JPH05101230A - Card processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To process various types of cards and the different types of magnetic cards by carrying various types of cards along a transfer path in a transfer mode of each card, reading and writing the information on the magnetic cards, and setting the reading and writing heads at the track positions by a driving means. CONSTITUTION:The cards include the passes, the prepaid cards, the credit cards, etc. For instance, a pass is put into a slit 11 and the detection signal is sent to a CPU memory circuit from a pass insertion/ejection detecting part via an I/O circuit. Then the pass is led into a card processor by the driving belts 28-31. The sensors 32 and 33 detect the pass and a pass type deciding circuit decides the type of the pass. Then the transfer of the pass is controlled in a pass mode. Meanwhile a print head 34 prints the necessary items under the control of a CPU. Then the necessary items are written into and read out of the pass by a write heed 39 and a read head 38 respectively while the pass is carried along a transfer path 44.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a card processing apparatus for reading and writing various information on cards such as magnetic cards and IC cards, and is suitable for use as a terminal of a toll collection system on toll roads. It is a thing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For long-distance toll roads and the like where entrance gates and exit gates are scattered at a plurality of places, a toll system is adopted in which a toll is collected according to the section used and the type of vehicle used. Therefore, at such an entrance gate on a toll road, etc., a toll ticket that records the type of vehicle, the date and time of use, or information about this entrance gate, etc. is issued to the user, and at the exit gate, the clerk receives this ticket. A toll collection system is adopted in which the ticket is collected from the user and the information recorded on the pass ticket is read to settle the usage fee.

Therefore, at the entrance gates and exit gates of the above-mentioned toll roads, for processing highway cards, which are passage tickets or prepaid cards, and credit cards or IC cards, which are called separate payment plates. The card processing device is installed as a terminal, and a magnetic card is mainly used as a pass ticket, but in addition to this, a punch card is known.

As toll roads have become longer, the tolls have become higher, and as a result, the amount of money to handle becomes higher, and the use of highway cards for prepaid processing other than cash and credit cards for postpaid processing is increasing.

In the future, reading of magnetic cards and IC cards (highway cards, credit cards, etc.) will increase in addition to reading magnetic cards (passage tickets) at exit gates.

[0006]

Since the card processing apparatus is installed in the booth of the gate, its size is limited. In addition, it is necessary to read various types of cards such as magnetic cards and IC cards, and various standards are provided for magnetic cards, which have different thicknesses or whose magnetic recording portions are stripe-shaped. There are those in which a magnetic layer is coated on the entire surface and those in which the magnetic layer is on the front surface or the back surface. As described above, the size of the terminal is limited and many functions are required. For this reason, there has been a demand for a card processing device capable of processing various cards at once.

[0007]

A structure of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is to provide an entrance formed on one end side of a main body for inserting and removing cards, and the entrance and exit and the other end side of the main body. Conveying means for reciprocating the cards along a connecting conveying line, printing means arranged on the conveying line for printing the cards, and information for the IC card arranged on the conveying line. Reading of
An IC card read / write electrode for writing and a magnetic read / write head for reading / writing information from / to the magnetic card, which is arranged in the transport line, are provided on the transport line. It is characterized in that it is provided with a driving means which is movably supported in the orthogonal direction and which positions and moves the magnetic read / write head.

[0008]

According to the card-by-card transport mode, various types of cards are transported along the transport line to read / write information from / to the IC card or the magnetic card, and the magnetic read / write head is moved by the driving means to move the magnetic card. Align the head with the read / write track position of.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the mechanical concept of a card processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numeral 11 in the figure shows an entrance for inserting and ejecting a card, which is an entrance for cards such as a pass ticket, a prepaid card and a credit card, and an exit for ejecting the inserted card. It has become. 12, 1
Pad rollers 3, 14, 15 and 16 are in contact with a drive roller described later, and power is transmitted to a pulse motor described later to convey cards such as pass tickets. 17,1
Drive rollers 8, 19, 20, 21, 21, 23, and 24 are rotated by a drive belt connected to a drive shaft of a pulse motor, which will be described later. 25,2
6 and 27 are tension rollers and drive belt 2
8 and 29 are given a tension enough to transmit the driving force. 28, 29, 30, and 31 are drive belts. Drive belts 29, 30 as shown
Is directly connected to the drive shaft of the pulse motor and transmits the driving force from the pulse motor directly to the drive roller. Further, the drive belts 28 and 31 indirectly transmit the drive force of the pulse motor by the drive force of the drive roller.

Reference numerals 32 and 33 denote sensor portions, which are the entrance / exit 1
The type of cards inserted from 1 is determined. That is, at this portion, the card type (prepaid card, credit card, pass ticket, etc.) written on the cards by a barcode or the like is determined. A thermal print head 34 prints the remaining amount of money on a prepaid card or the like. Reference numeral 35 is a pulse motor, which is a drive roller 17, 18, 1.
Drive belt 28 on 9, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24,
The driving force is directly or indirectly transmitted via 29, 30, 31. Reference numeral 36 denotes an electrode retainer, which lowers when the IC card is inserted to retain the electrode back side of the IC card. Reference numeral 37 is an electrode, and when the electrode holder 36 is lowered when the IC card is inserted, the electrode of the IC card portion is the electrode 3
7, the information of the IC card is sent to the card processing controller 43 through the electrode 37.

A read head 38 reads information from a magnetic recording unit such as a prepaid card, an IC card, a credit card or the like. A writing head 39 also writes information in a magnetic recording unit such as a prepaid card, an IC card, or a credit card.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a card processing unit body, 4
Reference numeral 1 denotes a storage body that stores the mechanism section and the control section. Reference numeral 42 is a connector for connecting to a device connected to the present apparatus. Four
Reference numeral 3 denotes a card processing control unit, which is a portion for housing a circuit board for controlling the processing device.

The read head 38 and the write head 39 are structured so as to move in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction (conveyance line) of the card, and these structures will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of the moving mechanism of the card processing apparatus of the present invention.

Reference numerals 38 and 39 are a read head and a write head, and the heads are movably supported in a direction indicated by an arrow α, that is, in a horizontal direction with respect to a plane. Reference numeral 46 denotes a head mounting metal fitting, which is a metal fitting for fixing the read head 38 and the write head 39. 47 is a solenoid,
Reference numeral 48 is a plunger linked to the solenoid 47,
The plunger 48 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow β, that is, in the horizontal direction with respect to the plane. 49 is a spring, and spring 49
As a result, the head mounting member 46 is pulled and urged in the arrow γ direction as shown in the drawing. Reference numeral 50 is a head swing fitting, and the movement of the plunger 48 causes the head mounting fitting 4 to move.
6 is moved in the direction of α, that is, in the horizontal direction in the horizontal direction.

(B) is a side view of the head swing portion, showing a diagram in which the head moves in parallel with the drive roller (in the γ direction indicated by the arrow in the figure).

FIG. 3 is a block circuit diagram of a card processing controller of the card processing apparatus of the present invention.

Reference numerals 51 and 52 are sensors for discriminating the types of cards. Reference numeral 53 is a ticket discrimination device, which is a sensor 5
It is a circuit for discriminating the type of bill such as a prepaid card, a credit card, or a pass ticket based on a signal from 1, 52. 5
A print head 4 prints the remaining amount on the back surface of a prepaid card or the like by means of thermal printing or the like. Reference numeral 57 is a pulse motor, which conveys tickets through the drive belt and the drive roller as described above. Reference numeral 58 is a pulse motor drive control unit that performs forward / reverse rotation of the pulse motor 57, speed control, and the like.

Reference numeral 59 denotes a head swing circuit, which is a circuit for swinging the magnetic head left and right (perpendicular to the card carrying direction). Reference numeral 60 is a read head, and 61 is a write head. A magnetic head read / write unit 62 amplifies a read signal from the read head 60, decodes it, and converts it into a character signal. Further, the write information is encoded in the write head 61, and this information is sent to the write head 61. Reference numeral 63 denotes an electrode, which is brought into contact with the electrode portion of the IC card by the action of an electrode retainer described later. An IC card read / write unit 64 sends IC card information to the card processing device through the electrode 63 and sends necessary information to the IC card from the card processing device.

Reference numeral 65 denotes an I / φ circuit, which sends and receives signals between the above-mentioned sensor, print head, pulse motor, head swing circuit, magnetic head, electrode, electrode holder and CPU (including memory circuit), and from the CPU. The operation control signal is transmitted to the portion by the command signal. A CPU + MEMORY circuit 66 controls the entire card processing control unit.

Cards include a pass ticket, a prepaid card, a credit card (magnetic card, IC card) and the like. The operation of each of these cards will be described below.

In the case of a pass ticket In the case of a pass ticket, a pass ticket is inserted from the entrance 11 shown in FIG. Then, the insertion / ejection sensors 11-1, 11-
By the action of 2, the insertion of the pass ticket is detected, and the detection signal from the insertion / ejection detection unit 11-3 reaches the CPU + MEMORY circuit 66 via the I / φ circuit 65. CPU + M
By the action of the EMORY circuit 66, a control signal is sent to the pulse motor drive control unit 58 via the I / φ circuit 65.
The pulse motor 57 is driven by this signal, and the pass ticket is drawn into the card processing device by the action of the drive belts 28, 29, 30, 31 shown in FIG. When the pass ticket is pulled in, the sensors 32 and 33 (FIG. 1), that is, the sensors 51 and 52 in FIG. 3, detect the pass ticket, and the ticket type determination circuit 53 determines that the pass ticket is a pass ticket. The determination signal passes through the I / φ circuit 65, and the CPU + MEMORY circuit 66 controls the transportation of the ticket mode. During this time, the print head 54 prints the items required for the pass by the control of the CPU 66. Further, the pass ticket passes through the transport path 44, and by the actions of the write head 61, the read head 60, and the magnetic head read / write section 62, necessary items are written in the pass ticket and the pass ticket information is read.
After that, the pass ticket is reversed and discharged from the entrance 11.

In the case of a prepaid card In the case of a prepaid card, the card is inserted through the doorway 11 shown in FIG. Insertion / ejection sensor 11
The insertion of the prepaid card is detected by the actions of -1, 11-2, and the detection signal from the insertion / ejection detection unit 11-3 is transmitted via the I / φ circuit 65 to the pulse motor drive control unit 5
8, and the pulse motor 57 is driven.
When the pulse motor 57 is driven, the card is pulled into the card processing device by the action of the drive belts 28, 29, 30, 31 shown in FIG. 1, the sensors 51, 52 detect the prepaid card, and the ticket type discrimination circuit 53 A determination signal for determining that the card is a prepaid card is passed through the I / φ circuit 65, and the CPU + MEMORY circuit 66 controls the conveyance of the prepaid card mode. Since the prepaid card has a magnetic stripe at a position different from that of the pass ticket, the head swing circuit 59 operates the solenoid 47 to pull the plunger 48. Then, the head mounting member 46 moves in the direction of the arrow γ shown in the figure, and the magnetic stripe portion on the prepaid card passes through the write head and the read head portion. That is, by the actions of the write head 61, the read head 60, and the magnetic head read / write unit 62, as in the case of a pass ticket, necessary items are written in the prepaid card, and the prepaid card information is read. After that, the prepaid card is reversed and the print control unit 55 controls the items necessary for the prepaid card (remaining amount of money, remaining number of times, etc.) to the print head 54.
Is printed and discharged from the entrance 11.

In the case of IC card In the case of an IC card, an IC card is also inserted through the doorway 11 shown in FIG. Then, the insertion / ejection sensor 11
The insertion of the IC card is detected by the actions of -1, 11-2, and the detection signal from the insertion / ejection unit 11-3 reaches the CPU + MEMORY circuit 66 via the I / φ circuit 65. By the action of the CPU + MEMORY circuit 66, a control signal is sent to the pulse motor drive control unit 58 via the I / φ circuit 65, and the pulse motor 57 is driven. When the pulse motor 57 is driven, the drive belts 28 and 2 shown in FIG.
By the action of 9, 30, and 31, the IC card is drawn into the card processing device, the sensors 51 and 52 detect the IC card, and the ticket type determination circuit 53 determines that the card is an IC card. The determination signal is sent to the CPU via the I / φ circuit 65.
The + MEMORY circuit 66 controls the transfer in the IC card mode. For IC cards, transport path 4
The electrode holder 36 and the electrode 37 shown in FIG. Then, in FIG. 3, the electrode retainer 56 is lowered by the transfer control in the IC card mode described above, the electrode of the IC card comes into contact with the electrode 63 of the card processing device, and the IC card information is transferred to the IC card read / write unit 64 and the I / O unit. It reaches the CPU + MEMORY circuit 66 via the φ circuit. Information of the card processing device of the CPU + MEMORY circuit 66 passes through the I / φ circuit 65, and under the control of the IC card read / write unit 64, passes through the electrode 63 and the IC.
Information is written to the card. Thereafter, the pulse motor is rotated in the reverse direction by the conveyance control in the IC card mode, and the IC card is conveyed in the reverse direction and returned to the doorway 11.

By using the card processing apparatus described above, it is possible to process various kinds of cards such as a pass ticket, a prepaid card, a credit card (magnetic card, IC card). Further, it is possible to process even cards having different magnetic stripe positions.

[0027]

Since the card processing apparatus of the present invention is provided with the print head, the IC card reading / writing electrode, and the magnetic reading / writing head on the same carrying line,
Passage ticket, prepaid card, I
It becomes possible to read and write various types of cards such as C cards and to process various types of cards. Also, since the magnetic read / write head is movably supported in the direction orthogonal to the transport line, it is possible to read and write magnetic fields even on cards with different magnetic stripe positions, and handle different types of magnetic cards. It will be possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the mechanism of a card processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a structural explanatory view of a moving mechanism section of a card processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block circuit diagram of a card processing control unit of a card processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Entry / Exit 34 Print Head 35 Pulse Motor 37 Electrode 38 Reading Head 39 Writing Head 44 Conveying Path 47 Solenoid 49 Spring 50 Head Swing Hardware

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A doorway formed at one end of a main body for receiving and inserting cards, and a carrying means for reciprocating the cards along a carrying line connecting the doorway and the other end of the body. A printing means arranged in the middle of the carrying line for printing on the cards, an IC card reading / writing electrode arranged in the middle of the carrying line for reading / writing information from / to the IC card, and the carrying means. A magnetic read / write head for reading / writing information from / to a magnetic card, which is arranged in the middle of the line, and the magnetic read / write head is movably supported in a direction orthogonal to the conveying line, A card processing apparatus comprising drive means for positioning and moving a writing head.