JP2544004B2 - Card transaction recorder - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial applications]

The present invention relates to a card transaction recording apparatus suitable for optically reading embossed (uneven) characters on a card such as a cash card or a credit card.

[Prior art]

Conventionally, there is an apparatus configured to identify a card by optically reading an embossed character such as a customer number formed on a card such as a cash card or a credit card. As this type of device, for example, a device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-188993 has been proposed. In the apparatus described in this publication, a plurality of light sources arranged in at least two directions irradiate light on an embossed character to form a shadow portion caused by an embossed convex portion, and the shadow portion is synthesized. The embossed letters are highlighted. Thus, even when the background color of the card and the color of the convex portion of the embossed character are similar colors, the embossed character can be read by surely forming a shadow beside the convex portion of the embossed character.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional device, since a shadow is generated beside the convex portion of the embossed character applied to the card to obtain an embossed image, the shadow can be read when the background color of the card is relatively bright. However, if the background color of the card is relatively dark, there is a problem that the shadow and the background color cannot be discriminated from each other, and thus the embossed character cannot be read. The present invention solves the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a card transaction recording device capable of reliably reading embossed characters even when the background color of the card is relatively dark.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

The invention according to claim 1 is provided on a side facing a convex portion of the emboss formed on the card, and a convex portion side illumination means for irradiating the convex portion side of the emboss with light in a direction inclined with respect to the card surface, The concave side illumination means provided on the side facing the concave part of the emboss formed on the card and radiating light in a direction intersecting with the card from the concave side of the emboss, and the card surface by light from the convex side illuminating means. And a detecting means for detecting a pattern generated on the convex side of the card by the shadow generated on the card and the light beam emitted from the concave side illuminating means and transmitted to the front side of the card. According to a second aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the color of the background of the card surface is determined based on the detection output of the detection means, and based on the determination result, it is determined whether to activate the recess side illumination means. It is characterized in that it further comprises a background color determining means. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, magnetic reading means for reading the magnetic recording data recorded on the card,
Card type determination means for determining the type of card based on the magnetic recording data read by the magnetic reading means and determining whether to activate the recess side illumination means based on the determination result is further provided. It is characterized by According to the invention of claim 4, in the invention of claim 3, the background color of the card surface is determined based on the detection capability of the detection means, and the determination result is given priority over the determination result of the card type determination means, It is characterized in that base color determination means for determining whether or not to activate the recess side illumination means is further provided. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transfer means for reciprocally moving the card with respect to the card detection section including the convex side illumination means, the detection means, and the concave side illumination means, and the transfer means. When the card is transferred in one direction, the recess side illumination means is turned off, and the detection means detects the card surface pattern by the detection means, and the detection means detects the detection means under the control of the detection control means. A recordability determining means for inspecting the card surface pattern and determining whether or not the card surface pattern is a readable pattern based on the inspection result, and the recordability determining means for determining that the card surface pattern is not a readable pattern In this case, when the card is transferred in the other direction by the transfer means, the recess side illumination means is turned on and the detection means is caused to detect the pattern on the card surface. Characterized by comprising further arranged a control unit. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transfer means for reciprocally moving the card with respect to the card detection section composed of the convex side illumination means, the detection means, and the concave side illumination means, and the transfer means. Lighting control means for turning off or lighting the recess side illumination means when the card is transferred in one direction, and lighting or turning off the recess side lighting means when the card is transferred to the other direction by the transfer means; Storage means for storing the card surface pattern detected by the detecting means at the time of transferring the card and the card surface pattern detected by the detecting means at the time of transferring the card in the other direction, and both of the card surfaces stored in the storing means It is characterized by further comprising recording selection means for comparing patterns and selecting a card surface pattern to be recorded based on the comparison result.

[Action]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the embossed convex side of the card is irradiated with light from the convex side illumination means, and the embossed concave side is illuminated with light from the concave side illumination means, and the card surface pattern is detected by the detection means. To detect. In this case, since the thickness of the embossed side portion between the embossed convex portion and the card surface is smaller than the thickness of the card base and the embossed convex portion, the light from the concave portion side illumination means is easily transmitted. As a result, a bright portion appears in a state of surrounding the embossed convex portion of the card, so that even in the case of a card with a dark background color, the embossed character can be surely highlighted and detected. According to the invention of claim 2, the background color determining means determines whether or not the recess side illuminating means can be operated based on the determination result of the background color of the card surface. By turning on the illumination means, the embossed character of the card can be surely highlighted and detected. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the card type determining means determines whether or not the recess side illuminating means can operate based on the determination result of the card type based on the magnetic recording data read by the magnetic recording means. In this case, by turning on the recess side illumination means, the embossed character of the card can be surely highlighted and detected. According to the invention of claim 4, since the judgment result of the background color judging means is prioritized over the judgment result of the card type judging means, even in the case of a card of a light background color, the background of the actually detected card is By determining whether or not the concave side illumination means can be operated based on the color, it is possible to sufficiently deal with the change of the card design. According to the invention of claim 5, the card surface pattern is detected while the card is transferred by the transfer means while the recess side illumination means is turned off, and it is determined whether or not the detected card surface pattern is readable and read. If it is determined that the pattern is not possible, the card is re-transferred while the recess side illumination means is on and the card surface pattern is detected, so that the card detection accuracy can be improved. According to the invention of claim 6, the card surface pattern is detected when the card is transferred by the transfer means at least twice and the concave side illumination means is turned on and off, and the card surface pattern should be recorded. Since the card surface pattern is selected and stored, the card detection accuracy can be improved.

【Example】

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a card transaction recording apparatus according to the first embodiment. For example, a card 1 such as a cash card or a credit card has an embossed character 2 such as a customer number.
The card 1 can be identified by reading the embossed character 2.
In this case, since the card 1 is provided with the embossed character 2, the side portion 3 of the embossed character 2 between the convex portion of the embossed character 2 and the surface of the card 1 is the base of the card 1 or the embossed character 2. The wall thickness is smaller than that of the convex portion. Further, a light source 4 for illuminating the convex side of the embossed character 2 obliquely from above is arranged above the card 1, while a concave portion of the embossed character 2 is illuminated below the card 1. A light source 5 is arranged. Further, an image sensor 6 for detecting the shadow of the embossed character 2 by the reflected light of the embossed character 2 is arranged above the card 1. Next, the operation of the first embodiment having the above configuration will be described. As mentioned above, the boundary 3 between the embossed character 2 and the card 1
Is formed thinner than the embossed character 2 and the card 1 itself, so that when the light source 5 below the card 1 illuminates the recessed side of the embossed character 2, a part of the light from the light source 5 becomes a boundary 3.
Through. Therefore, even when the background color of the card 1 is relatively dark, the difference in brightness between the shadow of the embossed character 2 illuminated by the light source 4 above the card 1 and the boundary 3 becomes large, and the background color and shadow are identified. be able to. Second Embodiment FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a card transaction recording device according to a second embodiment. The same members as those shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted. In the second embodiment, the background color determining means 8 for determining whether the background color of the card 1 is relatively bright or relatively dark based on the signal imaged by the image sensor 6 shown in the first embodiment. When the background color of the card 1 is relatively dark according to the determination result of the background color determining means 8, the light source 5 below the card 1 is turned on. According to the second embodiment configured as described above, the background color determination means 8 determines whether the background of the card 1 is relatively bright or relatively dark, and turns on or off the light source 5 below the card 1 according to the determination result. , The embossed character 2 can be reliably read regardless of the brightness of the background of the card 1. Third Embodiment FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a card transaction recording apparatus according to a third embodiment. The same members as those shown in FIG. In the third embodiment, when the card 1 is a magnetic card, in addition to the first embodiment described above, a magnetic sensor 9 for reading the card type data recorded in the magnetic card 1 is provided and the magnetic sensor 9 is preliminarily magnetized. The magnetic sensor 9 stores whether the background is relatively bright or dark for each type of card 1.
Card type determination means 10 for turning on or off the light source 5 below the card 1 according to the type data read by
Is arranged. According to the third embodiment having the above-described configuration, as in the second embodiment, the card type determination means 10 determines whether the base of the magnetic card 1 is relatively bright or relatively dark, and the determination result indicates the magnetic card. Since the light source 5 below 1 is turned on or off, the embossed character 2 can be reliably read regardless of the brightness of the base of the magnetic card 1. Fourth Embodiment FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a card transaction recording device according to a fourth embodiment. The same members as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are designated by the same reference numerals and their description is omitted. . In the fourth embodiment, when the card 1 is a magnetic card, in addition to the first embodiment, the background color of the magnetic card 1 is relatively bright or compared due to the signal captured by the image sensor 6. The background color determination means 8a for determining whether the background is relatively dark and the magnetic sensor 9 for reading the card type data recorded on the magnetic card 1 are provided, and whether the background is relatively bright for each type of magnetic card 1 is compared in advance. A card type determination means 10a for illuminating or extinguishing the light source 5 under the card 1 according to the type data read by the magnetic sensor 9 is provided, and the determination result of the base color determination means 8a is displayed. The card type determination means 10a is given priority over the determination result. According to the fourth embodiment having the above-mentioned configuration, the base color determination means
Since the determination result of 8a is prioritized over the determination result of the card type determination means 10a, even if the magnetic cards 1 are of the same type, the embossed character 2 can be reliably read even when the design or the like on the magnetic card 1 is different. it can. As a result, it becomes possible to sufficiently cope with a change in the card design of the magnetic card 1. Fifth Embodiment FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a card transaction recording device according to a fifth embodiment, in which components common to those shown in FIG. In the fifth embodiment, when the card 1 is a magnetic card, in addition to the first embodiment, a transfer means for reciprocally transferring the magnetic card 1 in the direction of reading the card type data recorded on the magnetic card 1. 11, a turn-off detection control means 12 for turning off the lower light source 5 when the transfer means 11 transfers the magnetic card 1 in one direction, and the transfer means 11 transfers the magnetic card 1 in one direction to turn off the light. When the light source 5 is turned off by the time detection control means 12, the pattern on the magnetic card 1 is inspected by the signal captured by the image sensor 6,
The recording availability determination means 13 for determining whether or not the embossed character 2 has a readable pattern, and the transfer means 11 when the recording availability determination means 13 determines that the pattern is unreadable.
When the magnetic card 1 is transferred in the opposite direction, the light source 5 is turned on and the recordability determination means 13 is inspected again for the pattern on the magnetic card 1 to check whether the embossed character 2 is a readable pattern. A lighting detection control means 14 for making a determination is provided. According to the fifth embodiment having the above configuration, the magnetic card 1 is first read with the lower light source 5 turned off, and when the reading is impossible, the magnetic card 1 is read again with the light source 5 turned on. Therefore, the reading accuracy is further improved. be able to. Further, in the above operation, when the reading is still impossible, the reading accuracy can be further improved by repeating the above operation. Sixth Embodiment FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a card transaction recording apparatus according to a sixth embodiment. The same members as those shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. In the sixth embodiment, the transfer means 11 is replaced by the magnetic card 1 instead of the off-time detection control means 12, the recordability determination means 13, and the light-on detection control means 14 of the fifth embodiment.
Control unit 15 for turning on or off the light source 5 when transferring the magnetic card 1 in one direction, and turning off or turning on the light source 5 when the transfer unit 11 transfers the magnetic card 1 in the opposite direction; When the means 15 turns on / off the light source 5, the storage means 16 for storing each pattern by the signal picked up by the image sensor 6 and the two patterns stored by the storage means 16 are compared and read. A selecting means 17 for selecting is provided. According to the sixth embodiment having the above configuration, the patterns to be read are selected by comparing the respective patterns when the lower light source 5 is turned on / off, so that the reading accuracy can be further improved. Further, by repeating the above operation a plurality of times, the reading accuracy can be further improved.

【The invention's effect】

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. The embossed convex side of the card is obliquely illuminated with light from the convex side illuminating means, and the embossed concave side is illuminated with light from the concave side illuminating means, so that the detecting means can reliably detect the embossed character. it can. In this case, since the thickness of the embossed side portion between the embossed convex portion and the card surface is thinner than the thickness of the card base and the embossed convex portion, light from the concave side illumination means is easily transmitted, and the card embossed As a result of the bright portion appearing in the state of surrounding the convex portion, it becomes possible to reliably detect the embossed character even in the case of a card with a dark background color. Further, the background color determination means determines whether or not the recess side illumination means can be operated based on the determination result of the background color of the card side. Therefore, in the case of a card with a dark background color, the recess side illumination means is turned on. , The embossed characters of the card can be clearly highlighted and read. Further, the card type determination means, based on the determination result of the card type by the magnetic recording data read by the magnetic recording means,
In order to determine whether or not the recess side illuminating means can be operated, in the case of a card whose background color is dark, by turning on the recess side illuminating means, the embossed character of the card can be surely highlighted and read. Further, since the judgment result of the background color judging means is prioritized over the judgment result of the card type judging means, even in the case of a card of a light background color, the concave side illuminating means is based on the actually detected background color of the card. By determining whether or not to operate, it becomes possible to sufficiently cope with a change in card design. Further, the card surface pattern was detected while the card was transferred by the transfer means with the recess side illumination means turned off, and it was determined whether the card surface pattern was a readable pattern, and it was determined that it was not a readable pattern. In this case, since the card is re-transferred while the recess side illumination means is turned on and the card surface pattern is detected, it is possible to improve the card detection accuracy. Further, the card surface pattern is detected when the card is transferred at least twice by the transfer means and the concave side illumination means is turned on and off, and the card surface pattern to be recorded is selected from both. Since the data is stored, the detection accuracy of the card can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a card transaction recording device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a card transaction recording device according to a second embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a card transaction according to a third embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a card transaction recording device according to a fourth embodiment, FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of a card transaction recording device according to a fifth embodiment, and FIG.
It is a schematic block diagram of the card transaction recording device by an Example. 1 ... Card, 2 ... Emboss, 3 ... Boundary, 4 ... Light source (convex side illumination means), 5 ... Light source (concave side illumination means), 6 ... Image sensor (detection means), 8. 8a ……
Base color discriminating means, 9 ... Magnetic sensor, 10 / 10a ... Card type discriminating means, 11 ... Transfer means, 12 ... Turn-off detection control means, 13 ... Recording enable / disable determining means, 14 ... Turn-on detection Control means, 15 ... Lighting control means, 16 ... Storage means, 17 ...
Record selection means.

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A convex-side illuminating means which is provided on a side facing a convex portion of an emboss formed on a card, and irradiates the convex side of the emboss with light in a direction inclined with respect to the surface of the card. The concave side illumination means provided on the side facing the concave side of the emboss formed on the side and irradiating light in the direction intersecting with the card from the concave side of the emboss, and the light from the convex side lighting means generate on the card surface. A card transaction recording apparatus, comprising: a shadow and a detection unit that detects a pattern generated on the convex side of the card by a light beam emitted from the concave side illumination unit and transmitted to the front side of the card. 2. A background color determination means for determining the color of the background of the card surface based on the detection output of the detection means and determining whether or not to activate the recess side illumination means based on the determination result. The card transaction recording device according to claim 1, wherein 3. A magnetic reading means for reading magnetic recording data recorded on a card, a card type is judged based on the magnetic recording data read by the magnetic reading means, and the recess side illuminating means is operated based on the judgment result. 2. The card transaction recording device according to claim 1, further comprising card type determination means for determining whether or not to activate the card transaction. 4. Whether to activate the recess side illumination means by determining the color of the background of the card surface based on the detection capability of the detection means, prioritizing the determination result over the determination result of the card type determination means. 4. The card transaction recording device according to claim 3, further comprising base color determining means for determining whether or not the card transaction recording device is provided. 5. A transfer means for moving a card back and forth with respect to a card detection section composed of said convex side illumination means, detection means, and concave side illumination means, and said concave portion when the card is transferred in one direction by said transfer means. An off-time detection control means for causing the detection means to detect the card surface pattern with the side illumination means off, and an inspection of the card surface pattern detected by the detection means under the control of the off-time detection control means, and the inspection Based on the result, a recording possibility determining means for determining whether or not the card surface pattern is a readable pattern, and if the recording possibility determining means determines that the card surface pattern is not a readable pattern, the transfer means When the card is transferred in the direction, a lighting detection control means is further provided for causing the detection means to detect the pattern on the card surface while the recess side illumination means is in the lighting state. Card transaction recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein. 6. Transfer means for reciprocally moving a card with respect to a card detecting section comprising said convex side illuminating means, detecting means, and concave side illuminating means, and said concave portion when the card is transferred in one direction by said transferring means. The side illumination means is turned off or turned on, while the recess side illumination means is turned on or off when the card is transferred to the other direction by the transfer means, and the detection means is detected when the card is transferred to the one direction. The storage means for storing the card surface pattern and the card surface pattern detected by the detecting means during the transfer of the card in the other direction and the both card surface patterns stored in the storage means are compared, and the comparison result is obtained. 2. The card transaction recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising recording selection means for selecting a card surface pattern to be recorded based on the recording selection means.