Glossary

Cross-cutting reference for the whole KB. Definitions are intentionally short; where a term has a dedicated page, that page is referenced. This glossary is authoritative — a concept has exactly one canonical name across the KB.

Terminology note — authorization vs. confirmation

To avoid conflating card semantics with PIX semantics, the KB standardizes:

• Payment confirmation — the event where funds are recognized as received (used for PIX and, generically, for any method). This replaces the ambiguous term financial authorization.
• Operational authorization — the system's decision to release the machine. Method-independent.
• Card authorization — the issuer's approve/decline step before capture and settlement. Used only inside the card method, never as a universal concept.

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PIX — Brazil's instant payment system, created and regulated by the Central Bank of Brazil.

BCB (Banco Central do Brasil) — the Central Bank of Brazil; regulates PIX and operates its settlement infrastructure.

Arrangement (arranjo) — the regulated payment scheme that defines the rules all PIX participants must follow.

SPI (Sistema de Pagamentos Instantâneos) — the real-time settlement system, operated by the BCB, through which PIX transfers are settled between institutions.

DICT — the BCB-operated directory that maps a PIX key (chave) to the underlying account.

PSP (Payment Service Provider) — a PIX participant that provides payment services to end users.

Receiving PSP — the PSP where the establishment (the laundry) holds the account that receives payments.

Acquirer (adquirente) — an institution that enables merchants to accept electronic payments.

Payment institution (instituição de pagamento) — a BCB-authorized entity offering payment services without being a full bank.

Charge (cobrança) — a payment request created by the receiving side, presented to the customer and tracked until paid, expired, or cancelled. See Charge Lifecycle.

txid (transaction identifier) — a unique identifier for a PIX charge, generated by the receiving user and used for reconciliation. May differ from the internal order ID; record both.

Static QR Code — a reusable QR Code, not tied to a single transaction. See PIX — Charges and QR Codes.

Dynamic QR Code — a QR Code generated for a specific charge, carrying a unique identifier and metadata. Preferred for automation.

Payment confirmation — confirmation that funds were transferred and recognized by the payment system. See Payment Confirmation. (Preferred over financial authorization.)

Operational authorization — the system's decision to allow the machine to be used, made only after payment confirmation and other operational checks pass. See Operational Authorization.

Card authorization — issuer approve/decline before capture/settlement; a card-method term only.

Webhook — a provider notification sent to the laundry backend on payment confirmation.

Polling — repeatedly querying the provider for a charge's status until confirmed.

Idempotency — processing the same confirmation more than once causes only one machine release, never several.

Machine integration layer — the component that converts an operational authorization into a signal the equipment understands.

Interface controller — an external device that receives a backend command and drives the machine's input (pulse, relay, contact, serial).

Machine controller — the internal control board that governs the machine's cycles and states.

Pulse (pulso elétrico) — a brief electrical signal used to trigger a machine input.

Dry contact (contato seco) — a voltage-free switch closure used to signal the machine.

Relay (relé) — an electrically operated switch used to open or close a machine input on command.

GPIO — general-purpose input/output pins usable for pulse, contact, or status signals.

RS-232 — a point-to-point serial standard, common on legacy equipment.

RS-485 — a serial standard supporting longer distances and multiple devices on one bus.

CAN bus — a robust multi-device serial bus used in industrial equipment.

Firmware — the embedded software running on the machine or controller.

Telemetry — machine states and parameters reported back for monitoring.