JP5687913B2 - Card processing device with full detector of card stacker - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a card processing apparatus provided with a card stacker used for a game machine. More specifically, in a card processing device in which a card transport path is formed between the device main unit and an openable / closable unit attached here, the fullness of the card stacker formed on the open / close unit side is detected. The present invention relates to an improved full detector technology.

  In gaming facilities such as pachinko parlors, gaming media are lent out in order to play on the gaming machine in a machine between the gaming machines arranged adjacent to the gaming machine. In recent years, intermediary machines that can lend out game media using a recording medium such as a magnetic card or an IC card instead of cash have become widespread. Such an inter-machine includes a card processing device including a card reader / writer and a card stacker together with a money processing device such as a bill validator. For example, it is configured to issue a prepaid card in which an amount corresponding to the amount to be inserted is stored, and when the prepaid card is inserted, the monetary information held in the prepaid card is read and the gaming medium is lent out. .

  Patent Document 1 proposes a card issuing device that includes a read / write unit including an RF antenna. In this card processing apparatus, the card inserted from the card insertion / ejection port is sent to the read / write unit by a transport mechanism comprising a transport belt, and the card fed further from the read / write unit is stacked in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. They are stored in a state. Thus, by arranging the read / write unit and the card storage unit in a tandem state along the linear conveyance path, the card issuing device can be made flat.

  Patent Document 2 proposes a similar card processing apparatus. In the card processing device disclosed herein, the pressing lever is moved in a direction orthogonal to the card conveying direction by a card that passes through the read / write unit including the RF antenna and is stored in the card storage unit. ing. Since the card stored in the card storage unit can be pushed down by the pressing lever, the read / written card can be stored in the card storage unit without interfering with the card stored in the card storage unit.

  On the other hand, in these card processing apparatuses, a conveying component such as a belt for conveying the card along the card conveying path and a plurality of detection components for detecting the position of the conveyed card are incorporated. Since these components are exposed in the card conveyance path, foreign matters such as dust adhere to the card after long-term use, and the conveyance performance and detection performance deteriorate. Further, when a card with deformation such as warpage is inserted, the card may be jammed in the card transport path. In view of this, it is conceivable to provide a door on the card conveyance path and perform maintenance such as removal of dirt, replacement of worn parts, and removal of a jammed card. Patent Document 3 describes a card processing device in which a door member is arranged and opened to open the conveyance path.

Japanese Patent No. 3832176 JP 2005-92454 A JP 2010-240269 A

  Here, in order to easily perform maintenance or the like of the card stacker, it is desirable that the card stacker is also arranged on the door side. In this case, it is difficult to detect the storage state of the card stacker located on the opposite side across the card transport path using the detector arranged on the apparatus main body side. It must be placed on the side. However, in this case, it is necessary to route the cable wiring by bypassing the card transport path between the detector on the door side and the main board on the apparatus body side. As a result, due to restrictions such as extra cable wiring length, it is often impossible to open the door at a wide angle so as not to hinder the maintenance work. Further, in order to perform the work by removing the opening / closing door from the apparatus main body, it is necessary to remove the cable wiring, and the work efficiency is poor.

  On the other hand, in the card processing device, a plurality of card detectors are also arranged in the card transport path, and the position of the card transported along the card transport path is detected and the transport control, read / write control, etc. are performed. Yes. As the card detector, a transmission type sensor is generally used in which a light emitting element and a light receiving element are arranged so as to sandwich the card transport path. In the transmissive sensor system, sensor substrates are required on both the light emitting element side and the light receiving element side, and cable wiring to a control unit on which a control circuit for controlling these is mounted is also necessary.

  However, in the card processing apparatus as described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 used by being incorporated in an inter-table machine for a game table, a plurality of the card processing paths along the card conveyance path in the flat thickness apparatus. It is necessary to place the sensor board, bypass the card transport path, and connect the cable to the main board. Assembling work of the card processing apparatus including a process of incorporating a plurality of parts in a narrow installation place and connecting them by cable wiring is inefficient and very complicated.

  Further, in the case of using a transmissive photosensor in a card processing apparatus capable of opening and closing the card transport path as described in Patent Document 3, a light emitting element is disposed on one side with the card transport path in between. Since the light receiving element is arranged on the other side, it is necessary to route the cable wiring from the element mounted on the door side for opening the card conveyance path to the circuit board side arranged on the apparatus main body side. . Also in this case, as in the case of the detector for detecting the storage state of the card stacker, the door cannot be opened at a wide angle so that maintenance work is not hindered due to restrictions such as extra cable wiring length. There are many. Further, in order to perform the work by removing the opening / closing door from the apparatus main body, it is necessary to remove the cable wiring, and the work efficiency is poor.

  In view of the above, the problem of the present invention is to connect a detector for detecting the storage state (full state) of the card stacker arranged in the open / close side portion from the open / close side portion to the device main body side. An object of the present invention is to propose a card processing apparatus having a structure that does not require wiring.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple structure that reduces the number of components to be assembled around the card conveyance path and eliminates cable wiring in order to efficiently perform the work of assembling the components in the flat installation space around the card conveyance path. Is to propose a card processing apparatus.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the card processing device of the present invention provides:
A device body unit;
An opening / closing unit attached to the apparatus body unit so as to be opened and closed;
A card transport path formed between the apparatus body unit and the opening / closing unit;
A card insertion outlet for inserting a card into the card transport path and discharging a card from the card transport path;
A card stacker that is arranged in the opening and closing unit and stores the cards in a stacked state in the thickness direction;
A card transport mechanism for transporting a card between the card insertion outlet and the card stacker along the card transport path;
A photo-interrupter type full detector for detecting that the card stacker is full,
A circuit board disposed on the apparatus main unit side ;
Have
The card stacker includes a card push-up member that can move in a direction approaching and leaving the card transport path, and a biasing member that biases the card push-up member toward the stacker opening,
The full detector is
A detection lever that is pivotably disposed on the device main unit side and extends to a position where it can contact the card push-up member;
A lever urging member that presses the detection lever against the card push-up member in the opening direction of the opening / closing unit so that the detection lever pivots in conjunction with the movement of the card push-up member;
A light emitting element and a light receiving element mounted on the circuit board;
The swivel position of the detection lever at the full position where the card push-up member is farthest from the stacker opening is a full detection position where the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element are blocked by the detection lever .
The full detection position is a turning limit position in the detection lever,
When the opening / closing unit is opened or removed from the apparatus main body unit, the detection lever is held in a state of being swung to the turning limit position by the urging force of the lever urging member, and is in a full detection state. It is characterized in comprising that the.

  On the opening / closing unit side of the card processing apparatus of the present invention, each time the card is stored in the card stacker, the card push-up member is pushed down in the direction away from the stacker opening by the thickness. When the card stacker is full of cards, the card push-up member is pushed down to the position farthest from the stacker opening. Since the detection lever of the swivelable full detector on the apparatus main body unit side is always pressed against the card push-up member, it turns as the card push-up member moves. When the card stacker is full and the card push-up member reaches the position farthest from the card stacker, the detection lever is in a swivel position where the light emitting element and the light receiving element on the circuit board are blocked, and the light emitting element on the light receiving element side It becomes impossible to receive the detection light emitted from. Thereby, it can be detected that the card stacker on the opening / closing unit side is full.

  As described above, in the full detector, the detection lever arranged so as to be pivotable on the apparatus body unit side is extended to a position where it can abut against the card push-up member of the opening / closing unit, and in the opening / closing unit opening direction with respect to the card push-up member. The pressed state is formed. The components of the full detector can be arranged on the apparatus body unit side, and a contact portion with the detection lever need only be formed on the card push-up member of the card stacker on the opening / closing unit side. Therefore, unlike the case where the detection mechanism is incorporated on the opening / closing unit side, there is no need to route the wiring cable from the opening / closing unit to the apparatus main unit side. In addition, since the detection lever is pressed against the card push-up member in the opening / closing unit opening direction, the detection lever does not become an obstacle when opening the open / close unit. Return to the pressed state.

  Next, the card processing apparatus generally includes a read / write unit that reads / writes information from / to a card at a predetermined read / write position on the card conveyance path, and a plurality of cards arranged along the card conveyance path. A card detector is mounted. In this case, each detector circuit of the card detector, detector components electrically connected to the detector circuit, and the read / write unit may be mounted on the circuit board.

  As described above, in the present invention, the detector circuit (light emission control circuit, signal processing circuit, etc.) of each detector and the detector circuit are electrically connected to the circuit board arranged in parallel along the card conveyance path. The detector components (electrical components) connected to the are mounted. According to this configuration, it is not necessary to assemble each conventional detector individually at each position along the card transport path in units of substrates, and work to connect between each detector substrate and the main substrate by cable wiring. Is also unnecessary. This eliminates the need for assembling a large number of detector parts in a narrow installation space around the card conveying path and wiring them, so that a flat card processing apparatus can be efficiently assembled.

  In this case, it is desirable that the card detector be a prism regression transmission type photosensor. The prism regression transmission type photosensor has a right angle with a light emitting element and a light receiving element mounted on a circuit board and a pair of reflecting surfaces sandwiching the card transport path and facing each of the light emitting element and the light receiving element. And a prism. A right-angle prism may be disposed in the opening / closing unit on the side opposite to the side on which the circuit board is disposed in the card transport path, and there is no need to route the cable wiring from the opening / closing unit side to the apparatus body unit side.

  In each prism regressive transmission type photosensor, the light emitting element and the light receiving element are arranged adjacent to each other in a direction orthogonal to the card carrying direction, and the pair of reflecting surfaces of the right-angle prism follow the card carrying. It is desirable to arrange them in a direction perpendicular to the direction. Thereby, the end surface of a card | curd can be detected in a line form and the position of a card | curd can be detected more correctly.

  Furthermore, for the card transport control by the card transport mechanism and the read / write control by the read / write unit, the read / write unit serves as a card detector in the card transport path from the card insertion / discharge port side to the card stacker side. A first detector for detecting that the card is positioned at the read / write position by the second detector, a second detector for detecting that the card has been inserted into the transport start position by the card transport mechanism via the card insertion / discharge port, and the card What is necessary is just to arrange | position the 3rd detector which detects that the card | curd was accommodated in the stacker in this order.

  Here, in the card processing apparatus of the present invention, the apparatus standby state can be set to a state in which one card is held at the read / write position on the card transport path. In this case, when a card is inserted into the card transport path, a take-in operation for taking the inserted card to the read / write position may be performed after the card in the hold state is retracted to the card stacker. Further, after the card held at the read / write position is ejected from the card transport path, a standby state return operation may be performed in which a new card is taken out from the card stacker and sent to the read / write position. In this way, if one card is always placed in the hold state at the read / write position, the card issuing operation can be performed in a short time.

  In this case, if the swivel position of the detection lever at the full position where the card push-up member is farthest from the stacker opening is set as the swivel limit position of the detection lever, when the opening / closing unit is opened, the detection lever moves away from the card push-up member and It turns to the turning limit position and is held at the full detection position. Therefore, the full detector can be used as a detection mechanism for detecting that the open / close unit is open. That is, when the full detector detects that the card stacker is full and no card is detected by the card detector, it can be determined that the open / close unit is open. Since it is not necessary to use a dedicated detection mechanism for detecting opening / closing of the opening / closing unit, the number of parts can be reduced accordingly.

(A) is a perspective view which shows the pedestal machine for game machines in which the card processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied is incorporated, and (b) is the pedestal machine body of the pedestal machine for game machines from the pedestal machine holder It is a perspective view which shows the state pulled out. (A) is a perspective view which shows the card processing apparatus integrated in the game machine stand machine of FIG. 1, (b) is the disassembled perspective view. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the card processing apparatus of FIG. 2, (b) is a side view which shows the conveyance path surface by the side of the apparatus main body unit. (A) is a perspective view showing a state in which the storage card payout mechanism of the card processing device of FIG. 2 is in the retracted position, (b) is a perspective view showing a state in which the storage card payout mechanism is in the forward position, c) is an exploded perspective view thereof. It is explanatory drawing which shows the card | curd sending-out operation | movement in the card processing apparatus of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement from the standby state in the card processing apparatus of FIG. (A) is a disassembled perspective view for showing the mounting position of the components of each photosensor in the card processing device of FIG. 2, (b) is a perspective view showing the configuration of each photosensor, (c) is It is explanatory drawing which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship of the light emitting element of each photosensor, a light receiving element, and a right angle prism. (A) is a perspective view which shows the state which released the lock | rock of the detachable opening / closing unit in the card processing apparatus of FIG. 2, (b) is a perspective view which shows the state which opened the opening / closing unit, (c) It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the state which removed the opening / closing unit from the apparatus main body unit, (d) is a perspective view at the time of seeing the removed opening / closing unit from the inside. It is a figure which shows the full detector which detects the fullness of a card stacker, (a1) to (a4) is explanatory drawing which shows a motion of the detection lever of a full detector, (b1) and (b2) are card pushing up of a card stacker It is explanatory drawing which shows the contact part of the detection lever of a board and a full detector, (c1) and (c2) are the surface side perspective views and back surface side perspective views which show a card raising board, (d1) and (d2 ) Is a perspective view showing a detection lever.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a card processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. Although the card processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is incorporated in a gaming machine pedestal machine, the present invention can be similarly applied to a card processing apparatus used for equipment other than the gaming machine pedestal machine. Of course.

(Platform machine for game machines)
FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a game machine pedestal machine in which a card processing device to which the present invention is applied is incorporated, and FIG. 1B shows a game machine pedestal machine. It is a perspective view which shows the state pulled out from the intermediate machine holder. The gaming machine inter-table machine 100 in which the card processing device 1 according to the present embodiment is incorporated is arranged between gaming machines (not shown) constituting a gaming island in a gaming facility such as a pachinko parlor. The pedestal machine holder 101 fixed to the game island configuration frame (not shown), and the pedestal machine main body 102 inserted in a detachable state from the front side with respect to the pedestal machine holder 101 And.

  The pedestal machine main body 102 includes a flat and vertically long rectangular parallelepiped sheet metal case 103 and a plastic front panel 104 attached to the front surface. Inside the case 103, a control unit, a power supply unit, A card processing apparatus 1 is incorporated together with the money processing unit. A card slot 105 for card insertion / ejection is formed in a portion of the front panel 104 located on the front surface of the card processing apparatus 1, through which a card, in this example, a non-contact type in which an RFIC chip is mounted. An IC card C (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “card C”) is inserted and ejected. Note that the configuration and operation of the gaming machine pedestal machine 100 are the same as those generally known, and thus further description thereof is omitted.

(Card processing device)
FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing the card processing device 1 incorporated in the gaming machine table machine 100 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is an exploded perspective view thereof. Referring to these drawings, the card processing device 1 has a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-rear direction as a whole. The device body unit 2 and a detachable opening / closing device attached to the device body unit 2 Unit 3 is provided. The apparatus body unit 2 is a unit having a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-rear direction of the apparatus, and a concave portion 4 having a constant width and a constant depth extending in the front-rear direction is formed on one side surface thereof. The opening / closing unit 3 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape just fit into the recess 4, and will be described later from a closing position 3 </ b> A attached to the recess 4 with the opening / closing center axis 5 extending in the vertical direction of the device at the rear end thereof. It can be opened and closed within the range up to the open position 3B (see FIG. 8B), and is locked at the closed position 3A by a lock mechanism described later. The opening / closing unit 3 can be detached from the apparatus main body unit 2. An inlet guide unit 6 is fixed to the apparatus main body unit 2 by a fixing screw 7 at the front portion of the apparatus of the recess 4.

  FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the card processing apparatus 1, and FIG. 3B is a side view showing the conveyance path surface on the apparatus body unit 2 side. The internal structure of the card processing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. On the front end surface 11 of the card processing device 1, a card insertion / discharge port 12 having a constant width is formed extending vertically in the center of the front end surface 11 in the width direction. In this example, a card insertion / discharge port 12 is formed between the apparatus main unit 2 and the inlet guide unit 6 attached to the front end portion of the recess 4 formed here. The card C can be inserted and discharged along the longitudinal direction via the card insertion / discharge port 12.

  Inside the card processing apparatus 1, a card transport path 13 having a constant width is formed extending linearly rearward from the card insertion / discharge port 12. The card transport path 13 is a passage having a width capable of transporting the cards C one by one in the longitudinal direction, and includes an entrance side card transport path 13A and a card transport path 13B extending rearward from the rear end of the entrance side card transport path 13A. And. The rear end 13b of the card transport path 13B is connected to the card stacker 14 that is wider than the card transport path 13B at a middle position in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus, and the rear end 13b is connected to the card delivery port of the card stacker 14. It has become. The card stacker 14 can be stored in a state where the cards C fed from the card transport path 13B are stacked in the apparatus width direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the card transport path 13, in other words, stacked in the thickness direction of the card C.

  The entrance-side card transport path 13A is formed between the apparatus body unit 2 and the entrance guide unit 6, and the rear-side card transport path 13B is formed between the apparatus body unit 2 and the opening / closing unit 3. That is, the entrance-side card transport path 13A faces the front portion of the first flat transport path surface 15 that defines the bottom surface of the recess 4 of the apparatus body unit 2 and a constant interval in the apparatus width direction. It is formed between the flat second conveyance path surface portion 16 defined by the inner side surface of the inlet guide unit 6. The card conveyance path 13B is formed between the first conveyance path surface 15 on the apparatus body unit 2 side and the flat second conveyance path surface portion 17 defined by the inner side surface of the opening / closing unit 3 facing the card conveyance path 13B. ing. The rear portion of the first conveyance path surface 15 is a rear conveyance path surface portion 15a extending rearward from the rear end 13b of the second conveyance path surface portion 17 (the card delivery port of the card stacker 14). A stacker opening portion 14 a having a rectangular outline of the card stacker 14 formed on the opening / closing unit 3 side is opposed to the rear conveyance path surface portion 15 a.

  A card transport mechanism 20 for transporting the card C is disposed in the card transport path 13B and the card stacker 14. The card transport mechanism 20 includes a first transport roller 21 and a second transport roller 22, an idler roller 23 that can be pressed against the first transport roller 21, and a drive motor for driving the first and second transport rollers 21 and 22. 24 and a gear train 25 for transmitting the driving force of the driving motor 24 to the first and second transport rollers 21 and 22. The first and second transport rollers 21 and 22 are synchronously rotated by the drive motor 24. The first transport roller 21 is disposed on the card transport path 13B, but the second transport roller 22 is located at the rear end of the card transport path 13B in the rear transport path surface portion 15a facing the card stacker 14. 13b is disposed in the vicinity of the rear side. Further, the distance between the first and second transport rollers 21 and 22 is set to be shorter than the length of the card C in the transport direction. Among the components of the card transport mechanism 20, the idler roller 23 is mounted on the opening / closing unit 3 side, but the rest is mounted on the apparatus body unit 2 side.

  In the apparatus main unit 2, a solenoid-driven inlet shutter 26 is disposed between the card insertion / ejection port 12 and the first transport roller 21 in the inlet-side card transport path 13 </ b> A. When the entrance shutter 26 is opened, the card C can be inserted. When the end surface Ca of the inserted card C in the transport path loading direction is pushed into the nip portion of the first transport roller 21 and the idler roller 23, the card C Card conveyance by the conveyance mechanism 20 is enabled.

  A circuit board 27 is arranged in parallel to the back side of the first conveyance path surface 15 in the apparatus main body unit 2. The circuit board 27 is equipped with a control circuit that controls the drive of the card processing apparatus 1, and an RF antenna 28 (read / write unit) for reading / writing information in a non-contact state with respect to the card C. It is installed. The RF antenna 28 is mounted on the surface of the circuit board 27 facing the portion between the first and second transport rollers 21 and 22 in the card transport path 13B, as indicated by an imaginary line in FIG. It is a loop-shaped antenna.

  Here, the circuit board 27 is mounted with a plurality of card detectors used for carrying the card C. The card detection position by these card detectors will be described mainly with reference to FIG. First, an entrance lever 31 of a photo-interrupter type card detector is disposed in the vicinity of the card insertion / ejection slot 12 in the entrance-side card transport path 13A. The entrance lever 31 is urged to protrude into the entrance-side card transport path 13A, and is pushed in the apparatus width direction by the card C inserted into the card insertion / discharge port 12 and retracts from the entrance-side card transport path 13A. It can be pushed in the direction. The movement of the entrance lever 31 causes the photo interrupter mounted on the circuit board 27 to have the card C inserted into the entrance side card transport path 13A, and the card C is completely pulled out from the card insertion / eject port 12. Can be detected.

  A pair of photosensors 32 and 33 (first detectors) are arranged at the upper end and the lower end of the entrance-side card transport path 13A at a portion between the entrance shutter 26 and the first transport roller 21 in the entrance-side card transport path 13A. Has been. These photosensors 32 and 33 are for detecting that the card C is located at the card read / write position by the RF antenna 28. In this example, when the card C is positioned at the card read / write position, the rear edge portion of the read / write target card C (28) in the conveyance path loading direction is located at the detection position of the upper photosensor 32, From the detection position of the lower photo sensor 33, the position deviates in the carry-in direction. Based on the detection signals of both the photosensors 32 and 33, it can be detected that the card C is positioned at the card read / write position.

  Next, one photo sensor 34 (second detector) is disposed at the lower end portion of the card transport path 13B corresponding to the nip position of the first transport roller 21 and the idler roller 23 in the card transport path 13B. Yes. Based on the detection signal of the photo sensor 34, the leading end of the card C inserted from the card insertion / ejection port 12 is inserted into the nip portion of the first transport roller 21 and the idler roller 23 (at the start of transport), and It can be detected that the discharged card C has passed through the nip portion (at the end of conveyance).

  One photosensor 35 (third detector) is disposed at the lower end portion of the rear end 13b of the card transport path 13B. Based on the detection signal of the photo sensor 35, it can be detected that the card C sent to the card stacker 14 along the card transport path 13B has been stored in the card stacker 14.

  Next, the structure of the card stacker 14 will be described mainly with reference to FIG. The card stacker 14 formed in the opening / closing unit 3 is formed on the rear side of the second transport path surface portion 17 and has a rectangular shape that can be stored in a stacked state by inserting one card C in the thickness direction. It is a concave part with a certain depth. The stacker opening 14a of the card stacker 14 is opposed to the rear conveyance path surface portion 15a of the first conveyance path surface 15 on the apparatus body unit 2 side. The card stacker 14 is provided with a rectangular card push-up plate 41 (card push-up member) that defines the bottom surface of the card stacker 14 in a state of facing the rear conveyance path surface portion 15a. The card push-up plate 41 is pushed up from the back side toward the rear conveyance path surface portion 15a by a truncated conical compression coil spring 42 (biasing member). The push-up position 42A (biasing position) by the compression coil spring 42 is the center position of the card push-up plate 41 or a position behind the center position when viewed along the card transport direction. It matches.

  On the other hand, in the rear conveyance path surface portion 15a, the second conveyance roller 22 is exposed in the vicinity of the rear end 13b (card delivery port) of the card conveyance path 13B. A pair of solenoid-driven push-down members 43 and 44 (card push-down mechanism) that can enter the card stacker 14 along the apparatus width direction are arranged at the rear position. The push-down members 43 and 44 are arranged at symmetrical positions in the vertical direction of the card stacker 14 (the short side direction of the stored IC card C).

  In the non-excited state, these push-down members 43 and 44 are in a retracted position retracted to the rear side of the rear conveyance path surface portion 15a as shown in FIG. 3A, and when energized, the rear conveyance path surface portion. From 15a toward the inside of the card stacker 14, the card is switched to a card push-down position that has entered at least the thickness of one card C or more. Further, the card push-down position 43A by these push-down members 43, 44 is a position that is offset to the front side of the apparatus with respect to the push-up position 42A of the compression coil spring 42 when viewed along the card carrying direction. This is a position on the rear side of the apparatus with respect to the contact position 22A of the 22 storage card C (14).

  When the card push-down members 43 and 44 are projected into the card stacker 14, the storage card C (14) is pushed down against the push-up force of the push-up plate 41. In this example, the storage card C (14) is pushed down by the card push-up members 43 and 44 at the card push-down position 43A offset from the push-up position 42A of the push-up plate 41 by the compression coil spring 42 to the front side of the apparatus. As a result, the front portion of the storage card C (14) is pushed down with the pushing position 42A by the compression coil spring 42 as a fulcrum. Therefore, as compared with the case where the entire storage card C (14) is pushed down, the card conveyance path is reliably between the rear conveyance path surface portion 15a and the uppermost card C1 of the storage card C (14) with a small pushing force. A gap for feeding the card C from 13B can be formed.

  Next, at the rear end of the card stacker 14 in the front-rear direction of the apparatus, the uppermost card C1 stacked on the top of the storage cards C (14) stored in the card stacker 14 has the card thickness. A storage card feeding mechanism 90 that pushes in the pushing direction perpendicular to the direction, in this example, in the card carrying direction along the rear carrying path surface portion 15a and feeds it to the card carrying path 13B is arranged. The storage card payout mechanism 90 includes a pair of card engagement claws 91 and 92 protruding from the rear end portion of the rear conveyance path surface portion 15a, and these card engagement claws 91 and 92 via compression coil springs 93 and 94. And a supporting claw slide mechanism 95.

  The card engaging claws 91 and 92 are disposed at symmetrical positions in the vertical direction in the rear conveyance path surface portion 15a, and can be engaged with the rear end surface of the uppermost card C1 from the rear side. Further, the card engaging claws 91 and 92 can be reciprocated within a certain range in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus by a claw slide mechanism 95. The storage card feeding mechanism 90 having this configuration and the second transport roller 22 of the card transport mechanism 20 ensure that the uppermost card C1 is stored from the storage card C (14) stored in the card stacker 14 in a stacked state. It is possible to separate and send out the card C1 toward the card transport path 13B.

(Card transport path length)
In the card processing apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, the read / write target IC card C (28) positioned at the card read / write position by the RF antenna 28 has a leading end portion in the transport path loading direction as shown in FIG. The stacker 14 enters a state where it enters the back from the card delivery port (the rear end 13b of the card transport path 13B) by a predetermined distance. At this card read / write position, the end surface Ca on the front end side in the conveyance path loading direction of the IC card C (28) is positioned immediately before the pair of push-down members 43 and 44, and the end surface Cb on the rear end side is a pair of photosensors 32. , 33. Therefore, the leading end portion of the IC card C (28) at the card read / write position in the transport path loading direction is the rear end of the storage card C (14) stored in the card stacker 14 in the transport path loading direction. It is in a state where it overlaps the end portion by a predetermined length. Further, both the first and second transport rollers 21 and 22 are in contact with the card C (28) at the read / write position.

  The overlap dimension ΔL of these cards is set to the maximum dimension that does not cause a collision with the storage card C (14) when the card C (28) at the card read / write position is read / written by the RF antenna 28. ing. In this example, the overlap dimension ΔL is larger than the length dimension L (12) from the photosensors 32 and 33 to the card insertion / ejection port 12. Therefore, the total length L (13) of the card transport path 13 (13A, 13B) is shorter than the length dimension L (C) in the longitudinal direction of the card C. Further, the length L (14) from the card insertion / discharge port 12 to the rear end of the card stacker 14 is shorter than twice the length L (C) of the card C, and the total length L (1) in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus. Is twice the length dimension L (C) of the card C or shorter.

  Thus, since the card conveyance path 13 (13A, 13B) can be short, the length dimension of the card processing apparatus 1 in the front-rear direction can be reduced. Moreover, since the card | curd C should just be conveyed along the short card | curd conveyance path 13, the card | curd C can be conveyed using a pair of conveyance rollers 21 and 22 instead of a conveyance belt. In other words, the pair of transport rollers 21 and 22 can be arranged at an interval narrower than the length L (C) in the transport direction of the card C, so that the card can be transported reliably. When a transport belt is used, there is a high risk of transport failure and card clogging due to the elongation of the belt due to long-term use, but the durability of the transport mechanism can be improved by using a transport roller.

  Further, the second transport roller 22 is disposed on the rear transport path surface portion 15 a facing the card stacker 14. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the second transport roller 22 abuts on the rear portion of the card C (28) at the read / write position. When the card C (28) is not present at the read / write position, the card C (28) comes into contact with the front portion of the uppermost card C1 located at the top of the storage card C (14). Therefore, the card C (28) at the read / write position can be sent into the card stacker 14 using the second transport roller 22, and the card C1 in the card stacker 14 is sent out toward the card transport path 13. (See FIGS. 5 and 6).

(Storage card payout mechanism)
4A is a perspective view showing a state in which the storage card feeding mechanism 90 is in the retracted position, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing a state in which the storage card feeding mechanism 90 is in the forward movement position. (C) is the exploded perspective view. As described above, the storage card payout mechanism 90 has a rear end surface (front end surface in the card transport path loading direction) of the uppermost card C1 stacked on the top of the storage card C (14). A plurality of card engaging claws that can be engaged from the rear side at symmetrical positions separated in the vertical direction (symmetric positions separated in the card short side direction), in this example, a pair of upper and lower card engaging claws 91 and 92 are provided. ing. The card engagement claws 91 and 92 are mounted on the claw slide mechanism 95 via compression coil springs 93 and 94, respectively.

  The claw slide mechanism 95 has a common slider 96 that supports the card engagement claws 91 and 92, and the slider 96 is moved from the retracted position shown in FIG. 4A along the card pushing direction (card transport direction). 4B, a DC motor 97 (common drive source) for sliding between the forward positions shown in FIG. 4B and a power transmission mechanism 98 for converting the drive force of the DC motor 97 into the slide motion of the slider 96. I have. The power transmission mechanism 98 includes a cam gear 98b that is driven via a gear box 98a that decelerates the rotation of the DC motor 97, and a swing link 98c that swings within a predetermined turning angle range in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus by the cam gear 98b. A slider 96 is connected to the tip of the swing link 98c, and the slider 96 is attached to the apparatus main body unit 2 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction.

  The pair of card engagement claws 91 and 92 are movable in the apparatus width direction (card stacking direction) with respect to the claw attachment portions 96a and 96b formed on the slider 96 via the compression coil springs 93 and 94. It is attached. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the card engaging claws 91 and 92 protrude into the card stacker through an opening formed in the rear end portion of the rear conveyance path surface portion 15a of the apparatus main body unit 2. The front end surfaces of the card engaging claws 91 and 92 are formed with contact surface portions 91a and 92a that are pressed by a spring force against a portion on the rear edge side of the card surface of the uppermost card C1 of the storage card C (14). ing.

  The storage card payout mechanism 90 having this configuration includes a pair of card engaging claws 91 and 92 that can be engaged with the rear end surface of the card C1 at different positions. When the card C1 is deformed such as warp, even if one of the card engagement claws 91 and 92 cannot be engaged with the deformed portion on the card rear end face, the other card engagement claw is placed on the card rear end face. It can be engaged with a portion that is not deformed. Therefore, it is possible to reliably perform the operation of pushing out the cards C1 one by one.

  The pair of card engaging claws 91 and 92 are mounted on a common slider 96 and are synchronously driven by a common drive mechanism (DC motor 97, power transmission mechanism 98). Compared with the case where the slider and the drive mechanism are individually arranged, the slide mechanism can be made simple and inexpensive. Further, by sliding the pair of card engaging claws 91 and 92 in synchronization, it is possible to avoid the problem that the card C1 is pushed out in an inclined state and the card C1 cannot be smoothly conveyed.

  Further, the card engaging claws 91 and 92 are attached to the slider 96 so as to be movable toward and away from the card surface of the card C1, and are pressed against the card surface by the compression coil springs 93 and 94. Accordingly, the card engagement claws 91 and 92 are always in contact with the card surface, and the relative position between the card engagement claws 91 and 92 and the card C1 is always kept constant regardless of whether or not the card C1 is deformed. . As a result, the card engagement claws 91 and 92 can always be held in a state of being engaged with the rear end face of the card, and the pushing operation of the card C1 can be reliably performed.

  In addition to this, the pair of card engagement claws 91 and 92 are arranged at symmetrical positions in a direction (vertical direction) orthogonal to the card push-out direction. Therefore, the card C1 is pushed out in the correct posture without tilting upward or downward, so that the card can be drawn out smoothly.

(Card processing operation)
Next, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a card delivery operation in the card processing apparatus 1, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an operation from the standby state to the completion of card taking in the card processing apparatus 1. The card processing operation by the card processing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to these drawings. First, as shown in FIGS. 5A1 to 5A3, it is assumed that a plurality of storage cards C (14) are stored in the card stacker 14 in a power-off state. In this state, the storage card C (14) in the card stacker 14 is pushed up by the card push-up plate 41 toward the rear conveyance path surface portion 15a of the first conveyance path surface 15, and the uppermost position located on the uppermost side thereof. The card C1 is pressed against the rear conveyance path surface portion 15a and the second conveyance roller 22 from which the outer peripheral surface is slightly exposed in the card stacker 14. Further, a pair of card engagement claws 91 and 92 are urged to the end surface Ca on the leading end side in the conveyance path loading direction of the uppermost card C1, and these engage with the end surface Ca on the card front end side from the rear side. ing.

  When the power is turned on, as shown in FIGS. 5 (b1) and 5 (b2), the pair of card engaging claws 91 and 92 of the storage card feeding mechanism 90 starts to slide forward, and these are engaged. The uppermost card C1 in the existing card stacker 14 is pushed forward. At the same time, the card transport mechanism 20 is driven, and the first and second transport rollers 21 and 22 start to rotate counterclockwise. As a result, the card C1 is separated from the other card C (14) and sent out from the card stacker 14 to the card transport path 13. After the card C1 is sent out by a predetermined distance, the claw slide mechanism 95 moves backward and returns to the original position. In contrast, the rotation of the transport rollers 21 and 22 is continued, and the card C1 is continuously sent out.

  When the end face Cb on the delivery side of the sent out card C1 moves forward to a state located between the pair of photosensors 32 and 33, the conveyance of the card C1 is stopped. As a result, the card C1 is positioned at the card read / write position. As a result, the standby state shown in FIGS. 6A1 and 6A2 is formed. In this state, both the first and second transport rollers 21 and 22 are in contact with the card C1 at the card read / write position.

  In the card processing apparatus 1 in the standby state, as shown in FIGS. 6 (b1) and 6 (b2), when the card C2 is inserted from the card insertion / ejection port 12, the insertion of the card C2 is detected by the entrance lever 31. The When card insertion is detected, the card transport mechanism 20 is driven, and the card C1 held at the card read / write position on the card transport path 13 is stored in the card stacker 14 by the first and second transport rollers 21 and 22. Return to position.

  When it is detected by the photo sensor 35 that the card C1 has returned into the card stacker 14, the entrance shutter 26 is opened as shown in FIGS. 6C1 and 6C2, and the card C2 is moved to the first transport roller 21. Insertion is possible up to the nip position. When the card C <b> 2 is pushed in, the card C <b> 2 is taken in by the rotating first transport roller 21 and transported toward the rear side along the card transport path 13.

  Here, when the photo sensor 34 disposed at the nip portion of the first conveying roller 21 detects the card C2 being taken in, the card push-down members 43 and 44 project into the card stacker 14 in the card stacker 14, The storage card C is pushed in a direction away from the first conveyance path surface 15. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 6 (d1) and 6 (d2), in the card stacker 14, a gap into which the taken card C2 can be inserted is formed on the rear conveyance path surface portion 15a side. When the leading end portion of the taken card C2 on the feeding side is inserted into the card stacker 14, and the end face Cb on the rear side in the feeding direction reaches between the pair of photosensors 32 and 33, the card conveyance is stopped and the card is taken in. Is completed.

  In this manner, information is read from and written to the card C2 taken into the card read / write position. The end surface Ca on the leading end side in the transport path loading direction of the card C2 taken in is in contact with the pair of card push-down members 43 and 44 protruding to the card push-down position 43A and is positioned at the card read / write position. Accordingly, the card push-down members 43 and 44 also function as a stopper for positioning the taken card C2 at the card read / write position.

(Photo sensor configuration and mounting position)
Next, FIG. 7A is an exploded perspective view for showing the mounting positions of the components of the photosensors 32 to 35 in the card processing apparatus 1, and FIG. 7B is the configuration of the photosensors 32 to 35. FIG. 7C is an explanatory view showing the arrangement relationship between the light-emitting elements and the light-receiving elements of the respective photosensors 32 to 35 and the right-angle prism. With reference to these drawings, the configuration and mounting positions of the four sets of photosensors 32 to 35 for detecting the position of the card C on the card transport path 13 (13A, 13B) will be described.

  These photosensors 32 to 35 are prism regressive transmission sensors having the same configuration, and light emitting elements 32a to 35a, light receiving elements 32b to 35b, and light emitted from the light emitting elements 32a to 35a are received by light receiving elements 32b to 35b. And right-angle prisms 32c to 35c that reflect toward the surface. The light emitting elements 32 a to 35 a and the light receiving elements 32 b to 35 b are mounted on a single circuit board 27 arranged in the apparatus main body unit 2. In contrast, the right-angle prisms 32c and 33c are mounted on the entrance guide unit side, and the right-angle prisms 34c and 35c are mounted on the opening / closing unit 3 side.

  Light emitted from the light emitting elements 32a to 35a is reflected by the pair of reflecting surfaces of the right-angle prisms 32c to 35c across the card transport path 13 (13A, 13B) from the transmission window formed on the first transport path surface 15. Is done. The reflected light again crosses the card transport path 13 and enters the light receiving elements 32b to 35b. When the card C does not exist at the detection positions of the photosensors 32 to 35 in the card transport path 13, the detection light is received by the light receiving elements 32b to 35b, and when the card C exists at the detection position, the detection light is emitted. Since it is blocked by the card C, the presence or absence of the card C can be detected by the presence or absence of light reception.

  As described above, the light emitting elements 32a to 35a and the light receiving elements 32b to 35a that require wiring with the circuit board 27 are all mounted on the circuit board 27, and a right-angle prism that does not require wiring with the circuit board 27. 32c to 35c are mounted on the inlet guide unit and the opening / closing unit side. Since no electrical components are mounted on the side of the opening / closing unit 3 and the entrance guide unit 6, the wiring of the photosensors 32 to 35 becomes an obstacle when the opening / closing unit 3 and the entrance guide unit 6 are removed from the apparatus body unit 2. There is nothing. Further, since these photosensors 32 to 35 are mounted on a single common circuit board 27, unlike the conventional case where photosensors mounted on individual sensor boards are incorporated, wiring routing is not possible. This is unnecessary and the assembling work is simplified.

  In addition, each of the photosensors 32 to 35 has a light emitting element 32a to 35a and a light receiving element 32b to 35b arranged in parallel in a direction orthogonal to the card C conveyance direction. Following this, the right-angle prisms 32c to 35c are also arranged so that a pair of reflecting surfaces are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the card C transport direction. Thereby, the end surface of the card | curd C can be detected in a line form, and the position of the card | curd C can be detected more correctly.

(Opening / closing mechanism of the opening / closing unit, locking mechanism)
FIG. 8A is a perspective view showing a state where the lock of the detachable opening / closing unit 3 is released, and FIG. 8B is a perspective view showing a state where the opening / closing unit 3 is opened, and FIG. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the opening / closing unit 3 is detached from the apparatus main body unit 2, and FIG. 8D is a perspective view when the removed opening / closing unit 3 is viewed from the inside. The opening / closing / detaching mechanism of the opening / closing unit 3 will be described with reference to these drawings.

  In the opening / closing unit 3, pivot shafts 51 and 52 protruding in the vertical direction are formed coaxially at the rear end portions of the upper surface portion 3a and the lower surface portion 3b. On the apparatus main body unit 2 side, shaft mounting grooves 53 and 54 are formed in a vertically symmetric state at the rear end side portions of the upper lower surface portion 4a and the lower upper surface portion 4b of the recess 4. In a state where the lock by the lock mechanism described later is released, the opening / closing unit 3 is centered on the pivot shafts 51, 52 (opening / closing center axis 5) removably attached to the shaft attaching grooves 53, 54, so that the apparatus main unit 2 It can be opened and closed between a closed position 3A (see FIG. 2A) fitted in the recess 4 and an open position 3B opened approximately 90 degrees shown in FIG. 8B.

  The lower shaft mounting groove 54 includes a linear groove portion 54 a having a rectangular cross section extending in the apparatus width direction in the upper surface portion 4 b of the recess 4 of the apparatus main body unit 2, and an end of the groove portion 54 a is at the end of the apparatus main body unit 2. A groove opening end 54b is formed in the side surface 2a. The end on the far side of the groove portion 54a is a groove portion 54c extending in a direction bent at a right angle toward the rear of the apparatus. Since the upper shaft mounting groove 53 has the same configuration, the description thereof will be omitted, and the corresponding portions will be described using the reference numerals used for the portions of the shaft mounting groove 54. In the state where the opening / closing unit 3 is located at the closed position 3A, the upper and lower pivot shafts 51, 52 are mounted in a rotatable state in the inner groove portions 54c of the upper and lower shaft mounting grooves 53, 54. After unlocking the opening / closing unit 3 (see FIG. 8A), the upper and lower pivot shafts 51, 52 are once slid forward along the corresponding shaft mounting grooves 53, 54, and then in the device width direction. By sliding, these can be removed from the groove opening ends 54b of the shaft mounting grooves 53, 54. Thereby, the opening / closing unit 3 can be completely removed from the apparatus main body unit 2 as shown in FIG.

  Here, the open / close unit 3 that has been unlocked and can be opened / closed may fall off the shaft mounting grooves 53 and 54 on the apparatus body unit 2 side due to its own weight when it is turned downward. In order to prevent the opening / closing unit 3 from being inadvertently detached from the apparatus main body unit 2, the pivot shafts 51 and 52 are urged by an elastic urging member such as a compression coil spring in the protruding direction thereof. It is desirable to keep it. In this way, the pivot shafts 51 and 52 are pressed against the groove bottom surfaces of the shaft mounting grooves 53 and 54 and are engaged with the groove bottom surfaces with a predetermined engagement force. Therefore, by setting the engagement force to an appropriate value, it is possible to prevent adverse effects such as the opening / closing unit 3 slipping from the apparatus main body unit 2 due to its own weight.

  Next, a lock mechanism that locks the opening / closing unit 3 to the apparatus main body unit 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The lock mechanism includes a pair of lock pins 55 and 56 disposed on the opening / closing unit 3 side and a pair of lock grooves 57 and 58 disposed on the apparatus body unit 2 side. The lock pins 55 and 56 protrude coaxially toward the upper and lower portions of the upper surface portion 3a and the lower surface portion 3b of the opening / closing unit 3, respectively. The lock grooves 57 and 58 are respectively formed in the upper lower surface portion 4a and the lower upper surface portion 4b of the concave portion 4 of the apparatus main body unit 2, and the lock pins 55 and 56 can be inserted from the side surface 2a side.

  The lock groove 58 includes a wide groove opening end 58a and a groove portion 58b extending in the apparatus width direction therefrom, and an engagement surface 58c protruding rearward of the apparatus is formed on the end surface of the groove portion 58b on the apparatus front side. Is formed. The lock pin 56 is slidable rearward of the apparatus and is always urged forward of the apparatus by an unillustrated elastic urging member. The same applies to the upper lock groove 57 and the lock pin 55 (in the following description, each part of the lock groove 57 will be described using the reference numerals used for each part in the lock groove 58). Therefore, in a state where the opening / closing unit 3 is in the closed position 3A, the lock pins 55, 56 engage with the engaging surfaces 58c of the lock grooves 57, 58, and the opening / closing unit 3 is locked in the closed position 3A.

  Here, a lock release lever 59 for releasing the lock by the lock mechanism is attached to the front end portion of the side surface 3c outside the opening / closing unit 3. The lock release lever 59 is connected to the lock pins 55 and 56. When the lock release lever 59 is pushed rearward against the urging force acting on the lock pins 55 and 56, the lock pins 55 and 56 are disengaged from the engagement surfaces 58c of the lock grooves 57 and 58. Accordingly, when the open / close unit 3 is pulled sideways while pushing the lock release lever 59, the lock pins 55, 56 can be removed from the lock grooves 57, 58 sideways as shown in FIG.

  After releasing the lock in this way, as shown in FIG. 8B, the opening / closing unit 3 can be opened to the opening position 3B opened about 90 degrees around the opening / closing center axis 5 at the rear end. When the opening / closing unit 3 is opened, the card transport path 13B is switched to the open state except for the entrance-side card transport path 13A on the card insertion / discharge port 12 side. After releasing the lock, as shown in FIG. 8C, the upper and lower pivot shafts 51 and 52 at the rear end of the opening / closing unit 3 are moved from the shaft mounting grooves 53 and 54 on the apparatus body unit 2 side. Thus, the opening / closing unit 3 can be completely separated from the apparatus main body unit 2. When the opening / closing unit 3 is detached from the apparatus main body unit 2, the stacker opening 14a of the card stacker 14 on the inner surface of the opening / closing unit 3 is exposed as shown in FIG.

  Therefore, by opening the opening / closing unit 3, it is possible to easily remove the card jammed in the card transport path 13B. Further, it is possible to easily clean dust, dirt, and the like attached to each part of the card transport path 13B. Further, if the opening / closing unit 3 is detached from the apparatus main body unit 2, cleaning work on the opening / closing unit 3 side, maintenance of each part of the card stacker 14, and the like can be easily performed.

  In addition to this, when the card processing device 1 is removed from the gaming machine pedestal machine 100, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the fixing screw 7 is loosened by using a tool and the inlet guide unit 6 is moved to the device. It can be removed from the main unit 2 and the card insertion / discharge port 12 and the inlet side card transport path 13A can be switched to the open state. Therefore, these parts can be easily cleaned.

(Card stacker full detector)
Next, the card stacker 14 formed in the detachable opening / closing unit 3 as described above is provided with a full detector for detecting that the card stacker 14 is full. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration and detection operation of the full detector. (A1) to (a4) are explanatory diagrams showing the movement of the detection lever of the full detector, and (b1) and (b2) are diagrams of the card stacker 14. It is explanatory drawing which shows the contact part of the card raising board 41 and the detection lever of a full detector, (c1) And (c2) is the surface side perspective view and back side perspective view which show the card raising board 41, (d1 ) And (d2) are perspective views each showing a detection lever.

  Referring to these figures, the full detector 70 is a photo-interrupter type detector, and is a swivel type detection lever 71 and a tension holding the detection lever 71 pressed against the card push-up plate 41. The coil spring 72 and a detection unit 73 made up of a light emitting element and a light receiving element that are blocked by the detection lever 71 when the card stacker 14 is full are provided.

  The detection lever 71 is pivotally attached to the apparatus body unit 2 side, and as shown in FIGS. 9 (d1) and 9 (d2), the first arm portion 74 and the second arm portion bent at a predetermined angle. An L-shaped lever having 75. A swivel shaft portion 76 that defines the swivel center of the detection lever 71 protrudes from the bent portions of the arm portions 74 and 75 in a direction perpendicular to them. A distal end shaft portion 77 and a contact shaft portion 78 are also attached to the distal end of the first arm portion 74 and the distal end of the second arm portion 75 so as to protrude in the same direction as the turning shaft portion 76, respectively. Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the distal end shaft portion 77, a spring hook 79 of the tension coil spring 72 and a detection piece 80 capable of blocking the light passage path of the detection portion 73 are formed.

  The detection lever 71 having this shape is incorporated in a portion of the apparatus main body unit 2 facing the side surface of the card stacker 14 of the opening / closing unit 3. That is, as shown in FIGS. 10B1 and 10B2, the detection lever 71 is located at a portion inside the lower surface portion 4 a of the apparatus main body unit 2 facing the rear end portion of the upper surface portion 3 a of the opening / closing unit 3. It is attached so as to face in the device width direction, and can turn in the device width direction (opening / closing direction of the opening / closing unit 3) around the turning shaft portion 76. The detection lever 71 has the pivot shaft portion 76 and the second arm portion 75 located on the front surface side (opening / closing unit side) of the circuit board 27 in the apparatus width direction, and the first arm portion 74 has the circuit board 27. The detection unit 73 is mounted on the back surface of the circuit board 27.

  The tension coil spring 72 is bridged between the spring hook 79 of the first arm portion 74 of the detection lever 71 and the rear end portion of the apparatus body unit 2 on the back side of the circuit board 27, and is detected by the tension spring force. The lever 71 is biased counterclockwise about the turning shaft portion 76. The contact shaft portion 78 at the tip of the second arm portion 75 protrudes from an opening portion 81 a formed on the bottom surface of a concave portion 81 extending in the device width direction formed in the lower surface portion 4 a of the device main body unit 2. An opening 82 extending in the width direction is formed at a portion of the upper surface portion 3a of the opening / closing unit 3 facing the opening 81a. From the opening 82, a contact piece 83 formed on the side edge of the push-up member 41 of the card stacker 14 protrudes. The contact shaft portion 78 of the detection lever 71 is in contact with the contact piece 83 in the opening direction of the opening / closing unit 3, and the tension coil spring 72 is in a state where the opening / closing unit 3 is locked in the closed position. The spring force is always kept pressed against the contact piece 83.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 9 (c1) and 9 (c2), the card push-up plate 41 has a pair of sliding projections 84 formed on the long side edges on both sides thereof, and these projections 84 are opened and closed. The unit 3 can slide along a pair of guide grooves 85 formed on the upper surface portion 3a and the lower surface portion 3b. With this slide guide mechanism, the card push-up plate 41 slides toward and away from the rear conveyance path surface portion 15a on the apparatus main body unit 2 side in accordance with the card C feeding operation and storage operation. As described above, since the contact piece 83 of the card push-up plate 41 is in contact with the contact shaft portion 78 of the detection lever 71, the detection lever 71 is pivoted on the pivot shaft portion 76 in conjunction with the movement of the card push-up plate 41. Turn around the center.

  When the card stacker 14 is filled with the card C, the card push-up plate 41 is pushed down to a position farthest from the rear conveyance path surface portion 15a on the apparatus body unit 2 side. For example, assuming that the maximum number of stored sheets is 11, the card push-up plate 41 is pushed down as shown in FIG. 9 (a3). In this state, the detection position of the detection lever 71 rotated counterclockwise in conjunction with the card push-up plate 41 by the spring force of the tension coil spring 72 is detected by the detection piece 80 attached to the tip of the first arm portion 74. It is set to be a position where the light passage path 73 is blocked. That is, since the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the detection unit 73 are blocked, it can be detected that the card stacker 14 is full based on the output of the light receiving element.

  In this example, the full detection position by the detection lever 71 is the turning limit position of the detection lever 71. Therefore, when the opening / closing unit 3 is opened or removed, the detection lever 71 is held in a state of being turned to the turning limit position by the spring force of the tension coil spring 72. Therefore, the full detector 70 is in a full detection state when the open / close unit 3 is open or removed.

  The detection operation of the full detector 70 configured as described above will be described below. At the time of empty shown in FIG. 9 (a1), the card push-up plate 41 is in the position pushed up most by the compression coil spring 42, and the detection lever 71 is in the position turned most clockwise. When the card C is stored in the card stacker 14, the card push-up plate 41 is pushed down by the storage card C. For example, when 10 cards C just before full are stored (when 10 cards are stocked), the state shown in FIG. When eleven cards C are stored in the card stacker 14 (when 11 cards are stocked), as shown in FIG. 9 (a3), the detection lever 71 turns to the counterclockwise turning limit position. The detection piece 80 is detected by the detection unit 73 on the circuit board 27. Further, as shown in FIG. 9 (a4), when the opening / closing unit 3 is opened, the detection lever 71 turns to the same turning position as when it is full, and the full state is detected.

  As described above, in the full detector 70, the detection lever 71 arranged so as to be pivotable on the apparatus body unit 2 side is extended to a position where it can contact the card push-up plate 41 of the opening / closing unit 3, and the card push-up plate 41 On the other hand, a state of pressing in the opening / closing unit opening direction is formed. Since the electrical components of the full detector 70 are not mounted on the open / close unit 3, unlike the case where the detection mechanism is incorporated on the open / close unit 3 side, the wiring cable is connected from the open / close unit 3 to the device main unit 2 side circuit. There is no need to route around the substrate 27. Further, since the detection lever 71 is pressed against the card push-up plate 41 in the opening / closing unit opening direction, the detection lever 71 does not become an obstacle when the opening / closing unit 3 is opened. Since the state where 71 is pressed against the card push-up plate 41 is automatically formed, the opening / closing unit 3 can be opened and closed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Card processing apparatus 2 Apparatus main body unit 3 Opening / closing unit 3a Upper surface part 3b Lower surface part 3c Side surface 3d Front end surface 3e Notch part 4 Recessed part 4a Lower surface part 4b Upper surface part 5 Opening / closing center axis 6 Entrance guide unit 7 Fixing screw

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Front end surface 12 Card insertion discharge port 13 Card conveyance path 13A Entrance side card conveyance path 13B Card conveyance path 13b Rear end 14 Card stacker 14a Stacker opening 15 First conveyance path surface 15a Rear conveyance path surface portions 16, 17 Second conveyance path surface portion

20 Card transport mechanism 21 1st transport roller 22 2nd transport roller 22A Contact position 23 Idler roller 24 Drive motor 25 Gear train 26 Entrance shutter 27 Circuit board 28 RF antenna

31 Entrance lever 32, 33 Photo sensor 34 Photo sensor 35 Photo sensor 32a-35a Light emitting element 32b-35b Light receiving element 32c-35c Right angle prism

41 Card push-up plate (card push-up member)
42 Compression coil spring (biasing member)
42A Card push-up position 43, 44 Card push-down member 43A Card push-down position

51, 52 Pivot shaft 53, 54 Shaft mounting groove 54a Groove portion 54b Groove opening end 54c Groove portion 55, 56 Lock pin 57, 58 Lock groove 58a Groove opening end 58b Groove portion 58c Engagement surface 59 Lock release lever

70 Full detector 71 Detection lever 72 Tension coil spring (lever urging member)
73 Detection part (light emitting element, light receiving element)
74 First arm portion 75 Second arm portion 76 Rotating shaft portion 77 Tip shaft portion 78 Contact shaft portion 79 Spring hook 80 Detection piece 81 Recess 81a Opening portion 82 Opening portion 83 Contact piece 84 Slide projection 85 Guide groove

90 Storage card payout mechanism 91, 92 Card engaging claws 91a, 92a Abutting surface portions 93, 94 Compression coil spring 95 Claw slide mechanism 96 Slider 97 DC motor 98 Power transmission mechanism 98a Gear box 98b Cam gear 98c Oscillating link

C Card C (28) Read / write target card C (14) Storage card C1 Uppermost stored card C2 Inserted card Ca Card end surface Cb Card end surface ΔL Card overlap dimension L (1) Before and after the device Length L in the direction L (12) Length dimension L from the card insertion / ejection slot L (13) Length dimension L (14) from the card insertion path to the rear end of the card stacker L (C ) Length dimension in card transport direction

Claims (7)

A device body unit;
An opening / closing unit attached to the apparatus body unit so as to be opened and closed;
A card transport path formed between the apparatus body unit and the opening / closing unit;
A card insertion outlet for inserting a card into the card transport path and discharging a card from the card transport path;
A card stacker that is arranged in the opening and closing unit and stores the cards in a stacked state in the thickness direction;
A card transport mechanism for transporting a card between the card insertion outlet and the card stacker along the card transport path;
A photo-interrupter type full detector for detecting that the card stacker is full,
A circuit board disposed on the apparatus main unit side ;
Have
The card stacker includes a card push-up member that can move toward and away from the card transport path, and a biasing member that biases the card push-up member toward the opening side of the stacker. ,
The full detector is
A detection lever that is pivotably disposed on the device main unit side and extends to a position where it can contact the card push-up member;
A lever urging member that presses the detection lever against the card push-up member in the opening direction of the opening / closing unit so that the detection lever pivots in conjunction with the movement of the card push-up member;
A light emitting element and a light receiving element mounted on the circuit board;
The turning position of the detection lever at the full position where the card push-up member is farthest from the opening of the stacker is a full detection position where the light emitting element and the light receiving element are blocked by the detection lever .
The full detection position is a turning limit position in the detection lever,
When the opening / closing unit is opened or removed from the apparatus main body unit, the detection lever turns to the turning limit position by the urging force of the lever urging member.
A card processing apparatus comprising a full detector of a card stacker, wherein the card stacker is in a full detection state . In claim 1,
A plurality of card detectors arranged along the card conveying path;
If it is detected by the full detector that the card stacker is full, and no card is detected by any of the card detectors, it is determined that the open / close unit is open or removed. A control circuit to
A card processing apparatus provided with a full detector for a card stacker. In claim 2,
A read / write unit that reads / writes information from / to a card at a predetermined read / write position on the card conveyance path;
On the circuit board, each detector circuit of the card detector, a detector component electrically connected to the detector circuit, and the read / write unit are mounted. A card processing device with a full card stack detector.
In claim 3,
Each of the card detectors is a prism regression transmission type photosensor,
The prism regression transmission type photosensor includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element mounted on the circuit board, and a pair of reflecting surfaces sandwiching the card transport path and facing the light emitting element and the light receiving element, respectively. A card processing apparatus comprising a full detector of a card stacker, comprising: In claim 4,
In each prism regressive transmission type photosensor, the light emitting element and the light receiving element are disposed adjacent to each other in a direction orthogonal to the card conveying direction conveyed through the card conveying path, and the right angle prism is located at a position facing them. A card processing apparatus provided with a full detector of a card stacker, wherein the pair of reflecting surfaces are arranged. In claim 4 or 5,
As the card detector, it is detected that the card is located at a read / write position by the read / write unit from the card insertion / discharge port side to the card stacker side in the card transport path. A detector, a second detector for detecting that the card has been inserted into the transport start position by the card transport mechanism via the card insertion / exit port, and a second detector for detecting that the card has been stored in the card stacker. A card processing apparatus comprising a full detector of a card stacker, wherein three detectors are arranged in this order. In claim 6,
In the device standby state, one card is held at the read / write position on the card transport path,
When a card is inserted into the card transport path, after the card in the hold state is evacuated to the card stacker, a take-in operation for taking the inserted card to the read / write position is performed,
After the card held at the read / write position is ejected from the card transport path, a standby state return operation is performed in which a new card is taken out from the card stacker and sent to the read / write position. A card processing apparatus comprising a full detector of a card stacker.

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