JP7254523B2 - card processor - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a card processing device.

Usually, a card processing device (IC card reader; ICCR) is installed in a toll booth of a toll road in order to handle payment by an IC card (credit card, etc.). An IC card reader has a transport mechanism for drawing in and transporting an IC card inserted through an insertion slot.

Patent document 1 discloses a transport mechanism that has a driving roller attached to a rotating shaft and a driven roller that is arranged to face the driving roller, and that transports an IC card while sandwiching it between the driving roller and the driven roller. Are listed.

JP 2001-222694 A

By the way, when the card processing device reads the card information of the IC card of the road user, the contact failure between the IC chip and the IC contact or the card warp caused by the emboss formed on the IC card may cause the card to be conveyed poorly. There is a problem that reading card information is hindered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a card processing device capable of improving contact between an IC chip provided on an IC card and an IC contact provided on the card processing device.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the card processing apparatus aligns the width direction of a card medium having an IC chip with the width direction of a transport path, and removes a portion of the card medium in the width direction. a transport mechanism for transporting the card medium along the transport path while supporting the card medium; a moving portion having a pressing portion provided with a contact portion for reading information received from the moving portion; a guide portion that guides the moving portion to approach the card medium as the moving portion moves to the opposite side of the transport mechanism in the width direction of the transport path with respect to the projecting portion a supporting portion disposed on the opposite side of the contact portion to support the card medium , the moving portion further having a plurality of slope shafts projecting from the pressing portion to both sides in the width direction, The guide portion includes an inclined surface on which each of the slope shafts travels, and a slope shaft that holds the slope shaft when the moving portion is positioned at the standby position, and the slope shaft when the moving portion moves downstream. and a restriction portion that restricts movement of the slope shaft toward the downstream side. A gap is formed that extends to

According to such a configuration, even when the card medium is warped, the support portion corrects the warp of the card, thereby improving the contact between the IC chip and the contact portion.
Furthermore, according to such a configuration, it is possible to gradually apply a pressing force to the IC chip by running the slope shaft along the slope.

In the above card processing device, the support portion may be arranged at the same position as the contact portion that is in contact with the IC chip when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the main surface of the card medium.

According to such a configuration, the pressing force by the supporting portion can be concentrated on the IC chip and the contact portion.

In the above card processing apparatus, the support section may be a cylindrical roller that rotates around a central axis extending in the width direction.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the card medium from being damaged due to contact with the card medium while the peripheral surface of the roller rotates.

In the above card processing device, the rollers are a first roller (31) arranged on one side in the width direction of the protrusion and a second roller (32) arranged on the other side in the width direction of the protrusion. and may have

According to such a configuration, a larger pressing force can be applied to the IC chip and the contact portion while avoiding contact between the first roller or the second roller and the projecting portion.

In the above card processing apparatus, the transport mechanism includes a motor (M), a rotating shaft (13) to which the power of the motor is transmitted, a transport belt (B2) that travels in the transport direction along with the rotating shaft, and the roller may be attached to the rotating shaft.

According to such a configuration, the rollers are rotated by the power transmitted to the rotating shaft, so that the resistance of the rollers can be reduced compared to the case where the power is not transmitted to the rollers. As a result, the power required for the motor can be reduced.

According to the present invention, even when the card medium is warped, the support portion corrects the warp of the card, thereby improving the contact between the IC chip and the contact portion.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the toll collection machine which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the card|curd processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment. FIG. 2B is a side view of the slope loading mechanism according to one embodiment, and is a view of the slope loading mechanism in which the moving part is located in the standby position; It is a IV arrow view of FIG. 3, and is a view of the slope loading mechanism as seen from the IC contact side. FIG. 2B is a side view of a slope loading mechanism according to one embodiment, the slope loading mechanism in which the moving part is located in the moving position; FIG. It is a VI arrow directional view of FIG. 5, and is the figure which looked at the slope loading mechanism from the conveyance direction upstream.

A card processing apparatus according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG.
(Overall configuration of toll collection machine)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a toll collection machine according to one embodiment.
A toll collection machine according to the present embodiment is installed at a toll gate of a toll road (expressway). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the toll collector 1A is installed on the roadside (island) of the lane L at the toll gate. A driver of a vehicle traveling in lane L (a user of a toll road) performs toll collection processing with this toll collection device 1A.

As shown in FIG. 1, the toll collection machine 1A incorporates a card processing device 1 to enable payment by an IC card (card medium such as a credit card). The card processing device 1 is a so-called reader/writer device that reads and writes card information recorded in an IC card owned by a user during toll collection processing. The toll collection machine 1A records usage detail information including the date and time of usage, travel history, amount of money collected, etc. in the IC card read out through the card processing device 1. FIG.

Note that the toll collector 1A can be used not only at ordinary toll gates provided on the main line of the toll road, but also at service areas, parking areas, and toll gates (so-called smart interchange ).
In another embodiment, the toll collection machine 1A is not a toll collection machine operated directly by a user (automatic toll collection machine), but a toll collection machine operated by a toll collector standing by at a manned booth. may be

(Structure of card processing device)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of the card processing device 1 according to one embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2, the card processing apparatus 1 includes a housing 2, an insertion slot 3 provided in the housing 2 and into which an IC card T having an IC chip T2 is inserted, and an IC card T in the conveying directions (± X direction), a transport mechanism 4 for transporting the IC card T, a magnetic head 5 for reading magnetic data from the magnetic stripe T1 attached to the IC card T, and an IC contact. 25 (contact portion), a slope loading mechanism 6 for bringing the IC contact 25 into contact with the IC chip T2 as the IC card T is inserted, and an IC contact support roller 8 for supporting the IC card T from the opposite side of the IC contact 25. (a support portion) and a control portion 7 are provided.

The control unit 7 is a processor that controls the overall operation of the card processing device 1, and for example, operates according to a preloaded program to exhibit various functions described later.
The transport mechanism 4 is a driving mechanism that draws the IC card T inserted from the insertion port 3 into the inside of the housing 2 and transports it to an appropriate position for enabling various processes. The transport mechanism 4 also transports the card, for which various processes have been completed, back to the insertion slot 3 .

The magnetic head 5 is a mechanism for reading magnetic data from the magnetic stripe T1 attached to the IC card T. As shown in FIG. The magnetic head 5 reads magnetic data from the magnetic stripe T<b>1 while the IC card T is being transported by the transport mechanism 4 .
The IC contact 25 is a device that makes electrical contact with the IC chip T2 mounted on the IC card T. As shown in FIG. When the IC card T is transported to an appropriate position by the transport mechanism 4, the positions of the IC contacts 25 and the positions of the IC chip T2 are aligned to form electrical contacts.
The IC card T is a card formed in a standard size (for example, 54 mm long, 85 mm wide, and 0.76 mm thick) that can be carried by the carrying mechanism 4 of the card processing apparatus 1 . Also, the IC card T may not be provided with the magnetic stripe T1.

The rails 9 support both ends of the IC card T in the lateral direction (±Y direction). The lateral direction coincides with the width direction of the transport path W. As shown in FIG. The rail 9 is provided on the side wall 2b of the housing 2 along the transport direction. As shown in FIG. 6, rails 9 guide the ends of the card in the short direction. The rail 9 has a pair of grooves 14 having a first restricting portion 15 for guiding one surface of the IC card T and a second restricting portion 16 for guiding the other surface of the IC card T. As shown in FIG.
In the following description, of the card transport path W formed by the rails 9, the side closer to the insertion slot 3 is also referred to as the "upstream side", and the side away from the insertion slot 3 is also referred to as the "downstream side." do.

The transport mechanism 4 carries out a transport operation so as to pull the IC card T toward the inside of the toll collection machine 1A (+X direction in FIG. 2). The transport mechanism 4 is provided in the housing 2 and transports the IC card T inserted from the insertion port 3 along the transport path W. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the transport mechanism 4 includes a DC motor M, a pulley P, three transport rollers R1, R2, and R3, a pressure roller Rp, and two flat transport belts B1 and B2. and
The first transport roller R1 is supported by a first rotating shaft 11 extending in the width direction of the housing (±Y direction), that is, in the width direction of the transport path W. As shown in FIG. The second conveying roller R2 is supported by a second rotating shaft 12 extending in the width direction. The third conveying roller R3 is supported by a third rotating shaft 13 extending in the width direction. The first rotating shaft 11 , the second rotating shaft 12 , and the third rotating shaft 13 are rotatably supported by the housing 2 .

The DC motor M rotates based on a command signal from the controller 7 . Power of the DC motor M is transmitted through the pulley P to the third rotating shaft 13 to which the third conveying roller R3 is fixed.
The three transport rollers R1, R2, and R3 are arranged along the transport direction (±X direction) of the IC card T from the insertion slot 3. As shown in FIG. Each transport roller R1, R2, R3 is connected by two transport belts B1, B2.

The first conveying belt B1 is a rubber flat belt that connects the first conveying roller R1 and the second conveying roller R2, and the second conveying belt B2 connects the second conveying roller R2 and the third conveying roller R3. It is a connecting rubber flat belt. When the DC motor M rotates the third conveying roller R3, the power rotates the conveying rollers R2 and R1 through the second conveying belt B2 and the first conveying belt B1.
The IC card T inserted from the insertion slot 3 is conveyed through friction with the surfaces of flat belts (conveyor belts B1 and B2) rotating while connecting the respective conveying rollers R1, R2 and R3. At this time, the transport belts B1 and B2 transport the IC card T while supporting a part of the IC card T in the lateral direction.

As shown in the lower part of FIG. 2, a pressing roller Rp is provided above (+Z direction side) the first transport roller R1, the second transport roller R2, and the third transport roller R3. The pressing roller Rp rotates while nipping the IC card T moving on the transport belts B1 and B2 in the thickness direction (±Z direction) between the transport rollers R1, R2 and R3.

The transport mechanism 4 has four detection sensors S1, S2, S3, and S4 arranged at different points on the transport path W of the IC card T. As shown in FIG.
Each of the detection sensors S1 to S4 can detect whether or not the IC card T exists at each location. For example, the detection sensors S1 to S4 are composed of a pair of a light projecting element and a light receiving element arranged in the height direction (±Z direction), and an IC card T exists between the light projecting element and the light receiving element. In this case, the detection light projected from the light projecting element does not reach the light receiving element. Therefore, it can be grasped that the IC card T exists at the point where the detection sensors (S1 to S4) are arranged. Note that specific aspects of the detection sensors S1 to S4 are not limited to the above.

The first detection sensor S1 is arranged on the most upstream side (-X direction side) of the transport path W. As shown in FIG. The first detection sensor S<b>1 is a sensor for detecting whether or not the IC card T is inserted into the insertion slot 3 . When the user inserts the IC card T into the insertion slot 3 and the presence of the IC card T is detected by the first detection sensor S1, the control unit 7 drives the DC motor M to rotate. When the DC motor M is rotationally driven, the IC card T is drawn inside (+X direction) due to friction with the first conveying belt B1.

The second detection sensor S2 is arranged downstream of the first detection sensor S1. The third detection sensor S3 is arranged further downstream of the second detection sensor S2. The second detection sensor S2 and the third detection sensor S3 are provided mainly to detect whether or not there is an abnormality in the transport operation of the transport mechanism 4. As shown in FIG.
For example, it is assumed that a “card jam” occurs while the IC card T is being conveyed by the conveying mechanism 4 . Assuming such a problem, the control unit 7 detects the IC card T by the third detection sensor S3 within a certain period of time after the IC card T is detected by the second detection sensor S2. It is assumed that "clogging" has occurred, and the abnormality is reported to the person in charge.

The fourth detection sensor S4 is arranged on the most downstream side (+X direction side). In combination with the detection signal of the third detection sensor S3, the fourth detection sensor S4 detects the target position of the IC card T (that is, the position where electrical contact can be obtained between the IC contact 25 and the IC chip T2). ) is provided to determine whether or not the Specifically, the control unit 7 changes the state in which both the third detection sensor S3 and the fourth detection sensor S4 are "on" (the state in which the IC card T is detected) to the state in which only the third detection sensor S3 is "on". off" (state in which the IC card T is not detected), it is determined that the IC card T has reached the target position.

(Structure of slope loading mechanism)
FIG. 3 is a side view of the slope loading mechanism 6 according to one embodiment, and is a view of the slope loading mechanism 6 in which the moving part 19 is positioned at the standby position. FIG. 4 is a view of the slope loading mechanism 6 viewed from the IC contact 25 side.
The slope loading mechanism 6 includes a base portion 18 fixed to the lower surface of the upper wall 2a of the housing 2, and a moving portion 19 disposed on the lower surface of the base portion 18 so as to be movable in the conveying direction and having an IC contact 25. have.

In the standby state in which the IC card T is not inserted, the moving section 19 is positioned at the standby position shown in FIG. At the standby position, the IC contacts 25 provided on the moving portion 19 are separated from the transport path W through which the IC card T passes.
When the IC card T reaches the target position, the moving part 19 is positioned at the moving position shown in FIG. At the moving position, the IC contact 25 provided on the moving part 19 contacts the IC chip T2 of the IC card T. As shown in FIG.

The base portion 18 includes a base portion main body 20 fixed to the lower surface of the upper wall 2a of the housing 2, and a pair of guide portions provided at both ends in the width direction of the base portion main body 20 so as to extend in the transport direction. 21 and . The guide portion 21 is formed to protrude downward (-Z direction). The guide portion 21 is formed with an inclined surface 28 on which a slope shaft 23 (to be described later) runs.

The moving portion 19 is connected to the pressing portion 22 arranged between the pair of guide portions 21, four slope shafts 23 projecting from the pressing portion 22 on both sides in the width direction, and the pressing portion 22, and is formed by the rails 9. and a protruding portion 24 that protrudes so as to intersect with the conveying path W.
The pressing portion 22 has a rectangular plate shape. An IC contact 25 is provided on the lower surface of the pressing portion 22 .
Two slope shafts 23 are formed on each side surface 22 a of the pressing portion 22 .
The projecting portion 24 projects downward (−Z direction) from the downstream end of the pressing portion 22 .
The moving part 19 is connected to a coil support part 27 fixed to the housing 2 via a tension coil spring 26 . The moving part 19 is pulled upstream by a tension coil spring 26 .

The guide portion 21 of the base portion 18 guides the moving portion 19 to approach the IC card T as the moving portion 19 moves downstream. The guide portion 21 has an inclined surface 28 on which the slope shaft 23 runs, a guide protrusion 29, and a restricting portion 30 that restricts movement of the slope shaft 23 toward the downstream side. Inclined surfaces 28 , guide projections 29 , and restricting portions 30 are formed for each slope shaft 23 .
The inclined surface 28 is inclined so as to approach the transport path W (inserted card) toward the downstream side.
The guide projection 29 holds the slope shaft 23 when the moving portion 19 is at the standby position, and prevents the slope shaft 23 from leaving the inclined surface 28 when the moving portion 19 moves downstream.
The projecting portion 24 is formed so as to interfere with the inserted card (conveyance path W). That is, the card that is inserted from the insertion slot 3 and travels along the rail 9 contacts the projecting portion 24, thereby moving the moving portion 19 downstream from the standby position.

The restricting portion 30 is formed so that the moving portion 19 that moves with the movement of the IC card T stops at a moving position, which is an appropriate position. That is, when the moving portion 19 moves toward the downstream side and the slope shaft 23 is restricted from moving downstream by the restricting portion 30, the IC card T is arranged at an appropriate position.
In addition, the inclined surface 28 creates a predetermined gap between the IC contacts 25 and the IC card T at the standby position of the moving portion 19, and the IC contacts 25 and the IC card T come into contact with each other at the moving position of the moving portion 19. is formed as
Further, the IC contacts 25 are arranged so that the positions of the IC contacts 25 are aligned with the positions of the IC chip T2 and an electrical contact is formed when the moving portion 19 is located at the moving position. .

According to the slope loading mechanism 6, the inserted IC card T moves the protruding portion 24 downstream in the conveying direction, so that the slope shaft 23 of the pressing portion 22 travels along the inclined surface 28 and moves to the protruding portion 24. The connected pressing portion 22 descends toward the IC card T. When the slope shaft 23 abuts against the restricting portion 30 and the moving portion 19 is placed at the moving position, the IC card T is placed at an appropriate position, and the IC contacts 25 placed on the pressing portion 22 are placed on the IC card T. Contact IC chip T2.

As shown in FIG. 6, the IC contact support roller 8 is fixed to the third rotating shaft 13. As shown in FIG. The IC contact support roller 8 is rotatable together with the third rotating shaft 13 . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the IC contact support roller 8 is arranged at the same position as the IC contact at the moving position when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the main surface of the IC card T (±Z direction).
In other words, the IC contact support roller 8 supports the IC card T from below the IC chip T2 when the moving portion 19 descends as the IC card T is inserted and the IC contacts 25 come into contact with the IC chip T2. It is placed in such a position that

The IC contact support roller 8 includes a first roller 31 arranged on one side in the width direction of the projecting portion 24 (-Y direction side, the side opposite to the third conveying roller R3) and the other side in the width direction of the projecting portion 24 ( and a second roller 32 disposed on the +Y direction side).
The first roller 31 and the second roller 32 are cylindrical rollers.
A gap G is provided between the first roller 31 and the second roller 32 to allow passage of the projecting portion 24 moving in the transport direction. That is, the IC contact support roller 8 has a shape capable of supporting the IC contact 25 of the pressing portion 22 connected to the protrusion 24 while avoiding interference with the protrusion 24 .
The first roller 31 is arranged on the side opposite to the transport mechanism 4 (the second transport belt B2 and the pressing roller Rp) in the width direction with respect to the projecting portion 24 .

(action, effect)
According to the above-described embodiment, even if the IC card T is warped, the IC contact support roller 8 corrects the warp of the IC card T, thereby ensuring good contact between the IC chip T2 and the IC contacts 25. can be
Further, since the IC contact support roller 8 is arranged at the same position as the IC contact 25 in contact with the IC chip T2, the pressing force of the IC contact support roller 8 is concentrated on the IC chip T2 and the IC contact 25. be able to.

Further, since the first roller 31 and the second roller 32 of the IC contact support roller 8 are cylindrical rollers, the circumferential surfaces of the rollers come into contact with the IC card T while rotating. As a result, the IC card T can be prevented from being damaged.

In addition, since the IC contact support roller 8 is provided with a gap G between the first roller 31 and the second roller 32, contact between the first roller 31 or the second roller 32 and the projecting portion 24 can be avoided. Meanwhile, a larger pressing force can be applied to the IC chip T2 and the IC contacts 25. FIG.

Moreover, since the IC contact support roller 8 is attached to the third rotating shaft 13 , the IC contact supporting roller 8 can be rotated by the power transmitted to the third rotating shaft 13 . As a result, the resistance of the IC contact support rollers 8 can be reduced compared to when power is not transmitted to the IC contact support rollers 8 . Thereby, the power required for the DC motor M can be reduced.
Further, by running the slope shaft 23 along the inclined surface 28, the pressing force can be gradually applied to the IC chip T2.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, all these embodiments are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

In the above embodiment, the IC contact support roller 8 has the first roller 31 and the second roller 32, but the transport mechanism 4 (second transport belt B2 and Only the first roller 31 arranged on the opposite side of the pressing roller Rp) may be used. That is, when the IC card T is warped, it may be configured such that the IC chip T2 can be supported by one side in the width direction (conveyance mechanism 4) and the other side in the width direction (first roller 31). .

Further, the IC contact support roller 8 does not need to be fixed to the third rotating shaft 13, and can be a roller that rotates around the axis A (see FIGS. 2 and 6) extending in the width direction (±Y direction). good.

1A Toll collection machine 1 Card processing device 2 Case 2a Top wall 2b Side wall 3 Insertion slot 4 Transport mechanism 5 Magnetic head 6 Slope loading mechanism 7 Control unit 8 IC contact support roller (support unit)
9 rail 11 first rotating shaft 12 second rotating shaft 13 third rotating shaft 14 groove 15 first restricting portion 16 second restricting portion 18 base portion 19 moving portion 20 base portion main body 21 guide portion 22 pressing portion 23 slope shaft 24 protrusion Part 25 IC contact (contact part)
26 tension coil spring 27 coil support part 28 inclined surface 29 guide projection 30 regulation part 31 first roller 32 second roller A shaft B1 first conveying belt B2 second conveying belt G gap M DC motor P pulley R1 first conveying roller R2 Second conveying roller R3 Third conveying roller Rp Pressing roller S1 First detection sensor S2 Second detection sensor S3 Third detection sensor S4 Fourth detection sensor T IC card (card medium)
T1 Magnetic stripe T2 IC chip W Transport path

Claims (5)

The card medium having the IC chip is transported along the transport path while the short direction of the card medium having the IC chip is aligned with the width direction of the transport path and a part of the card medium in the short direction is supported. a transport mechanism for
a moving portion movable in the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism, the pressing portion provided with a contact portion that contacts the IC chip and reads information recorded on the IC chip; and the pressing portion is connected to the pressing portion. , a projecting portion projecting so as to intersect the conveying path, and a guide portion guiding the moving portion to approach the card medium as the moving portion moves downstream in the conveying direction. and a slope loading mechanism comprising
a support portion disposed on the opposite side of the transport mechanism in the width direction of the transport path with respect to the projecting portion and supporting the card medium from the opposite side of the contact portion ;
The moving part further has a plurality of slope shafts projecting from the pressing part to both sides in the width direction,
The guide portion includes an inclined surface on which each of the slope shafts travels, and a slope shaft that holds the slope shaft when the moving portion is positioned at the standby position, and the slope shaft when the moving portion moves downstream. a guide protrusion that prevents the slope shaft from leaving the inclined surface;
The card processing device , wherein a gap extending in the conveying direction is formed between the guide projection and the restricting portion . 2. The card processing device according to claim 1, wherein said support portion is arranged at the same position as said contact portion which is in contact with said IC chip when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the main surface of said card medium. 3. The card processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said support portion is a cylindrical roller that rotates around an axis extending in said width direction. 4. The card processing according to claim 3, wherein the rollers include a first roller arranged on one side in the width direction of the protrusion and a second roller arranged on the other side in the width direction of the protrusion. Device. The conveying mechanism has a motor, a rotating shaft to which the power of the motor is transmitted, and a conveying belt that travels in the conveying direction along with the rotating shaft,
5. The card processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said roller is attached to said rotating shaft.

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