JP5287189B2 - Card processing device, ticket issuing machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a card processing device that reads information recorded on a card and performs predetermined processing, and a ticket issuing machine equipped with the card processing device.

  Conventionally, railroad commuter passes have been mainly magnetic cards, but recently, with the spread of non-contact automatic ticket gates, IC card commuter passes have become mainstream. There are also commuter passes that have a function that can be charged and used for shopping, and composite commuter passes that can also be used as credit cards.

  On the other hand, with the progress of automation of station services, commuter pass issuing machines that issue commuter passes by user operations are also widespread. In this commuter pass issuing machine, not only newly purchased commuter passes, but also continuing commuter passes with updated commuter pass information can be purchased. When purchasing a commuter pass, if you insert the old commuter pass and enter the specified information, the commuter pass information of the IC built into the ticket will be updated based on the input information, and the information printed on the ticket will be The old commuter pass is issued as a continuous commuter pass. The rewrite of the ticket surface information is performed by a thermal head.

  By the way, in the card processing apparatus, there are cases where there are restrictions on the front and back direction of the card to be inserted. For example, in the case of a commuter pass as described above, credit card information (credit number, credit company name, etc.) is printed on one side, and commuter pass information (boarding section) on the other side. Or expiration date). Therefore, when purchasing a commuter pass by inserting it into a commuter pass issuing machine, if the card is inserted with the print side of the credit card information facing up, the printed side of the commuter pass information on the back side will not face the thermal head. The commuter pass information cannot be rewritten. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to insert the card with the printed side of the commuter pass information face up.

  On the other hand, when making a credit card payment using a commuter pass that also serves as a credit card, if the card is inserted with the commuter pass information printed side facing up, the magnetic stripe provided on the credit card information printed surface will not face the magnetic head Therefore, it becomes impossible to read / write information from / to the magnetic stripe, and credit settlement becomes impossible. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to insert the card with the print side of the credit card information face up.

  The restrictions on the front and back of the card as described above apply not only to a commuter pass that also serves as a credit card but also to a regular commuter pass, a credit card, a cash card, and the like.

  In this way, if there is a restriction on the card's front and back direction, if the card is inserted incorrectly, the card cannot be processed. Conventionally, the card must be returned and inserted in the correct orientation using display or voice. I was guiding. However, in this case, it is inconvenient for the user because the returned card must be reinserted and the operation must be performed again.

  In view of this, a card processing device has been proposed that enables the processing to be continued by automatically reversing the front and back without returning the card even if the card is inserted by mistake.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 below, a card in which the magnetic card is inserted is determined in which direction the front and back are inserted, and if the insertion direction is not appropriate, the front and back and front and back are automatically corrected and then magnetic processing is performed. A processing device is described. In this card processing apparatus, a magnetic bar code is read by a front / back / front / back determination sensor, and the card insertion direction is determined based on the result. If the card is inserted in the normal front / back / front / rear direction, normal processing is performed without correction, and if the card is inserted upside down, the card is reversed to correct the front / back. When the card is inserted backwards and forwards, the card is rotated to correct the front and back, and when the card is inserted backwards and forwards and backwards, the front and back and front and back are corrected by reversing and rotating.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-85913

  In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when a card is inserted by mistake, the card inversion process is always executed. However, depending on the processing type of the card, for example, there is a case where a printing process or the like is not required like charge charge or remaining amount display, and in this case, no trouble occurs even if the front and back of the card are incorrect. However, in Patent Document 1, since the card inversion process is performed even in such a case, there is a problem that the processing time becomes unnecessarily long.

  In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a card processing apparatus that can shorten the time required for card processing by executing card inversion only when necessary.

  A card processing device according to the present invention is a card processing device that reads information recorded on a card and performs a predetermined process, a detection unit that detects the front and back and front and back of the inserted card, and a detection result of the detection unit Based on the determination means for determining whether or not the card has been inserted without error, a reversing mechanism for reversing the front and back of the card, the type of processing for the card, and the determination result of the determination means, And a control means for controlling reversal of the card by the reversing mechanism.

  In the present invention, the reversal of the card is controlled in consideration of the type of processing for the card as well as the determination that the card has been inserted wrongly, so that the reversing mechanism is used for processing that does not require card reversal. The inversion operation can be omitted, and the processing efficiency can be increased without useless operation.

  In the present invention, when the process for the card is a process involving printing and the determination means determines that there is an error on the front and back of the card, the card is reversed by the reversing mechanism, and the process for the card is accompanied by printing. If the processing is not performed, the card is not reversed by the reversing mechanism regardless of the result of the discrimination by the discrimination means, the processing for the card is a process involving printing, and the discrimination means has no errors on the front and back of the card. If it is determined that there is an error before and after, printing is performed after rearranging the print data without operating the card.

  According to this, in the case of card processing involving printing, when a card is inserted with the front and back reversed, the front and back are automatically reversed and printing is performed. On the other hand, in the case of card processing that does not involve printing, even if the card is inserted upside down, the card is not reversed and only the original processing is performed. It is possible to speed up the processing by returning. As for the front-rear direction, even if the card is not inserted in the correct direction, it can be processed on the data without performing an operation such as rotating the card.

  The ticket issuing machine according to the present invention includes the above-described card processing device of the present invention and a customer service unit for selecting the type of processing for the card. In this ticket issuing machine, control of card reversal is performed based on the processing type selected in the customer service section and the determination result of whether or not the card has been inserted without error, so processing that does not require card reversal In this case, the reversing operation by the reversing mechanism can be omitted and the ticket issuing process can be performed quickly.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a card processing apparatus capable of reducing the time required for card processing by executing card inversion only when necessary.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a commuter pass issuing machine 100 equipped with a card processing apparatus of the present invention. The control unit 1 includes a CPU, a memory, and the like, and controls the operation of the entire apparatus. The customer service unit 2 includes a touch panel for inputting and displaying information. The banknote handling apparatus 3 performs discrimination / conveyance / storage of inserted banknotes and feed / discrimination / conveyance of banknotes to be discharged. The coin processing device 4 performs discrimination / conveyance / storage of input coins and pays out / discrimination / conveyance of coins to be discharged. The card processing device 5 performs commuter pass issuance processing, and collects unused commuter passes. Details of the card processing device 5 will be described later. The communication unit 6 communicates with a host device (not shown). The power supply unit 7 supplies power to each unit of the commuter pass issuing machine 100.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the card processing device 5. The control unit 10 includes a CPU, a memory, and the like, and controls the operation of the card processing device 5. The IC reader / writer 11 includes an antenna coil, reads information recorded in the IC built in the card, and writes information into the IC. The magnetic head 12 reads information recorded on the magnetic stripe of the card and writes information on the magnetic stripe. The thermal head 13 prints and rewrites the commuter pass information on the ticket surface. The card direction detection sensor 14 is composed of a reflection type optical sensor, and optically detects the front and back and front and back of the card. The conveyance motor 15 is a motor for driving a conveyance roller or the like for conveying a card. The reversing motor 16 is a motor for driving a reversing mechanism described later when reversing the front and back of the card.

  In the above configuration, the control unit 10 is an embodiment of the control means and the discrimination means in the present invention, and the card direction detection sensor 14 is an embodiment of the detection means in the present invention.

  FIG. 3 shows a schematic mechanism diagram of the card processing device 5. The IC reader / writer 11 is provided below the card transport path 40. A pair of magnetic heads 12 are provided above and below the card transport path 40. The thermal head 13 is provided on the upper side of the card transport path 40. A pair of card direction detection sensors 14 are provided on the upper and lower sides of the card transport path 40 with a spacing left and right. 21 are a pair of upper and lower transport rollers provided at a plurality of locations on the card transport path 40 and are driven by the transport motor 15 in FIG. Reference numeral 22 denotes a platen roller provided to face the thermal head 13.

  The reversing mechanism 30 includes rollers 31 to 34, a pulley 35, and a frame 38 that supports them. A conveyor belt 37 is installed between the roller 31 and the roller 32. A shaft 36 is connected to the frame 38, and the pulley 35 is fixed to the shaft 36. The rollers 33 and 34 are driven by the transport motor 15 shown in FIG. Then, the rotation of the roller 33 is transmitted to the roller 31 via a gear (not shown), and the rotation of the roller 31 is transmitted to the roller 32 via the belt 37. A reversing belt 39 is provided between the pulley 35 and the reversing motor 16.

  The card 50 inserted from the insertion port 41 is taken into the inside via the transport belt 37 of the reversing mechanism 30 and is transported in the direction of arrow A by the transport roller 21. In this process, the card direction detection sensor 14 detects the front and back of the card 50. If there is no error in the front and back, the card surface information is rewritten by the thermal head 13, and the recording by the magnetic head 12 or the IC reader / writer 11 is performed. Information is read and / or written. When these operations are completed, the card 50 is conveyed in the direction of arrow B by the conveyance roller 21 and is discharged from the insertion port 41 via the conveyance belt 37 of the reversing mechanism 30.

On the other hand, when there is an error in the front and back of the card (when the front and back are reversed), the taken-in card 50 is transported in the direction of arrow B by the transport roller 21 and sent to the reversing mechanism 30, and the card is subjected to the procedure described later. The front and back are reversed. The card whose front and back sides are reversed is conveyed again in the direction of arrow A by the conveying roller 21, and after being processed by the thermal head 13, the magnetic head 12, and the IC reader / writer 11, as described above, is conveyed in the direction of arrow B. And is discharged from the insertion port 41. As will be described later, even if there is an error in the front and back of the card, the reversing mechanism 30 does not perform reversal when printing is not involved.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the card reversing operation by the reversing mechanism 30. In FIG. 4A, the card 50 is sandwiched between the rollers 31 and 32 and the rollers 33 and 34. From this state, when the reversing motor 16 is driven and the pulley 35 is rotated in the direction of the arrow a via the belt 39, the shaft 36 to which the pulley 35 is fixed is also rotated integrally, and the frame 38 connected to the shaft 36. Rotates in the direction of arrow b. Then, when the frame 38 rotates 180 °, the reversing motor 16 stops, and the state shown in FIG. In FIG. 4B, the upper and lower sides of the reversing mechanism 30 are opposite to those in FIG. 4A, and the front and back of the card 50 are reversed.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a series of card processing procedures. Hereinafter, according to this flowchart, the card processing procedure will be described in more detail.

FIG. 5 is a card processing procedure according to the present invention , and shows a commuter pass information update process when a commuter pass is purchased with a commuter pass issuing machine. This update process includes updating the commuter pass information printed on the ticket surface and updating the commuter pass information recorded on the ticket. In FIG. 5, the procedure of the host device is executed by the control unit 1 (FIG. 1) of the commuter pass issuing machine 100, and the procedure of the card processing device is executed by the control unit 10 (FIG. 2) of the card processing device 5. Is done .

  In step S1, the card 50 is inserted into the insertion slot 41 (FIG. 3) of the card processing device 5 by the user. The card 50 in this case is a commuter pass composed of a non-contact type IC card. When the card 50 is inserted, the process proceeds to step S <b> 2, where the card processing device 5 takes in the card 50 and determines the front / back / front / rear direction of the card 50 based on the detection result of the card direction detection sensor 14. In the subsequent step S3, it is determined whether or not the inserted card 50 is an acceptable medium (step S3: NO), the process proceeds to step S16, and the card 50 is inserted in step S17. Return from mouth 41. If the medium is acceptable for the card 50 (step S3: YES), the process proceeds to step S4. Whether the medium is acceptable can be determined based on, for example, the output of a sensor (not shown) provided near the insertion port 41.

  In step S4, the reception unit 2 (FIG. 1) of the commuter pass issuing machine 100 displays that the card 50 has been accepted. In step S <b> 5, the user selects a process for the card 50 on the touch panel screen of the customer service unit 2. For example, if a continuous commuter pass is issued, a button for a continuous commuter pass displayed on the screen is selected, and a use start date, an effective period, and the like are selected. When these selections are made, the commuter pass issuing machine 100 determines in step S6 whether or not the selected process is a process involving printing. As processing involving printing, in addition to the purchase of the continuous commuter pass described above, there are commuter pass refund processing, route change processing, and the like. Processes that do not involve printing include charge charge, remaining amount display, deposit amount refund upon card return, auto-charge amount setting change, change to new card, amount transfer from other cards, etc. .

  If the determination result in step S6 is a process involving printing (step S6: YES), the process proceeds to step S7, and a printing instruction is sent from the commuter pass issuing machine 100 to the card processing device 5. When the card processing device 5 receives the print instruction, in step S8, it is determined in step S2 whether or not the card 50 is inserted in a printable direction, that is, whether or not there is an error in the front and back of the card 50. The determination is based on the determination result. If there is no error in the front and back (step S8: YES), the commuter pass issuing machine 100 instructs the card processing device 5 to update the card information in step S13. In response to this instruction, the card processing device 5 updates the commuter pass information recorded in the IC of the card 50 by writing by the IC reader / writer 11 in step S14, and on the card face of the card 50 in step S15. The printed commuter pass information is rewritten and updated by printing with the thermal head 13.

  When the update process in steps S14 and S15 is completed, a card return instruction is sent from the commuter pass issuing machine 100 to the card processing device 5 in step S16. When the card processing device 5 receives the return instruction, the card 50 is returned in step S17, and the user removes the returned card 50 in step S18, thereby completing a series of operations.

  If it is determined in step S8 that the card is not inserted in the printable direction, that is, the card has an error on the front and back (step S8: NO), the card is issued from the commuter pass issuing machine 100 in step S9. A card inversion instruction is sent to the processing device 5. When the card processing device 5 receives the reversal instruction, in step S10, the card 50 is conveyed to the reversing mechanism 30 and the reversing mechanism 30 (FIGS. 3 and 4) is driven to reverse the front and back of the card 50. In step S11, the front / back / front / rear side of the card 50 is discriminated. In step S12, it is again determined whether or not the card 50 is inserted in a printable direction, that is, whether or not there is an error in the front and back of the card 50. If it is determined that there is no error in the front and back (step S12: YES), the process proceeds to step S13, and thereafter, the above-described steps S14 to S18 are executed. On the other hand, if there is an error on the front and back (step S12: NO), the process proceeds to step S16, and thereafter, the procedure of steps S17 to S18 described above is executed.

  If the determination result in step S6 is a process that does not involve printing (step S6: NO), the process proceeds to step S13 without executing the processes in steps S7 to S12. The procedure of S18 is executed. That is, in the case of processing not involving printing, the card 50 is not reversed by the reversing mechanism 30 regardless of whether the card 50 is upside down or not.

  In the printing process in step S15, the front / rear discrimination results in steps S2 and S11 are referred to. If the card 50 is correctly inserted in the front / rear direction, normal printing is performed, and the card 50 is reversed in the front / rear direction. If it is inserted, printing is performed after the print data is rearranged. Therefore, with respect to the front-rear direction, even if the card 50 is not inserted in the correct direction, an operation such as rotating the card 50 is not performed and processing is performed on the data.

  As described above, in the procedure of FIG. 5, when the process for the card 50 is a process involving printing (step S6: YES) and it is determined that there is an error in the front and back of the card (step S8: NO). In addition, when the card 50 is reversed by the reversing mechanism 30 (step S10), and the process for the card 50 is a process that does not involve printing (step S6: NO), the reversing mechanism 30 performs regardless of whether the card is front or back. The card 50 is not reversed.

  Therefore, in the case of continuous commuter pass issuance accompanied by printing, when the card 50 is inserted with the front and back reversed, the front and back are automatically reversed and the updated ticket surface information is printed. On the other hand, in the case of charge charge without printing, even if the card 50 is inserted upside down, the card is not reversed and only the original processing is executed, so the information on the card 50 is updated. Thereafter, the processing can be speeded up by returning the card 50.

  The present invention can employ various embodiments other than those described above. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the rewrite of the ticket print information in the case of purchasing a continuous commuter pass with the commuter pass issuing machine 100 is taken as an example. However, the present invention provides the remaining amount information printed on the back surface of the prepaid card. It can also be applied to the case of rewriting.

  Further, the reversing mechanism in the present invention is not limited to the reversing mechanism 30 shown in FIG. 4, but is a reversing mechanism having another structure, for example, a reversing mechanism as shown in Patent Document 1 described above. Also good.

  Further, the commuter pass issuing machine 100 described above is not limited to a dedicated machine having only a commuter pass issuing function, but may be an automatic ticket vending machine that issues a ticket with a commuter pass issuing function. The ticket issuing machine according to the present invention is not limited to a commuter ticket issuing machine, and may be, for example, a ticket issuing machine that prints predetermined information on an IC card and issues the card.

It is a block diagram of a commuter pass issuing machine equipped with the card processing device of the present invention. It is a block diagram of a card processing apparatus. It is a schematic mechanism figure of a card processing apparatus. It is a figure explaining the inversion operation | movement of the card | curd by an inversion mechanism. It is the flowchart which showed the card processing procedure by this invention .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Card processing apparatus 10 Control part 11 IC reader / writer 12 Magnetic head 13 Thermal head 14 Card direction detection sensor 15 Conveyance motor 16 Reverse motor 30 Reverse mechanism 50 Card 100 Periodic ticket issuing machine

Claims (3)

In a card processing device that reads information recorded on a card and performs predetermined processing,
Detection means for detecting the front and back and front and back of the inserted card;
Based on the detection result of the detection means, a determination means for determining whether or not the card has been inserted without error,
A reversing mechanism for reversing the front and back of the card;
Control means for controlling the reversal of the card by the reversing mechanism based on the type of processing for the card and the discrimination result of the discrimination means;
The control means includes
If the process for the card is a process involving printing, and the determination means determines that there is an error on the front and back of the card, the card is reversed by the reversing mechanism,
When the process for the card is a process that does not involve printing, the card is not reversed by the reversing mechanism regardless of the determination result of the determining unit.
If the process for the card is a process involving printing, and the determination means determines that there is no error in the front and back of the card and there is an error before and after, the print data is rearranged without performing the card operation. A card processing device that performs printing after printing. The card processing device according to claim 1,
A card processing apparatus characterized in that, when the process for the card is a process that does not involve printing, the card is returned after updating the information of the card. The card processing device according to claim 1 or 2 ,
A customer service section for selecting the type of processing for the card;
A ticket issuing machine characterized by comprising:

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