JPS6015966B2 - card sorting device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for extremely efficiently sorting cards in a predetermined order while reducing the number of card storage boxes.

Conventionally, in this type of device, a plurality of cards are fed out one by one from a single hopper that accommodates and holds the cards, and the classification code attached to the card is read. The reality is that items are stored in one of a plurality of stackers according to the classification method.

However, such a device has the disadvantage that it must have a number of stackers corresponding to the number of items to be sorted, which makes the device itself large and expensive. . Also, it is impossible to increase the number of stackers without limit, so if the number of classifications is greater than the number of stackers, it is necessary to change the classification method and reclassify several times. In some cases, it is troublesome to put cards once stored in the stacker into the hopper or to change the sorting method. Furthermore, because of the large number of stackers, the card capacity of each stacker is relatively small, and in many cases cards may be sorted in excess of the capacity of a single stacker, in which case the stacker may have -
If the stored cards are transferred by another operator, not only does it take a lot of time for the sorting process, but there is also the possibility of problems with transfer operations. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a card sorting device that is small, inexpensive, and capable of extremely efficient sorting regardless of the type of sorting. Another object of the present invention is to perform card classification without bothering the operator. The present invention will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10.

First, FIGS. 1 and 2 show mechanical and electrical block diagrams, respectively, of a card sorting device according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numerals 1 and 2 indicate stackers for accommodating cards of similar construction, 5 indicates a card, and 6 indicates a powered card delivery section.

The cards 5 are normally sent out from the left end of the stacker 1 to the card feeding path 7 based on commands from the control section shown in FIG. The card 5 is sent out by turning the delivery roller 8 from a stopped state to a rotating state. The card 5 sent out to the feeding path 7 is further fed by a feeding roller 10 or the like. In addition, the cards 5 sent out by the sending roller 4 from the loaded card sending section 3 of the stacker 2 are also fed by the feeding roller 9 in the same machine, and then enter the mixing section 11 from the stacker 1 into the common running path 12 that intersects with the feeding path. It will be done like this. On the common track 12, a sensor 13 reads letters, numbers, etc. written on the card 5 in advance. The card 5 that passed through the common track 12 passes through the track 15,
Based on the command from the control section shown in FIG. 2, the selection section 14 selectively sends the signal to either stacker 1 or 2. In the illustrated state, the stacker 2 is selected. The rightmost card 5 in the stacker 2 has been stored in the stacker 2 in the above process. The cards 5 stored in either the stacker 1 or 2 in this manner are sent toward the next card delivery section 3 or 6 by a card transfer device 16. To explain this operation in detail, 17 is a rotation axis, which is constantly rotating in the direction shown by arrow 18.
This rotating shaft 17 has spiral folds 19 and rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 17. Therefore, for example, the card 5 located at the rightmost end in the stacker 2 is transferred in the direction of the force card delivery sections 3 and 6 with respect to the rotation of the rotation track 17. When a large number of cards 5 are stored in the stackers 1 and 2 in this manner, all the cards 5 are stacked near the loaded card delivery units 3 and 6 by the card transfer machine 16, so that the card transfer machine 16 While being pushed in the direction of arrow 20, the card transfer device 16 is pushed in the direction of arrow 22 by the spring 21, one end of which is fixed.
An appropriate force is applied to the card 5 in the force card delivery sections 3 and 6, making it easy to send the card 5 out by the delivery rollers 4 and 8. Incidentally, the stackers 1 and 2 having such a configuration can be realized by other configurations, but
As for functionality, it must have at least a first-in, first-out function. FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the control section and input/output device of the present invention.

The processor 30 is for performing various processes according to the programs in the program memory 31. It is unnecessary to explain that this processor 30 is connected to input/output devices to be described later by a data bus 32, an address bus 33, and a control bus 34. It is used to output the classification results etc. of the 45 input/output devices, and
The magnetic tape device 46 is used for outputting various types of read data and for other purposes. The character recognition processor 47 analyzes and encodes the captured data from the sensor 13, and sends the data to the processor 30, which is a known character recognition processor.

The RAM 42 is also a so-called random access memory that stores characters, numbers, etc. read from the input card, and sends the characters, numbers, etc. to the processor 301 according to instructions from the processor 30. The card running control section 41 is activated by pressing the start button 40, and the processor 30
It functions to send drive control signals to lines 43, 44, and 48 in response to commands from the controller, and to drive and control the delivery rollers 4, 8 and selection section 14 shown in FIG. 1 in order to perform card sorting. . The classification of power-cards begins with the card 5 to be classified.
After appropriately distributing and storing it in the power card sending sections 3 and 6 of stacker 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as 1) and stacker 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as D), press the start button 40. is started by.

When the start button 40 is pressed, the processor 3 detects the start of card sorting, controls the card maneuvering according to the program stored in advance in the program memory 31, and controls the characters and numbers read from the card being run. Among these, the control of card ejecting and traveling is naturally obvious from the control of processing of characters, numbers, etc., which will be described later, and therefore no special explanation is required. Processing control of characters, numbers, etc. is performed according to the flows shown in FIGS. 3 to 8. Processing control of characters, numbers, etc. is started from the flow tree shown in FIG. This third
Referring to the figure, in the first step 51, at the start, the RAM 4 is used to specify an address in the RAM 42.
Initial values are set in the second specific addresses S, X, T, Y, and P as in step 51. Here, S is used to indicate the address of the RAM 42 that stores the data of the card at the leftmost end of the card sending unit 6 in 1, that is, the card in contact with the sending roller 8, and Among the cards, T is used to indicate the address of the RAM 42 that stores the data of the card farthest from the output unit 6, that is, the rightmost card. card,
That is, it is used to indicate the address of the RAM 42 that stores the data of the card in contact with the delivery roller 4, and Y is 0.
The RAM 42, P which stores the data of the card which is further away from the input card sending unit 3, that is, the rightmost card, will be described later. In step 52, in the process of sending the cards from the card sending section 6 of 1 to 1 one by one, the sensor 1
Step 3 reads the data on this card, ie, the character number, etc.

Here, as for the control for sending the card from 1 to 1, when sending the card from 1, a drive signal is sent to the roller 8 from the power feed control section 41 to the line 43 according to the instruction from the processor 30, and the roller 8 is sent from the 1 to 1. Make it time-driven and send one card. Also, when sending a card to 1, select county 14
Select section 14 in the direction of arrow 25 so that the card goes to 1.
keep it moving. This is done by the signal line 44. 0 again
When sending a card from the card, the roller 4 is driven at one o'clock by the line 48. The data read in step 52 is step 5.
3, it is stored at the address indicated by X in the RAM 42, that is, at 1000q. Next, in step 54,
is greater than or equal to 10999
If it is not 9 or more, X is incremented by 1 as in step 55. Next, the data read at 56 is “E”
Test whether it is. When inserting the cards into the stackers at the beginning of the technique, the cards with "E" data written on them are inserted one by one into the rightmost counterfeit, which is farthest from the sending sections 3 and 6 of each stacker 1 and 0. , is used to indicate the end of a card. Therefore, in this case, since it is not "E", the process returns to step 52, and the same control is repeated thereafter, and finally, when the "E" card is read, the control moves to step 57. From step 57 onward, the same control as above is performed for stackers 0 and Y, and as before, when the "E" card is read, control is transferred to the force shown in FIG. By the control process described above, the RAM
42, the data of the cards included in 1 is stored in addresses S to x, and the data of the cards included in 0 are stored in addresses T to Y in the same way. Hereafter, the data in address S is A, and the data in X is C.
, T is represented by the character B, and data in Y is represented by the character D. Therefore, data A and C correspond to stacker 1,
8, D corresponds to Stakkaroko. Now, to explain the specific classification control based on the power in Figure 4, the three processors P=
1, AiE, and B=E in steps 60 to 62, and if all are negative, the process moves to step 63.

In step 63, it is tested whether there is C or D that is not larger than the smaller of A and B, and if there is, in step 64, the corresponding stacker is selected from the stacker corresponding to the smaller of A and B in step 63. Send the card to the Statuka that corresponds to the greater of C and D. However, in this case, C=
The comparison is performed assuming that E is C=0, and D=E is D=○. If in step 63 there is no C or D that is not larger than the smaller of A or B, then in step 65 it is tested whether there is C or D that is not larger than the larger of A or B, and if there is At step 66, the card is sent from the stacker corresponding to the greater of A and B to the stacker corresponding to the greater of C and D, which corresponds to step 65. Also,
If there are no corresponding C or D in step 65, then in step 67 A. Cards are sent from the stacker corresponding to the smaller one of B to the stacker corresponding to the larger one of C and D. In steps 63-67, C:
When E, D=E, C and D are considered zero, but "
In addition, when A=B, the card is sent from stacker 0, and when C=D, the card is sent to stacker 1. Upon completion of steps 64, 66 or 67, control passes to Nu. FIGS. 5 and 6 show control for changing the addresses indicated by S, X, T, and Y according to the card that has been moved, and for writing data in accordance with card feeding.

That is, in FIGS. 5 and 6, steps 70-73 test the card feeding direction, steps 74-79 count up the address, and steps 80-83 transfer data to a new address. will be held. In addition, T and S in steps 80 to 83 are address T.
, S are shown below. When this is completed, control returns to the force shown in FIG. 4, and the above-described control process is repeated. Thereafter, while repeating the same control process, when the end card "E" arrives at the sending unit 6 of 1, A=E, and so on.
Step 61 in FIG. 4 is skipped and the control shown in FIG. 7 is entered. If B=E in step 86, that is, if there is also an end card "E" in the sending section 3 of 0, the control exits.
(described later). However, if B≠E, a test is made in step 87 to see if there is a C or D that is not greater than B, processing in each case is carried out in steps 88 and 89, and the control returns to N. When B=E, A is the main E, the control is from the evening to the 7th
Enter the diagram, A=E. Almost the same control as in the case of B≠E is performed. When A=B=E, the control goes to step 61 in FIG. 4, then goes to step 86 in FIG. 7, and then goes to step 91 in FIG.
Set. P=1 indicates that A=B=E. Next, in step 92, the card is sent from 1 to 1, and the control enters nu in FIG. In the force in Figure 4, P = 1 in step 60, so it goes to step 9 in Figure 8.
3 and P=○. Next, in step 94, the card is sent from D to 0, and in step 95, it is tested whether T=Y. If T≠Y, the same control process is repeated again using the force shown in FIG. After repeating this process several times, T=
The time will come when it will be Y. This indicates that all the cards have been collected into stacker 1 in an ordered manner. Next, the card data will be explained in more detail.

9a, b, and c show data on cards in stackers 1 and 0. FIG.

Arrow 101 indicates the state when the flow of FIG. 3 is completed. That is, stacker 1 contains cards 8, 7, 5, and E, and stacker 0 contains cards 5, 4, 3, and E. This data is 1 from address 10000 of RAM42.
0003 and addresses 11000 to 11003. These cards pass through the processes indicated by arrows 102 to 107 at 108 under the control indicated by the forces in FIG.
The process of the aircraft is repeated again as shown in Figure 9b.
Furthermore, the same process is repeated in FIG. 9c, and reaches 140, where C=D=E and T=Y, and the process ends at step 95 in FIG. 8. In this way, 14 in Figure 9
As shown in the 0 state, the cards can be rearranged in order from the smallest data number to the largest data number. Here, I would like to add a little bit about the stacker.
In FIG. 1, when the card 5 enters the stackers 1 and 2 from above the right end, it is conceivable that the card 5 collides with the fold 19. In such a case, the sensor 23 detects the position of the fold 19 and the card 5 is removed. Roller 2 when it is okay to send
This can be easily solved by rotating 4.

The above-mentioned methods (1) to (4) can also be performed by other methods, and the present invention is not limited to these methods.

In addition, although a magnetic ink character reading section is used in this example, it is also possible to use an optical character reading section.
It is clear that other items with readable subtitles can also be used. Furthermore, in this example, an example in which the numbers are simply rearranged is explained, but it is also possible to rearrange other codes, numbers, etc. in a predetermined order using the apparatus of the present invention.

For example, it is clear that the ordering can be easily changed using a commonly known table reference method. When sorting cards, a different type of card is mixed in with the cards to be sorted, and when the desired permutation is achieved, the different type of card becomes a counterfeit that serves as a sorting marker. Set the numbers in advance so that they are inserted in order. For example, set the last digit as the digit used for the classification card, but do not use "0", and set the number such that the last digit of the card to be classified is also "0". According to the example of Ayanao, arrange the cards in the order of their numbers, and also “0”.
01”~”400'', “40r’~”800'', “
In the case of classification in classes 801 and above, the 10th
Classification can be performed in the order shown in the figure.

Classification cards 161, 162, 1 as shown in Figure 10A
63 is made slightly larger to make it easier to distinguish it from other cards. Further, 164 is a card to be classified. All cards are numbered, and the cards that are classified have a 0 as the last digit. 161-1
Divide 64 into stackers 1 and 2 and draw the ending card “E”.
” and stack them as shown in Figure 10B and A.

In the first card sorting, the cards are sorted like a mouth, and then the cards are sorted like "C" and "2", and all the cards are sorted in number order into stacker 1, and the large cards for sorting are also placed in the position where they should be sorted. I'm reading. As explained above, according to the present invention, it is possible to automate the conversion and classification of the order of cards, etc., in a very simple manner, at low cost, and with high efficiency.

Although the present invention is as described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described classification control, and can also perform various other functions.

For example, if the data of the card to be classified is already known, the data is input from a key bond (not shown) or a magnetic tape to a predetermined address in the RAM 42, and then the classification is executed. You can also do that.
When sorting is performed in this manner, the sensor 13 for card collection is not required. Further, in order to mix the cards in the stackers 1 and 2 in a pseudo-random manner, they can be mixed according to a predetermined method. It will be clear that in this case too sensor 13 is not required. Furthermore, the end card is not always necessary; for example, the number of cards in the stacker can be detected by first setting all the guards to 1 and counting while reading the data and sending it to the stacker. Of course, it is also possible to perform classification by counting the number of sheets stored in each of stackers 1 and 0. Place the classification card first.
Although it was used in Figure 0, it is not absolutely necessary, for example, if the card is sent again after the classification is completed,
This can be solved by stopping the card from running after each category, and taking it out for each category. In this example, the number of stackers is 2, but it is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that the same classification is possible with 3 or more and can be easily performed by an engineer in this field. do not have.

The present invention provides an extremely effective device in the fields of classifying checks and bills in banks, etc., as well as classifying punch cards in electronic computers, classifying magnetic ledgers, classifying magnetic cards, and classifying OCR cards. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 are mechanical block diagrams and electrical block diagrams in one embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 3 to 8 are control flow diagrams in one embodiment, and FIG. 9a ,b,c are card classification examples based on the control flow of FIGS. 3 to 8,
FIGS. 10a and 10b are examples of card classification based on the control flows shown in FIGS. 3 to 8 when cards of different types are included as classification marks. 1, 2... Stakka, 3, 6... Forced delivery section, 4, 8
...Feeding roller, 5...Card, 7...Feeding path, 9
, 10...Feed roller, 12...Common track, 13...Sensor, 14...Selection section,
30...Processor, 31...Program memory, 41.
...Power feed control section, 42...RAM
, 47...Character recognition processor. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 6 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 a Figure 10 b

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. At least two cards capable of storing a plurality of cards, including a card receiving section, a card sending section, and means for automatically sequentially sending cards received from the card receiving section to the sending section.
one card storage means, and a conveying means for transporting the card sent out from each delivery section of the card storage means to an arbitrary one receiving section of the at least two card storage means;
A reading means for reading data on a card being transported during a card transporting path of the transporting means, a storage means for storing data read by the reading means, a sending section of the card storage means, and the transporting means are controlled. A card sorting device comprising: a control means, the control means controlling each sending section of the card storage means and the conveyance means according to card reading data of the storage means. 2. The card sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the cards sent out from the respective sending sections of at least two card storage means travel through a common card feeding section in the transporting means conveyance path. 3. The card sorting device according to claim 2, characterized in that a reading means is provided in the common card feeding section. 4. The control means transfers the card data of each card sending section of the card storage means and the card data from each card receiving section farthest from each sending section in the stored card data of the storage means to each of the storage means and each other. and means for comparing data between cards of each card sending unit and data of cards furthest from each card sending unit,
Claim 1, characterized in that the card sending unit and the card conveying means are controlled based on the comparison result of the means.
Card sorting device as described in section.