JPH0797399B2 - IC card reader / writer - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial applications]

The present invention relates to a device for reading and writing an IC card in which an IC chip is embedded.

[Prior art]

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an IC card reading / writing device 15 for reading and writing necessary data using the IC card 14, and FIGS. 5 (A) to 5 (C). ) Is
The operation of the IC card reader / writer is shown. First, the configuration will be described with reference to these drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes a flat box-shaped case, and a slit-shaped card insertion opening 2 for inserting an IC card 14 is provided in a lower portion of a front side wall 1a of the case 1, and the case 1 is provided inside the case 1. Is formed with a card transport path 3 which is a path through which the IC card 14 is transferred in a state of sliding contact with both sides of the lower surface of the IC card 14 inserted through the card insertion slot 2.
In the vicinity of the card insertion slot 2 in the case 1, a transfer means 6 for the IC card 14 including a motor 4 and a roller 5 driven to rotate by the motor 4 via a gear W is arranged. Further, one end is fixed to a predetermined portion of the rear side wall 1b of the case 1, and two guide grooves 7 extending at a predetermined angle with respect to the card transport path 3 are used as guide members.
It is provided on both side walls of and engages with this guide groove 7,
A contact head 8 is provided at a predetermined portion of a slider (not shown) that slides along the groove 7. At the rear end of the contact head 8, the card transport path 3
The contact pin 9 as a conductive contact means for making a conductive contact with the reading / writing terminal 15 (shown in FIG. 4) of the IC card 14 is moved up and down. The contact pin 9 is pushed down by the urging force of the spring 10. Further, the contact head 8 is positioned in a stopped state by a biasing force of the spring 11 at a position where it is stopped by a stopper 7a provided at a predetermined portion (called a home position). Reference numerals 12 and 13 denote card detectors for detecting an inserted state and an ejected state of the IC card 14, which are arranged at predetermined portions on the front surface side and the rear surface side of the case 1, respectively. Next, the operation of the conventional device configured as described above will be described. When the IC card 14 is inserted from the card insertion slot 2 with the terminal 15 facing upward as shown in FIG. 5 (A), first, the insertion of the IC card 14 is detected by the card detector 12. The motor 4 of the transfer means 6 starts forward rotation based on the detection signal from the IC card 14 and the rotation of the roller 5 draws the IC card 14 into the case 1 along the card transport path 3. As the card is pulled in, the tip of the IC card 14 is projected from the contact head 8 as shown in FIG. 5 (B).
When it comes into contact with 8a, thereafter, the contact head 8 also moves integrally with the transfer of the IC card 14 toward the rear side wall 1b. At this time, since the contact head 8 moves along the inclined guide groove 7, the contact head 8 moves down. Now, as shown in FIG. 5 (C), when the contact head 8 contacts the inner wall of the rear side of the case 1 and the tip of the IC card 14 is positioned on the card detector 13, the card detector 13 The completion of insertion of the IC card 14 is detected by this, and the motor 4 is stopped based on the detection signal from the card detector 13. At this time, the contact pin 9 of the contact head 8 is brought into conductive contact with the terminal 15 of the IC card 14 by an appropriate contact pressure of the spring 10. When the reading and writing of data from the IC card 14 is completed in this state and a card ejection signal is output from a host device (not shown), the motor 4 of the transfer means 6 reversely rotates and the IC card
The roller 14 is transported backward by the roller 5 toward the card insertion slot 2. At this time, the contact head 8 moves toward the original home position so as to follow the movement of the IC card 14 by the urging force of the spring 11, and the contact pin 9 and
Release the conductive contact with the terminal 15 of the IC card 14. Finally, when the IC card 14 passes through the roller 5 and is in the state before the card is pulled in, when the IC card 14 is pulled out, the card detector 12
Thus, card ejection is detected, and as a result, the motor 4 stops.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

By the way, since the IC card 14 is one in which a one-chip IC is embedded in a hard vinyl chloride plate, it may be easily deformed depending on its handling or storage condition and may be used while being curved. Transformed like this
Although there is some resistance when the IC card 14 is inserted, if it is forcibly pushed in, the IC card 14 is taken inside. However, if the IC card 14 is curved in a V shape at this time, upward stress is applied to the roller 5 of the IC card 14, so that the IC card 14 can be ejected by the rotational force of the motor 4 when ejecting the card thereafter. If the IC card 14 disappears or is warped in the opposite direction, there is a problem that the rear end of the IC card 14 hits the front side wall 1a and cannot be ejected. The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an IC card reading / writing device capable of carrying a card without trouble even when a deformed IC card is inserted. .

[Means for Solving the Problems]

The IC card reading / writing device of the present invention comprises: a card detecting means for detecting an IC card inserted in a card insertion slot; and a card detecting signal based on a card detection signal from the card detecting means.
While pulling in the IC card inside the device, pull in the IC
A transfer means for ejecting the card to the card insertion slot, and a conductive contact means provided on the contact head and contacting a terminal for reading and writing of the IC card when the IC card is pulled into a predetermined position. In the IC card reader / writer, a straightening plate extending in a strip shape in the direction orthogonal to the IC card insertion direction is provided on the card insertion opening side near the transfer means.
By providing a plurality of ribs in the form of protrusions on the lower surface of the correction plate and pressing the inserted IC card downward with the ribs,
It is characterized by correcting the warp of the IC card.

[Action]

The IC card inserted from the card insertion port is supplied to the transfer means in a state where the warp is corrected by the correction means composed of the correction plate and the rib, so that the IC card is smoothly transferred to the conductive contact means by the transfer means. To be done. Further, even when the IC card is ejected toward the card insertion slot by the transfer means, the IC is corrected by the correction means provided near the transfer means.
The IC card is smoothly ejected because the warpage of the card is corrected.

【Example】

Preferred embodiments of an IC card reading / writing device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of an IC card reading / writing apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are side sectional views. In these figures, parts having the same functions as those of the conventional example are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. 1 to 3, the casing of the device is an upper case 1A.
As shown in FIG. 3, the upper case 1A can be opened and closed upward with the rear end as a fulcrum, and the contact head 8 and the roller 5 are housed on the upper case 1A side. The maintenance of these items is facilitated. Reference numeral 7 denotes a guide groove having a slope, which is formed on both side walls of the upper case 1A. Reference numeral 21 denotes a slider which has both ends engaged with the guide groove 7 and slides along the guide groove 7, and a contact head 8 having a contact pin 9 is provided at the center of the lower surface of the slider 21. To be 22 was inserted inside the device shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
A correction plate is provided directly above the card end portion 14a for correcting the end portion 14a on the card insertion opening side of the IC card 14, and the correction plate 22 is provided integrally with the lower case 1B. The correction plate 23 is a correction plate for correcting the deformation of the IC card 14 passing under the correction plate 22 and smoothly guiding it into the inside of the device.
A plurality of ribs are provided on the lower surface of 22 and a predetermined gap G is provided between the IC upper surface and the normal IC card 14 so as not to contact the IC card 14. In addition, this rib 23 is an IC card
As shown in FIG. 1, so as not to contact the terminals 15 of 14,
It is provided at a position other than the passage portion of the terminal 15. Reference numeral 24 is a pinch roller for smoothing the movement of the IC card 14 transferred by the rotation of the roller 5, and is provided so as to face the roller 5 so as to sandwich the IC card 14.
Reference numeral 25 is a knob integrally provided with the upper case 1A, and a protruding piece 25a is provided at the lower end of the shaft of the knob 25,
It is adapted to engage with a recess provided in the correction plate 22, but by turning this knob 25, the engagement is released, and the urging force of the spring 26 causes the upper case 1A to jump upward. It has become. 27 is a board in which control components such as a CPU are stored. Next, the operation of the apparatus configured as described above will be described.
The operation when the normal IC card 14 which is not deformed is inserted is the same as that of the conventional example, and therefore the description thereof is omitted. Now, when the deformed IC card 14 is inserted through the card insertion slot 2, the upper surface of the card comes into contact with the rib 23 of the correction plate 22 and is pressed downward, so that the curvature of the IC card 14 is corrected, and as a result, The IC card 14 is smoothly transferred to the inside by the rotation of the roller 5. Further, even when the IC card 14 is pulled inside the device, in this state, the upward warp of the rear end portion 14a of the IC card 14 is suppressed by the rib 23, so that the IC card 14 is corrected to a substantially flat surface. To be done. Therefore, when the card is ejected, the end of the IC card does not hit the card insertion slot 2 and is ejected smoothly.

【The invention's effect】

As described above, the present invention is provided with means for correcting the warp of the IC card, so when the IC card is inserted, the deformation of the IC card is corrected by the correction means and is smoothly inserted into the inside. Since the warp of the IC card drawn into the device is corrected by the correction means and is kept almost flat, the end of the card will not get caught in the card insertion slot when the card is ejected, and a highly reliable device can be provided. Can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of an IC card reading / writing apparatus of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are side sectional views of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and an upper case is opened. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an IC card reading / writing device, and FIGS. 5A to 5C are side sectional views showing the operation of the conventional device shown in FIG. Is. 1A: upper case, 1B: lower case, 2 card slot, 4 motor, 5 roller, 7 guide groove
8 ... Contact head, 9 ... Contact pin, 14 ...
… IC card, 15 …… Terminal, 21 …… Slider, 22 …… Correcting plate, 23 …… Rib, 24 …… Pinch roller, 25 …… Knob, 25a …… Projecting piece.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-63-316289 (JP, A) JP-A-60-167076 (JP, A) Practical application Sho-62-51553 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A card detecting means for detecting an IC card inserted in a card insertion slot, and the card detecting means based on a card detection signal from the card detecting means.
While pulling in the IC card inside the device, pull in the IC
A transfer means for ejecting the card to the card insertion slot, and a conductive contact means provided on the contact head and contacting a terminal for reading and writing of the IC card when the IC card is pulled into a predetermined position. In the IC card reader / writer, a straightening plate extending in a strip shape in the direction orthogonal to the IC card insertion direction is provided on the card insertion opening side near the transfer means.
By providing a plurality of ribs in the form of protrusions on the lower surface of the correction plate and pressing the inserted IC card downward with the ribs,
IC card read / write device that corrects the warp of the IC card.