JP2000322612A - Automatic ticket examination machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a device compact and light in weight by providing a sensor for detecting the length of a ticket inserted into a slot of a machine body in the conveying direction inside an alignment carrier path. SOLUTION: The ticket inserted from a slot 1 provided on a main body (a) is taken into the machine body (a) by a take-in roller R1. When plural tickets are inserted into the slot 1 in the block while being laminated, a plurality of tickets are fed out to an alignment carrier path L1 separately one by one by a feed-out roller R2. Inside this alignment carrier path L1, a pair of sensors 2a and 2b composed of photoelectric elements are installed while keeping an interval a little smaller than the length of a large type ticket along with the conveying direction of the alignment carrier path L1. Therefore, when the sensor 2a detects the ticket at the point when the sensor 2a detects the ticket and the sensor 2b next detects the ticket, namely, when both a pair of sensor 2a and 2b simultaneously detect the ticket, that ticket is decided as a large type train ticket. Thus, the full length of the carrier path can be shortened.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic ticket gate,
In particular, the present invention relates to an automatic ticket gate capable of effectively detecting a large ticket having no magnetic data recorded on the back surface called a 120 mm ticket.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, for example, when one user needs a plurality of tickets, such as a get-off ticket and an advance ticket, or an ordinary ticket and an express ticket, the plurality of tickets are required. Automatic ticket gates that can be processed in a batch are proposed.

[0003] Such an automatic ticket gate corresponding to a plurality of sheets,
In the course of transporting the ticket inserted into the slot of the main body of the automatic ticket gate (hereinafter referred to as “body”) to the exit or the collection box, one ticket that was previously inserted and determined to be a valid ticket Since a holding mechanism is provided for holding each ticket, and a wing or the like for sorting tickets is provided in the holding mechanism, the body length in the ticket gate passage direction is shorter than that of a normal automatic ticket gate for processing one sheet. It has the inevitable drawback of becoming longer.

Accordingly, the present applicant has previously filed Japanese Patent Application No.
No. 6852 proposes an automatic ticket gate machine in which the holding mechanism is constituted by a triangular transport path and the body length can be made as short as possible.

[0005]

As described above, although the holding mechanism provided in the middle of the transport path is constituted by a triangular transport path, the length of the main body has been successfully reduced.
There was a request to further reduce the length of the main body in order to effectively use the ticket gate space.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic ticket gate capable of shortening the length of the main body and reducing the size and weight of the apparatus. To provide.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, an automatic ticket gate according to the present invention is arranged so that a ticket inserted into a slot of a main body of the automatic ticket gate can be read by a reading head via an alignment conveyance path. In an automatic ticket gate that sends out to the main transport path provided and performs entry / exit arithmetic processing based on the data read through the read head, the gate enters the main body into the slot in the aligned transport path A sensor for detecting the length of the obtained ticket in the transport direction is provided.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic ticket gate according to one embodiment, mainly showing a portion from an insertion slot to a holding mechanism.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a ticket insertion slot provided in the main body a. The ticket inserted through the insertion slot 1 is fed by a take-in roller R1 driven by a motor (not shown). a.

In the drawing, R2 is a feeding roller, and when a plurality of tickets (not shown) are stacked and put into the input port 1 at a time, they are separated one by one and the next alignment conveyance path is separated. It is configured so that it can be fed to L1. Although the illustrated feeding roller R2 applies a conveying force to the stacked lower ticket and feeds the ticket, another known feeding mechanism may be employed.

During the transportation of the ticket, the one side of the ticket is brought into contact with a flat substrate (not shown) while the ticket is being transported, thereby keeping the ticket in a predetermined posture.
The reading heads H1 and H1 ', which will be described later, are constructed so that they can read normally.

A pair of sensors 2a and 2b composed of photoelectric elements are provided in the aligned transport path L1 along the transport direction of the aligned transport path L1 and slightly less than the length of a large ticket called a 120 mm ticket. It is provided with a small interval, for example, an interval of 110 mm. Therefore, when the sensor 2a detects a ticket and then the sensor 2b detects the ticket, when the sensor 2a detects the ticket,
That is, when both the pair of sensors 2a and 2b detect a ticket, the ticket is determined to be a large ticket.

In the drawing, L2 and L2 'are main transport paths, and a magnetic head H for reading data recorded on a ticket is provided on the main transport path L2 in the first half on the side of the aligned transport path L1.
1, H1 '. The read head H1 'is a read magnetic head when a ticket is inserted with its back (magnetic surface) facing up.

In FIG. 1, the reading head H1 '
The distance between the wing W1 and the wing W1 is substantially equal to the distance between the sensor 2 and the read head H1 in order to avoid complication of the drawing. The interval is set shorter than the interval from the read head H1. That is, the read heads H1, H
Since a large ticket is not detected at 1 ', the distance between the reading head H1' and the wing W1 can be made shorter than the length of the large ticket.

A main body a formed mainly of a microcomputer (not shown) based on the data read by the read heads H1 and H1 'is provided in a second main transport path L2' following the first main transport path L2. A write head H2 for writing new data (entrance / exit data) as a result of calculation by a controller that controls the system in a ticket, and data written by the write head H2 are normally written. A verify head H3 for reading the written data is provided to check whether or not the data has been written.

The controller (not shown) includes a motor for driving each of the above-described transport paths L1, L2, L2 'and a later-described triangular transport path L10, and respective stoppers S1 to S4 to be described later.
The solenoid of S3 or the door for opening and closing the ticket gate provided in the main body a can be driven and controlled.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, after the verifying head H3 on the main transport path L2 'in the latter half, a punching unit for punching a hole in the ticket if necessary, and a punching unit for the ticket And a printing unit, such as a thermal head, for performing a predetermined printing in accordance with the printing conditions. At the end of the main transport path L2 ', there is provided a collection box for storing the tickets collected in the main body a of the tickets, and discharges the tickets returned to the user. Outlets are provided. When discharging the ticket to this exit, if the number of returned tickets is more than one, hold them with stoppers until all the tickets are conveyed to the exit, The stopper is released when the transfer of the sheet is completed, and the sheet is stacked on the discharge port so as to be collectively discharged.

The holding mechanism b is provided with each of the transport paths L1, L2,
Like L2 ', it is composed of a conveying path constructed with endless belts facing each other, and its overall shape is substantially triangular, and one vertex of the triangular shape is formed in the first half via a wing W1. And the main transport path at the boundary between the second transport path L2 'and the second transport path L2'.

Among the transport paths L10a to L10c corresponding to the respective sides of the triangular transport path L10, the transport paths L10b and L10c include:
Stoppers S1, S2 driven by solenoids not shown
Are provided respectively, and these stoppers S1, S2
Are configured so that the tickets can be temporarily held.

One of the other apexes of the triangular transport path L10 (in the illustrated example, the vertex at the intersection of the transport path L10a on the first side and the transport path L10b on the second side). , Wing W
A switchback type reversing mechanism c is connected via a switch 2 and a stopper S3 driven by a solenoid (not shown) is provided. And this stopper S3
Is also configured to be able to temporarily hold the ticket.

The reversing mechanism c, similar to a well-known switchback reversing mechanism, transfers a ticket inserted into the slot 1 with its back side up from the wing W through the transport path L10a on the first side.
2 (see the solid arrow of the reversing mechanism c in FIG. 1), and after the reversing, the reversing mechanism c is reversely conveyed and discharged to the conveying path L10b on the second side (see FIG. 1). It is configured such that the ticket is turned so that the front surface (printing surface) of the ticket is on the upper side and the reversal process is performed.

The details of the holding operation of the ticket in the holding mechanism b having the above-mentioned structure are described in detail in Japanese Patent Application No. 10-6852.
As described above, the ticket is held by stoppers S1 and S2 provided on the triangular transport path L10.
Further, it is configured to be inverted by an inversion mechanism c as required.

Therefore, in the main body a having the above-described structure, the provision of the holding mechanism b prevents the transport path from becoming unnecessarily long, and the provision of the reversing mechanism c allows the writing head H2 and the verify head to be provided. H3 has the advantage that only one for each surface input is required.

Now, in the automatic ticket gate having the above configuration, a large 120 mm ticket is inserted in the slot 1 (this ticket is a blank ticket having no magnetic data recorded on the back surface).
Is inserted (the same applies when inserted and included in a plurality of tickets), the sensors 2a and 2b provided in the aligned transport path L1 determine that the ticket is a large ticket.

When the inserted ticket is determined to be a large ticket, it is a blank ticket, so that ticket processing cannot be performed by the main body a, so that the ticket is not held in the holding mechanism b, ie, via the wing W1. It is discharged to the take-out port and processed by a staff (at this time, a door (not shown) provided on the main body is naturally closed).

As described above, the ticket inserted into the slot 1 is provided with the sensors 2a and 2a provided in the aligned transport path L1.
2b, it is determined in advance that the ticket is a large ticket. Therefore, the distance between the reading head H 'and the wing W1 is set to a minimum value at which the ticket (card-sized ticket) read by the reading head H' can be guided to the holding mechanism b. Installed in range (length). Therefore, the entire length of the transport path can be further reduced.

[0027]

The automatic ticket gate according to the present invention is provided with a sensor for detecting the length in the transport direction of the ticket inserted into the slot of the main body in the aligned transport path. As a result, the size, weight and cost of the main body can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram mainly showing a holding mechanism of an automatic ticket gate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 a body of the automatic ticket gate (main body) b holding mechanism c reversing mechanism 1 slot 2a, 2b sensor R1 intake roller R2 feeding roller L1 aligned transport path L2, L2 'main transport path L10 triangular transport path W1, W2 wing S1 to S3 Stopper H1, H1 'Read head H2 Write head H3 Verify head

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshitaka Suganuma 11-2 Hirade Industrial Park, Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture F-term in the Utsunomiya Works of Nippon Signal Co., Ltd. 3E027 BA03 BA08 BA09

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A ticket inserted into a slot of a main body of an automatic ticket gate is sent to a main transport path provided with a read head via an aligned transport path, and data read via the read head is transmitted. In the automatic ticket gate that performs an entry / exit calculation process based on the above, a sensor for detecting the length in the transport direction of the ticket inserted into the slot of the main body of the automatic ticket gate is provided in the aligned transport path. An automatic ticket gate characterized by the following.