Payment Terminal Camera Lens Vertical Stacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional payment terminals with cameras positioned above the touch panel suffer from increased size due to the need for additional space and obstructed visibility of the display unit during image capture, affecting the efficiency of various settlement methods.
Innovation Solution
The camera, card slot, and touch panel are arranged vertically from the placement surface with the camera's optical axis angled upward and closer to the user, allowing for reduced terminal size and improved visibility of the display unit during image capture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the camera is positioned above the touch panel to support image capture functionality, then the payment terminal can perform code settlement, but the terminal size increases and the display visibility is obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a horizontal arrangement where the camera would occupy space above the touch panel to a vertical arrangement where the camera lens, card slot, and panel arrangement surface are stacked in the height direction. This dimensional reorganization allows the camera to capture images without increasing the terminal's footprint area, as components are layered vertically rather than spread horizontally.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of placing the camera above the touch panel as in conventional designs, the patent inverts the arrangement by positioning the camera lens closer to the user than the card slot, with both elements arranged vertically from the placement surface. This inverted vertical stacking resolves the contradiction by eliminating the need for horizontal space while maintaining capture functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the camera is positioned above the touch panel for image capture, then code settlement is enabled, but the display unit visibility is blocked during image capture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the visibility obstruction by moving the camera lens to a different vertical level rather than positioning it above the touch panel. The lens, card slot, and panel arrangement surface are arranged in the height direction, creating spatial separation that allows users to view the display while the camera captures images from its elevated position closer to the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the panel arrangement surface oriented obliquely upward as an intermediary element between the placement surface and the user. This oblique orientation creates a visual pathway that allows users to see the display content clearly while the camera lens positioned closer to the user captures images without blocking the display view.
3Productivity
If the camera lens is positioned closer to the user than the card slot, then image capture efficiency is improved, but the arrangement complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the terminal components into distinct vertical layers: the placement surface at the bottom, followed by the panel arrangement surface oriented obliquely upward, then the card slot, and finally the camera lens closest to the user. This segmentation into hierarchical layers simplifies the overall arrangement by assigning each component a specific vertical position, making the complex multi-functional terminal easier to manufacture and assemble.
Data Source
AI summary
A payment terminal includes a camera configured to capture an image, a card slot for inserting a contact type IC card, and a panel arrangement surface on which a touch panel is arranged. A lens of the camera, the card slot, and the panel arrangement surface are arranged in order in the height direction from a placement surface of the payment terminal. The panel arrangement surface is oriented obliquely upward toward a user positioned in front of the card slot. An optical axis direction of the lens is obliquely upward toward the user, and the lens is provided closer to the user than the card slot.