren (Beijing, CN)

Assignee: NCR Atleos Corporation

G05D23/1934G05D23/1917G07D11/235H02P29/62H05B2203/005

Abstract

Claims (43)

1. A media handling device, comprising:

media handling modules, each media handling module comprises a motor and mechanical components for handling media being processed within the media handling device;

a temperature sensor;

a processor

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that comprises firmware instructions; and

the firmware instructions obtained by the processor from the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium causing the processor to perform operations comprising:

instructing the media handling modules to idle and stop idling the corresponding motors to control and to manage a current temperature being experienced within an enclosure of the media handling device using the temperature sensor;

wherein when the motors are idling current flowing to the motors causes heat to radiate within the enclosure to raise the current temperature

wherein when the motors stop idling heat dissipates within the enclosure to lower the current temperature.

2. The media handling device of claim 1 , wherein the media handling modules include one or more of a reject box module, an escrow module, an upper transport module, a bill validator module, a pocket separator module, an upper base module, an intermediate transport module, a lower transport module, a cassette holder module, a deposit cassette module, a recycle cassette module, a lower module, an upper module, a shutter module, a coin deposit/dispense module, and a check reader module.

3. The media handling device of claim 1 , wherein the media handling device is a valuable media depository, a valuable media dispenser, or a valuable media recycler.

4. The media handling device of claim 1 , wherein each of the media handling modules further includes a module temperature sensor to report internal temperatures of the corresponding media handling module.

5. The media handling device of claim 4 , wherein the operations further include:

instructing a specific media handling module to stop idling the corresponding motor when the corresponding current internal temperature for the specific media handling module exceeds a threshold temperature.

6. The media handling device of claim 1 , wherein the operations associated with the instructing further include:

instructing the media handling modules to idle the corresponding motors when the current temperature deviates below a first threshold temperature.

7. The media handling device of claim 6 , wherein operations associated with the instructing further include:

instructing the media handling modules to lock drive shafts of the corresponding motors while driving current through the corresponding motors to generate thermal heat during the idling as opposed to kinetic heat generated when the drive shafts are unlocked.

8. The media handling device of claim 7 , wherein operations associated with the instructing further include:

instructing the media handling modules to stop idling and unlock the drive shafts by stopping current being driven to the corresponding motors when the current temperature rises above a second threshold temperature.

9. The media handling device of claim 1 , wherein operations associated with the instructing further include:

comparing the current temperature against threshold temperatures to determine when to instruct the media handling modules to idle the corresponding motors and to determine when to instruct the media handling modules to stop idling the corresponding motors.

10. The media handling device of claim 9 , wherein operations associated with the instructing further include:

obtaining the threshold temperatures from a file or from parameters passed to the firmware instructions.

11. A system, comprising:

a transaction terminal;

a media handling device interfaced to the transaction terminal; and

a temperature sensor located within an enclosure of the media handling device;

wherein the system monitors a current temperature reported by the temperature sensor to idle motors associated with media handling modules of the media handling device when the current temperature is to be increased through thermal heat that radiates within the enclosure from current flowing to the motors as the motors idle;

wherein the system monitors the current temperature reported by the temperature sensor to stop idling the motors associated with the media handling modules when the current temperature is to be decreased by removing the current flowing to the motors to stop powering the motors.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the transaction terminal further includes a processor, and wherein the processor monitors the current temperature and instructs the media handling device to cause the motors of the media handling modules to idle and to stop idling based on the current temperature and threshold temperatures.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the media handling device includes a processor, and wherein the processor monitors the current temperature and instructs the media handling modules to idle and to stop the idling of the motors based on the current temperature and threshold temperatures.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the system further monitors internal temperatures reported for the media handling modules and stops idling a given motor when a given internal temperature reaches a threshold operating temperature.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the transaction terminal further includes a processor, and wherein the processor monitors the internal temperatures and instructs the media handling device to cause the given motor to stop idling when the given internal temperature reaches the threshold operating temperature.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the media handling device includes a processor, and wherein the processor monitors the internal temperatures and instructs a given media handling module associated with the given motor to stop the idling of the given motor when the given temperature reaches the threshold operating temperature.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the media handling modules include modules associated with depositing currency notes, coins, and checks, and wherein the media handling modules further include additional modules associated with depositing checks.

18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the transaction terminal is an automated teller machine, a self-service terminal, a point-of-sale terminal, or a kiosk, and wherein the media handling device is a valuable media depository, a valuable media dispenser, or a valuable media recycler.

19. A method, comprising:

monitoring a current temperature of an enclosure for a media handling device, wherein the enclosure of the media handling device comprises media handling modules, each module comprises a motor for performing media handling actions;

instructing the media handling modules to idle the corresponding motors by locking drive shafts of the corresponding motors and running current to the corresponding motors creating thermal heat that radiates within the enclosure and causing the current temperature to rise when the current temperature is detected below a first threshold temperature; and

instructing the media handling modules to stop idling, unlock the corresponding drive shafts, and stop running current to the corresponding motors causing heat to dissipate within the enclosure and the current temperature to fall when the current temperature is detected above a second threshold temperature.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

monitoring internal temperatures for each of the media handing modules and instructing a given media handling module to stop idling the corresponding motor when a given internal temperature for the given media handling module exceeds a third threshold temperature.

Assignments (8)

Continuity (1)