JPH02202690A - Processing device for card or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a card processing device by optimizing the card return time to prevent a customer from forgetting to take cards and shortening the time from card reception to card return at the time of reception processing of a maximum of two magnetic cards. CONSTITUTION:A carrying means is divided into two, namely, a first carrying means 3 corresponding to a medium inserting part, a medium read/write part 5, and a medium holding part 7 and a carrying means 11 corresponding to a printing part 12 and a punching part 13, and these carrying means are driven independently of each other to facilitate the speed control. When simultaneously receiving two cards, a control means holds the first card by the carrying means and holds the second card in the holding part 7 of the carrying means 3 to perform the data processing of this card and encodes required data to the first card and sends the second card backward to perform printing and punching by the carrying means. The second card is returned to an insertion entrance after encoding for this card, and customer's reception of this card is detected to return the first card to the insertion entrance, and therefore, the customer does not forget to take the second card. Since the first card is held in a position corresponding to a thermal head, printing is performed immediately after data processing and cards are quickly returned.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a card-like medium on which data is magnetically recorded;
That is, the present invention relates to a card processing device that accepts and processes cards and tickets (hereinafter sometimes referred to collectively as "cards").

[Prior Art and Its Disadvantages] Devices for accepting and processing cards on which data is magnetically recorded include automatic ticket vending machines in the passenger railway industry and automatic payment machines for paying transfer fares.

Recently, prepaid cards or stored fair cards (
Prepayment cards (hereinafter simply referred to as cards) are a medium of valuable information that will lead the cashless era.
It is rapidly spreading in society and is becoming popular among customers in various fields such as the passenger transportation industry, distribution industry, and entertainment industry.In the passenger railway industry, the installation rate of automatic ticket vending machines that accept cards is increasing. In response, automatic payment machines that accept credit cards have also started to appear.

However, conventional card-compatible automatic ticket vending machines do not allow cards to be...
In addition, conventional card-compatible automatic payment machines can accept only one ticket or one commuter pass as the transportation medium. However, it had a structural limit that it could only accept up to 2 cards in total.

[Technical problem to be solved] By the way, if you continue to use your card, the balance will naturally decrease. The remaining amount may be less than the fare to the destination at the time of the next ticket purchase or the insufficient fare at the time of the next payment. A card with such a fractional amount cannot be used alone to purchase or settle a ticket using a conventional ticket vending machine or payment machine, and it is necessary to also insert the missing amount in cash.

Many cards display the remaining amount as a guide using a punch, and users of such cards purchase a new card when the remaining amount falls below the minimum required amount. Therefore, it is not uncommon to have two cards, an old card with a low balance and a new card, but even in such cases, with conventional machines, you have no choice but to purchase tickets or make payments using the old card and cash. In some cases, it was unreasonable.

In view of the above points, the inventors have proposed that a card processing device such as an automatic ticket vending machine or an automatic ticket machine that accepts and processes card-like media on which data is magnetically recorded can simultaneously process up to two cards. We considered making it possible to receive and process the materials.

By the way, when accepting and processing up to two cards at the same time and returning the two accepted cards to the customer after the ticket sale or payment operation is complete, depending on the timing of each card return, there is a possibility that the customer may forget to take the card. A new problem arises:

In other words, if there is a long period of time between the return of the first card and the return of the second card, the customer may mistakenly believe that the second card was taken into the plane with, for example, zero balance. , there may be cases where the user leaves the ticket vending machine or payment machine without taking the two cards.

In this way, the present invention can prevent a customer from forgetting to take out a card when it is possible to accept and process up to two cards at the same time in a device that accepts and processes cards on which data is magnetically recorded. The present invention aims to provide a card processing device that optimizes the card return timing.

In addition, when accepting and processing two cards at the same time, the second [! target

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the card processing device according to the present invention includes a transport means for transporting cards by a first transport device provided in front of the card insertion slot. The first conveyance means is divided into two parts: a first conveyance means and a second conveyance means provided behind it, and each conveyance means is driven by a separate motor; a reading/writing section for writing information, and a first medium holding section for holding the medium to be transported; Equipped with a conveyance path that connects to the rear end of the path,
The printing section and the punching section are arranged on the conveyance path, and the control means for controlling each of the above-mentioned conveyance means and each section according to a predetermined program is installed (by 1 m). If the inserted medium is a card, after reading data from the card using the reading/writing section,
The card is placed on standby in the second medium special equipment section, and after reading the data from the next medium to be inserted, it is held in the first medium holding section, and b, i, the first inserted medium is a ticket. If so, after reading the data from the ticket, it is stored in the first medium holding section, and only if the next medium to be inserted is a card, after reading the data from the card, the card is Wait in the second media special equipment section, ■After data processing, if the two A bodies inserted in C9 are a card and a ticket,
The first conveying means and the second conveying means are reversed to convey the card in the second medium special section first toward the insertion slot, and the printing section performs the required printing, the punching section performs the required punching, and the writing is performed. After encoding the required data by the section and returning it to the insertion slot, the first conveyance means is rotated in the normal direction to convey the ticket in the first medium storage section toward the collection box and collect it in the collection box, and d. If the two media are cards, the first and second transport means are reversed and the first card in the second medium special unit is transported toward the insertion slot first to perform the necessary printing. After performing punching and encoding, the second card in the first medium holding section is conveyed in the direction of the insertion slot until it passes through the sorting means, and then both conveying means are rotated in the normal direction again to transfer the second card to the second card. After carrying out the necessary printing and punching by carrying the first card by the second carrying means and storing the first card in the first medium holding section - the carrying means is reversed, the necessary encoding is performed on the second card, and the second card is inserted. The first card in the first medium holding section is immediately returned to the insertion slot after the card is detected as being received.

[Operation] When the medium is inserted into the insertion port, the first conveyance means is rotated in the normal direction,
The medium is transported inward and data is read from the medium by a read/write unit.

The type of inserted medium is determined based on the detection output of a detector provided in the insertion slot. If it is determined that the first inserted medium is a ticket, the distribution means is operated so that the conveyance path provided with the reading/writing section of the first conveyance means is provided with the first medium holding section. Since the ticket is electrically connected to a certain conveyance path, the ticket that has passed through the reading/writing section is conveyed toward the second medium holding section and held in the second medium holding section.

If it is determined that the first inserted medium is a card, the second conveying means is rotated in the normal direction, and the distributing means is in an inactive state and the reading/writing section of the first conveying means is set. The Ilk@ portion of the conveyance path is connected to the conveyance path of the second conveyance means. Therefore, the card that has passed through the reading/writing section is conveyed in the direction of the conveyance path of the second conveyance means, and is waited in the second medium special section.

When the first inserted medium is a ticket, if the next inserted medium is determined to be a ticket again, the first conveying means is reversed and the ticket is returned to the insertion slot. 6. Next inserted medium If it is a card, the data is read from the card and the card is made to stand by in the second medium holding section.

When the first inserted medium is a card, whether the next inserted medium is a card or a ticket, the distribution is performed by operating the means to read the data from the medium and then redirecting the medium to the second medium. One medium is held in the holding section.

After reading data from the two inserted media, acceptance processing is performed based on the data or based on the data and data input from the operation unit.

The content of the acceptance process varies depending on the function and purpose of the device to which this card processing device is applied.

When this card processing device is applied to an automatic ticket vending machine, ■When purchasing a ticket by inserting one card, if the remaining amount of the card satisfies the ticket issuing conditions by pressing the button on the customer service panel, the ticket will be issued. The unit performs the ticket issuing operation, releases the ticket to the receiving slot, transports the card in the second medium special equipment section, subtracts the face amount from the remaining amount of the card, and then prints the new remaining amount using the printing section. , the card is displayed by the punch section, new data is encoded by the reading/writing section, and the card is returned to the insertion slot.

■Also, when purchasing a ticket by inserting a discount ticket such as a transfer ticket along with the card, if the remaining amount on the card satisfies the ticketing conditions set by pressing the button on the customer service panel, the ticketing unit will issue a ticket and the ticket will be issued. is discharged into the receiving slot, and the printing section prints the new remaining amount after subtracting the amount on the card from the second media special section by the amount on the face multiplied by a predetermined discount rate, and the punching section prints [1 The new balance amount data is encoded by the reading/writing section, the card is returned to the insertion slot, and the discount coupon in the first medium storage section is collected into the collection box.

■Furthermore, when receiving a refund by inserting a card and an unused ticket, the inserted card will be held in the second medium special section after data reading, and the ticket will be held in the first medium storage section after data reading. be done. When the refund condition is satisfied, the refund amount is added to the remaining amount of the card, the new remaining amount is printed by the printing section, the new remaining amount data is encoded by the writing section, and the card is returned to the insertion slot. Further, the tickets in the first medium storage section are collected in a collection box.

■Furthermore, when purchasing a ticket by inserting two cards, when the ticket issuing conditions are met by pressing the button on the customer service panel, the ticket issuing unit operates to issue the ticket, and the ticket is ejected into the receiving slot. After subtracting the face value from the total remaining amount of the two cards in the first medium storage section and the second medium special section, the card in the second medium special section is conveyed toward the insertion slot, and the new remaining amount is transferred to the printing section. It is printed, the punch section displays the guideline, and the reading/writing section encodes the new balance data. This card is not returned to the insertion slot, but after being encoded by the card reading/writing unit in the second medium special equipment unit, the card in the first storage unit is also conveyed toward the insertion slot, and both cards are then pushed inside. The cards from the first storage section are stored in the second medium special device section and the cards from the second medium special device section are stored in the first medium storage section by the operation of the means.

That is, the holding positions of the cards in both holding units are exchanged. Then, the card in the second medium special equipment section is conveyed toward the insertion slot again, the printing section and punch section perform necessary printing and indication, and the necessary data is encoded, and the card is conveyed to the insertion slot. and return it. - Following the return of the first card, the card in the first medium holding section is transported to the insertion slot, and the second card is returned without any delay.

[Example of this invention] Next, embodiments of the invention will be described based on the drawings.

In this embodiment, a card processing device according to the present invention is used in a card-compatible automatic ticket vending machine equipped with a refund function.

The casing 1 of the automatic ticket vending machine has an insertion slot 2 that also serves as a return slot on the customer service side. Into this insertion slot 2, any of a card T which is a medium on which magnetic information is recorded, a discount ticket tl such as an Edmonson-sized transfer ticket or a complimentary ticket, or an unused regular ticket t2 can be inserted.

Close to the inside of the insertion slot 2, there is a first detector Sj that detects and outputs the insertion or return of a medium. A second detector S2 is disposed at the first
The detector S1 and the second detector S2 constitute means for determining the type of the inserted medium based on the detection output thereof.

A first conveying means 3 is provided inside the first detector S1. This first conveying means 3 includes a reversible motor 31, a pair of upper and lower rollers 35, 36 rotated by the motor via transmission belts 32 to 34, a pair of upper and lower front conveyor belts 37, 38, and a pair of upper and lower conveyor belts 37, 38. Rear conveyance bell) 39, 31
0, the first conveying path 311 is connected by the abutting portion of the front conveying belts 37, 38, and the rear conveying belts 39, 31
The 2nd I11 feed path 3 is almost horizontally straight due to the abutting part of 0.
12, and a vertical third Jll feed path 313 on the rear side of the conveyor belt 310;
A fourth Wi feed path 314 is formed in the lower part of the .

In the first ft12 feed path 311, when the medium inserted into the insertion slot 2 is an Edmonson-sized ticket such as a regular ticket or a transfer ticket, an aligning means 4 is provided for bringing the ticket closer to the conveyance reference surface. It is provided. This alignment means 4 is the same as that known in automatic ticket gates, etc., and has a guide member 44 connected to a plunger 42 of a solenoid 41 via a link 43, and normally the solenoid 41 is in a demagnetized state. At this time, the guide member 44 retreats from the transport surface of the first transport path 311, allowing the 111i-th transport path 311 to freely transport the card. When it is determined that the inserted medium is a ticket, the solenoid 41 of the aligning means 4 is energized, and the guide member 44 protrudes onto the conveying surface of the first conveying path 311 to place the ticket to be conveyed as a conveyance reference. It is designed to be placed close to the surface.

Although not shown, the first conveyance path 311 is also provided with a shutter that prohibits or allows card conveyance in the first conveyance path, and one solenoid rungear is connected to the shutter to demagnetize the solenoid. By doing so, the shutter is moved back from the conveying surface of the th fill feed path by the spring. When the solenoid is energized, the shutter projects onto the conveying surface.

On the second transport path 312, magnetic heads 51 and 52 constituting the reading/writing means 5 are arranged. That is,
magnetic helad 5 for reading data from the conveyed medium;
1, and when the medium is a card, a magnetic head 52 for writing new data after acceptance processing on the card,
They are arranged in this order. Detectors S3+54 immediately before the read head 51 and immediately after the write head 52, respectively.
is provided. A sensor 53 is provided to read a barcode when it is printed on the medium.

The rear end of the second conveyance path 312 of the first conveyance means 3 is adjacent to the front end of the conveyance path of the second conveyance means 11 provided at the rear. A sorting means 6 having wings w1 is provided between the front ends of the conveying paths of the two conveying means.

The distribution means 6 consists of the wing w1, a spring 61 that holds it in place, and a solenoid 62 that rotates the wing w1 (see Figure 5).The solenoid 62 is normally in a non-energized state. 1, the wing w1 is held in position by the spring 61, and as shown in FIG.
12 is communicated with a conveyance path 116 of the second conveyance means.

When the solenoid 62 is excited, it communicates the second conveyance path 312 with the third Wi conveyance path 313.

The third conveyance path 313 is provided with a first medium holding means 7 for holding the medium conveyed from the second conveyance path 312.

This first medium holding means 7 is used to prevent one medium from being moved from the holding position when the first conveying means 3 conveys another medium while holding one medium at this location. When the medium is separated from the conveyor belt 310 so that the conveyance force is not transmitted to the medium and is to be moved from the holding position, the medium is brought into contact with the conveyor belt 310 again to transmit the conveyance force to the medium. It has a configuration.

An example of this will be explained based on FIGS. 3 to 5. The first medium holding means 7 stores cards or tickets conveyed by the first conveying means 3 via the wing W1 of the sorting means.
This is suspended until data processing regarding that card or ticket or conveyance control regarding other cards or tickets is completed, and as shown in FIG. 71, presser rollers 72, 73 and a presser member 74 attached to this support member.

The wing w1 is swingably supported at a fulcrum 63, and the other end of the spring 61, one end of which is fixed, is connected to the tip of a connecting member 64 (see FIG. 5) fixed to the wing w1.
The wing w1 is normally biased and held at a position where the second Wi feed path 312 is communicated with the conveyance path 116 of the second conveyance means. The tip of the connecting member 64 is also pivotally connected to the plunger of the solenoid 62.
When the wing w1 is excited, the wing w1 rotates counterclockwise in FIGS.
The conveyance path 312 is communicated with the direction of the first medium holding means 7.

The presser roller 72 is attached to the lower part of the wing w1. Further, the upper end of an L-shaped support member 71 is pivotally supported on the fulcrum 63 of the wing w1, another press roller 73 is attached to the lower bent portion of the support member, and a presser roller 73 is attached to the tip of the support member 71. A member 74 is provided.

The pressing rollers 72 and 73 are located outside the conveyor belt 310, and the pressing member 74 is located inside the conveying belt 310.
73 is separated from the conveyor belt 310, and the presser member 74
is biased in the direction of contacting the guide member 75.

The wing W1 is further provided with an operation protrusion 79 that abuts on the support member 71 and moves it against the spring 61 when the wing W1 is rotated by the solenoid 62. This operation protrusion is composed of a screw screwed into the wing W1, and by leaving a gap between this protrusion 79 and the support member 71, the presser roller 72 comes into contact with the conveyor belt 310 first when the solenoid 62 is energized. Subsequently, protrusion 7
9 rotates the support member 71, as shown in FIG. 4, the press roller 73 is brought into contact with the conveyor belt 310, and the press member 74 is separated from the conveyor belt 310.

710 is a stopper provided below the detector S5, and is connected to another solenoid 711, and normally the stopper 710 protrudes to the conveying surface as shown in FIG. 3, but the solenoid 711 When energized, the stopper 710 is retracted from the transport surface as shown in FIG. 4 to allow further transport of the card or ticket from the holding position.

With the above configuration, in the first medium holding means 7, when the wing w1 is rotated by the excitation of the solenoid 62 during normal rotation of the first conveying means 3, the ticket or card conveyed through the second Wi feeding path 312 is It is guided by W1 and moved toward the first medium storage section. Also, at this time, presser roller 7
2.73 contacts the conveyor belt 310 as shown in FIG. 4, and the presser member 74 is spaced inside the conveyor belt, so that the ticket or card continues to be conveyed.

When the detector 841 detects the card or ticket, the solenoid 62 is demagnetized, so the presser roller 72
．． 73 is separated from the conveyor belt 310 as shown in FIG. 3, and at the same time, the holding member 74 is pressed against the guide member 75. Further, a stopper 710 protrudes onto the conveyance surface. As a result, no conveying force is applied to the card or ticket conveyed to the first medium storage section, and the stopper 710 and the presser member 7
4 and the guide member 75, the solenoid 62 is energized again, the solenoid 711 of the stopper 710 is energized, and if the conveyor belt 310 is rotated in the normal direction, the medium in the first medium holding section is energized again. is transported in the forward direction. On the other hand, when the conveyor belt 310 is reversed, the medium is conveyed in the opposite direction from the first medium holding section.

A secondary storage section 8 is provided ahead of the first medium storage section 7 . The secondary holding unit 8 holds the tickets to be collected that are transported in the forward direction from the first medium holding unit 7 until the collection timing is reached, or the cards to be collected are held while the transport direction is switched. Almost the same as the first medium holding means 7, there is a detector s8, a solenoid 81, a presser roller 82,
It has a stopper 83, conveyance rollers 84, 85 that are always in contact with the lower surface of the conveyance belt 310, and a guide member 86 between both rollers, and a distribution position 87 is formed between these conveyance rollers and the guide member. There is. Solenoid 51 and presser roller 8
2 and the stopper 83 constitute a means for transmitting or blocking the conveyance force of the belt 310 to the tickets or cards existing in the sorting position.In addition, a convex portion 861 is provided on the upper surface of the intermediate portion of the guide member 86. The convex portion 861 prevents the cards in the sorting position from shifting when the presser roller 82 is separated from the conveyor belt 310.

The presser roller 82 and the stopper 83 are respectively attached to the front and rear ends of a support member 89 that is swingably supported at a fulcrum 88, and one lanzier with eight solenoids is connected to the front end of this support member 89. There is.

In front and behind the secondary storage section 8, that is, in the front and rear parts of the sorting position 1j87, there are guides that guide diagonally downward the cards or tickets that are conveyed in the reverse direction and forward direction from the sorting position, respectively. 91°92 are provided.

The guide 91 provided in the front part of the distribution position 87 is rotatably supported at a fulcrum 911, and is connected to two adjacent sides 912.
, 913 are used as guide surfaces, and are biased by a spring 914 so that the tip where the two sides intersect is always located inside the conveyance path. It is inclined so as to guide the card conveyed in the 91 direction diagonally downward.

In addition, the distribution is performed by a guide 92 provided at the rear part of the position 87.
crosses the conveyance path diagonally downward and extends, and the distribution is inclined so as to guide the tickets diagonally downward, which are conveyed from the position 87 toward the rear guide 92.

The detector Ss detects and outputs when the first conveying means 3 conveys the card or ticket to the sorting position 87.

When the solenoid 81 is energized, the presser roller 82 comes into contact with the conveyor belt 310 as shown in FIG.
In conjunction with this, the stopper 83 retreats from the conveying surface. On the other hand, when the solenoid 81 is in a non-energized state, the presser roller 82 is separated from the conveyor belt 310 as shown in FIG. The card or ticket being introduced into position 87 is stopped.

The front end of the guide member 86 is connected to the guide surface 913 of the front guide 91.
slopes in almost the same direction.

A collection box 10 is detachably provided below the sorting position 87.

As shown in FIG. 3, the collection box 10 is inserted and held in a set position that is made up of a board 101 fixed to the casing 1 of the card processing device and a holder 102 fixed to this board. . The collection box 10 has a card collection chamber 103 and a ticket collection chamber 104, and an opening 11105 at the top of each collection chamber.
．． 106 opens opposite to the guiding direction of the front guide 91 and rear guide 92 when the collection box 10 is set at the set position of the card processing device.

The conveyor belt 310, the conveyor force intermittent means 81 to 83 of the secondary storage section 8, the guides 91, 92, and the collection box 10 constitute a collection machine.

The second conveyance means 11 provided behind the second linear conveyance path 312 of the first conveyance means 3 is similar to the first conveyance means 3,
A reversible motor 111, two conveyor belts 112,
113, a conveyance roller 114, and a guide 115, forming conveyance paths 116 to 119.

Further, wings w2. w3 is placed. Wing W2, W3
The guide 91 is biased in one direction by a spring, similar to the guide 91 in the recovery machine, and normally, the wing W2 communicates the conveyance path 116 in the 117 direction, and the wing W3 connects the conveyance path #1118 in the 119 direction. It communicates with the direction. However, when the second conveyance means 11 rotates in the normal direction, the card rotates the wing w3 against the spring due to its stiffness, and the conveyance path 117 moves in the direction 118, and when the second conveyance means reverses, the card rotates the wing w3 against the spring. Due to its stiffness, the wing w2 is rotated against the spring and the conveying path 119 is communicated in the 116 direction.

The conveyance path 119 is provided with a thermal head 121 and a platen roller 122 of the thermal printing means 12 . This printing means 12 prints predetermined contents after data processing on the card being transported. The thermal head 121 is normally separated from the platen roller 122 by a solenoid. When the detector as detects the trailing edge of the card during the reverse rotation of the second conveyance means 11, when the reverse rotation is stopped, the front end of the printing range of the card is located between the printing part of the thermal head 121 and the platen roller 122. do.

At this time, when the solenoid 123 is energized, the thermal head 121 is urged toward the platen roller 122, so that the printing section comes into contact with the card. Therefore, the second conveyance means 11 is rotated forward based on the print start command, and
When the solenoid 123 is energized and data is given to the thermal head 121, immediate printing on the card is possible.

When the first card inserted into the insertion slot is accepted, the card is conveyed in this order from the second conveyance path 312 of the first conveyance means to the conveyance paths 116, 117, and 118 of the second conveyance means 11, and is detected. Based on the detection of the rear end of the card by the detector s8, the second conveyance means 11 is reversed and conveys the card in the direction from the conveyance path 118 to 119, that is, in the direction between the thermal head 121 and the platen roller 122, and s8
By stopping the reverse rotation when the card detects the rear end of the card, the card is held in the printing section with the front end of the printing range corresponding to the platen roller.

The conveyance path 116 is provided with punching means 13 . This punching means displays the amount or number of times spent on the card as a guide using a small hole, and includes a solenoid 131 operated by a control signal and a plunger 132 of the solenoid.
A punch bin (not shown) provided at the tip of the guide 13
3 and a punch waste container 134. Punch timing for the card is set based on the detection output of the detector s1, and when the solenoid 131 is turned on, the punch bin is reciprocated once to punch a small hole in the card.

The automatic ticket vending machine according to this embodiment has a housing 1 adjacent to the card acceptance processing unit A, as shown in FIG.
A ticket issuing unit B having an operation panel 14 is provided on the customer service side.

As shown in FIG. 6, this ticket issuing unit is a means 151 for cutting and issuing a small ticket of a predetermined size from a roll paper, or a means 151 for storing a large number of tickets cut into a predetermined size in advance and issuing them one by one. , a conveying means 152 for conveying the ticket issued from the issuing means toward the receiving outlet, a printing means 153 for printing predetermined content corresponding to the designated destination on the front side of the small ticket, and a printing means 153 for printing the predetermined content corresponding to the specified destination on the back side of the small ticket. This is a known device having an encoding means 154 for magnetically encoding predetermined data.

Further, the customer service side of the ticket issuing unit B has a coin insertion slot 161 and a bill insertion slot 162, and inside thereof, there is a money discrimination section 165 that determines the authenticity of the inserted money and calculates the amount inserted. , and includes a change discharge section 156.

The operation panel 14 is connected to the amounts j0141 to 14n that display each amount within the payable range, and converts the pressed amount button into predetermined amount data and sends it to the control unit. It has a converting section 14- that converts data. A receiving port 166 is provided on the customer service side to receive tickets conveyed by the conveying means 152 and change discharged by the change discharge section 156.

FIG. 7 shows the configuration of the control means of the automatic ticket vending machine having the above configuration, and the control means 17 includes a CPU 171, an input interface 172, and an output interface 7z-17.
3. It has a ROM 174 and a RAM 175, and is composed of a microcomputer.

Then, the control means 17 executes the program stored in the 1'tOM 174 based on the data read from the detector S~s8, the medium, and the input from the operation panel 14 of the ticket issuing unit B, and controls the solenoid of the alignment means 4. 41, solenoid for driving the shutter, motor 31 of the first conveying means 3;
1. Writing head 52 of reading/writing means 5, motor 111 of second conveying means 11, solenoid 1 of printing means 12
23. Thermal head of printing means] 21. Punching means 1
The RAM 175 stores the data read from the card or ticket.

Next, the operation of this automatic ticket vending machine in use will be explained based on the flowcharts of FIGS. 8 and 9.

When the automatic ticket vending machine is powered on, the CPU starts operating and monitors whether a medium has been inserted into the insertion slot based on the output state of the detector s1 (pl and pt represent the first step) , and so on). When medium insertion is detected, the first conveyance means and the second conveyance means are rotated in the normal direction P2), and the detectors Sl and 52
The size of the inserted medium is determined from the output state of , and the medium is identified as a card or a ticket (ρ,).

If the inserted medium is a card, the process moves to step p4, and the number of cards already accepted is checked from the value of the card counter. If the number of accepted cards is 0, the reading head 51 of the reading/writing section starts reading the data of the card based on the ON of the detector s3 (
pB>, then whether the detection 3sy is turned on, that is,
It is checked whether the card has moved to a position where it receives the carrying force of the second carrying means 11 (P7), and based on the ON of the detector 87, the rotation of the first carrying means 3 is stopped (ρ8).

Furthermore, after the detector s8 is turned on, it is checked again if it is 0FFL, that is, whether all the cards have reached conveyance N118 (P9), and when the detector S is turned on or off, the second conveyance means is temporarily turned off. Stop and reverse (pxo).

Then, the card is transferred to the conveyance path 11 via the wing w3.
9 directions, and the detector S is turned ON and 0FFL again, that is, the front end of the printing range of the card corresponds to the position between the thermal head 121 and the grating roller 122,
In other words, it is checked whether the card has moved to the card standby position (Pi
1. Stop the reverse rotation of the second conveying means 11 when the detector S8 is turned ON/OFF'. That is, the card is placed on standby at a position where immediate printing is possible. The detector S8 and the conveyor belts 112 and 113 constitute a second medium waiting means.

- When the third card is placed in the standby position, the range of amounts that can be sold based on the card's remaining amount If the formula )11 If the release condition is not met, the process returns to step p1 and waits for the next medium to be inserted.

If the inserted medium is not a card, that is, if it is a ticket, the process moves to step p13, and the number of tickets already accepted is checked from the value of the ticket counter. Number of accepted tickets is 0
In this case, the solenoid 41 of the alignment means 4 is excited to activate the alignment means (PIA), and the O of the detector S
Based on N <pl5), the solenoid 41 is demagnetized at the same time as the data is read from the ticket, and the solenoid 62 of the means 6 is energized to rotate the wing w1, and the 2111th feed path 312 is 3 conveyance path 313 and bring the presser rollers 72 and 73 of the first medium storage section 7 into contact with the conveyance belt 310 (pts), and the detector S is turned on.
In other words, when the ticket is conveyed to the first medium storage section, the solenoid 62 is demagnetized and the first conveyor V13 is activated.
(pta), and thus the ticket is held in the first medium holding section.

Next, after holding the ticket in the first medium holding section, step P
At ls, based on the data read from the accepted card counter or reading head 51 and stored in the RAM 175, it is checked whether there is a card already in the card standby position. If there is no card inserted earlier, the process returns to step p1, but in this example, since a card has been inserted first and is on standby, in step P20, the data read from the ticket indicates that the ticket is used for transit. Determine whether it is a ticket or not.

If it is a transit ticket, determine whether the sales conditions are met (PX
3).

That is, the CPU calculates the amount of money that can be sold based on the data read from the inserted card and the transfer ticket, and uses well-known technology to display the valid range of the amount on the operation panel 14, so that the customer can check the amount of money that can be sold. When you press a button within the range, the remaining amount on the card x, the amount of the button you press y, and the discount amount due to the transfer ticket 2
Based on this, the success or failure of the release conditions is determined based on whether the relational expression (%) holds true.

If the release conditions in step Pzl are not met,
When cash is inserted into the money slot 161 or 162, if the input amount is a, the sales condition is satisfied when the relational expression (%) is satisfied, and the next step P
At 22, ticket issuing unit B performs ticket issuing operation,
A ticket for the amount y specified on the operation panel 14 is issued and released into the receiving slot 166. Further, processing is performed on the data of the inserted card, that is, calculating a new balance by calculating x-(y-z), creating new balance data, editing for encoding, etc., and proceeding to the next step P23.

That is, the first conveying means 3 and the second conveying means 11 are reversely rotated, the solenoid 123 of the printing means is energized, and print data is given to the thermal head 121 to print on the card that has been waiting in the standby position. start.

Subsequently, based on the ON of the detector s7 (P24), the punching timing is determined and the necessary punching operation is performed by the punching means 13 (Pzs), and the reverse rotation of the second conveying means 11 is performed based on the ON of the detector s4. At the same time, new data is written to the card by the write head 52 of the reading/writing means (P2□), and based on the ON of the detector S, an echo check is performed on the data after writing (pzs), and a judgment is made that it is OK ( If the writing is not successful (in the case of NG), it is checked whether NG is the second time through steps P311 and p32, and if it has not been the second time, try again.
The first conveyance means 3 is rotated in the normal direction to return the card to the rear of the detector s4, and the first conveyance means is rotated in the reverse direction again to write new data on the card and perform an echo check.

If NG occurs for the second time, the operation of the automatic ticket vending machine will be stopped at that point.

If the echo check result is OK, it is determined from the value of the card counter whether the number of accepted cards is 1 or 2 (P33).

When the number of accepted cards is 1, that is, when the transfer ticket is held in the first medium holding section, the process proceeds to step P34, and based on the ON of the detector s1, that is, when the card is conveyed to the insertion slot. When the reverse rotation of the first conveying means 3 is stopped (1) 3B), and the detector s1 is OF T?
Then, it is determined that the card has been returned to the customer from the insertion slot 2, and control is performed to collect the transfer ticket held in the first medium holding section. That is, for sorting, the solenoid 62 of the means 6 and the solenoid 81 of the secondary holding section 8 are energized, and the first conveying means 3 is rotated in the normal direction so that the held ticket is moved forward until the detector slI turns ONL, And OF again
Transport the ticket until it reaches F and store the ticket in the collection box (p37
).

In this example, a sequence is adopted in which the ticket is collected at the end of the ticket sales process for the customer. However, if the sequence is to be held until the next time the insertion of the medium is detected after the ticket sales process is completed, the card return detection sequence is adopted. Based on this, the solenoid 62 and the solenoid 81 of the secondary holding section 8 are energized, and the first conveying means 3 is rotated in the forward direction to convey the held ticket further forward until the detector s8 turns on, and the ticket is detected. ON of vessel Sa
Based on this, the solenoid 81 is demagnetized, the first conveying means is stopped, the program execution is ended with the transfer ticket being held in the secondary holding section, and the next medium insertion detection is waited. Based on the insertion detection, the first conveying means rotates forward and the solenoid 81 is energized to store the transfer ticket held in the secondary holding section in the collection box.

If the medium inserted in addition to the card is not a transit ticket,
Read from that medium in step 238, RAM1
Based on the data stored in 74, it is determined whether the ticket is an unused ticket. If it is not an unused ticket, reverse the first conveyance means 3, convey it to the insertion slot, and return it! p3! I), step p
Return to 1.

Also, if the ticket is an unused ticket, step Pro
After processing the refund in step P23, that is, calculating the formula x+b based on the remaining amount X of the card and the data of the unused ticket, and creating and editing new data to be written on the card. The process then proceeds sequentially to step P33, where card return and unused ticket collection processes are performed in the same way as in the case where a transfer ticket is inserted and the ticket sale process is performed.

When determining the number of accepted cards in step p4, if one card is already waiting for acceptance, check the number of accepted tickets (pat), and if the number of accepted tickets is O, that is, there is still one card in the first medium holding section 7. When the ticket is not held, the solenoid 62 is energized and the wing w1 is rotated to make the 1st II feed path 312 conductive with the 3812th feed path 313 (paz), and then the sensor is turned on based on the ON state of the detector S3. The data is read from the card <pa4>, the solenoid 62 is demagnetized based on the ON of the detector S, and the normal rotation of the first conveying means 3 is stopped (pm8>, that is, the card with two slots is It is held in the medium holding unit 7.

Even after the two-slot card is put on hold, the process moves to step P21, and from then on up to step P33, control and judgment processing is performed in the same manner as in the above case.

The number of accepted cards at the time of card insertion in step Pa + Pa 1 is 1, and the number of accepted tickets is 1.
, and when the number of accepted tickets at the time of ticket insertion in step p1 is 1, steps P47 to I' are performed.
s.

At this point, the first conveyance means 3 is reversed, the ticket is returned to the insertion slot, and the reverse rotation of the first conveyance means is stopped based on the ON of the detector S1. Then, when the detector s1 turns OFF, that is, the returned ticket is removed, the process returns to step P1.

If two cards are inserted, the ticket sales operation and card data processing are completed, and the echo check for writing new data to the -th card is OK, the number of accepted cards is 2.
Therefore, the process moves from step P33 to Psi, and the solenoid of the shutter provided at the front part of the 1111th feeding path 311 is energized to close the shutter, and the solenoid 62 of the means 6 is used for distribution. Excited, the third conveyance path 313
is communicated with the 21st feeding path 312 < ps 2vI path 312.

Then, based on the ON/OFF of the detector S4, it is detected that the card in the second slot has left the rotation range of the wing W1 (P%3), and the solenoid 62 is turned to 0FFt again to move the second conveyance path 312 backward. At the same time, the first conveying means 3
Then, the second conveying means 11 is rotated forward to convey both the two cards backwards (Psi), the card with two slots is transferred into the second conveying means, and when the detector SA is turned on, the solenoid 62 is turned on again to communicate the second conveyance path 312 with the third Wi conveyance path 313 (Pss), and thus the second card is conveyed toward the first medium holding section. Then, based on the ON state of the detector S, the solenoid 62 is demagnetized, and
The forward rotation of the first conveying means 3 is stopped (Pse).

On the other hand, the card conveyed to the second conveyance means causes the detector S to
8 is turned ON/OFF (ρ5.), that is, the two-slot card is transferred to the conveyance path 118.
When the card is conveyed to the inside, the second conveyance means 11 is reversed and the card is conveyed in the direction of the conveyance path 119 (pi.).

When the detector s8 is turned on and off again, that is, when the card reaches the standby position (pit), the solenoid 123 of the printing means 12 is energized, and the thermal head 12 is activated.
Give the print data to 1 and perform the necessary printing on the card (PH2>, then execute steps P2A to P30 (PI3), punch the card that is also necessary for two-slot cards, and encode the new data. , an echo check is performed, and if the writing is good, the two-slot card is transported until the detector S1 is turned on, that is, to the insertion slot 2.The detector s1 is turned on.
The reverse rotation of the first conveying means is stopped based on (pss).

Then, based on the detector s1 being turned off, that is, when the card is returned, the first conveyance means 3 is reversed again, and at the same time, the solenoid 62 is energized to move the third conveyance path 313 to the second conveyance path 313.
The first card held in the first medium holding section is conveyed toward the insertion slot. Based on ON・01”F of detector s4,
pH to demagnetize TRESTUNOID 62! , the O of the detector s1
Based on N, the first conveyance means 3 is stopped (ρT1), and the series of operations is ended based on the detector s1 being turned off.

From the above explanation, the movement routes from when various media are inserted until they are returned or collected are illustrated and summarized according to the insertion mode, as follows: (a) One card When inserting a transfer ticket or an unused ticket, the card should be inserted into the transport path 3 as shown by the solid line in Figure 10.
11, 312, 116, 117° 118, switch back at the conveyance path 118, reach the conveyance path 119 of the second medium special equipment section, and wait at the printing position. 0 When the release condition or refund condition is satisfied, printing, punching, When it is returned to the insertion slot after magnetic encoding and echo checking, it moves as shown by the chain line in the same figure, and is returned.0 When the condition is not met or it is canceled, it is similarly moved along the chain line.

In addition, when inserting a transfer ticket or an unused ticket, as shown in Fig. 11, it is conveyed to the conveyance path 311, 312, and 313 and reaches the first medium holding section, where it is processed based on the fulfillment of release conditions or refund conditions. After the process is completed, the item is collected in a collection box, but if the conditions are not met or the item is canceled, it is moved along the chain line and returned.

(b) When two cards are inserted, the first card c is transported along transport paths 311, 312° 116, 117, 118, 119, just like the cards in case (a). The second card C2 is held in the second medium holding part, and the second card C2 is conveyed through the conveyance paths 311, 312, and 313 and held in the first medium holding part.

Then, when the release conditions are established based on the data read from the two cards and new data is written to the card, the first
As shown in Fig. 2, first, the first card c in the second medium holding section is transported from the transport path 119 to 116, 312, 311 until it is stopped by the shutter inside the insertion slot, and during that time, printing, Punch, magnetic encode, and echo check, and at the same time insert the second card C2 in the first medium holding section.
is conveyed from the conveyance path 313 to 312, and the O of the detector S4 is
The first conveyance means 3 and the second conveyance means 11 based on N/OFF.
The second card C2 is transferred to the second medium storage section by normal rotation of
Also, the first card c is transported to the first medium holding section.

Next, the second card is transferred to the conveyance path 11 of the second medium holding section.
9 through 116.312.311 in the direction of the insertion slot, during which the card is printed, punched, magnetically encoded, and echo-checked, and after detecting that the second card has been removed from the insertion slot. The first card, which has already been printed, punched, and magnetically encoded, is transported from the transport path 313 of the first medium holding section to the insertion slot via transport paths 312 and 311, and is returned.

Although the explanation is omitted above, this automatic ticket vending machine also allows you to insert your transfer ticket and cash without inserting a card, just like with conventional machines.
Alternatively, after only inserting cash, the sale conditions are met by pressing the predetermined amount button on the operation panel 14, ticket issuing unit B issues a predetermined ticket, and furthermore, the cash input amount a becomes the sale amount X.
Alternatively, if the amount is larger than the sale price minus the discount amount Z (a≧x, x−z), the change discharge unit 156 discharges a predetermined amount of change to the receiving port 166.

[Effects of the Invention] Since there is a significant difference between the speed of data reading and writing to a card and the speed of printing and punching, when a card is to be transported along the entire transport path using only one transporting means, it is necessary to use only one transporting means. control is extremely difficult. In addition, the processing time for the media tends to be very long, making users of automatic ticket vending machines and the like feel impatient.

On the other hand, in the card processing device d according to the present invention, the first conveying means corresponds to the medium insertion section, the reading/writing section for the medium, the first medium holding section, and the printing section and the punching section. Since the second transport means is divided into two parts and each is driven by a separate motor, control is easy despite the difference in processing speed.

Further, when accepting two cards at the same time, the control means causes the -th card to stand by in the second conveyance means, and holds the second card in the first medium holding section provided in the first conveyance means. and performs processing based on the data read from each card.
After the processing is completed, first the necessary printing, punching, and encoding of new data are performed on the first card in the special equipment section, and when the encoding is completed, the second card in the first media storage section is reversed and conveyed again. The means is rotated in the normal direction, and the second card is conveyed toward the printing section and the punching section to perform printing and punching, and at the same time, the -th card is held in the first medium holding section and the position is exchanged. After the new data is encoded on the second card, the card is transported to the insertion slot, and based on the customer's reception detection, the first card from the first media holding section, which has already been encoded with new data, is transferred to the insertion slot. Since the second card is delivered to the insertion slot without asking any questions when the first card is returned, it is possible to prevent the customer from forgetting to take out the second card.

Furthermore, since the -th card waits at a position where the front end of its printing range corresponds to the printing part of the thermal head,
Since printing can be started immediately after data processing is completed, the waiting time until the card is returned is shortened.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic ticket vending machine using the card processing and device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the same ticket vending machine, and FIG. 3 is a distribution means, a first medium storage section, A partially sectional side view showing the configuration of the secondary storage section and the recovery section, Fig. 4 is a side view showing other states of the distribution means and the first medium storage section, and Fig. 5 is a wing of the distribution means. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ticket issuing unit; FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit; FIGS. 8 and 9 is a flowchart explaining the operation. FIGS. 10 and 11 are route diagrams for explaining the movement route of the medium when inserting a card and a transfer ticket or an unused ticket;
FIGS. 12 and 13 are route diagrams for explaining the moving route of the medium when two cards are inserted. 2... Insertion port, 3... First conveyance means, 311-313... Conveyance path, 31... Motor, 4... Alignment means, 5... Reading/writing means, 51... - Reading head, 52...Writing head, 6...Distributing means, 62...Solenoid, Wl...Wing, 7...First medium holding means, 8...Secondary holding section , 10... Collection box, 11... Second conveyance means, 111... Motor, 116-119... Conveyance path, 12... Printing means, 121... Thermal head, 122... Platen roller, 123... Solenoid, 13... Punch means, 14... Operation panel, 17... Control means, 51-S8... Detector.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] (a) Conveying means, reading/writing means, sorting means, first medium holding means, collecting means, printing means, punching means, second medium waiting means, control (b) The conveying means has a first conveying means and a second conveying means, each driven by a separate reversible motor, and the first conveying means has an insertion means that also serves as a return opening. The medium can be conveyed from the opening through the magnetic head of the reading/writing means, the holding section of the first medium holding means, and a collection box of the collecting means, and the second conveying means is conveyed by the first conveying means. (c) the reading/writing means is capable of transporting the medium through the standby position of the second medium waiting means, the printing means, and the punching means, and then again toward the first transporting means; (d) The sorting means is configured such that the reading/writing means of the first conveying means is configured based on the type or data of the medium. (e) The first medium holding means connects the conveyed medium to the first medium holding means. (f) The collecting means stores the medium carried out from the holding section of the first medium holding means in a collecting box; ) The printing means is for visually displaying the remaining amount data on the medium; (h) the punching means is for displaying the remaining amount data on the medium as a guide; (li) the second medium waiting means is for visually displaying the remaining amount data on the medium; (j) The control means controls each of the above means based on a program, and (a) the first inserted medium is a card. If so, after reading the data from the ticket, it is held in the first medium holding means, and if the medium to be inserted after that is a card, after reading the data from the card, it is held in the second medium holding means. The medium is placed on standby by the medium standby means to perform the acceptance process, and if the subsequently inserted medium is a ticket, it is returned; b. If the first medium inserted is a card, the data is read from the card. After that, it is placed on standby in the second medium holding means, and if the medium to be inserted thereafter is a ticket or card, the data is read from the medium and held in the first medium holding means for acceptance processing, c. After the acceptance process is completed, the cards are held in the first medium holding unit and the second medium special unit, respectively, and if they are on standby, the above-mentioned printing is performed on the first card that is waiting in the second medium special unit. After printing by the means and punching by the punching means, the reading/writing means records the data and conveys the data to just before the insertion slot. The second card is transported backwards toward the reading/writing section of the first transport means, and the first transport means and second transport means are rotated forward again to transfer the second card held in the first medium storage part to the second card. The first card is conveyed by a conveying means and printed and punched by the printing means and the punching means, the first card is held in a first medium holding section, and after the reading/writing means finishes writing to the second card, A card processing device, wherein the first card of the first medium holding section is conveyed toward the insertion slot, and the second card and the first card are returned immediately.