JPH10233004A - Method for reading marker having meangetic anisotropy and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten a read time and also to increase an information amt. capable of recording and reading markers. SOLUTION: A magnetic card 10 is formed with magnetic code patterns 23 and a dummy code pattern 24. Easily magnetized directions of patterns 11 and 12 out of the magnetic code patterns 23 are made differently to be +45 deg. and -45 deg. to the scanning direction respectively in two kinds. Head assemblies 30 of the reading device are provided with read heads 31-39 having at least two azimuths out of 0 deg. (vertical to the scanning direction), +45 deg. and -45 deg. respectively. The read head having the azimuth 0 deg. is capable of reading out the magnetic code pattern 23 irrespective of the easily magnetized direction, while the read heads of the azimuths +45 deg. and -45 deg. are capable of reading out only the magnetic patterns 23 whose easily magnetized directions are approximately parallel to these azimuths respectively. By combining read results of plural read heads at the reading time once, versatile information can be read out.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for reading a marker composed of only a magnetic pattern or a combination of a magnetic pattern and a dummy pattern. The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for reading a marker having magnetic anisotropy formed at a predetermined angle with respect to a scanning direction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, recording media provided with a magnetic marker comprising a magnetic pattern representing various information are widely used. Examples of such a recording medium include a magnetic card, a magnetic ticket, a magnetic commuter pass, a magnetic coupon, and a magnetic sheet. Such a magnetic marker has an advantage that it can be read even when there is dirt such as mud, as compared with an optical barcode. Therefore, in recent years, by applying a magnetic marker directly to an article by printing or the like, it has been attempted to utilize the marker in factory automation or a product management system.

Among such recording media, for example, a magnetic card usually has a magnetic recording layer having a thickness of about 10 to 15 μm coated on a non-magnetic substrate having a thickness of about 100 to 200 μm, and further has a surface protection. Manufactured by forming a layer thereon. Between the magnetic recording layer and the surface protective layer, if necessary, a layer in which a barcode made of a magnetic material is provided as a magnetic marker, a concealment layer that makes the barcode invisible from the outside, to record information in characters. May be provided.

Here, the magnetic recording layer is used for additionally recording information by utilizing residual magnetization. On the other hand, the barcode on the magnetic recording layer is constituted by a combination of a magnetic portion containing a magnetic material and a non-magnetic portion not containing a magnetic material, and is not additionally recorded by a combination of a magnetic portion and a non-magnetic portion. Fixed information (for example, user ID,
Pattern information on the amount of money, the issuing organization, etc.). Such a barcode BC is formed on the surface of the magnetic card, for example, at the position shown in FIG. In addition,
In the figure, both the magnetic part and the non-magnetic part in the barcode BC are shown for the sake of understanding. However, in reality, the barcode BC cannot be distinguished by the naked eye unless a magnet viewer is used as described later.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. As shown in FIG.
0, the magnetic recording layer 7 is formed on the nonmagnetic substrate 71.
2, a magnetic barcode pattern 73 made of magnetic powder having a lower coercive force than the magnetic material used for the magnetic recording layer 72 and a dummy barcode pattern 74 made of nonmagnetic powder are formed by offset printing. And screen printing. Further, a concealing layer 7 for concealing these magnetic / non-magnetic bar code patterns 73 and 74.
5 and a protective layer 76 for protecting the surface are formed by similar printing.

By the way, in this type of magnetic card, two types of magnetic materials have conventionally been used as the magnetic material constituting the magnetic barcode pattern 73, and the reading methods are different as follows. Was. That is, the first type is a magnetic barcode pattern 73.
Is formed using a magnetic material having a coercive force that does not affect the coercive force of the magnetic recording layer 72 and has a coercive force that can sufficiently perform magnetic recording. The writing and reading of the recording on the magnetic barcode pattern 73 are performed in the same manner as the method used for writing and reading. Examples of a magnetic material used for the magnetic barcode pattern 73 include magnetite (Fe ₃ O ₄ ),
γ-iron oxide (γ-Fe ₂ O ₃ ) is conceivable.

In the first type, however, the magnetically recorded (with residual magnetism) magnetic barcode pattern 73 can be replaced with a magnetic barcode pattern that is not magnetically recorded by using a commercially available magnet viewer or the like. Since the discrimination is made from the dummy bar code pattern 73 and the dummy bar code pattern 74, the recorded code is determined. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to take measures such as degaussing after reading the information recorded on the magnetic barcode pattern 73, but there is a disadvantage that the configuration of the reader is complicated and enlarged. .

In order to solve such a problem, the second type described below has been devised. The second type is a magnetic barcode pattern 7.
As the magnetic material of No. 3, carbonyl iron powder having a low coercive force of 30 Oe or less, Mn-Zn ferrite, or the like, which is not detected by a magnet viewer or the like, is used (for example, see JP-A-1-109524). Reference). Then, the magnetic barcode pattern 73 formed by the second type is read by the following method.

First, a direct current is passed through the reading magnetic head, and a weak bias magnetic field that does not affect magnetic recording is applied to the magnetic barcode pattern 73. Then
Due to such a bias magnetic field, the magnetic barcode pattern 73 formed of a magnetic material having a low coercive force is temporarily magnetized, and an output signal waveform is obtained by reading the magnetic barcode pattern 73 simultaneously with a reading magnetic head. In this case, since the dummy barcode pattern 74 is not magnetized, there is no corresponding output. Therefore, by combining the magnetic barcode pattern 73 and the dummy barcode pattern 74, an output signal waveform according to the specific pattern can be obtained, and this waveform is analyzed by a subsequent analysis circuit, so that the output signal waveform is encoded with the specific pattern. Information can be obtained. The magnetic barcode pattern 73 is not magnetized without the above-mentioned bias magnetic field, thereby preventing an unauthorized person of the recording medium from reading the fixed information.

In addition to the above first and second types, methods using a combination of magnetic materials having different coercive forces (for example, JP-A-63-133321 and JP-A-63-3133)
No. 08724) or a method of combining magnetic barcodes having different amounts of magnetization (for example, JP-A-63-2238).
There are various methods such as a method using magnetic materials having different Curie points (for example, see Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 62-147191). The information indicated by the barcode by these methods is fixed information different from ordinary recordable magnetic recording information, and providing the magnetic barcode on the magnetic card by these methods is a matter of unauthorized acquisition of the recording medium. This is nothing less than ensuring the security of reading or falsifying fixed information.

On the other hand, magnetic markers have been put to practical use in applications other than those used for cards (for example, see JP-A-1-2336).
No. 75 and JP-A-1-233688.
A barcode composed of such a magnetic marker records data in an array of bar-shaped metals. The magnetic marker is formed by a permanent magnet that generates a DC magnetic field and an MR (magnetic resistance) sensor that detects the amount of magnetic flux. Can be read without contact. As a result, the magnetic marker can be sufficiently read even if it is contaminated with mud or the like, and the drawback of using a general optical barcode has been eliminated. As described above, many magnetic markers are currently used, and most of them are used as magnetic barcodes.

[0012]

However, the conventional magnetic marker has a problem that the amount of information to be recorded is very small. That is, a magnetic bar containing a magnetic material,
A combination of non-magnetic dummy bars, for example, 4
Even if a book bar is formed, (000)
Only 16 types of information from 0) to (1111) could be generated. In order to solve this, measures such as increasing the number of bars or providing bars on multiple tracks have been taken, but in these cases, the area occupied by the barcode is enlarged, and the essential Not a solution.

As described above, composite barcodes using magnetic materials having different coercive forces have been put to practical use. However, in order to read magnetic materials having different coercive forces, a plurality of times are required.
It is necessary to pass the recording medium through a magnetic sensor. Therefore, there are drawbacks in that the reading time becomes long and the reading is not suitable for a short time reading such as an automatic ticket gate of a railway.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and has as its object to reduce the reading time and increase the amount of information that can be recorded and read on a marker. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and a device for reading a marker having a magnetic anisotropy that can be performed.

[0015]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a method for reading a marker having magnetic anisotropy according to the present invention is arranged such that an easy magnetization direction forms a predetermined angle with respect to a scanning direction. A method of reading the marker by the magnetic reading unit while relatively scanning the marker formed by the plurality of magnetic patterns with the magnetic reading unit, wherein the easy magnetization direction has a constant angle. The marker is read by the magnetic reading means capable of reading only the magnetic pattern.

In the method for reading a marker having magnetic anisotropy according to the present invention, the direction of easy magnetization is
While relatively scanning a marker composed of a magnetic pattern formed at a predetermined angle and a dummy pattern made of a non-magnetic material with the magnetic reading unit, the marker to be read by the magnetic reading unit is used. A plurality of the magnetic reading means, each of which has a different azimuth angle, and at least one of which is capable of reading only the magnetic pattern in which the direction of easy magnetization is a fixed angle. The marker may be read by the following.

According to the present invention, there is provided a marker reading apparatus having a magnetic anisotropy, wherein a marker composed of a plurality of magnetic patterns formed such that an easy magnetization direction forms a predetermined angle with respect to a scanning direction is used. What is claimed is: 1. A marker reading device for reading said marker by said magnetic reading unit while scanning relative to said reading unit, wherein said conveying unit scans said marker relative to said magnetic reading unit, and said easy magnetization direction is constant. And the magnetic reading means capable of reading only the magnetic pattern having the angle of.

In the marker reading apparatus having magnetic anisotropy according to the present invention, the direction of easy magnetization is
While relatively scanning a marker composed of a magnetic pattern formed at a predetermined angle and a dummy pattern made of a non-magnetic material with the magnetic reading unit, the marker to be read by the magnetic reading unit is used. A reading device, wherein said marker has a different azimuth angle with respect to a conveying means for scanning said marker relative to said magnetic reading means; And a plurality of magnetic reading means capable of reading only the information.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a magnetic card as a magnetic recording medium used in a reading method according to an embodiment of the present invention. On the top surface of the magnetic card 10 shown in FIG.
2, four barcodes BC, that is, magnetic markers are formed. The patterns 11 and 12 include both a magnetic code pattern made of a magnetic material and a dummy code pattern made of a non-magnetic material. The magnetic card 10
Scanning is performed from left to right as indicated by arrows, and the magnetic marker is read during the scanning.

Each magnetic code pattern has magnetic anisotropy, and is formed such that the direction of easy magnetization forms a predetermined angle with respect to the scanning direction. For example, as shown
Each magnetic code pattern is such that a small piece of magnetic material having high magnetic permeability has a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the scanning direction.
It is configured by multiple orientation. Each dummy code pattern is formed by similarly orienting a large number of small pieces of non-magnetic material. In the figure, when the clockwise direction is positive, the inclination angle of each small piece in the pattern 11 is + 45 °, whereby the direction of easy magnetization of the pattern 11 is + 45 ° with respect to the scanning direction, while the pattern 12 is The inclination angle of each of the small pieces is −45 °, so that the easy magnetization direction of the pattern 12 is at −45 ° with respect to the scanning direction.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. As shown in this figure, the magnetic card 10 is made of PET.
Non-magnetic substrate 2 such as (polyethylene terephthalate)
1 and a magnetic recording layer 22 formed on the substrate 21 and made of a magnetic recording material such as Ba-ferrite. A magnetic code pattern 23 made of a magnetic material having a lower coercive force than the magnetic recording layer 22 is provided on the magnetic recording layer 22.
And a dummy code pattern 24 made of a non-magnetic material,
It is formed as a barcode pattern (patterns 11 and 12 described above). In the illustrated example, the pattern 12 adjacent to the rightmost pattern 11 is a dummy code pattern 24, and the other patterns 11 and 12 are magnetic code patterns 2.
3.

Here, variable information is recorded on the magnetic recording layer 22 by magnetization. On the other hand, bar code BC
The magnetic code pattern 23 is made of a magnetic material, but information is not recorded by magnetization. Depending on the combination of the arrangement of the magnetic code pattern 23 and the dummy code pattern 24, the direction of easy magnetization in the magnetic code pattern 23 is changed. The recording code of the barcode BC is determined depending on whether it is + 45 ° or −45 °. That is, the recorded information of the barcode BC is fixed information which is given at the time of manufacturing the magnetic card 10 and which cannot be rewritten. As described below, the magnetic code pattern 23 can be read as a binary “1” by a specific magnetic read head, whereas the dummy code pattern 24 can be read as “0” using any magnetic read head. Is read only.

As described above, the bar code BC is used for recording fixed information. Therefore, the coercive force of the magnetic code pattern 23 is not only low enough not to affect the coercive force of the magnetic recording layer 22 but is also low. It is preferable that it is 30 Oe or less so as not to be sensed by a viewer or the like. The magnetic material used for the magnetic code pattern 23 is desirably a high-permeability magnetic material so as to obtain a high output voltage when read by a magnetic read head. Such materials include magnetic metals such as sendust, permalloy, iron, cobalt, and nickel, Mn-Zn ferrite and Ni-
Examples include iron-based oxides such as Zn ferrite.
Further, recently developed Fe-B-based, Fe-BC-based,
It is known that amorphous magnetic metals such as e-Si-B and Fe-B-C-Si also have high magnetic permeability, and these amorphous magnetic metals can also be used as a material of the magnetic code pattern 23. .

The magnetic code pattern 23 is prepared by preparing an ink using these materials as a pigment and printing the ink on the magnetic recording layer 22 by a printing technique such as screen printing, offset printing, or gravure printing. It is formed. Alternatively, these materials may be fixed once on the magnetic recording layer 22 and then processed into the shape shown in the drawing by a technique such as etching. In recent years, wires of the above-described amorphous magnetic metal have also been manufactured, and the wires may be finely cut and attached on the magnetic recording layer 22.

Although the patterns 11 and 12 are exposed in FIG. 1 to facilitate understanding, emphasis is placed on security, and the concealing layer 25 and the protective layer 26 are formed as shown in FIG. It is also possible to provide these on the top 12 so that they cannot be seen. In this case, since each dummy code pattern 24 cannot be seen, it is not necessary to form each dummy code pattern from a small piece, and it may be formed as one bar.

Also, a non-magnetic material of the same color as the small piece of magnetic material is provided between the small pieces so that it is not visually determined that each magnetic code pattern 23 is composed of a large number of small pieces of magnetic material. Alternatively, the magnetic code pattern 23 may be made to appear as if it were a single bar. Also in this case, the dummy code pattern 24 may be formed as one bar. Further, although the total number of the patterns 11 and 12, that is, the number of bars is set to four in the drawing,
It can be changed according to the use of the magnetic card.

B. Marker Reading Device Next, the magnetic marker reading device will be described. First, in FIG. 3, reference numeral 30 indicates a head assembly 30 of the reader. The head assembly 30 includes a plurality of reading heads (magnetic reading means) on a reading surface 30a, and the gaps of the cores of these reading heads are formed to have different azimuth angles. The magnetic card 10 is substantially parallel to the reading surface 30a (not shown), and the bar code BC or the protective layer 26 has the reading surface 3a.
The scanning is performed so as to face 0a.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the azimuth angle of the gap between the read heads and their cores in the head assembly 30. The gap is so small that it cannot be visually recognized, but is exaggerated here. Hereinafter, the case where the gap is perpendicular to the scanning direction of the magnetic card 10 is defined as 0 °,
The azimuth angle will be described with the clockwise direction in the figure as positive.

First, (a) shows two read heads 31, 3
2 shows an example in which 2 is provided in parallel in the scanning direction. The azimuth angle of the read head 31 is 0 °, while the azimuth angle of the read head 32 is + 45 °. (B) shows an example in which two reading heads 33 and 34 are provided in parallel in the scanning direction. The azimuth angle of the reading head 33 is -45 °, while the azimuth angle of the reading head 34 is + 45 °.

(C) shows three reading heads 35, 3
6 and 37 show examples provided in parallel in the scanning direction. The azimuth angle of the reading head 35 is -45 °, the azimuth angle of the reading head 36 is 0 °, and the azimuth angle of the reading head 37 is +4.
It is made 5 ゜. (D) shows an example in which two reading heads 38 and 39 are provided in series in the scanning direction.
The azimuth angle of the read head 38 is -45 °, and the read head 3
The azimuth angle of 9 is + 45 °.

As described above, in the examples (a) to (c), since a plurality of read heads are provided in parallel in the scanning direction, the read track is equivalent to a multi-track. , (D) is equivalent to a single read track because a plurality of read heads are provided in series in the scanning direction. (A) ~
The example of (c) has an advantage that the head assembly 30 does not become longer in the scanning direction and the total time required for reading is reduced as compared with the example of (d). , (A)-
Compared to the example of (c), pattern 1 of barcode BC
There is an advantage that the length of each of the first and the second can be reduced.

The principle of reading the magnetic code pattern 23 using the read head having the above azimuth angle is as follows. First, a DC bias current is applied to each read head,
A weak bias magnetic field that does not affect the magnetic recording of the magnetic recording layer 22 is applied to the magnetic code pattern 23. The output voltage of the read head obtained when the magnetic code pattern 23 is scanned with respect to the read head is such that the edge of the small piece of the magnetic material constituting the magnetic code pattern 23 provided on the substrate 21 is in relation to the gap of the read head. The highest value is obtained when traversing parallel (to form 0 °). On the other hand, when the edge of the small piece of the magnetic material constituting the magnetic code pattern 23 and the gap of the reading head are inclined, there is a so-called azimuth loss, the output decreases, and the detection cannot be performed. That is, the angle formed by the read head illustrated in FIG. 4 and the edge of the magnetic piece of the magnetic code pattern 23 is any one of 0 °, 45 °, and 90 °. Output voltage can hardly be obtained due to loss. Hereinafter, a specific description will be given.

Referring to FIG. 5, a read head 32 having a gap with an azimuth angle of + 45 ° is applied to a magnetic code pattern 23 (pattern 1) having an easy magnetization direction parallel to the gap.
The state when 2) is crossed is shown. In the figure, W indicates the width (track width) of the read head 32, and v indicates the scanning speed. In addition, d indicates the length of a small piece of one magnetic body constituting the magnetic code pattern 23 in the direction of the width w. G1 to G8 indicate the positions of the gaps at the timing of starting to cross each small piece and the timing of ending the crossing, and
1 to t8 indicate timings respectively corresponding to G1 to G8. The entire reading time is t8−t1 = ta.
As shown in FIG. 5, the angle formed by the long side of each small piece with the gap of the reading head 32 is 0 °, and the angle formed by the short side of each small piece is 45 °. In this case, there is a case where the edge of the small piece of the magnetic material constituting the magnetic code pattern 23 crosses the gap of the read head in parallel (to form 0 °). At this time, the output voltage of the read head 32 is obtained.

In FIG. 5, there is a first magnetic flux change at t1,
The magnetic flux returns to 0 at t2. Therefore, at t1, a positive output voltage,
At t2, a negative output voltage is obtained. However, at t1 and t2, only a small output is obtained because the area of the small piece crossing the track width W is small (the same applies to t7 and t8). At t3, the magnetic flux changes again, and the magnetic flux returns to 0 at t4. Therefore, a positive output voltage is obtained at t3 and a negative output voltage is obtained at t4. At t3 and t4, the area of the small piece crossing the track width W is large, so that a large output is obtained (the same applies to t5 and t6). By obtaining the output in this manner, the output waveform becomes as shown in the lower part of FIG. When the magnetic code pattern 23 (pattern 11) having an easy magnetization direction parallel to this gap crosses the read head 33 having a gap having an azimuth angle of -45 °, the same output waveform as that of FIG. Is obtained.

FIG. 6 shows a state where the magnetic code pattern 23 (pattern 11) having an easy magnetization direction orthogonal to the gap crosses the read head 32 having a gap having an azimuth angle of + 45 °. G1, G2 ...
Indicate the position of the gap at the timing of starting to cross each piece and the timing of ending the crossing, and t1, t2,.
The timings corresponding to G1, G2,. The entire reading time is tb. The angle formed by the long side of each small piece with respect to the gap of the read head 32 is 90 °,
The angle formed by the short side of each small piece is 45 °. For this reason, the edge of the small piece of the magnetic material constituting the magnetic code pattern 23 does not cross in parallel with the gap of the read head (to form 0 °), and due to azimuth loss, as shown in the lower part of FIG. In addition, the output voltage of the read head 32 cannot be obtained. In addition, when the magnetic code pattern 23 (pattern 12) having the easy magnetization direction perpendicular to the gap crosses the read head 33 having the gap with the azimuth angle of -45 °, the output waveform is similar to FIG. Can not be obtained.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the pattern 11, which is the magnetic code pattern 23, crosses the read head 31 having a gap having an azimuth angle of 0 °. G1,
G2 indicates the position of the gap at the timing of starting traversing each small piece and the timing of ending traversing each small piece.
Indicates timings corresponding to G1 and G2, respectively.
The entire reading time is t2-t1 = tc. The angle formed by the long side of each small piece with respect to the gap of the read head 32 is 45 °, and the angle formed by the short side of each small piece is 0 °.
In this case, there is a case where the edge of the small piece of the magnetic material constituting the magnetic code pattern 23 crosses the gap of the read head in parallel (to form 0 °). At this time, the output voltage of the read head 32 is obtained. In FIG. 7, the magnetic flux changes at t1, and the magnetic flux returns to 0 at t2. Therefore, a positive output voltage is obtained at t1, and a negative output voltage is obtained at t2. By obtaining the output in this way, the output waveform becomes as shown in the lower part of FIG. When the pattern 12, which is the magnetic code pattern 23, crosses the read head 31 having a gap having an azimuth angle of 0 °, an output waveform similar to that of FIG. 7 is obtained.

Further, since the dummy code pattern 24 cannot change the above-mentioned bias magnetic flux, it is not detected by any read head.

As described above, since the detection result for the same magnetic pattern differs depending on the azimuth angle of the reading head, different reading results can be obtained depending on the reading head even with the same barcode BC. Here, if the detection of the pattern is coded as “1” and the non-detection is coded as “0”, the detection result of the magnetic card 10 shown in FIG. 4 (the magnetic card 10 of FIG. 1 is shown upside down) has an azimuth angle of According to the read head of 0 °, it becomes (1101), but the azimuth angle is +
According to the 45 ° read head, the value is (0100). According to the read head having an azimuth angle of -45 °, (1
001).

FIG. 8 shows the overall configuration of the magnetic marker reading device. As shown in FIG.
The magnetic card 10 is transported horizontally below the head assembly 30 by transporting means (not shown) while the reading surface 30 a is directed downward, and during this time, the bar code BC is read by the head assembly 30. It is supposed to be. However, conversely, the magnetic card 10 may be fixed and the head assembly 30 may be transported. That is, as long as the relative movement between the magnetic card 10 and the head assembly 30 is caused, any of them may be transported.

The output signal of each read head of the head assembly 30 (output voltage of each read coil) is amplified by an amplifier.

Each of the amplified output signals is input to a decoder (encoding means) 43. The decoder 43
The output signal is compared with the clock signal, and when the output voltage is equal to or more than a specified value in one clock cycle, a binary "1" is output, and when the output signal is less than the specified value, "0" is output. Thus, the decoder 43 outputs the encoded data for each output signal of each read head. The plurality of data are combined into one by a computing unit (computing means) 45 according to a predetermined calculation formula and output.

Preferably, as shown in FIG. 8, the reading apparatus includes a clock signal generator 44, and the clock signal generator 44 generates a clock signal.
However, the magnetic card 10 is provided with a plurality of reference detection portions at equal intervals along the scanning direction, and a reading device is provided with detection means for detecting the reference detection portions. A signal generated by the detecting means when the detecting unit is detected can be used instead of the clock signal. In this case, even when the transport speed of the magnetic card changes halfway, the reading of the patterns 11 and 12 and the clock signal are synchronized, and the encoding can be performed smoothly.

A specific reading method will be described with reference to FIG. Here, a case where the magnetic card 10 shown in FIG. 4 is read using the head assembly 30 shown in FIG. FIG. 9A shows the waveform of the output signal of the read head 31, and FIG. 9B shows the waveform of the output signal of the read head 32. These waveforms are encoded in the decoder 43 by collating with the clock signal shown in (c). That is, the output signal of the read head 31 is (d)
(1101) as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the output signal of the read head 32 is (010) as shown in FIG.
0).

As described above, the arithmetic unit 45 combines these output signals into one. In the illustrated example, the output signal of the read head 31 is simply upper 4 digits and the output signal of the read head 32 is lower 4 digits, and is combined into a total of 8 digits. As a result, (110
10100) is output. However, the numerical value of each digit may be assigned to a predetermined digit and placed in a completely different order.

C. Effects Next, effects of the present embodiment will be described below. According to the conventional reading method, when four patterns are manufactured by combining the magnetic code pattern 23 and the dummy code pattern 24, “1” is assigned to the magnetic code pattern 23.
And only outputs “0” for the dummy code pattern 24. Therefore, in binary system (0000) ~
Only 16 kinds of data of (1111) are obtained.

The read head 31, whose azimuth angle is 0 °,
36 also outputs “1” to the magnetic code pattern 23 and “0” to the dummy code pattern 24 irrespective of the direction of easy magnetization of the magnetic code pattern 23. If the head assembly 30 is provided independently, it is the same as the conventional case.

However, in the above embodiment, the head assembly 30 is provided with at least one read head for detecting only the magnetic code pattern 23 in which the direction of easy magnetization is within a certain range. That is, the azimuth angle is +45
The read heads 32, 34, 37, and 39 output "1" for the pattern 11 in which the easy magnetization direction of the magnetic code pattern 23 is parallel to the azimuth angle. “0” is output for the pattern 12 in which the easy magnetization direction is orthogonal to the azimuth angle.
Also, the read heads 33, 3 having an azimuth angle of -45 °
5 and 38 output “1” to the pattern 12 in which the easy magnetization direction of the magnetic code pattern 23 is parallel to the azimuth angle, and the easy magnetization direction of the magnetic code pattern 23 is orthogonal to the azimuth angle. “0” is output for pattern 11.

Therefore, even with the same magnetic code pattern 23, the output may be "1" or "0" depending on the read head. Therefore, the bar code BC
Can make the recordable and readable information versatile. Table 1 shows the contents of information that can be recorded and read in the above embodiment. Here, a case where the head assembly 30 shown in FIG.

[0049]

[Table 1]

The way of reading Table 1 is as follows. First, when the reading head 31 having an azimuth angle of 0 ° reads (0000), all four patterns are the dummy code patterns 24. Accordingly, the reading result of the reading head 32 having the azimuth angle of + 45 ° is always (0000). As described above, there is only one possibility of the number of data combinations formed by the four dummy code patterns 24. This is the first line of Table 1.

Next, when the read head 31 reads (0001), it is certain that the first three patterns are the dummy code pattern 24 and the last pattern is the magnetic code pattern 23. Since there are two possible directions of easy magnetization of the magnetic code pattern 23,
The read result of the read head 32 is (0000) (0001)
There are two possibilities. This is the viewpoint of the second row in Table 1.

Hereinafter, the same can be considered. Finally, when the reading head 31 reads (1111), all of the four patterns are magnetic code patterns 23, but the easy magnetization direction of the magnetic code pattern 23 is two. There are 16 possible results of reading by the read head 32 (see the last row of Table 1). Therefore, when the reading result of the reading head 31 and the reading result of the reading head 32 are combined, 81 combinations in total can be considered.

The fact that 81 combinations are conceivable in this way means that, in other words, when manufacturing the magnetic card 10, the four patterns 11 and 12 are added to the magnetic card 10.
, It is possible to provide 81 kinds of information. That is, bar code B
Even if the area occupied by C is not increased, the amount of information that can be recorded can be increased five times or more as compared with the related art. In the reading device according to the present embodiment, by using the two reading heads 31 and 32, all of these 81 types of information can be identified.

This effect is the same even if the azimuth angle of the read head 32 is -45 ° instead of + 45 °. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4D, the azimuth angles of the reading heads of the head assembly 30 are respectively +
The same applies to 45 ° and −45 °. Pattern 1
Since the dummy code pattern 24 can be included in the reference numerals 1 and 12, the result of the reading by the read head having the azimuth angle of + 45 ° is opposite to the result of the reading by the read head having the azimuth angle of −45 °. Because it does not become.

Although four types of head assemblies 30 are illustrated in FIG. 4, the azimuth angle and the number of tracks (the number of parallel heads) are not limited to those shown. However,
At least one of the plurality of read heads of the head assembly 30 detects only a magnetic pattern having an easy magnetization direction at a certain angle and does not detect a magnetic pattern having another easy magnetization direction at a certain angle. There must be. That is, as in this embodiment, the azimuth angle is 0.
３, +45 ゜ and -45 ゜ are considered,
At least one head having an azimuth angle of + 45 ° or −45 ° may be used.

Further, in this embodiment, in one scan, a plurality of read heads read the bar code BC, encode the respective read results, and combine these codes according to a predetermined arithmetic expression. This eliminates the need to perform multiple scans, and can reduce the reading time.

Further, the reading apparatus of the present embodiment can also read a conventional marker having no anisotropy, that is, a marker in which one pattern is formed as one bar. A marker in which bars, which are conventional patterns, are arranged perpendicular to the scanning direction is detected by a reading head having a gap azimuth angle of 0 °. Therefore, this reader is compatible with conventional markers provided that it has an assembly having a read head with an azimuth angle of 0 °.

In the above embodiment, the pattern 1
Although the dummy code patterns 24 are mixed in the magnetic code patterns 1 and 12, in the present invention, the patterns 11 and 12 are composed only of the magnetic code patterns 23, and the magnetic code patterns 2
In the case where the easy magnetization direction of No. 3 is either + 45 ° or −45 °, it is also possible to regard that the barcode BC is read by one read head having an azimuth angle of + 45 ° or −45 °. .

That is, conventionally, the reading result of the bar code BC composed of the four magnetic code patterns 23 is as follows.
There was only one of (1111). However, as shown in the last row of Table 1, the readability of the azimuth angle of + 45 ° or −45 ° by the read head having the azimuth angle of + 45 ° or −45 ° by setting the possibility of the easy magnetization direction of each of the magnetic code patterns 23 in two ways. A reading result is obtained.

In other words, even when the dummy code pattern 24 is not used, 16 kinds of information can be given by giving the four magnetic code patterns 23 to the magnetic card 10 in manufacturing the magnetic card 10. There is nothing but that. That is, it is possible to dramatically increase the amount of information that can be recorded without increasing the area occupied by the barcode BC. Then, with one read head having an azimuth angle of + 45 ° or -45 °,
It is possible to identify all of these 16 types of information.

[0061]

Next, an example of an actual trial production will be described. First, on a 188 μm-thick PET sheet (“E-28G” manufactured by Toray Co., Ltd.) serving as the substrate 21 of the magnetic card 10, a Ba-
The magnetic recording layer 22 was formed by gravure coating a magnetic paint (manufactured by Toyo Ink Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) using ferrite as a magnetic powder for recording.

The magnetic code pattern 23 as an anisotropic magnetic bar code was screen-printed using a magnetic ink in which a magnetic material was dispersed in a binder. This magnetic ink is
It was blended according to the composition shown in Table 2, and was obtained by performing pre-dispersion with a dispenser and then performing dispersion with a sand mill at a speed of 2400 rpm.

[0063]

The bar codes BC were arranged as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, and the width of each magnetic code pattern 23 was 1 mm, the length was 8 mm, and the width of one small piece was 300 μm. The screen printing plate was a Tetron plate having 300 lines / inch and a sol thickness of 20 μm. The non-magnetic dummy code pattern 24 was similarly printed using a commercially available gray ink (manufactured by Toyo Ink).

The concealing layer 25 was formed by using an ink obtained by dispersing an aluminum paste (made by Toyo Aluminum) in a resin, and forming 300 lines /
Screen printing was performed on an inch calendar plate. Thereafter, in order to impart abrasion resistance, the protective layer 26 was printed with an ultraviolet-curable offset ink (manufactured by Toyo Ink Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) to a thickness of 1 μm. The printed sheet was cut into a magnetic card 10 to form a measurement sample.

The head assembly 30 of the reader is shown in FIG.
(A) A reading head 31 having an azimuth angle of 0 ° as shown in FIG.
And a two-track read head 32 having a + 45 ° read head 32 provided in parallel. Patterns 11 and 1 of magnetic card 10
Since the arrangement of No. 2 is the same as in FIGS. 1 and 4, the read result of the read head 31 should be (1101) and the read result of the read head 32 should be (0100) as described above.

Each of the read heads 31 and 32 has a read core gap of 35 μm and a track width of 2 mm. In the head assembly 30, a bias current of 30 mA was applied to generate a bias magnetic field, and the bar code BC of the sample magnetic card 10 was read at a scanning speed of 1 m / sec.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show output waveforms in the actual measurement, which are obtained by amplifying the output waveforms of the read heads 31 and 32, respectively. Extremes of this time the resulting output voltage was amplified in the same ratio with the same form of amplifiers 41 and 42, (a) is 10.4 V _pp, (b) is 7.2V _pp
This is a value that can be encoded with a sufficiently good SN ratio. Therefore, reliability in use was also confirmed.

This output waveform is encoded by the decoder 43 and the arithmetic unit 45, and the output signal of the read head 31 is simply upper 4 digits and the output signal of the read head 32 is lower 4 digits, for a total of 8 digits.
As a result of combining the digits, the result was (11010100), and regular information recorded on the magnetic card 10 could be obtained.

[0070]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Even if the area occupied by the marker is not increased, the amount of information that can be recorded on and read from the marker can be dramatically increased as compared with the related art. In one scan, the markers are read by a plurality of magnetic reading means, the reading results of the plurality of magnetic reading means are encoded, and these codes are combined in accordance with a predetermined arithmetic expression, so that a plurality of scans are performed. And the reading time can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a magnetic card provided with a marker having magnetic anisotropy according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a head assembly of the reading device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view showing various examples of a head arrangement in the head assembly of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which a magnetic code pattern having magnetic anisotropy according to the present invention is read by a head having a gap having an azimuth angle of + 45 ° and an output voltage at that time.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which a magnetic code pattern having another magnetic anisotropy according to the present invention is read by a head having an azimuth angle of a gap of + 45 ° and an output voltage at that time.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which a magnetic code pattern having magnetic anisotropy according to the present invention is read by a head having a gap azimuth angle of 0 ° and an output voltage at that time.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the reading device according to the present invention.

9 is a diagram showing a signal waveform and output data of the reading device of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a conventional magnetic card.

11 is a sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference numeral 10: magnetic card, 11, 12: pattern, 23: magnetic code pattern, 24: dummy code pattern, 30:
Head assembly, 31 to 39 read head (magnetic reading means), 43 decoder (encoding means), 45 arithmetic unit (arithmetic means), BC barcode

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] May 2, 1997

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0049

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0049]

[Table 1]

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI G06K 19/06 G11B 5/02 Z G11B 5/02 G06K 19/00 BE

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A marker constituted by a plurality of magnetic patterns formed so that an easy magnetization direction forms a predetermined angle with respect to a scanning direction is relatively scanned by a magnetic reading means, and the marker is scanned by the magnetic reading means. A method for reading a marker to be read by a magnetic reading means, wherein the marker is read by the magnetic reading means capable of reading only the magnetic pattern in which the direction of easy magnetization is a fixed angle. A method for reading a marker having magnetic anisotropy. 2. A marker composed of a magnetic pattern formed so that an easy magnetization direction forms a predetermined angle with respect to a scanning direction and a dummy pattern made of a non-magnetic material is relatively positioned to a magnetic reading unit. A marker reading method for reading the marker by the magnetic reading means while scanning, wherein each of the markers has a different azimuth angle, and at least one of the magnetic patterns has a constant angle of easy magnetization. A method for reading a marker having magnetic anisotropy, wherein the marker is read by a plurality of the magnetic reading means, which can be read. 3. The method for reading a marker having magnetic anisotropy according to claim 2, wherein each reading result by said magnetic reading means is encoded, and these codes are combined in accordance with a predetermined arithmetic expression. . 4. The easy magnetization direction of the magnetic pattern is approximately + 45 ° or approximately −4 with respect to the scanning direction.
At least one of the azimuth angles is selected from the group consisting of approximately 0 ° (perpendicular to the scanning direction), approximately + 45 ° and approximately −45 °, and the azimuth angle is approximately 0 °.
The magnetic reading means 垂直 (perpendicular to the scanning direction) can read the magnetic pattern regardless of the easy magnetization direction, and the azimuth angle is substantially +4.
4. The magnetic reading means according to claim 2, wherein the magnetic reading means of 5 DEG or substantially -45 DEG can read only the magnetic pattern whose easy magnetization direction is substantially parallel to its azimuth angle. For reading a marker having magnetic anisotropy. 5. A method in which a marker composed of a plurality of magnetic patterns formed so that an easy magnetization direction forms a predetermined angle with respect to a scanning direction is relatively scanned by a magnetic reading unit, and the marker is moved. A marker reading device to be read by a magnetic reading unit, wherein the conveying unit scans the marker relative to the magnetic reading unit, and the magnetic pattern in which the easy magnetization direction has a fixed angle can be read. An apparatus for reading a marker having magnetic anisotropy, comprising: the magnetic reading means. 6. A marker composed of a magnetic pattern formed so that the direction of easy magnetization is at a predetermined angle with respect to the scanning direction and a dummy pattern made of a non-magnetic material is relatively positioned to the magnetic reading means. What is claimed is: 1. A marker reading device for reading said marker by said magnetic reading means while scanning, wherein said conveying means scans said marker relative to said magnetic reading means, each having a different azimuth angle, and at least one Comprises a plurality of said magnetic reading means capable of reading only said magnetic pattern in which said easy magnetization direction is at a fixed angle, wherein a marker reading device having magnetic anisotropy is provided. . 7. The magnetic anisotropy according to claim 6, further comprising: an encoding unit that encodes each reading result by the magnetic reading unit; and an arithmetic unit that combines these codes. Marker reading device. 8. The easy magnetization direction of the magnetic pattern is approximately + 45 ° or approximately −4 with respect to the scanning direction.
The azimuth angle is selected from at least two of approximately 0 (perpendicular to the scanning direction), approximately + 45 °, and approximately −45 °, and the azimuth angle is approximately 0 °. The magnetic reading means 垂直 (perpendicular to the scanning direction) can read the magnetic pattern regardless of the easy magnetization direction, and the azimuth angle is substantially +4.
8. The magnetic reading device according to claim 6, wherein the magnetic reading means of 5 ° or approximately −45 ° can read only the magnetic pattern whose easy magnetization direction is substantially parallel to its azimuth angle. For reading a marker having magnetic anisotropy.