JP6474711B2 - Card handling system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a card handling system that enables card collection and return.

  In a device that handles cards such as ATM (Automated Teller Machine) and CD (Cash Dispenser), if the user forgets to remove the card after the card handling process, the card is collected and later The card is returned upon request.

  Conventionally, a card collection device having a plurality of slots is attached to the card handling device, and the card collection device moves the plurality of slots up and down to collect the cards into the slots. The card to be returned is carried out (see Patent Documents 1 to 3).

Chinese Patent Application No. 103544768 Chinese Patent Application No. 103544769 Chinese Patent Application No. 103559755

  As described above, the card can be collected and returned by the slot, but the number of cards that can be collected is limited by the slot. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a card handling system that can collect a large number of cards and that can correctly return a target card.

A card handling system according to the present invention includes a card collection box that sequentially stores a plurality of cards collected from a card handling device, and a conveyance that conveys a card between the card collection box and a user side front surface of the card handling device. A mechanism and an upper lifting plate that can freely move up and down, and a lower lifting plate in the height direction in the recovery box, respectively, each having a roller that faces the plane of the card and conveys the card. The upper lifting plate, the lower lifting plate, the moving mechanism for lifting and lowering the upper lifting plate and the lower lifting plate, and the unnecessary card that is located on the bottom surface of the collection box and does not need to be returned to the user And a controller for controlling the transport mechanism, the roller, and the moving mechanism, respectively, and the controller has a card that is to be collected in the collection box, The card to be collected is controlled from the card handling device to the opening of the collection box by controlling the transport mechanism so as to be stacked together with other cards between the side lifting plate and the lower lifting plate. The card is transported to the collection box through the section, and the user selects the card that the user requests for return from among the laminated body composed of a plurality of cards between the upper lifting plate and the lower lifting plate . The card is positioned so as to face the opening by driving the moving mechanism, and then the roller of the upper lifting plate or the roller of the lower lifting plate is driven from the opening to the transport mechanism. delivery, and, by driving the transport mechanism to transport the sorted cards to the user side front face of the card handling device, when the card you are trying to said collection to determine said is unnecessary card, before By controlling a moving mechanism, the upper elevating plate and the lower elevating plate are raised to a position above the opening, and the unnecessary card is transferred from the opening to the collection box by the transport mechanism. The unnecessary card is sent out and dropped freely in the collection box to the storage unit .

  According to the present invention, many cards can be collected, and the target card can be returned correctly.

It is a top view of one embodiment of the card handling system concerning the present invention. It is a left view of the embodiment. It is a left view for demonstrating the operation | movement of the said embodiment. It is a left view for demonstrating the operation | movement following the state of FIG. 2A of the said embodiment. It is a block diagram of the control system of the embodiment. It is an example of the management table for the control system of the said embodiment to manage a card | curd position. It is a flowchart of the said control system. It is a left view of the said embodiment for demonstrating the other operation example of the said embodiment. It is a left view of the said embodiment for demonstrating other operation | movement of the said embodiment. It is a left view for demonstrating the operation | movement following the state of FIG. 7A of the said embodiment. It is a left side view of the embodiment for explaining another example of operation of the embodiment. It is a left view for demonstrating the operation | movement following the state of FIG. 8A of the said embodiment. It is a left view of other embodiment of the card handling system which concerns on this invention. It is a left view of other embodiment of the card handling system which concerns on this invention. It is a left view for demonstrating operation | movement of further another embodiment of the card handling system which concerns on this invention. It is a left view for demonstrating the operation | movement following the state of FIG. 11A of the said embodiment. It is a left view of the card collection device concerning other embodiments of a card transaction system.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the conventional card collection device, the number of cards that can be collected is limited by the slot because the collected cards are accommodated by the slot. However, the card collection device according to the following embodiment does not collect the collected cards. Since they are simply stacked and accommodated in order, many cards can be collected without being restricted to slots.

  FIG. 1A is a plan view of an embodiment of a card handling system, and FIG. 1B is a left side view thereof. The card handling system includes a card handling device 100 and a card collection device 120. The card handling device 100 is, for example, ATM or CD. A card collection device 120 is disposed adjacent to the back surface of the card handling device 100.

  The card handling device 100 may be configured in the same manner as a conventional device. Therefore, the configuration of the card handling apparatus 100 will be outlined. Reference numeral 2 denotes a main body of the card handling apparatus. A card insertion slot 2 a is arranged on the front surface of the card handling device main body 2. Reference numeral 2a-1 is, for example, an optical sensor as a card detection means.

  In the main body 2, a plurality of transport devices 130, 132, and 134 (card transport mechanism) for transporting cards horizontally are provided. Each transport device includes a pair of upper and lower rollers 140 and 142, and sandwiches the card 1 between the two rollers to transport the card in the horizontal direction. A magnetic head 2b for reading card information and an IC contact 2c are arranged so as to face the card to be conveyed, closer to the card insertion slot 2a than the conveying device 134 on the back side of the main body 2.

  Reference numeral 150 denotes a support roller that supports the card 1 with respect to the magnetic head 2b. Since the end of the card conveyance path 160 of the main body 2 faces the card collection opening 170, the conveyance device 134 on the back side of the main body 2 carries out the card from the card collection opening 170 to the card collection apparatus 120. Is possible.

  The card collection device 120 is configured to include a card collection box 9 (card collection mechanism) in the outer casing 3. Card passage openings 200 and 210 are formed in the outer casing 3 and the card collection box 9 so as to face the card collection opening 170.

  The card collection box 9 is provided with an upper lifting plate 12 and a lower lifting plate 13 that are movable up and down in the height direction of the card collection box 9. The card collection box 9 is capable of raising and lowering the upper elevating plate 12 and the lower elevating plate 13 and also elevating and guiding mechanisms for realizing the elevating and lowering of the upper elevating plate 12 and the lower elevating plate 13. (Moving mechanism) is provided.

  The elevating / guiding mechanism is not limited, but a pair of linear motion mechanisms 16 standing on the left and right side surfaces of the upper elevating plate 12 and the lower elevating plate 13 are illustrated. The linear motion mechanism 16 moves the upper elevating plate 12 and the lower elevating plate 13 up and down. The upper elevating plate 12 and the lower elevating plate 13 are moved to a rack and pinion, a ball screw, It is moved up and down by a known drive mechanism such as a linear guide. Two pairs of linear motion mechanisms 16 are provided along the card conveying direction. The linear motion mechanism 16 raises and lowers the upper elevating plate 12 and the lower elevating plate 13 independently.

  The upper elevating plate 12 and the lower elevating plate 13 are each provided with a roller that faces the plane of the card and conveys the card. Reference numeral 10 is a roller for the upper elevating plate 12, and reference numeral 11 is a roller for the lower elevating plate 13. Each roller is connected to a driving motor 10a.

  In the vicinity of the opening 210 of the card collection box 9, a separation roller unit (conveying mechanism) including a pair of separation rollers 14 and 15 is provided in the opening 200 of the outer casing 3. In this case, the card 1 is pulled into the card collection box 9 from the card handling device 100 or sent from the card collection box 9 toward the card handling device 100 by a pair of upper and lower separation rollers. The rotation can be controlled. The separation roller unit enables the card 1 to be transported between the card collection device 120 and the card handling device 100 along the card transport path 160.

  Next, a control system of the card handling system will be described. FIG. 3 is a control block diagram thereof. The control system includes a controller 400, a memory 402, a first drive control circuit 404 that can drive the transfer devices 130, 132, and 134 of the card handling device 100, a linear motion mechanism 16 of the card collection device 120, and a separation roller. And a second drive control circuit 406 capable of driving the units 14 and 15 respectively.

  The controller 400 and the first drive control circuit 404 exist in the card handling apparatus 100, and the second drive control circuit 406 exists in the card collection apparatus 120. The controller 400 provides a drive signal to the second drive control circuit 406, but another controller is provided in the card collection device 120, and this controller controls the second drive control circuit 406 under the control of the controller of the card handling device 100. Control may be performed.

  The memory 402 stores a control program for the controller 400. Information related to the card is managed by the host computer, and the controller accesses the host computer and refers to the information related to the card.

  The controller 400 executes a card processing program recorded in the memory 402 in response to an input from the user, and performs card handling processing such as acceptance and withdrawal of banknotes, for example. Further, the controller 400 controls the first drive control circuit 404 to accept the card from the card insertion slot 2a, return the card, etc. Control the rotation.

  Further, the controller 400 also controls the second drive control circuit 406 to pull the card from the card handling device 100 into the card collecting device 120 or to carry out the card from the card collecting device 120 to the card handling device 100. Therefore, the separation roller units 14 and 15, the linear motion mechanism 16, the upper lifting plate roller 10, and the lower lifting plate roller 11 can be controlled.

  Next, the flow of card collection by the card handling system will be described. When the handling of the card is completed, the controller 400 determines whether or not it is necessary to collect the card. For example, if the user does not remove the card from the card insertion slot 2a for a predetermined time after the card transaction, it is determined that the card is collected.

  The controller 400 transports the card 1 toward the card collection device 120 by the transport devices 130, 132, and 134. The controller 400 moves the upper elevating plate 12 above the openings 200 and 210 and moves the lower elevating plate 13 to the lower end of the card collection box 9 so that the cards can be collected in the card collection box 9. The controller conveys the card 1 to the card collecting device 120 side in synchronization with the rotation of the separation rollers 14 and 15 and the rotation of the roller of the conveying device 134.

  As shown in FIG. 2A (left side view of the card handling system), the card 1 is conveyed to the roll collection box 9 through the openings 200 and 210, and freely falls toward the lower lifting plate 13 and is placed thereon. Placed. When the card 1 is collected in the collection box 9, the controller stops the rollers of the transport device 134, the separation rollers 14 and 15, and the like. In this way, a plurality of cards are accommodated in the card collection box 9 so as to overlap the lower lifting plate 13 in the order of collection. FIG. 2B (left side view of the card handling system) shows that six cards are stacked in the collection box 9 in the collection order.

  The controller 400 manages which cards are collected in what order using a management table (management system). The management table is recorded in a memory area used by the host computer. FIG. 4 is an example of a management table. The management table includes, for example, account information (financial institution name, account number, etc.), account holder information (name, company name, address, etc.), and card position information as card identification information. A transaction number may be recorded.

  The card position information is the stacking order of each card in a card group (stacked body) in which a plurality of cards are stacked in order on the lower lift plate 13. For example, the position information of the card directly above the lower lifting plate 13 is 1. Each time the controller 400 decides to collect a card, it adds an entry to the table and records the card identification information based on the transaction information. # 1 to # 6 are management table entry numbers. Further, when the controller 400 determines to collect a card, the controller 400 sets the position information of the collected card to a value that is one more than the maximum value in the table. For example, when a card # 6 is newly collected, the position information of the card is 6. As will be described later, when the collected cards are returned or the stacking order of the cards is changed, the controller 400 changes the position information of the cards in the management table accordingly.

  Next, the card return process will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for this purpose. When there is a card return request from the user, the controller 400 starts the return process. The controller 400 determines whether the card should be returned to the user (SP10). Therefore, the controller 400 requests the user to input card identification information. The identification information is account information included in the management table, one or more of a plurality of identification information such as account holders, and a personal identification number.

  The controller 400 queries the host computer for the card identification information and the dark place number. If the user input information is not appropriate, the controller 400 determines that the card should not be returned to the user and informs the user of this. To end the flowchart. When the controller confirms that the user input information is appropriate, the controller searches the management table using the input information as a key, and searches for a card that matches the identification information (SP12).

  If there is no corresponding card, the controller notifies the user of this and ends the flowchart. If there is a corresponding card, the upper lifting plate 12 and / or the lower lifting plate 13 is moved and stacked on the lower lifting plate 13 by both lifting plates as preparation for transporting the card. Press and hold a plurality of cards.

  The controller refers to the position information of the corresponding card and determines whether or not the value is the largest value compared with the position information of other cards (SP14). The controller affirms this, that is, determines that the card at the top of the plurality of cards is the target card, and as shown in FIG. 6 (left side view of the card handling system) The upper elevating plate 12 and the lower elevating plate 13 are moved to the position facing the openings 200 and 210, in other words, the position of the card conveyance path, and then the upper roller 10 is moved to the separation roller units 14 and 15 by the card. Rotate to get sent out. Since the plurality of cards stacked on the lower elevating plate 13 are appropriately pressed by the upper elevating plate 12 and the lower elevating plate 13, the upper roller 10 is provided with a plane of the uppermost card (on the other card). Only the uppermost card can be selected from the other cards and sent out by rotating the roller.

  The controller rotates the upper roller 10 and the separation roller units 14 and 15 synchronously to send the card from the opening on the back side of the card handling device 100 to the transport device 134, and the card is further transferred by the other transport devices 130 and 132. It is conveyed toward the card insertion slot 2a (user side front side) (SP16).

  In this process, the controller reads the card information by the magnetic head 2b and the IC contact 2c, and collates the read data with the card information in the management table. If the controller determines that the two data match as a result of the collation (SP18), the controller exposes the card so that the user can remove the card from the card insertion slot 2a (SP20). Then, the controller deletes the entry of the card in the management table and subtracts one card position information for all the cards recorded in the management table.

  The fact that they do not match means that, for some reason, the card collection order and the card stacking order in the card collection box 9 are shifted, and the card identification information and the card position information in the management table are not matched. doing. Therefore, the controller performs a table calibration process to match the card identification information and the card position information (SP22), and then returns to SP12 and asks the user to redo the card return process. Note that the controller may return the target card without requiring the user to redo the card return process. The calibration process will be described later.

  Next, the controller determines based on the management table whether or not the corresponding card is at the lowest level of the stacked group of cards (SP24), and if affirmed, FIG. 7A, 7B (left side view of the card handling system) As shown in FIG. 4, the upper and lower elevating plates 12 and 13 press and hold the cards stacked on the lower elevating plate 13, while the uppermost card out of the plurality of cards reaches the position facing the openings 200 and 210. The elevating plate 12 and the lower elevating plate 13 are moved, and the lowermost card is conveyed to the separation roller units 14 and 15 by rotating the lower roller 11 (SP26). Other operations for returning the card are the same as those described above (SP16, SP18, SP20, SP22). At this time, the upper roller 10 is not rotated.

  If the corresponding card is not at the bottom, the card position is changed until the corresponding card is at the bottom. This is because the target card is sent out by the roller 11 of the lower lifting plate 13.

  The control for changing the card position will be specifically described. As shown in FIG. 8A (left side view of the card handling system), when the controller determines that the third card 1 from the bottom is to be returned to the user, it is shown in FIG. 8B (left side view of the card handling system). Similarly, the upper elevating plate 12 and the lower elevating plate 13 are raised so that the position of the lowermost card coincides with the height of the card conveyance path surface. The controller sends out the lowermost card to the card handling device 100, and temporarily holds the card in the transport devices 130, 132, and 134 in the card handling device.

  Then, the controller retracts the lower lifting plate 13 to the lower end and retracts the upper lifting plate upward to form a card collection space in the card collection box 9, and then the transport device 134, the separation roller 14, 15 is driven so that the card is conveyed to the collection unit 120 side, and the temporarily stored card is stacked at the uppermost position of the card stack (SP24). The controller changes the card position in this way, and changes the card position information in the management table (SP28).

  The controller returns to SP24 and continues the process with reference to the changed management table. By repeating this, the controller can move the target card to the lowest level.

  Next, the above-described card calibration process (SP22) will be described. As described in SP26, the controller temporarily stores the lowermost card in the card handling device 100 for all the cards accommodated in the card recovery box 9, while the magnetic head 2b and / or the IC contact 2c. The card information is detected, and the management table is referenced to determine whether the correspondence between the card identification information and the card position information is correct. If the correspondence between the card identification information and the card position information is not accurate, the controller corrects the table. Thereafter, the controller returns the card to the uppermost layer of the card collection box 9. The controller repeats this process for all cards. Log information of card collection / return such as card collection / return request, return success / failure, etc. is recorded in the host computer by the controller 400.

  In the above description, when the target card is in the uppermost layer, the target card is not moved to the lowermost layer and transported from the lower lifting plate, but the upper card is moved up and down without changing the position of the card. The card is transported by the plate roller 10 for the following reason. A user who forgets to take a card usually notices and returns soon after leaving the card handling device. In this case, since the target card is in the uppermost layer, the number of steps for returning the card is less if the card is conveyed by the roller 10 of the upper lifting plate. In addition, since all the cards are conveyed by the roller 11 of the lower lifting plate, the roller 10 of the upper lifting plate can be omitted.

  The conventional card collection device has a structure in which a plurality of card slots for storing collected cards one by one are stacked one above the other. When the card collection device is connected to the back of the card handling device, However, the actual number of slots was limited to several. Further, since the thickness of the slot itself is limited to about several millimeters, there is a problem that the deformed card cannot be stored in the slot or the card is jammed in the slot.

  On the other hand, according to the card transaction system described above, since a plurality of cards are stored in the order of collection, more cards can be collected. And since the stack of multiple cards can be moved and the cards in the stack can be taken out, even if multiple cards are stacked and stored directly, the desired card is selected accurately It can be returned to the user.

  FIG. 9 is a left side view according to the second embodiment of the card transaction system. On the bottom surface of the card collection box 9, a second card collection box 17 is arranged. When it is determined that there is no need to return a collected card such as a counterfeit card, a fraudulent card, or a deformed card, the controller raises the upper lifting plate 12 and the lower lifting plate 13 to a position above the opening, and the card The card 1 collected from the handling device 100 is dropped freely into the second collection box 17. With this configuration, since the movable range of the lower lifting plate 13 is reduced, the number of cards collected on the lower lifting plate 13 is reduced, but there is a possibility of returning a card that is not required to be returned. The effect is that it can be easily separated from the card.

  FIG. 10 is a left side view according to the third embodiment of the card transaction system. A mode in which a belt 18 is used as a card feeding mechanism mounted on the lower lifting plate 13 is shown. A belt may be mounted on both the upper elevating plate 12 and the lower elevating plate 13.

  FIG. 11A is a left side view according to the fourth embodiment of the card transaction system. The form which uses the hook 19 for the card | curd delivery mechanism mounted in the lower raising / lowering board 13 is shown. At the time of normal collection, the hook 19 is positioned on the terminal side of the card collection box 9, and when the card is returned as shown in FIG. 11B, the hook 19 moves forward while engaging with only the bottom card. Then, the card can be paid out to the card handling apparatus 100 side. A feeding hook may be mounted on both the upper elevating plate 12 and the lower elevating plate 13.

  FIG. 12 is a left side view of the card collection apparatus 120 according to the fifth embodiment of the card transaction system. The second collection box 17 is arranged behind the card collection box 9. The card collection box 9 is provided with an opening 9b, an upper collection roller 20a, and a lower collection roller 20b at the rear. When it is determined that there is no need to return the collected card, the upper lifting plate 12 and the lower lifting plate 13 are moved to the position of FIG. 12, and the card 1 collected from the card transaction apparatus 100 is second collected. Free fall into the box 17. At this time, the upper collection roller 20a and the lower collection roller 20b are rotated so that the card is conveyed backward. With this configuration, the overall length of the apparatus becomes longer, but the maximum range of movement of the lower lifting plate 13 can be obtained compared to FIG. 9, so that the number of cards collected can be increased, and cards that do not need to be returned can be easily obtained. It can be taken out.

  The above-described embodiment is an example and does not limit the present invention. For example, the field of cards is not limited to financial institutions such as banks, entertainment industries such as movies and performances, and transportation facilities such as railways. The material and thickness of the card are not limited.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Card 2 Card handling apparatus 2a Card insertion slot 2b Magnetic head 2c IC contact 3 Card collection apparatus 9 Card collection unit 9a Opening part 10 Upper feed roller 10a Upper feed roller motor 11 Lower feed roller 12 Upper lift plate 13 Lower lift Plate 14 Upper separation roller 15 Lower separation roller 16 Lifting plate lifting mechanism 18 Lower feeding belt 19 Lower feeding hook

Claims (5)

A card collection box for sequentially storing a plurality of cards collected from the card handling device ;
A transport mechanism for transporting a card between the card collection box and the user-side front surface of the card handling device;
The upper lifting / lowering plate that can be moved up and down in the height direction in the collection box, and a lower lifting plate that respectively face the plane of the card and transport the card. A plate and a lower lifting plate;
A moving mechanism for raising and lowering the upper elevating plate and the lower elevating plate, respectively;
Located on the bottom surface of the collection box, a storage unit for storing unnecessary cards that do not need to be returned to the user,
A controller for controlling each of the transport mechanism, the roller, and the moving mechanism;
With
The controller is
The card to be collected by controlling the transport mechanism so that the card to be collected in the collection box is stacked with other cards between the upper lift plate and the lower lift plate. From the card handling device through the opening of the recovery box to the recovery box,
The user sorts out a card to be returned from a stack of a plurality of cards between the upper lift plate and the lower lift plate, and drives the moving mechanism to open the opening of the selected card. Then, the roller of the upper elevating plate or the roller of the lower elevating plate is driven to be sent out from the opening to the conveying mechanism, and the conveying mechanism is driven. , Transporting the sorted cards to the front side of the user of the card handling device ,
When it is determined that the card to be collected is the unnecessary card, the moving mechanism is controlled to raise the upper lifting plate and the lower lifting plate to a position above the opening, And the unnecessary card is sent out from the opening to the collection box by the transport mechanism, and the unnecessary card is freely dropped to the storage section in the collection box.
Card handling system. The controller stores, in a memory, management information for managing the position of each of the plurality of cards constituting the stacked body, and the position of the plurality of cards to be returned to the user in the stacked body is determined by the management information. To decide based on
The card handling system according to claim 1 . When the controller determines that the card at the lower end of the laminate is a card that the user wants to return , the controller drives the roller of the lower lift plate to drive the opening at the opening. The card handling system according to claim 2 , wherein the card handling system is sent to the transport mechanism via a card. When the controller determines that the card at the upper end of the laminate is a card that the user seeks to return, the controller drives the roller of the upper lifting plate to move the card at the upper end to the opening. The card handling system according to claim 2 , wherein the card handling system is sent to the transport mechanism via a card. The controller is
When it is determined that the card the user wants to return is between the upper end and the lower end of the laminate,
Drive the roller of the lower lifting plate, send the card at the lower end of the laminate to the transport mechanism from the opening ,
Lower the lower lifting plate, and then drive the transport mechanism to move the lower end card to the upper end of the laminate through the opening,
Moving the lower end card to the upper end of the laminate until the card that the user seeks to return is at the lower end of the laminate,
The card handling system according to claim 3 .

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