JP3145613B2 - Card handling device - 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 handling apparatus provided in an automatic teller machine or an automatic teller machine, and more particularly to a card handling apparatus for carrying a medium card on which a transaction is to be carried on a tray. This is related to the improvement of the certainty of the transportation of the paper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 61-23 discloses a card handling apparatus which transports a medium card on which a transaction is to be carried on a tray.
There is one disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 1689. This is because a tray with a concave cross section is formed inside the card entrance, and when the user inserts the card into the card entrance, after dropping the card into the tray by specific means,
The card is transported by moving the tray.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned prior art, if the card is dropped horizontally by inserting the card, the card may be hooked on the peripheral portion of the tray. Needed. However, it is not always easy to accurately drop a card inserted in a tilted state into the tray, and it has been difficult to take in the card because the end of the card rests on the peripheral edge of the tray. Cards that have been used for a long period of time are slippery due to surface wear, and if the cards are placed on the tray and deviate from the proper position beyond the allowable range, reading or writing of recorded data on the cards The function may be reduced. As described above, since the cross section of the tray is concave, when collecting the card inserted in the tray into the device, lift the card upward from the bottom of the tray and then place the card in the collection section. Preferably, it is recovered. However, the related art does not disclose a configuration for collecting cards, and has a problem that a complicated configuration is required for floating the cards from the tray.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to accurately and easily place a card on a tray and to accurately read and write recorded data on the card. It is an object of the present invention to provide a card handling device capable of improving reliability and easily collecting cards left at a card entrance.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tray on which a card is placed and which moves at least between a card entrance / exit and a card data reading position. A magnetic head installed at the card data reading position in the movement path and reading the card data, a front clamper and a rear clamper provided at the front and rear portions of the tray so that the front and rear portions of the tray can be opened and closed, and these clampers are independently provided. It has an opening and closing mechanism to open and close, and the opening and closing mechanism of the front clamper, when the tray moves to the card entrance and exit,
The front part of the tray is opened, and when the tray moves to a position other than the card entrance / exit, the front part of the tray is closed. In the second invention, a card is placed and
A tray that moves between the card entrance and the card collection box located behind the card data reading position, and a card data reading position on the tray movement path,
A magnetic head for reading card data, a front clamper and a rear clamper provided at the front and rear portions of the tray so that the front and rear portions can be opened and closed, an opening and closing mechanism for independently opening and closing these clampers, and a tray for the card collection box. It has a collection mechanism that collects cards by dropping from the top, and the opening and closing mechanism of the front clamper opens the front of the tray when the tray moves to the card entry / exit side, and the tray moves to a position other than the card entrance / exit When the tray is moved to the card collecting position, the rear part of the tray is opened, and when the tray is moved to the card entrance and exit, the rear part of the tray is closed. It is what was constituted.
In addition, it is configured to have a pair of roller mechanisms rotating in the forward and reverse directions between the card entrance and the tray.

[0006]

According to the above configuration, in a state of waiting for card insertion, the front part of the tray is opened and the rear part of the tray is closed, so that when a user inserts a card from the card slot, the tray is closed. The front clamp places the card on the tray as it moves, and the front clamper opens the front of the tray when the tray moves to the card discharge side when the card is ejected. Can be securely and easily mounted on the tray. In addition, since the card surface is not slid during the transportation of the card without being affected even when the surface of the card is rubbed and abrasion marks are formed, the reliability of reading and writing is surely improved. In addition, when the card is collected, the rear clamper opens, and when the tray is moved in the card entry / exit direction in that state, the stopper is used to drop the card and collect it in the collection box. Can be done, and the front clamper,
The opening and closing mechanism of the rear clamper is configured to operate mechanically with simple parts, so that the card can be placed on the tray, ejected to the card entrance and exit, and the card collection operation can be performed accurately. In addition, it is possible not only to improve the reliability of the operation as compared with the one using the actuator, but also to omit the control operation. Further, when the card is placed on the tray, the rollers are rotated to suck the card, so that the card can be smoothly taken into the apparatus, and the inserted card can be placed on the tray without fail.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an automatic teller machine to which a card handling device according to the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a plan view (a) and a side view (b) showing a main part of an embodiment of the card handling device according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a process diagram of an embodiment of the card handling apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 2 denotes a keyboard for inputting data such as a user's password and a transaction amount, and an operation display unit for displaying guidance of input / output data.
Is a card reading unit that reads a card and reads recorded card data, 4 is a voucher issuing unit that prints transaction details and balances and issues vouchers, 5 is a banknote deposit / withdrawal unit that receives / withdraws banknotes corresponding to transactions, 6 Is a control unit which controls the operation of each unit and accommodates a memory 7 for recording a program. Reference numeral 8 denotes a connection unit, which is connected to the automatic teller machine 1 online. Then, the user enters and exits the card 9 (see FIG. 2).
When the card is inserted into the card reader, the card is conveyed to the inside, and based on the record data read by the card reader 3, communication is performed between the controller 6 and the central system to determine whether the transaction is possible. Then, in accordance with the result of the determination, the control unit 6 issues a command to execute the transaction or to cancel the transaction.
At this time, if the transaction is canceled or the transaction is terminated, the control unit 6 inserts the card into the card reading / receiving port 9 to the card reading unit 3.
Order to be carried out.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the card 10 handled by the card handling apparatus 50 of the embodiment is provided with a magnetic stripe 10a on which card data is magnetically recorded. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the card handling device 50 takes in the card 10 by forward rotation of a pair of rollers 12 and 13 provided on the inner side from the card inlet / outlet 9. Tray 11 provided inside 13
Placed on top. The tray 11 formed in the shape of a flat plate is arranged so that the side on which the magnetic stripe 10a is not provided in the transport direction of the card 10 is placed, and a front clamper 17 and a rear clamper 18 are respectively provided at a front portion and a rear portion in the transport direction.
Is attached. Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, the tray 11 is fixed to a transport means, that is, a belt 16 via a support 11a. When the roller 31 is driven to rotate by the first motor 15, the tray 11 moves from the card entrance 9 between the card data reading position and the card collection position in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. It is configured as follows.

The card handling device 50 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2B, magnetic heads 26 and 27 for reading and writing card data are provided at some positions along the movement path of the tray 11. Magnetic head 26, 2
7 is provided on the upper surface of the head block 25 installed along the arrow A in the movement direction of the tray 11. The upper surface of the head block 25 is substantially flush with the tray 11, and when the tray 11 is moved, the magnetic stripe 10
a passes through the upper surface of the head block 25.

The front clamper 17 and the rear clamper 18 are attached to the tray 11 so as to be openable and closable. The front clamper 17 is formed integrally with the tray 11 (not shown) as shown in FIG. 3 (a) or 3 (e), the lower end 17a of the clamper rotates around the pin 33 so that the distal end thereof is in front of the tray 11 as shown in FIG. The part can be closed and opened. As shown in FIG. 3A, the rear clamper 18 is supported by a pin 34 on a support (not shown) formed integrally with the tray 11, and is shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D. As described above, the lower portion 18a of the clamper rotates about the pin 34,
The tip can close or open the rear of the tray 11.

That is, the front clamper 17 and the rear clamper 18 are configured to open and close in accordance with the position of the tray 11 on the transport path. The opening and closing mechanism of the front clamper 17 is, as shown in FIG.
A first spring 19, one end of which is locked to a lower portion 17a and the other end of which is locked to a spring support (not shown) formed integrally with the tray 11, and a front clamper near the roller 13. 17 has a first fixing portion 20 provided at a position facing the lower portion 17a. When the front clamper lower portion 17a is separated from the first fixing portion 20, the front clamper 17 closes the front portion of the tray 11 by the spring force of the first spring 19. When the tray 11 moves toward the card entrance 9, the front clamper lower portion 17 a comes into contact with the first fixing portion 20, thereby resisting the spring force of the first spring 19.
The front clamper 17 opens the front part of the tray 11 as shown in FIG. When the tray 11 moves in the direction of arrow A from the card entrance 9 side and the front clamper lower part 17a separates from the first fixing part 20, the spring force of the first spring 19 acts to close the front part of the tray 11. ing.

On the other hand, the opening and closing mechanism of the rear clamper 18 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2B, a rotation guide 21 pivotally supported below the rear clamper 18 has one end locked to the rotation guide 21 and the other end locked to a spring support (not shown) of the rear clamper 18a. The second spring 22, the second fixed portion 23,
Furthermore, it has a third fixing portion 24 provided at the back of the moving path,
When the rotation guide 21 is not in contact with any of the second fixing portion 23 and the third fixing portion 24, the rotation guide 21 is moved by the spring force of the second spring 22 as shown in FIG. At the same time as the upright state, the upper end of the rotation guide 21 pushes up the rear clamper 18 to close the rear portion of the tray 11.

At the time of collecting the card 10, when the tray 11 is moved to the card collecting position provided at the innermost part in the direction of arrow A in the transport path, as shown in FIG. Abuts on the third fixing portion 24 and rotates the rotation guide 21 clockwise, so that the rear clamper 1
8 opens the rear part of the tray 11, and then, when the tray 11 moves in the direction opposite to the arrow A, the lower part of the rotation guide 21 contacts the second fixed part 23, and rotates the rotation guide 21 counterclockwise. By returning to the standing state, the rear clamper 18
Is to close the rear of the tray 11. Thus, the opening and closing mechanism is configured to open and close the front clamper 17 and the rear clamper 18 in accordance with the position of the tray 11.

Further, when the user forgets to remove the card 10, the card 10 is collected by a card collection mechanism. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the card collection mechanism is provided on the side
A stopper 28 having a rotation fulcrum at 8a, a third spring 29 stretched between the lower portion 28a of the stopper and the head block 25 or a fixed portion (not shown), and a card collection box 30 at the end of the transport path of the tray 11 It is provided with. FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 3B, 3C and 3D, normally, the stopper 28 has a tip 28b protruding above the upper surface of the tray 11 by the spring force of the third spring 29. 3 along with the movement of the tray 11 on which the tray 10 is placed.
As shown in FIG. 3B, the card 10 is pushed down by the card 10 and pivots clockwise.
As shown in (c), when the tray 11 is moved from the position of the stopper 28 in the direction of arrow A and the stopper 28 is released from the state of engagement with the end of the card 10, the third spring 2
9 restores the original position.

If the user forgets to remove the card 10 and the control unit 6 determines that the card 10 is left, the tray 11 is further moved in the direction of arrow A, and the rear clamper 18 is moved to the third fixing unit 24. When the tray 11 is moved in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow A toward the card entrance 9 after the rear portion of the tray 11 is opened by contact, the leading end of the card 10 on the tray 11 contacts the leading end 28b of the stopper 28, By further moving the tray 11 in the direction of the arrow A, the stopper 28 causes the card 10 to drop from the tray 11 and the collection box 3
0.

The roller 12 of the pair of rollers 12 and 13 is rotatable, and the roller 13 is a second motor 1.
4 and driven by the card 10
When the sensor is inserted into the card inlet / outlet 9 or moves from the inner part toward the card inlet / outlet 9 and detected by a sensor (not shown), the second motor 14 is driven to rotate the roller 13. Then, the card 10 is moved in the direction of arrow A or in the direction opposite to arrow A. First motor 15,
The drive and stop control of the second motor 14 is executed by the control unit 6.

Next, the operation of the card handling apparatus 50 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, the tray 11 in the card handling device 50 is located on the card entry / exit 9 side when the card 10 is in a standby state, and as shown in FIG. 1
When the front clamper 17 opens the front portion of the tray 11 by abutting on the fixing portion 20, the front clamper 17 is opened.
The lower portion of the tray 8 is in contact with the second fixing portion 23 of the opening / closing mechanism, and the rear clamper 18 is configured to close the rear portion of the tray 11.

At this time, in order for the user to make a transaction, the card 10 is inserted into the card entrance 9 of the card handling device,
When being sandwiched between the pair of rollers 12 and 13, a sensor (not shown) installed nearby detects the presence of the card 10, and the second motor 14 rotates forward to rotate the roller 13 in the loading direction. The card 10 is taken inside and placed on the tray 11. In this case, since the rear clamper 18 closes the rear portion of the tray, the card 10 moves onto the tray 11 and is securely placed without coming off. Next, the belt 16 is rotated by the first rotation of the first motor 15.
Is driven in the direction of arrow A, and the card data is read when the tray 11 on which the card 10 is placed enters the position of the magnetic heads 26 and 27. At the start of the movement, when the tray 11 on which the card 10 is placed moves, the lower part of the front clamper 17 is moved to the first fixing portion 20 of the opening / closing mechanism.
From the front clamper 1 by the spring force of the tension spring 19.
Since the front part of the tray 11 is closed by the clockwise rotation of the card 7, the card 10 moves together with the tray 11. When the tray 11 further moves in the direction of arrow A as shown in FIG.
After that, the stopper 28 is pushed downward and enters the stopper 28 against the spring force of the third spring 29.

When the card data is read by carrying the card 10 and the end of the predetermined transaction is confirmed,
The first motor 15 rotates in the reverse direction to drive the belt 16 in the direction opposite to the arrow A, and moves the tray 11 in the reverse direction from the position of the magnetic heads 26 and 27 toward the card entrance 9. When the tray 11 approaches the card entrance 9, the lower portion 17 a of the front clamper 17 abuts against the first fixing portion 20 of the opening and closing mechanism, and rotates counterclockwise as shown in FIG. When the tray 11 reaches the card inlet / outlet 9 in this state with the front part opened, the pair of rollers 12, 13 is carried in by detecting this and rotating the second motor 14 in the reverse direction. The card 10 is rotated in the reverse direction to discharge the card 10 on the tray 11 from the card entrance 9 to the outside. The user can receive the released card 10.

Next, the operation when the card 10 is left in the card entrance 9 will be described. When it is detected that the user forgets to remove the released card 10 and the card is left, the following operation is performed based on a command from the control unit 6. As shown in FIG. 3A, the card 10 is taken in by the forward rotation of the pair of rollers 12, the card 10 is placed on the tray 11, and the tray 11, together with the belt 16, the magnetic heads 26 and 27 and the stopper 28, and further moves in the direction of arrow A to the collection position. At this time, when the tray 11 passes through the position of the stopper 28, the stopper 28
Is rotated counterclockwise by the spring force of the third spring 29 and returns to the original position, as shown in FIG. Further, when the tray 11 reaches the collection position, the rotation guide 2 of the opening / closing mechanism is rotated.
1 rotates clockwise in contact with the fixing portion 24 and tilts, and the rear clamper 18 also rotates clockwise with its own weight following this to open the rear portion of the tray 11.

Next, when the tray 11 is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow A, the stopper 28 shown in FIG. 3D is in a restored state. Only the tray 11 moves while being in contact with 28b, and the card 10 falls, and the collection box 3
Collected within 0. On the other hand, when the tray 11 reaches the card entrance 9 with the rear portion kept open, the rotation guide 21 of the opening / closing mechanism comes into contact with the second fixing portion 23 and is rotated counterclockwise until it becomes vertical. Since the rear clamper 18 is pushed up, the rear clamper 18 closes the rear portion of the tray 11 again, and enters the initial card standby state.

As described above, when the card 10 is in the standby state, the front part of the tray 11 is opened and the rear part is closed, so that the card 10 is securely placed on the tray 11 when the user inserts the card 10. Can be placed. When the card 10 is placed and the tray 11 is moved in the direction of arrow A, the front clamper 17 closes the front portion of the tray 11, so that the card 10 can move together with the tray 11 without any displacement. That is, since the card is conveyed by using the closing operation of the front clamper 17 at the end of the card 10 placed on the tray 11, even if the surface of the card 10 has worn marks due to long-term use of the card 10, Without being affected by this, there is no occurrence of a slip associated with the transport of the card 10 as in the related art. Therefore, the recording and reading of the recording data of the magnetic stripe 10a by the magnetic heads 26 and 27 can be accurately performed, and the reliability is reliably improved. In addition, the opening and closing operation of the front clamper 17 at the time of insertion and ejection of the card 10 is mechanically performed in accordance with the operation of the tray 11 approaching or separating from the card inlet / outlet 9. 18
The maintenance of the opening / closing mechanism can be facilitated, and the failure location can be easily confirmed and promptly dealt with.

When the card 10 is collected, the tray 11 is moved in the direction of the card entrance 9 with the rear clamper 18 opened, and the card 10 is dropped into the collection box 30 by the stopper 28. The mechanism can be simplified. That is, the card collection mechanism of the present embodiment includes the stopper 28, the third spring 29, and the collection box 30, and simplifies the configuration for collecting the card 10 with the rear clamper 18 opened. In addition, the card 10 can be collected by moving the tray 11 from the reading position of the card data to the rear position by the length of the card 10, so that the depth of the card handling device 50 is reduced and the card handling device 50 is enlarged. Never do.

Further, since the opening and closing mechanisms of the front and rear clampers 17 and 18 are operated by a mechanical structure using simple parts, the structure of the tray 11 is not complicated as compared with the case where an actuator is used. The operation of placing the card 10, the operation of discharging the card into and out of the card entrance 9 and the operation of collecting the card can be performed accurately, the control operation can be simplified, the cost can be reduced, and the reliability of the apparatus can be improved.

In the illustrated embodiment, the inserted card 1
0 is securely placed on the tray 11 and the front clamper 17 has an opening and closing structure in order to reliably discharge the card from the card entrance 9 and the rear clamper 18 has an opening and closing structure for collecting cards. Although an example in which the card 10 is used is shown, if only the inserted card 10 is to be reliably transported and ejected, only the front clamper 17 needs to have an open / close structure.

[0026]

According to the present invention, when the card is in a standby state, the front of the tray is opened, and when the user inserts the card, the front clamper places the card on the tray as the tray moves. When the tray is moved to the card ejection side to eject the card and the card is ejected, the front clamper opens the front of the tray, so that the card can be securely and easily placed on the tray. Moreover, even if the surface of the card is worn, the slip caused by the transport of the card as in the related art is prevented without being affected by the wear, so that the reliability of reading and writing of the card data is reliably improved. When the card is collected, the rear clamper is opened, and when the tray is moved in the card entrance / exit direction while the card is kept open, the card is dropped by the stopper to be collected. Be those constructed, the present invention is,
Since it is configured to operate mechanically with simple parts using the opening and closing mechanism by the front clamper and the rear clamper, the operation of placing the card on the tray, the operation of discharging to the card entrance and exit,
In addition, the card collection operation can be accurately performed, and the cost can be reduced and the operation reliability can be increased as compared with the case where an actuator is used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an automatic teller machine to which a card handling device of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a plan view (a) and a front view (b) of a main part of an embodiment of the card handling apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the steps of one embodiment of the card handling device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Automatic teller machine 2 ... Operation display part 3 ... Card reading part 4 ... Slip issuing part 5 ... Bill payment part 6 ... Control part 7 ... Memory 8 ... Connection part 9 ... Card entrance / exit 10 ... Card 11 ... Tray 12, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 ... Roller 14 ... 2nd motor 15 ... 1st motor 16 ... Belt 17 ... Front clamper 18 ... Rear clamper 19 ... 1st spring 20 ... 1st fixed part 21 ... Rotation guide 22 ... 2nd spring 23 ... 2nd fixed part 24 third fixing portion 25 head block 26, 27 magnetic head 28 stopper 29 third spring 31, 32 roller 30 card collection box 33, 34 pin 50 card handling device

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-6-301824 (JP, A) JP-A-5-233886 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G07D 7/00-9/00 G06K 13/06 G07F 7/08

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A card conveying means for carrying a card inserted from a card inlet / outlet into a card handling apparatus, and carrying out the card from the inside of the card handling apparatus to the card inlet / outlet, and a conveying path of the card conveying means. A card handling device provided with a magnetic head for reading recording data of the card, wherein the card is mounted on the transport means and moves by placing the card at least between the card entrance and the magnetic head. Holding means, a front clamper provided at the front of the card holding means, and activating the front clamper to open the front part of the card holding means at a predetermined position near the card entrance and exit position other than the predetermined position 3. The card handling device according to claim 1, further comprising a clamper opening / closing mechanism configured to close a front portion of said card holding means. 2. Card transfer means for carrying a card inserted from a card entrance and exit into a card handling device, and carrying out the card from the inside of the card handling device to the card entrance and exit, and a transportation path of the card transportation means. A magnetic head for reading recorded data of the card provided on the card handling device, and a card collection unit provided inside the card handling device for collecting the card; Card holding means for placing and holding; front and rear clampers provided at the front and rear parts of the card holding means; individually activating the front and rear clampers, respectively, at predetermined positions near the card entrance and exit. Opening the front of the card holding means, closing the front of the card holding means at a position other than the predetermined position, and collecting the card Open rear portion of the card holding means in the vicinity, the card handling device characterized by having a configuration the clamper closing mechanism to close the rear of the card holding means in a predetermined position of the card inlet and outlet vicinity. 3. The card handling device according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of roller mechanisms rotating in forward and reverse directions between the card entrance and the card holding means. apparatus.