ATM LoRaWAN Backup Routing for Transaction Resilience
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Solution Overview
Problem
ATMs often go offline due to hardware or network issues, leading to inconvenience for customers and the need for technician intervention, and momentary outages can cause loss of transaction details.
Innovation Solution
Equipping ATMs with a LoRaWAN module for connectivity to a long-range wireless network, allowing them to communicate with nearby online ATMs or application servers during outages and enabling automated error detection and repair.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the ATM uses traditional ATM communications network connectivity, then the system structure is simple and reliable under normal conditions, but the ATM goes offline during hardware or network outages requiring technician intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a LoRaWAN module as an intermediary communication device that enables the ATM to establish alternative communication paths through nearby ATMs when the primary ATM communications network fails. This mediator approach allows the system to maintain functionality during outages by routing transactions through intermediate devices, thereby improving reliability without completely redesigning the network architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between different communication modes - normal mode using the standard ATM communications network and backup mode using LoRaWAN network through nearby ATMs. This dynamic adaptability allows the ATM to respond to failure conditions by transitioning to alternative communication paths, improving operational reliability while maintaining relatively simple overall system structure.
2Reliability
If the ATM implements continuous monitoring and backup communication capabilities, then transaction integrity is maintained during outages, but the device complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring the status of the ATM communications network and pre-establishing backup communication paths through nearby ATMs via LoRaWAN. This preliminary preparation ensures that when outages occur, transaction integrity is maintained without requiring complex real-time decision-making or system reconfiguration, thereby achieving reliability with moderate complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms that continuously monitor network status and trigger appropriate responses - switching to backup LoRaWAN communication when outages are detected. This feedback approach maintains transaction integrity through automated responses to failure conditions, avoiding the need for overly complex manual intervention systems while ensuring reliable operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the ATM uses LoRaWAN network for backup communication, then connectivity is maintained during outages, but the device complexity and initial setup requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The LoRaWAN module is designed to work alongside the existing ATM communications network infrastructure, providing universal communication capability. The same module can be used for both normal operation and backup communication modes, and the system can leverage existing LoRaWAN infrastructure rather than requiring dedicated private networks, thereby improving adaptability with manageable complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the existing LoRaWAN public infrastructure rather than requiring the ATM to maintain its own dedicated backup network. This approach treats the backup communication capability as a service consumed from external infrastructure, reducing the complexity and cost of implementing dual network configuration while maintaining communication adaptability during outages.
Data Source
AI summary
An ATM includes a long range WAN module that provides the ATM with a low power WAN (LPWAN) capability for increased resiliency. The ATM and bank application servers generally communicate over an ATM communications network to allow customers to perform banking transactions. When this connection is not functioning, the ATM may continue to be used to perform banking transactions, without interruption, by communicating over a LoRaWAN network with another nearby LPWAN-enabled ATM that is in communication with the bank application servers. The LoRaWAN network may also be used to automatically obtain software to fix an error at the ATM when the software is obtainable via a nearby LPWAN-enabled ATM. The LoRaWAN module may be further used to record a state of operations at the ATM and to use the record to resume the transaction where the transaction was interrupted while in progress due to an ATM outage.