JPH03160587A - Card reader/writer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the read precision of magnetic information and to reduce the weight of a device by making a frame of a synthetic resin and giving a difference in width between a read head and a write head. CONSTITUTION:An upper frame 2 and a lower frame 1 forming a card carrying path 10 are made of synthetic resin materials, and a magnetic head 15 is positioned and arranged in a head attaching part 48 projecting as one body on the bottom side of the lower frame 1, and its head surface faces the inside of a card processing carrying path 10B from an aperture part 49 for head pro vided in the lower frame 1. The magnetic head 15 consists of a read head 15A and a write head 15B which have the same center line and are juxtaposed in the card carrying direction, and the head width of the write head 15A is made wider than that of the read head 15B. Thus, the reliability of read is improved and the weight is reduced.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a card reader/writer that reads magnetic information recorded on a magnetic card such as a telephone card, and writes and confirms information on the magnetic card. It is something. [Prior art 1] In general, this type of card reader/writer that reads magnetic information recorded on various magnetic cards such as telephone cards, records information on the magnetic card, and confirms the information uses a card transport mechanism. This is equipped with a drive motor and is operated by a drive motor to capture and process cards. Such a card transport mechanism includes a transport roller and a take-in roller that are arranged opposite to each other across a card transport path, a transport belt is stretched around the transport roller, and the take-in roller is pressed against the transport roller via the transport belt. The most common type is one in which the transport roller is rotationally driven, and the card is held and transported between the take-in roller and the transport belt. Furthermore, when transporting magnetic cards, the magnetic stripe of the magnetic card and the magnetic head must be aligned accurately to improve the accuracy of reading, writing, and checking magnetic information. It is formed by a pair of frames made of metal plates arranged in parallel with a predetermined interval, one side wall of which is used as a reference plane,
The magnetic card is pressed against this reference surface by a side force mechanism to prevent the magnetic card from shifting in the left-right direction, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction. Furthermore, the magnetic card is pressed onto the magnetic head by a tension roller. [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, in conventional card readers/writers, the frame that defines the card transport path is formed of a metal plate, so high dimensional accuracy can be obtained and the magnetic card can be stably handled. Although it has advantages such as being easy to transport and having excellent durability and weather resistance, it has the problem of being heavy and making it impossible to reduce the weight of the device. Therefore, it is possible to form the frame from synthetic resin, but in this case, it is difficult to obtain high dimensional accuracy with resin, molding distortion is likely to occur, and the tan tensile coefficient is about 10 times the linear expansion coefficient of metal. High (e.g., for polycarbonate resin, 7X106/'C. For steel, lO ~ 1
1 x 1 0-'/' C), the dimensional changes caused by changes in temperature and humidity are large, which poses the problem of adversely affecting the reading and writing of magnetic information, making it difficult to convert into resin. The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to improve the accuracy of reading, writing, and V/I recognition of magnetic information by changing the head widths of the reading head and the writing head. The object of the present invention is to provide a card reader/writer which is improved and whose frame is made of resin, thereby reducing the weight of the device. [Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes an upper frame and a lower frame that are arranged in parallel with each other at a predetermined distance and cooperate to form a card conveyance path. The lower frame is formed of a synthetic resin material, and the lower frame is provided with an opening for the head, and a head mounting portion is integrally provided on the bottom side of the frame. The magnetic head surface is arranged to be exposed in the card transport path from the opening, and the magnetic head surface is controlled by a read head and a write head that are arranged in parallel in the card transport direction from the opening, and a head of the write head. The width is set larger than the head width of the reading head. [Operation] In the present invention, the write head writes magnetic information on the stripe of the magnetic card with a width greater than the head width of the read head. The head width of the read head is smaller than the head width of the write head, so even if the magnetic card deviates in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction due to dimensional errors in the frame, molding distortion, expansion and contraction due to changes in temperature and humidity, etc., it will not move away from the magnetic stripe. It never comes off. [Example] The present invention will be described in detail below based on an example shown in the drawings. Fig. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the card reader/writer according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic side sectional view of the same card reader/writer, and Fig. 3 is a side view of the same card reader/writer with the upper frame removed. This is a plan view showing the inside. In these figures, l is a lower frame that is long in the front-rear direction, and 2
is an upper frame that covers the upper surface of lower frame 1,
These form a box-shaped housing 3 that is long in the front and back direction. The lower frame l is integrally formed of a synthetic resin with excellent impact resistance such as polycarbonate, and is provided with a bottom plate 4 and left and right frames extending vertically at both ends of the bottom plate 4 and facing each other in parallel. It has a pair of side plates 5 and 6, and the upper surface of the bottom plate 4 forms a card guide surface 8 that guides the lower surface of the magnetic card 7. Similarly, the upper frame 2 is also integrally formed of a resin such as polycarbonate, and its lower surface forms a card guide surface 9 for guiding the upper surface of the magnetic card 7. Further, the gap between the lower frame 1 and the upper frame 2 serves as a card transport path 10 for the magnetic card 7, and this card transport path 10 is a slit-shaped card insertion/return opening formed on the front surface of both frames 1 and 2. It is composed of a card receiving passageway 10A communicating with the card receiving passageway LOA, and a card processing conveyance path 10B continuing to the far end of this card receiving passageway LOA. Inside the housing 3, there are sensors S1 to S3 that detect the magnetic card 7, and the magnetic card 7 inserted into the card insertion/return slot 11 is taken in and processed and transported! 10B, a shutter mechanism 14 that prevents insertion of a second card, and a magnetic head I that reads, writes, and confirms magnetic information on the magnetic card 7.
5. Touch roller l6 that presses the magnetic card 7 against the magnetic head l5; punch mechanism 1 that makes a small hole in the magnetic card 7;
7 etc. various A structures and parts are incorporated. The card conveyance mechanism 13 includes a total of four rollers, each pair of which is disposed vertically and oppositely across the card processing conveyance path 10B, namely conveyance rollers 18a, 18b, take-in rollers 19a, 19b, and bearings mounted on the lower frame 1. Four shafts 22a to 2 rotatably arranged via 21
2d, a conveyor belt 23 stretched between the conveyor rollers 18a and 18b, and a take-in roller l8a which is driven based on the force detection signals from the sensors S1 to S3 and opposes the take-in roller 19a on the front side. The solenoid 24, etc., is used as a driving means to press and separate the parts. The shafts 22a and 22b on the upper side of the Wi feed path are provided with transport rollers 18a and 18b, respectively, and the shaft 2 on the rear side
One end of 2b protrudes to the outside of the lower frame l, and a worm wheel 29 that meshes with a worm 28 provided on an output shaft 27 of a drive motor 26 is housed at the protruding end. The drive motor 26 is fitted into a motor mounting portion 30 that is integrally provided on the right side surface of the lower frame 1. Note that #2 2 b is located above the magnetic head 15, and the touch roller l6 is attached thereto. Of the two lower shafts 22c and 22d, the front shaft 22c
is rotatably supported by the lower frame l,
A l-th bracket 33 is fixed to one end thereof, and the l-th bracket 33 is connected to the movable iron core 31 of the solenoid 24 via a connecting pin 32. on the other hand,
A second bracket 35 that rotatably supports the shaft 34 of the take-in roller 19a is disposed at the other end of #22C so as to be rotatable by a small angle in the vertical direction. This rotation angle is controlled by a bottle 36 driven into the shaft 22c in its radial direction, and a long hole 37 formed in the second bracket 35 to be long in the card conveying direction, into which one end of the bottle 36 is inserted. It is done with. Further, a spring 38 is attached to the shaft 22c and urges the 21st racket 35 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.
9, and the center portion is locked to the bottle 36 as shown in FIG. The shaft 22c is given the ability to rotate clockwise in FIG.
Normally, the take-in roller 19a is connected to the card processing conveyance path 10.
B and away from the conveyance roller 18a. On the other hand, a shaft 22d located behind the shaft 22c and to which the rear take-in roller 19b is attached is movable up and down with respect to the lower frame l, and is connected to the transport roller L8b by a spring 44 via the transport belt 23. It is pressed together. The shutter mechanism i4 is located immediately after the card insertion/return slot 11 and opens the normal card intake passage 10A, and when the card transport mechanism 13 takes in the magnetic card 7, it is operated and opens the card intake passage IOA. The solenoid 45 (Fig. 2) installed on the lower side of the lower frame 1 and the solenoid 45 (see Fig. 2) installed on the underside of the upper frame 2 opposite to the solenoid 45 are installed to prevent the insertion of a second card. The movable iron core 47 of the solenoid 45 is normally located at the lowest position and leaves the card intake passage 10A open, and when the solenoid 45 is energized and energized, it is attracted and raised to hold the seat. The magnetic heads 15 are attracted and held by a magnet 46 and form a chain in the card receiving passage 10A.The magnetic heads 15 are arranged in parallel in the card transport direction (in the eight directions of arrows) with their center lines aligned as shown in FIG. The head 15A and the write head 15B form an ellipse, and the head width of the write head 15A (2
D = 4 + u) is set to twice the head width (D = 2 am) of the reading head 15B. The write head 15A is located closer to the card insertion/ejection port 11 than the read head 15B, and its head @2D is equal in width to the magnetic stripe ST of the magnetic card 7. and,
The magnetic head 15 is positioned and disposed at a head mounting portion 48 (FIG. 2) integrally protruding from the bottom side of the lower frame 1, and its head surface is attached to a head opening 49 provided in the lower frame 1. The card processing conveyance path 10
It is facing inside B. The punching machine $7917 is a conventionally known type that consists of a punching table 50 and a solenoid 5l that are arranged vertically opposite to each other across the card receiving passage 10A, and punches a small hole in the magnetic card 7 at the end of the service. By drilling, the approximate balance information is displayed based on the location of the drilling. Note that a punch bin (not shown) is integrally provided at the upper end of the movable core 52 of the solenoid 5l. Next, the card processing operation in the card reader/writer with such a configuration will be explained. When the magnetic card 7 is not inserted, the shutter mechanism 14 opens the card receiving passage 10A, the drive motor 26 is stopped, and the solenoid 24 is in a non-energized state. At this time, take-in roller 1
9a is separated from the conveyance roller 18a by the force of the return spring 40 and retracted below the card processing conveyance path 10B. In this state, when the magnetic card 7 is forcefully inserted into the card insertion passage 10A through the card insertion/return port 11 and its tip reaches the sensor S2, both the sensors S1 and 82 are turned off.
N, and based on the detection signal, a drive signal from the control unit drives the drive motor 26, causing the conveyor belt 23 to travel in the forward direction, that is, in the card receiving direction, and at the same time, energizes the solenoid 24. Then, the movable iron core 31 is attracted to the right in FIG. 1, and the I-th bracket 33 is rotated counterclockwise against the return spring 40. When the eleventh racket 33 rotates, the shaft 22c rotates together with it to raise the take-in roller 19a, and press the leading end of the magnetic card 7 to the conveyance roller 18a via the conveyance belt 23. At this time, the start of the operation of taking in the magnetic card 7 by driving the drive motor 26 and the pressing operation of the taking-in roller 19a are performed almost simultaneously. The magnetic card 7 is taken in by the card transport mechanism 13 by pressure contact by the take-in roller 19a, and when it is transported along the card processing transport path 10B, its leading end is inserted a certain distance between the magnetic head 15 and the touch roller 16, The rear end comes off the sensor St. Therefore, sensor S1 is O
Returning to the FF, the energization to the solenoid 24 is stopped based on the signal, and the state is returned to the de-energized state. Therefore, the first bracket 33 is released from the solenoid 24 and the return spring 4
The rotation is restored by the action of 0, and the take-in roller 19a is separated from the conveyance roller 18a and retracted to the initial position. On the other hand, since the drive motor 26 continues to be driven for 1t, the magnetic card 7 is further advanced, and after advancing a certain distance (several cities), the reading head 15B starts reading the magnetic information recorded on the magnetic stripe ST. When the reading head 15B finishes reading the information and the tip of the magnetic card 7 reaches the sensor S3 and turns it on, the drive motor 26 is stopped.Then, with the end of the predetermined service, When the drive motor 26 is switched in its direction of rotation and driven, the magnetic card 7 is transported back along its original path.
A writes new information. When the magnetic card 7 is fed backwards and information M writing is completed, its leading edge is removed from the magnetic head 15 and its trailing edge is detected by the sensor St, the rotation direction of the drive motor 26 is determined based on the detection signal from the sensor S1. switch to the positive direction again,
The data newly written on the magnetic card 7 is confirmed by the reading head 15B. When normal recording of data is confirmed, the rotation direction of the drive motor 26 is switched again to reversely feed the magnetic card 7 and return it to the card insertion/return slot.
Return to 1. At this time, for cards with balance information remaining, a small hole is punched by the punch mechanism 17, and then the card is ejected and returned from the card insertion/return slot 1l. Here, in the present invention, the lower frame 1 and the upper frame 2 are made of resin, making it possible to reduce the weight of the device compared to conventional devices using metal frames. In that case, it is difficult to obtain high dimensional accuracy with a frame made of synthetic resin, and it also shrinks due to environmental changes such as temperature and humidity, so it is expected that the reading and writing accuracy of the magnetic head 15 will decrease. As in the present invention, the write head 1
There is no need to worry about this because the head widths of reading head 5A and reading head 15B are different. That is, conventionally the write head 15A
Since the head widths of the reading head 15B and the reading head 15B are equal on a one-to-one basis, if the magnetic card 7 shifts in the left-right direction, both heads shift from the magnetic stripe, reducing reading and writing accuracy, so horizontal shifts are prevented as much as possible. However, if the head width of the write head 15A is set to 2 D = 4 am and the head width of the read head 15B is set to D = 2 am as in the present invention, the horizontal misalignment of the magnetic card 7 can be avoided. A maximum deviation of 1 mm is allowed, and if the deviation is within this range, the reading head 15B will not come off the magnetic stripe ST, and magnetic information recorded at double width can be reliably read. Incidentally, the amount of expansion and contraction in the width direction (direction orthogonal to the card conveyance direction) due to temperature changes in the lower frame 1 and upper frame 2 is at most 0.
．． Since it is about 2 to 0.3 trwI, it does not have any adverse effect on the reading accuracy of magnetic information and allows the frame to be made of synthetic resin. Further, in such a configuration, there is no need to forcibly urge the magnetic card 7 toward one side wall of the card transport path 10 by the side force mechanism, and there is an advantage that the apparatus can be simplified. In addition, in the above embodiment, the head width of the write head 15A is set to 2.
Although the case has been described in which D = 4 am and the head width of the reading head 15B is set to D = 2 am, the present invention is not characterized in any way by this.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the card reader/writer according to the present invention, the head width of the write head is set larger than the head width of the read head, so even if the magnetic card is shifted in the left-right direction, writing can be performed. The information recorded by the head can be reliably read by the reading head.
Therefore, the reliability of reading is improved, and high dimensional accuracy is not required for the lower frame and upper frame that form the card transport path, making it possible to use plastic for these frames and to make the device itself smaller and lighter. The effect is very large.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the card reader/writer according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the card reader/writer, and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the upper frame of the card reader/writer. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the inside of the magnetic head, with the exception of FIG. l...Lower frame, 2...Upper frame,
3... Housing, 7... Magnetic card, 10... Card transport path, 1l... Card insertion/return slot, 15... Magnetic head, 15A... Writing head, 15B... Reading head, 48...head mounting portion, 49...head opening.

Claims (1)

[Claims] An upper frame and a lower frame, which are arranged parallel to each other at a predetermined interval and cooperate to form a card conveyance path, are each made of a synthetic resin material, and the lower frame is provided with an opening for a head. At the same time, a head mounting portion is integrally provided on the bottom side of the frame, and a magnetic head is disposed in the head mounting portion with its head surface exposed from the opening into the card transport path, and the magnetic head is A card reader comprising a read head and a write head arranged in parallel in the card transport direction with their center lines aligned, and the head width of the write head is set larger than the head width of the read head.
lighter.