JP2971249B2 - Card processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a card processing apparatus for writing and reading various kinds of information on cards, and is particularly suitable as a terminal of a toll collection system on a toll road or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A long-distance toll road or the like in which entrance gates and exit gates are scattered at a plurality of places requires a toll system that collects a toll according to a use section and a use vehicle type. Therefore, at such entrance gates of toll roads, etc., a toll ticket that records the type of car, the date and time of use, or information on this entrance gate and the like is issued and handed to the user, and the collection staff at the exit gate 2. Description of the Related Art Toll collection systems that collect toll tickets from users, read information recorded on the toll tickets, and adjust usage fees have been adopted.

For this reason, cards for processing cards such as a highway card which is a toll ticket or a prepaid card and a credit card called a separate payment plate are provided at the above-mentioned entrance gate and exit gate of a toll road or the like. A processing device is installed as a terminal, and as a toll ticket, a device using a magnetic card is mainly used, but a device using a punch card is also known.

[0004] Such a card processing apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-228098. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the conventional card processing apparatus is applied as a toll ticket checking machine which is a terminal of a toll collection system on a toll road.

[0005] As shown in FIG. 2, the passport checker includes a passport processing unit 103 and a card processing unit 1 with respect to a main body 102 having an operation display unit 101 mounted on an upper surface thereof.
04 and the receipt issuing unit 105 are mounted.
The operation display unit 101 is provided with five operation buttons 106 for inputting a vehicle type, and further provided with a ten key capable of touch input and a display panel 107 for special processing. A central processing control unit (not shown) for the operation display unit 101 and the control units of the units 103, 104, and 105 is incorporated in the main body 102.

A passport insertion / ejection opening 108 is opened on the front of the passport processing unit 103, and a card insertion / ejection opening 109 for cards other than the passport is opened on the front of the card processing unit 104. At the front of the unit 105, a receipt issuing port 110 is opened.

[0007] At the exit gate of the toll motorway, when the collection member receives the passport from the road user, the insertion / exit port 108 of the passport processing unit 103 is provided.
Plug in. Then, the operation button 1 of the operation display unit 101
The charge calculation process is performed by using 06. At this time, if the payment of the fee is not cash but payment by a credit card or the like, the highway card or the credit card is inserted into the insertion / ejection port 109 of the card processing unit 104. Then, by reading the card data and operating the operation button 106, the charge calculation process is performed. Thereafter, the ticket issuing port 11 of the receipt issuing unit 105
From 0, a receipt for toll road usage fee is discharged.

[0008]

In the above-mentioned conventional pass ticket checking machine as a card processing apparatus, a processing unit is provided in the apparatus main body 102 for each type of card used. That is, a passport processing unit 103 for processing a passport, a card processing unit 104 for processing a credit card, and another processing unit for processing a highway card (prepaid card). Is required. Therefore, there has been a problem that the device becomes complicated and large, and an extra arrangement space is required.

In addition, when using the conventional passport checking machine, the collection and receptionist must insert a passport and a credit card or a prepaid card into the corresponding insertion / ejection ports, which is troublesome. Takes time,
There was a problem that the processing efficiency was not good.

An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a card processing apparatus in which the size of the apparatus is reduced and the operability is improved.

[0011]

A card processing apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object has an insertion / ejection port formed on a surface portion of an apparatus main body, through which a plurality of types of cards are inserted / removed, Identification means for identifying the type of cards inserted from the outlet, and a first means for temporarily holding the cards
And a second standby unit, a switching flap for guiding the cards to the first standby unit or the second standby unit based on the detection result of the identification unit, a hopper stacker for storing the cards, Transport means for reciprocating the cards along a transport line connecting the discharge port and the first and second standby units, and a reproduction device provided on the transport line for reading and writing information on the cards. Recording means, and a switching flap provided on a transport line between the insertion / ejection port and the reproducing / recording means and guiding the cards to the insertion / ejection port or the hopper stacker. .

[0012]

When the cards are fed through the insertion / ejection port, the type of the cards is identified by the identification means, and the cards are transported to the first standby position by the transport means, where they are temporarily waited. Next, when another kind of cards is fed through the insertion / ejection port, the type of the cards is similarly identified, and the cards are conveyed to the second standby position by the conveying means, where they are temporarily waited. Thereafter, the transporting means is operated again to send out the cards waiting at the second standby position to the insertion / ejection port side, and necessary information is read or recorded on the cards by the reproducing / recording means during the transporting. Then, the cards are collected in the hopper stacker by the switching flapper that guides the cards to the hopper stacker side. Similarly, the cards waiting at the first standby position are sent out to the insertion / ejection port side to read or record necessary information, and the switching flapper guides the cards to the insertion / ejection port side to insert the cards. It is discharged from the outlet.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration in which a card processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied as a toll ticket checking machine which is a terminal of a toll collection system on a toll road.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the pass ticket checking machine of the present embodiment, a card 10 such as a highway card or a credit card, which is a pass ticket or a prepaid card, is provided on the front surface (left side in FIG. 1) of the main body 11. Insertion outlet 1
A shutter 13 is attached to the insertion / ejection port 12 so as to be openable and closable, and an insertion detection sensor (optical sensor) 14 is attached. This shutter 1
Reference numeral 3 is normally closed, and is opened when the insertion detection sensor 14 detects that the cards 10 are inserted into the insertion / ejection port 12.

From the insertion / ejection port 12 to the rear of the main body 11 (FIG. 1)
Guide plate 15, 1 which is substantially horizontal toward
6 and 17 are arranged, and guide plates 18 and 19 which are inclined forward and backward are arranged above the guide plate 15. Drive rollers 20 to 30 are arranged along the guide plates 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19, and a drive motor 32 having an output shaft 31 is arranged. Drive belts 33 to 36 are wound around predetermined positions. Therefore, the driving motor 3
By the operation of 2, the respective drive belts 33 to 36 can be driven via the respective drive rollers 20 to 30. A pinch roller 37 is in contact with each of the drive rollers 20, 22 to 25, and 27, and a tension roller 38 urges each of the drive belts 31 to 34. In this way, the first transport section 39 as a transport line that is aligned with the first
A second transport unit 40 branched from the transport unit 39 is configured.

A guide plate 41 is disposed behind the first transport section 39 (on the right side in FIG. 1) so as to face the above-described guide plate 16 and a pair of guide plates 42 inclined downward from the guide plate 16. 43 are arranged. And guide plate 1
A drive roller 44 and a pinch roller 45 with a clutch mechanism are arranged on the sides 6 and 41, while a drive roller 46 and a pinch roller 47 with a clutch mechanism are arranged on the guide plates 42 and 43. A drive motor 48 is disposed in the vicinity thereof, and drive belts 50 and 51 are looped between an output shaft 49 of the drive motor 48 and the drive rollers 44 and 46. The guide plates 16 and 41 and the guide plate 4
Position detection sensors 52 and 53 are attached to the rear ends of the 2 and 43 sides. Thus, the first standby unit 54 and the second
The standby unit 55 is configured.

The first transport section 39 and the second transport section 4 described above.
0, the switching flapper 56,
57 is rotatably mounted, and the switching flapper 56,
Return springs 58 and 59 are connected to 57 to apply an urging force, so that the switching flappers 56 and 57 are urged upward, that is, the cards 10 are urged and held so as to move in the first transport unit 39. I have. A pull solenoid 60 is connected to one switching flapper 57, and can be switched as needed.

A hopper stacker 61 is disposed below the first transport section 39. This hopper stacker 61
Is for storing a new passport for reissuing and collecting used passports. A guide plate 62 and a switching flapper 63 are arranged between the passport and the first transport unit 39. The switching flapper 63 is moved downward by the return spring 64, that is, the cards 10 are
The pull flapper 63 is connected to the switching flapper 63 and can be switched as required.

An identification sensor 66 for identifying the type of the card 10 inserted from the insertion / ejection port 12 is attached to the insertion / ejection port 12 side of the first transport section 39. on the other hand,
A switching flapper 67 is rotatably attached to a branch portion between the first standby portion 54 and the second standby portion 55.
A return spring 68 is connected to 7 to apply an urging force, so that the switching flapper 67 is moved downward, that is, the cards 10 are urged and held so as to move to the second standby unit 44. Further, a pull solenoid 69 is connected to the switching flapper 67, and switching can be performed based on the detection result of the identification sensor 66.

The switching flappers 63 and 6 on the first transport section 39
7, a print head 7 serving as a first printing device
A dot printer 71 having 0 is arranged. Also, adjacent to the dot printer 71, the driving roller 2
A reproducing head 72 and a recording head 73 are arranged to face 8, 30. The dot printer 71 prints characters, symbols, and the like on a pass ticket.
Is for reading magnetic information of a magnetic recording section formed on cards 10 such as a toll ticket, a prepaid card, a credit card, and the like, and the recording head 73 is also for writing new magnetic information on the cards 10. .

A thermal printer 7 having a print head 74 as a second printing device is provided on the second transport section 40.
5 are arranged. The thermal printer 75 prints characters and symbols on a prepaid card, and can be moved forward and backward by a push solenoid 76.

Here, the flow of processing by the pass ticket checking machine of this embodiment will be described. This pass ticket checker can perform at least the following three processes. Process only passports. Process passports and prepaid cards. Process passports and credit cards. Hereinafter, description will be made in order.

In the case of processing only a passport, as shown in FIG. 1, when a toll collector receives a passport (cards 10) from a road user at an exit gate of a toll road, the passport is inserted into the exit. Insert into 12. Then, the insertion detection sensor 14 detects that the pass ticket has been inserted, opens the shutter 13 and operates the drive motor 32 to drive the drive motors 20 to 30 in the normal direction of the arrow shown in FIG. The belts 33 to 36 are driven to move the pass ticket along the first transport section 39. At this time, the drive motor 48
To operate the drive motors 44, 46 and the drive belt 50,
51 is driven.

The type of cards of the toll ticket is identified by the identification sensor 66 while the first transport section 39 is moving. In this case, the inserted cards are identified as a toll ticket, and the identification result is output to the pull solenoid 69, and the switching flapper 67 is rotated upward by the pull solenoid 69, thereby causing the first transport unit 39 to rotate. And the first standby unit 54 continue. Although the identification method of the cards by the identification sensor 66 is performed based on the size and thickness, the identification may be performed based on the material of the cards and the recorded contents.

The information recorded on the passport is read by the reproducing head 72, and the passport moves in the same direction and is conveyed to the standby position of the first standby section 54. Then, when the position detection sensor 53 detects a pass ticket, the operation of the drive motor 48 is stopped, and the pass ticket temporarily waits. Thereafter, a toll payment process is performed, and a predetermined fee is paid. When the payment of the fee is completed, the drive motors 32 and 49 are driven in reverse to return the toll ticket from the first standby unit 54 to the first transport unit 39, and the recording head 73 passes the date and time of travel, time, fee, interchange number, and the like. Is written on the toll ticket as magnetic recording information. Then, after it is confirmed by the reproducing head 72 whether or not there is an error in the magnetic recording information written on the passport, necessary data is printed on the passport by the print head 70 of the dot printer 71.

Thereafter, when printing on the pass ticket is completed, the switching flapper 63 is rotated upward by the pull solenoid 65, and the processed pass ticket is collected in the hopper stacker 60. Thus, the processing of the pass ticket is completed.

Next, when processing a toll ticket and a prepaid card, first, when the prepaid card is inserted from the insertion / ejection port 12, the insertion detecting sensor 14 detects that the prepaid card has been inserted and opens the shutter 13. Together with the drive motors 20 to 30 and the drive belts 33 to 36
Is driven to move the prepaid card along the first transport section 39. At this time, the type of the prepaid card is identified by the identification sensor 66. In this case, the inserted card is identified as a prepaid card, and the identification result is output to the pull solenoid 69. Instead, since the switching flapper 67 is located below, the first transport unit 39 and the second standby unit 55 are continuous.

The information recorded on the prepaid card is read by the reproducing head 72, and the prepaid card moves in the same direction and is conveyed to the standby position of the second standby section 55. Then, when the position detection sensor 52 detects the prepaid card, the clutch of the drive roller 44 is disconnected, and the driving force of the drive motor 48 is not transmitted to the drive roller 44 and the rotation stops. Therefore, the prepaid card temporarily waits here. In addition,
During the prepaid card transport process, the shutter 13 is closed so that another card is not fed from the insertion / ejection port 12.

Next, when the toll ticket is inserted into the insertion / ejection opening 12, the shutter 13 is opened and the toll ticket is transported along the first transport portion 39 as described above, and is a toll ticket by the identification sensor 66. And the information recorded by the reproducing head 72 is read. Then, the pass ticket is conveyed to the standby position of the first standby unit 54, and when the position detection sensor 53 detects the pass ticket, the clutch of the drive roller 46 is disconnected, and the driving force of the drive motor 48 is applied to the drive roller 46. The rotation stops without being transmitted. Therefore, the pass passes here temporarily.

In this state, processing of the prepaid card is performed. That is, the clutch of the drive roller 44 is connected to drive the drive motors 32 and 49 in the reverse direction.
Is returned to the first transport section 39, a toll is collected by the recording head 73, the balance is written as magnetic recording information, and information such as the date and time of passage is recorded as magnetic recording information. Is written to. Then, the reproducing head 72 checks whether or not there is an error in the magnetic recording information written on the prepaid card.

When the magnetic recording information is confirmed, the switching flapper 57 is rotated downward by the pull solenoid 60, and the first transport section 39 and the second transport section 40 are connected. The prepaid card moving in the first conveying section 39 moves to the second conveying section 40, and while passing below the thermal printer 75, the push solenoid 76 operates to activate the print head 74.
The necessary data is printed on the prepaid card. Thereafter, the prepaid card moves in the same direction, pushes the switching flapper 56 open against the return spring 58, and further opens the shutter 13 to be ejected from the insertion / ejection port 12. Thus, the processing of the prepaid card is completed.

When the processing of the prepaid card is completed, the processing of a pass ticket is performed. That is, the clutch of the drive roller 46 is connected, and the drive motors 32 and 49 are driven in reverse to return the toll ticket from the first standby unit 54 to the first transport unit 39.
Then, the recording head 73 writes information such as the passage date / time, fare, and interchange number on the toll ticket as magnetic recording information, and checks whether there is any error in the magnetic recording information written by the reproducing head 72.
Thereafter, the print head 70 of the dot printer 71 prints necessary data for the pass ticket. When the printing on the pass ticket is completed, the switching flapper 63 is rotated upward by the pull solenoid 65, and the processed pass ticket is collected by the hopper stacker 60, and the process is completed.

Next, when processing a toll ticket and a credit card, first, when a credit card is inserted through the insertion / ejection port 12, the insertion detection sensor 14 detects that the credit card has been inserted and opens the shutter 13. Together with the drive motors 20 to 30 and the drive belts 33 to 36
To move the credit card along the first transport section 39. At this time, the type of the credit card is identified by the identification sensor 66, the identification result is output to the pull solenoid 69, and the switching flapper 67 is held at that position, whereby the first transport unit 39 and the second standby unit are held. The part 55 is continuous.

The credit card reads information recorded on the credit card by the reproducing head 72 and is conveyed to the standby position of the second standby section 55. And
When the position detection sensor 52 detects a credit card, the clutch of the drive roller 44 is disconnected and stopped, and the credit card temporarily waits here. Note that the shutter 13 is closed so that another card is not sent from the insertion / ejection port 12 during the credit card transport process.

Next, when the passport is inserted into the insertion / ejection opening 12, the shutter 13 is opened and the passport is conveyed along the first conveying section 39 as described above, and is a passport by the identification sensor 66. And the information recorded by the reproducing head 72 is read. Then, the toll ticket is conveyed to the first standby unit 54, and when the position detection sensor 53 detects the toll ticket, the clutch of the drive roller 46 is disconnected and stopped, and the toll ticket temporarily stands here.

In this state, credit card processing is performed. That is, the clutch of the drive roller 44 is connected to drive the drive motors 32 and 49 in the reverse direction.
Is returned to the first transport section 39, and the credit card moves in the same direction to open the shutter 13 and is ejected from the insertion / ejection port 12. Thus, the processing of the credit card is completed.

When the processing of the credit card is completed, the processing of the pass ticket is performed. That is, the clutch of the drive roller 46 is connected to connect the drive motors 32 and 4 as described above.
9 is driven in the reverse direction to return the toll ticket from the first standby unit 54 to the first transport unit 39. Then, information such as a pass date and time, a fee, an interchange number and the like are written as magnetic recording information on the pass ticket by the recording head 73, and the read head 72.
Is checked for errors in the written magnetic recording information. Thereafter, when the dot printer 71 prints necessary data on the pass ticket, the processed pass ticket is collected by the hopper stacker 60, and the process is completed.

In the above-described embodiment, when processing a passport and a prepaid card, and when processing a passport and a credit card, the prepaid card and the credit card are inserted into the insertion / ejection port 12 first. Although the passport is processed while the card is kept in the standby section, the insertion order is not limited to this, and the passport may be inserted first.

As described above, the type of the card inserted from the insertion / ejection port is identified by the identification means, and the contents to be processed are distinguished according to the type of the card. Is temporarily held in the first standby unit or the second standby unit, so that a plurality of cards can be processed simultaneously with one insertion / ejection port.

In the above-described embodiment, the card processing apparatus of the present invention has been described as a pass ticket checking machine which is a terminal of a toll collection system on a toll road, but it may be a pass ticket issuing machine. That is, in FIG.
One new toll ticket is sent out from the hopper cutter 61 to a first transport unit 39 by a feeding roller (not shown), and information recorded by a reproducing head 72 is read. Then, it is checked whether the passport is new or the front and back are correct. If the passport is correct, the recording head 73 writes information such as date and time and an entrance gate as magnetic record information. Thereafter, when necessary data is printed on the pass ticket by the dot printer 71, the data is discharged from the insertion / discharge port 12 and passed to the road user.

[0042]

As described above in detail with reference to the embodiments, according to the card processing apparatus of the present invention, an insertion / ejection port through which a plurality of types of cards are inserted / removed and a means for identifying inserted cards. First and second to temporarily wait for and cards
A switching flap that guides cards to the first standby unit or the second standby unit by the standby unit and the identification unit, a hopper stacker that stores the cards, a transfer line that connects the insertion / ejection port, and the first and second standby units. Transport means for reciprocating the cards along the line, reproduction / recording means provided on the transport line, and a switching flap for guiding the cards to the insertion / ejection port or hopper stacker. A plurality of cards can be identified by discriminating the contents to be processed according to the type of the card, and by temporarily holding the other card in the first standby unit or the second standby unit while processing one card. Can be processed at the same time, and the size of the device can be reduced with a simple structure.
By using a single card insertion / ejection port, different types of cards can be inserted into the same insertion / ejection port, and operation is easy, processing can be performed in a short time, processing efficiency is improved, and operability is improved. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a toll ticket checker, which is a terminal of a toll collection system on a toll motorway, representing a card processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a toll ticket checker which is a terminal of a conventional toll collection system on a toll road.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 Cards 11 Main body 12 Insertion / ejection port 13 Shutter 20 to 30, 44, 46 Driving rollers 32, 48 Driving motors 33 to 36, 50, 51 Driving belt 39 First transport unit 40 Second transport unit 54 First standby unit 55 Second standby unit 56, 57, 63, 67 Switching flap 61 Hopper stacker 66 Identification sensor 70, 74 Print head 71 Dot printer 72 Reproducing head 73 Recording head 75 Thermal printer

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An insertion / ejection port formed on a surface portion of an apparatus main body, through which a plurality of types of cards are inserted / removed, identification means for identifying the type of cards inserted from the insertion / ejection port,
First and second standby units for temporarily holding the cards, a switching flap for guiding the cards to the first standby unit or the second standby unit based on the detection result of the identification unit, and the card A hopper stacker for storing cards, transport means for reciprocating the cards along a transport line connecting the insertion / ejection port and the first and second standby units, and a card unit provided on the transport line. And a switching flap provided on a transport line between the insertion / ejection port and the reproduction / recording means for guiding the cards to the insertion / ejection port or the hopper stacker. A card processing apparatus.