JPS581855A - Magnetic card reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize an exchange of various kinds of information with a switch of modes, by providing a control member to lead a magnetic card discharged to the travelling path of the card to the inserting port again and to attain an endless travel of the magnetic card. CONSTITUTION:In the insertion/discharge mode, a magnetic card 62 inserted through an opening part A turns on a detector 65 and then turns a feed roller 56. When the card 62 advances more, the card 62 is transported by the roller 56 and a counter roller 57 to receive the reading or writing through a magnetic head 61. Then the card 62 is guided by the surface 51b of a card guide 51 to be discharged through the part A. When an endless travel is desired for the card 62, the guide 51 is turned counterclockwise by a proper means before the card 62 is discharged. As a result, the card 62 travels endlessly along the surface 51a of the guide 51.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a magnetic card reading device, and more particularly to a magnetic card reading device that uses a magnetic head to read and write information on a magnetic card inserted through an insertion slot and ejected from an ejection slot.

In recent years, many systems have been used to record or reproduce information by writing information onto magnetic cards. There are so-called hard magnetic cards in which a magnetic information writing section is formed, and so-called flexible magnetic cards in which a magnetic information writing section is formed in a thin and flexible film such as polyester film.The above-mentioned hard magnetic cards If the card is deformed due to mechanical or thermal factors, the contact with the magnetic head will be poor, making it difficult to write or read magnetic information.Furthermore, since the card is thick, it will be difficult to file if the amount is large. It has disadvantages such as requiring a lot of space.

On the other hand, flexible magnetic cards (on the other hand) are strong and flexible, allowing good contact with the magnetic head due to their characteristics, and are also thinner so they have less space for files. It has the advantage of requiring less.

From this point of view, magnetic card reading devices using flexible magnetic cards have recently come into widespread use.

Such a magnetic card reading device is illustrated in Fig. 1 (top view), Fig. 2 (right side view), and Fig. 3 (left side view), and in each figure, it is A card running guide 1 is provided which is held and curved into a U-shape. Similarly, a side plate 2 is placed inside this traveling guide 1.
, 3 (2) are provided, and these guides form a card running path on which a flexible magnetic card 19 runs. A shaft 6 is provided which penetrates the side plates 2 and 3 and is rotatably supported.A feed roller 8 having an elastic member 7 such as rubber wrapped around the outer circumference is fixed around the shaft 6. A second drive gear 9 is fixed to the other end as shown in FIG. be rotated.

On the other hand, each shaft 15.1 faces the feed roller 8.
6 upper (two-rotatable ζ two-axis supported counter roller 13,
14 are arranged, and these rollers 13 and 14 are in pressure contact with the feed roller 8 to read and write magnetic information. Outlet B
is attached to the side near the A pinch roller 20 for pressing the magnetic card 19 against the magnetic head 17 is arranged opposite to the magnetic head 17. pinch roller 2
0 is fixed on the card guide 4 (on the biaxially supported shaft 21, and is biased in the direction of the magnetic head 17 (= biased by the suppression spring 22) to ensure that the magnetic card 19 is pressed against the magnetic head 17. Also, on the card running path (= means a detector 23 such as a microsinch,
24 and 25 are arranged, and the detector 23 is arranged near the insertion slot A of the card running path, detects insertion of the magnetic card 19, and drives the motor 12 to drive the feed roller 8. In addition, the detector 24 is a detector that generates a write protect signal to prevent writing, and prevents new information from being accidentally written on top of previously written information. is a signal for determining whether to read or write information,
This is for generating a so-called read/write signal.

In such a configuration, the magnetic card 19 is inserted into the insertion slot A.
After being inserted into the card and detected by the detector 23, the feed roller 8 moves the card along the card running path ζ2 in a U-shape (:
It is bent and conveyed, and after information is written or read by the magnetic to rad 17, it is discharged from the discharge port B.

When exchanging information using a magnetic card reading device (2) configured in this way, there are cases where the same information must be sent quite a number of times a day. Since a device for endlessly running the card is not provided, there are problems such as having to reinsert the ejected magnetic card into the insertion slot each time the magnetic card is ejected.

Therefore, the present invention eliminates such conventional drawbacks, and has a mode in which the device is inserted from the insertion port and ejected from the discharge port, and a mode in which it runs endlessly. An object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic card reading device that enables easy operation.

In order to achieve this object, the present invention adopts a configuration in which a control member is provided to guide the magnetic card ejected into the magnetic card running path back to the insertion slot, thereby enabling endless running of the magnetic card.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings.

4 and 5, the magnetic card reading device is formed with a card running guide 50 held from both sides by side plates (not shown), and this guide 50 has an approximately circular inner surface. They are united at an opening A which also serves as an insertion port and a discharge port. Therefore, a roughly circular card running path is formed. A shaft 52 supported on the side plate is provided near the opening A, and a card guide 51 fixed to this shaft 52 is provided. At approximately the center C2 of the card running path, a feed roller 56 is fixed on a shaft 55 which passes through the side plate and is rotatably supported. As shown, the position of the feed roller 56 relative to the card running guide 50 is concentric with the substantially circular card running path, and the radial distance from the inner surface of the card running guide 50 to the shaft 55 is approximately constant. There is. Further, a driving gear (not shown) is fixed to the other end of the shaft 55 that supports the feed roller 56, and this driving gear is similarly rotated by a motor (not shown) to rotate the feed roller 56. .

On the other hand, the card guide 51 has a sharp edge toward the opening A, and is a substantially triangular block with surfaces 51a and 51b forming a running path with the same thickness as the running path formed at the feed roller 56. The surface 51a is formed so that when the magnetic card 62 is inserted, the surface 51a
The surface 51b is curved inward so that the surface 51b is discharged along the arrow C direction.

On the other hand, a gap 5 is provided at the discharge side end of the card running guide 5o.
0a is provided, and this gap 50a is covered by a spring member 53 fixed to the card running guide 50 via a screw 54. When the card guide 51 is rotated about the shaft 52 by a suitable means, the spring member 53 enters the position shown in FIG. Therefore, the magnetic card that advances in the direction of the arrow is inserted again in the direction of the arrow E.

On the other hand, counter rollers 57 and 58 mounted on shafts 59 and 60 opposite the feed roller 56 are disposed substantially diametrically opposed to each other to ensure the running of the magnetic card 62. Further, a magnetic head 61 for reading and writing magnetic information is fixed to the card running guide 5° near the end of the running path, and the magnetic head 61 is also fixed to the card running guide 5° near the end of the running path.
A pinch roller 63 that presses the magnetic card 62 against the magnetic head 61 is fixed on a shaft 64.

Note that this pinch roller 63 is urged in the direction of the magnetic head 61 by a spring (not shown), and the pinch roller 63 is urged toward the magnetic head 61 by a spring (not shown).
2 and the magnetic head 61 is ensured.

Additionally, there is a detector 65 on the card running path that detects the insertion of the magnetic card 62 and rotates the feed roller 56, and a write protector that prevents new information from being written on top of already recorded information. A detector 66 that generates a signal and a detector 67 that generates a read/write signal for determining whether information is written or read are arranged.

In the magnetic card reading device configured as described above, first set the card guide 51 as shown in FIG. When the magnetic card 62 is inserted through the opening A, which also serves as
From the second step, the feed roller 56 starts rotating counterclockwise. Furthermore, when the magnetic card 62 is inserted forward, the magnetic card 62 is further conveyed by the rotating feed roller 56 and counter roller 57 (2).
6 is turned on and write protection is performed, the detector 67 is turned on, and the magnetic head 61 reads or writes information to the magnetic card 62 based on the read signal or write signal generated thereby.

Thereafter, the magnetic card 62 is conveyed in the C direction along the surface 51b of the card guide 51 and discharged to the opening A. In this way, a normal magnetic card insertion and ejection mode is performed.

Next, the operation when the magnetic card is run endlessly will be explained. First, a magnetic card is inserted in the state shown in FIG. 4, the detector 65 is turned on, and the feed roller 56 is rotated to convey the magnetic card 62.

Information is written to or read from the magnetic field 61 as described above. Before the magnetic card 62 is ejected, an appropriate means (
The second twist shaft 52 is rotated counterclockwise. When the shaft 52 rotates, the card guide 51 rotates counterclockwise and presses the spring member 53 while closing the gap 50a (two people, fifth
A card guide 51 closes the opening A as shown in the figure. Therefore, the magnetic card 62 is again run in the E direction along the surface 51a of the card guide 51 and begins to run endlessly.

Also, when ejecting the magnetic card 62, the magnetic card 62
When the card guide 51 reaches the magnetic head 61, the end shaft 52 is rotated clockwise (twice) to rotate the card guide 51 to the state shown in FIG.

It is preferable to use the detector 67 or the magnetic head 61 to switch whether the magnetic card is placed in the insertion/ejection mode or the endless running mode.

The embodiments described above (in the second case, the detectors 65, 66°6
7 is constructed using a microswitch, but the same effect can be obtained by using an optical switch such as a photocoupler instead of such a mechanical switch.

As explained above (1) According to the present invention, a control member such as a card guide is provided to guide the ejected magnetic card back into the insertion slot (2), and the insertion and ejection modes can be controlled by simple means. In addition to the above, an end card reader is obtained.

[Brief Description of the Drawings] Figures 1 to 3 are a plan view, a right side view, a left side view, and a fourth figure showing the structure of a conventional magnetic card reading device, respectively.
The figure is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the magnetic card reading device according to the present invention in insertion and ejection modes, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of the magnetic card reading device according to the present invention during endless running. 50...T card running guide 51...Card guide 56...Feed roller 57.58...Counter roller 61...Magnetic head 62...
・Magnetic card 63...pinch roller 65,6
6.67...Detector patent applicant Canon Electronics Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a magnetic card reading device that uses magnetism to read and write information on a magnetic card inserted from an insertion slot and ejected from an ejection slot, control for guiding the magnetic card discharged into the running path of the magnetic card to the insertion slot again. 1. A magnetic card reading device characterized in that a member is provided to enable endless running of a magnetic card.