JP5318653B2 - Non-contact IC read / write system, non-contact IC reader / writer device, and printer device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce an error caused by a plurality of cards mixed in a communication range of a non-contact IC reader/writer by avoiding the conveying of a card on a card conveying path into the communication range of the IC reader/writer when the card is held over by a user. <P>SOLUTION: The IC reader/writer is provided so as to be capable of communicating with a card C1 in a first communication section 12 and a card C2 in a second communication section 13 and detects the presence or absence of the card C2 in the second communication section 13 when the card C1 on the card conveying path P is in a waiting unit 14 other than the first communication section 12. The conveyance of the card C1 is controlled according to the result. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a non-contact IC read / write system capable of communicating with an IC card in a non-contact manner and capable of reading and writing data.

  IC cards are composed of cards with built-in IC chips, can handle large volumes of data compared to magnetic stripe cards, and can ensure high security, so they can be used as ID cards for personal identification, prepaid cards, etc. Has been. In order to issue such an ID card, a printer device in which a card printer having a function of printing on the card surface and an IC reader / writer for writing and reading data on the card is used. Then, printing processing on the card surface and data recording processing on the IC chip are performed. In such a case, the printer apparatus has a card transport path, and an IC reader / writer antenna is provided in the vicinity of the card transport path, so that the card transported to a predetermined position on the card transport path and the IC reader / writer can communicate with each other. Do. As another IC reader / writer, there is an IC reader / writer that communicates between the card and the IC reader / writer by a user holding the card from the outside of the device housing of the IC reader / writer.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an IC reader / writer device that can communicate with both a card on the above-described card transport path and a card held by a user from the outside of the device housing with a single IC reader / writer is known ( For example, see Patent Document 1). In such an IC reader / writer device, data for issuing a card may be written to a card on the card transport path. At this time, a blank card is often used as a card to which data is written. On the other hand, cards that have already been issued are often used as cards held from the outside of the apparatus housing, and data reading and rewriting processes are performed on the cards.

  However, if one IC reader / writer is configured to be able to communicate with both a card on the card transport path and a card held from the outside of the device housing, a plurality of cards are mixed within the communication range of the IC reader / writer. It may be possible to do so. In such a case, depending on the type of the IC reader / writer or the card, for example, when data is written to a blank card on the card transport path, the issued card can be communicated outside the apparatus housing. If it is held over, the writing process on the blank card may be affected, or data that should originally be written on the blank card may be overwritten on the issued card.

  By the way, there is known an IC reader / writer device configured such that a card on the card transport path and a card held from the outside of the device housing are not simultaneously communicated by one IC reader / writer (for example, Patent Documents). 2). According to this apparatus, the lock mechanism for locking the card on the card transport path is provided, and a lock signal is generated when the card is inserted into the transport path and the card is fixed by the lock mechanism. By generating the lock signal, the communication distance of the IC reader / writer is shortened, and communication with a card held from the outside of the apparatus housing is not performed. With this configuration, only the card on the transport path is processed when the lock signal is generated, so that the above-mentioned problem can be prevented, but the configuration is complicated because a lock mechanism must be provided in addition to the existing device. become. Furthermore, if a card is inserted into the transport path while processing is being performed on a card held from the outside of the device casing and the communication distance is shortened, processing on the card held from the outside of the device casing is performed. There is a risk of interruption.

JP-A-11-161751 JP 2000-285207 A

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-described problem. When a card is held over by a user, the card on the card transport path is placed in an IC reader / writer so that the processing of the card held by the user is not interrupted. It is an object of the present invention to provide a non-contact IC read / write system, a non-contact IC reader / writer device, and a printer device that are not conveyed within the communication range.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention transmits / receives a radio signal to / from a host computer, an apparatus casing, a transport path for transporting a first card provided in the apparatus casing. And the second card positioned from the outside of the apparatus housing by the user to the first communication unit in the first communication unit on the transport path and the second communication unit at a position different from the transport path. In a non-contact IC read / write system comprising an IC read / write unit capable of communicating with the first communication unit, the first communication unit and the standby unit removed from the first communication unit on the transport path A transporting means for transporting a card; a detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a second card in the second communication part in a state where the first card is in the standby part; and depending on a result of the detecting means, Transport means Comprising a Gosuru control means, said control means, when detecting the second card in said second communication unit by said detecting means, so as not to enter the first card in the first communication unit And controlling the conveying means .

  Furthermore, the contactless IC read / write system of the present invention further comprises communication prohibiting means for prohibiting communication between the second card and the IC read / write unit, and the control means is configured to detect the second by the detecting means. When it is detected that there is no second card in the communication unit, the communication prohibiting unit disables communication between the second card and the IC read / write unit, and the first card is Control is performed so as to convey the first communication unit.

  In the present invention, the built-in IC reader / writer is provided so as to be able to communicate with the first card in the first communication unit and the second card in the second communication unit. When the upper first card is in a standby unit other than the first communication unit, the presence or absence of the second card in the second communication unit is detected. By controlling the conveyance of the first card according to the result, the first card is not conveyed to the first communication unit in the state where the second card is in the second communication unit. Processing for the card is not interrupted.

  Further, when it is detected that there is no card held by the user in the second communication unit in a state where the card is in the standby unit, the conveyance path is set after the communication between the IC reader / writer and the card held by the user is disabled. Since the upper card is conveyed to the first communication unit, a plurality of cards are not mixed within the communication range of the IC reader / writer.

1 is a system configuration diagram to which a printer apparatus according to a first embodiment to which the present invention is applicable can be connected. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the printer apparatus according to the first embodiment, showing a state where a card on a transport path is in a first communication unit. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the printer apparatus according to the first embodiment, showing a state in which a card on a transport path is in a standby unit. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a control unit of the printer apparatus according to the first embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows communication between the IC reader / writer of 1st Embodiment, and an IC card. It is a flowchart explaining the flow of the process before receiving the card issue command of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the flow of a process after receiving the card issue command of 1st Embodiment. It is the figure which showed schematic structure of the card | curd of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the printer apparatus of 2nd Embodiment, and shows the state in which the card | curd on a conveyance path exists in a 1st communication part. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the printer apparatus of 2nd Embodiment, and shows the state in which the card | curd on a conveyance path exists in a standby part. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the printer apparatus of 3rd Embodiment, and shows the state in which the card | curd on a conveyance path exists in a 1st communication part. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the printer apparatus of 3rd Embodiment, and shows the state in which the card | curd on a conveyance path exists in a standby part.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<System configuration>
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer device 1 is connected to a host device 10 (for example, a host computer such as a personal computer) via an interface (not shown), and print data and IC are transferred from the host device 10 to the printer device 1. It is possible to instruct a recording operation or the like by transmitting recording data or the like.

  The host device 10 generally includes an image input device 4 (for example, a camera or a scanner) for inputting an image or the like used for print data, and an input device such as a keyboard or mouse for inputting commands and data to the host device 10. 3. Connected to a monitor 2 such as a liquid crystal display for displaying data generated by the host device 10 and data obtained from a card by an IC reader / writer described later.

<Internal configuration>
Next, with reference to FIG. 2, each component inside the printer device 1 and the host device 10 will be described. The card supply unit 16 is detachably provided on one side of the printer apparatus 1 and can store therein a plurality of blank cards C1 before recording processing in a stacked manner, and is provided on the printer apparatus 1 side. The supply roller 17 that is rotationally driven by a motor that omits No. 1 feeds the card at the lowest level (lowermost layer) into the apparatus. The printer apparatus 1 includes a transport path P through which the card C1 is transported inside the housing 24, and the card C1 is fed out to the transport path P by the supply roller 17.

  The printing unit 20 prints data such as characters and images on the surface of the card C1. In the first embodiment, the printing unit 20 adopts the configuration of a thermal transfer printer, and has a thermal head 21 provided so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to a platen roller 22 provided at a printing position on the conveyance path P. ing. Between the platen roller 22 and the thermal head 21, an ink ribbon R in which a plurality of colors such as ink layers Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and Bk (black) are repeated in a surface order is interposed. The thermal head 21 is pressed against the card C1 through the ink ribbon R to perform printing.

  The card C1 on the transport path P is transported while being sandwiched between a plurality of transport rollers (pairs) 18 provided in the transport path P. The transport roller 18 is rotated by driving a stepping motor M. A card detection sensor 15 is provided in the transport path P, and the sensor 15 detects that the front end of the card C1 has passed. Then, the control unit 95 described later manages the position of the card C1 with reference to the detection result of the sensor 15 and the driving amount of the stepping motor M.

  A card discharge unit 25 is provided below the card supply unit 16 so as to be detachable from the apparatus housing 24. When all the processes for the card C1 are completed, the card C1 is conveyed to the card discharge unit 25, and the processed cards C1 are stored in a stacked manner in the card discharge unit 25. When the card C <b> 1 is transported to the card discharge unit 25, the transport path P is switched in the direction of the card discharge unit 25.

  The IC reader / writer 11 includes an IC control unit 11 a and an antenna (coil) 11 b, and is provided between the transport path P and the top plate of the housing 24. The IC reader / writer 11 of the first embodiment communicates with a card in a non-contact manner using an electromagnetic induction method. An IC chip 30 and an antenna (coil) 31 are mounted on the card C (see FIG. 8), and communication is performed using an induced electromotive force between the antenna 31 of the card C and the antenna 11b of the IC reader / writer. First, a current is passed through the antenna 11b of the IC reader / writer 11 to generate a magnetic field in a direction perpendicular to the antenna 11b. Next, when the antenna 31 of the card C receives this magnetic field, an electromotive force is generated in the antenna 31 and a current flows through the antenna 31 to supply power to the IC chip 30. Further, the IC reader / writer 11 transmits a signal in which specific data (command) is modulated on the generated magnetic field, and the card C performs communication by receiving the signal. Similarly, when a current flows through the antenna 31 of the card C, a magnetic field is generated, and a signal is transmitted to the IC reader / writer 11 on the magnetic field.

  The IC reader / writer 11 normally transmits a response request signal from the antenna 11b. When the card C receives the response request signal, the response signal is transmitted according to the response request signal, and the IC reader / writer 11 receives the response signal. Thereby, it is detected that the card C exists within the communication range of the IC reader / writer 11 (hereinafter referred to as response processing). Thereafter, the IC reader / writer 11 inquires the card C for a specific number and performs authentication, and does not communicate with any other than the authenticated card (hereinafter referred to as card authentication processing). When the card C is authenticated, data writing or reading processing is performed on the card C in accordance with an instruction from the host device 10 (hereinafter referred to as read / write processing) (see FIG. 5).

  As described above, since the IC reader / writer 11 communicates with the card C in a non-contact manner, the IC reader / writer 11 and the card C can communicate anywhere within the range of the generated magnetic field. Therefore, the communicable area of the IC reader / writer 11 of the first embodiment is the range indicated by reference numerals 12 and 13 in FIG. The top plate side is referred to as a second communication unit 13. A part of the top plate of the housing 24 is provided with a card holding part 33 made of the above-described material that allows the magnetic field to pass therethrough, and the user holds the card C2 over the card holding part 33 to perform the second communication. The card C2 is entered into the unit 13.

  Therefore, in the 1st communication part 12, communication with the card | curd C1 conveyed on the conveyance path P is performed, and in the 2nd communication part 13, it communicates with the card | curd C2 hold | maintained at the card holding part 33 by the user. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the user holds the card C2 over the card holding unit 33. In this state, communication is performed between the IC reader / writer 11 and the card C2. On the other hand, FIG. 3 shows a state in which the card C1 is transported to the first communication unit 12 on the transport path P. In this state, communication is performed between the IC reader / writer 11 and the card C1.

  The blocking plate 32 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is a plate made of a material that blocks the magnetic field generated from the IC reader / writer 11, and is provided so as to be movable between a blocking position and a retracted position by a motor (not shown). It has been. As shown in FIG. 2, when the blocking plate 32 is in the retracted position, the range of the second communication unit 13 reaches the card holding unit 33, so that the card C2 held by the user over the card holding unit 33 is Communication with the IC reader / writer 11 is possible. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, when the blocking plate 32 is in the blocking position, the blocking plate 32 blocks the magnetic field generated by the IC reader / writer 11 so that the range of the second communication unit does not reach the card holding unit 33. Therefore, since the card C2 held by the user over the card holding unit 33 is outside the range of the second communication unit 13, communication between the card C2 and the IC reader / writer 11 is impossible.

  Further, when the standby unit 14 is provided between the printing unit 20 and the first communication unit 12 in the transport path P and the card C1 is in the standby unit 14, communication between the IC reader / writer 11 and the card C1 is not performed. (See FIG. 2).

  In addition, a display unit 19 that displays the status of the printer device 1 and a warning to the user is provided at a position close to the card holding unit 33.

  Next, the control and electrical system of the printer apparatus 1 will be described. The printer device 1 can drive / activate each mechanism unit and control unit from a commercial AC power source, a control unit 95 that controls the operation of the entire printer device 1, an IC control unit 11a that controls the IC reader / writer 11, and the like. And a power supply unit 90 for converting into a DC power supply.

<Control unit>
As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 95 includes a microcomputer 95 b (hereinafter simply referred to as a microcomputer 95 b) that performs overall control processing of the printer device 1. The microcomputer 95b is a CPU that operates as a central processing unit with a high-speed clock, a ROM that stores basic control operations (programs and program data) of the printer apparatus 1, a RAM that functions as a work area for the CPU, and an internal bus that connects these. It is configured.

  An external bus is connected to the microcomputer 95b. An interface (not shown) for communicating with the control unit of the host device 10 and a buffer memory 95a for temporarily storing print record data to be printed on the card C1 are connected to the external bus.

  The external bus includes a sensor control unit 95c that controls signals from various sensors such as the sensor 15, an actuator control unit 95d that controls a motor driver that sends drive pulses and drive power to each motor, and a thermal head 21. A thermal head controller 95e for controlling thermal energy and a display controller 95f for controlling the display unit 19 are connected. The sensor control unit 95c is used for a card detection sensor 15 including a light emitting element and a light receiving element and other sensors (not shown), and the actuator control unit 95d is used for a stepping motor M and other motors and actuators (not shown). Are connected to the thermal head 51, and the operation display control unit 95f is connected to the operation panel unit 5, respectively.

  Similarly to the printer device 1, the IC reader / writer 11 built in the printer device 1 also includes an IC control unit 11 a that controls the IC reader / writer 11. The IC control unit 11a also has a memory and a microcomputer, communicates with the control unit of the host device 10, and operates according to instructions from the host device 10. Then, the IC control unit 11a controls the antenna 11b to communicate with the card C. The power supply unit 90 supplies operation / drive power to the control unit 95, the thermal head 21, the display unit 19, each sensor (including the sensor 15), each actuator (including the motor M), and the IC reader / writer 11. Yes.

<Operation>
Hereinafter, the processing flow of the host device 10 and the printer device 1 of the first embodiment will be described. The IC reader / writer 11 built in the printer device 1 executes processing instructed by the host device 10 upon card issuance for the card C1 in the first communication unit. On the other hand, the card C2 in the second communication unit is programmed to read predetermined data stored in the card C2 and display the read data on the monitor 2 connected to the host device 10. ing. The user compares the information printed on the card C2 with the information displayed (stored on the card C2) to determine whether it is an appropriate card.

  The IC reader / writer 11 constantly transmits a response request signal, and communicates with a card that has entered the communication range of the IC reader / writer 11 (the card that has transmitted the response signal). Therefore, when the command for issuing the card to the card C1 in the first communication unit is not generated from the host device 10, the card C1 is not drawn out to the transport path P. The process for C2 is performed (see FIG. 6).

  When a card issue command is generated by the host device 10 and a command is issued to the printer device 1, the card C1 is fed out to the transport path P, so that the card C1 and the card C2 are within the communication range of the IC reader / writer 11 (first 1 communication unit and 2nd communication unit). Therefore, the first embodiment operates according to the following processing flow (see FIG. 7).

  First, a card issue command for the card C1 is generated by the host device 10. When the printer apparatus 1 receives the command, the IC reader / writer 11 stops sending the response request signal (S1). Thereafter, the card C1 is fed out to the transport path P (S2) and transported to the standby unit 14 (S3). Here, the IC reader / writer 11 transmits a response request signal (S4), and detects the presence / absence of the card C2 in the second communication unit based on the presence / absence of a response to the response request signal (S5). If it is detected that the card C2 exists, the IC processing for the card C2 in the second communication unit is performed with the conveyance of the card C1 being stopped (S6) (S7). When the IC processing for the card C2 is completed, a response request signal is transmitted again (S4).

  When it is detected that the card C2 does not exist due to the presence or absence of a response to the response request signal, the IC reader / writer 11 is moved by forcibly reducing the range of the second communication unit 13 by moving the blocking plate 32 to the blocking position. Communication with the card C2 held over the card holding unit 33 is disabled (S8). Thereafter, the conveyance of the card C1 is resumed, the card C1 is conveyed to the first communication unit 12 (S9), and IC processing is performed on the card C1 (S10). When the IC processing is completed, the card C1 is switched back and conveyed in the direction of the printing unit 20 (S11). Here, the communication between the IC reader / writer 11 and the card C2 is possible by moving the blocking plate 32 to the retracted position when the card C1 passes the sensor 15 and returning the range of the second communication unit 13 to the original range. A state is set (S12). A printing process is performed on the card C1 conveyed to the printing unit 20 (S13), and the card C1 for which all the processes are completed is discharged to the card discharging unit 25 (S14).

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part same as the structure of 1st Embodiment, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  9 and 10 are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the configuration of the printer apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, a blocking plate 32 that can move between a blocking position and a retracted position is provided, and when performing IC processing on the card C1, the blocking plate 32 moves to the blocking position, whereby the second Although the communication unit cannot communicate with the IC reader / writer 11 and the card C2, the second embodiment does not include the blocking plate 32.

  Instead, the IC reader / writer is disposed near the transport path P between the transport path P and the card holding unit 33 (L1 <L2), and the IC control unit 11a further increases the strength of the current flowing through the antenna 11b. It is configured to be adjustable in stages. Basically, as shown in FIG. 9, both ranges of the first communication unit and the second communication unit reach the transport path P and the card holding unit 33, but the intensity of the current flowing through the antenna 11 b is By weakening, the communication range is reduced as shown in FIG. 10, and the range of the first communication unit 12 reaches the transport path P, but the range of the second communication unit 13 does not reach the card holding unit 33. Accordingly, since the card C1 can enter the first communication unit 12, communication with the IC reader / writer 11 is possible. However, even if the user holds the card C2 over the card holding unit 33, the card C2 is connected to the second communication unit 13. Since it is out of range, communication between the card C2 and the IC reader / writer 11 is impossible.

  The operations of the host device 10 and the printer device 1 of the second embodiment are basically the same as those of the first embodiment. However, the method of the communication prohibition process (S8) and the communication prohibition release process (S12) for the card C2 in FIG. 7 is different from the first embodiment. Therefore, step S5 and subsequent steps different from the first embodiment will be described here.

  In step S5, when the second communication unit 13 detects that the card C2 is not present, the IC control unit 11a weakens the current flowing through the antenna 11b and reduces the range of the first communication unit 12 and the second communication unit 13. (Communication prohibition process S8). Thereafter, the card C1 is transported to the first communication unit 12 (S9), and IC processing for the card C1 is performed (S10). When the IC processing is completed, the card C1 is switched back and conveyed in the direction of the printing unit 20 (S11). Here, when the card C1 passes the sensor 15, the IC control unit 11a increases the current flowing through the antenna 11b and restores the range of the second communication unit 13 to restore the IC reader / writer 11 and the card C2. (S12). A printing process is performed on the card C1 conveyed to the printing unit 20 (S13), and the card C1 for which all the processes are completed is discharged to the card discharging unit 25 (S14).

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part same as the structure of 1st Embodiment, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  11 and 12 are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the configuration of the printer device 1 according to the third embodiment. In the first embodiment, the user places the card C2 into the second communication unit 13 by holding the card C2 over the card holding unit 33. However, in the third embodiment, the user places a card on a part of the housing 24. An insertion portion 34 for manually inserting C2 is provided.

  A shutter member 35 is provided at the entrance of the insertion portion 34. When the shutter member 35 is open, the user can insert the card C2 into the insertion portion 34 (see FIG. 11), but the shutter member 35 is inserted into the insertion portion 34. When closed so as to close the entrance of the card 34, the card C2 cannot be inserted (see FIG. 12). The shutter member 35 is moved between an open position and a closed position by a solenoid (not shown).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11, when the card C2 is inserted into the insertion unit 34, the card C2 exists within the range of the second communication unit 13, and therefore communication between the card C2 and the IC reader / writer 11 is possible. Although it is possible, as shown in FIG. 12, when the card C2 cannot be inserted into the insertion section 34 by the shutter member 35, the card C2 is out of the range of the second communication section 13, so the card C2 and the IC reader / writer 11 Communication between is impossible.

  The operations of the host device 10 and the printer device 1 of the third embodiment are basically the same as those of the first embodiment. However, the method of the communication prohibition process (S8) and the communication prohibition release process (S12) for the card C2 in FIG. 7 is different from the first embodiment. Therefore, step S5 and subsequent steps different from the first embodiment will be described here.

  If the second communication unit 13 detects that the card C2 is not present in step S5, the shutter member 35 is closed so that the user cannot insert the card C2 into the insertion unit 34 (communication prohibition process S8). Thereafter, the card C1 is transported to the first communication unit 12 (S9), and IC processing for the card C1 is performed (S10). When the IC processing is completed, the card C1 is switched back and conveyed in the direction of the printing unit 20 (S11). Here, when the card C1 passes the sensor 15, the shutter member 35 is opened so that the user can insert the card C2 into the insertion portion. Therefore, the IC reader / writer 11 and the card C2 can communicate with each other (S12). A printing process is performed on the card C1 conveyed to the printing unit 20 (S13), and the card C1 for which all the processes are completed is discharged to the card discharging unit 25 (S14).

<Effects>
In the printer device 1 of this embodiment, the built-in IC reader / writer 11 is provided so as to be able to selectively communicate with the card C1 in the first communication unit 12 and the card C2 in the second communication unit 13, and the card transport When the card C1 on the path P is in the standby unit 14 other than the first communication unit 12, the presence or absence of the card C2 in the second communication unit 13 is detected. By controlling the conveyance of the card C1 according to the result, the card C1 is not conveyed to the first communication unit 12 with the card C2 in the second communication unit 13, so that the communication range of the IC reader / writer 11 It is possible to reduce errors that occur when a plurality of cards are mixed.

  Further, when the second communication unit 13 detects that the card C1 is not in the standby unit 14, the IC reader / writer 11 and the card C2 cannot communicate with each other before the card C1 is inserted. Since the card is conveyed to one communication unit 12, the cards C1 and C2 do not coexist within the communication range of the IC reader / writer 11.

  In the embodiment, the standby unit 14 is provided between the first communication unit 12 and the printing unit 20 on the transport path P. However, a position other than the first communication unit 12 on the transport path P is shown. Any place is acceptable. Moreover, although the example which detects the presence or absence of the card | curd C2 in the state which stopped the card | curd C1 in the waiting | standby part 14 was shown, after the card | curd C1 is drawn | fed out to the conveyance path P and is conveyed by the 1st communication part 12. The card C2 may be detected. Furthermore, although the example which stops transmission of a response request signal when the card issue command was received from the high-order apparatus 10 was shown, you may always transmit until the card | curd C1 is conveyed to the standby part 14. FIG. By doing so, the IC processing of the card C2 can be performed even while the card C1 is being transported to the standby unit 14.

  As a method for detecting the presence / absence of the card C2 in the second communication unit 13 while the card C1 is in the standby unit 14, the presence / absence of the card C2 is detected based on the presence / absence of a response to the response request signal transmitted by the IC reader / writer 11. Although an example is shown, a sensor for detecting the presence / absence of a card may be provided in the second communication unit 13 to directly detect the presence / absence of a card.

  Further, during S8 to S12 in FIG. 7, that is, while communication between the IC reader / writer 11 and the card C2 is disabled, the display unit 19 provided in the vicinity of the second communication unit 13 causes the user to However, a warning may be displayed so that the card C2 is not held over the card holding part 33 or inserted into the insertion part 34. At that time, the red LED may be blinked, or “unprocessable” may be displayed as character information. In a state where the IC reader / writer 11 and the card C2 can communicate with each other, a blue LED may be lit on the display unit 19 or “processable” may be displayed as character information.

  Furthermore, although the thermal transfer type printing unit 20 is provided in the printer device 1 of the present embodiment, any printer that can record visible information on the surface of the card C1 may be used. Further, in this embodiment, it is described that the printing process is performed by the printing unit 20 after the IC process for the card C1, but the print process may be performed before the IC process. Further, in this embodiment, the processed card C1 is discharged from the card discharge unit 25. However, a card discharge port 23 is provided on the opposite side of the card supply unit 16 with respect to the device casing 24, and the card C1 is removed. It may be discharged from the outlet 23. With this configuration, the printing process is first performed on the card C1, and then the IC process is performed, and the card C1 is discharged from the card discharge port 23 as it is.

  When the processing for the card C1 is only printing and the IC processing is not performed, if the printing process is performed on the card C1 and the card C1 is discharged as it is to the card discharging unit 25, the card C1 does not pass through the first communication unit 12, and therefore the second communication The IC process for the card C2 in the unit 13 is not disturbed.

  Further, in this embodiment, an example in which the printer device 1 and the IC reader / writer 11 are operated by a command from the host device 10 has been described. However, the printer device 1 and the IC reader / writer may be operated according to firmware of the printer device 1 or the IC reader / writer.

  The present invention is a non-contact IC reader / writer device capable of communicating with a card on a transport path and a card held by a user from the outside of the device housing, and both cards are within the communication range of the IC reader / writer. To provide a non-contact IC read / write system, a non-contact IC reader / writer device, and a printer device that can reduce errors due to mixing, manufacture of the non-contact IC read / write system, non-contact IC reader / writer device, and printer device Since it contributes to sales, it has industrial applicability.

1 Printer device 10 Host device (host computer)
11 IC reader / writer 11a IC control unit 11b Antenna 12 First communication unit 13 Second communication unit 14 Standby unit 15 Sensor 18 Transport roller 19 Display unit 20 Printing unit 24 Case 25 Card ejecting unit 30 IC chip 31 Antenna 32 Blocking plate 33 Card holding section 34 Inserting section 35 Shutter member 95 Control section C Card C1 Card C2 on the transport path Card held by the user P Transport path M Motor

Claims (11)

A host computer;
An IC reader / writer device housing;
A transport path provided inside the apparatus housing for transporting the first card;
By transmitting / receiving a radio signal, the first card located in the first communication unit on the transport path and the second communication unit located at a position different from the transport path are positioned by the user from the outside of the device housing. An IC read / write unit capable of selectively communicating with two cards;
In a non-contact IC read / write system with
Transport means for transporting the first card between the first communication section and a standby section that is out of the first communication section on the transport path;
Detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a second card in the second communication unit in a state where the first card is in the standby unit;
Control means for controlling the transport means according to the result of the detection means ,
The control means controls the conveying means so that the first card does not enter the first communication section when the detection means detects the second card in the second communication section. A non-contact IC read / write system. And a communication prohibiting means for prohibiting communication between the second card and the IC read / write unit,
The control means communicates between the second card and the IC read / write section by the communication prohibiting means when the detecting means detects that the second communication section does not have the second card. 2. The non-contact IC read / write system according to claim 1 , wherein the non-contact IC read / write system is controlled so that the first card is transported to the first communication unit. The communication inhibiting means, according to claim 2, characterized in that the communication can not the state of and the second card the IC lead write unit by reducing the range of the second communication unit Non-contact IC read / write system. The communication prohibiting means includes a blocking member that reduces the range of the second communication unit by blocking the wireless signal, the blocking member blocking the wireless signal, and blocking the wireless signal. The non-contact IC read / write system according to claim 3 , wherein the non-contact IC read / write system is configured to be movable between a retracted position and a retracted position. The IC read / write unit is provided between a part of the device housing and the transport path at a position closer to the transport path than the device housing, and the communication prohibiting unit includes the IC read / write unit. The non-contact IC read / write system according to claim 3 , wherein the level of the radio signal transmitted by is reduced. The device housing has an insertion slot for inserting the second card into the second communication unit,
The non-contact IC read / write system according to claim 3 , wherein the communication prohibiting unit includes an entry preventing member that prevents the second card from entering the insertion slot. When the control unit detects the second card in the second communication unit by the detection unit, the control unit causes the first card to enter the first communication unit after the processing of the second card is completed. The non-contact IC read / write system according to claim 1 , wherein the conveying unit is controlled. The detecting device, according to claim 1, 2 or 7, and detecting the presence or absence of the card by the presence or absence of a reaction from the second card to the wireless signal transmitted from the IC read-write unit Non-contact IC read / write system. 8. The non-contact IC read / write system according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit includes a sensor that detects presence or absence of the second card in the second communication unit. 9. An IC reader / writer device housing;
A transport path provided inside the apparatus housing for transporting the first card;
By transmitting / receiving a radio signal, the first card located in the first communication unit on the transport path and the second communication unit located at a position different from the transport path are positioned by the user from the outside of the device housing. An IC read / write unit capable of selectively communicating with two cards;
In a non-contact IC reader / writer device comprising:
Transport means for transporting the first card between the first communication section and a standby section that is out of the first communication section on the transport path;
Detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a second card in the second communication unit in a state where the first card is in the standby unit;
Control means for controlling the transport means according to the result of the detection means ,
The control means controls the conveying means so that the first card does not enter the first communication section when the detection means detects the second card in the second communication section. A non-contact IC reader / writer device. A printer device housing;
A transport path provided inside the apparatus housing for transporting the first card;
By transmitting / receiving a radio signal, the first card located in the first communication unit on the transport path and the second communication unit located at a position different from the transport path are positioned by the user from the outside of the device housing. An IC read / write unit capable of selectively communicating with two cards;
A printing unit for printing characters or images on the surface of the first card;
In a printer device comprising:
Transport means for transporting the first card between the first communication section and a standby section that is out of the first communication section on the transport path;
Detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a second card in the second communication unit in a state where the first card is in the standby unit;
Control means for controlling the transport means according to the result of the detection means ,
The control means controls the conveying means so that the first card does not enter the first communication section when the detection means detects the second card in the second communication section. A printer device.