PFU hardware innovations focus on quality, reliability, and end user usability.

Quality for high reliability

• Motherboard innovations
• Fanless Design
• Continuous monitoring

Enhanced end-user usability

Advanced technology integration

PFU’s innovations begin with the motherboard.

• BIOS modification -- allows scheduled shut-off, scheduled start up of the kiosk.
  
• Industrial grade components – assures long-term supply of the components. 
  
• Extended I/O control circuit – supports more I/O devices
  
• Specialized I/O control – provides control of LED, power supply, and additional monitoring functions
• Optimized motherboard component layout – compact size
• Optimized thermal design - fanless design

Fanless Design – improves reliability

In shade	In full sunlight

• Reduce dust accumulation:
  Fanless kiosks reduce dust accumulation within the motherboard.  Dust makes kiosks more prone to failure – dust adheres to the PCB and components causing thermal problems, short circuits, and other issues.
• Reduce heat accumulation:
  Fanless kiosks are designed to dissipate heat more efficiently.  PFU performs extensive thermal analysis on the kiosk to improve reliability.
• Reduce power consumption:
  Fanless kiosks use less power.  Combined with PFU’s automatic time function that shuts down the kiosk when it is not being used, the fan less design reduces power consumption.  This is truly an environmentally friendly kiosk!
• Reduce noise:
  Fanless kiosks are very quiet – less than 30 dBA. As a comparison, 30 dBA is the noise level of a quiet, almost a whisper conversation. The only noise from the kiosk is during printing.

PFU’s motherboard modifications allow for continuous monitoring of the health of all motherboard components and the complete motherboard.  This assures longer up time of the kiosk, assures maintenance schedules are adhered to, and addresses hardware issues before they reach a crisis stage or break down.
 
The health of all the peripherals of the kiosk – proximity sensor, touch screen, magnetic card reader, signature pad, thermal printer, and FeliCa card reader/writer – also is continuously monitored.

The result:

• Greater kiosk up time
• Greater end-user satisfaction
• Full realization of kiosk deployment goals

Blinking lights clearly show the end user the next required activity needed to be performed:

PFU has installed blinking LED lights around each peripheral.  When the program directs the end user to swipe their card, the lights around the magnetic card reader blink, clearly indicating the next action the end user needs to take.

The programming for this innovation is one small part of the KIOSK SERVICE PLATFORM.

This innovation enhances usability and customer satisfaction.

Kiosks are ubiquitous in Japan and are involved in all market segments.  For over a decade, Japan has been at the forefront of kiosk deployment.  Not surprisingly, the latest technological innovations are accepted and adopted in kiosks.  One example is the contactless IC chip.

Many countries in Asia, including Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea have adopted the contactless IC card.  In Japan, PFU has over 10,000 kiosks with FeliCa deployed in many different applications.

The contactless IC chip has been enthusiastically adopted throughout Japan.  Virtually all commuters on the Tokyo subway system or using Japan Railways use a contactless IC chip to pay the fare.  The contactless IC chip is found in almost all new cell phones in Japan.  Most convenience stores have reader/writers prominently displayed in their stores.  Many shopping malls have kiosks with IC chip readers/writers.

Our extensive Japanese experience with FeliCa led Sony to choose PFU as its kiosk FeliCa partner in the United States.
 
PFU, as Sony’s kiosk partner is introducing the FeliCa contactless IC card to the United States kiosk market.

Sony Global FeliCa Website

* FeliCa is a trademark of Sony Corporation.
* FeliCa is a contactless IC card technology developed by Sony Corporation.