JP2007302478A - Medium conveying direction changing device and medium processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain turning in a space-saving manner and to facilitate free adjustment of a turning angle. <P>SOLUTION: This medium conveying direction changing device 60 provided in a medium conveying path for conveying a card-like medium, to change a medium conveying direction has a turning body comprising inside a medium conveying part 671 receiving the medium from the medium conveying path and delivering the medium; a supporting shaft 69 supporting the turning body turnably from the outside; a turning motor 65 which is a first drive source for turning the turning body; a turning member 64 receiving a driving force from the turning motor 65 to turn the turning body; a transmission member (a conveying drive pulley 68) provided in a position where the axis of the supporting shaft 69 coincides with the turning center of the turning body, and transmitting a driving force for conveying the medium 2 to the medium conveying part 671; and a second drive source provided independently of the turning body to drive the transmission member (the conveying drive pulley 68). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a medium conveyance direction changing device and a medium processing device, and more particularly, a medium conveyance direction changing device that can be rotated in a space-saving manner and can easily adjust a rotation angle, and the device. It is related with the medium processing apparatus provided with.

  In recent years, recording media such as magnetic cards and IC cards have been widely used in various fields, and prepaid cards, which are card-type securities that have a certain amount of value for use when paying for purchases of goods and services. Is popular. In addition, there is a card that can be used by repeatedly adding (charging) monetary value to such a recording medium. For example, there are various boarding cards in which a fare that can be used when using public transportation such as a railroad or a bus, the number of times of boarding, and the period of use are recorded on a magnetic card or an IC card. Under such circumstances, devices that newly issue various recording media and devices that can be updated to new media are being studied.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 below, a transport path switching guide is rotatably provided in a common transport path before a variety of cards are distributed and transported to a unit that performs processing for each card. A card issuing device provided around the periphery with a conveyance path switching unit in which unit guides continuous to each unit are arranged radially, and selectively connecting cards temporarily held in the conveyance path switching unit to each unit guide. Proposed.

The card issuing device described above is a rewritable card (that is, a rewritable card) that is issued one by one from a hopper or inserted into a card insertion gate, and is a magnetic card or an IC card. Depending on whether there is, that is, which data processing is to be performed, new issue or update issue processing is performed. For example, after the data is printed, the card is once returned to the transport path switching unit, then distributed to the magnetic data writing function unit, and if necessary, further distributed to another writing function unit for processing. After that, it is transported to the receiving gate and issued or updated. In such processing, the transfer path switching unit executes card sorting.
JP 2005-242435 A

  In a conventional card issuing device, as a method of switching the card medium transport direction, a structure in which a transport path is partially cut off is used, and one end of a transport path (transport path switching unit) from which the part is cut can be rotated as a fulcrum. Thus, it is common to switch the transport direction with the other end directed to a desired transport path. In such a conventional card issuing device, when the conveyance path switching unit is rotated to change the conveyance direction, the switching angle cannot be made large and reversal is impossible. In addition, even when trying to transport a medium to a plurality of processing units, the switching angle cannot be made large, so the transport layout of the device cannot be freely designed, and there is a problem that the dead space in the device increases and the device becomes larger. there were.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 proposes that the rotation fulcrum of the conveyance path switching unit and the center of the rotation unit coincide with each other, the switching angle can be increased, the conveyance direction can be switched, and the card can be reversed. However, it is not described to the extent that it can be implemented. In the case where such a conventional technique is used, the transport path switching unit needs a transport roller for transporting the card, a motor for driving the card, and the like, and the transport path switching unit itself becomes large. Furthermore, since it is necessary to increase the output and the size of the drive source that rotates the large conveyance path switching unit, it is difficult to freely arrange the medium within the medium processing apparatus. As a result, there is a problem that the dead space in the apparatus increases and the apparatus becomes larger. In addition, in order to arrange the transport path switching unit at a fine and accurate transport angle, there is a problem that the drive control means becomes complicated.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a medium transport direction changing device that can be rotated in a space-saving manner and can easily adjust the rotation angle. An object of the present invention is to provide a medium processing apparatus including the apparatus.

  In order to solve the above problems, a medium transport direction changing device according to the present invention is a medium transport direction changing device that is provided in a medium transport path for transporting a card-like medium and changes the transport direction of the medium. A rotating body that internally includes a medium transport unit that receives and sends out the medium from the path; a support shaft that rotatably supports the rotating body from the outside; a first drive source that rotates the rotating body; A rotation member that rotates the rotating body in response to a driving force from the first drive source, and is provided at a position where the axis of the support shaft and the rotation center of the rotating body coincide with each other; A transmission member that transmits a driving force for conveying the medium to the medium conveyance unit, and a second drive source that is provided independently of the rotating body and that drives the transmission member. And

  According to the present invention, the support shaft (that is, the rotation fulcrum) that rotatably supports the rotating body that includes the medium conveyance unit therein, and the rotation center of the transmission member that transmits the driving force to the medium conveyance unit. Can be rotated at a wide angle such as inversion (180 °) or one rotation (360 °), and can be rotated in a space-saving manner. In addition, since two independent drive sources are employed for each of the rotation operation of the entire medium conveyance unit and the medium conveyance operation of the medium conveyance unit, the degree of freedom of rotation of the entire medium conveyance unit is ensured, and the size and weight can be reduced. .

  In the medium transport direction changing device of the present invention, the rotating body includes a pair of side plates that rotate integrally and the medium transport section provided between the pair of side plates, or two molded bodies. It is preferable to have the medium transport unit therein.

  In the medium transport direction changing device according to the present invention, the support shaft includes the rotating member that receives the driving force from the first driving source and the transmission member that receives the driving force of the second driving source. It is preferable to be provided.

  According to the present invention, the rotation axis of the rotation member that rotates the medium conveyance unit coincides with the rotation axis of the transmission member that transmits the driving force to the medium conveyance unit. The conversion operation (rotation) is stabilized and the transfer direction can be switched at high speed.

  In the medium transport direction changing device of the present invention, the second drive source rotates the transmission member in the same direction as the rotation member in response to the rotation of the rotation member by the first drive source. It is made to move.

  Since the present invention employs two independent drive sources, for example, the medium temporarily held in the transport path when the support shaft and the medium transport path are rotated together to change the transport direction. However, according to the present invention, in response to the rotation of the rotating member by the first drive source, the “medium accompanying phenomenon” occurs in which the medium is moved by the drive of the medium transport unit (for example, the transport roller). Since the second drive source synchronously rotates the transmission member in the same direction as the rotation member, it is possible to easily and easily cancel the medium rotation phenomenon without using a mechanical component such as a clutch or a stopper. . As a result, it is possible to prevent a jam failure when the medium is manually rotated.

  In the medium transport direction changing device according to the present invention, the first drive source and the second drive source are stepping motors, and the rotation angle of the rotation member per step of the first drive source. And the rotation angle per step of the second drive source is equal.

  According to the present invention, the canceling control of the medium accompanying phenomenon can be realized by simple control.

  In the medium transport direction changing device of the present invention, a connection position for connecting drive transmission from the transmission member to the medium transport unit and a cutting position for cutting drive transmission from the transmission member to the medium transport unit. It is characterized by comprising clutch means that can move between them. When the medium transport direction changing device including the clutch means is referred to as “medium transport direction changing device A”, and simply referred to as “medium transport direction changing device”, it also includes “medium transport direction changing device A” including the clutch means.

  As for the “medium rotation phenomenon” described above, the second drive source synchronizes the transmission member in the same direction as the rotation member in response to the rotation of the rotation member by the first drive source as described above. By rotating, it is possible to easily and easily cancel the media rotation phenomenon without using a mechanism component such as a clutch or a stopper. For example, when manually operating as in maintenance, the rotating body If there is a card-like medium in the medium conveying section, it may not be possible to solve the “medium phenomenon” in which the card-like medium is moved by driving the conveying roller by manually rotating the rotating body. This is because the power source of the drive system is generally shut off during maintenance, and the canceling control for the medium rotation phenomenon as described above cannot be executed. According to this invention, the clutch means is movable between the connection position for connecting the drive transmission from the transmission member to the medium transport unit and the cutting position for cutting the drive transmission from the transmission member to the medium transport unit. Thus, the transmission of the drive from the transmission member to the medium transport unit can be connected or disconnected by the moving operation of the clutch means. As a result, even if it is not possible to execute the cancel control of the media rotation phenomenon as in the maintenance when the power source is shut off, the conveyance direction of the medium can be switched while retaining the card-like medium in the medium conveyance unit, It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a medium revolving phenomenon and to prevent a jam failure.

  The clutch means includes a belt member that is stretched between the transmission member and the rotating member, and an idler that urges or releases the belt member. Examples include a member, a rotating member, and an idle gear that gears them together.

  In the medium transport direction changing device of the present invention, a rotation positioning slit provided at a plurality of positions corresponding to the medium transport direction, a position detection sensor corresponding to the rotation positioning slit, and an initial position detection And a home position sensor corresponding to the home slit.

  According to the present invention, since each of the slits and the sensor corresponding to each of the slits are provided, the medium transport unit provided in the rotating body is accurately rotated and positioned in a predetermined direction including the initial position. can do.

  In the medium transport direction changing device A of the present invention, the slit plate provided with the clutch means is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the support shaft so that the position detection sensor or the home position sensor can detect the slit plate. It is characterized by that.

  The position of the rotating body is detected by the slits (rotational positioning slit and home slit) and the sensors (position detection sensor and home position sensor). According to the invention, the slit plate provided with the clutch means Can be rotated with respect to the support shaft and can be detected by the position detection sensor or the home position sensor.For example, during maintenance with the power source shut off, the clutch means is rotated by the rotation of the slit plate. When moving between the connection position and the cutting position, it is possible to prevent the slit plate from being forgotten to be returned to the original position. Specifically, this can be dealt with by generating a detection abnormality signal until the slit plate returns to the original position.

  In the medium transport direction changing device A of the present invention, the restricting means for restricting the rotation range of the slit plate to a range corresponding to the movement between the connection position and the cutting position of the clutch means, and the slit plate And locking means for fixing at positions corresponding to the connection position and the cutting position, respectively.

  According to the present invention, the restricting means and the locking means can reliably disconnect the drive transmission from the transmission member to the medium transport unit, and reliably connect the drive transmission from the transmission member to the medium transport unit. Can do.

  In the medium transport direction changing device A of the present invention, the switching lever shaft has a switching lever shaft that swings the switching lever shaft to rotate the slit plate, and the swinging range of the switching lever shaft is determined by the clutch means. A restriction means for restricting to a range corresponding to the movement between the connection position and the cutting position; and a lock means for fixing the switching lever at a position corresponding to the connection position and the cutting position, respectively, and the switching The lever has a swing shaft, the swing shaft is rotatably supported by the rotating body at an eccentric position with respect to the support shaft, and includes the switching lever on one end side of the swing shaft. A swing knob for swinging the switching lever is provided on the other end side.

  According to the present invention, the transmission of the drive from the transmission member to the medium conveying unit can be reliably cut by the restriction means for restricting the moving range of the switching lever and the locking means for fixing the switching lever at the connection position and the cutting position. At the same time, it is possible to reliably connect the drive transmission from the transmission member to the medium transport unit. Further, according to the present invention, the swinging shaft of the switching lever is rotatably supported by the rotating body at an eccentric position with respect to the support shaft, and the switching lever is provided on one end side of the swinging shaft, and the other end of the swinging shaft is provided. Since there is a swing knob on the side to swing the switching lever, turning the swing shaft connected to the swing knob swings the switching lever shaft provided at the eccentric position of the switching lever. The slit plate engaged with the switching lever shaft rotates. By such rotation of the slit plate, the clutch means moves between the connection position and the disconnection position. As the restricting means, a combination of a switching lever shaft and, for example, a curved long hole that restricts the movement range of the switching lever shaft can be cited, and the switching lever shaft is in a curved long hole. It is restricted to the movable range.

  In the medium transport direction changing device A of the present invention, the medium conveying direction changing device A further includes urging means for urging the swing shaft toward the rotating body, and the locking means includes a lock pin provided on the switching lever and the rotating body. A lock pin engaging portion provided, wherein when the swing knob is pulled against the biasing means, the engagement between the lock pin and the lock pin engaging portion is released. Features.

  According to the present invention, since the engagement between the lock pin and the lock pin engaging portion can be released when the swing knob is pulled against the urging means, the switch lever is rotated by operating the swing knob. In some cases, it can be operated with one hand.

  In the medium transport direction changing device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the medium transport unit includes a medium detection sensor that detects holding of the medium, and a signal line of the medium detection sensor is drawn out from the vicinity of the support shaft. .

  According to the present invention, since the medium transport unit includes the medium detection sensor that detects the holding of the medium, the temporary holding state of the medium being transported can be detected. Further, since the signal line of the medium detection sensor is drawn from the vicinity of the support shaft, even if the rotation angle of the medium transport unit is large, the rotation is not hindered and the signal line is also protected.

  In order to solve the above problems, a medium processing apparatus of the present invention includes a conveyance path that refracts or branches at an angle to convey a card-like medium, and is arranged on the conveyance path to write information to the medium. Or the information writing part to read and the medium conveyance direction change apparatus of the said this invention provided in the said conveyance path and converting the conveyance direction of the said medium according to the said angle are characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the present invention, the conveyance direction of the medium can be easily and accurately performed with respect to various processing apparatuses such as an information writing unit disposed on the conveyance path conveyance path that refracts or branches at an angle to convey the card-like medium. The medium can be transported after conversion. Further, since the medium conveyance direction can be freely designed, the information writing unit can be freely laid out in the medium processing apparatus. In addition, since the medium transport direction changing device of the present invention is provided in a space-saving manner, it is advantageous for arranging various processing devices, and the size of the entire media processing device can be reduced.

  According to the medium transport direction changing device of the present invention, it is possible to rotate at a wide angle of reversal or one rotation, and to easily adjust the rotation angle. Further, the medium transport direction can be rotated and converted in a space-saving manner.

  Further, according to the medium processing apparatus of the present invention, the medium conveyance direction can be easily and accurately changed, and an information writing unit and the like can be freely laid out in the medium processing apparatus. In addition, space saving can be realized as a whole apparatus, and other processing apparatuses can be arranged in a space with a margin, so that it is possible to easily and accurately change the transport direction in the direction of such a processing apparatus. As described above, a space-saving medium processing apparatus capable of issuing a new issue or update issue of a magnetic card, an IC card, or the like, and further issuing a rewrite can be provided.

  Further, according to the medium transport direction changing device of the present invention, the drive power can be cut off because the drive transmission from the transmission member to the medium transport unit can be connected or disconnected by the moving operation of the clutch means. Even when canceling control of the media rotation phenomenon cannot be executed, such as during maintenance, it is possible to switch the medium transport direction while retaining the card-like medium in the medium transport section, preventing the occurrence of the media rotation phenomenon. , Jam failure can be prevented.

  Hereinafter, a medium transport direction changing apparatus and a medium processing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following description and drawings within the scope having the technical features.

  In the following, the details of the medium transport direction changing device will be described in detail while describing the overall configuration of the medium processing apparatus to which the medium transport direction changing device of the present invention is preferably mounted. Needless to say, the mounting target of the medium transport direction changing device is not limited to the medium processing device described below.

(Media processing device)
The medium processing apparatus of the present invention is arranged on a conveyance path for conveying a card-shaped medium by being bent or branched at an angle, and on a card-shaped recording medium (sometimes simply referred to as “medium”) disposed on the conveyance path. The apparatus includes an information writing unit that writes or reads information, and a medium transport direction conversion device that is provided in the transport path and converts the transport direction of the medium according to the angle.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective side view showing an embodiment of a medium processing apparatus to which the medium transport direction changing device of the present invention is preferably mounted, and FIG. 8 is a perspective side view showing an embodiment of the drive system. . As a specific example of the medium processing apparatus 1 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the medium processing apparatus 1 is disposed on the back side of the apparatus, and stacks and stores the medium 2 in the upper direction. A hopper 20 having a medium feeding portion 21 capable of feeding the medium 2a one by one, and an inclination for conveying the medium 2 fed from the medium feeding portion 21 in a direction that forms an acute angle with respect to the stacking direction of the media 2 A medium discharge port 10 for discharging the medium 2 disposed at a diagonal position above the near side that is one end of the inclined conveyance path 30 opposite to the medium feeding portion 21; Provided between the discharge port 10 and the inclined conveyance path 30, between the first medium conveyance direction changing device 80 that rotates the medium 2 and switches its conveyance direction, and between the medium feeding unit 21 and the inclined conveyance path 30. And rotate the medium 2 Allowed by and a second medium conveyance direction changing device 60 for switching the conveying direction.

  Further, the medium processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is provided on the inclined conveyance path 30 and has an information writing mechanism (for example, a printing apparatus 70) for writing predetermined information on the medium 2 and an inner side of the medium discharge port 3. And a medium discarding device having a discard medium storage unit 50 and a discard medium transport unit 90 provided below. In addition, a non-contact communication unit 100 that performs non-contact communication processing with respect to the medium 2 for reading, writing, or rewriting predetermined information is provided inside the medium discharge port 10. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a magnetic medium reader / writer 120 that receives the medium 2 from the first medium transport direction changing device 80 and reads or writes magnetic data is provided below the first medium transport direction changing device 80. The cleaning medium holding unit 110 may be provided above the second medium transport direction changing device 60.

  As a general arrangement configuration of the medium processing apparatus 1, a medium feeding portion 21 provided in the hopper 20 and a medium discharge port 10 for issuing the medium 2 are paired in a side view with the inclined conveyance path 30 interposed therebetween. Arranged at the corner position. Such an arrangement can shorten the overall length of the device 1 (left and right lengths when FIG. 1 is viewed in plan) to reduce the overall size of the device, and it is easy to produce the external shape of the device. It can be rectangular.

  Hereinafter, the configuration and the like of the medium processing apparatus 1 will be briefly described. In the figure, “S” represents a sensor.

  The hopper 20 includes a hopper cassette 25 and a medium feeding mechanism 22, and a medium feeding portion 21 is formed between the hopper cassette 25 and the medium feeding mechanism 22. The hopper cassette 25 is a medium storage container for stacking and storing the medium 2, and is provided as a cassette-type medium storage container detachably from the hopper 20 as a part of the medium processing apparatus 1. In the hopper cassette 25, a medium 2 such as a contact type or non-contact type IC card or magnetic card is accommodated. The medium 2 is stacked and stored below the uppermost portion 27 having a height substantially equal to a medium discharge port 10 described later. In addition, such a medium 2 is a medium before issuance in which various types of information such as a use time limit and a monetary value are not completely recorded. Moreover, the presence or absence of embossing is not ask | required. As shown in FIG. 1, a gate portion 23 is provided below the hopper cassette 25, and the lowest medium 2 a is sent out from the gate portion 23 one by one by a medium feeding mechanism 22 described later. The gate portion 23 is provided between the bottom plate of the hopper cassette 25 and the reference plate forming the side plate of the hopper cassette 25 so as to provide a predetermined gap through which only the lowest medium 2a can be sent out. .

  The hopper cassette 25 may be provided with a shutter structure (not shown) having a shutter 24 that closes the gate portion 23 when the hopper cassette 25 is detached from the hopper 20. A weight 26 that acts to push down the medium 2 to be pressed from above may be provided.

  The medium feeding mechanism 22 is disposed at the bottom of the hopper 20 so as to face the hopper cassette 25, and the medium 2a placed at the lowest position among the plurality of media 2 accommodated in the hopper cassette 25 is transferred to the hopper cassette 25 (ie, the hopper cassette 25). It is a device for feeding out of the hopper 20). The medium feeding mechanism 22 includes an extruding member 221 that pushes the card-like medium 2 a placed at the lowest position of the hopper cassette 25 out of the hopper cassette 25 (that is, the hopper 20) via the gate portion 23. The pushing member 221 is preferably formed with a claw portion that engages with the rear end edge of the card-like medium 2a and pushes out the medium 2a.

  The pushing member 221 is attached to a chain 222 spanned between two sprockets 223 and 223, for example. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, this sprocket can be driven and controlled by a driving means 224 such as a stepping motor via a transmission belt 225 or the like, whereby the pushing member 221 is driven so as to push out the card-like medium 2a. Is done.

  The medium discharge port 10 is a gate that finally discharges the medium 2 from the medium processing apparatus 1, and is provided in front of the apparatus and in the upper part of the apparatus. The medium 2 fed out from the medium feeding portion 21 of the hopper 20 is conveyed to the medium discharge port 10 via an inclined conveyance path 30 provided between the hopper 20 and the medium discharge port 10. The inclined conveyance path 30 is a conveyance path that conveys the medium 2 fed from the medium feeding unit 21 toward the medium discharge port 10. Since the medium discharge port 10 is provided in the upper part of the medium processing apparatus 1 in FIG. 1, a wide space can be secured below the medium discharge port 10 inside the apparatus. In the space, a waste medium storage unit 50 for storing used media to be discarded is disposed.

  The medium discharge port 10 is literally a medium discharge port when a new medium 2 is issued, but when an update issuance or rewriting is issued, a medium in use for which predetermined information is to be rewritten is inserted from the medium discharge port 10. In addition to functioning as a medium insertion port, the medium also functions as a medium discharge port for discharging the medium on which predetermined information has been written or rewritten. Therefore, when this medium discharge port 10 has the functions of both a medium insertion port and a medium discharge port, the medium discharge port is also used as a medium intake port, so that not only a new issue such as a magnetic card or an IC card, It is used as a medium processing device for issuing updates and issuing rewrites.

  The medium discharge port 10 may be added with various functions provided in a general medium discharge port or insertion port. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a shutter 11 and a shutter solenoid 12 are provided. You may provide the shutter mechanism 13 which has. Although not shown, the medium discharge port 10 may be provided with a pre-head that reads information on the type of medium to be inserted in advance, and a width sensor or the like for inspecting the suitability of the width dimension of the medium to be inserted. It may be provided.

  The inclined conveyance path 30 is a conveyance path that is provided between the medium discharge port 10 and the hopper 20 and conveys the medium 2 fed from the medium feeding portion 21 of the hopper 20 toward the medium discharge port 10. The inclined conveyance path 30 is provided with opposed conveyance rollers (hereinafter also referred to as opposed rollers) 31, 32, and 33 that convey the medium 2 in a predetermined direction with the medium 2 sandwiched from above and below. As described above, the medium discharge port 10 is provided in the upper part of the apparatus, and the medium feeding part 21 of the hopper 20 is provided in the lower part of the apparatus. Therefore, the inclined conveyance path 30 that is arranged therebetween and serves as the conveyance path for the medium 2 is provided. The diagonal of the frame of the device 1 is provided. The inclined conveyance path 30 provided in a diagonal line can be shortened when the conveyance path of the same length is required, as compared with the case where the conveyance path is horizontally arranged. The space can be saved by reducing (particularly the length L in the left-right direction in FIG. 1).

  The information writing mechanism is provided on the inclined conveyance path 30 and writes predetermined information on the medium 2, and a printing apparatus 70 as shown in FIG. 1 can be exemplified. This information writing mechanism is preferably capable of writing and rewriting predetermined information, and specifically, preferably has a print head 71 and an erasing head 72 as shown in a printing device 70 in FIG. .

  The printing device 70 serving as an information writing mechanism has a counter roller 31 for medium conveyance, an erasing head 72, a counter roller 32 for medium conveyance, a print head 71, and a medium conveyance medium from the hopper 20 side toward the medium discharge port 10. The counter rollers 33 are arranged in this order. The erasing head 72 and the print head 71 each have a platen roller 34 disposed opposite to each other, and the medium 2 is sandwiched between the platen roller 34 to erase information printed on the medium 2 or print new information. .

  The printing apparatus 70 is provided with an erasing head driving motor 73 that moves the erasing head 72 up and down with respect to the medium surface, and a printing head driving motor 74 that moves the printing head 71 up and down with respect to the medium surface. Is desirable. The drive motors 73 and 74 of the heads operate independently when information needs to be printed on the medium 2 or when information printed on the medium 2 needs to be erased. The erasing head 72 or the print head 71 is lowered until it contacts the medium 2. On the other hand, when the erasing or printing is completed, the erasing head 72 or the print head 71 is raised in a direction away from the medium 2 on the platen roller 34. When erasing and printing are not required, the drive motors 73 and 74 of the heads do not operate, and the erasing head 72 and the print head 71 are held at positions retracted from the inclined conveyance path 30. The drive motors 73 and 74 drive the erasing head 72 and the print head 71 by a lifting mechanism such as a gear or a cam (not shown).

  Next, the medium transport direction changing devices 80 and 60 according to the present invention will be described in detail.

  FIG. 2 is a front view showing an embodiment (second medium transport direction changing device 60) of the medium transport direction changing device according to the present invention. 3 is a front view for explaining a medium transport path of the medium transport direction changing apparatus shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a view of the medium transport direction changing apparatus shown in FIG. 5 is a view of the medium transport direction changing device shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from above, and FIG. 6 is a rotation angle control slit and sensor of the medium transport direction changing device shown in FIG. FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the positional relationship of the slits when the transport direction is changed in the first medium transport direction changing device 80. The medium processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 8 has two medium transport direction changing apparatuses 60 and 80 according to the present invention, but both have the same basic elements. 2 to 6, the second medium transport direction changing device 60 will be described. On the other hand, the rotation angle control mechanism of the medium transport direction changing device will be described in detail using the first medium transport direction changing device 80 that needs to change in more directions.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the second medium conveyance direction changing device 60 is provided between the medium feeding unit 21 and the inclined conveyance path 30, and temporarily receives the medium 2 received from the medium feeding unit 21 or the inclined conveyance path 30. It operates so as to switch the transport direction of the medium 2 by rotating in the held state. As shown in FIG. 4, the second medium transport direction changing device 60 includes a pair of side plates 643 and 644 that rotate together, and a support shaft 69 that supports the pair of side plates 643 and 644 so as to be rotatable from the outside. , 69a and a pair of side plates 643, 644, a medium transport capable of receiving and sending out the medium 2 from the medium transport path (medium feeding portion 21 or the inclined transport path 30) and temporarily holding the medium 2 The portion 671 and the side plates 643 and 644 are provided independently, and a rotation motor 65 that is a first driving source for integrally rotating the side plates 643 and 644 and the medium transport portion 671, and support shafts 69 and 69a. A transmission member (conveying drive pulley 68 in FIG. 2) that transmits the driving force to the medium conveyance unit 671 and the side plates 643 and 644 are provided independently of each other at positions where the moving centers coincide. Rutotomoni, and a B drive motor 150 is a second drive source for driving the transmission member (conveying drive pulley 68).

  It should be noted that the medium transport direction changing device (60, 80) constituting the present invention is shown by using the reference numerals in FIG. ), A support shaft (69, 69a) for rotatably supporting the rotating body from the outside, a first drive source (65) for rotating the rotating body, and a first thereof. The rotating member (64) that rotates the rotating body in response to the driving force from the driving source (65) and the axis of the support shaft (69, 69a) coincide with the rotation center of the rotating body. The transmission member (68) that transmits the driving force for conveying the medium (2) to the medium conveyance unit (671) and the rotating body are provided independently of each other, and the transmission member (68) is provided. Expressed as having a second drive source (150) to drive Kill. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the rotating body includes a pair of side plates 643 and 644 that rotate integrally, and a medium transport unit 671 provided between the pair of side plates 643 and 644. Can be represented.

  The second medium transport direction changing device 60 is configured as a unit including support plates 641 and 642 and side plates 643 and 644 that are rotatably supported therebetween. More specifically, the side plates 643 and 644 of the second medium transport direction changing device 60 are rotatably supported between the support plates 641 and 642 via support shafts 69 and 69a. The second medium transport direction changing device 60 configured as a unit in this manner is preferably attached to the medium processing device 1 via the support plate 641 so as to be detachable with a single touch. There is an advantage that when a trouble occurs in the case, it can be replaced as a unit. The second medium transport direction changing device 60 may not be configured as a unit, and the side plates 643 and 644 may be directly supported by the main body frame of the medium processing device 1 instead of the support plates 641 and 642.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the medium transport unit 671 having the transport path 61 is rotated about the support shafts 69 and 69 a by the belt transmission from the rotation motor 65. As described above, the medium transport unit 671 is provided between the pair of side plates 643 and 644, and the support plate 641 that is visible on the back side in FIG. 2 is attached to a main body chassis (not shown) of the medium processing apparatus 1. ing. Note that the arc-shaped opening 67 provided in the upper portion of the support plate 641 is provided to restrict the angular range of rotation of the conveyance path 671. A regulation pin (not shown) provided on the side plate 643 engages with the opening 67 and allows the conveyance path 671 and the side plate 643 to rotate within the range. Such restriction of the rotation range is not necessarily essential, and if the rotation is not restricted, the medium transport unit 671 can be freely rotated by 360 ° or more.

  The medium transport unit 671 is capable of receiving and sending the medium 2 to and from the medium feeding unit 21 or the inclined transport path 30 and temporarily holding the medium 2. Specifically, FIGS. As shown, a conveyance path 61 that holds and conveys the medium 2, a pair of opposed rollers 62 and 62 a provided in the vicinity of an end portion on one side of the conveyance path 61, and an end on the other side of the conveyance path 61 And a pair of opposed rollers 63, 63a provided in the vicinity of the portion. Further, the medium conveying section 671 receives and receives the medium 2 by the driving of the opposing rollers by the driving force from the B drive motor 150 (second driving source) via the transmission member (conveying driving pulley 68). Or it operates to hold temporarily.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the medium transport unit 671 is provided with medium detection sensors S1 and S2 that can detect the position or presence of the medium 2 being transported. The medium detection sensors S1 and S2 are light-shielding sensors that detect the position of the medium by shielding light when a medium is present. Since the medium detection sensors S1 and S2 are disposed at substantially both ends of the conveyance path 61, both sensors detect the medium. The holding of the medium can be detected when That is, a reliable temporary holding state can be recognized. Therefore, the temporary holding state of the medium transport unit can be maintained and checked so that a jam failure does not occur during the medium transport direction change operation.

  Reference numeral 616 indicates a terminal portion of the sensor. The signal lines (wiring) from the terminal portions 616 of the sensors S1, S2 are preferably drawn out from the vicinity of the support shafts 69, 69a. Thereby, the rotation angle of the medium transport unit 671 can be increased, and the disconnection of the signal line can be prevented and protected. Further, the restriction of the rotation range of the conveyance path 671 is effective for protecting the signal lines of these sensors. The medium detection sensor is not limited to the light shielding type, and may be a mechanical sensor. The medium detection sensor is not limited to the configuration arranged at both ends of the conveyance path 61 and may be provided at the center or one end.

  The conveyance path 61 receives and receives the medium 2 with respect to the medium feeding unit 21 and the inclined conveyance path 30 of the hopper 20, while receiving the cleaning medium 114 from the cleaning medium holding unit 110 and sends it to the inclined conveyance path 30. Or it is a conveyance path which receives and accepts to return to the opposite. The transport path 61 has a width slightly larger than the width of the medium 2, and the width direction of the medium 2 transported by the side plates 643 and 644 provided facing each other in the width direction is regulated. The thickness direction of the medium 2 to be conveyed is a plurality of guide members (for example, FIG. 4) provided to face each other with a gap slightly larger than the thickness of the medium 2 in the thickness direction of the conveyance path 61. (See reference numerals 604 and 605 shown in FIG. 5 and reference numerals 606 and 607 shown in FIG. 5). As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the guide members 604 to 607 facing in the thickness direction have a predetermined short width, and are provided by being joined to the side plates 643 and 644 in the width direction. Note that, in any of the side plates 643 and 644 in the width direction and the guide members 604 to 607 in the thickness direction, end portions (for example, reference numerals 601 and 602 in FIG. It is preferable that the reference numerals 608 and 609 in FIG.

  The medium conveyance unit 671 that conveys and holds the medium 2 in the conveyance path 61 includes opposed conveyance rollers (hereinafter also referred to as opposed rollers) that convey the medium 2 from above and below in a predetermined direction. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the medium transport unit 671 includes a pair of opposed rollers 62 and 62 a provided near one end of the transport path 61 and the other end of the transport path 61. And a pair of opposed rollers 63, 63a provided in the vicinity of the portion. The medium transport unit 671 is driven by the driving force transmitted from the B driving motor 150 as the second driving source. Among the facing rollers, the rollers positioned on the lower side when FIG. 3 is viewed from the front are the driving rollers 62 and 63, and the rollers positioned on the upper side are the pad rollers 62a and 63a.

  The drive rollers 62 and 63 are fixed to the drive shafts 621 and 631, respectively, as shown in FIG. The drive shafts 621 and 631 are interlocked to rotate synchronously via pulleys and timing belts. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the driving rollers 62 and 63 according to the present embodiment also serve as pulleys, and the medium 2 is formed on the back surface of the belt 610 that spans the pulleys that are the driving rollers 62 and 63. Is carried. Specifically, the driving force from the B driving motor 150 as the second driving source is transmitted to the transmission member 68 (toothed pulley as a conveyance driving pulley) by the belt 156, and from the transmission member 68 through the belt 681. A driving force is transmitted to the driving roller 63 through the pulley 682. The driving force is transmitted to the driving roller 62 via a belt 610 that is stretched between the driving roller 63 and the driving roller 63. Reference numerals 611, 612, and 613 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 denote idlers, reference numerals 31 and 154 denote the pulleys shown in FIG. 8, and reference numeral 683 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 denotes a drive roller. This is a shaft of a pulley 682 as an extension of 63 drive shaft 631.

  The rotation shafts 621 and 632 of the drive rollers 62 and 63 are supported by the side plate 643 and the intermediate base plate 645. A spacer 622 is provided on the rotation shaft 621 of the drive roller 62. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the intermediate base plate 645 is fixedly supported to the side plate 643 by support columns 633 and 614. Further, the side plate 644 outside the intermediate base plate 645 is fixedly supported with respect to the side plate 643 by support columns 632 and 615. As described above, the side plates 643 and 644 and the intermediate ground plate 645 are structures that are integrally supported by the support columns 614, 615, 632, and 633, and the medium transport unit 671 is formed thereon. The idler 611 with respect to the belt 610 is rotatably disposed on another support column passed between the side plates 643 and 644. These columns are arranged at positions that do not interfere with the conveyance path 61.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram when the transport path 61 of the second medium transport direction changing device 60 shown in FIG. 2 is viewed from above, but the drive rollers 621 and 632 are omitted. As shown in FIG. 5, pad rollers 62 a and 63 a are provided at positions facing the driving rollers 621 and 632 when the conveyance path is viewed from above. The pad rollers 62a and 63a are supported by support columns 624 and 634 established on the side plate 643 via roller levers 625 and 635, respectively. The pad rollers 62 a and 63 a are urged against the drive rollers 62 and 63 by coil springs 626 and 636 wound around the columns 624 and 634.

  It is preferable that the pad rollers 62a and 63a can be fixed by being separated from the opposing rollers 62 and 63 by a lever (not shown). By doing so, for example, during the main tension work, the “medium accompanying phenomenon” in which the medium 2 is moved by the conveying belt 610 across the opposing rollers 62 and 63 when the medium conveying unit 671 is rotated is prevented. As a result, there is an advantage that the maintenance work at the time of jam failure becomes easy. In this embodiment, the drive rollers 63 and 62 are driven from the transmission member 68 via the belt 681 and the pulley 682, but this drive transmission can also be performed by a gear train. In that case, it may be configured to temporarily disengage the gears in the gear wheel train so as to prevent the rotation of the medium.

  A mode in which the meshing of the gears in the gear wheel train is temporarily disengaged to prevent the media from being rotated will be described in detail later.

  The medium transport unit 671 as described above is integrated by the pair of side plates 643 and 644 and rotates integrally around the support shafts 69 and 69a. The support shafts 69 and 69a are fixedly established so as to protrude outside the side plates 643 and 644 (on the side opposite to the medium transport unit 671) and not to interfere with the transport path 61, respectively. The fixed position is preferably a position where the extension line of the support shafts 69 and 69 a is on the transport path 61 and is exactly in the middle of the transport direction of the transport path 61. By providing the support shafts 69 and 69a so that the center is located at such a position, the medium transport unit 671 can be rotated so as to save the most space. In addition, since such a fixed position is normally the approximate center of gravity position of the medium transport unit 671, there is an advantage that load stress based on eccentricity is not applied to the support shafts 69 and 69a.

  In the rotation operation of the medium transport unit 671 and the side plates 643 and 644 that support this integrally, the driving force transmitted from the rotation motor 65 transmitted through the belt 66 is fixed to the support shafts 69 and 69a and the side plate 643. It is transmitted to the rotating member 64 (toothed pulley). The support shafts 69 and 69a and the rotation member 64 constitute a rotation shaft of the second medium transport direction changing device 60. In the present embodiment, the rotating member 64 is provided at the base end portion of the support shaft 69 on the side plate 643 side. However, this is provided at the distal end side of the support shaft 69 to drive the medium transport unit 671. The member 68 may be provided on the proximal end side. In this way, there is no interference with the shaft 683 of the pulley 682 and the side plates 643 and 644 can be rotated 360 ° or more. At this time, if the diameter of the toothed pulley as the rotation member 64 is, for example, twice or more the transmission pulley diameter in the rotation motor 65, the rotation angle at the time of rotation can be performed with higher accuracy. The support shafts 69 and 69a are rotatably supported by the support plates 641 and 642, respectively, so that the medium transport unit 671 and the side plates 643 and 644 can be integrally rotated.

  Further, if the support shafts 69 and 69a that are the rotation center of the rotation member 64 and the rotation center of the conveyance drive pulley that is the transmission member 68 are arranged so as to coincide with each other, the medium conveyance unit 671 can be saved in space. It can be rotated. Further, for example, by arranging the rotating member 64 to avoid interference between the members as described above, it is possible to rotate at a wide angle of reversal (180 °) or one rotation (360 °). Furthermore, since the drive sources of the support shafts 69 and 69a and the transmission member 68 are provided independently, the operation control for canceling the medium rotation phenomenon can be simplified and facilitated. As a result, it is possible to prevent a jam failure when the medium rotates. The medium rotation phenomenon refers to a conveyance roller caused by relative rotation of the medium conveyance unit 671 with respect to the transmission member 68 when the support shafts 69 and 69a and the medium conveyance path 61 are rotated together to change the conveyance direction. This is a phenomenon in which the medium 2 temporarily held in the transport path 61 by driving 63 and 62 moves.

  Here, the rotation operation and control of the second medium transport direction changing device 60 for canceling the medium rotation phenomenon will be described. The transport driving pulley 68 that is rotatably attached to the support shaft 69 is restricted in rotation when the driving of the belt 156 is stopped and is in a substantially fixed state. When the second medium transport direction changing device 60 (side plates 643 and 644) is rotated in this state, the belt 681 and the pulley 682 rotate relative to the transport drive pulley 68, and the opposing roller 62 and The conveyance force acts on the medium 2 (or the cleaning medium 114) held in the conveyance path 61 by rotating 63. For example, in FIG. 3, when the side plates 643 and 644 are rotated counterclockwise (left), the belt 681 and the pulley 682 are rotated clockwise (right), and the opposing rollers 62 and 63 are also rotated clockwise. Then, the medium 2 is moved to the facing roller 63 side. On the other hand, when the side plates 643 and 644 are rotated clockwise (right), the opposing rollers 62 and 63 rotate counterclockwise (left) to move the medium toward the opposing roller 62.

  Such a medium rotation phenomenon corresponds to the rotation of the rotation member 64 (toothed pulley) by the rotation motor 65 that is the first drive source, and the B drive motor 150 that is the second drive source. It is preferable that the transmission member (conveying drive pulley 68) be canceled by operation control that causes the transmission member (conveyance drive pulley 68) to rotate synchronously in the same direction as the rotation member 64.

  That is, in accordance with the rotation of the second medium conveyance direction changing device 60 (side plates 643 and 644) by the rotation motor 65, the B drive motor 150 is configured to convey the medium in a direction in which the action of the conveyance force is canceled. To drive the conveyance drive pulley 68. In other words, the conveyance driving pulley 68 is rotated in the same direction in synchronization with the rotation of the side plates 643 and 644.

  In this case, it is preferable that the B drive motor 150 and the rotation motor 65 are stepping motors having the same step angle, and the rotation angles per step of the rotation member 64 and the transmission member 68 are set to be equal. With such a setting, by the simple control of returning the step (rotation) of the rotation motor 65 by an equal number of steps in accordance with the advancement of the step (rotation) of the rotation member 64 by the B drive motor 150, The turning phenomenon can be canceled. There is no need for a complicated mechanical structure such as a stopper or a clutch.

  In the above embodiment, the positional relationship between the rotation member 64 and the transmission member 68, the drive path of the transmission member 68, and the like are not particularly limited to the illustrated example, and various forms are employed within the scope of the present invention. can do. Further, the transmission of the driving force from the transmission member 68 and the transmission of the driving force to the rotating member 64 are performed by a pulley and a belt as shown in the figure, but a gear may be used.

  In the medium conveyance direction changing device 60 of the present invention described above, the direction of the conveyance path 61 is rotated so as to coincide with the inclined conveyance path 30 or is rotated in the same horizontal direction as the medium feeding portion 21. be able to. As will be described later, when the cleaning medium holding unit 110 is provided on the upper side of the second medium conveyance direction changing device 60, the cleaning medium holding unit 110 is rotated so as to coincide with the conveyance path 111 of the cleaning medium holding unit 110. The cleaning medium 114 can be received and rotated again in the direction in which the cleaning medium 114 is sent to the printing device of the inclined conveyance path 30.

  The rotation control for rotating the second medium transport direction changing device 60 by a predetermined angle can be performed by various methods. For example, the rotation may be controlled by a stepping motor and a rotary encoder, or the rotation may be controlled by a photoelectric sensor (light-shielding sensor) and a position detection slit (light-shielding plate) manufactured in a predetermined shape. In any case, it is accurately rotated to at least two angles in the same horizontal direction as the medium feeding portion 21 and the angle that matches the inclined conveyance path 30. Further, when controlling to another angle, the angle is accurately rotated to that angle. Since the second medium transport direction changing device 60 can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, the rotation angle from the current position to the next rotationally moving position is minimized. It is preferable to rotate. Such a rotation operation can shorten the conveyance time of the medium 2. Further, since the second medium transport direction changing device 60 rotates around the support shafts 69 and 69a, the rotation range is restricted, or the drive system is arranged so as to avoid rotation interference. By doing so, a rotation angle of 360 can be taken.

  When the medium 2 transported from the medium feeding unit 21 is transported to the inclined transport path 30, the second medium transport direction converting apparatus 60 transports the transport path 61 of the second medium transport direction converting apparatus 60. To the same level as the medium feeding unit 21, the medium 2 conveyed from the medium feeding unit 21 is temporarily held by the opposing rollers 62 and 63, and then rotated by a predetermined angle to the same angle as the inclined conveyance path 30, and then the second The medium 2 is sent out from the medium conveyance direction changing device 60 to the inclined conveyance path 30 by the opposing rollers 62 and 63. Further, (B) when the medium 2 conveyed from the inclined conveyance path 30 is conveyed again to the inclined conveyance path 30 and printed on the medium 2 or erased, the second medium conveyance direction changing device 60 The conveyance path 61 is made to coincide with the angle of the inclined conveyance path 30, the medium 2 conveyed from the inclined conveyance path 30 is temporarily held by the opposing rollers 62 and 63, and the second medium conveyance direction changing device 60 is rotated. It sends out again to the inclined conveyance path 30. Further, (C) when cleaning the inclined conveyance path 30 (the conveyance path of the printing apparatus) with the cleaning medium 114, the cleaning medium 114 is rotated to an angle that coincides with the conveyance path 111 of the cleaning medium holding unit 110, and receives the cleaning medium 114 once. The cleaning medium 114 is held and rotated to the same angle as that of the inclined conveyance path 30, and the cleaning medium 114 is sent there.

  As described above, the drive source of the opposing rollers 62 and 63 is the B drive motor 150 provided independently of the rotation motor 65 of the drive source that drives the second medium transport direction changing device 60. Since the rotation motor 65 and the B drive motor 150 are driven independently, the rotation operation of the second medium transport direction changing device 60 and the operation of feeding the medium 2 by the opposing rollers 62 and 63 interfere with each other. Independent control is possible. According to such a configuration, jam control is prevented by the simple control for canceling the accompanying phenomenon as described above, and the medium transport direction switching control by the second medium transport direction changing device 60 is easily and reliably performed. Can be done.

  According to the arrangement of the second medium transport direction changing device 60 in the present embodiment, the second medium transport direction changing device 60 is used when the medium 2 fed from the medium feeding unit 21 is transported to the inclined transport path 30. Since the turning angle is an acute angle, the conveyance direction can be quickly switched.

  Next, the first medium transport direction changing device 80 will also be described. However, since the basic elements are the same as those of the second medium transport direction changing device 60, a brief description will be given here.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first medium transport direction changing device 80 is provided between the medium discharge port 10 and the inclined transport path 30, and rotates the medium 2 to switch the transport direction. To work. The first medium transport direction changing device 80 includes a transport path 81 that holds and transports the medium 2, opposing rollers 82 and 83 provided near both ends of the transport path 81, and a longitudinal center position of the transport path 81. And at least a rotation shaft 84 centering on the axis. The first medium transport direction changing device 80 has the same unit configuration as the second medium transport direction changing device 60. The rotation shaft 84 is composed of members similar to the support shafts 69 and 69a and the rotation member 64 (toothed pulley) in the second medium transport direction changing device 60.

  Further, the first medium transport direction changing device 80 is preferably attached to the medium processing device 1 so as to be detachable with a single touch, and is replaced as a unit in the event of a malfunction in each component or drive mechanism. There is an advantage that you can. The rotation shaft 84 of the transport path 81 is fixedly established on the side plate so as to protrude outside the unit support of the first medium transport direction changing device 80 and is provided so as not to interfere with the transport path 81. Yes.

  The rotation shaft 84 can be rotated by a rotation motor 85 via a belt 86, and can be rotated so that the direction of the conveyance path 81 coincides with the inclined conveyance path 30, or the medium discharge port 10. It can be rotated to go. As will be described later, when the waste medium storage unit 50 is provided below the medium discharge port 10, it can be rotated so as to coincide with the transport path 91 of the waste medium transport unit 90. As will be described later, when the magnetic medium reader / writer 120 is provided below the first medium conveyance direction changing device 80, the magnetic medium reader / writer 120 is rotated so as to coincide with the conveyance path 121 of the magnetic medium reader / writer 120. Can do.

  The rotation control for rotating the first medium transport direction changing device 80 by a predetermined angle can be performed by various methods. For example, the rotation may be controlled by a stepping motor and a rotary encoder, or the rotation may be controlled by a photoelectric sensor (light-shielding sensor) and a position detection slit (light-shielding plate) manufactured in a predetermined shape. In any case, it is accurately rotated to at least two angles: an angle that matches the inclined conveyance path 30 and an angle that matches the conveyance path toward the medium discharge port 10. Further, when controlling to a plurality of angles, the angle is accurately rotated to each angle. Since the first medium transport direction changing device 80 can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, the rotation angle from the current position to the next rotational movement position becomes the smallest direction. It is preferable to rotate. Such a rotation operation can shorten the conveyance time of the medium 2. Furthermore, since the first medium transport direction changing device 80 rotates around the rotation shaft 84, the rotation angle can be increased to at least 180 ° or more (360 ° is also possible).

  When the medium 2 transported from the inclined transport path 30 is transported to the medium discharge port 10 (A), the first medium transport direction converting apparatus 80 transports the transport path 81 of the first medium transport direction converting apparatus 80. Are inclined at the same angle as that of the inclined conveyance path 30, the medium 2 conveyed from the inclined conveyance path 30 is temporarily held by the opposing rollers 82 and 83, and then rotated by a predetermined angle to be conveyed on the medium discharge port 10 side. Next, the medium 2 is sent out from the first medium transport direction changing device 80 by the opposing rollers 82 and 83. (B) When the medium 2 transported from the medium discharge port 10 is transported to the inclined transport path 30, the transport path 81 of the first medium transport direction changing device 80 is transported to the transport path 101 on the medium discharge port 10 side. The medium 2 conveyed from the medium discharge port 10 is temporarily held by the opposing rollers 82 and 83, then rotated by a predetermined angle to coincide with the angle of the inclined conveyance path 30, and then the first medium conveyance direction The medium 2 is sent out from the conversion device 80. Further, when (C) the waste medium transport unit 90 and the magnetic medium reader / writer 120 are provided, the medium 2 is transferred by being rotated to coincide with the transport paths 91 and 121.

  Here, the driving source of the opposing rollers 82 and 83 is an A driving motor 140 (details will be described later) provided independently of the rotation motor 85 of the driving source that drives the first medium transport direction changing device 80. is there. Since the rotation motor 85 and the A drive motor 140 are driven independently, the rotation operation of the first medium transport direction changing device 80 and the feeding operation of the medium 2 by the opposing rollers 82 and 83 do not interfere with each other. It can be controlled independently. According to such a configuration, similarly to the second medium transport direction changing device 60, jam control is prevented by simple control for canceling the accompanying phenomenon, and the medium transport by the first medium transport direction changing device 80 is performed. Direction switching control can be performed easily and reliably.

  According to the arrangement of the first medium conveyance direction changing device 80 in the present embodiment, when the medium 2 conveyed from the medium discharge port 10 is conveyed to the inclined conveyance path 30, the first medium conveyance direction changing device 80 is arranged. The rotation angle is larger than the rotation angle of the first medium conveyance direction changing device 80 when the medium 2 conveyed from the medium discharge port 10 is conveyed to the waste medium storage unit 50 or the magnetic medium reader / writer 120. Since it is small, it can contribute to speeding up processing of the medium 2.

  Next, rotation control for rotating the medium transport direction changing device by a predetermined angle will be described. 6 and 7 show an example in which the rotation is controlled by a photoelectric sensor (light-shielding sensor) and a position detection slit (light-shielding plate) manufactured in a predetermined shape. FIG. 6 shows an example of the second medium transport direction changing device 60. In this embodiment, a plurality of rotational positioning slits and home slits are used as position detection slits.

  Specifically, rotational positioning slits 661 and 662 provided at a plurality of positions (two locations in FIG. 6) corresponding to the transport direction, and a position detection sensor that detects a light shielding state by the rotational positioning slits 661 and 662. It is preferable to include (PS) 652, a home slit 663 that detects a light blocking state at an initial position of the second medium transport direction changing device 60, and a home position sensor (HS) 651 corresponding to the home slit 663. By means of such slits 661, 662, 663 and sensors 652, 663 that detect the rotation position, the initial position, and the initial position corresponding to the slit, the medium transport unit 671 provided between the pair of side plates 643, 644 can be initialized. It can be accurately rotated in a predetermined direction including the position.

  In FIG. 6, the rotation positioning slits 661 and 662 may be provided so as to rotate integrally with the medium transport unit 671, for example, may be provided on the side plate 643 so as not to interfere with the medium transport. You may integrally fix to the support shaft 69 via the mounting board 664 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the position detection sensor (PS) 652 corresponding to the rotation positioning slits 661 and 662 is fixed to a predetermined position of the main body frame or the support plate 641 of the medium processing apparatus 1 via an attachment member as necessary.

  In addition, a home slit 663 for detecting the initial position is also provided so as to rotate integrally with the medium transport unit 671, and can also be provided on the mounting board 664 in the same manner as the slits 661 and 662. The positional relationship between the rotation positioning slits 661 and 662 and the home slit 663 is fixed, and the position (phase) differs in the axial direction of the rotation center (support shaft 69). On the other hand, a home position sensor (HS) 651 corresponding to the home slit 663 is also required for a predetermined position (a position in the axial direction different from the position detection sensor (PS) 652) of the main body frame or the support plate 641 of the medium processing apparatus 1. And is fixed via an attachment member (see FIG. 4).

  Next, an outline of the operation of the second medium transport direction changing device 60 will be described. 6 and 3, the position where the home position sensor (HS) 651 detects the home slit 663 will be described assuming that the conveyance path 61 is in the horizontal position. When the conveyance path 61 of the second medium conveyance direction changing device 60 is set to the same angle as the inclined conveyance path 30 from the horizontal position by a control instruction from the upper level, it rotates counterclockwise in FIG. At the same time, the sensor 652 stops when it detects the first slit 661. As a result, the medium transport unit 671 rotates counterclockwise by an angle α to the same angle as the inclined transport path 30, and the medium 2 can be connected to and received from the inclined transport path 30. On the other hand, when the conveyance path 61 of the second medium conveyance direction changing device 60 is set to the same angle as the cleaning medium holding unit 110 from the horizontal position according to a control instruction from the upper level, it rotates counterclockwise according to an instruction from the upper level. At the same time, the sensor 652 stops when the second slit 662 is detected. As a result, the medium transport unit 671 rotates counterclockwise by an angle β to the same angle as the cleaning medium holding unit 110, and the medium can be connected to and received from the cleaning medium holding unit 110. By arranging the rotation positioning slits 661 and 662 at the conversion angle corresponding to the desired transport direction in this way, the rotational position is guaranteed (position) simultaneously with the setting of the accurate rotational position of the second medium transport direction converting device 60. Confirmation and operation confirmation of a drive source such as a stepping motor).

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the positional relationship of the slits when the transport direction is changed in the first medium transport direction changing device 80. The drive system of the first medium transport direction changing device 80 will be described later. In this case as well, rotational positioning slits a, b, c provided at a plurality of (three locations in FIG. 7) positions corresponding to the transport direction. A position detection sensor PS corresponding to the rotation positioning slits a, b, c, a home slit (hatched member) provided for initial position detection, and a home position sensor HS corresponding to the home slit And have. The positioning slits and the home slits are arranged at different positions (phases) in the axial direction of the rotation center (support shaft 89), as in the second medium transport direction changing device 60.

  Also in FIG. 7, when the transport path of the first medium transport direction changing device 80 is set to the same angle as the inclined transport path 30 from the horizontal position (home position) by a control instruction from the host, an instruction from the host is provided. Rotate counterclockwise and stop when the sensor PS detects the first slit a. As a result, the medium transport section rotates counterclockwise to the position (B) to have the same angle as the inclined transport path 30, and the medium 2 can be connected to and received from the inclined transport path 30. On the other hand, when the transport path of the first medium transport direction changing device 80 is set to the same angle as the waste medium transport unit 90 from the horizontal position (home position) by a control instruction from the host, it is turned clockwise by the instruction from the host. And stops when the sensor PS detects the first slit b. As a result, the medium transport unit rotates clockwise to the position (C) to be at the same angle as the waste medium transport unit 90, and the medium 2 can be contacted with the waste medium transport unit 90. . Note that, at the home position, the medium can be transported to and from the non-contact communication unit 100.

  Further, the first medium transport direction changing device 80 can cope with, for example, the case where the user inserts the medium into the medium processing device with the front and back reversed. While rotating the conveyance path of the apparatus 80 clockwise, it stops when the sensor PS detects the second slit c. As a result, the medium transport unit rotates clockwise to the position (D) to be at the same angle as the inclined transport path 30, and the medium inserted reversely is returned to the normal position to have the printing device and the like. It can be sent into the conveyance path 30. For example, when the magnetic medium reader / writer 120 is provided under the first medium conveyance direction changing device 80, the angle of the conveyance path can be accurately controlled by adding a positioning slit.

  As described above, according to the medium transport direction changing device of the present invention, it is possible to rotate at a wide angle of reversal or one rotation, and to rotate in a space-saving manner. It is possible to easily set the angle freely. Eventually, in the medium processing apparatus, the medium is distributed to an information writing processing apparatus that is arranged on a conveyance path for conveying various media by bending or branching at an angle and writing or reading information according to the various media. Therefore, it is possible to provide a medium conveyance direction conversion device that can freely change the medium conveyance direction.

  Next, other components constituting the medium processing apparatus 1 will be described.

  The medium processing apparatus 1 can be provided with a waste medium storage unit 50 and a waste medium transport unit 90. The waste medium storage unit 50 is a cassette member that is provided below the inside of the medium discharge port 10 in FIG. 1 and stores used media to be discarded, and can also be referred to as a “waste medium storage cassette”.

  As with the hopper cassette 25 described above, the waste medium storage unit 50 is a frame made of aluminum alloy or stainless steel, and is detachably provided as a unit that forms part of the medium processing apparatus 1. In the waste medium storage unit 50, a medium that has been used for a certain period of time and reaches a set disposal time is input and accommodated for disposal. As shown in FIG. 1, the discarded medium 2 is thrown from the discard medium transport unit 90 in an inclined state with respect to the discard medium storage unit 50, so that the bottom surface 51 of the discard medium storage unit 50 is also at substantially the same angle. An inclined shape is preferred. In addition, it is preferable that a sensor 52 for confirming that the waste medium is input is provided in the waste medium storage unit 50. The sensor 52 may be a mechanical sensor as shown in FIG. 1 or an optical sensor.

  The waste medium transport unit 90 is provided between the first medium transport direction changing device 80 and the waste medium storage unit 50, receives the used medium from the first medium transport direction changing device 80, and stores the waste medium. It is a member for conveying to the part 50. The transport means included in the waste medium transport unit 90 is a counter roller 92 that is driven by a drive motor as provided in the information writing device 70. The opposing roller 92 is driven by an A drive motor 140 described later. The driving force is transmitted and disconnected by an electromagnetic clutch 94 provided on one of the opposed rollers 92.

  The operation of the electromagnetic clutch 94, that is, the drive timing of the opposing roller 92 is controlled based on the position of the medium 2 detected by the sensors 95 and 96 that detect the positions of the medium 2 provided at both ends of the transport path 91. ing. That is, when the sensor 96 detects the medium 2, the loading from the first medium transport direction changing device 80 to the transport path 91 is started, and when both the sensors 95 and 96 detect, the medium 2 in the transport path 91 is started. Is detected (temporary hold), and it is determined that the medium 2 has been inserted into the waste medium storage unit 50 when the detection by the sensor 96 alone is not detected. The sensor 95 is a lever-type detection sensor that detects contact of the medium 2 with the lever, and the sensor 96 is preferably a photosensor that detects light shielding by the medium 2, but is a sensor that detects by other methods. May be.

  Further, it is preferable that a neutralizing brush 93 is provided on the waste medium storage unit 50 side from the opposing roller 92 of the waste medium transport unit 90. The static elimination brush 93 can remove static electricity from the waste medium and prevent the waste medium from sticking to the wall surface in the waste medium storage unit 50 or becoming vertical, so that the waste media can be stacked in an orderly manner. it can. Further, since the lever of the lever type detection sensor 95 functions to push the rear end of the waste medium downward from above, the discharged waste medium sticks to the wall surface in the waste medium storage unit 50 or stands vertically. It works so that it can be stacked in order.

  The non-contact communication unit 100 is a member that is provided inside the medium discharge port 10 and performs non-contact communication processing with respect to the medium 2 for reading, writing, or rewriting predetermined information. Since the non-contact communication unit 100 is provided, the present invention can also be applied to a non-contact IC card. The non-contact communication unit 100 includes a conveyance path 101 that conveys the medium 2 inserted from the medium discharge port 10, and further, opposed rollers that convey the medium in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the conveyance path 101. 102 and 103 are provided. An antenna unit 104 that performs non-contact communication is provided on one surface side (upper side in FIG. 1) of the center of the conveyance path 101. The antenna unit 104 can perform information communication with a non-contact IC card, and transmits / receives information to / from the non-contact IC card. As shown in FIG. 1, as necessary, the front and back of the medium 2 can be detected to check the print surface, or the presence and direction of the medium 2 can be detected to ensure the reliability of communication with the antenna unit 104. In order to do so, a sensor 105 may be provided.

  The magnetic medium reader / writer 120 may be provided under the first medium transport direction changing device 80. The magnetic medium reader / writer 120 receives the medium 2 from the first medium transport direction changing device 80 and reads or writes the magnetic data when the predetermined information of the medium 2 is magnetic data. Further, the magnetic medium reader / writer 120 may be provided on the second medium conveyance direction changing device 60 instead of being provided below the first medium conveyance direction changing device 80. The magnetic medium reader / writer 120 includes a conveyance path 121 that receives the medium 2 from the first medium conveyance direction changing device 80 or the second medium conveyance direction changing device 60, and a magnetic head 122 that reads magnetic data from the medium 2. Yes. Further, the magnetic medium reader / writer 120 is provided with a counter roller 123 for conveying the medium 2. The facing roller 123 is driven by an A drive motor 140 described later. Transmission of the driving force is disconnected and connected by an electromagnetic clutch 124 provided on one of the opposed rollers 123.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning medium holding unit 110 may be provided above the second medium transport direction changing device 60. The cleaning medium holding unit 110 accommodates a cleaning medium 114 for cleaning the print head 71 and the erasing head 72 included in the information writing apparatus, and exchanges the cleaning medium 114 with the second medium transport direction changing device 60. Hold as possible. Then, the cleaning medium 114 is transported from the second medium transport direction changing device 60 to the information writing device 70, and the print head 71 and the erasing head 72 are cleaned.

  The cleaning medium holding unit 110 is provided with a conveyance path 111 for receiving and receiving the cleaning medium 114 with the second medium conveyance direction changing device 60, and an opposing roller 112 for conveying the cleaning medium 114. The opposing roller 112 is driven by a B drive motor 150 described later. The driving force is transmitted and disconnected by an electromagnetic clutch 113 provided on one of the opposed rollers 112. Sensors 115 and 116 are provided at both ends of the conveyance path 111 to detect and control the status of holding and sending out the cleaning medium 114. With the cleaning medium 114 accommodated in the cleaning medium holding unit 110, the print head 71 and the erasing head 72 of the information writing device 70 can be cleaned periodically or at an arbitrary timing.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the power supply unit 130 can be provided in a space below the first medium transport direction changing device 80 and below the information writing device 70. The power supply unit 130 is preferably attached to the medium processing apparatus 1 so as to be detachable as a unit with one touch.

(Drive system)
FIG. 8 is a perspective side view showing an embodiment of a driving method in a medium processing apparatus having a medium transport direction changing apparatus of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the medium processing apparatus 1 is mainly driven by two drive motors (A drive motor 140 and B drive motor 150).

  The A drive motor 140 is a combination of a plurality of belts and pulleys, for example, as shown in FIG. The conveying rollers 100 are driven to convey the medium.

  The driving force of the A drive motor 140 that transports the medium 2 in the waste medium transport unit 90 is transmitted to the pulley 141 via the belt 143. Further, the rotational drive of the pulley 141 is transmitted to the opposing roller 92 of the waste medium transport unit 90 by the gear 142 connected to the pulley 141 to drive it. Then, the transmission of the driving force to the opposing roller 92 is connected by the electromagnetic clutch 94 (the electromagnetic clutch 94 is in the ON state) or disconnected (the electromagnetic clutch 94 is in the OFF state), thereby temporarily holding the medium to be discarded. The medium is held in the waste medium transport unit 90 which is a holding unit, the medium is returned to the first medium transport direction changing device 80, or the medium is sent to the waste medium storage unit 50.

  Further, another belt 144 hung on the pulley 141 is used for transporting the non-contact communication unit 100 and the transport drive pulley 145 that is rotatably mounted coaxially with the rotation shaft 84 of the first medium transport direction changing device 80. It is stretched around a pulley arranged coaxially with the facing roller 103.

  The driving force of the A drive motor 140 that drives the non-contact communication unit 100 is transmitted to the counter roller 103 by a pulley coaxially arranged with the counter roller 103, and to the counter roller 102 that is connected to the counter roller 103 by a belt and rotates synchronously. Is done. The non-contact communication unit 100 conveys the medium 2 to the first medium conveyance direction changing device 80 side or the medium discharge port 10 side by the opposed rollers 102 and 103.

  Next, the driving force of the A drive motor 140 transmitted to the transport driving pulley 145 of the first medium transport direction changing device 80 by the belt 144 applied to the pulley 141 is the medium 2 in the first medium transport direction changing device 80. Transport. That is, the rotation of the transport driving pulley 145 rotates the counter roller 82 via the gear 146, and the counter roller 83 rotates the other counter roller 83 via the belt and the pulley. As described above, the first medium transport direction changing device 80 drives the opposing rollers 82 and 83 of the first medium transport direction changing device 80 by the driving force of the A drive motor 140, and makes the medium 2 the first medium. The medium is held in the conveyance direction changing device 80, and the medium is conveyed between the printing device 70, the non-contact communication unit 100, and the waste medium storage unit 50. The rotation of the transport driving pulley 145 may be transmitted to the opposing roller 83 by a belt and a pulley instead of the gear 146.

  Further, the first medium transport direction changing device 80 is rotated by a rotation motor 85 that sends a driving force to the rotation shaft 84 via a belt 86. At this time, the conveyance drive pulley 145 that is rotatably mounted coaxially with the rotation shaft 84 is connected to the opposing roller 82 by a gear 146 and its rotation is restricted by the belt 144 as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the first medium transport direction changing device 80 is rotated, the gear 146 rotates relative to the transport drive pulley 145 and the opposing rollers 82 and 83 rotate to be held in the transport path 81. A medium rotation phenomenon in which a conveyance force acts on the medium 2 occurs. Therefore, in accordance with the rotation of the first medium conveyance direction changing device 80 by the rotation motor 85, the A drive motor 140 conveys the medium 2 in the direction in which the action of the conveyance force is canceled. Drive. In this case, it is preferable that the A drive motor 140 and the rotation motor 85 are stepping motors having the same step angle, and the rotation angles per step of the conveyance drive pulley 145 and the rotation shaft 84 are matched. With this configuration, the medium rotation phenomenon can be canceled by simple control.

  Similarly to the A drive motor 140, the B drive motor 150 is also a combination of a plurality of belts and pulleys. For example, as shown in FIG. The opposite roller for each of these is driven to carry the medium.

  Specifically, the driving force of the B drive motor 150 is transmitted to the pulleys 151 and 152 via the belt 153, and rotates the platen rollers 34 and 34 coaxially connected to the pulleys included in the pulleys 151 and 152. The platen rollers 34, 34 rotate the medium conveying counter rollers 31, 32, 33 via a belt. By such rotation, conveyance of the medium in the printing apparatus 70 is performed.

  Next, the driving force of the B drive motor 150 is transmitted to the pulley 154 of the cleaning medium holding unit 110 via another belt 156 that is hung on a pulley that is coaxially connected to the opposed roller 31 for conveying the medium, and the pulley 154 The counter roller 112 of the cleaning medium holding unit 110 is driven by a gear 157 connected to the cleaning medium holding unit 110. When the electromagnetic clutch 113 is disconnected (OFF state), the cleaning medium is held in the cleaning medium holding unit 110, and when the electromagnetic clutch 113 is connected (ON state), the B drive motor 150 is held. In response to the rotation, the cleaning medium 114 is exchanged with the second medium transport direction changing device 60.

  Further, the driving force of the B drive motor 150 is supplied to the conveyance driving pulley 68 of the second medium conveyance direction changing device 60 via another belt 156 that is applied to a pulley that is coaxially connected to the opposed roller 31 for conveying the medium. Rotate. The transport drive pulley 68 rotates the counter roller 63 via a gear or a belt and a pulley (not shown), and the counter roller 63 rotates another counter roller 62 via a belt and a pulley (not shown). As described above, the driving force of the B drive motor 150 drives the opposing rollers 62 and 63 of the second medium transport direction changing device 60 to move the medium 2 and the cleaning medium 114 in the second medium transport direction changing device 60. Or exchanged with the printing apparatus 70, or the newly issued medium 2 is received from the medium feeding unit 21. In addition, the cleaning medium 114 is exchanged with the cleaning medium holding unit 110.

  The rotation of the support shafts 69 and 69a (side plates 643 and 644) of the second medium transport direction changing device 60 applies a driving force to the rotation member 64 fixed to the support shafts 69 and 69a via a belt. This is performed by a rotation motor 65 for feeding. At this time, since the rotation of the transport driving pulley 68 that is rotatably mounted coaxially with the support shafts 69 and 69a is restricted by the belt 156, when the second medium transport direction changing device 60 is rotated, the transport driving pulley 68 is driven. Due to the relative rotation with respect to the pulley 68, the opposing rollers 62 and 63 rotate, and a medium rotation phenomenon occurs in which a conveyance force acts on the medium 2 (or the cleaning medium 114) held in the conveyance path 61. Accordingly, in accordance with the rotation of the second medium transport direction changing device 60 by the rotation motor 65, the B drive motor is configured to transport the medium 2 (or the cleaning medium 114) in a direction in which the action of the transport force is canceled. 150 preferably drives the transport drive pulley 68. In this case, it is preferable that the B drive motor 150 and the rotation motor 65 are stepping motors having the same step angle, and the rotation angles per step of the conveyance drive pulley 68 and the rotation member 64 (side plates 643 and 644) are matched. With this configuration, the medium rotation phenomenon can be canceled by simple control.

  As described above, by using the drive motor for transporting the medium 2, the old medium and the new medium can be independently transported in the apparatus as in the case of update of the medium, so that the processing time is shortened. In addition, since it is possible to reduce the number of belts and pulleys, it is possible to reduce the size and cost. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 8, two of the A drive motor 140 and the B drive motor 150 are mainly used, but may be configured by one drive motor. In addition, when comprising by one drive motor, providing with a mechanical clutch etc. is preferable.

  Next, a new issue operation will be described. The new issue of the medium 2 is that the lowest medium 2a among the media 2 stacked in the hopper 20 is fed out by the claw portion of the pushing member 221 and conveyed into the second medium conveying direction changing device 60. The second medium transport direction changing device 60 is rotated at the same angle as the inclined transport path 30 to switch the medium transport direction. Next, the sheet is conveyed from the second medium conveyance direction changing device 60 into the printing device 70 disposed on the inclined conveyance path 30, and predetermined information is printed on the medium surface by the print head 71 provided in the printing device 70. At this time, the print head 71 is lowered by the print head drive motor 74 until it comes into contact with the medium surface, and printing is performed while being in contact with the medium surface. After the printing is completed, the print head 71 is raised to the original position by the print head drive motor 74. Thereafter, the medium 2 is transported to the first medium transport direction changing device 80 that is waiting in a state of being rotated at the same angle as the inclined transport path 30. The first medium transport direction changing device 80 that has received the medium 2 rotates until it reaches the horizontal direction in order to transport the medium 2 to the non-contact communication unit 100, and then transports it to the non-contact communication unit 100. In the non-contact communication unit 100, predetermined information is stored and stored in an IC built in the medium 2 by non-contact communication between the antenna unit 104 and the medium 2, and finally, the medium 2 is stored in the medium discharge port 10. Is sent to the user's hand. If necessary, before the processing by the non-contact communication unit 100, the magnetic medium reader / writer 120 may perform a magnetic data recording process by branching from the first medium transport direction changing device 80.

  Next, the rewriting issue operation will be described. When the medium 2 in use is inserted into the medium discharge port 10, the width sensor (not shown) provided in the medium discharge port 10 detects the card-like medium 2 and opens the shutter 11 to rewrite and issue the non-contact communication unit. 100. In the non-contact communication unit 100, reading and writing of predetermined information with the IC built in the medium 2 is executed by non-contact communication, and thereafter, the first information held in the same horizontal as the non-contact communication unit 100 is used. It is conveyed to the medium conveyance direction changing device 80. The first medium transport direction changing device 80 that has received the medium 2 rotates to the same angle as the inclined transport path 30, then transports the medium 2 into the printing device 70, and then to the same angle as the inclined transport path 30. The medium 2 is transported to the second medium transport direction changing device 60 that has been rotated. From the second medium transport direction changing device 60, it is transported again into the printing device 70 in accordance with an instruction from the top of the device. Print information. After printing, it is returned to the user's hand from the medium discharge port 10 via the first medium conveyance direction changing device 80 and the non-contact communication unit 100. Also in this case, if necessary, after the processing by the non-contact communication unit 100, the magnetic data reader / writer 120 may perform magnetic data recording processing.

  Next, the update issue operation will be described. Renewal issuance (refers to discarding a medium whose usable period has expired and newly issuing a medium) is a width sensor provided in the medium discharge port 10 when the medium 2 being used is inserted into the medium discharge port 10 Detects the card-like medium 2, opens the shutter 11, and is conveyed to the non-contact communication unit 100. In the non-contact communication unit 100, reading of predetermined information by non-contact communication with respect to the medium 2 is executed, and when it is determined to issue an update based on the communication result, the predetermined information read for update is Temporarily stored in a host device or the like. Then, the medium 2 to be updated is transported to the first medium transport direction changing device 80 that is held in the same level as the non-contact communication unit 100. The medium 2 taken into the first medium transport direction changing device 80 is not transported to the inclined transport path 30, and the first medium transport direction changing device 80 is reversely rotated to be temporarily held in a lower part. And is held as a medium waiting for disposal processing. Next, a new medium 2 is issued in the same procedure as the above-described new issue. The new medium 2 is transported to the non-contact communication unit 100 via the first medium transport direction changing device 80, and information temporarily stored in the host device or the like is written to the new medium 2. Then, when this writing is confirmed or when it is confirmed that a new medium 2 has passed from the medium discharge port 10 to the user's hand, the disposal process held in the discard medium transport unit 90 which is a temporary holding unit The used medium 2 waiting is further discharged into the waste medium storage unit 50 obliquely below the discharged medium 2 after being discharged by the discharging brush 93.

  Next, the medium discarding operation will be described. The input (discarding) of the medium 2 to the waste medium storage unit 50 is performed via the waste medium transport unit 90. The medium 2 input from the medium discharge port 10 is sent by the non-contact communication unit 100 arranged immediately behind (inside the apparatus 1) or via the first medium conveyance direction changing apparatus 80. The magnetic medium reader / writer 120 reads the information and determines whether it is a waste medium. When the non-contact communication unit 100 reads that the medium is a waste medium, the waste medium is transported to the first medium transport direction changing device 80 and held at the same angle as the angle of the waste medium transport unit 90. Until the first medium transport direction changing device 80 rotates. Next, the waste medium is transported from the first medium transport direction changing device 80 to the waste medium transport unit 90. On the other hand, when it is read by the magnetic medium reader / writer 100 that the medium is a waste medium, the waste medium is returned to the first medium transport direction changing device 80 and held at the same angle as that of the waste medium transport unit 90. Until the first medium transport direction changing device 80 is rotated. Next, the waste medium is transported from the first medium transport direction changing device 80 to the waste medium transport unit 90.

  At this time, the waste medium transported to the waste medium transport unit 90 may be input to the waste medium storage unit 50 without being held there, but preferably until a new medium is issued, that is, the new medium is stored in the hopper 20. It is preferable to hold (temporarily hold) until it is confirmed that the information communication is completed by the non-contact communication unit 100. Then, after confirming that the information communication to the new medium has been completed, and after the new medium 2 is issued, the discard medium can be thrown into the discard medium storage unit 50 from the discard medium transport unit 90 as a temporary storage unit. preferable. By adopting such a method, when the new medium 2 is updated and issued, it is possible to discard the conventional non-contact IC card after confirming that information writing or the like has been performed reliably. Even when the card issuance is issued, a quick and reliable process can be performed.

  As described above, according to the medium processing apparatus including the medium conveyance direction conversion device, the medium conveyance direction can be easily and accurately converted. In addition, space saving can be realized for the entire apparatus, and other processing apparatuses can be arranged in a space with a sufficient margin, so that the conveyance direction can be easily rotated and converted in the direction of such a processing apparatus. As a result, a space-saving medium processing apparatus that can issue a new issue or update issue of a magnetic card, an IC card, etc., and further issue a rewrite can be obtained.

  In the medium conveyance direction conversion device of the above-described embodiment, the side plate and the medium conveyance unit are rotated by driving the rotation member provided on the support shaft by the belt, but instead, the side plate is a disc. It is good also as a structure which forms in a shape or a gear shape, and transmits rotational driving force to the side plate directly from the outer periphery.

(Other embodiments)
Next, another embodiment of the medium transport direction changing apparatus of the present invention and a medium processing apparatus including the medium transport direction changing apparatus will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a front view showing another embodiment of the medium transport direction changing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a perspective front view for explaining the medium transport path of the medium transport direction changing device shown in FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is a view of the medium transport direction changing device shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a view of the medium transport direction changing device shown in FIG. 9 as viewed from above. 13 is an explanatory view showing the positional relationship when the clutch means and the slit plate provided in the medium conveyance direction changing device shown in FIG. 9 are driven, and FIG. 14 is provided in the medium conveyance direction changing device shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship at the time of the maintenance of a clutch means and a slit board. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a swinging knob, a switching lever, and the like that swing the clutch means and the slit plate included in the medium transport direction changing device shown in FIG. 9, and FIGS. FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of a stopper structure that regulates the rotation range of the medium transport direction changing device shown in FIG. 9. Note that the medium conveyance direction changing device 800 shown in FIGS. 9 to 18 described below is described using the first medium conveyance direction changing device 80 of the first and second medium conveyance direction changing devices described above. To do.

  As shown in FIG. 9 and the like, the first medium transport direction changing device 800 includes a rotating body 802 composed of two molded bodies with a medium transport unit 810 inside. The rotating body 802 includes a medium conveyance unit 810 that receives and sends out the medium 2 from the medium conveyance path 101 of the non-contact communication unit 100 or the inclined conveyance path 30 of the printing apparatus 70 shown in FIG. Further, the medium transport direction changing device 800 includes a support shaft 803 that supports the rotating body 802 so as to be rotatable from the outside, a rotating motor 85 that is a first drive source for rotating the rotating body 802, and its rotation. The rotating member 804 that rotates the rotating body 802 in response to the driving force from the moving motor 85 is provided at a position where the axis of the support shaft 803 and the rotation center of the rotating body 802 coincide with each other. A transmission member 808 that transmits a driving force for transporting the medium 2 to the transport unit 810, and an A drive motor 140 that is provided independently of the rotating body 802 and that is a second drive source that drives the transmission member 808. ,have. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 809 denotes an optical sensor that detects the presence or absence of the medium 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the rotating body 802 includes a medium transport unit 810 and is rotatably supported using a support shaft 803 as a rotation center axis. The constituent material of the rotating body 802 is not particularly limited, but is preferably molded from a resin material. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the rotating body 802 can be composed of a first molded body 802A and a second molded body 802B. The first molded body 802A and the second molded body 802B can be integrated by fitting the male and female end faces. Since the rotating body 802 formed of a resin material can realize a significant weight reduction, a quick rotating operation can be realized. Further, if the rotating body is molded with a conductive resin material in which a conductive material is mixed with the resin material, the generation of static electricity can be prevented, and noise generated from electric means such as a drive motor can be shielded. is there.

  In the case where the rotating body 802 is formed of a molded body, the inside thereof is a cavity, and in the cavity, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a transport roller or the like constituting the medium transport unit 810 (see FIG. 4 and the same structural member as shown in FIG. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the rotating body 802 is provided in the vicinity of the end of one side of the medium transport unit 810 and the medium transport unit 810 that holds and transports the medium 2. In addition, a pair of opposed rollers 857 and 861 and a pair of opposed rollers 858 and 862 provided near the end of the other side of the medium conveying unit 810 are provided. Of the opposing rollers, rollers 857 and 858 located on the lower side when FIG. 10 is viewed from the front are conveying rollers directly connected to the driving source, and rollers 861 and 862 located on the upper side are pad rollers not directly connected to the driving source. It is. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the rotating body 802 is provided with a slit guide 843 that guides the medium 2 to move along the medium transport unit 810. In addition, when the rotating body 802 is viewed from above or below, an introduction guide 846 for making it easier to guide the medium 2 to the medium conveyance unit 810 is provided at the entrance / exit of the medium conveyance unit 810 as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12. Is provided.

  The rotating operation of the rotating body 802 is performed by the rotating motor 85. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the power of the rotation motor 85 is transmitted to the rotation body 802 via the pulley 851, the belt 86, and the rotation member (pulley) 804, and the rotation body 802. Rotate. In addition, the code | symbol 852 in FIG. 12 is a knob which adjusts the position of the rotation body 802 manually, and this knob 852 is utilized when trying to move the rotation body 802 to arbitrary positions, for example.

  The medium conveying unit 810 conveys the medium 2 in a predetermined direction with the medium 2 being sandwiched from above and below, and the conveyance is performed as shown in FIG. 10 as a pair of opposed ones provided near one end of the medium conveying unit 810. The rollers 857 and 861 and a pair of opposed rollers 858 and 862 provided in the vicinity of the other end of the medium conveying unit 810 are performed. The medium transport unit 810 is driven by the driving force transmitted from the A driving motor 140 shown in FIG. The conveyance rollers 857 and 858 provided in the medium conveyance unit 810 are interlocked so as to rotate synchronously via a pulley and a belt. Note that the transport rollers 857 and 858 of the present embodiment also serve as pulleys, and the medium 2 is transported on the back surface of the belt 859 that spans the pulleys that are the transport rollers 857 and 858. Specifically, the driving force from the A drive motor 140 includes a belt 144, a gear serving as a transmission member 808, clutch means (gear) 856, a gear 882, and a conveying roller 858 provided coaxially with the gear 882. The driving force is transmitted through the path of the belt 859 and the conveying roller 857. Reference numeral 860 denotes an idler, and the shafts of the rollers 857, 858, 861, and 862 are supported by the rotating body 802.

  The drive mechanism of the medium 2 by the medium conveyance path 810 is not limited to the illustrated example, and various forms can be adopted within the scope of the gist of the present invention. In addition, transmission of the driving force from the A driving motor 140 is performed by a pulley and a belt as shown in the figure, but a gear may be used.

  Further, the rotation of the medium transport direction changing device 800 is performed by a rotation motor 85 that sends a driving force to the rotation member (pulley) 804 via the belt 86, but at this time, it is coaxial with the rotation member 804. The attached transmission member (gear) 808 is connected via a clutch means (gear) 856 to a gear 882 coaxially connected to the conveying roller 858 as shown in FIGS. At the same time, since the rotation is restricted by the belt 144, when the medium transport direction changing device 800 is rotated, the clutch means 856 rotates relative to the transmission member 808, and the transport rollers 858 and 857 rotate. A “medium accompanying phenomenon” occurs in which a transport force acts on the medium 2 held in the medium transport path 810. In the embodiment described above, the A drive motor 140 is configured to transport the medium 2 in the direction in which the action of the transport force is canceled in accordance with the rotation of the medium transport direction changing device by the rotation motor 85. However, in this embodiment, a means for preventing the occurrence of the “medium accompanying phenomenon” during maintenance when the drive source is shut off will be described.

(Mechanism to prevent media rotation)
As shown in FIGS. 10, 13, and 14, the medium transport direction changing device 800 according to this embodiment is connected at a connection position (see FIG. 10) for connecting drive transmission from a transmission member (gear) 808 to the medium transport unit 810. 13) and a clutch means (gear) 856 that can move between a transmission member (gear) 808 and a cutting position (position shown in FIG. 14) that cuts transmission of drive from the medium conveying unit 810. There is a special feature.

  As for the “medium accompanying phenomenon”, as described above, the A drive that is the second drive source corresponding to the rotation of the rotation member (pulley) 804 by the rotation motor 85 that is the first drive source. The motor 140 causes the transmission member (gear) 808 to rotate synchronously in the same direction as the rotation member 804, thereby making it easy and easy to cancel the medium rotation phenomenon without using a mechanism component such as a clutch or a stopper. However, for example, when the manual operation is performed with the drive source shut off as in maintenance, if the medium 2 remains in the medium transport unit 810 in the rotating body 802, the rotating body 802 is manually rotated. Therefore, the “medium accompanying phenomenon” in which the medium 2 is moved by driving the conveying rollers 858 and 857 cannot be solved. This is because the power source of the drive system is generally shut off during maintenance, and the canceling control for the medium rotation phenomenon as described above cannot be executed. However, according to the medium conveyance direction changing apparatus 800 according to this embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 10, 13 and 14, etc., the clutch means 856 is arranged at the connection position as shown in FIG. 13 or as shown in FIG. The drive operation from the transmission member 808 to the medium transport unit 810 can be connected or disconnected by a moving operation that is arranged at a proper cutting position. As a result, even if it is not possible to execute the cancellation control of the medium rotation phenomenon as in the maintenance with the power source shut off, the conveyance direction of the medium 2 can be switched while the medium 2 is retained in the medium conveyance unit 810. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a medium spinning phenomenon and to prevent jamming.

  In the examples of FIGS. 10, 13 and 14, a transmission member 808 is employed by a gear coupling structure in which a gear (also referred to as an idle gear) is employed as the clutch means 856 and the gear can be moved. However, in the present invention, a belt coupling structure may be employed in which a belt is employed as the clutch means to adjust the looseness of the belt. When adopting a belt connection structure that adjusts the looseness of the belt, a pulley is used as the transmission member 808, a pulley is connected on the same shaft as the conveying roller 858, and the belt is stretched between the two pulleys. By providing an idler so as to adjust the looseness of the belt, it is possible to provide the same function as the clutch means comprising the above gear.

  The clutch means 856 is provided on the slit plate 821 as shown in FIGS. The slit plate 821 is provided so as to freely rotate with respect to the support shaft 803. However, the rotation range is restricted by the restricting means, and the slit plate 821 moves between the connection position and the cutting position of the clutch means 856. Limited to the corresponding range. As described in detail in the explanation paragraph of FIG. 7 above, the slit plate 821 can be provided with rotational positioning slits a, b, c provided at a plurality of positions corresponding to the transport direction. Since these rotational positioning slits a, b, and c have the same effects as those described in detail in the explanation paragraph of FIG. 7, the explanation thereof is omitted here, but the clutch means 856 and the slit plate 821 are provided together. By doing so, it is possible to detect and control the position of the rotating body 802 during the rotating operation with the clutch means 856 connected.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the clutch means 856 is moved from the connection position and the driving force between the transmission member 808 and the gear 882 is cut, the rotational positioning slits a, b, c provided on the slit plate 821 are provided. And the positional relationship between the home slits 825 and 826 provided in the rotating body 802 deviates from the positional relationship during driving shown in FIG. Therefore, by controlling the positional relationship of each slit with a host device, if the positional relationship of each slit deviates from the positional relationship at the time of driving, it is possible to control so that the drive switch of the entire device is not turned ON. it can.

  For example, FIG. 14 shows a state in which the clutch means 856 is disconnected, but this positional relationship is a state in which the rotational positioning slit a is disposed between the home slits 825 and 826. By detecting the positional relationship with the position detection sensor PS and the home position sensor HS, the clutch means 856 established in the slit plate 821 is configured to output a control signal “not in a predetermined position during driving”. Can do. By doing so, the rotational positioning slits a, b, and c provided in the slit plate 821 recognize the positional relationship such as whether the drive is possible or the maintenance state, and each state is determined. A corresponding control signal can be output.

  As described above, the rotation position of the rotation body 802 is detected by each slit (rotation positioning slits a, b, c and home slits 825, 826) and each sensor (position detection sensor PS and home position sensor HS). However, according to the medium transport direction changing device 800 according to this embodiment, the slit plate 821 provided with the clutch means 856 is rotatable with respect to the support shaft 803, and the position detection sensor PS or the home position sensor HS is used. Since it is provided so that it can be detected, for example, during maintenance when the power source is shut off, when the clutch means 856 moves between the connected position and the disconnected position by the rotation of the slit plate 821, the slit plate 821 Can be prevented from forgetting to return to the original position. Specifically, this can be dealt with by generating a detection abnormality signal until the slit plate 821 returns to the original position.

  The restricting means restricts the rotation range of the slit plate 821 provided with the clutch means 856, and can be realized by a structure that restricts the moving range of the switching lever 830 connected to the slit plate 821. As a specific example, as shown in the perspective front view of FIG. 10 and the configuration diagrams of FIGS. 13 to 15, the slit plate 821 provided with the clutch means 856 has a switching lever shaft 833 connected to the switching lever 830. Although it rotates by swinging, it can be realized by a structure in which the moving range of the switching lever shaft 833 is limited by the curved elongated hole 840. That is, as the restricting means, the switching lever shaft 833 has a switching lever 830 that swings the switching lever shaft 833 to rotate the slit plate 821, and the swing range of the switching lever shaft 833 is defined by the clutch means 856. What consists of the curved long hole 840 restrict | limited to the range corresponding to the movement between a connection position and a cutting | disconnection position can be mentioned preferably. The curved long hole 840 is a long hole that is curved in an arc shape centering on the swing shaft 838, and the switching lever shaft 833 is disposed in the curved long hole 840 in the Q direction as shown in FIGS. And in the opposite direction, it moves around the rocking shaft 838.

  In addition to the above-described example, a protrusion (not shown) that can be brought into contact with the switching lever 830 when the clutch unit 856 is located at each of the connection position and the cutting position is established on the rotating body 802, and the switching lever 830 May be restricted to a range corresponding to the movement between the connection position and the disconnection position of the clutch means 856. In this case, the curved elongated hole 840 serves as an escape portion that allows the switching lever shaft 833 to protrude toward the side plate 654.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12 to 15, the switching lever 830 is a plate-like member provided with a swing shaft 838 and a switching lever shaft 833 at an eccentric position. Further, the swing shaft 838 is rotatably supported by the rotating body 802 at an eccentric position with respect to the support shaft 803. One end of the swing shaft 838 is provided with the switching lever 830, and the other end of the swing shaft 838 is provided with a swing knob 831 that swings the switch lever 830. The swing knob 831 has a biasing means (spring) 839 for biasing the swing shaft 838 toward the rotating body 802.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12 to 15, one end of the switching lever shaft 833 is provided on the switching lever 830 so as to be an eccentric position of the swing shaft 838, and the other end is formed on the slit plate 821. Is engaged with the elongated hole 835. As a result, by turning the swing knob 831 to swing the switch lever 830, the switch lever shaft 833 engaged with the elongated hole 835 rotates the slit plate 821, and the clutch means 856 is moved between the connected position and the cut position. Can be rotated between. The moving range of the switching lever shaft 833 is restricted by the curved elongated hole 840. Alternatively, the movement range of the switching lever 830 is restricted by a projection (not shown). Note that reference numeral 836 shown in FIGS. 12 and 15 indicates a connecting portion where the switching lever shaft 833 is connected to the slit plate 821.

  Further, the medium transport direction changing device 800 of this embodiment includes a lock unit that fixes the slit plate 856 at positions corresponding to the connection position and the cutting position, respectively. As the locking means, for example, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, a structure including a lock pin 832 provided on the switching lever 830 and lock pin engaging portions 811 and 812 provided on the rotating body 802 can be exemplified. As the lock pin 832, a protruding pin provided in the vicinity of the middle of the switching lever 830 can be preferably exemplified, but the shape is not necessarily limited to that, and any pin having the same function and effect may be used. Further, as the lock pin engaging portions 811 and 812, for example, as shown in FIG. 16, a concave groove formed in a trapezoidal member formed in an arc shape along the movement locus of the lock pin 832 can be preferably exemplified. . In addition, the code | symbol 813,814,815 in FIG. 16 has pointed out the trapezoid part other than a groove | channel.

  Further, since the swing knob 831 has biasing means (spring) 839 for biasing the swing shaft 838 toward the rotating body 802, the swing knob 831 is applied to the biasing means (spring) 839. By pulling against each other, the engagement between the lock pin 832 and the lock pin engaging portions 811 and 812 can be released. As a result, when the swing lever 831 is operated to rotate the switching lever 830, it can be operated with one hand.

  A molded body 802A shown in FIG. 16 shows one of the two molded bodies constituting the rotating body 802, and its wall surface allows the switching lever shaft 833 to pass therethrough so that the rotational movement is possible. A curved long hole 819 is provided. The elongated hole 819 is formed at a position corresponding to the curved elongated hole 840. The member shown in FIG. 17 is a flange member 841 having a curved long hole 840 used as a restricting means, and is installed on the inner wall surface of the molded body 802A.

  According to the medium conveyance direction changing apparatus 800 having the restriction means and the lock means as described above, the drive transmission from the transmission member 808 to the medium conveyance unit 810 is connected or disconnected by the movement operation of the clutch means 856. Therefore, even when the canceling control of the medium rotation phenomenon cannot be executed as in the maintenance with the power source shut off, the medium is kept while the card-like medium 2 is retained in the medium transport unit 810. 2 can be switched, so that the phenomenon of accompanying media can be prevented and jamming can be prevented.

  In the other embodiments of the medium transport direction changing apparatus of the present invention described above, those that are common to the above-described embodiments mainly described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 relate to the other embodiments. Since it can be similarly applied to the medium transport direction changing device 800, the description thereof is omitted here. FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of a stopper structure that regulates the rotation range of the medium conveyance direction changing device shown in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 18, the medium conveyance direction changing device 800 includes a support shaft. An arcuate slit 807 that acts as a slide guide and a stop guide may be formed with respect to the rotation of the rotating body 802 that rotates about the center of rotation. The shape of the slit 807 may be substantially semicircular as shown in FIG. 18, but is not limited thereto.

It is a see-through | perspective side view which shows an example of the medium processing apparatus of this invention. It is a front view which shows embodiment of the medium conveyance direction change apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a front view for demonstrating the medium conveyance path of the medium conveyance direction conversion apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram when the medium transport direction changing device shown in FIG. 2 is viewed from below. FIG. 3 is a diagram when the medium transport direction changing device shown in FIG. 2 is viewed from above. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a positional relationship between a rotation angle control slit and a sensor of the medium transport direction changing device shown in FIG. 2. It is explanatory drawing of the positional relationship of a slit when the conveyance direction is changed in the 1st medium conveyance direction conversion apparatus. It is a see-through | perspective side view which shows an example of the drive system of the medium processing apparatus of this invention. It is a front view which shows other embodiment of the medium conveyance direction change apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a front view for demonstrating the medium conveyance path of the medium conveyance direction conversion apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram when the medium transport direction changing device shown in FIG. 9 is viewed from below. FIG. 10 is a diagram when the medium transport direction changing device shown in FIG. 9 is viewed from above. It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship at the time of the drive of the clutch means with which the medium conveyance direction conversion apparatus shown in FIG. 9 is provided, and a slit board. It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship at the time of the maintenance of the clutch means with which the medium conveyance direction conversion apparatus shown in FIG. 9 is equipped, and a slit board. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a swing knob, a switching lever, and the like that swing the clutch means and the slit plate included in the medium transport direction changing device shown in FIG. 9. It is explanatory drawing of the structural member of the control means with which the medium conveyance direction conversion apparatus shown in FIG. 9 is provided, and a locking means. It is explanatory drawing of the structural member of the control means with which the medium conveyance direction conversion apparatus shown in FIG. 9 is provided, and a locking means. It is explanatory drawing of the stopper structure which controls the rotation range of the medium conveyance direction conversion apparatus shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Medium processing apparatus 2,2a Medium 10 Medium discharge port 20 Hopper 21 Medium delivery part 22 Medium delivery mechanism 30 Inclined conveyance path 50 Waste medium storage part (reject cassette)
60 Second medium transport direction changing device 61 Transport path 62, 63 Opposing roller 64 Rotating member 65 Rotating motor 70 Printing device 80 First medium transport direction changing device 81 Transport path 82, 83 Opposing roller 84 Rotating shaft 85 Rotating motor 86 belt 90 waste medium transport unit 100 non-contact communication unit 101 transport path 110 cleaning medium holding unit 120 magnetic medium reader / writer 130 power supply unit 140 A drive motor 145 transport drive pulley 146 gear 150 B drive motor 151, 152, 154 Pulley 153, 156 Belt 800 Medium conveying direction change device 802 Rotating body 802A First molded body 802B Second molded body 803 Support shaft 804 Rotating member 807 Arc-shaped slit 808 Transmission member 809 Sensor 810 Medium conveying portion 811 812 Lock pin Engagement part 8 13,814,815 Plate-like part other than groove 819 Curved long hole 821 Slit plate 825,826 Home slit 830 Switching lever 831 Swing knob 832 Lock pin 833 Switching lever shaft 835 Long hole 836 Connecting part 838 Swing shaft 839 Energizing means 840 Curved long hole 841 Flange member 843 Slit guide 846 Introduction guide 851 Pulley 852 Knob 856 Clutch means 857, 858, 861, 862 Roller 859 Belt 860 Idler 882 Gear

Claims (14)

A medium conveyance direction conversion device that is provided in a medium conveyance path for conveying a card-like medium and converts the conveyance direction of the medium,
A rotating body that internally includes a medium transport unit that receives and sends out the medium from the medium transport path;
A support shaft that rotatably supports the rotating body from the outside;
A first drive source for rotating the rotating body;
A rotating member that rotates the rotating body in response to a driving force from the first driving source;
A transmission member provided at a position where the axis of the support shaft and the rotation center of the rotating body coincide with each other, and transmitting a driving force for conveying the medium to the medium conveying unit;
A medium transport direction changing device, comprising: a second driving source that is provided independently of the rotating body and drives the transmission member.   The medium transport direction changing device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body includes a pair of side plates that rotate integrally and the medium transport unit provided between the pair of side plates.   The medium transport direction changing device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body includes two molded bodies.   The said support shaft is provided with the said rotation member which receives the drive force from the said 1st drive source, and the said transmission member which receives the drive force of the said 2nd drive source. The medium transport direction changing device according to any one of the above.   5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second drive source synchronously rotates the transmission member in the same direction as the rotation member in response to the rotation of the rotation member by the first drive source. The medium transport direction changing device according to claim 1.   The first driving source and the second driving source are stepping motors, and the rotation angle of the rotating member per step of the first driving source and one of the second driving source. The medium transport direction changing device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation angle per step is equal.   Clutch means movable between a connection position for connecting drive transmission from the transmission member to the medium transport unit and a cutting position for cutting drive transmission from the transmission member to the medium transport unit; The medium transport direction changing device according to claim 1. Rotation positioning slits provided at a plurality of positions corresponding to the conveyance direction of the medium;
A position detection sensor corresponding to the rotation positioning slit;
A home slit provided for initial position detection;
The medium transport direction changing device according to claim 1, further comprising a home position sensor corresponding to the home slit.   The medium transport direction changing device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a slit plate provided with the clutch means is rotatably provided with respect to the support shaft. Restriction means for restricting the rotation range of the slit plate to a range corresponding to the movement between the connection position and the cutting position of the clutch means;
The medium transport direction changing device according to claim 9, further comprising: a lock unit that fixes the slit plate at a position corresponding to each of the connection position and the cutting position. A switching lever having a switching lever shaft, and swinging the switching lever shaft to rotate the slit plate;
Restriction means for restricting the swing range of the switching lever shaft to a range corresponding to the movement between the connection position and the disconnection position of the clutch means;
Locking means for fixing the switching lever at positions corresponding to the connection position and the cutting position,
The switching lever has a swing shaft, the swing shaft is rotatably supported by the rotating body at an eccentric position with respect to the support shaft, the switching lever is provided on one end side of the swing shaft, and the swing lever The medium direction changing device according to claim 9, further comprising a swing knob that swings the switching lever on the other end side of the shaft. Biasing means for biasing the swing shaft toward the rotating body;
The lock means includes a lock pin provided on the switching lever and a lock pin engaging part provided on the rotating body, and the lock means is used when the swing knob is pulled against the biasing means. The medium transport direction changing device according to claim 11, wherein the engagement between the pin and the lock pin engaging portion is released.   The medium according to claim 1, wherein the medium transport unit includes a medium detection sensor that detects holding of the medium, and a signal line of the medium detection sensor is drawn from the vicinity of the support shaft. Transport direction changing device. A conveyance path that conveys the card-like medium by bending or branching at an angle;
An information writing unit disposed on the transport path for writing or reading information on the medium;
A medium processing apparatus comprising: the medium conveyance direction changing device according to claim 1, wherein the medium conveyance direction conversion apparatus is provided in the conveyance path and converts the conveyance direction of the medium according to the angle.

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