JP3048733U - Information storage card processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To enable rapid processing of an information storage card. SOLUTION: A plurality of information storage cards C are stacked and stored in a card storage portion 2 provided in a main body case 1. An endless delivery chain 6 is provided at the bottom of the card accommodating portion 2, and a claw 6 a is attached to the delivery chain 6. The information storage card C at the lower end is sent forward by the claws 6a. The sent information storage card C is transferred to the lower feed belts 13a and 13a.
b and the upper feed belts 20a and 20b, and further conveyed. During transportation, the information of the information storage card C is detected by the sensor 15, and the quality of the card is determined by the processing device 23.
The good card is discharged from the discharge port 25 through above the downward sorting member 24. The defective card is caused to collide with the upward sorting member 24 and fall on the return belt 29.
Then, it is discharged from the return port 30 to the front of the main body case 1.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

 The present invention relates to an information storage card processing device that decodes the information content of an information storage card that stores predetermined information and determines whether the card is good or not, particularly information used as a premium card in a pachinko parlor. The present invention relates to a device suitable for use in processing a storage card.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Generally, at pachinko parlors, players count the number of prize balls carried into the counter and issue premium cards corresponding to the number of prize balls. The player can bring the premium card to a cashing place to redeem it. A plurality of types of prize cards of this kind are prepared in advance according to the amount of money, such as 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen, 1,000 yen, 500 yen and 100 yen, and according to the number of prize balls. A method of issuing to a plurality of players is adopted.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

 By the way, it is customary for a player to bring a prize card to a cashing place during a specific period of time, and therefore it is necessary to process the prize card quickly at the cashing place. There is no processing device, and there is a problem that the player has to wait for a long time.

[0004] In addition, this type of device is required not only to be able to quickly process a premium card, but also to be able to distinguish between a defective card such as a fake card and a good card. However, there is a problem that a satisfactory result cannot be obtained.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and provides an information storage card processing device capable of processing an information storage card quickly and without error, and capable of distinguishing a defective card from a good card. The purpose is to provide.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an information storage card processing device that can easily process a defective card.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an information storage card processing device capable of performing card processing without interrupting work and repairing even if a movable part breaks down.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an information storage card processing apparatus which can greatly improve the processing speed of a card and can correctly decode information contents.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a card storage unit in which thin information storage cards storing predetermined information are stacked and stored; a card storage unit provided at the bottom of the card storage unit; A card feeding mechanism for engaging the claw at the rear end of the storage card and sending the card forward; and an endless lower feed belt and an upper feed belt, which are opposed to each other at a small interval above and below, and information sent from the card feed mechanism. A card transport mechanism for transporting the storage card at a speed higher than the card feed-out mechanism; a sensor provided at an intermediate position of the card transport mechanism for detecting the information storage card; and information content based on a detection signal from the sensor. Processing means for deciphering the card and determining whether the card is good or bad; provided on the exit side of the card transport mechanism, and sorts a good card and a bad card based on a signal from the processing means. A distribution mechanism that; you wherein a was provided, respectively.

[0010] In the present invention, when the information storage cards are stacked and accommodated in the card accommodating portion, the lowermost information storage card is sent forward by the card sending mechanism. At this time, since the information card is sent out with the claw locked at the rear end, the information card can be sent out one by one without fail.

The information storage card sent forward by the card feeding mechanism is conveyed while being held between upper and lower feed belts of the card conveying mechanism, and during that time, information on the information storage card is detected by a sensor. At this time, the information storage card is conveyed while being sandwiched between the upper and lower feed belts, so that the conveyance state is stable and accurate information detection is possible. Also, since the transport speed of the card transport mechanism is set to be equal to or higher than the transport speed of the card transport mechanism, the transfer of the information storage card between the two mechanisms is smooth.

The processing means decodes the information content based on the detection signal from the sensor and determines whether the card is good or not. The result of the determination is sent to the sorting mechanism on the card transport mechanism output side, and the goodness is determined by the sorting mechanism. Cards and bad cards are sorted. For this reason, good cards and bad cards can be separated, and work such as re-inspection of bad cards is easy.

The present invention is also characterized in that the sorting mechanism is provided with a defective card return mechanism for transporting the sorted defective card to a position near the card storage. As a result, the operator can collect the defective card only by being in the vicinity of the card storage section, and can clearly know the occurrence of the defective card, and can easily process the defective card thereafter.

The present invention is also characterized in that two sets of a card housing, a card feeding mechanism, a card transport mechanism, a sensor, and a sorting mechanism are provided on both sides of the main body case, and each set can be selectively used. And As a result, even if the movable part breaks down during use, it is possible to continue the card processing without interrupting the work and repairing the work, so that the player or the like does not have to wait for a long time.

According to the present invention, information of an information storage card is stored in an information storage unit provided in a card body made of a non-magnetic material, and the information storage unit is stored in a storage area of a predetermined size. A magnetic material is arranged at a predetermined position, size or arrangement, and the sensor is constituted by a magnetic sensor.

According to the present invention, the information of the information storage card is further stored in an information storage section provided in a card body made of a non-magnetic material, and the information storage section is stored in a storage area of a predetermined size. The magnetic material is arranged, openings or notches are arranged in the magnetic material at predetermined positions, sizes or arrangements, and the sensor is constituted by a magnetic sensor. I do.

[0017] Thus, by detecting the presence or absence of the magnetic material with a sensor, the information can be decoded, and the information can be decoded without being affected by dirt or damage on the card surface. Can be easily and accurately decoded, and there is no possibility that a detection error occurs. Further, since it is impossible to falsify the information content of the information storage card by an external operation, the number of defective cards is reduced and the processing can be speeded up from this point.

The pattern detection of the presence or absence of the magnetic material is detected by the rise or fall of the signal at the edge of the presence or absence of the magnetic material, but the rise or fall of the signal is detected. If the drop is detected while conveying the card at high speed, it will appear more clearly, and high-speed processing will be possible.

[0019]

[Embodiment of the invention]

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show an information storage card processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body case. A plurality of thin card-shaped information storage cards C each storing the stored information are provided in the form of concave card storage units 2 in which a plurality of stacked information storage cards C are stored. At the bottom of each of the card storage sections 2, a card delivery mechanism 3 for delivering the stacked information storage cards C one by one from the lowermost one is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, each of the card delivery mechanisms 3 includes a drive gear 4, a driven gear 5, and an endless delivery chain 6 mounted between the two gears 4, 5. The chain 6 is provided with a claw 6a that is abutted and locked at the rear end of the information storage card C at the lowermost part in the card storage unit 2. The pawl 6a pushes the lowermost information storage card C forward through the outlet 7 with the rotation of the feed chain 6 driven by the drive gear 4. The upper and lower dimensions of the delivery port 7 are set to about 1.5 times the thickness of the information storage card C, and when the information storage card C is pushed out by the above-mentioned claw 6a, the information is reliably sent out one by one. It is considered to be able to.

As shown in FIG. 1, a card transport mechanism 8 configured by arranging a lower transport section 8 a and an upper transport section 8 b vertically opposite each other at a narrow interval is provided at a position in front of each of the card feed mechanisms 3. The information storage card C sent from the card sending mechanism 3 is conveyed at a constant speed by the card conveying mechanism 8 at a speed higher than the card sending mechanism 3.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the lower transport section 8 a is driven by a pair of drive pulleys 10 a and 10 b attached to the drive shaft 9 at intervals smaller than the width of the information storage card C. The shaft 11 includes a pair of driven pulleys 12a, 12b mounted at the same interval as the drive pulleys 10a, 10b, and an endless lower end is provided between the two pulleys 10a, 12a and 10b, 12b on each side. Feed belts 13a and 13b are respectively mounted, and these lower feed belts 13a and 13b are slidably supported by the receiving plates 14a and 14b from below. Two sensors 15 are arranged in parallel in the width direction between the receiving plates 14a and 14b.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the upper transport section 8b is driven by a pair of drive pulleys 17a, 17b attached to the drive shaft 16 and facing the respective drive pulleys 10a, 10b. A pair of driven pulleys 19a, 19b attached to the shaft 18 and opposed to the driven pulleys 12a, 12b are provided. An endless end is provided between the two pulleys 17a, 19a and 17b, 19b on each side. Upper feed belts 20a and 20b are respectively mounted, and intermediate portions of these upper feed belts 20a and 20b are arranged on both sides of the sensor 15 in the conveying direction by receiving rollers 21a, 21b and 22a and 22b from above. It has become supported.

As shown in FIG. 1, the upper transport section 8b having the above-described configuration can swing upward with the drive shaft 16 as a fulcrum. When the information storage card C is jammed in the mechanism 8, or when each of the belts 13a, 13b, 20a, and 20b is broken, the work can be easily performed.

Each of the sensors 15 detects the information of the information storage card C which is conveyed at a constant speed while being sandwiched between the upper and lower conveying units 8 a and 8 b during the conveyance by the card conveying mechanism 8. Each sensor 15 is constituted by a magnetic sensor, a bar code reader, a magnetic head, or the like in accordance with the structure of the information storage card C. Then, the detection signal from each sensor 15 is sent to a processing device 23 as shown in FIG. 1, where the decoding of the information content, the totalization of the information content, the judgment of the quality of the card and the like are performed. It has become.

It should be noted that, unlike the other mechanisms, only one processing device 23 is provided in the main body case 1 and corresponds to the case where the right card storage unit 2 in FIG. 2 is used. When a detection signal from the sensor 15 is input, and when the card storage unit 2 on the left side is used, a detection signal from the sensor 15 corresponding thereto is input.

As shown in FIG. 1, a roughly V-shaped sorting member 24 that swings up and down between a downward position and an upward position is provided at the exit side position of each of the card transport mechanisms 8. The sorting member 24 is normally at a downward position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1, and the information storage card C discharged from the card transport mechanism 8 is discharged from the discharge port 25 to the rear side of the main body case 1. To be discharged. When the processing device 23 determines that the card is a defective card, the information storage card C ejected from the card transport mechanism 8 is brought into contact with the sorting member 24 when the card is in the upward position indicated by the chain line in FIG. It is designed to fall down.

As shown in FIG. 1, a defective card return mechanism 26 that conveys the defective card distributed by the distribution member 24 to the front side of the main body case 1 is disposed below the distribution member 24. The defective card return mechanism 26 and the sorting member 24 constitute a sorting mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 1, the defective card return mechanism 26 includes a drive roller 27, a driven roller 28, and an endless return belt 29 mounted between the rollers 27, 28. The defective card sorted by the sorting member 24 falls on the return belt 29. Then, the defective card is conveyed to the front side of the main body case 1 by the rotation of the return belt 29 accompanying the driving of the drive roller 27, and is discharged to the front side of the main body case 1 through the return port 30. ing.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 31 denotes two drive motors installed in the main body case 1, and each of these drive motors 31 is provided on each side of the main body case 1 with each card feeding mechanism 3, each card transport mechanism 8, Further, each defective card return mechanism 26 is driven.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 32 denotes a power switch, reference numeral 33 denotes an operation panel having a changeover switch 34 and a start switch 35 for selectively switching use of each card accommodating unit 2, reference numeral 36 denotes an amount display unit, Reference numeral 37 denotes an upper cover, and reference numeral 38 denotes a side cover.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show an example of the information storage card C. The information storage card C is made of a non-magnetic material such as plastic and is formed in a thin plate approximately the size of a business card. A card body 41 and a lid 42 are provided, and an information storage unit 43 for storing predetermined information is provided at the center of one end of the card body 41 in the longitudinal direction.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the information storage unit 43 includes a frame-shaped storage area 44 formed in the card body 41, a light-shielding sheet 45 laid in the storage area 44, An information member 46 disposed on the light shielding sheet 45.

As shown in FIG. 7, the information member 46 includes a central support bar 46a, an arbitrary number of money information bars 46b provided at arbitrary intervals on one side of the support bar 46a, and a support bar 46a. An arbitrary number of store number information bars 46c are provided at arbitrary intervals on the other side of the holding bar 46a. These bars 46a, 46b, 46c are integrally formed by punching a thin metal plate. Is formed. The money amount information can be changed by changing the number of the money amount information bars 46b, the thickness, the position, or the interval of the bars, and the store number information is the number of the store number information bars 46c and the bar number. It can be changed by changing the thickness, position or interval. When the information storage card C is used, a magnetic sensor is used as the sensor 15.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When processing the information storage card C, first, a plurality of information storage cards C brought into a cash exchange or the like are stacked and stored in one of the left and right card storage units 2 of the main body case 1. Then, the changeover switch 34 of the operation panel 33 is switched to the card storage unit 2 side in which the information storage card C is stored, and the start switch 35 is turned on. Then, the drive motor 31 is activated to drive the mechanisms 3, 8, and 25, and the lowermost information storage card C is sent forward by the card feed mechanism 3.

When the leading end of the information storage card C is sent out to some extent from the delivery port 7, the leading end is held by the upper and lower transfer sections 8a and 8b of the card transfer mechanism 8, and the card transfer is performed by the card transfer mechanism 3 from the card transfer mechanism 3. Taken over by mechanism 8. During the transportation by the card transport mechanism 8, the information of the information storage card C is detected by the sensor 15, and based on the detection signal, the processing device 23 decodes the information content, totals the information, and determines whether the card is good or not. Is performed. A specific example will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a detection signal of the sensor 15 when the price information bar 46b shown in FIG. 7 has passed the position of the sensor 15, and only the three price information bars 46b have magnetic materials. Is present, the output waveform is corresponding to it. For this output waveform, set the threshold value SL at a predetermined position, the dimensions _{P 1, P 2, P 3} , counts the P _4, the number of reference pulses P _5.

Here, for example, the regular reference pulse number of the dimensions P ₁ , P ₂ , and P ₃ is 40, the regular reference pulse number of the dimension P ₄ is 200, and the regular reference pulse number of the dimension P ₅ is 160. Then, in the processing device 23, when each of the reference pulse numbers is within the range of 40 ± 2, 200 ± 10, 160 ± 8, the card is determined as a good card, and when the reference pulse number is out of the range, it is determined as a bad card. Is determined. In the case of a good card, it is used as data for counting.

When the processing device 23 determines that the card is a defective card, the determination signal is sent to the distribution member 24 as a drive signal, and the downward distribution member 24 is in an upward state. As a result, the information storage card C ejected from the card transport mechanism 8 collides with the sorting member 24 and falls onto the return belt 29 without being ejected from the ejection port 25. Then, the paper is sent forward by the return belt 29 and discharged from the return opening 30 to the front of the main body case 1.

On the other hand, when the processing device 23 determines that the card is a good card, the sorting member 24 is maintained in a state in which it faces downward. For this reason, the information storage card C discharged from the card discharge mechanism 8 passes through the upper surface side of the sorting member 24 and is discharged from the discharge port 25 to the back of the main body case 1. Then, the totaling result of the good cards is displayed on the amount display unit 36.

If for some reason the currently used card storage unit 2 side set cannot be used, the changeover switch 34 of the operation panel 33 is set to the unused card storage unit 2 side. Switch to and continue working.

Incidentally, when the information storage cards C are stacked and accommodated in the card accommodating section 2, there is a method in which the direction of the information storage cards C is determined in advance only in a fixed direction. It becomes troublesome.

On the other hand, when the direction of the information storage card C is not determined, there are four possible directions depending on whether the information storage card C is upside down or upside down. Therefore, the money information bar 46b may pass over the upper sensor 15 in FIG. 3, the money information bar 46b may pass over the lower sensor 15, and the money information bar 46b Even if only the output waveform detected at step 15 is considered, there are cases where the waveform becomes as shown in FIG. 8 and the output waveform where the left and right are inverted, and the same applies to the store number information bar 46c. It is.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the processing device 23 determines a good card or a bad card based on the detection signal from each sensor 15 shown in FIG. Four patterns are prepared in advance corresponding to the sensors 15, and when one sensor 15 detects the legitimate amount information and the other sensor 15 detects the legitimate store number information, this is determined as a good card. In other cases, this is determined as a bad card.

When the processing device 23 discriminates between a good card and a bad card, the count number of the reference pulse has a certain margin, so that the supply voltage to the drive motor 31 changes. Thus, even if the transport speed of the card transport mechanism 8 slightly changes, erroneous detection can be prevented and detection accuracy can be improved.

FIG. 9 shows a modification of the information storage card C, in which the information member 56 is used instead of the information member 56.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the information member 56 includes an information plate 56 a made of a magnetic material such as a metal and mounted in the storage area 44 (see FIG. 5). At both ends in the width direction of 56a, a money amount information portion 56b and a store number information portion 56c formed by openings or notches are provided in an arbitrary arrangement pattern.

In the case of the information member 56, however, the presence of the magnetic material is not detected as in the case of the information member 46, but the absence of the magnetic material is detected. Although it is upside down from the case of FIG. 8, the contents of the money amount information and the shop number information can be specified similarly to the information member 46.

In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which a magnetic sensor is used as the sensor 15 in order to detect the presence or absence of a magnetic material. However, an information storage card C or a magnetic tape with a bar code may be used. When using the arranged information storage card C or the like, the same processing can be performed by using a bar code reader or a magnetic head as the sensor 15.

In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which a premium card is processed in a pachinko parlor, but the present invention can be applied to processing of an information storage card for any purpose.

[0051]

[Effect of the invention]

 As described above, according to the present invention, a card feeding mechanism is provided at the bottom of the card storage unit in which the information storage cards are stacked and accommodated, and the claw is latched from the lowermost information storage card to the rear end thereof and sent out forward. As a result, it is possible to send out one sheet at a time.

Further, since the information storage card sent out from the card feeding mechanism is transported while being vertically sandwiched between the upper and lower feed belts of the card transport mechanism, the transport state can be stabilized. . Further, since the card transport mechanism transports the information storage card at a speed higher than the card sending mechanism, the information storage card can be smoothly transferred between the two mechanisms.

Further, since the sensor for detecting the information of the information storage card is provided at an intermediate position of the card transport mechanism, the information can be accurately detected by the stable transport state.

The detection signal from the sensor is sent to the processing means to decode the information content and determine the quality of the card, and the sorting mechanism sorts the good card and the bad card based on the determination result. Since they are separated, work such as re-inspection of defective cards is easy.

In the present invention, a defective card return mechanism is provided in the sorting mechanism so that the sorted defective cards are conveyed to a position near the card storage unit, so that the operator only needs to be near the card storage unit. In this way, the defective card can be collected, the occurrence of the defective card can be clearly known, and the processing of the defective card thereafter is easy.

The present invention also provides two sets of a card storage unit, a card feeding mechanism, a card transport mechanism, a sensor, and a sorting mechanism on both sides of the main body case so that these sets can be selectively used. Even if the movable part breaks down during use, the card processing can be continued without interrupting the work and repairing, and there is no problem that a card carrying person such as a player waits for a long time.

According to the present invention, the information on the information storage card is composed of a pattern with or without a magnetic material and is detected by a magnetic sensor. The information can be easily and accurately decoded without being affected by the error, and there is no possibility that a detection error occurs. Further, since it is impossible to falsify the information content of the information storage card by an operation from the outside, the occurrence of defective cards is reduced, and the processing can be speeded up from this point as well.

The detection of the pattern of the presence or absence of the magnetic material is detected by the rise or fall of the signal at the edge of the presence or absence of the magnetic material, but the rise or fall of the signal is detected. If the drop is detected while conveying the card at high speed, it will appear more clearly, and high-speed processing will be possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a configuration of an information storage card processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external configuration diagram of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a lower transport unit of a card transport mechanism.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an upper transport unit of a card transport mechanism.

FIG. 5 is an internal configuration diagram showing an example of an information storage card.

6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view showing details of the information member of FIG. 5;

8 is a graph showing an example of an output waveform of a sensor when an amount information bar of the information member of FIG. 7 passes through a sensor position.

9 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 7, showing a modification of the information member of FIG. 5;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body case 2 Card accommodating part 3 Card sending out mechanism 6 Sending out chain 6a Claw 7 Sending out 8 Card conveying mechanism 8a Lower conveying part 8b Upper conveying part 13a, 13b Lower feeding belt 15 Sensor 20a, 20b Upper feeding belt 23 Processing device 24 Distributing Member 25 Discharge port 26 Defective card return mechanism 29 Return belt 30 Return port 31 Drive motor 34 Changeover switch 36 Amount display section 41 Card body 42 Cover 43 Information storage section 44 Storage area 46, 56 Information member 46b Price information bar 46c Store number information Bar 56b Amount information section 56c Store number information section C Information storage card

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI G06K 19/06 G06K 19/00 E

Claims (5)

[Utility model registration claims] 1. A card storage portion in which thin information storage cards storing predetermined information are stacked and stored; and a rear end of a lowermost information storage card provided at the bottom of the card storage portion. A card feeding mechanism that locks the claw on the card and feeds the card forward; an endless lower feed belt and an upper feed belt are vertically opposed to each other at a narrow interval, and the card feeds the information storage card sent from the card feed mechanism. A card transport mechanism for transporting at a speed higher than the mechanism; a sensor provided at an intermediate position of the card transport mechanism for detecting information on the information storage card;
Processing means for decoding the information content and judging the quality of the card; and a distributing mechanism provided on the exit side of the card transport mechanism for distributing a good card and a bad card based on a signal from the processing means. An information storage card processing device, characterized in that: 2. The information storage card processing device according to claim 1, wherein the distribution mechanism has a defective card return mechanism for transporting the distributed defective card to a position near the card storage unit. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein two sets of a card storage unit, a card feeding mechanism, a card transport mechanism, a sensor and a sorting mechanism are provided on both sides of the main body case. Or the information storage card processing device according to 2. 4. The information of the information storage card is stored in an information storage section provided in a card body made of a non-magnetic material, and the information storage section stores a magnetic material in a storage area of a predetermined size in advance. Are arranged in different positions, sizes or arrays,
4. The information storage card processing device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is constituted by a magnetic sensor. 5. The information of the information storage card is stored in an information storage section provided in a card body made of a non-magnetic material, and the information storage section arranges the magnetic material in a storage area of a predetermined size. 4. The magnetic material according to claim 1, wherein openings or notches are arranged at predetermined positions, sizes or arrangements, and the sensor is a magnetic sensor. 3. The information storage card processing device according to 3.