JPH05324884A - Ticket reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To speed up the processing of a ticket reader by providing a pressing member which presses a ticket to a reading surface at the positions before and after the reading range of a reading means and a driving means which selectively sets the pressing member at a ticket reading position or a ticket non-reading position, thereby idly feeding the ticket through a reading part at a high speed in the case of the ticket to be idly fed. CONSTITUTION:An OCR ticket is inserted into a ticket slit and recognized by a ticket type sensor. Thereby, the ticket feeding speed is set at a level for the OCR ticket. At the same time, a plunger 15a of a solenoid 15 is pulled inside to press a pressing part 10a of a pressing member 10 to the front and rear parts of a scan line 9 of a contact glass 2a via a seesaw 13 and an arm 12. Thus, the OCR ticket is adhered close to the glass 2a and read by an OCR reader. Other types of tickets like an ATB ticket, etc., are decided by a ticket type sensor and the solenoid 15 is turned off by a control means. Thus, the part 10a gets out of a ticket transfer path and the tickets except the OCR ticket are idly fed at a high speed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ticket reading device for reading the contents previously written on a ticket.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Currently, for example, reserved ticket types for airline boarding passes are printed on a front surface by a printer, and have magnetic information on a magnetic stripe on the back side of an automated ticketing boarding pass.
(ATB ticket) A ticket with OCR character information in which OCR characters are written on the front surface by a printer or handwriting (OCR ticket) A small JR ticket with magnetic information on the back magnetic stripe (JR ticket) Multiple connecting flights Reservation ticket with red carbon on the back side for copying and Transistional with barcode information
There are four types of Automated Ticket (TAT ticket). These reservation tickets have magnetic information (ATB ticket, JR ticket), OCR characters (OCR ticket), bar code (TAT ticket).
And each is different.

Therefore, when reading information, an ATB ticket, J
The R ticket is a magnetic reader (reading speed of about 1000 mm / sec),
OCR tickets are OCR readers (reading speed of about 174 mm / sec), TAT tickets are bar code readers (reading speed of 1000).
mm / sec).

As described above, since the four types of reserved tickets differ in reading means and reading speed, and also in the size of the ticket and the recording position of information, the reserved tickets of different ticket types have been the same until now. There was no ticket issuing machine that automatically fetched the boarding pass based on the information on the reservation ticket.

Here, a general structure of an OCR ticket reading unit having a slower reading speed than others will be described with reference to FIG. First, an OCR reader 2 (line sensor) is arranged along the reading surface along the ticket conveying path 1, and the circumferential surface is brought into contact with the scan line of the reading surface of the OCR reader 2 so that the white roller 3 has a white surface. Are arranged.

In such a configuration, the OCR ticket conveyed through the ticket conveying path 1 is sandwiched between the white roller 3 and the OCR reader 2, and is pressed by the white roller 3 against the reading surface to be read by the OCR reader 2. Will be taken.

[0007]

In order to improve the convenience of customers, there is a demand for a ticket issuing machine which takes in and processes the above four types of reservation tickets from the same ticket insertion slot. To take in and process the above 4 types of reservation tickets from the same ticket insertion slot,
It is necessary to discriminate the inserted bill type and convey the bill at a speed that matches the reading speed of each bill. As mentioned above, the reading speed of the OCR ticket is about 174 mm / sec and other AT
It is lower than the reading speed of B ticket, JR ticket, and TAT ticket. Therefore, ATB ticket, JR ticket,
For the TAT ticket, it is desired to prevent the processing speed from decreasing by idly feeding the OCR ticket reading unit at high speed (without carrying out reading, only carrying and passing).

However, in the OCR ticket reading unit, the white roller 3 is brought into contact with the reading surface in advance in order to press the ticket against the OCR reader 2 as described above. For this reason, when the blank-fed ticket is fed at high speed, it collides with the white roller 3. Also, the white roller 3 and the OCR reader 2
It is also not possible to increase the rotation speed of the white roller 3 due to an increase in frictional heat at the contact portion with the roller, wear, and the like.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a ticket reading device capable of idling the reading unit at high speed in the case of empty feeding tickets.

[0010]

According to the present invention, the reading means is disposed along the reading surface along the ticket conveying path along which the ticket is conveyed by the ticket conveying means, and the ticket is provided before and after the reading range of the reading means. A plurality of pressing members that press the reading surface are provided, and a driving unit that selectively positions these pressing members at the ticket reading position and the ticket non-reading position is provided.

[0011]

In the case of a blank-fed ticket, when the pressing member is positioned at the ticket non-reading position by the driving means, the ticket conveying path is opened so that the ticket can be conveyed at a high speed, and the ticket conveyed by the ticket conveying means becomes the pressing member. The reading means is idly fed without being strongly interfered with. In the case of a ticket to be read, when the pressing member is positioned at the ticket reading position by the driving means, the pressing member presses the ticket against the reading surface before and after the reading range of the reading means, and the ticket is in close contact with the reading surface. Is read by the reading means.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same parts as those shown in the conventional example are designated by the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, an air boarding ticket issuing machine inserts the above-mentioned ATB ticket, OCR ticket, TAT ticket, and JR ticket, which are reserved tickets, from the same ticket insertion port, and reads the information described in each reserved ticket. It issues a boarding pass. As shown in FIG. 2, the ticket reading unit of the airline boarding ticket issuing machine that processes the above-mentioned four types of reserved tickets is provided with a ticket transport path 1 slightly wider than the four ticket widths. A plurality of bill type discriminating sensors 4 are arranged in the vicinity of the insertion slot, and the OCR reader 2, the bar code reader 5, and the magnetic reader 6 are located downstream of the bill type discriminating sensors 4 along the conveying path 1. They are arranged in order.

The OCR ticket reading unit to which the present invention is applied will be further described below. As shown in FIG. 1, the OCR reader 2 serving as the reading means has the contact glass 2a serving as the reading surface along the ticket conveying path 1. Rollers 7 and 8 which are driven by a motor (not shown) and serve as a sheet conveying means are arranged to face each other upstream and downstream of the OCR reader 2. Furthermore, the scan line 9 which is the reading range of the OCR reader 2 is removed, and the pressing portion 10a which is the free end of the cantilever pressing member 10 formed of a leaf spring material is pressed against the contact glass 2a.

The cantilever pressing member 10 has a fixed end 10b screwed to a flat portion of a portion of a shaft 11 rotatably supported by a frame (not shown) and having a D-shaped cross section. As shown in FIG. 3, the pressing portion 10a of the pressing member 10 disposed at the center of the transport path and at the left and right of the transport path at equal intervals is located downstream of the scan line 9 (on the right side in the drawing). The pressing portion 10 of the pressing member 10 disposed on the left and right
a is located upstream of the scan line 9 (on the left side in the drawing). Further, a plate-like arm 12 is fixedly attached to one end of the shaft 11 so as to rotate, and one end 13b of a seesaw 13 which swings around a fulcrum 13a via a shaft 12a provided at the tip of the arm 12. The arm 12 is connected to. Further, one end 13b of the seesaw 13 is urged downward by a spring 14, and the other end 13c is connected to a solenoid 15 serving as a driving means.

In such a structure, when the OCR ticket is inserted into the ticket insertion slot, first, the ticket type discrimination sensor 4 is OCR.
When it is determined that the ticket is a ticket, the ticket conveying speed is set to 147 mm / sec by a control means (not shown), the solenoid 15 is turned on, and the plunger 15a is pulled in the direction of the arrow 16 (see FIG. 1). Then, the arm 12 via the seesaw 13
Is rotated counterclockwise, the shaft 11 also rotates counterclockwise, and the pressing portion 10a of the pressing member 10 attached to this shaft 11 is pressed before and after the scan line 9 of the contact glass 2a. Therefore, the OCR ticket sent to the OCR ticket reading unit by the rollers 7 and 8 is read by the OCR reader 2 while being pressed by the pressing portion 10a of the pressing member 10 and in close contact with the contact glass 2a, and sent to the post-processing. .. A other than OCR ticket
When a TB ticket, TAT ticket, or JR ticket is inserted into the ticket insertion slot,
It is determined that the ticket type determination sensor 4 is other than the OCR ticket,
The solenoid 15 is turned off by control means (not shown). Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the seesaw 13 has one end 13b.
Is rotated by the spring 14 to rotate left, and the arm 12 rotates right accordingly, so that the shaft 11 also rotates right, the pressing portion 10a of the pressing member 10 is retracted from the ticket conveying path 1, and the ticket conveying path 1 is opened. Tickets other than the OCR ticket sent by the rollers 7 and 8 are idle-fed by the OCR ticket reading unit and sent to another reader. The feed rate at this time is 1000 mm /
It is set to sec.

As described above, in this embodiment, since the pressing member 10 is the OCR ticket reading unit which can be retracted from the ticket transport path 1 at the time of idling at a high speed, the ATB ticket and the TAT ticket are read.
OCR ticket readers such as tickets and JR tickets and OCR
The pressing member 10 of the ticket reading unit does not interfere with each other and can be smoothly conveyed at high speed. In addition, the pressing member 10 does not scratch the information recording surface or the like of the blank ticket. Also, the pressing portion 10
Since the reading position at a was before and after the scan line 9,
The ticket can be brought into close contact with the contact glass 2a without floating, and scratches on the scan line 9 portion of the contact glass 2a can be prevented. Further, since the reading positions are three points, that is, the central portion of the ticket conveying path 1 and the positions at equal intervals on the left and right sides thereof, the pressing balance is good and the skew of the OCR ticket can be prevented.

[0017]

According to the present invention, in the case of empty-fed tickets, the pressing member is driven by the driving means to open the ticket conveying path to enable high speed conveyance, so that the ticket is strong against the pressing member. It will be possible to feed smoothly without any interference. In addition, the pressing member does not damage the information recording surface or the like of the blank ticket. Further, in the case of a ticket to be read, since the ticket is pressed before and after the reading range of the reading means, it is possible to prevent the ticket from rising and prevent the reading surface from being damaged on the reading range.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a ticket pressing state showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a reading unit of an air boarding pass ticket issuing machine.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a pressing member and a shaft.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a blank feeding state of a ticket.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ticket transportation path 2 reading means 2a reading surface 7,8 ticket transportation means 9 reading range 10 pressing member 15 driving means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of reading means are arranged along a reading surface along a ticket conveying path along which a ticket is conveyed by the ticket conveying means, and a plurality of pressing means press the ticket against the reading surface before and after a reading range of the reading means. A ticket reading device comprising: a pressing member; and a driving means for selectively positioning the pressing member between a ticket reading position and a ticket non-reading position.