JP6777442B2 - Media processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

According to the present invention, after printing or data processing is performed on the supplied card-shaped recording medium, the card-shaped recording medium is distributed to a plurality of types of discharge units such as a discharge stacker and a reject according to the processing content and discharged. Regarding media processing equipment.

Conventionally, a card processing device that performs printing processing or data processing on a card-shaped recording medium (hereinafter referred to as a card) and discharges the processed card to an ejection unit is widely known. In Patent Document 1, the supplied card is printed by a printing unit, the printed card is fed into a rotary carrier, and the rotary carrier rotates by a predetermined angle to stack the card in a tray, stacker, or the like. A card processing device that sorts and discharges to reject is disclosed.

JP-A-2005-75603

In the card processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the stacker portion and the reject portion having the same size (width dimension) are ejected from the rotary carrier toward the stacker portion and the reject portion on one side of the apparatus. The configurations arranged in parallel with each other are disclosed. However, since the error card is usually ejected to the reject section and it is not necessary to collect the cards in the reject section, the width dimension of the reject section does not need to be wider than the card width as in the stacker section. On the other hand, since the ejection stacker loads the ejected cards, the width dimension of the ejection stacker needs to be wider than the card width.

Therefore, if the discharge stacker and the reject stacker having the same width dimension are arranged in parallel as in Patent Document 1, the device size increases accordingly. In view of the above case, it is an object of the present invention to provide a compact card processing device in a card processing device having a plurality of ejection units.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a medium processing device that processes and discharges a recording medium, and is processed by a device housing, a medium processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the recording medium, and a medium processing unit. A discharge means for discharging the recording medium and a plurality of discharge units for discharging the recording medium by the discharge means are provided. It is arranged in parallel in the same direction as the above, and is composed of a first discharging part having a first frame and a second discharging part having a second frame, and the width dimension of the first frame is larger than the width dimension of the recording medium. It is wide and the width dimension of the second frame is configured to be narrower than the width dimension of the recording medium , and the first frame and the second frame are arranged outside the device housing, and the device housing. The body is provided with a first opening for the discharging means to discharge the recording medium toward the first discharging portion and a second opening for discharging the recording medium toward the second discharging portion. It is characterized by being.

Further, in order to solve the above problems, a second aspect of the present invention is a medium processing device for processing and discharging a recording medium, the device housing and a medium processing unit for performing a predetermined process on the recording medium. , An error detecting means for detecting whether or not the recording medium has been normally processed by the medium processing unit, an discharging means for discharging the recording medium processed by the medium processing unit, and a plurality of discharging means for discharging the recording medium by the discharging means. The plurality of discharge units are arranged in parallel on one side of the apparatus housing in the same direction as the discharge direction of the recording medium by the discharge means, and the first discharge unit has a first frame. It is composed of a second discharge portion having a second frame body having a width dimension narrower than that of the first frame body, and the first frame body and the second frame body are arranged outside the device housing, and the device housing. The body is provided with a first opening for the discharging means to discharge the recording medium toward the first discharging portion and a second opening for discharging the recording medium toward the second discharging portion. The discharging means is characterized in that the recording medium in which an error is detected by the error detecting means is discharged to the second discharging unit.

According to the present invention, in a medium processing device having a plurality of discharge sections on one side of the device, the width dimension of the discharge section that does not need to load the discharged medium is made narrower than the width dimension of the medium. The effect of making the entire device compact can be obtained.

The schematic perspective view which partially see through the card processing apparatus according to this invention. It is a front view of the card processing apparatus of embodiment. It is an exploded perspective view of the normal card ejection part and the error card ejection part of the card processing apparatus of embodiment. It is an exploded perspective view of the normal card ejection part and the error card ejection part of the card processing apparatus of an embodiment, and is the view seen from the angle different from FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which the card processing apparatus of embodiment performs information recording processing. It is a figure which shows the state which the card processing apparatus of embodiment is performing a printing process. It is a figure which shows the state which the card processing apparatus of embodiment ejects a processed card to a normal card ejection part. It is a figure which shows the state which the card processing apparatus of embodiment ejects an error card to an error card ejection part. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the control part of the card processing apparatus of embodiment. It is a front view which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the modification of 1st Embodiment of this invention.

The present invention relates to a card processing device that efficiently transports a recording medium such as a card and enables efficient and reliable execution of the desired recording process, and rationalizes a plurality of transport paths for transporting the recording medium. The feature is that the device is made compact by arranging it in. Here, an example of printing or recording various image information such as characters and images on the surface of a card using a card-shaped plastic substrate as a recording medium to create a credit card, a license card, an IC card, etc. is described below. Although the description will be given, the type and recording method of the recording medium are not particularly limited.

The card processing apparatus shown as the first embodiment of the present invention in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a first transport path p1 arranged substantially horizontally inside the housing 1 and one or more blank cards (recording media) C. The card supply unit 10 that stores the cards and sends the cards one by one to the first transport path p1, the second transport path p2 that is arranged substantially orthogonally to the first transport path p2, that is, substantially vertically, and the first A third transport path p3 arranged obliquely between the transport path p1 and the second transport path p2, a printing unit 20A for printing various information on at least one side of the supplied card C, and a first. It is composed of a card reversing portion 30 provided at an intersection X of a transport path p1, a second transport path p2, and a third transport path p3.

The card supply unit 10 includes a card stacker 11 for storing one or more blank cards C in a stacked manner, a kick roller 12 provided at the bottom of the card stacker 11 and rotating to send out cards one by one from the card stacker 11. It includes a lid 13 that opens and closes at least a part of the card stacker 11 so as to be openable.

The card stacker 11 usually has an opening slot that allows the passage of only one card at a position facing the first transport path p1, and rotates the kick roller 12 that is in contact with the lowest card of the stacked cards C. As a result, only the lowest card is sent out to the first transport path p1.

The opening / closing lid 13 is attached to the upper part of the housing 1 so as to be openable upward. The opening / closing lid 13 is provided with a card alignment piece 13a inside, and a plurality of blank cards C are stacked inside the card stacker 11 with the opening / closing lid 13 opened upward, and then the opening / closing lid 13 is closed. As a result, the card alignment piece 13a can press the rear end of the card bundle to align the card bundle.

The printing unit 20, which is the first information recording unit in this embodiment, has a configuration of a thermal transfer printer that thermally transfers and records information such as characters and images on one side of a card C, which is a recording medium, using thermal transfer ink. However, the present invention does not limit the type and recording method of recorded information.

The printing unit 20 constituting the thermal transfer printer here includes a platen roller 21 provided at the recording position Sr of the second transport path p2, a thermal head 22 provided so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the platen roller 21, and thermal transfer ink. The ink cartridge 23 includes an ink ribbon R coated with the above. Conveying rollers 25 and 26 that rotate synchronously so as to move the card back and forth with respect to the recording position Sr are provided along the second transport path p2.

The ink ribbon R housed in the ink cartridge 23 passes between the platen roller 21 and the thermal head 22 from the ribbon supply reel 23a and is wound on the ribbon winding reel 23b. When information such as characters or images is thermally transferred and recorded on a card moving along the second transport path p2, the heating element of the thermal head 22 is pressed while the ink ribbon R is interposed on the surface of the card to press the thermal head 22. By selectively operating the ink ribbon R, the heat transfer ink component applied to the ink ribbon R can be transferred to the surface of the card to draw the desired information.

The forward / backward movement of the thermal head 22 with respect to the platen roller 21 is a non-circular cam 24c that rotates while peripherally contacting the holder 24a that holds the thermal head 22 detachably, the driven roller 24b fixed to the holder 24a, and the driven roller 24b. And the advance / retreat drive unit 24 including the spring 24d that brings the holder 24a into contact with the cam 24c. In the illustrated embodiment, the head unit holding the thermal head 22 inside is detachable from the holder 24a, but the configuration is not particularly limited to this.

Such a thermal transfer recording method and a structure of a thermal transfer printer are not particularly new technologies, and a printer unit such as a conventional thermal melting type thermal printer or a thermal sublimation type thermal printer can be used depending on the purpose. Further, the structure of the advancing / retreating drive unit for advancing / retreating the thermal head 22 with respect to the platen roller 21 is not particularly limited.

An IC reader / writer 20B, which is a second information recording unit, is provided on the third transport path p3. The IC reader / writer 20B includes an information writing head 27 such as a terminal unit of an IC writer for IC recording information on an IC chip formed on a card surface found on a credit card or the like.

If the recording target is a magnetic card, the information writing head 27 may be an information writing head for writing information on the magnetic stripe in the card. Further, it may be a non-contact IC reader / writer that performs IC recording processing in a non-contact manner.

In order to position the IC chip of the card on the information writing head 27 of the IC reader / writer 20B, the card reversing unit 30 turns to the IC read / write position shown in FIG. 5 with the card C held by the pinch rollers 31a and 31b. Move. At this position, the pinch rollers 31a and 31b are driven so that the other end of the card enters the IC reader / writer 20B while one end of the card C is gripped by the pinch rollers 31a and 31b.

When the IC chip of the card is conveyed to a position where it comes into contact with the information writing head 27, the information writing head 27 starts the information recording process. When the information recording process is completed, the pinch rollers 31a and 31b are driven in the opposite directions to pull the card C back to the card reversing section 30 to move to the next process. If communication with the IC chip cannot be performed for a certain period of time, a communication error occurs and the card is determined to be an error card.

The card reversing portion 30 located at the intersection X of the first transport path p1, the second transport path p2, and the third transport path p3 is from the first transport path p1 to the second transport path p2, and from the first transport path p1 to the first. 3 It has a function of feeding the card C to or vice versa of the transport path p3, and a function of rotating the card to turn the card C over in order to print on any one side or both sides of the card by the printing unit 20.

Here, the card reversing portion 30 rotatably supports the pinch rollers 31a and 31b and the pinch rollers 31a and 31b which are paired so as to be able to hold the card, and the first transport path p1 and the second transport path p2. It is composed of a rotating frame 32 that rotates around an intersection X.

The pinch rollers 31a and 31b are pressure-welded with the rotating frame 32 sandwiching the first transport path p1 in the horizontal state, pressure-welding with the second transport path p2 sandwiched in the vertical state, and the third transport path in the inclined state. Press and contact each other with p3 in between. Each pair of pinch rollers consists of a driving roller on one side and a driven roller on the other.

The rotation of the rotating frame 32 and the rotation of the pinch rollers 31a and 31b can be executed by operating a drive system (not shown) that drives them in synchronization. If the rotating frame 32 is rotated while the card is sandwiched between the pinch rollers 31a and 31b, the pinch roller also rotates together to displace the card. Therefore, when rotating the rotating frame 32, the pinch rollers are rotated at the same angle. Reverse rotation by the amount of rotation. The rotating frame 32 and the pinch rollers 31a and 31b may be driven independently in order to prevent the pinch rollers 31a and 31b from rotating together when the rotating frame 32 rotates.

However, in the present invention, the function is not particularly limited to the above-mentioned means, and a function of transferring a card between the first transport path, the second transport path and the third transport path, or rotating or reversing the card. Any configuration may be used as long as it has.

The card reversing unit 30 of the present embodiment rotates to the four positions shown below to deliver the card. The first is the initial position shown in FIG. This position is a card receiving position for receiving a card transported from the card stacker 11 through the first transport path p1 and a normal card ejection position for ejecting a normally processed normal card to the ejection stacker 51 (FIG. 7). See). This position is defined as a rotation angle of 0 degrees.

The second is the IC read / write position shown in FIG. This position is a position where the rotating frame 32 is rotated 325 degrees counterclockwise from the above-mentioned card receiving position, and in this state, the card is conveyed to the IC reader / writer 20B via the third transport path p3.

The third is the printing position shown in FIG. This position is a position where the rotating frame 32 is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise from the above-mentioned card receiving position, and in this state, the card is conveyed to the printing unit 20 via the second conveying path p2. When double-sided printing is performed on the card, the rotating frame 32 is rotated 180 degrees from the state where the card is in the printing position in order to reverse the front and back sides of the card.

The fourth is the error card ejection position shown in FIG. This position is a position in which the rotating frame 32 is rotated 35 degrees counterclockwise from the above-mentioned card receiving position, and in this state, the card is ejected to the error card ejection unit 60.

That is, the card reversing unit 30 of the present embodiment also has a function of a direction changing member for changing the direction of the card C and a discharging member for discharging the card C to the outside of the housing 1.

In the figure, 40 is a cleaner that cleans the card surface. The cleaner 40 here is composed of a cleaning roller 41a such as an adhesive rubber material and a pressure welding roller 41b that face each other in pairs with the first transport path p1 in between, and the cards ejected from the card supply unit 10 form a pair. Dust can be removed when passing between the cleaner rollers.

In this embodiment, the cards that have completed the predetermined processing are ejected to the normal card ejection unit 50 or the error card ejection unit 60 provided on the opposite side of the card supply unit 10 with respect to the card reversing unit 30. The normal card ejection unit 50 ejects a card for which processing for the card has been normally completed, and the error card ejection unit 60 ejects a card (hereinafter referred to as an error card) for which an error is detected during the processing for the card. To do.

The card ejection unit 50 includes a housing opening 50a, an ejection stacker 51, and a guide 53. The normal card is ejected from the housing opening 50a by the card reversing portion 30, slides down the guide 53, and is accumulated in the ejection stacker 51 (see FIG. 7). The error card ejection unit 60 is composed of a housing opening 60a and a frame body 61. The lower surface of the frame 61 is an opening, and as shown in FIG. 8, the error card that has passed through the frame 61 is discharged to the outside of the housing 1 as it is. In the present embodiment, the upper surface of the frame body 61 also serves as the guide 53, and the guide 53 is inclined downward from the housing opening 51a toward the stacker opening 52 of the discharge stacker 51. In the present embodiment, the inclination angle of the guide 53 is set to 10 degrees, but it can be set to an optimum angle depending on the slidability and the card ejection speed.

The frame body 61 has a frame body opening 62, a pair of hooks 63, and a screwing portion 64, and the hook 63 is provided between the housing opening 50a and the housing opening 60a. The frame body 61 is installed in the housing 1 by hanging it in the hole 65. In that state, the frame body 61 and the housing 1 are screwed and fixed by the screwing portion 64.

Further, the discharge stacker 51 has a stacker opening 52 for receiving a normal card and a pair of hooks 54 for fixing to the frame body 61, and hooks into the frame body hook holes 66 provided in the frame body 61. The discharge stacker 51 is fixed to the frame body 61 by multiplying the 54.
In this way, by fixing the frame body 61 to the housing and the discharge stacker 51 to the frame body 61, the frame body 61 (error card discharge unit 60) and the discharge stacker 51 (normal card discharge unit 50) are carded. Can be installed in parallel in the discharge direction of.

In the present embodiment, the ejection stacker 51 and the frame 61 have different dimensions in the width direction, which is the same direction as the card ejection direction. The dimension of the ejection stacker 51 in the width direction is 116 mm, which is wider than the card width (length in the longitudinal direction of the card: about 86 mm) because normal cards must be stacked. On the other hand, since it is not necessary to collect the ejected error cards in the error card ejection unit 60 of the present embodiment, the frame 61 does not need to secure a space corresponding to the card width. Therefore, the width direction of the frame body 61 is 50 mm. As a result, the discharge stacker 51 and the frame body 61 can be arranged in parallel in a space-saving manner. In the state shown in FIG. 8, when the rear end of the card passes through the pinch rollers 31a and 31b on the downstream side in the transport direction of the card reversing portion 30, the tip of the card is on the side surface of the frame 61 on the downstream side in the card ejection direction. It is set so that it does not touch (the card does not get caught).

Here, the ejection of the normal card and the ejection of the error card will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state when a normal card is ejected. Cards normally processed by the printing unit 20 and the IC reader / writer 20B are discharged to the discharge stacker 51 and accumulated. At this time, the card reversing unit 30 rotates to the normal ejection position (the same position as the card receiving position) with the normal card niped.

Then, the pinch rollers 31a and 31b of the card reversing unit 30 are driven to eject the card toward the ejection stacker 51. When the rear end of the card passes through the pinch rollers 31a and 31b on the downstream side in the card ejection direction, the ejected card is guided by the guide 53 (sliding on the upper part of the guide 53) and is skipped until it reaches the stacker opening 52. The cards that have reached the stacker opening 52 fall as they are and are accumulated in the discharge stacker 51.

Since the normal card is ejected to the ejection stacker 51 in this way, the frame 61 of the error card ejection portion 60 must be overcome by the conveying force of the pinch rollers 31a and 31b of the card reversing portion 30. Therefore, the card transport speed at the time of normal card ejection is set to 360 mm / sec. The card transport speed when transporting the first transport path p1 and the second transport path p2 and the card transport speed when the error card is ejected are set to 300 mm / sec, which is the card transport speed when the normal card is ejected. It is set to be faster. The card carrying speed at the time of ejecting the normal card may be increased so that the card does not come into contact with the guide 53. That is, the guide 53 may be in any form as long as it can prevent the card from falling in front of the ejection stacker 51 by the time the card reaches the ejection stacker 51.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state when the error card is ejected. As described above, the card in which the error is detected is ejected to the error card ejection unit 60 as an error card. Here, error detection will be described. The following four errors mainly apply. (1) Communication error in the IC reader / writer 20B. When the card is conveyed to the IC reader / writer 20B and the IC read / write process is performed, if communication cannot be performed for a certain period of time, an error is determined. (2) An error during printing processing by the printing unit 20. Specifically, when the ink ribbon R is cut during the printing process, printing cannot be continued due to poor winding of the ink ribbon R, or the card is jammed, an error is determined.

(3) Transfer error during card transfer. If the card jams during card transfer, it is judged as an error. (4) Forced termination by opening the cover, etc. before the processing for the card is completed. If the cover of the housing 1 is opened during card transportation or processing, the processing is forcibly terminated. Even if the cover is closed and the card is restored after the forced termination, the card being transported or being processed will be an error card. When the control unit 100, which will be described later, receives the above information, it determines that an error occurs, and determines that the card in which any of the first transport path p1, the second transport path p2, the third transport path p3, and the reversing section 30 exists is an error card. ..

Cards determined to have an error between the time they are supplied from the card supply unit 10 and the time they are discharged to the outside of the housing 1 are discharged to the error card discharge unit 60 as error cards. However, there are two types of error cards, one that can be carried after the error is determined and the other that cannot be carried. For example, if a card that has an error due to a card jam is forcibly transported, the device may be damaged.Therefore, for an error card that cannot be transported, it is necessary to warn the user and have the card removed manually. There is. Therefore, the error card ejected to the error card ejection unit 60 is a card that can be conveyed after being determined to be an error.

The following describes an error card that can be carried after an error is detected. First, if an error is detected after the cards are supplied, the card C is conveyed to the card reversing unit 30. After that, the card reversing unit 30 rotates to the error card ejection position shown in FIG. In this state, the pinch rollers 31a and 31b of the card reversing unit 30 are driven to convey the error card toward the housing opening 60a. The card transfer speed at this time is set to 300 mm / sec, which is slower than the card transfer speed (360 mm / sec) at the time of normal card ejection.

If the error card is ejected at a high speed like a normal card, the tip of the error card may violently collide with the side surface of the frame 61 and the card may be damaged. Therefore, although the card may come into contact with the side surface of the frame body 61, it is necessary to suppress the card carrying speed to the extent that the card is not damaged by collision. However, since this is related to the angle at which the card enters the housing opening 60a when the error card is ejected and the dimension in the width direction of the frame body 61, the card transfer speed can be appropriately set. In the present embodiment, the error card is configured to pass through the frame body 61, drop as it is, and be discharged, and the slower the card transport speed, the more effectively the gravity can be used, so that the error card is directly below. Easy to fall. Therefore, the card transfer speed should be slowed to such an extent that the rear end of the card can pass through the frame opening 62 after passing through the pinch rollers 31a and 31b on the downstream side in the card transfer direction of the reversing portion 30, and the productivity is not reduced. Is desirable. Further, the lower surface of the frame body 61 is not an opening, and the ejected card C may be stored in the vertical direction (standing position).

All operating parts of the above processing devices can be driven by a simple drive control system. As an example, a method is adopted in which the kick roller 12 of the card supply unit and the rotating frame 32 of the card reversing unit 30 are driven by one motor, and the pressure welding roller 41b and the pinch roller 31b of the cleaner are driven by another motor. .. Each operating element may be driven and controlled by any drive system, and a power transmission means, an electromagnetic clutch, or the like may be appropriately used. The head drive source that rotates the cam 24c of the advance / retreat drive unit 24 of the information recording unit 20 is also used independently, but if an electromagnetic clutch or the like is used, the power of the transport drive source or the like can be used. Further, while the first card is being processed in the second transport path p2 or the third transport path p3, the next blank card is sent from the card supply unit 10 to the first transport path p1 to be made to stand by, thereby processing in continuous card processing. In order to shorten the time, each drive source that can independently drive the first transport path p1 and the second transport path p2 may be provided.

Next, the control unit and the power supply unit of the card processing device will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, the card processing device includes a control unit 100 that controls the operation of the entire device, and a power supply unit 120 that converts a commercial AC power source into a DC power source that can drive / operate each mechanism unit and control unit. have.

(1) Control unit The control unit 100 includes a microcomputer unit (MCU) 102 (hereinafter, abbreviated as MCU 102) that performs control processing of the entire device. The MCU 102 is composed of a CPU that operates with a high-speed clock as a central processing unit, a ROM that stores programs and program data of the card processing unit, a RAM that works as a work area of the CPU, and an internal bus that connects them.

An external bus is connected to the MCU 102. The external bus should have an interface (not shown) for communicating with the host device 201, print data to form an image on the card C, magnetic stripes on the card C, or magnetically or electrically recorded on the accommodating IC. A memory 101 for temporarily storing recorded data and the like is connected.

Further, the external bus includes various sensors (not shown), a drive motor of the card reversing unit 30, a signal processing unit 103 that processes signals from the encoders of the card transfer motor and the ink ribbon transfer motor, and drive pulses and drive power for each motor. The actuator control unit 104 including the motor driver and the like, the thermal head control unit 105 for controlling the thermal energy to the heat generating elements constituting the thermal head 22, the operation display control unit 106 for controlling the operation panel unit 5, and the operation display control unit 106. The information recording unit A described above is connected.

(2) Power supply unit The power supply unit 120 supplies operation / drive power to the control unit 100, the thermal head 22, the operation panel unit 5, the information recording unit 20B, and the like.

The card recording processing operation by the processing device having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 5, 6, 7, and 8.

First, print data for printing an image on the card C and IC recording data for inputting electronic recording information to the IC chip of the card C are input from the image input device 204 and the input device 203 of the host device 200, and the processing device. Is stored in the memory 101 of. When the MCU receives these information (print / information recording command), it performs print processing and IC recording processing (information recording processing) on the card C. In this embodiment, the IC recording process is performed first, and then the print process is performed. The card C may be subjected to only the printing process or the IC recording process, or the IC recording process may be performed after the printing process.

FIG. 2 shows an initial state in which a plurality of blank cards C are loaded in the card stacker 11 of the card supply unit 10. When a card creation command is given, the kick roller 12 starts rotating, and only the lowest card is the first transport path. It is sent out from the card stacker 11 along p1. It is assumed that the IC chip of the card C is arranged on the lower surface side of the card in the drawing.

When the center of the card C moving along the first transport path p1 is sent until it reaches the intersection X of the first, second, and third transport paths, the card C is rotated while being gripped by the pinch rollers 31a and 31b. The frame 32 is rotated to the IC read / write position (see FIG. 5). In the present embodiment, since the rotating frame 32 rotates counterclockwise, it rotates 325 degrees from the initial state, but when the card reversing portion 30 is configured to rotate in both directions, it rotates clockwise. It may be rotated 35 degrees.

When the rotating frame 32 rotates 325 degrees and the card C coincides with the third transport path p3 in parallel, the pinch rollers 31a and 31b of the card reversing portion 30 are driven to send the card C toward the IC reader / writer 20B, and a predetermined value is provided. When the position of is reached, the IC information recording process on the card C is executed.

When the IC information recording process is completed, the pinch rollers 31a and 31b are reversely driven so as to return the card C to the rotating frame 32. Then, when the card C is fed until the center of the card C reaches the intersection X, the rotating frame 32 is rotated to the printing position while the card C is held by the pinch rollers 31a and 31b (see FIG. 6). When the rotary frame 32 is positioned at the printing position, the pinch rollers 31a and 31b are driven to transport the card C to the printing unit 20 along the second transport path p2.

When the card C is conveyed to the printing start position, the head advance / retreat drive unit 24 of the printing unit 20 operates to move the thermal head 22 toward the card. As a result, the thermal head 22 presses the ink ribbon R against the card surface f, and while moving the card toward the card reversing portion 30 in this state, the heating element of the thermal head 22 is selectively heated to operate the ink ribbon. The ink component of the above is thermally transferred to the surface of the card, whereby the desired image information is printed on the surface of the card.

When the printing process on the card surface is completed, the card C is conveyed toward the card reversing portion 30, and when the card C is fed until the center of the card C reaches the intersection X, the rotating frame 32 of the card reversing portion 30 rotates counterclockwise. It is rotated 90 degrees in the direction, whereby the surface of the card C is turned upward and the card is discharged to the normal card ejection unit 50 at the end of the first transport path p1 (FIG. 7). At that time, the MCU 102 controls the actuator control unit 104 so that the card transfer speed by the pinch rollers 31a and 31b is 360 mm / sec.

In the above process, the desired information recording process is executed on one side of the card, but when recording on both sides of the card, the card C conveyed from the printing unit 20 is rotated 180 degrees by the card reversing unit 30 and again. Double-sided recording is realized by feeding to the printing unit 20 as shown in FIG.

Since the card C for which an error is detected before the card C is ejected to the normal card ejection unit 50 is ejected to the error card ejection unit 60, once the error is detected, the card C is once conveyed to the card reversing unit 30. The rotating frame 32 of the card reversing unit 30 is rotated to the error card ejection position shown in FIG. 8, and then the pinch rollers 31a and 31b are driven to eject the card C toward the housing opening 60a. At that time, the MCU 102 controls the actuator control unit 104 so that the card transfer speed by the pinch rollers 31a and 31b is 300 mm / sec.

In the above embodiment, the card C sent from the card supply unit 10 is rotated counterclockwise by the card reversing unit 30 and sent to the IC reader / writer 20B and the printing unit 20, but the card reversing unit The rotation direction of 30 is not limited, and the rotation direction may be determined as needed.

In the present embodiment, in order to eject two types of cards from the same surface of the device housing 1, a second ejection unit (error card ejection unit) arranged on the upstream side (close position) in the card ejection direction from the housing 1 60) and the first ejection unit (normal card ejection unit 50) arranged on the downstream side (far position) in the card ejection direction from the housing 1 are arranged in parallel in substantially the same direction as the card ejection direction. At that time, by making the card transfer speed when ejecting the card to the first ejection unit faster than the card conveying speed when ejecting the card to the second ejection unit, the same ejection member (card reversing portion 30) can be used. When ejecting the card, the card can be ejected to the first ejection unit arranged at a position far from the housing 1.

In other words, when ejecting the card C, the one with the longer distance from the ejection member that drives the card C to finally apply the conveying force (at the most downstream side of the conveying path) to the discharging portion is the first. The second discharge unit is the one with a shorter distance from the discharge member to the discharge unit, and the card transport speed when the card C is discharged to the first discharge unit is increased. In the present embodiment, the pinch rollers 31a and 31b on the left side of the card reversing unit 30 serve as ejection members, the distance from the ejection member to the stacker opening 52 of the normal card ejection unit 50, and the frame from the ejection member to the error card ejection unit 60. Comparing with the distance to the body opening 62, since the distance from the ejection member to the stacker opening 52 of the normal card ejection unit 50 is longer, the normal card ejection portion 50 becomes the first ejection unit. Therefore, the card transport speed when ejecting the card C to the normal card ejection unit 50 is set high.

As a result, two types of cards, such as a normal card and an error card, can be ejected to the same side of the device housing, and at that time, the card C is ejected to the normal card ejection unit 50 located far from the ejection member. The alignment of the accumulated cards C is improved even when the cards are ejected.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the normal card C is discharged to the discharge stacker 51, the card C is guided by a guide 53 provided on the upper surface of the frame body 61. Since the guide 53 is inclined downward from the housing opening 50a (the position where the card C is ejected by the pinch rollers 31a and 31b) toward the stacker opening 52, the card C is smoothly ejected to the ejection stacker 51. .. The guide 53 does not have to be integrally formed with the frame body 61, and may be separately provided as a guide member. That is, the guide 53 only needs to be able to guide the card C so that the card C can get over (pass) the area of the error card ejection unit 60 and eject the card C to the ejection stacker 51.

In the first embodiment, the error card ejection unit 60 and the normal card ejection unit 50 are arranged in parallel with respect to the card ejection direction from the housing 1, but the normal card ejection unit 50 is located on the housing 1 side. It may be arranged.

FIG. 10 shows the card processing device of the second embodiment, and shows a configuration in which the normal card ejection unit 150 and the error card ejection unit 160 are sequentially arranged in parallel with respect to the card ejection direction from the housing 1. The elements having the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are equivalent or the same components, and the description of these same elements will be omitted in order to avoid duplicate explanations.

In the second embodiment, the discharge stacker 151 is fixed to the housing 1, and the frame body 161 (error card discharge box) of the error card discharge unit 160 has a hook shape on the side surface of the discharge stacker 151 on the downstream side in the card discharge direction. It is fixed. The normal card C is ejected from the card reversing portion 30 (the state in which the rotation angle is 35 degrees counterclockwise) shown by the solid line to the ejection stacker 151. At that time, the normal card C passes through the housing opening 150a and the stacker opening 152 and is accumulated in the discharge stacker 151.

When ejecting a normal card toward the ejection stacker 151, the MCU 102 controls the actuator control unit 104 so that the card transport speed by the pinch rollers 31a and 31b is 300 mm / sec.

On the other hand, a card in which an error is detected during processing to the card C and is determined to be an error card is ejected to the error card ejection unit 160. The error card C is ejected from the card reversing portion 30 (the same position as the initial position) indicated by the broken line to the error card ejection unit 160. At that time, the error card C passes through the housing opening 160a, slides down on the guide 153, and is discharged into the frame body 161. Unlike the first embodiment, the frame body 161 has an opening on the upper surface. A support surface for supporting the error card C is formed on the lower surface, and the error card C can be stored in an upright position.

The width dimension of the discharge stacker 151 in FIG. 10 (the length in the same direction as the discharge direction of the card C) is 116 mm as in the first embodiment, and the width dimension of the frame body 161 is 60 mm. 151 is wider than the width dimension of the card C (86 mm: length in the same direction as the transport direction of the card C), and the frame body 161 is narrower than the width dimension of the card C. That is, since the error card discharged to the frame body 161 does not need to be loaded, the width dimension of the frame body 161 can be made narrower than the width dimension of the card C. As a result, the discharge stacker 151 and the frame body 161 can be arranged in parallel in a space-saving manner.

In all the above-described embodiments, when the card C is ejected, the ejection members that drive the card C so as to finally apply a conveying force are the pinch rollers 31a and 31b of the card reversing portion 30, and the normal card. The ejection members are the pinch rollers 31a and 31b both during ejection and error card ejection. However, as shown in FIG. 11, when ejecting the card C to the normal card ejection unit 50 which is the first ejection unit, the card C is ejected. The member that finally imparts the carrying force to the card is the discharge roller r1, and when the card C is discharged to the error card discharging unit 60 which is the second discharging unit, the carrying force is finally applied to the card. The member may be the discharge roller r2. The discharge roller r1 and the discharge roller r2 may be driven by the same motor or different motors. Comparing the distance from the discharge roller r1 to the stacker opening 52 and the distance from the discharge roller r2 to the frame opening 62, the distance from the discharge roller r1 to the stacker opening 52 is longer, so the card by the discharge roller r1 The MCU 102 controls the transport speeds of the discharge rollers r1 and r2 so that the transport speed is faster than the card transport speed by the discharge rollers r2.

As described above, since the present invention provides a compact card processing device in a card processing device having a plurality of ejection units on one side of the device, it contributes to the manufacture and sale of the card processing device. , Has industrial applicability.

C Recording medium (card)
p1 1st transport path p2 2nd transport path p3 3rd transport path X Intersection 10 Card supply unit 13 Opening / closing lid 13a Card alignment piece 20 Printing unit (1st information recording unit)
20B IC read / write section (second information recording section)
21 Platen roller 22 Thermal head 30 Card reversing part 40 Cleaner 50 Normal card ejection part (1st card ejection part)
51 Discharge stacker (1st frame)
52 Stacker opening 53 Guide 60 Error card ejector (2nd card ejector)
61 frame body (second frame body)
150 Normal card ejector (2nd card ejector)
160 Error card ejector (1st card ejector)

Claims (10)

In a medium processing device that processes and discharges a recording medium
Equipment housing and
A medium processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the recording medium,
Discharging means for discharging the recording medium processed by the medium processing unit, and
A plurality of discharge units from which the recording medium is discharged by the discharge means are provided.
The plurality of discharge units are arranged in parallel on one side of the device housing in the same direction as the discharge direction of the recording medium by the discharge means, and the first discharge unit and the second frame have a first frame. Consists of a second discharge unit with
The width dimension of the first frame body is wider than the width dimension of the recording medium, and the width dimension of the second frame body is narrower than the width dimension of the recording medium .
The first frame body and the second frame body are arranged outside the device housing.
The device housing has a first opening for the discharge means to discharge the recording medium toward the first discharge portion, and the discharge means discharges the recording medium toward the second discharge portion. A medium processing apparatus characterized in that the second opening is provided . In a medium processing device that processes and discharges a recording medium
Equipment housing and
A medium processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the recording medium,
An error detecting means for detecting whether or not the recording medium has been normally processed by the medium processing unit, and
Discharging means for discharging the recording medium processed by the medium processing unit, and
A plurality of discharge units from which the recording medium is discharged by the discharge means are provided.
The plurality of discharge units are arranged in parallel on one side of the device housing in the same direction as the discharge direction of the recording medium by the discharge means, and the first discharge unit having the first frame and the first frame. It is composed of a second discharge part having a second frame body whose width dimension is narrower than that of the body.
The first frame body and the second frame body are arranged outside the device housing.
The device housing has a first opening for the discharge means to discharge the recording medium toward the first discharge portion, and the discharge means discharges the recording medium toward the second discharge portion. Is provided with a second opening of
The discharge means is a medium processing device characterized in that the recording medium in which an error is detected by the error detection means is discharged to the second discharge unit. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first frame is a discharge stacker for loading the discharged recording medium. Further, a medium supply unit for supplying the recording medium is provided.
The medium supply unit, the discharge means, the second discharge unit, and the first discharge unit are arranged in this order along the transport direction of the recording medium, and the first opening is provided above the second opening. medium processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that was. The discharging means rotates the recording medium while grasping the recording medium so as to eject the recording medium toward the first opening and the recording medium toward the second opening. The medium processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the medium processing apparatus comprises a direction changing unit that moves to a second position for discharging and changes the direction of the recording medium. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the discharging means is further rotated to a third position for transporting the recording medium to the medium processing unit. The first discharge unit is arranged on the downstream side of the second discharge unit in the discharge direction of the recording medium, and the recording medium passes over the upper part of the second discharge unit and is discharged to the first discharge unit. The medium processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a guide member for the purpose. The medium processing device according to claim 7, wherein the guide member is formed on an upper surface of a second frame body. An error detecting means for detecting whether or not the recording medium has been normally processed by the medium processing unit is further provided.
The first discharge unit is composed of an discharge stacker for accumulating the recording media normally processed by the medium processing unit, and the second discharge unit discharges the recording medium in which an error is detected by the error detecting means. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1. Further, a medium supply unit for supplying the recording medium is provided.
The medium supply unit, the discharge means, the first discharge unit, and the second discharge unit are arranged in this order along the transport direction of the recording medium, and the second opening is provided above the first opening. The medium processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the medium processing apparatus has been obtained.

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